Tour de France – Stage 12 Buchmann tried, Coquard pushed himself to the limit.

The time has come for cathedrals, real ones, those that have stood for millennia against the sky and light up the Tour de France route. The Pyrenees mountain range, both eagerly awaited and feared, is now a reality. And to tackle it properly, there is nothing better than being in the thick of it from the very first kilometres.

This is what the Cofidis riders set out to do at the start of the stage. As a group of more than 50 riders formed in the early kilometres, Emanuel Buchmann, Bryan Coquard, Ion Izagirre and Dylan Teuns joined them. Their goal: to support the German rider as much as possible on the three climbs to be tackled on Thursday.

During this stage, Bryan Coquard suffered a mishap. Injuring his hand while trying to grab a bag, he was immediately treated by the race doctors. The sprinter hung on until the end, crossing the line ahead of the broom wagon after a tremendous effort (see elsewhere).

Buchmann holds firm in the top 20

For his part, Emanuel Buchmann worked hard to remain among the fastest riders of the day. While Tadej Pogacar blew apart the first group at the start of the Hautacam climb, the German rider fought hard until the end. He finished 15 minutes behind Tadej Pogacar. In the overall standings, however, Emanuel retains his place in the top 20.

Tomorrow, the riders will compete in their second time trial, but this one will be very different from last week's time trial in Caen. The riders will be judged on a 10.9 km course that includes a first category climb. The climb from Loudenvielle to Peyragudes includes sections with gradients of up to 16%! The riders will therefore need to hang on tight and recover well, as the next stage, between Pau and Luchon-Superbagnères on Saturday, promises to be just as spectacular.

REASSURING NEWS FROM BRYAN COQUARD  

Big scare on the Tour route for ‘Le Coq’. Bryan Coquard, who was part of the morning breakaway, injured his right hand while grabbing a bag. He was quickly treated by the race doctors, who administered first aid. The sprinter was able to get back on the road and crossed the finish line just ahead of the broom wagon. At the finish, he described it as a ‘really tough day’. ‘I can't bend or brake with my back wheel. I was only braking with my front wheel, which hurt. All the descents today were tough and dangerous.’ A few minutes after finishing the stage, Bryan had an X-ray. At around 8 p.m., the verdict came in: the rider had fractured the first phalanx of his right fourth finger. ‘He will start tomorrow,’ explained Cofidis doctor Piet de Moor. Bryan will wear a splint tomorrow and an orthopaedic surgeon will travel to the race to find a solution to adapt his position on the bike during the time trial.

WHAT THEY SAID

Bryan Coquard: "We got off to a good start today. There were four of us in a large group with Emanuel, Ion and Dylan. I was clearly there to sacrifice myself at the foot of the Soulor. My goal, as a team member, was also to look after my leaders and therefore to go to the feed zone. When I took the bag, it hurt a lot, and I immediately saw that my finger was bent. Then it was a long, tough day. This had never happened to me before, I didn't know what was going on. I wanted to get going again, but it took a long time: I had to do 80 km on my own. On the descents, I couldn't brake with the rear wheel because the vibrations hurt. Then I fought to stay within the time limit. I'll start the time trial tomorrow if the pain doesn't come back. I'm going to put on a splint and hope for the best. I'd like to thank everyone who cheered me on from the side of the road for their support right to the end!"

Emanuel Buchmann: "It was another very tough stage. We got off to a good start with four of us in the breakaway. That meant we didn't lose much time before the climbs began. After that, I struggled to maintain my form in the mountains, but I know that's part of the game. Tomorrow will be tough too, but I'm going to focus on the stages ahead."