TV footage showed André Greipel and Sylvain Chavanel in a heated argument after both riders had gone down in a crash in today's stage 12 of the Tour de France. The Frenchman refuses that he is the one to blame and claims that he had to fight for position to assist his sprinter Heinrich Haussler.

Alexander Kristof (Katusha) found the resources to snag the 12th stage of the 101st Tour de France in a sprint finish.  The yellow jersey remained on the shoulders of Vincenzo Nibali (Astana).  IAM Cycling did its best to mingle with the sprinters in the finale with Heinrich Haussler coming in 17th place.  Unfortunately for the team, Haussler was the only option after Sylvain Chavanel crashed along with André Greipel within three kilometers of the finish. 
 
Reviewing his stage, Chavanel, who is the time trial champion of France, refused to accept responsibility for the fall. 

“There was not enough room for everyone to pass.  It is whoever is the last one to brake and I am not ready to pull down my pants because I am not a sprinter.  I also have a rider who competes for these sorts of finishes.  There was a minor fender bender but nothing terrible.  That is part of cycling and no one was hurt. 

"We talked with André Greipel.  He was not happy and I told him it was not my doing.  I did not give up because he insisted it was my fault.  He needed to take out his frustration on a target.  I never race in a way that would hurt anyone intentionally.  As for myself, nothing serious happened, just some road rash.”  
 
Coming in at the finish with the same time as the winner, Jérôme Pineau defended his friend and roommate before talking about how the stage unfolded. 

“If there is someone who is a great person in the bunch, it is Sylvain.  He does his job taking care not to go against his conscience.  And if the sprinters don’t want us to mix in with the sprints, then they have to tell us.  We were off the bike before the arrival. 

"Other than that, it was a really hot day for the first time.  After thirty minutes, the water in the bottles is hot and it is necessary to go back to the cars for fresh ones.  And a stage where there are very few flat sections and the roads are unknown requires a lot of energy. 

"The heat will continue to strain us a little.  But it is the same for everyone.  And we will not complain particularly since we have suffered through a lot of cold and rain.  In the mountains, it will be even more important to be careful not to dehydrate ourselves, but with the support of the public and a little fresh air, we will be ready.”