Nils Politt (Bora-Hansgrohe) won stage 12 of the Tour de France, being the strongest out of a 13-rider breakaway that also included Sergio Henao from Team Qhubeka NextHash (www.TeamQhubeka.com).
Stage 12 of the Tour de France got off to a rapid start as crosswinds in the opening kilometres created a few splits in the peloton. With all the GC riders right up at the front though, the echelon action soon calmed down which allowed 13 riders to jump off the front and quickly build a lead.
Sergio Henao from Team Qhubeka NextHash was part of the move and he and his breakaway companions pushed the gap out to over 15-minutes during the rolling 159km stage to Nimes. The difficulty for the Colombian climber was the stage had no significant climbs and he was joined by the World Champion, Julien Alaphilippe, and 11 other rouleur-type riders.
The rolling course suited them perfectly and when Politt attacked the group with 40km to go, it was clear he was on a very good day. The German got away with three others before going solo in the final 10km, to take a good win.
Henao came home with the chasers, crossing the line in a credible 10th place. The peloton rolled in 15-minutes down on the stage winner, with Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) retaining the overall lead in the race.
Sergio Henao
I was speaking a bit with Carlos yesterday and we were saying that today was actually a good day considering my condition; so I took that into account and positioned myself well if the breakaway did go.
It was very high speed for the first hour or so and there we some nerves in the group, as we wanted to avoid any danger.
I concentrated on staying together with the guys that were super strong in the flats and I had good legs today. I'm very happy overall to finish among the front riders on the day and look forward to the further opportunities to come in the race.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Team Qhubeka NextHash.
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About Team Qhubeka NextHash:
Team Qhubeka NextHash is a purpose-led, high-performance team, fighting to win on the world's biggest stage, to inspire hope and create opportunity. Founded in 2007, Team Qhubeka NextHash (formerly NTT Pro Cycling) became the first-ever African cycling team to gain a UCI WorldTour license, in 2016.
We achieved our first major win in 2013 when Gerald Ciolek won Milan-San Remo, one of the five Monuments of cycling. We have competed in six Tour de France’s and notched up 7 stage wins, with Mark Cavendish wearing the coveted Yellow Jersey at the 2016 Tour de France.
We are a multicultural, diverse team with bases in South Africa, the Netherlands and Italy. There are 19 nationalities represented across our World Tour and continental feeder team rosters. Our focus on developing African cycling has resulted in more than 55 riders from the African continent be given the opportunity to race on the world stage, since the team's inception.
We race to help people to move forward with bicycles through our relationship with Qhubeka Charity. Through our work with Qhubeka, we have contributed to the distribution of over 30 000 bicycles in communities in South Africa.
About Qhubeka:
Qhubeka is a charity that moves people forward with bicycles. People earn bicycles through our programmes, improving their access to schools, clinics and jobs.
A bicycle is a tool that helps people to travel faster and further, and to carry more. In the face of extreme and persistent poverty, bicycles can change lives by helping to address socioeconomic challenges at the most basic level – helping people to get where they need to go.
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