Marcel Kittel wins Stage 12 of Tour de France

TOURS, France — Germany’s Marcel Kittel overtook Mark Cavendish at the line Thursday to win the 12th stage of the Tour de France, and Chris Froome stayed safely in the main pack to preserve his big lead.

Cavendish moved in front but Kittel gained ground and just beat him to the line to earn his second stage win in three days and third of this race.

About 20 riders were caught in a crash near the end, with some stuck under the bikes of others as wheels and frames jutted out at all angles.

Froome still leads Alejandro Valverde by 3 minutes, 25 seconds. The British rider is 3:54 ahead of two-time former champion Alberto Contador.

Cavendish, the Tour’s best sprinter two years ago, has had a frustrating race. The British sprinter looked set to clinch his 25th career stage win of the Tour after his Omega Pharma QuickStep teammate Gert Steegmans got him in a great position to attack. But Cavendish did not have the legs to hold on and Kittel beat him by half a wheel length.

Peter Sagan finished third and still has a comfortable lead as he bids to win the contest for the sprinters’ green jersey.

Looking to keep their riders near the front of the main pack and limit the risk of them being caught in crashes, Froome’s Sky and Contador’s Saxo-Tinkoff squads took turns pushing from the front.

Saxo-Tinkoff tried to pull away with about 3 miles left, but Ian Stannard helped Froome catch them.

German sprinter Andre Greipel was among the approximate 20 riders who were caught in the latest big crash of the Tour, and moments later Froome survived a delicate moment when he appeared to be nudged by Tom Veelers.

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