Tour de France 2010 Stage 12: Rodriguez Claims His First Victory

Stage 12 of Tour de France 2010 was as tough as it looked – an extremely long, hot day that ended with the victory of Spanish racer Joaquim Oliver Rodriguez, his first in the Tour.

Fellow Spanish racer Alberto Contador joined him in the final push on the Croix Neuve climb, a true attack from the man who won last year’s Tour de France.

The move allowed Contador to gain 10 seconds from the other man who has a real chance to win the Tour, Andy Schleck.

Stage 12 of Tour de France 2010 started in Bourg-de-Péage and ended in Mende, after an exhausting 210.5 kilometers.

The temperatures that reached plus 90 degrees and the long distances were the real opponents of this stage. Former champion Lance Armstrong, who finished 57 said that this is the hottest tour he’s ever been a part of.

Alexandre Vinokourov finished third, 4h 58′ 30″, Jurgen Van Den Broeck fourth, 4h 58′ 36″ and Andy Schleck fifth, 4h 58′ 36″.