Stage Favourites:

Van Staeyen, Ventoso, Gatto, Holloway & Cabrera

Classified as flat, however, we do have a lumpy final circuit to deal with. It looks a certainty that, prologue winner, Steurs will lose the race lead today.



It was a hectic start to the race with plenty of riders trying to get into the break of the day, including some real dangers as far as the GC was concerned. Boros, the white jersey, was a notable early attacker.



Sprint results with 148 KM to go:

Gyurov and Boros would both vault themselves well into the top 10 in GC, provisionally. Now could they hold onto the peloton later on in the stage?



All early breaks are nullified with 120 KM to go, Boros and the likes were considered too dangerous.



With 115 KM the break of the day did establish, a two man break today:

A good time to puncture.

With 42 KM to go Cabrera punctures, he would just make it back into the peloton with the speeds ever increasing. The likes of Kappa-ENI are starting to up the pace.



Acevedo is the lone survivor of the break as we head into the last 20 KM. His advantage over the peloton is minimal, however, he does summit the only climb of the day first to move into the KOM jersey, Yates and Squire being the only others to pick up KOM points today.


4.5 KM to go.

Acevedo is caught shortly before a massive crash decimates the peloton.

Gyurov and Vaitkus are two of the most relevant names to be spotted on the ground first. Any bigger names downed?.... There is.



Heineken-Cal Giant send riders backwards as their leader Holloway is one of the biggest names on the deck, it is all about limiting losses for him now as there is no let-up up front.

Maksimov is another, big, massive name sprinter caught up in the fracas. Really unfortunate for Project: Africa, with their GC hope losing contact at the worst possible time in this race and perhaps the season.




Kappa-ENI care little for the fallen, they are not here to make acquaintances, they push on the pace big time knowing a stage victory is within their grasp. Coming into the finale a 46 man group leads the race, '30 back is a group containing Boros & Turgot. Kruopis is the only other rider in the GC top 10 not to be present in the lead group.


350 meters to go.

In a swift change we see Venchi - Ferranti riders swarm to the front, green jersey Gaudin is also battling right up there now.


100 meters to go.

Gatto leads but can he hold off Van Staeyen, whose teammates are now falling back?



Victory for Van Staeyen, a victory which sees him move into the race lead. His teammates rattled other riders' feathers which allowed the Belgian to come through at the crucial moment, Greipel stuck to Van Staeyen's wheel in the final and finished 2nd, a result which sees the German move up to third in GC. Gatto couldn't hold on for the win but rounds out the podium and moves up to 4th in GC.

In the final few hundred meters the peloton reduced even further, coming home 36 riders strong. Four riders would abandon: Badgonas, Boonratanathanakorn, Dabkowski & Vasyluk.

Drapac, Holloway, & Vaitkus come home in a group @ 2'12.

Maksimov leads home another group @ 3'03.