Tour de France stage 12 predictions and cycling betting tips: Mohoric may have his day

Where to watch Tour de France stage 12

ITV4 & Eurosport 1, midday Thursday

Best bet

Matej Mohoric to win stage 12
1pt 14-1 bet365

Tour de France stage 12 predictions

Slovenia's unlikely status as the home of top-class cyclists is not just down to Tadej Pogacar and Primoz Roglic, as Matej Mohoric could remind us during Thursday's 12th stage of the Tour de France.

Mohoric may lack the consistent excellence to match his more famous compatriots when it comes to challenging for grand tours, but he is a beast on his day and the terrain for this final test before the riders confront the Alps on Friday looks right up his undulating street.

The Bahrain Victorious rider showed he is in decent fettle with an honourable third place on Sunday’s arduous stage to Puy De Dome, but the final ascent was just too long and steep for his liking.

Thursday's route has a far gentler - albeit still slightly uphill - finish but is up and down throughout and features five climbs that are either second or third category, which should have Mohoric licking his lips.

He lies 75th overall which means he will be given permission to attack by the podium contenders and, while the act of making the successful break requires lots of luck as well as timing and aggression, he can often force himself into the group of escapees and if he does make the selection he has a strong chance of adding to the two stages he won in the 2021 Tour.

Jasper Philipsen landed his fourth stage win of this year’s Tour on Wednesday to underline his considerable superiority over his sprint rivals and is now 1-14 with bet365 to win the green jersey.

But he and his fellow fastmen are likely to have to wait until next Thursday for another chance of victory and must instead focus on dragging themselves over steep inclines before then.

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