Flat and hills - ptth screw Italy and Spain this where the action is really at, everyone knows that real excitement requires MOUNTAINS and Paris Nice delivers today!
Nibali was on the defensive briefly yesterday with Spilak flezing his muscles. Today should promise yet more exciting action in the race to the sun via the sky!
We have three hard climbs on the menu today with the finale featuring the Cote de Laffrey followed quickly by the finish up to the ski station at La Chaud. It is a really hard mountain test and we shall see how hard the riders are willing to race it.
No real arguments over the early morning break as four riders ease clear before the opening leg warmer.
Morobito goes pleasing their despotic manager. Kennaugh does also what his team manager always demands get in that breakaway. Bookwalter is the four riders rouler of the day and Majka gets the Eastern Europeans all excited.
The first King of the mountains prime is well before todays main course:
KoM 1: Kennaugh - - > Bookwalter - - > Majka - - > Morobito.
With points for fifth place we see a couple of riders sprint out for the points - this wouldn't normally warrent a picture but the trio continue on with the attack.
Good Energy fanpeeps will be very excited to Costagli strike out, the crazy Simply Red Bull despot likewise with his charge and well place KoM crony Morizot go but most of the attention shall be on the diminutive VolksWagen-Mapei rider here. It is Sella!
The Italian has had some hard days in this race so far - but still carries an outside GC threat being 25th at 4.53 before the start of play today so it is surprising that the pack have let this drift away.
The break becomes seven with a former winner of the race amongst its number, what a crazy race this is proving to be.
It is a strange move for Sella but possibly there is some logic behind it if he believes the favourites will save themselves for the very last climb. He may believe he can get far enough away to get the freedom for the stage win or at the very least nab some serious KoM points.
Also worth noting the presence of Morizot, who sits at the back letting Morobito do his share of the break pacing. He just needs 10 KoM points (Sella got the fifth on the last climb) to take the lead in that jersey.
The pack have plenty of teams to lead the chase, you feel two fold interests some for the stage and some to protect GC theat against Sella.
Tinkoff Credit Systems Bank, Prio - Porto, ING - Pro Cycling Team, Team Vueling Airlines, Becherovka - Kiwibank and Vesuvio - Accumalux are seen leading the chase at various points that keeps the gap under four minutes with 50km to go.
No thrills at the days sprint point, with Costagli taking it over Morobito and Sella, it is the climbs that today is all about as we reach the first of our three concluding 1st cat ascents.
Team Vueling Airlines lead the pack on the lower slopes but now the previously invisible Swisscom - UBS boys come forward with race leader Nibali.
Costagli and Sella are doing all the work in the break and are maintaining a healthy 3.30 lead over the pack. These Italian climbers are going to take some catching uphill today. Sella begins to notice his young companion waning and shows no sentiment in attacking near the top of this first climb.
Indeed Costagli has shown some naivety here as it is Kennaugh who is closest to following Sella and indeed follows Sella 30 seconds behind him at the summit.
It is not enough for Morizot to overhaul the incumbent KoM jersey wearer Martin and as we check the times it seems as if Morizot's day out is been just to get 6 KoM points!
30km to go:
Sella - - - > Kennaugh at 36 - - - > Remainder of break at 2.30 - - - > Pack at 3.08
I say pack... it is just 39 riders!
Sella has put the hammer down here and there is some serious panic in the chasing already before the double climb to finish today. Nibali actually led over the climb himself concerned about this Merckx like attack from Manu Sella.
Wait there is only one Becherovka - Kiwibank jersey in this group. It is the tiny form of Rujano.... where is Velits?
Two minutes down the road thats where! This is confusion from his team who now are burning up domestiques to get Velits back in contention, but the race is truly on up front.
Sella gets to the bottom of the Laffrey climb with two minutes on the pack of favourites and 30 seconds still on the game Kennaugh. The others in the break have been caught, not yet the right day for Costagli. For Sella the long day on the flat is now over and for much of the rest of the day we are in his playground the climbs.
It is playground for others two and of this day of days here we go bottom of the Laffrey no messing about SCHLECK attacks.
Splilak and Taaramae are ready and scramble across.
Meanwhile other favourites start to look around as the trio get 30 or so seconds up the road, they are waiting for the yellow jersey to do the work as you would expect. Nibali has no helpers capable of doing much and has to go into his reserves.
Gomez Marchante is doing a very good impression of a decent stage race here sitting on the Italian's wheel as Nibali starts to close the gap and simultenously prises open a gap on the pack of other favourites who need a wheel to suck.
Sicard manages to bridge as Nibali raises his ass.
Spilak, Schleck and Taaramae manage to bridge to Kennaugh as Nibali/Sicard (sans Gomez Marchante) desperately try and claw their way over.
Nope Sicard feels the guage going towards empty and sits down in his saddle.
Nibali also hasn't really hooked on with daylight between him and Kennaugh who is at the back of the Spilak/Schleck/Taaramae group.
20km to go:
Sella - - - > Taaramae/Schleck/Spilak/Kennaugh at 1.36 - - - > Nibali at 2.08 - - > Sicard at 2.24 - - > Pack at 2.55 - - - > Velits at 6.25
It is going badly wrong for Velits, but also in the pack a number of favourites really need to do something. Van Den Broeck, Martin and Pinot are taking tentative turns at the front.
Ultimately it is Dekker who puts in a proper effort to fuse with Sicard and Nibali.
This was the launchpad that the crafty Martin was aiming for, as he now tries to attack across to the kingpin group.
He makes his teammate Kennaugh's wheel, his teammate has done incredably well today and Martin will be grateful for the moment's respite on the top of the Laffrey.
The others in the pack are sitting behind Nibali again, we must remember that this is not the last climb and we have a little flattish section between the Laffrey and the final climb proper.
Still Martin/Spilak/Taaramae and Schleck is a great group of riders who have everything to gain on NIbali by working together they are also 2nd through to 5th on GC and are possibly the realistic challengers for the podium. So all the pressure really on Nibali once more.
Behind another rider is under pressure and a little like Sella on stage 3 is having to go on damage limitation in Velits.
Stupidly out of position on the previous climb he is really having to go deep on the Laffrey. Another rider beginning to go deep is Sella who only has 25 seconds advantage at the top of the Laffrey.
The Spilak group behind has worked together really well and yes Kennaugh is still with them, brilliant rider from him.
17km to go:
Sella - - - > Spilak, Schleck, Taaramae, Martin, Kennaugh at 25 seconds - - - > Pack at 1.28 - - > Velits at 4.45
Predictably the chase group catches Sella with 15km left and the VolksWagen rider takes a well deserved swig of the special juice before we get to our last climb. Kennaugh is pacing this group - this guy is mofo of the day.
Unimpressed with the pace work done by the SWisscom team, Dekker and Sicard send their lieutenents to the front.
They peg the gap at a minute to the leaders as they get to the lower slopes of the final climb. It really is now or never if you are going to get across to the uber climbers.
Sicard, Van Den Broeck, Kunshin and Lopez Garcia try.
Not really expected names in last two but they drop back as Sicard and Van Den Broeck perservere.
These two battle up to the now dropped Kennaugh. They need a little more to make the promised land though.
As ever it is left to Nibali to do the pacing as the vultures line up behind him.
The vultures here are Brambilli, Faiers, Gomez Marchante, Dekker and Fothen.
This mini group is clear of the others - some managers will be getting pretty animated in their team cars right now I think!
5km to go:
Schleck/Spilak/Taaramae/Martin/Sella lead - - - > VdB/Kennaugh/Sicard at 30 seconds - - - > Nibali group at 1.02 - - - > 31 riders at 1.25 - - - > Velits at 3.21
Under the banner though and it is time for Schleck to up the ante once more.
However the others are ready and only Sella is dropped by this acceleration, watch out as Martin goes for one.
It is rat - ta - tat as now Schleck goes ... wait one more rider cannot follow.
SPILAK!
The Slovak cannot go with this latest move, this is a major blow for the much hyped super rider.
We pan back down the mountain.
Drama at front as perhaps frustratingly the camaras pan back to what is happening behind with VdB still chasing having caught Sella now with Fothen who has jumped from the Nibali group.
Sicard is missing, the French darling has slipped back to the Nibali group his GC dreams in tatters.
Up front Schleck may have rid himself of Spilak but actually Martin and Taaramae are just as dangerous with already well advertised finishing pace. Schleck pounds away at his pedals.
3km to go:
Schleck/Taaramae/Martin - - - > Spilak at 18 seconds - - - > Fothen/VdB/Sella at 1.11 - - - > Nibali/Dekker at 1.31 - - > Gomez M/Brambilli/Sicard/Pinot at 1.40 - - > 24 riders at 2.05 - - > Velits at 3.15
It is all Schleck at the front and now it looks like he has accelerated again. It is just a small burst but at this stage it could be all it takes.
Slowly but surely the elastic stretches and yes I believe it as snapped... neither Martin nor Taaramae have the answer to this cool customer.
So Schleck leads Martin/Taaramae who lead Spilak going into the last 2km of this brutal day. Behind they are beginning to split into ones and twos as well.
Fothen has now powered clear of VdB as poor Sella begins to suffer behind him.
The Yellow jersey battles on alone, it has been a lonely day for him. Dekker who has used his teammates well but has shown very little continues to follow follow and follow his mission of following the yellow jersey is a success. But alas the yellow jersey is not having a good day.
Further back still we see the well favoured Frenchmen.
However it is Pinot now pushing on, not Sicard who seems to have completely cracked and is suffering alongside Brambilli and Gomez Marchante. This was not what his team had in mind when they paid such a wage for him.
This really is all over the road and the reason is this Red Devil at the front who attacked at the bottom of the Laffrey. Schleck is looking to stamp his credentials on this season today.
Behind him Martin is beginning to drop Taaramae as we go under the kite. This could prove crucial in the battle for the podium Martin needs time as well as bonuses to overhaul the Estonian.
Schleck does the funky chicken as he crosses the line - he certainly deserves all the bragging rights today. What a ride.
He takes 22 seconds over Martin and 36 on Taaramae who just faded slightly in the last kilometre. Schleck with bonus will take the GC lead today.
Spilak loses 57 seconds - he really suffered at the end there. This was not his best day perhaps suffering for his fruitless attack yesterday and his battle on stage 3. He will slip to 5th on GC.
Fothen is next at 1.17, he was gaining on Spilak in the end and is certainly capable on todays showing on moving further up GC. He did not have a great first half of this race but this rider gets better as races goes on.
Here comes the yellow jersey having finally dropped Dekker and indeed overtaking Sella and VdB. Not perhaps a surprise that he lost to Schleck and Spilak today but a disappointment he slips down to 4th on GC. He dropped 1.46 to Schleck, VdB abd Dekker 1.58.
Nibali has had to do a ton of work today and was under pressure even on the first climb by Sella. The veteran Italian finishes together with Pinot after his adventure today. Nice ride from Pinot to finish 9th today.
Sicard ends 12th finishing with Brambilli - a whopping 2.42 behind Schleck not a good day for him.
Gomez Marchante is 13th at 3.04, Rujano at 3.18, Keinath/Kolesnikov at 3.29 and then a large group containing Velits at 4.21.
Two riders miss time cut:
Dennis (Lotto Australia)
Vlatos (Festina)
Stage results
Let's all have a party over Avin Wargunnson ass - pcm13 is the bomb.
GC
Still all to play for on GC, though Schleck was so supreme today it is hard to see him being beat in the mountains. Spilak surely would expect better, Brambilli is hanging on.
Mountains
Team manager Smowz cuts a brooding figure at aforementioned party to give his team a bit of a rollicking they had the chance of KoM jersey and screwed it up. Spilak and Sella could get up there.
