Stage Favourites:
***Kittel(EML) **Sagan(GPM) *Cavendish(HLE)

We take in the two sizeable climbs used in the classic, San Sebastien, in the last 30 kilometres which may throw up some fireworks.

The break are just about caught and de Gendt goes on the attack with 19 kilometres to go.... However, Roux and the like will bring him back....

The top of the Arkale climb is reached with 5 kilometres to go and Eijssen, Schleck and Sicard attack over the top... With no immediate reaction this would be the stage winning move.....

Eijssen takes the win, he is the fastest of the trio beating his long time nemesis with Sicard further down having lost the wheel. There are no time gaps thanks to the fast finishing peloton.

Stage Favourites:
***Duarte(EML) **Elissonde(GPM) *Pinot(KAT)

7600 meters of climbing says it all. This is one of the hardest tour stages in many a year. The last 60 kilometres taking in the col du Tourmalet before a finish at Luz Ardiden. Many riders will not make the time limit, much damage will be done.

The peloton take the early kilometres easy. Out front van Garderen has managed to make the break and is head and shoulders the best climber present, he would have a max advantage of around 13:30.

With about 150 kilometres to go Coppel attacks out of the peloton with van Garderen @ 10:00, he would bridge across eventually and the two would fight out many mountain peaks.

With 110 kilometres to go 6 riders attack from the peloton, they are: our man, Hivert, van der Laan, Andre, Patin, Uran and Goos.

Behind the peloton is already increasing with Bruyere doing a great job of protecting Sicard.

The GC men start taking up the pace with about 80 kilometres to go and many riders are quickly dropped.... It is not long before the breaks are both caught on the Tourmalet with 45 kilometres to go. Patin and Uran are the last to be dropped of the attackers..

Sicard leads the 12 man group over the top of the Tourmalet with about 40 kilometres to go. Salas, Schleck and Duarte were momentarily dropped before making it back on.

12 kilometres to go and Pinot leads us onto the final climb... the pace in the first few kilometres is not putting Sicard in major difficulty and he is able to take some turns on the front to test the other GC men.

With about 3 kilometres to go the war of attrition does for Sicard... Elissonde puts in a injection of pace and only Pinot can follow.... the other favourites ride up to the two Frenchmen when.....

Sicard goes bang and starts to labour up the final climb as Elissonde puts in an attack.. an attack which drops last year's second place rider Andy Schleck

Elissonde was very aggressive towards the finish and takes the win just holding off the French champ. It was a very controversial finish as Duarte looked to be finishing very fast put got hold up by a race organiser's car. With no bonus second he won't mind.. Pinot finished in the lead group but made no attacks on the day.

Sicard looses big time, over 2:00, but does consolidate a top 10 by the looks of things. After a brutal stage only 104 riders are left.

With some sapping hills in the middle and a fast undulating run in this was a great stage for Felline to do something... ironically he had his lowest finish in Poland so far. The team were spent after almost catching the break and then a flurry of attacks started up so Felline was by himself and had no chance of bringing every attack back, of which there were many in the exciting stage.... Well, when you have won Milan San Remo 3 times people will have their eyes on you!

Stage Favourites:
***Battaglin(BSC) **van der Sande(HLE) *Pere(HLE)

A hard stage with many climbs before the short steep finish. Only 104 riders start the stage, we have the most amount of riders left at 8, 2 more than any other team.

Pere, Laval and Uran are amongst the strong quality riders who try to get into the break of the day... No break would establish as Sorensen denies many riders from getting into the break including Hivert who tries many times although would collect a few KOM points.

A depleted group would contest the finish. Yellow jersey, Duarte, is the first to make his move...

and it pays off, he wins the GC sprint uphill with a bike length. Sicard finishes safely in the lead group with Schleck having a terrible last kilometre where he looses '49 seconds.

Stage Favourites:
***Duarte(EML) **Salas(HLE) *Jeannesson(FDJ)

We are still in Spain and finish on the 20 kilometre, 5% average, climb to Andorra. Only 98 riders start after a gruelling couple of days.

After being the most aggressive/ watchable rider yesterday, Hivert, makes a strong break of 14. Other present include: Marais; Amador; Froome and KOM leader, Coppel.

No one was a danger for the GC but Gazprom and ExxonMobil were driven to close down the break from 100 kilometres to go.

20 kilometres to go. The final climb. Marais of Bretagne attacks the quality break with the peloton coming up fast.

The breaks are just about caught and Hivert attacks up to Marais before Schleck then Jeannesson put in big attacks.

We are back together and French champ, Jeannesson, attacks again.

But he is absorbed into a group of 15 with 1 kilometre to go.

Win for Elissonde, today he was the top man winning in a group of 15 to get the same time. For the second day in a row Pinot is second. Another day in the mountains where one cannot pick the winner.