Stage Favourites:

Mendes, Haas, Jumbakov, Busche & McConvey

The stage to decide the GC.



The 6 man break today: Gavenda, Koch, Paiani, Schar, De Haes & Herrada (best placed @ 1'10) make the break today.



The stage meanders along until 47 KM to go. Wengelin attacks, a move that quickly comes to nothing. Team ASDA-Savers, amongst others, ensure the break are only 1'10 ahead so far away from the finish, a valiant ride despite knowing Stannard would surely lose the GC lead today.



The drow, a drizzling mist, increases as the important part of the stage approaches.



Privatbank - Nemiroff are getting their moneys worth here. With 25 KM to go Puusepp attacks. He joins up with the original break, just before the break is absorbed by the peloton.


20 KM to go.

Shortly afterwards we see five late attackers spring off the head of the peloton, they are: Kern, Puusepp, Jumbekov, Wengelin and Sarabia.


We hit the penultimate climb.

Only Puusepp and Sarabia have managed to stay clear. Team ASDA-Savers are still setting the pace, but Stannard slips, backwards, ever further.



As the favourites' teams take up the chase Puusepp is caught, however, Sarabia pushes on.

Indeed Sarabia really pushes on and summits the penultimate climb with a handy advantage. McConvey and Jumbakov attack themselves but hardly make inroads into the Mexican.


McConvey summits the penultimate climb.

The riders towards the head of the peloton include Schurter, Zoidl, Geschke, Hollenstein, Haas, Mendes, Duggan and Joeaar. Crucially Stannard has been dropped from the 45 or so strong group.


Race with 5 KM to go:

Sarabia hits the final climb with a decent advantage.



McConvey is caught right at the bottom of the climb. Sauber Petronas Racing do most of the chasing.


2 KM to go.

Sarabia still leads when we finally see some movements from the favourites group. Haas attacks and is immediately countered by: Zoidl, Geschke, Mendes & Duggan.



With only hundreds of meters left Sarabia is in sight, but it will take a big effort from this select group to catch him.



Schurter, Hollenstein and Kohler can't respond to the five who have attacked.


So much to be decided in the final 50 meters.

Sarabia still leads at this very late stage but Mendes is coming up like only Mendes can. As Zoidl and Duggan start to go backwards, the GC is really up in the air.



Mendes takes another one. Right at the line the Portuguese denies Sarabia the win, at the same given time Haas outsprints Geschke for third place.

How does this change the GC?



Zoidl and Duggan would be dropped in the final run-up and come home @ '24.



Schurter leads the next group home, a large one, @ over 1'00 down.

All this means Mendes moves into the GC lead, another GC looks in the bag for him. Zoidl and Sarabia move up onto the podium. Duggan and Haas round out the top 5 after that interesting finish.

Geshke moves back into the points jersey, and the top 10 in GC, and Sarabia, after his solo heroics, moves into the joint lead in the KOM comp.