Ion Izagirre seals rare win as Vingegaard retains Tour de France lead

Basque rider Ion Izagirre broke away for a solo triumph on stage 12 of the Tour de France on Thursday.

Defending champion Jonas Vingegaard retained a slender 17 seconds lead over UAE Team Emirates rider Tadej Pogacar in the overall standings on a fast-paced day of relentless attacking before three mountain stages.

It was a second win for Izagirre's team Cofidis after Victor Lafay won in San Sebastian, and also a second Basque victory after Pello Bilbao won stage 10 on Tuesday.

"It's great for the Basques, three stages there and two wins for us [the Basques]," Izagirre said.

"I had good legs on the last climb. Tonight we're going to have a party."

There was around 25km of climbing on the run from Roanne to Belleville as the peloton tore across the hilly 189km route with the pack splintering.