Its tough work from the start and after some attacks got chased down, Vila and Sella break away.
Their gap maxes at 2 minutes and the peleton shred themselves to many pieces in an attempt to contain the pair, who are 10th and 11tth Overall. Going over the top, the pack splits and the split is still there at the bottom of the descent.
The big losers are Ricco, Karpets, Brajkovic, and Intxausti but the pace up front slows and they easily gain contact again on the next climb.
The action doesnt really start again til the long penultimate climb, the Sustenpass as Moreau, Efimkin and Piepoli set off in pursuit of Gustov. Sella, Ricco, Caruso and Karpets then all attack but only Caruso gets away and he catches the other 3.
Moreau and Caruso then leave Efimkin and Piepoli who are caught by the pack. A couple of kilometres later, Benat Intxausti launches an attack and all the big favourites counter: Dessel, Menchov and Cunego.
Dessel has caught Gustov and is pursued by Menchov, Cunego, Intxausti, Moreau, Caruso and Perez Cuapio. Vila and Brajkovic are also in the mix. But this attack is ruined with bad Ferrari tactics, Gustov takes a long relay and the rest of the main lcimbers catch them.
Dessel is still up front though and crosses the summit first, a new group of 9 is next Perez Fernandez, Pecharroman, Gustov, Medina, Cunego, Parra, Caruso and Perez Cuapio. But Gustov (Who else) yet again slows them, allowing the other big guns to catch up again.
Ferrari are in the action again as Perez Cuapio launches a powerful attack to reach Dessel.
Menchov is next, while a group of 6: Cunego, Medina, Parro, Vila, Caruso and Pecharroman follow.
With 8.7km to go, Perez Cuapio has cracked.
Pecharroman also cracks at the same point from the chasing group as Cunego rides away. Here is the situation with thew big 3 up front again, and a recovering Perez Cuapio able to stick with Cunego.
Menchov reaches Dessel and if they work together, they could cancel out their gaps to Cunego.
But Dessel and Menchov dont seem to understand common sense and for the final 5km, do not work together. In the sprint Menchov is passed by Dessel and the frenchman opens a little gap, but Menchov closes in and its a photo finish!
1
Cyril Dessel
TEAM FLOGAS
6h34'54
2
Denis Menchov
CARLSBERG
s.t.
3
Damiano Cunego
LA GAZETTA DELLO SPORT
+ 41
4
Julio Alberto Perez Cuapio
FERRARI - GUERCIOTTI
+ 1'01
5
Leonardo Piepoli
CYCLING24 - HONDA
+ 1'22
6
Riccardo Ricco'
MAGENTA TREFOIL
+ 2'03
7
Emanuele Sella
TELEFONICA
s.t.
8
Ivan Parra Pinto
FRANCE TELEVISIONS
s.t.
9
Gianpaolo Caruso
CRÉDIT AGRICOLE
s.t.
10
Manuel Medina
ACCUMALUX
s.t.
11
Patxi Vila
SATURN
s.t.
12
Janez Brajkovic
FRANCE TELEVISIONS
s.t.
13
Santiago Perez Fernandez
CYCLING24 - HONDA
s.t.
14
Vladimir Efimkin
VIRGIN MEDIA PRO CYCLING TEAM
+ 2'36
15
Christophe Moreau
DISCOVERY CHANNEL PRO CYCLING TEAM
s.t.
16
Vladimir Karpets
VIRGIN MEDIA PRO CYCLING TEAM
s.t.
17
Beñat Intxausti
ACCUMALUX
+ 3'43
18
José Antonio Pecharroman
CRÉDIT AGRICOLE
+ 4'04
19
Dario Cataldo
DOMINA VACANZE
+ 4'24
20
Manuel Beltran
CARLSBERG
s.t.
21
Fabio Duarte
FERRARI - GUERCIOTTI
+ 6'00
22
Wladimir Gustov
FERRARI - GUERCIOTTI
+ 8'31
23
Mauricio Ortega
SATURN
+ 10'19
24
Evgeni Petrov
DOMINA VACANZE
s.t.
25
Steve Zampieri
FRANCE TELEVISIONS
s.t.
26
Matteo Carrara
FERRARI - GUERCIOTTI
s.t.
27
Joan Horrach
DOMINA VACANZE
s.t.
28
Ricardo Mestre
VIRGIN MEDIA PRO CYCLING TEAM
s.t.
29
Mauricio Ardila
CRÉDIT AGRICOLE
s.t.
30
Andrea Tonti
MAGENTA TREFOIL
s.t.
31
Matthieu Sprick
CYCLING24 - HONDA
s.t.
32
Vitor Rodrigues
TELEFONICA
s.t.
33
Jaime Suaza
CYCLING24 - HONDA
s.t.
34
Edwin Parra Bustamante
TELEFONICA
+ 10'51
35
Ruggero Marzoli
CARLSBERG
+ 11'23
36
Sergio Luis Henao Montoya
CARLSBERG
s.t.
37
Theo Eltink
CRÉDIT AGRICOLE
+ 12'35
38
Marzio Bruseghin
LA GAZETTA DELLO SPORT
+ 12'43
39
Victor Niño
FRANCE TELEVISIONS
+ 12'55
40
Egoi Martínez de Esteban
DISCOVERY CHANNEL PRO CYCLING TEAM
+ 13'47
41
José Luis Rubiera
DOMINA VACANZE
s.t.
42
Pieter Weening
CRÉDIT AGRICOLE
+ 14'03
43
Luis Leon Sanchez Gil
DOMINA VACANZE
+ 14'23
44
Paolo Savoldelli
CARLSBERG
+ 14'43
45
Charles Wegelius
TEAM FLOGAS
+ 15'47
46
Steve Morabito
TIME - VAN HEMERT
+ 17'43
47
Jelle Vanendert
DOMINA VACANZE
+ 19'03
48
Christophe Brandt
MAGENTA TREFOIL
s.t.
49
Marco Velo
FED-EX
s.t.
50
Oliver Zaugg
TIME - VAN HEMERT
+ 19'35
51
Xavier Florencio
CYCLING24 - HONDA
+ 26'06
52
Christian Meier
FERRARI - GUERCIOTTI
+ 26'54
53
Mauricio Soler
AG2R PRÉVOYANCE - RENAULT
+ 28'26
54
Thomas Voeckler
AG2R PRÉVOYANCE - RENAULT
+ 28'50
55
Ivan Santaromita
TIME - VAN HEMERT
+ 29'06
56
Marco Pinotti
CARLSBERG
+ 31'14
57
Steffen Weigold
CHOCOLADE JACQUES - TOPSPORT VLAANDEREN
+ 31'50
58
Bingen Fernandez Bustinza
FRANCE TELEVISIONS
+ 32'18
59
Addy Engels
CARREFOUR CYCLING
+ 33'18
60
Carlos Barredo
CARREFOUR CYCLING
+ 33'42
61
Mikayil Krasnoperov
FRANCE TELEVISIONS
+ 35'36
62
Julien Loubet
AG2R PRÉVOYANCE - RENAULT
s.t.
63
René Mandri
AG2R PRÉVOYANCE - RENAULT
+ 36'53
64
Paul Voss
CHOCOLADE JACQUES - TOPSPORT VLAANDEREN
s.t.
65
Matej Jurco
FED-EX
s.t.
66
Aleksandr Kolobnev
FERRARI - GUERCIOTTI
+ 39'52
67
William Ford
VIRGIN MEDIA PRO CYCLING TEAM
+ 40'32
68
Nikolai Trusov
FERRARI - GUERCIOTTI
+ 41'20
69
Vadim Ratiy
TELEFONICA
+ 41'52
70
Mauro Facci
CARREFOUR CYCLING
+ 44'56
71
Vladimir Bileka
DISCOVERY CHANNEL PRO CYCLING TEAM
+ 53'52
72
Brian Vandborg
DISCOVERY CHANNEL PRO CYCLING TEAM
s.t.
73
Assan Bazajev
VIRGIN MEDIA PRO CYCLING TEAM
+ 55'36
74
Steven Cummings
DISCOVERY CHANNEL PRO CYCLING TEAM
+ 56'16
75
Frederik Willems
VIRGIN MEDIA PRO CYCLING TEAM
+ 56'56
76
Michail Ignatiev
ACCUMALUX
s.t.
77
Sven Krauss
CHOCOLADE JACQUES - TOPSPORT VLAANDEREN
+ 59'36
78
Manuel Antonio Cardoso
TELEFONICA
+ 1h00'41
79
Mathieu Perget
VIRGIN MEDIA PRO CYCLING TEAM
+ 1h02'01
80
Christian Poos
ACCUMALUX
+ 1h02'49
81
Frederik Nolf
TELEFONICA
+ 1h03'53
82
Jürgen Van de Walle
CARREFOUR CYCLING
+ 1h05'05
83
Laurent Mangel
AG2R PRÉVOYANCE - RENAULT
+ 1h07'29
84
Nazareno Rossi
TIME - VAN HEMERT
+ 1h08'03
85
Jure Kocjan
AG2R PRÉVOYANCE - RENAULT
+ 1h08'25
86
Bruno Neves
TELEFONICA
+ 1h08'55
87
Alberto Loddo
TELEFONICA
+ 1h09'55
88
Evan Oliphant
TEAM FLOGAS
+ 1h11'01
89
Sergio Pardilla
AG2R PRÉVOYANCE - RENAULT
s.t.
90
Mikaël Chérel
SATURN
+ 1h11'41
91
Robert Hunter
ACCUMALUX
+ 1h11'57
92
Murilo Fischer
DOMINA VACANZE
+ 1h13'09
93
Bernhard Eisel
CARLSBERG
+ 1h14'37
94
Christian Leben
CHOCOLADE JACQUES - TOPSPORT VLAANDEREN
+ 1h16'45
95
Roberto Petito
TEAM FLOGAS
+ 1h18'29
96
Borut Bozic
AG2R PRÉVOYANCE - RENAULT
+ 1h21'01
97
Pascal Hungerbühler
TIME - VAN HEMERT
+ 1h22'45
98
Magno Nazaret
MAGENTA TREFOIL
s.t.
99
Enrico Gasparotto
DOMINA VACANZE
+ 1h22'53
100
Johannes Frohlinger
CHOCOLADE JACQUES - TOPSPORT VLAANDEREN
+ 1h23'33
Cunego still has the race lead!
Rank
Name
Team
Time
1
Damiano Cunego
LA GAZETTA DELLO SPORT
25h34'57
2
Denis Menchov
CARLSBERG
+ 8
3
Cyril Dessel
TEAM FLOGAS
+ 58
4
Vladimir Karpets
VIRGIN MEDIA PRO CYCLING TEAM
+ 4'29
5
Julio Alberto Perez Cuapio
FERRARI - GUERCIOTTI
+ 4'51
6
Leonardo Piepoli
CYCLING24 - HONDA
+ 4'57
7
Riccardo Ricco'
MAGENTA TREFOIL
+ 5'16
8
Janez Brajkovic
FRANCE TELEVISIONS
+ 6'29
9
Emanuele Sella
TELEFONICA
+ 6'58
10
Patxi Vila
SATURN
+ 7'23
11
Beñat Intxausti
ACCUMALUX
+ 7'24
12
Manuel Medina
ACCUMALUX
+ 8'48
13
Ivan Parra Pinto
FRANCE TELEVISIONS
+ 9'04
14
Christophe Moreau
DISCOVERY CHANNEL PRO CYCLING TEAM
+ 9'06
15
Vladimir Efimkin
VIRGIN MEDIA PRO CYCLING TEAM
+ 13'02
16
José Antonio Pecharroman
CRÉDIT AGRICOLE
+ 14'03
17
Manuel Beltran
CARLSBERG
+ 14'16
18
Gianpaolo Caruso
CRÉDIT AGRICOLE
+ 14'36
19
Fabio Duarte
FERRARI - GUERCIOTTI
+ 14'53
20
Santiago Perez Fernandez
CYCLING24 - HONDA
+ 16'10
21
Jaime Suaza
CYCLING24 - HONDA
+ 18'56
22
Edwin Parra Bustamante
TELEFONICA
+ 23'36
23
Mauricio Ardila
CRÉDIT AGRICOLE
+ 23'57
24
Dario Cataldo
DOMINA VACANZE
+ 24'54
25
Mauricio Ortega
SATURN
+ 25'05
Rank
Name
Team
Points
General
1
Bernhard Eisel
CARLSBERG
0
54
2
Mark Cavendish
TEAM FLOGAS
0
54
3
Damiano Cunego
LA GAZETTA DELLO SPORT
15
52
4
Denis Menchov
CARLSBERG
17
51
5
Cyril Dessel
TEAM FLOGAS
20
50
6
Fabio Sacchi
FED-EX
0
49
7
Murilo Fischer
DOMINA VACANZE
0
48
8
Riccardo Ricco'
MAGENTA TREFOIL
10
37
9
Robert Hunter
ACCUMALUX
0
36
10
Assan Bazajev
VIRGIN MEDIA PRO CYCLING TEAM
0
36
Piepoli and Vila both took a large haul of points today, but Vila is the one with the KoM jersey.
