Tour de France 2012

Wiggins 53rd in the stage: 1st overall!

24 Jul 12|01:29 AM

Bradley Wiggins led the peloton to the one kilometre to go mark and then the lead out for the final sprint of the 99th Tour began. With his work for the day done, the rider in the yellow jersey positioned himself in the peloton and finished the 20th stage in 53rd place. He was in a group that was nine seconds behind the stage winner, Mark Cavendish. Wiggins has become the first British winner of the Tour de France!

The top five in stage 20

24 Jul 12|01:26 AM

The late challenge from Goss faded in the final 50 metres and he was overtaken by Sagan who has finished second behind the world champion. The top five of stage 20 is: 1. Mark Cavendish (GBR) SKY 2. Peter Sagan (SVK) LIQ 3. Matt Goss (AUS) OGE 4. Juan José Haedo (ARG) STB 5. Kris Boeckmans (BEL) VCD

Sky reign supreme!

24 Jul 12|01:24 AM

Sky has won on every level today! Cavendish started his sprint almost from the Place de la Concorde. Goss was on his wheel to challenge but he could do nothing to overcome the world champion. Sky wins the final stage and the overall title of the 2012 Tour de France.

Wiggins begins the lead-out

24 Jul 12|01:23 AM

Wiggins has led the peloton under the 'Flamme Rouge'. Orica-GreenEdge is coming up to challenge for the sprint but it's Boasson Hagen ahead of Cavendish out of hte final turn.

Sky don't get it all their way

24 Jul 12|01:22 AM

There are three Saxo Bankers on the front of the bunch as it dives into the tunnel for the final time. On their wheel is a Garmin rider followed by Wiggins and the rest of the Sky team.

Escape over: FDJ attack

24 Jul 12|01:21 AM

The peloton has caught the escapees with 3km to go. There was a short turn at the front by someone from FDJ but now Rogers is ahead of Wiggins ahead of Boasson Hagen at the front of the bunch.

Hondo and an AG2R rider crash

24 Jul 12|01:20 AM

Hondo (LAM) recently lost control of his bike and took out a rider from AG2R.

Voigt: No Surrender!

24 Jul 12|01:19 AM

Voigt can see that the bunch is about to catch his group but he continues to work hard to try and keep his escape alive. They are inside the final 4km of the Tour and have a lead of 10".

Saxo Bank get to work...

24 Jul 12|01:18 AM

There are now four Saxo Bank riders at the front of the peloton which is 12" behind Voigt, Minard and Costa. Just behind the Danish team are riders from Lotto-Belisol.

One lap to go...

24 Jul 12|01:16 AM

Voigt's trio has come off the Place de la Concorde with a lead of 16". They have just 6.5km to go and the next time they reach the line it will be the finish of the Tour of 2012. This is The Bell lap!

8km to go

24 Jul 12|01:14 AM

Voigt, Minard and Costa continue to hold off the peloton. They are inside the final 8km of the stage and have a lead of 21". Liguigas has been given the responsibility of the chase and Sky is lined up just behind the team of Sagan.

Minard does a long turn...

24 Jul 12|01:13 AM

Minard did a turn of pace that lasted about 20". Now Voigt takes over for about eight seconds before swinging over to let Costa come through...

Trio holding their advantage

24 Jul 12|01:12 AM

The escape may have dwindled from 11 to three but they are three strong men who have increased their advantage over the peloton (led by Liquigas) and are currently 24" ahead. There is 9km to go in the race...

Some escapees caught

24 Jul 12|01:10 AM

Edet, Kroon and Bak have been caught by the bunch inside the final 12km. Voigt's trio are about to reach the 10km to go mark. They have a lead of 23" on the peloton.

"Shut up legs!"

24 Jul 12|01:09 AM

Voigt is the oldest man in the peloton today but he's far from the slowest. He is attacking the lead group and dragging Costa (MOV) and Minard (ALM) with him. This trio is 8" ahead of the peloton.

The 11 stage leaders...

24 Jul 12|01:08 AM

The 11 escapees joined forces with 32km to go in the 2012 Tour. They are: Marino (SAU), Kuchynski (KAT), Bak (LTB), Burghardt (BMC), Costa (MOV), Minard (ALM), Voigt (RNT), Edet (COF), Tankink (RAB), Kroon (STB) and Iglinskiy (AST).  Voigt is now going on the attack as the bunch is just 17" behind with 13km to go.

15km to go

24 Jul 12|01:05 AM

We now see a Garmin-Sharp rider at the front of the peloton with Liquigas lined up behind him. We're yet to see a turn at the front of the bunch from an Orica-GreenEdge rider but Langeveld is near the head of the peloton. With 15km to go, the advantage of the 11 escapees is 20".

Minard goes ahead...

24 Jul 12|01:04 AM

Minard (ALM) is the rider in the escape who is riding in the gutter. It's helped him gain a little advantage on the 10 other escapees. The peloton is 25" behind the break.

Advantage shrinking

24 Jul 12|01:01 AM

The maximum gain of the 11-man escape was 30". At the moment, with 19km to go, they are 24" ahead.

Three Liquigas rider lead peloton

24 Jul 12|01:00 AM

The peloton is 30" behind the 11 - Marino (SAU), Kuchynski (KAT), Bak (LTB), Burghardt (BMC), Costa (MOV), Minard (ALM), Voigt (RNT), Edet (COF), Tankink (RAB), Kroon (STB) and Iglinskiy (AST) - and three men from the Liguigas team are taking responsibility of the chase.

21km to go

24 Jul 12|00:59 AM

Sagan is on the wheel of Cavendish as the peloton makes its way towards the tunnel that leads to the Rue de Rivoli. The bunch is now 30" behind the escapees. Feillu (SAU) has just punctured...

Langeveld also at the head of the chase group

24 Jul 12|00:57 AM

Porte leads Knees and then comes Langeveld from the Orica-GreenEdge team at the front of the chase group that is 25" behind the Voigt group of 11.

Four former stage winners in lead group

24 Jul 12|00:56 AM

Of the 11 in the lead, four have previously won a stage of the Tour de France. They are: Jens Voigt, Karsten Kroon, Rui Costa and Marcus Burghardt. There are three men from Sky at the head of the peloton that's 22" behind the escape.

Basso leading the peloton

24 Jul 12|00:55 AM

The runner-up from the Tour of 2005, Ivan Basso (LIQ) is at the front of the peloton that is still 27" behind the Voigt group.

The 11 leaders...

24 Jul 12|00:53 AM

Marino (SAU), Kuchynski (KAT), Bak (LTB), Burghardt (BMC), Costa (MOV), Minard (ALM), Voigt (RNT), Edet (COF), Tankink (RAB), Kroon (STB) and Iglinskiy (AST) are the riders with a lead of 27" with 25km to go.

Iglinskiy & Kuchynski also involved

24 Jul 12|00:49 AM

Ignlinkiy (AST) and Kuchynski (KAT) are also in the group of 11 a tthe front...

30km to go

24 Jul 12|00:48 AM

The escapees include Voigt (RNT), Minard (ALM), Lund (STB), Bak (LTB), Burghardt (BMC), Edet (COF), Tankink (RAB)...

Five in the lead

24 Jul 12|00:46 AM

There are five men with a small advantage over the peloton: Voigt and Lund are present in the front group... and they've being chased by a group of five.

Full result of intermediate sprint

24 Jul 12|00:43 AM

The points for the final intermediate sprint of the 99th Tour have been won by: 1. Hondo (LAM) 20pts 2. Voigt (RNT) 17pts 3. Pineau (FDJ) 15pts 4. Gretsch (ARG) 13pts 5. Perez (EUS) 11pts 6. Bak (LTB) 10pts 7. Vansummeren (GRS) 9pts 8. Quinziato (BMC) 8pts 9. De Weert (OPQ) 7pts 10. Kroon (STB) 6pts 11. Knees (SKY) 5pts 12. Rogers (SKY) 4pts 13. Fouchard (COF) 3pts 14. Porte (SKY) 2pts 15. Froome (SKY) 1pt

Three in the lead

24 Jul 12|00:41 AM

Lars Bak has briddge the gap to Voigt and Hondo. There are now three men with a lead of 10" on the peloton.

Hondo takes 20 points

24 Jul 12|00:40 AM

Hondo (LAM) led Voigt over the line to claim the 20 points for the intermediate sprint of stage 20.

Two lead six by 8"

24 Jul 12|00:39 AM

There is a counter-attack group of six riders 8" behind Voigt and Hondo. The peloton is at 15".

Yellow helmets for RadioShack-Nissan

24 Jul 12|00:38 AM

The RadioShack-Nissan squad is going to win the team classification this year. It is the second time in three years that RadioShack will claim this prize. This year the teams were asked to have two sets of helmets for their: one in the standard colours, another in yellow in case they led the team rankings. Only two outfits have led the general rankings for teams in 2012: Sky and RadioShack-Nissan. The US squad is 6'02" ahead of the British team in the overall rankings.

40km to go

24 Jul 12|00:35 AM

Hondo and Voigt continue to swap turns of pace at the front of the race. They are inside the final 40km of the 2012 Tour.

Escapees in the middle of the road

24 Jul 12|00:34 AM

Hondo has led Voigt up the hill towards the Arc de Triomphe and he did so in the middle of the Champs-Elysees. Often riders chose to try and ride on the verge of the road as the gutter is much smoother than the cobbles in the middle of this famous avenue.

Two Germans in the lead

24 Jul 12|00:32 AM

Voigt and Hondo are the two riders who led the peloton over the line for the second time. The two Germans have a lead of about 100m on the bunch.

Up to the Rue de Rivoli

24 Jul 12|00:30 AM

A Saur-Sojasun rider, Jimmy Engouvent - the rider who will "win" the 'Lanterne Rouge' in 2012 - is at the front of the bunch as it makes its way along the Rue de Rivoli. He has been caught and now Voigt (RNT) leads the bunch to the Place de la Concorde.

Pineau on the attack

24 Jul 12|00:27 AM

Jerome Pineau (OPQ) has started the attacking action. He is about to be joined by Hondo (LAM), Grivko (AST) and a number of others who are keen to get in an escape early on the streets of Paris.

Horner and Hincapie lead peloton over the line

24 Jul 12|00:26 AM

Two veterans of the peloton have led the peloton to the line that will be the finish in 51km: Hincapie (BMC) is about to finish his 17th Tour. And Horner (RNT) is the second oldest rider in the Tour's peloton this year.

Sky leading the bunch

24 Jul 12|00:19 AM

Knees leads Eisel, Rogers, Boasson Hagen, Cavendish, Porte, Wiggins and Froome to the first circuit of the Champs-Elysees.

Peloton arrives in Paris

24 Jul 12|00:15 AM

The yellow jersey is at the front of the peloton as it arrives on the streets of Paris. We're likely to see the bunch cross the line that will be used for the finish (after eight laps of the 6.5km circuit) be led by Sky but the attacks are likely to start soon after the first passage of the Avenue des Champs-Elysées.

Peloton at 56km

24 Jul 12|00:00 AM

The world champion Mark Cavendish is at the front of the peloton alongside his loyal Austrian team-mate Bernhard Eisel. To the right of the lead-out man is the rider in the yellow jersey... the bunch is only a few minutes away from reaching the streets of Paris.

14 teams without a stage win

23 Jul 12|23:57 PM

Of the 22 teams in the 99th Tour, 14 are without a stage win. Here's a reminder of the winners since the start in Liège on 30 June: Prologue: Fabian Cancellara (RNT). Stage 1: Peter Sagan (LIQ). Stage 2: Mark Cavendish (SKY). Stage 3: Peter Sagan (LIQ). Stage 4: André Greipel (LTB). Stage 5: André Greipel (LTB). Stage 6: Peter Sagan (LIQ). Stage 7: Chris Froome (SKY). Stage 8: Thibaut Pinot (FDJ). Stage 9: Bradley Wiggins (SKY). Stage 10: Thomas Voeckler (EUC). Stage 11: Pierre Rolland (EUC). Stage 12: David Millar (GRS). Stage 13: André Greipel (LTB). Stage 14: Luis Leon Sanchez (RAB). Stage 15: Pierrick Ferdigo (FDJ). Stage 16: Thomas Voeckler (EUC). Stage 17: Alejandro Valverde (MOV). Stage 18: Mark Cavendish (SKY). Stage 19: Bradley Wiggins (SKY)... Stage 20:... we'll know in a few hours.

50km ridden...

22 Jul 12|23:51 PM

The "escape" is over and the bunch is all together again at the 50km mark of the 120km stage. The final 57km are on the streets of the French capital and that's when the pace is expected to pick up...

Six riders in the lead...

22 Jul 12|23:49 PM

Costa (MOV), Valverde (MOV), Cooke (OGE), O'Grady (OGE), Paulinho (STB) and Basso (LIQ) have opened up a bit of a gap on the peloton as it approaches Versailles which is at the 49.5km mark of the 20th stage. It's wrong to call it an escape as all six in the lead had a giggle about the fact that they'd opened a gap of about 50 metres on the peloton.

Plaza leads over final climb

22 Jul 12|23:34 PM

Ruben Plaza (MOV) has claimed the one point on offer at the top of the final climb of the 2012 Tour de France.

Movistar leading on second climb

22 Jul 12|23:31 PM

Juan José Cobo and another Movistar rider are at the front of the peloton as it slowly makes its way up the second hill of stage 20.

Voeckler adds another point...

22 Jul 12|23:26 PM

Voeckler (EUC) was beaming from ear to ear as he rode across the line of the first of today's two hills to claim the one point on offer. The other riders essentially ignored the Frenchman but the camera loves the rider in the polka-dot jersey who now has a total tally of 135 points.

No champagne today...

22 Jul 12|23:22 PM

The peloton is 85km from the finish of the stage. And while the opening 35km have been done at a lazy pace, we're yet to see a glass of champagne raised in a toast as is a tradition for the final stage.

Average speed for the first hour...

22 Jul 12|23:16 PM

The peloton has covered just 31.7km in the first hour of the 20th stage.

The winners of 'Fighting Spirit' awards...

22 Jul 12|23:10 PM

Each day that there isn't a time trial, a rider is voted the winner of the 'Fighting Spirit' award. Here is a reminder of who claimed the red 'dossards' in Le Tour 2012: Stage 1: Nicolas Edet (COF) Stage 2: Anthony Roux (FDJ) Stage 3: Michael Morkov (STB) Stage 4: Yukiya Arashiro (EUC) Stage 5: Matthieu Ladagnous (FDJ) Stage 6: Dave Zabriskie (GRS) Stage 7: Luis Leon Sanchez (RAB) Stage 8: Frederik Kessiakoff (AST) Stage 10: Thomas Voeckler (EUC) Stage 11: Pierre Rolland (EUC) Stage 12: Robert Kiserlovski (AST) Stage 13: Michael Morkov (STB) Stage 14: Peter Sagan (LIQ) Stage 15: Nicki Sorensen (STB) Stage 16: Thomas Voeckler (EUC) Stage 17: Alejandro Valverde (MOV) Stage 18: Alexandre Vinokourov (AST)

Chris Anker Sorensen: Super-Combative of 2012

22 Jul 12|23:03 PM

Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank will have a rider on the podium today as Chris Anker Sorensen has been voted the most aggressive rider of the 99th Tour de France. He was on the attack during both stages in the Pyrenees and, on the day to Peyragudes, he sliced his fingers in an accident... but still battled on to finish 24th in the stage. He is ranked 14th overall and is third in the climbing classification.

Other recent examples of team-mates on the podium

22 Jul 12|22:59 PM

Beyond Wiggins and Froome this year and Schleck and Schleck last year, other recent examples of team-mates being on the final podium of the Tour include: 2009: Contador (1st) and Armstrong (3rd) - Astana 2007: Contador (1st) and Leipheimer (3rd) - Discovery Channel 1996: Riis (1st) and Ullrich (2nd) - Telekom 1986: LeMond (1st) and Hinault (2nd) - La Vie Claire 1985: Hinault (1st) and LeMond (2nd) - La Vie Claire 1984: Fignon (1st) and LeMond (2nd) - Renault-Elf

Other recent examples of team-mates on the podium

22 Jul 12|22:59 PM

Beyond Wiggins and Froome this year and Schleck and Schleck last year, other recent examples of team-mates being on the final podium of the Tour include: 2009: Contador (1st) and Armstrong (3rd) - Astana 2007: Contador (1st) and Leipheimer (3rd) - Discovery Channel 1996: Riis (1st) and Ullrich (2nd) - Telekom 1986: LeMond (1st) and Hinault (2nd) - La Vie Claire 1985: Hinault (1st) and LeMond (2nd) - La Vie Claire 1984: Fignon (1st) and LeMond (3rd) - Renault-Elf

Blue line turns yellow for today

22 Jul 12|22:44 PM

The famous 'blue line' of the Sky team is yellow for today. The 'Sky' logo on the team bus has turned from blue to yellow and the line over the team cars have also changed colour today.

Rogers arranging the photographers

22 Jul 12|22:43 PM

The Sky team is assembling themselves for a team photo but first the eight riders from Wiggins team must find a stretch of road where they can all pose for the shot. Kanstantsin Sivtsov is the only one from the original line-up not to have made it to Paris.

Vichot punctures...

22 Jul 12|22:39 PM

Ah yes, Radio Tour bursts into action as Sebastien Piquet announces the rear tyre puncture for FDJ's Arthur Vichot... it's hardly gripping action but it's something different for the moment.

Second year in a row team-mates share the final podium

22 Jul 12|22:38 PM

This will be the second successive year that team-mates have stood on the final podium of the Tour de France. In 2012, obviously, it's Wiggins and Froome (in first and second place) from Sky. Last year it was Andy and Fränk Schleck (in second and third).

8km ridden...

22 Jul 12|22:34 PM

Michael Schar (BMC) and Michael Albasini (OGE) are the two Swiss riders at the front of the peloton at the 8km mark. The mood is jovial and there have, of course, been no early attacks. The champagne hasn't yet appeared but surely it won't be long before we start seeing the riders toast their achievements over the last few weeks.

The eight editions with only two leaders

22 Jul 12|22:26 PM

The eight other times that only two riders have led the Tour de France were: 1999: Armstrong and Kirsipuu 1977: Thurau and Thévenet 1970: Merckx and Zioli 1961: Darrigade and Anquetil 1934: Speicher and Magne 1925: Bottecchia and Benoit 1921: Mottiat and Scieur 1919: Christophe and Lambot

O'Grady chatting with Wiggins at the front

22 Jul 12|22:23 PM

The Australian rider who is about to contest his sixth Olympics, Stuart O'Grady, is at the front of the bunch today and having a chat with the rider in the yellow jersey early in the stage.

Only two race leaders in 2012

22 Jul 12|22:22 PM

Had it not been for the seven seconds that Wiggins (SKY) lost to Cancellara (RNT) in the prologue in Liège, the race winner would have worn the yellow jersey from start to finish. This has only happened twice: in 1924 when Ottavio Bottecchia won and in 1935 when Romain Maes took the title. This year will be the ninth time that only two men have led the general classification of the Tour de France.

The race begins... sort of

22 Jul 12|22:18 PM

The official start time for the 20th stage is 2.15pm. The white flag has been waved by Christian Prudhomme for the final time in the 2012 Tour but it prompted no reaction whatsoever from the riders. They continue to idle along at a speed that could be described as tranquil. There are 153 riders still in the race.

Prize classification review: part 04 – white jersey

22 Jul 12|22:16 PM

Tejay van Garderen (BMC) will be the third American rider to win the youth classification at the Tour de France (after Greg LeMond in 1984 and Andy Hampsten in 1986). He is ranked fourth overall but will stand on the podium in Paris later today to collect a white jersey. Van Garderen and Rein Taaramae (COF) were the only riders to wear the white jersey in the 99th Tour. The Estonian slipped down the rankings and is now 4th in the category open to riders born after 1 January 1987. The youngest rider in the race, Thibaut Pinot (FDJ) is second, 6’13” behind Van Garderen and Steven Kruiswijk (RAB) is third at 1h05’48”.

Prize classification review: part 03 – polka-dot jersey

22 Jul 12|22:13 PM

Thomas Voeckler (EUC) loves to put on a show. He has won two stages of the 2012 Tour de France – in Bellegarde-sur-Valserini and Luchon – and he’s collected more points in the climbing classification than any other rider. He rides with panache and can’t resist the lure of the cameras for a performance. On the start line today, he took off his polka-dot jersey and then removed his undershirt before putting the prized top back on. It raised a giggle from several riders on the Sky team. Voeckler has 134 points, 11 more than Astana’s Frederik Kessiakoff. The Frenchman will win the King of the Mountains crown in the 99th Tour.

Prize classification review: part 02 – green jersey

22 Jul 12|22:09 PM

The rider who won the green jersey in 2011 also claimed the final stage. That was Mark Cavendish’s 20th victory of a Tour de France stage. Today the Manxman is ranked fourth in the points classification. Ahead of him are his former team-mates Matt Goss (OGE) and André Greipel (LTB)... but first place is in what’s considered the ‘Sprinters Prize’ is the winner of three stages this year, Peter Sagan. It will be the first time that a Slovakian has won the green jersey in the Tour de France.

Rolling in the neutral zone...

22 Jul 12|22:07 PM

As is the case for every road stage of the Tour, there is a short neutral zone before the bunch arrives at the site of the official start. This gives the riders a chance to put themselves into position and, in some cases, prepare to launch an early attack. That's unlikely to happen today as the stage to Paris generally begins with a bit of a parade - an opportunity for photos to be taken and pleasantries to be exchanged. The only exception in the last 20 years was in 2004 when Filippo Simeoni attacked right at the start several times while the other riders were content to meander along for the opening hours of the final stage.

Classification leaders up front

22 Jul 12|22:03 PM

The bunch is about to start rolling in stage 20. Each of the prize jersey wearers - Tejay van Garderen, Brad Wiggins, Peter Sagan and Thomas Voeckler - has a bike coloured the same as their jerseys: white, yellow, green and red spots on white, respectively.

Prize classification review: part 01 – yellow jersey

22 Jul 12|22:00 PM

And so it will be: Brad Wiggins is to become the first British winner of the Tour de France. He’s won both long time trials and his team-mates Chris Froome picked up a mountain stage win; and now the Sky pair are set to become first and second overall in the 99th edition of the race. With his second stage victory – in the 53km time trial on the penultimate day – Wiggins improved his advantage over Froome: from 2’05” after 3,319.4km to 3’21”. The average speed after 3,372.9km is 39.943km/h. Vincenzo Nibali (LIQ) will be the first Italian on the podium since Ivan Basso finished second in 2005. ‘The Shark’ from Sicily is third overall, 6’19” behind Wiggins.

Welcome to the live coverage of the final stage of the 2012 Tour

22 Jul 12|21:56 PM

The sun is shining and the final act of the 99th Tour de France is set to begin shortly. The shortest road stage (ie. not a time trial) of the 2012 edition is due to commence at 2.00pm. There is a 4.2km neutral zone before the peloton reaches the site of the official start, this is expected to be at around 2.10pm. The course from Rambouillet to Paris is 120km long and there are two small hills: the cote de Saint-Remy-les-Chevreuse (at 36.5km) and the cote de Chateaufort (at 40.5km). The intermediate sprint for stage 20 is on the 'Haute des Champs' on the third of eight laps Champs-Elysées. Live coverage of the race will begin shortly.