Nimes (AFP)

A solo at high speed: the German Nils Politt won solo Thursday in Nîmes the 12th stage of the Tour de France, driven by a favorable wind.

The wearer of the yellow jersey, the Slovenian Tadej Pogacar (UAE), finished the stage in the peloton, with his direct opponents, more than a quarter of an hour away.

Politt won for the first time in the Tour, the day the leader of his team Bora, Slovakian Peter Sagan, retired.

He signed the first victory for a German rider in this edition.

Politt, a solid rider who finished second in the last edition of Paris-Roubaix (in 2019), won the second success of his career, after a stage in the Tour of Germany 2018.

To win the stage, Politt beat Spaniard Imanol Erviti and Australian Harry Sweeny by around 30 seconds.

The Swiss Stefan Küng took 4th place before the Slovenian Luka Mezgec overtook the German André Greipel at the head of a small group.

In an ultra-fast and eventful start to the stage, due to the wind blowing with force, the breakaway took shape after about fifteen kilometers with, in particular, the world champion Julian Alaphilippe, very vigilant.

The group of 13 riders, made up of heavy riders (Bissegger, Küng, Politt, Van Moer, Erviti and Boasson Hagen among others), widened the gap all the more quickly as twelve teams were represented.

Behind, none of the other 11 teams sought to take on the pursuit and the yellow jersey team was content to manage the gap.

40 kilometers from the finish, Politt provoked the decision and took Sweeny, Erviti and Küng with him.

The quartet has long maintained a lead of around thirty seconds over the other members of the breakaway who eventually gave in to 20 kilometers from the finish.

Küng then let go on an acceleration of Sweeny shortly before Politt breaks away, in power, on a rising false flat, 12 kilometers from the line.

Package before the departure from Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux (Drôme), Sagan, who was recovering from his fall in the 3rd stage in Pontivy when he had been dragged on the ground by the Australian Caleb Ewan, explained that he had a swollen knee following a new shock.

"I am unable to bend my leg," said the seven-time green Tour jersey, record holder for wins in the points classification.

Friday, the 13th stage crosses the South, from Nîmes to Carcassonne, on a plain course of 219.9 kilometers.

For the Briton Mark Cavendish, who passed the stage in the peloton, it is a new chance to equal the record of (34) stage victories of Eddy Merckx.

© 2021 AFP