Cross winds at the start of stage 12 of the Tour De France ripped the peloton apart. As the chaos settled 13 strong men rode off the front and were not seen again. Strongest of all was Nils Politt who dropped everyone with his constant attacking and then rode in alone to savour his first Grand Tour victory – only his second one of his career. A fabulous result for his BORA-hansgrohe team who announced Peter Sagan would not take the start due to his injuries. Tour debutante Harry Sweeny (Lotto-Soudal) and Movistar Tour veteran Imanol Erviti rounded out the podium.  Mark Cavendish (Deceuninck – Quick Step) led the peloton home some fifteen minutes later, with the main contenders windswept but unchanged on GC.
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