Izagirre of Cofidis completed stage 12 from Roanne to Belleville-en-Beaujolais in a winning time of 3hr 51min 42sec after pulling clear of the field.

The Spaniard finished almost one minute ahead of France’s Mathieu Burgaudeau of Team TotalEnergies and American Matteo Jorgenson of Movistar Team who placed second and third respectively.

It is Cofidis’ second victory of this year's Tour de France after Frenchman Victor Lafay triumphed on stage two, while Spain also celebrated their second win with Izagirre joining fellow Basque rider Pello Bilbao with a stage success.

"It’s incredible," said Izagirre, who last won a Tour de France stage in 2016.

"For the whole Tour so far I tried to break away and it didn’t work out.

"We were going well with Guillaume Martin all day.

"I attacked in the last climb from very far out and I could maintain the time difference to get the victory for myself.

"I was confident in my strength.

"I knew that if I earned enough lead, my adversaries wouldn’t have me in sight and it would play in my favour.

"I felt strong in the last kilometres.

"Many things went through my mind.

"It’s all very emotional.

"It’s a very Basque Tour de France.

"It started at home for us and we took two stage wins.

"I’m happy to follow the line drawn by Pello Bilbao."

Denmark’s Jonas Vingegaard of Team Jumbo-Visma is continuing his quest for back-to-back Tour de France titles as he maintained his 17-second lead in the overall standings.

"Every race day is full on, and today’s was no exception," said Vingegaard.

"From your perspective, I’m sure this is being a great Tour de France.

"Today's stage has been very hard.

"The consequences of this difficulty will be seen in the third week.

"Everything is building up for a very hard Tour de France.

"I’m ready for a big battle tomorrow and hope for having my best legs."

Competition is due to continue tomorrow with the 13th stage running from Châtillon-sur-Chalaronne to Grand Colombier.