Stages twelve to fourteen were flat stages, and were dominated by the sprinters. Mark Cavendish won another two stages, and Óscar Freire took his first. In the fifteenth stage, a group of four cyclists escaped and stayed away, a similar thing happened in stage sixteen.
The middle stages (12-14) were marked by flat landscapes, where sprinters held the upper hand. Mark Cavendish added two more victories to his tally, while Óscar Freire achieved his first success of the race. In the fifteenth stage, a group of four riders managed to stay ahead, echoing what happened in stage 16.