Skujiņš finishes in main group, Neilands loses time in Tour de France stage 12

Stage Overview

Thursday's 12th stage of the Tour de France covered 179.1 kilometers, featuring three category 4 climbs and one intermediate sprint. The stage was won by Belgian Tim Merlier (Soudal Quick-Step) in 3 hours 38 minutes and 53 seconds, marking his third stage victory in this year's Tour. Dutchman Olav Kooij (Decathlon CMA CGM) came second, followed by Belgian Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin - Premier Tech) in third.

Latvian Performance

Toms Skujiņš (Lidl - Trek) crossed the finish line in the main group with the same time as the winner, placing 75th. Meanwhile, Krists Neilands (NSN) finished 169th out of 174 riders, losing 7 minutes and 46 seconds to the winner.

General Classification

Slovenian Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates - XRG) remains the overall leader, leading Dane Jonas Vingegaard (Visma/Lease a Bike) by 3 minutes and 36 seconds and Belgian Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe) by 4 minutes and 6 seconds. Skujiņš moved up to 72nd overall, 1 hour 55 minutes and 19 seconds behind Pogačar. Neilands dropped to 141st place, trailing the leader by 2 hours and 40 minutes.

Career Context

Skujiņš is competing in his eighth Tour de France, while Neilands is in his sixth. Neilands' best Tour result is a fourth-place finish in a stage in 2023, and Skujiņš' best is a second place in 2020. The 113th Tour de France will conclude on July 26 on the Champs-Élysées in Paris. Last year, Pogačar won the overall title, with Neilands and Skujiņš finishing 88th and 95th respectively.