The 2026 Tour de France is behaving like a wild animal: historic speed records, surprising breakaways and chaotic sprints that nobody expected. The twelfth stage, held on Thursday between Vichy and Nevers, once again demonstrated that even when everything seems decided in the general classification, the race keeps delivering drama at every finish line.

The speed record that leaves cycling speechless

The average speed of 50.9 kilometres per hour registered in this stage marks a historic milestone: it is the highest speed record ever achieved in a road stage of the Tour. To get an idea of it, it is like driving on a motorway for nearly 160 kilometres without barely touching the brakes, in the peloton and pedalling without pause.

That dizzying pace was preceded by an apparently flat and inconsequential day, but which the peloton transformed into something almost like a time trial. The sprinters' teams did not stop pushing from the first kilometre, creating an atmosphere of constant tension that few expected in a stage that should have been calm.

Chaos, breakaways and a tumultuous finale

According to abc.es, the stage was a carousel of failed attempts. Baptiste Veistroffer, the 'Boar', repeated his role as agitator with his third long breakaway attempt without success. The Frenchman went solo 151 kilometres from the finish with nearly two minutes' advantage, but his adventure was doomed from the start.

What did change everything was a dramatic move 35 kilometres from the end: two riders named Simmons and Vacek launched a devastating acceleration that completely surprised the sprinters' teams, who seemed asleep in the peloton. Suddenly, around fifteen cyclists escaped and victory was back in the air. The three fourth-category climbs, especially Montagny-lès-Buxy twenty kilometres from the finish, reactivated the race when everything seemed headed for a boring mass sprint.

Violence at the finish line

Finally, the peloton caught the breakaway riders and entered Chalon-sur-Saône with unusual violence at 55 km/h. The four Alpecin riders took the lead in the final section, but the finish was chaotic. A terrible crash affected several contenders in the final metres, a scene typical of these disorderly sprints where there is no room for error.

Tim Merlier secured his third victory of the edition, although the circumstances were so confused that many did not even see clearly who crossed the finish line first.

What comes next?

Despite the fact that for many analysts the 2026 Tour would already be decided in the general classification, the reality is that the race keeps delivering secondary surprises every day. The next stage enters much more uncomfortable terrain—mountainous and technical—which means the sprinters will have few more opportunities to shine on flat ground.

Will the peloton manage to maintain these heart-stopping paces when it really starts climbing? Everything suggests the real battle has barely begun.