Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux (France) (AFP)
The Tour de France cyclist peloton started Thursday at 13:49 from Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux (Drôme) for a 12th stage favorable to the sprinters, which could allow Mark Cavendish to equal the 34 stage victories of Eddy Merckx.
The first pedal strokes were delayed by ten minutes due to the gusts of wind blowing over the starting city.
The day after the double ascent of Ventoux, 159.4 km are on the program to reach Nîmes (Gard) via the gorges of the Ardèche.
Arrival is scheduled between 5:10 p.m. and 5:40 p.m.
The green jersey Mark Cavendish (Deceuninck), only one length behind the 'Cannibale' stage victory record, and 154 other riders took the start on Thursday.
The only difficulty of the day is the hill of the Tharaux belvedere (4.4 km at 4.6% average slope), a third category climb whose top is more than 75 km from the finish.
An intermediate sprint is also planned in Uzès, about 25 km before the line.
Three-time stage winner on this 108th Grande Boucle, Cavendish has already won in Nîmes in 2008, at the end of a stage that started from Narbonne.
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It was then the fourth of his 33 bouquets on the Tour de France.
© 2021 AFP