With only 17 kilometres into the 140 kilometre stage an 8 man break including Magallanes(TCL) and Finetto(SSL) hits the 24.5 KM 6.5% average col du Madeleine, when a massive name attacks.......

RUJANORujano (PVE) @13'16 must be on a good day he makes his way up to the break in no time. The wind and snow don't put him off as he recovers in the break when....

He goes to the front of the race and disappears by himself up the road, riders cannot believe what they are seeing!

Nokia Eskpla aren't overly concerned after initially reacting to Rujano's attack and ride gently up the rest of the climb. This allows to riders to attack: Rusli(PDA) and Vogondy (STM)........but they will never get close to Rujano!

Riders dropped on the first climb will have a very difficult task of making the time limit. Hinault(SCD) and Hunter(KLU) are dropped but will make their way back to the peloton......but for Napolitano(RBL) the news is not so good he gets dropped very early in the bad conditions....

With 99 kilometres to go Rujano takes 20 KOM points and has a massive advantage of 7 minutes over the Nokia Ekspla lead peloton...........

With 80 kilometres to go Rujano reaches the 24 kilometre 6.8% col de Croix with an advantage of............8:20 over the peloton, the peloton is 2 kilometres into this mammoth climb with Nokia Ekspla setting a gentle place when two riders attack........

NAVARRO (SSL) and GADRET (TNA) who is @6:40 on GC attack.....Nokia Ekspla should pay more attention to this attack but continue to set an easy enough pace as the gap spirals out....when 4 more riders attack with 18 kilometres to go on the climb......

IGNATENKO(AFL), ZABRISKIE(BZQ), DI GREGORIO AND CARUSO(QMS) are the riders to attack, but can they join up with Gadret and Navarro......

well Ignatenko can, the others can't. The three riders set out about chasing down Rujano and eye a possible stage win. With 70 kilometres to go Rujano has an advantage of 11 minutes, still no chase from Nokia Ekspla.

Dyachenko (SCD) attacks with 65 kilometres to go but ends up in no mans land. With 65 kilometres to go Rujano has 13 minutes over the peloton and 6:50 over the Gadret group.

Rujano will crest the Croix with 5:50 over the Gadret group and 14:30 over the peloton. Realising Rujano needs to be controlled...

towards the top of the Croix 3 teams take up the chase decimating the peloton. The teams are AerLingus, Husky Energy and Nokia Ekspla, and immediately take 1 minute out of Rujano's lead. But he holds well outfront on the descent.....

come the col du molard, Rujano manages to pull 1 minute out over the Gadret group and now leads them by 6:30 and the peloton by 13 minutes....

17 Kilometers to go and Rujano hits la Toussieres, maintaining his healthy advantages, the stage win is surely in the bag. The peloton eats into the men's advantages out-front but not big time with 12 KM to go Spilak(NEL) decides enough is enough..........

Spilak attacks and Mancebo (HEY) scrambles to the front to bring him back. Rujano now has 11 minutes over the peloton and 6 minutes over Gadret, the gaps to the breaks are more in control and the GC men start attacking each other....

Verdugo( BSE), Lofkvist(KLO) and Brambilla (HEY) all put in testing attacks, when we reach the last five kilometres.......

But Ellisonde(NEL) bring him back, then another attack.......this time from Spilak. Only Brambilla and Verudgo can go with this one..

Meanwhile, out front Rujano wins. Stage win for Pulso Verde, what a performance.

Ignatenko holds off Gadret for second place, a great result for Aeroflot!

The big favourites are into the last KM. Brambila attacks, can Spilak respond?

Yes he can and finishes with the same time as Brambilla, Siutsou get dropped and loses his second spot on GC.....

as does Lofkvist who gave it a good go today and finishes in a group with Karpets.

A great effort from Rujano, Rujano and Gadret will catapult up the GC into the toP10 after this stage.

Spilak holds on to yellow in a definitive day in this tour, Brambilla moves to second. consistent riding from Kashechkin sees him rise to 5th, PetroChina have 2 men in the top 10 and vanNiekerk is riding well for Kulalu.

This was the real day to go for the KOM jerey, Rujano finished top of all climbs and may well have already secured this jersey for Pulso Verde, this tour has turned from a disaster for PVE into a success in one stage from one attack from Rujano!

Phinney still holds the whopping lead in the green jersey comp, Quilmes are now the best team leading Nokia Ekspla by 1'47 and Boswell (SCD) holds the white jersey but has his lead cut.

21 riders sadly just missed the 1 hour cut off including M.A.Richese and Napolitano.

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