On TV it may have looked like an easy ride but today's stage of the Tour de France was definitely no walk in the park. On the day when his teammate Gregory Rast made it into the breakaway, Frank Schleck said that such a transitionsal stage can be as hard as a mountain stage.

Yesterday, Gregory Rast joined one of the initial breakaways, only to be caught back. For the start of the 185.5-kilometer stage 12 he was ready again, and jumped into another early move. Unlike the previous day where it took over 30 fast kilometers for a break to form, today Rast pedaled up the road with four others 10 kilometers from the start.

With the break created, everyone settled in: the peloton eased back, the five leaders swapped turns, and the gap gradually grew. Would today be the day they could hold off the impending chase?

Similar to stage 11 it was sunny and hot, but with a less difficult parcours and five riders there was an outside chance it would succeed. However, that would change. A freak crash in a corner would eliminate one, and the third climb of the day would purge two more, including Rast.

“The goal for the team was to go in the breakaway," he said. "I was there, but we knew it was a hard finish and there were a few very strong riders in the break - I knew it would be difficult to make it over the climbs with them. Plus, I knew that teams in the back wanted a sprint so teams like Giant-Shimano were pulling.  Everyone in the breakaway was motivated to go, but we knew it would be very hard to pull it off today.”

With over 50 kilometers to go to the finish the two remaining riders appeared to have little chance. Their two-minute lead dangled for the next 20 kilometers, a fated carrot; it was only a matter of time before an earnest pursuit would begin and the two would be absorbed for the calculated mass sprint.

On the last climb of the day, Côte de Grammond (9.8kms at 2.9%), Team Europcar threw a little twist into the predicted ending, launching a two-up attack. Over the top the two French riders caught Simon Clarke of Orica GreenEdge, the last rider standing from the original five-man break.

The extra power renewed the escape - it gave a spark of hope and made the sprinters’ teams work harder -  but with five kilometers remaining the bunch was one large group heading into the preordained finish.

Alexander Kristoff (Katusha) would edge out Peter Sagan (Cannondale) for the win, handing the leader of the points competition another galling second place finish.

Both Fränk Scheck and Haimar Zubeldia finished in the same time as the main peloton, keeping a status quo to the top of the overall classificaiton. Zubeldia rests in 18th place, and Schleck in 25th, ahead of the next two consecutive high mountain stages.

“Today was really hot! For me it was a day to stay out of trouble and get to the finish safely," Schleck said. "It was still a hectic day, and sometimes these kind of stages are as hard as a mountain stage.  We wanted to be represented in the break, but we knew, same as the others, that it probably had little chance today. But you never know, so you must try.”