VITTEL, (Reuters) – Dane Nicki Sorensen powered to a solo victory in the 12th stage of the Tour de France, a 211.5-km ride from Tonnerre to Vittel yesterday.
The Saxo Bank rider attacked twice in the finale to beat France’s Laurent Lefevre and Italian Franco Pellizotti, who were second and third respectively 48 seconds behind.
Italy’s Rinaldo Nocentini retained the overall leader’s yellow jersey ahead of Spaniard Alberto Contador and Lance Armstrong, second and third respectively.
Sorensen featured in a seven-man breakaway at the 64-km mark that quickly built a gap of over four minutes — and he proved the strongest of the group.
“I am extremely happy, it is something than I hardly thought of. I was lucky to win this one,” said the 34-year-old Sorensen, one of Andy Schleck’s domestiques on the Tour.
“I don’t get many chances for myself but I got it today.”
Andy Schleck and Cadel Evans also tried their luck early in the stage but they were swiftly reined in by the bunch.
Lance Armstrong suffered a puncture after 150 kilometres but the seven-times champion was quickly brought back into the bunch by four team mates after he had had his rear wheel changed.
His Astana team suffered a potential blow when American Leipheimer, fourth overall, crashed towards the end of the stage.
Leipheimer, who will be credited with the bunch’s time as his fall happened in the last three kilometres, has bruises on his left thigh, said Astana spokesman Philippe Maertens.“I’m OK folks, wrist hurts but not broken, lost some skin, it could’ve easily been much worse. Not sure what happened. All I remember is seeing the curb coming and thinking it was game over,” Leipheimer wrote on his Twitter page.
Australian Cadel Evans, runner-up in the last two editions, also fell off his bike in similar circumstances.
The stage went the fugitives’ way as the sprinters’ teams proved unwilling to work in the finale to set up a mass sprint.Sorensen and Sylvain Calzati attacked the breakaway group with 22 km left with only Nocentini’s AG2R team setting the pace in the main pack.
The duo did not look back as the gap with the peloton went past the six-minute mark, and Sorensen went solo 5.5 km from the line.
Briton Mark Cavendish came home in eighth place as he won the sprint of the peloton ahead of Norway’s Thor Hushovd.
Today’s 13th stage will take the peloton over 209 km to Colmar with the tricky ascent to the Col du Platzerwasel on the menu.
