Tour de France 2012: stage 13 – live!

Tour de France 2012: stage 13 – live! | Ian McCourt:

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• Largely flat stage finishes on the Mediterranean coast
• Sprint finish expected, but Mistral wind may cause trouble
• Check out today's stage route on our interactive guide
• Email your ideas to ian.mccourt.casual@guardian.co.uk
• Or you can send him some banter via Twitter @ianmccourt
1.41pm: Tom Peach is the back of a cab somewhere in Melbourne. "My wife says Smiths thin cut flat (not) crinkly Salt & Vinegar. And I would choose also salt and vinegar but Discos squashed into packet and eaten in small crumbs." Ooooooooooh. Discos! Now we are getting somewhere people.
1.38pm: I have yet to see a nudist.
1.34pm: Speaking of blowing things to pieces, @parisiangldfish has thrown a French-tasting grenade in the middle of the crisp arguement.

Bonjour Ian. As a Parisian based Brit there can only be one crisp: Mustard flavour, by Monoprix (≈M&S). They're moreish.

Not sure how I feel about that @parisiangldfish, not sure at all.
1.31pm: The
boring
reassuring Waterford tones of Sean Kelly have drawn me back to EuroSport. They are chatting about that climb near the end. Sean reckons you could see the peloton blown to pieces once we get there but there is aplenty of more riding to be done before that.
1.28pm: Are you wondering about the identity of those eight escapees? Well wonder no more. It's Bouet, Curvers, Dumoulin, Engoulvent, Ladagnous, Morkov, Pineau and Urtasun, according to the excellent Cycling Weekly's Twitter feed.
1.23pm: The peloton looks to be taking on the *cough* Indian File formation as they do their best to catch up with that breakaway group. There is a solid five minutes between the two now. @Philby1976 would plump for salt and vinegar flavoured crisps (woop!) but forgets to tell me which brand she would go for. The brand is crucial @Philby1976, crucial.
1.17pm: Right, here we go. ITV4 have been kind enough to provide some live pictures. The lead group have just gone through the dangerous roads of the feeding station and are now snacking on something tasty.
1.15pm: Nick Honeywell is doing his best impression of Hamlet. "Only one type of crisps? How can you be so cruel and heartless! (Doritos Cool Original, has to be. No. Doritos Tangy Cheese, I mean.
Actually, no. Doritos Chili Heatwave. OH GOD I CAN'T CHOOSE!)"
1.09pm: Morkov has a particular reason for going flat-out today in an attempt to win the stage. "It's been exactly five years [today] since my father passed away. I want to win this stage to honour him."
1.02pm: Andy "Smith's Bovril flavoured square crisps" Underwood, are you still out there? I'm afraid you are going to have to sit on the naughty step along with my friend who chose Hula-Hoops BBQ. In more Tour-related news, the gap is down to 4mins20sec and since Gallopin dropped out there are now 193 riders left in the race.
12.55pm: It's got too much for Tony Gallopin of RadioShack. The Frenchman has been suffering with pains in the gullet and has now taken himself out of the race. Bye, bye Tony.
12.50pm: The peloton has got its (I presume) well-toned ass in gear and really cut down that distance between itself and the leading group. It's now just just 5min10sec with just over 81km gone.
12.46pm: All very quiet out there now. So, I recently asked a friend if he could only eat one type of crisps for the rest of his life, what would he chose? Do you know what he said? Hula-Hoops BBQ flavor. Yeah, seriously! BBQ flavor! I'm not sure I can look him in the eye anymore.
12.29pm: Quick breakaway update! The peloton is eating up the ground like a sugar-hungry kid in some sort of sweet factory and is now 6min30sec behind the eight men in front. Five of those are French by the way.
12.24pm: I'm not sure there is a limit to Gary Naylor's sporting knowledge – at least I have yet to encounter it – and today he is providing counsel for Bradley Wiggins. Here's what he had to say:

I know this might not make sense to newcomers to Le Tour, but Wiggo needs to act like a true patron today and allow the other teams to seize a little glory, even if Cav is in with a chance of the stage win. Sky have been so dominant on GC and have won plenty of stages already, so it's time for them to ease back. Play their cards right and they may even find a few allies for next week if they are find themselves in trouble on the Tourmalet stage. This graciousness from the Tour's strongest team is a mark of an old style patron and will be much appreciated in France – especially today.

12.17pm: There is a breakaway group, eh, breaking away from the peloton at the moment, just over 7 minutes in front of the rest. Michael Morkov is leading that on its merry way. You might also be interested to know that there has been a crash in the aforementioned peloton involving Arashiro and Kuchinski. Arashiro is OK though and is back up and pedalling away.
12.08pm: The race has kicked off already but Eurosport – minus AC Jimbo unfortunately – are showing the best of Stage 11's action so I'll be doing my best to get the relevant information your way just as soon as I can. Meanwhile, @maxjgri has hollered with this request. "This time can we have it so Cadel Evans wins, please Ian? I would like for that to happen." Sorry @maxjgri, I'm with the Cav and BIW (Bloody Incredible Wiggins) today so no I won't be fixing it for Cadel Evans.

Stage 13: Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux to Le Cap d'Agde (217km)

Kaboooooooom!!! Neeeeeeerrrrrrbooooosh!!! Bom ba bom bom bom bom bommmmmmm [Neeeeeeerrrrrrbooooosh!!!] ba bom, bom ba bommmm bommmmm bom bom. Kaboooooooom!!! Neeeeeeerrrrrrbooooosh!!! In every nook and cranny across France, bands are striking up impromptu versions of La Marseillaise and storms of fireworks are embracing flight and lighting the sky, all to celebrate
the brilliance of Bradley Wiggins
14 July: Bastille Day. The storming of the seven-prisoner-strong prison back in 1789 has since become a symbol of the the birth of a post-let-them-eat-cake France and – in a parallel you can see on a smog filled day from the back arse of Neptune without the aid of a particularly powerful telescope – the storming of this year's Tour de France by Britain's cyclists can be seen as part of the birth of modern British cycling. Mark Cavendish, David Millar, Chris Froome and Bradley Wiggins have all won a stage in this year's edition of the Tour; Team Sky hold first and second in the general classifications; and barring a miracle on the scale of the Resurrection by the likes of Cadel Evans and co – or injury, Wiggins looks set to be Britain's first ever winner.
Speaking of Cavendish, right now he is probably rubbing his hands with glee because today's piece of the race from Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux to Le Cap d'Agde should be just up his alley, provided he is not too tired following the past week's exhausting events. This postcard-picturesque stage is as flat as a pancake for most of the ride – there is an intermediate sprint along the way in Mas de Londres – but Cav will have to keep an eye out for a rather steepish grade 3 slope, a mere 23km from the finish, as well as the menacing Mediterranean crosswinds if he is to gain some points on
Carl
Peter Sagan in the Points Classification. Here's what the Guardian's very own William Fotheringham had to say about stage 13:

Flat and apparently undemanding, but the heat is torrid and the wind is the key player. Twice in recent years, splits forced by the wind here have been important. If it blows from the north-west or south-east, across the route, it could split the field; that possibly will force the overall contenders to stay alert and in front all day: nerves will fray and crashes will happen.

By the way, keep your eyes peeled for some local colour today which may just come in the shade of flesh. According to Le Cap d'Agde's own website, the town is "one of the top naturist destinations in the Mediterranean basin ... [where] ideal conditions have inspired the naturist spirit. Those seeking a holiday in harmony with nature, favouring self respect and respect for others, can do so here, in a protected environment." For those weak of the knee, don't say I didn't warn you.

Richard Williams' Stage 12 report and video highlights

On the 45th anniversary of the day Tom Simpson, the first British rider to wear the Tour de France leader's yellow jersey, expired on the baking slopes of the Mont Ventoux with a mixture of amphetamines and brandy in his bloodstream, David Millar sprinted to a victory that made him the fourth Briton to win a stage in the 2012 race, following successes for Mark Cavendish, Chris Froome and Bradley Wiggins.
Such has been the change in the fortunes of British cycling, for so long a poor relation when it came to the sport's showpiece event. The stage winners comprise four-fifths of the team scheduled to compete in the Olympic road race in 14 days time, with Cavendish as its leader. The fifth, Ian Stannard, is not competing here.
The 226km of road between Saint-Jean de Maurienne and Annonay Davézieux gave Millar his fifth Tour stage win, and his first individual victory since his return in 2006 from a two-year suspension imposed after he had admitted using EPO under interrogation by the French police. Subsequently he has married, had a son, become a co-owner of the militantly anti-doping Garmin team, published a best selling autobiography, and turned himself into a tireless campaigner against the use of drugs in the sport. The failure of the British Olympic Association to uphold its policy of lifelong bans for those convicted of doping offences enabled the selectors of the cycling team to name the 35-year-old Scot as Cavendish's road captain for the race on July 28, an invitation he accepted only after considerable reflection.
"I think Dave is one of the exceptions to the rule because of the things he's said since he came back," Bradley Wiggins said last night, having ensured that he will start Saturday's 13th stage in the yellow jersey for the sixth day in a row. "He's been heavily proactive in working with the British anti-doping people and he's trying to help change the future of this sport."
Continued here

Bradley Wiggins: I can never dope

There have been a couple of questions asked about doping this week and I don't feel I've been able to give a full answer. I understand why I get asked those questions given the recent history of the sport, but it still annoys me. It's hard to know what to say, half an hour after finishing one of the hardest races you've ridden, when you're knackered. The insinuations make me angry, because I thought people would look back into my history, the things I've said in the past, such as at the start of the 2006 Tour when I turned up for a first go at the race and Operación Puerto kicked off, what I said when Floyd Landis went positive, and what I said when I was chucked out with Cofidis after Cristian Moreni tested positive in 2007.
On the way home after that, I put my Cofidis kit in a dustbin at Pau airport because I didn't want to be seen in it, and swore I would never race in it again, because I was so sick at what had happened. Those things I said then stand true today. Nothing has changed. I still feel those emotions and I stand by those statements now.
To understand me, I think people need to look at the bigger picture, where I have come from, in the context of how the sport has changed, and how I've progressed. They see me put in a great time trial like I did on Monday: I can do it because I've worked hard to close the gap between me and Fabian Cancellara and Tony Martin. What seems to be forgotten is that the margin between me and the best guys wasn't that large in the past, even when I wasn't putting in anything like the effort I have in the past couple of years.
I do think that over the years I've laid down a few markers as to what I could do. I was fifth in the time trial in Albi in the 2007 Tour, behind Alexandr Vinokourov, Andrey Kashechkin, Cadel Evans and Andreas Klöden. The first two later tested positive for blood doping so I was effectively third, two weeks into the Tour, at a time when I wasn't concentrating on the race.
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The General Classification

1. Bradley Wiggins (GBr) Sky 54 hours 34 seconds
2. Chirs Froome (GBr) Sky + 2min5sec
3. Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Liquigas Cannondale + 2min23sec
4. Cadel Evans (Aus) BMC Racing Team + 3min19sec
5. Jurgen Van Den Broeck (Bel) Lotto-Belisol + 4min48sec
6. Haimar Zubeldia (Spa) RadioShack-Nissan + 6min15sec

7. Tejay van Garderen (USA) BMC Racing Team + 6min57sec
8. Janez Brajkovic (Slo) Astana Pro Team + 7min30sec
9. Pierre Rolland (Fra) Team Europcar + 8min31sec
10. Thibaut Pinot (Fra) FDJ-BigMat + 8min51sec