Ben King

American Ben King of Garmin-Sharp took over the Point d’Appui on the first hot day of the 2014 Tour de France, finishing 89th among the 177 surviving riders.

Two riders abandoned. After the heroic ride during the previous Stage 11, Andrew Talansky, leader of Garmin-Sharp, did not start Stage 12 due to injuries. David De La Cruz of Team Netapp-Endura got into the break-away with four other riders; but, while coming around a sharp right-hand bend, the front tire of his bike appeared to have a blow-out that sent him hard into the pavement, breaking his clavicle and withdrawing from the race.

The overall leader of the tour is still Vincenzo Nibali of Astana, and the Lanterne Rouge is Cheng Ji of Team Giant-Shimano. Alexander Kristoff of Team Katusha won Stage 12, holding off Peter Sagan, who has finished second on sprint stages five times now. The Point d’Appui for the stage was Marcel Sieberg of Lotto-Belisol.