German Grabs 3rd Victory In Stage 12 Sprint

Stage 12 of the 100th Tour de France was a fairly flat and long stage (218 kilometers), so it surprised no one when it turned out to be another day for the sprinters to show their stuff. The hero of the day was German rider Marcel Kittel, who grabbed his third stage victory in this year's race by beating British rider Mark Cavendish by half a wheel length. But it was not enough to move him up in the Green Jersey standings, where Slovakian Peter Sagan maintains a good lead. Here are the day's top finishers and the current standings:

TOP STAGE 12 FINISHERS
1. Marcel Kittel (Germany) Argos-Shimano
2. Mark Cavendish (Great Britain) Omega Pharma-Quick Step
3. Peter Sagan (Slovakia) Cannondale

YELLOW JERSEY (Best Overall Time)
1. Christopher Froome (Great Britain) Sky Procycling
2. Alejandro Valverde (Spain) Movistar..........3' 25"
3. Bauke Mollema (Netherlands) Belkin Pro Cycling..........3' 37"
4. Alberto Contador (Spain) Saxo-Tinkoff..........3' 54"
5. Roman Kreuziger (Czech Republic) Saxo-Tinkoff..........3' 57"
6. Laurens Ten Dam (Netherlands) Belkin Pro Cycling..........4' 10"
7. Michal Kwiatkowski (Poland) Omega Pharma-Quick Step..........4' 44'
8. Nairo Alexander Quintana Rojas (Columbia) Movistar..........5' 18"
9. Rui Alberto Costa (Portugal) Movistar..........5' 37"
10. Jean-Christophe Peraud (France) AG2R La Mondiale..........5' 39"
24. Andrew Talansky (United States) Garmin-Sharp..........13' 11"

GREEN JERSEY (Best Sprinter)
1. Peter Sagan (Slovakia) Cannondale..........307 pts
2. Mark Cavendish (Great Britain) Omega Pharma-Quick Step..........211 pts
3. Andre Greipel (Germany) Lotto-Belisol..........195 pts
4. Marcel Kittel (Germany) Argos-Shimano..........177 pts
5. Alexander Kristoff (Norway) Katusha..........157 pts

POLKA DOT JERSEY (Best Climber)
1. Pierre Rolland (France) Europcar..........49 pts
2. Christopher Froome (Great Britain) Sky Procycling..........33 pts
3. Richie Porte (Australia) Sky Procycling..........28 pts
4. Nairo Alexander Quintana Rojas (Columbia) Movistar..........26 pts
5. Mikel Nieve Iturralde (Spain) Euskaltel-Euskadi..........21 pts
6. Alejandro Valverde (Spain) Movistar..........20 pts

WHITE JERSEY (Best Young Rider)
1. Michal Kwiatkowski (Poland) Omega Pharma-Quick Step
2. Nairo Alexander Quintana Rojas (Columbia) Movistar..........0' 34"
3. Romain Bardet (France) AG2R La Mondiale..........6' 53"
4. Andrew Talansky (United States) Garmin-Sharp..........8' 27"
5. Thibaut Pinot (France) FDJ.FR..........31' 43"

TEAM STANDINGS
1. Movistar (Spain)
2. Saxo-Tinkoff (Denmark)..........4' 34"
3. Belkin Pro Cycling (Netherlands)..........6' 06"
4. AG2R La Mondiale (France)..........11' 53"
5. Radioshack Leopard (Luxembourg)..........16' 03"
6. Euskaltel-Euskadi (Spain)..........19' 25"
7. Katusha (Russia)..........23' 25"
8. BMC Racing (United States)..........32' 58"
9. Garmin-Sharp (United States)..........33' 33"
10. Sky Procycling (Great Britain)..........44' 00"