Tour de France stage 12: Lannemezan > Plateau de Beille, 198kms

Lotto leads the peloton out into the Midi-Pyrenees in control of the race for Andre Greipel and the up-coming points sprint...

On the Col de Portet-Aspet, 60-kilometres down the road, the Fabio Casartelli family and race-officials remember Casartellli's death in the Tour 20-years earlier...

Lieuwe Westra is again in the early escape - except this one is already ten-minutes ahead on the Col de la Core..!

Louis Meintjes and Mikael Cherel also form part of this 23-man breakaway...

Michal Kwiatkowski has taken off from the big escape and made a little one with Sep Vanmarcke and Georg Preidler...

Ian Stannard is already hard at work for Team Sky, but the gap has grown to twelve minutes with 80-kilometres left...

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Leopold Konig carries water bottles and ice-cubes to his teamates - it's boiling hot in the valleys..!

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Romain Bardet is getting some new energy on the Port de Lers, he's about to split the pursuers and chase Kwiatkowski's trio...

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Bardet is making his move on the Lers climb before sitting up to await re-inforcements...

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The Sky-led peloton crosses the Port de Lers summit as the skies darken above them...

Kwiatkowski is out in front on the final climb to Plateau de Beille, but Bardet is closing in with Fuglsang...

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Joaquin Rodriguez has caught Fuglsang and Bardet and is about to go it alone to win the stage...

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Alberto Contador makes a brave attack halfway up the final climb...

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Vincenzo Nibali is inspired by Contador's attempt and tries to escape himself...

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Geraint Thomas has pulled back both attacks and now sets a brutal pace to deter the other rivals...

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Chris Froome is suffering a little behind Thomas, but no-where near as much as Quintana and Contador..!

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Contador is having to dig deep, while Tejay Van Garderen looks composed and relaxed behind...

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Quintana makes a big attack, but Froome follows, as do all the G.C contenders...

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Froome is back in control and leads Quintana with two-kilometres to go...

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Bauke Mollema isn't too far off the pace - he'll end the stage in 19th-place, at 7' 44" to Rodriguez...

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Andrew Talansky is two minutes further back at 9' 46" - and he's 18th overall now...

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Joaquin Rodriguez celebrates taking his second stage-win of this Tour, and there's more climbing still to come..!

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