Spain’s Sanchez wins Tour de France’s stage 12

Added by Gary Dunn on July 14, 2011

Spanish Samuel Sanchez won the 209km 12th stage of the Tour de France on Thursday.

The stage featured three climbs in the Pyrenees, two of which are the toughest in pro racing. Sanchez and Jelle Vanendert took the lead in the final climb, overtaking a group of break-away riders. Sanchez took the lead in the final meters before the line, finishing 7 seconds ahead of Vanendert. With this stage win, Sanchez takes the polka dot jersey from Hoogerland.

Two racers withdrew today: Denis Galimzyanov did not finish, and Romain Feillu did not start.

The leaders in the various standings are as follows:

• Overall: Thomas Voekler of France at 51h 54min 44sec
• Points: Mark Cavendish with 260 points
• King of the Mountains: Samuel Sanchez with 40pts
• Team: Team Leopard-Trek with 155h 09min 18sec
• Youth: Arnold Jaennesson with 52h 00min 34sec