That will be very unfortunate

Stage 5

First real mountain stage of the race. Completely flat for the first about 200 km and then up to Risoul. It seems unlikely that any but the GC favourites will decide this one.
For Falcon – STARK this should be a quiet day at the office since the team haven’t brought a single pure climber and thus will have no place in the finish.
AG2R have no intention of giving the leaders jersey away for free and won’t allow anyone to build a break for a long time.

The only rider able to build a lead of more than 2 minutes is Trofimov, who puts in a brave solo effort with 140 km to go. With 60 km to go he has build the lead up to 4 minutes, but then Liquigas and BMC starts helping AG2R in front of the peloton and when he starts the climb his lead is down to 1’40’’.

For a moment Liquigas and AG2R pulled a small group away from the rest of the peloton, but when realizing that Nibali was left behind Liquigas slowed down again.

4 km to go and 40 riders are left in front, when Evans attacks. He is immediately followed by Peraud, Nibali and Taaramäe. Nibali even find the resources to go solo with 2.5 km to go.
Evans get rid of Peraud, but can’t catch up with Nibali.

Results:
1. Vincenzo Nibali, Liquigas - Cannondale
2. Cadel Evans, BMC
3. Christophe Le Mével, Garmin - Sharp
76. Morten Kruse Brink, Falcon – STARK



Stage 6

The stage is classified as hilly – but these hills are in the big end...
BOTD is Bessy, Miholjevic and Cort. Since none of the three are posing any threat in the GC the peloton let them get a good lead fast and with 100 km to go they are up to 11 minutes.

71 km to go and Cort has taken the mountain jersey, while the break has build a lead of 15’40’’
The lead expands to 18 minutes but then AG2R realize that Cort is in the virtual lead and they start pushing up the speed in the peloton but with 50 km to go and a lead of 15 minutes the break still has a good chance to make it.

Cort is putting the pressure on the others going up the mountain and Bessy is first to lose contact.

With 3 km to the top the rain starts turning to snow and Miholjevic starts losing terrain. Cort has just under a minute to the Croatian rider, 2’30’’ to Bessy and 12’30’’ to the 46 rider peloton on the top.
With the last 30 km mainly being a long descent this could turn out to be the biggest day in Cort’s carreer!
Cort takes the mountain jersey, the stage and the white jersey!

Results:
1. Magnus Cort, Falcon - STARK
2. Vladimir Mihojlevic, Acqua & Sapone
3. Cyril Bessy, Europcar





Provisional standing:
1. Jean-Christophe Peraud, AG2R La Mondiale
2. Cadel Evans, BMC Racing Team
3. Vincenzo Nibali, Liquigas - Cannondale


Mountain Jersey: Magnus Cort, Falcon - STARK
Points Jersey: Cadel Evans, BMC Racing Team
Young rider: Magnus Cort, Falcon - STARK
Team: AG2R La Mondiale

What a Great victory for Magnus Cort

And a great day all round for the team with the Mountains and Young rider jerseys in the team

It's not too bad. He is not and will never be a GC rider (except in fairly flat races) so we never expected anything from him in the first place

Edit:
And yeah Magnus really had an extremely good day being the by far strongest rider in the break. And since the peloton didn't bother chasing too much he had that little bit of luck as well. Still only 11 seconds to Sicard in the battle for white so it's going to be hard to keep it on the Alpe d'Huez

You won. Great victory. Go Magnus Cort!

Fantastic victory!!! Nicely now sat in the Top 10 and wearing the KoM jersey with Cort. Great stage for the team

Magnus!!!

The sponsors want us to get a stage win here. Obviously we will do our best, but it will be hard.

Stage 1 - TT
It would be a major surprise if any of our riders manage to get a win on the prologue, but Bøchman is in god shape and will definitely try his best to get a good start.
First Falcon is Stevenson who gets a provisional 2nd that doesn’t last very long…
Next up Ludvigsson who does slightly better, but still nothing that will be noticed outside the team car.

Just before Hartvig Nielsen is off Klöden sets best provisional time one second ahead of Millar.
Bøchman does very well to finish 5th within a second of Klöden.

Bak has a really bad day finishing 41st. Barredo on the other hand has an extremely good day setting new best time as Cancellara is setting out on the course as the big favourite today.

The Swiss TT-champion does not disappoint improving the best time by 11 seconds.
Van Garderen is the closet one to beating Cancellara but when he’s in this mood no one can beat Spartacus.

Results:
1. Fabian Cancellara, RadioShack - Nissan
2. Tejay Van Garderen, BMC
3. Christian Vande Velde, Garmin - Sharp
17. Lasse Bøchman, Falcon – STARK



Stage 2

This second stage is probably the best chance for a win from a breakaway in the entire race, so we will chase it with all we’ve got. The hills in the finish should be hard enough to get rid of the sprinters but to easy to be interesting for the GC-battle.
Obviously a lot of riders hope to get in the break today, and RadioShack – Nissan won’t let too strong riders get away so it is a bit of a struggle, but in the end Stevenson, Bak and Ludvigsson get away in a big group counting names such as Bobridge, Egoi Martinez and Veikkanen.

With 60 km to go the break has almost 6 minutes to the peloton with a Colombian duo lying in between.
When hitting the main climb of the day the peloton have started to move in fast on the break, so Bak decide to shake things up a bit and the break is torn into five with Bak alone in front, but only with a small gap to Moletta and Longo Borghini.

In the peloton the favourites start moving. First Hesjedal attacks and then Contador goes solo with more or less a full RadioShack team right behind him.
Going in to the last 20 km Bak has more than a minute to the remains of the early break and two minutes to Contador and RadioShack.

10 km and it is Bak against the rest. The break is no more and 40 riders is now forming a peloton 2 minutes behind Bak as Contador tries once again. If they manage to catch him at least he will be wearing the mountain jersey tomorrow…
But once again Bak proves that he is not that easily caught if allowed to get away!

Results:
1. Lars Ytting Bak, Falcon - STARK
2. Francesco Ginanni, Acqua & Sapone
3. John Degenkolb, Argos – Shimano





Provisional standing:
1. Lars Ytting Bak, Falcon - STARK
2. Fabian Cancellara, RadioShack - Nissan
3. Tejay Van Garderen, BMC Racing Team


Mountain Jersey: Lars Ytting Bak, Falcon - STARK
Points Jersey: Lars Ytting Bak, Falcon - STARK
Young rider: Tejay Van Garderen, BMC Racing Team
Team: Falcon - STARK

What a Great start in Switzerland for Lars

Bak does it again!

Another great win. Awesome job.

Thanks all. If you need to win a stage you might as well get it over with

That's the spirit

Stage 7

Falcon – STARK is keeping close to the front of the peloton making sure the breakers are not an immediate threat in the KOM-classification. 6 riders with a total of 1 mountain point are given permission to go. Later Petacchi and Mondory join the group.
It is clear that the favourites want this one and the break is never given as big a gap as yesterdays break.
Right at the foot of Glandon a Norwegian take the spotlight attacking the peloton and quickly gaining a 3 minute advantage. Lars Petter Nordhaug has come back from a puncture to show how you climb a mountain. With 6 km to the top he is alone in front. 1’30’’ ahead of Ion Izagirre and 8 minutes in front of the favourites.

Starting the climb of Alpe d’Huez the Norwegian has 7 minutes to the favourites. A group being led by AG2R, Liquigas and BMC. With 3 km to the top they have only managed to reduce the gap to 6 minutes. Looks like an extraordinary Norwegian triumph today!

As Nordhaug ride to the win Evans have finally managed to get rid of the other favourites.

Results:
1. Lars Petter Nordhaug, Sky
2. Cadel Evans, BMC
3. Vincenzo Nibali, Liquigas - Cannondale
75. Thor Hushovd, Falcon – STARK
Mountain jersey: Magnus Cort, Falcon - STARK



Stage 8

The final stage of the day is not the hardest one, but passing the steep Côte de Domancy five times within the last 80 km will surely eliminate a lot of riders. Falcon – STARK will keep a close eye on the two riders cabable of stealing the mountain jersey on this final stage of the race.

At first Søren Nissen got in a nice three-rider break but then Miholjovic decided that he would not just let Cort have the jersey and Falcon – STARK had to play hardball reeling him back in.

In the end everyone agrees that Lemoine, Bewley and Nybö are acceptable as BOTD. As the front trio takes the big points and Cort wins the sprint in the peloton the jersey is now secured! The break still only has just over three minutes advantage.

At the first pass of Côte de Domancy the break has 5’30’’ to the peloton. The trio is now a quartet as Trofimov have joined them. Not the best of news for Nybö, who struggle to keep up with the Russian on the hill.

Second pass of the hill and Trofimov have now gotten rid of the other two leaving him alone in front with 50 seconds to Lemoine and 5’30’’ to the peloton. With 28 km to go Trofimov still has nearly five minutes to the highly decimated peloton.

Knowing that the stage win is no longer a possibility the Falcons is taking it easy riding home in their own tempo.

As expected the last pass of the hill is used to one last battle in the GC mainly orchestrated by Evans and Nibali.

Results:
1. Yury Trofimiv, Katusha
2. Vincenzo Nibali, Liquigas - Cannondale
3. Christophe Le Mével, Garmin - Sharp
65. Thor Hushovd, Falcon – STARK



Final standing:

55.

Magnus Cort

Falcon – STARK

+ 37’26’’

Mountains: Magnus Cort, Falcon – STARK
Points: Cadel Evans, BMC
Young rider: Romain Sicard, Euskaltel – Euskadi
Team: AG2R La Mondiale

Magnus Cort secures another Mountains title for the team

Another KoM jersey, brilliant work

Stage 3

Plenty of riders try to get in the break, especially Jesper Hansen is very active early in the stage but RadioShack, AG2R and Movistar is very determined to keep things together.

Harvtig Nielsen get a spot in the break that finally get away, though it is not granted much of a gap. When they start climbing Flüelapass the break has 4 minutes to the peloton.

8 km from the top Jeppe is putting the pressure on his breakaway companions while BMC is keeping the speed up in the peloton.
11 riders cross the summit together almost five minutes ahead of the peloton. With 56 km to go the stage can still go either way.
Later of the flat Nielsen is made to pay for his efforts on the mountain and finds himself in the second group as Millar starts TT’ing in front.

In the peloton both Bøchman and Hansen showed lack of concentration and found themselves behind when the peloton broke.

As the peloton hit the last climb Van den Broeck at the sight of his name next to Contador and Cavendish. Tiralongo is now solo in front with 2,5 km to the top and almost two minutes to Van den Broeck and Andy Schleck.

Schelck is having a great day, catches the Italian and leaves him behind on the climb.

Results:
1. Andy Schleck, RadioShack - Nissan
2. Paolo Tiralongo, Astana
3. Alberto Contador, Saxo-Tinkoff
47. Thor Hushovd, Falcon – STARK
Points jersey: Lars Ytting Bak, Falcon - STARK



Stage 4

Bøchman gets in BOTD, but RadioShack won’t allow it to get more than 1’30’’ so the breakers eventually give up. Hansen has much more success when he gets away along with Durbridge, Houanard, Moletta, Veikkanen and Swift.

Hansen takes the lead on the first mountain of the day being the by far strongest climber in the group. The finish is still more than 80 km to go so he takes it fairly easy making sure he doesn’t lose his companions yet. At the top the break has more than 5 minutes to the peloton.

Saxo-Tinkoff have taken over in the peloton along with Lotto Belisol and the break is tarting to lose time. With 30 km to go they are down to 3’40’’. Fortunately for Hansen his five companions are still taking their turns in front though they will have no chance what so ever on the final climb.

With 13,5 km to go the final climb up Triesenberg begins for the break with 2’39’’ to the peloton.
Hansen immediately takes the front and slowly the others start falling behind and with 8 km to go he is alone in front though he only has just over a minute to the favourites coming from behind.
6 km from the top he is caught by Andy Schleck, Contador, Van den Broeck and Basso.

Jesper is still far from being able to compete with this class of riders, so when Van den Broeck attacks Hansen's adventure is over for today.

Results:
1. Jurgen Van den Broeck, Lotto Belisol
2. Alberto Contador, Saxo-Tinkoff
3. Andy Schleck, RadioShack - Nissan
14. Jesper Hansen, Falcon – STARK

Van Den Broeck

Hope that Lars is still wearing the Points jersey

Jesper Hansen still getting stronger. good 14th place for him.