Photo: AFPIt was supposed to be a day for another breakaway to succeed, the profile lended to that assumption. But with the first true test coming in the form of the individual time trial tomorrow, only two placed a serious bid into a successful attack. With those odds, the day was left to the sprinters.
At the line of Stage 12, were the top three competitors for the Maillot Vert: Tom Boonen (Quick Step - Innergetic), Robbie Hunter (Barloworld), and Erik Zabel (Milram). The imposing green figure of Boonen won the day, with Zabel nipping Hunter for second and moving 1 point behind Hunter in the quest for the points competition. At the end of the day, the three are separated by only 21 points.
Although he was unable to take today's sprint, Zabel had to be pleased with his result given the fact that he was one of those caught napping when the peloton fractured yesterday. Beside that loss in concentration by Zabel and a minor crash by Boonen in the final corner [both on Stage 11], the three have been remarkably consistent in the sprint. The focus may be on the Maillot Jaune for the next few days, but with the GC usually decided after Stage 19, we may still be in for some major fireworks on the Champs Ellysees. Remember the Tour of 2003 when Aussies Baden Cooke and Robbie McEwen battled to the very end?
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