The 2012 Tour de France action in Stage 18 unfolded on Friday, and Mark Cavendish of Team Sky came away with his second stage victory of the Tour thanks to a dominant performance in Brive-la-Gaillarde. The stage win was No. 22 of Cavendish's career, which ties him with Lance Armstrong for total stage victories. Bradley Wiggins and Chris Froome, teammates of Cavendish on Team Sky, remain atop the general classification heading into the weekend.
Here are the top 10 finishers for Stage 18 (full standings):
| Pos. | Rider | Time | Gap |
| 1 | Mark Cavendish | 04h 54' 12'' | |
| 2 | Matthew Goss | 04h 54' 12'' | + 00' 00'' |
| 3 | Peter Sagan | 04h 54' 12'' | + 00' 00'' |
| 4 | Luis Leon Sanchez | 04h 54' 12'' | + 00' 00'' |
| 5 | Nicolas Roche | 04h 54' 12'' | + 00' 00'' |
| 6 | Tyler Farrar | 04h 54' 12'' | + 00' 00'' |
| 7 | Borut Bozic | 04h 54' 12'' | + 00' 00'' |
| 8 | Sébastien Hinault | 04h 54' 12'' | + 00' 00'' |
| 9 | Daryl Impey | 04h 54' 12'' | + 00' 00'' |
| 10 | Samuel Dumoulin | 04h 54' 12'' | + 00' 00'' |
For more information on this stage, including maps and other route details, check out the Tour's website.
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