Gesink looking good.

Free sprints for Kittel!!!!!!

Hell, how can Kittel survive and 85 riders not?

He has something like 63 in Mo, was starting the climbs as 1 of the first riders all the time, so when he got dropped out of the peloton, the big gruppetto was already a lot of minutes behind. And together with Vermeltfoort and Posthuma, they kept riding at a decent speed.
I always let my weak climbers start a mountain stage and the mountain among the first of the peloton. Not like these stupid game-controlled sprinters who are already in the back of the peloton.

sprint finishes become even more unprobable, as sprint teams have either lost their sprinter, or not enough men to chase/make a sprint train.
kittel breakaway win at queen stage!!!(or however it's called)

That was quite a Rabofail

Nice riding by Gesink, he's still very close in the GC!

It's the 1st restday of the Tour the France, with all teams staying in the hotel around Saint-Lary-Soulan. Some transfer news from the team is announced, but not from the Tour. Martijn Maaskant hasn't received a new contract offer, and he has decided to go to a WT-team with probably the worst cobbled riders in it:


So the Movistar team wants WT-points in the cobbled races. Curious to see if Maaskant will be their only signing for these races, or the first of a few...

Cool, staying in Saint-Lary-Soulan. Hope the Petronas riders tackle Pla d'Adet on their rest day for a training

Loving the rest day picture of the cat

That cat is the king in the castle

NOOO I can't believe it
Bad news guys: my laptop broke dawn. Yesterday everything was just fine but know I get a blue screen. I think it has something to do with this:https://windows.microsoft.com/en-gb/wi...-windows-7
I brought him to a specialist so I hope he can solve the problem. Otherwise the story is over before it started. I was currrently at the start of Milano - San Remo after I won P-N with Chava. So I am very angry at my laptop now

YWindows needs installing again and has crashed, it's not the worst problem in the world but you won't be able to use the laptop till its been installed again.

After the rest day, the 3rd and last stage in the Pyrénées awaits. It ain't the toughest one, but still contains two steep climbs and 3380 height metres. Out of the start, the Hourquette d'Ancizan has to be climb, and this time the steepest side (9.3km at 8.3%). Then, after a long flat part, the Col du Tourmalet awaits (15.7km at 8.0%), with the finish at the summit.



After the massive slaughter in stage 9, only 113 riders will start today. Petronas - Monster Energy is the only team with 9 riders in the Tour left, and AG2R, Dexia, Movistar and Radio Shack have got 8 riders left.



The steep ascend of the Hourquette d'Ancizan is almost done, and we see a leading group of 6 riders. Daniel Moreno (Euskaltel) is the first to cross the line of the KOTM-sprint, followed by Vladimir Gusev (Katusha), Guillaume Bonnafond (Garmin), Simon Gerrans (Dexia), Maxime Monfort (Sony Ericsson) and the maiilot verde Thomas Voeckler (Vacansoleil). The peloton follows at 1'45.



3 more riders have bridged the gap out of the peloton to the 6 leaders, namely Peter Velits (Astana), Michel Kreder (Sky) and Julien El Fares (Omega Pharma).
The pace of the peloton was pretty low after the summit of the Hourquette d'Ancizan, as we wanted to let the dropped riders (4 of our team were among them) return. When they did, we started to chase the BOTD. So with 65km to go at the Intermediate sprint, the margin is only 2'55.



As soon as the ascend of the Col du Tourmalet begins, Daniel Moreno attacks out of the BOTD. Only Julien El Fares and (of course....) Thomas Voeckler can follow him. The peloton, with our team, as well as Movistar and Radio Shack, having done the work, follows at 1'12.



When the 3 leaders are about to be caught, the first attacks out of the leading peloton occur. GC's number 7 Thibaut Pinot (AG2R) in the white jersey is the first to attack, countered by Igor Antón (GC 6th) and Vasil Kiryienka.



The domestiques of Nibali and Contador lead the chase now, and they do it succesfully. Pinot and Kiryienka have been caught already, and also Antón hasn't got the legs to stay out of reach. Now Fränk Schleck attacks, the number 5 in the GC.



Fränk Schleck leaves Antón behind and creates a small margin of 30 seconds. Robert Kiserlovski (Astana, GC 8th) also attacks out of the group of favourites, and Robert Gesink counters!! The 2 bridge the gap to the oldest of the Schleck-brothers, and where Kiserlovski needs to find a 2nd breath, Gesink continues his jump! So far, no reaction from Contador and Nibali.



Apparantly Andy Schleck can't stand his former team mate riding in the lead, 30 seconds ahaead of the chasing group, as he has taken control of the pace of the group, doing the work for Contador and Nibali! Only Contador, Nibali, F. Schleck, Kiserlovski, Antón and Cunego can follow him. Pinot, Van den Broeck and Hesjedal follow at 1'11 and GC's number 4 Simon Spilak is 1'58 behind.



Finally, the maillot jaune himself is doing some work. He leaves Andy behind and with a jump he is closing the gap to Gesink. Nibali is struggling to stay in the Spaniards wheel, but can do it.



But Gesink manages to keep a little margin to his 2 main rivals for the GC. Under the flamme rouge, he leads them by 13 seconds. Is this enough for the stage win?



And he wins it! His and the teams first stage win in this Tour, and it happens at the mytical Tourmalet. Contador sprints to the 2nd place at 16 seconds, with Nibali in the same time. All riders finish inside the timelimit today.

1	Robert Gesink	Petronas - Monster Energy	4h35'43
2	Alberto Contador	Movistar Team	+ 16
3	Vincenzo Nibali	Radio Shack - Nissan	s.t.
4	Andy Schleck	Sky ProCycling	+ 42
5	Igor Antón	Euskaltel - Euskadi	+ 56
6	Fränk Schleck	Omega Pharma - Quick·Step	+ 1'10
7	Robert Kiserlovski	Pro Team Astana	s.t.
8	Damiano Cunego	Radio Shack - Nissan	+ 1'38
9	Thibaut Pinot	AG2R La Mondiale	+ 2'12
10	Jurgen Van den Broeck	BMC Racing Team	s.t.

1	Alberto Contador	Movistar Team	40h01'40
2	Robert Gesink	Petronas - Monster Energy	+ 21
3	Vincenzo Nibali	Radio Shack - Nissan	+ 46
4	Fränk Schleck	Omega Pharma - Quick·Step	+ 2'26
5	Igor Antón	Euskaltel - Euskadi	+ 2'37
6	Robert Kiserlovski	Pro Team Astana	+ 3'06
7	Simon Spilak	Lampre - Alitalia	+ 3'26
8	Thibaut Pinot	AG2R La Mondiale	+ 4'06
9	Andy Schleck	Sky ProCycling	+ 4'12
10	Damiano Cunego	Radio Shack - Nissan	+ 4'44

1	Thomas Voeckler	Vacansoleil - DCM Pro Cycling Team	152
2	José Joaquín Rojas	Movistar Team	115
3	Marcel Kittel	Petronas - Monster Energy	109
4	Mickaël Delage	Team Europcar	101
5	Heinrich Haussler	Radio Shack - Nissan	100

1	Alberto Contador	Movistar Team	92
2	Robert Gesink	Petronas - Monster Energy	80
3	Vincenzo Nibali	Radio Shack - Nissan	64
4	Andy Schleck	Sky ProCycling	32
5	Joaquím Rodríguez	Katusha Team	24

Finally, 3 times and it's the right one! Gesink did a great job, and is now only '21 behind in the GC!!

Great win for Gesink. I think we're going to have a great Tour in the moutains.

ROBERT!!!!

Gesink on the Tourmalet

Great day for Gesink
And sorry for my previous post, I posted it in the wrong thread

It`s awesome that this story is still alive. It takes quite a lot of motivation to do that many seasons even with an old PCM.

Good luck with Gesink on the remaining stages. Contador seems to be beatable even though it won`t be easy.

great win and hey-the podium is alredy sure pretty much and maillot jaune in reach.