After 5 very difficult days in the mountains this stage offers a chance of victory for the sprinters, despite a very difficult first third of the race.

The race begins with plenty of attacks. Grivko(AFL) and Finetto(SSL) attempt multiple times to get away, with twenty kilometres into the race there is no break ahead.

30 Kilometres the day seven riders are out ahead of the Standard Chartered lead peloton. They are: Ostegaard(KLO), Beppu(BSE), Finetto and Havik(SSL), Dean (TNA), Valdez(TCL) and Denifl(RBL) who looks strongest and is best placed in GC @ 45'49! Sagan(STM) attacks on the col du Cucheron and must think it quite easy to bridge the 1:20 gap to the escapees when........

the men out ahead in a cartoonish like fashion start attacking each other all the way up the first climb, rather than save as much energy as possible. Sagan would eventually bridge the gap.

With 142 kilometres to go the break reach the 9.7 kilometre averaging 8.5% col du Granier with an 8 minute advantage over the peloton being lead by Nokia Ekspla and Standard Chartered.

Both peloton and break ride up a steady tempo at the top the break has an advantage of 9 minutes, no one is out the back of the peloton.

With 125 kilometres to go and the 8 men out ahead @9:30, three teams take up the chase. Standard Chartered thinking of Hinault, Pulso Verde thinking of Chavanel and Kulalu thinking of Hunter. The gap immediately starts to tumble.

Results from sprint at Beaucroissant:

Very little happened for the next fifty kilometres as the peloton ate into breaks advantage whilst riding at a leisurely pace. Meier(HEY) did have a nasty looking crash................with 30 kilometres to go the break have an advantage of 2mins.

20 kilometres to go and the break barely has 1 minute of an advantage, when they attack eachother. Havik and Denifl are the last to survive....

Into the last 14 kilometres and no one is out ahead as the peloton hit the final climb before the finish.

Over the top of the final climb with 8km to the finish Kulalu push on and look to be setting up South African champ Hunter but why so early?..........

Phinney(IKO), that's why. The green jersey is a good forty riders back in the peloton, it will take some effort to get to the front from this position.....

Some effort it is. As coming towards the final Phinney manages to get into 10th wheel, as the sprint trains of Kulalu and Standard Chartered battle for supremacy heading towards the uphill sprint finish.

Andriato(BDB) and Phinney(IKO) are lurking whilst the lead-out men are launching out their main sprinters......

Hunter and Hinault don't have it in their legs. Lead out man Kwiatkowski looks in much better form than Hinault as Phinney comes ploughing past everyone, is this win number 3 in the bag.........

ANDRIATO. In the dying meters Brazilian Andriato comes flying past Phinney and he will take the win. WHAT A WIN FOR BANCO DO BRASIL!

A well deserved win as well with Andriato already nailing multiple podiums. Bazayev(AFL) and Traksel(BSE) came from well well back and looked to be the fastest finishers on the stage.

No change in the GC, Spilak (NEL) did brilliantly to finish in the stage top 10 yet another accolade for Nokia Ekspla! There was a crash towards the finish, Euser(CLE) abandons meaning we are down to 170 riders.

Phinney extends his lead in the green jersey competition. He certainly looks to have this jersey wrapped up baring a disaster.

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