Geraint Thomas wins contentious Stage 12 at Tour de France

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There was no shortage of drama on Thursday at the 12th stage of the Tour de France. Geraint Thomas of Great Britain was able to maintain possession of the overall lead for the second consecutive leg at cycling’s most prestigious race.

The 175-kilometer section which started at La Rosiere in the French Alps featured a number of punishing climbs, but Dutch rider Steven Kruijswijk was able to hold the lead for much of the day.

Things got ugly later, when a spectator threw an unknown liquid substance toward Thomas, while the altitude began taking a toll on Nairo Quintana, as the perennial contender from Colombia started to fall off the pace.

A spectator then ran onto the course and apparently tried to shove Froome off his bike. Another fan reportedly pushed Vincenzo Nibali, who fell to the ground after hitting a police motorcycle, but got up to continue racing.

Geraint Thomas sprints to the finish line to win Stage 12 of the Tour de France and boost his overall lead to one minute and 39 seconds. / VCG Photo.

Thomas and Froome surged to the head of the course with less than three kilometers left until the finish line, while Nibali recovered to finish seventh. But the Italian later withdrew from the competition after being diagnosed with a fractured vertebra caused by his earlier fall.

Thomas claimed top honors after a sprint to the line in Alpe d'Huez – edging Tom Dumoulin of the Netherlands, Frenchman Romain Bardet, and Froome – to win his second straight stage. But many in the crowd were not happy, as the Welshman was booed during the jersey ceremony, with Team Sky subjected to doping suspicions after an asthma drug incident involving Froome at last year's Vuelta a Espana.

Team Sky squad retained the top two positions in the overall standings, with Thomas now 1:39 ahead of Froome. Dumoulin was another 11 seconds behind, with Nibali and Slovenian competitor Primoz Roglic rounding out the top five. Friday’s 13th stage was scheduled to be a 169.5 kilometer trek from Le Bourg-d’Oisans to Valance.