Stage Favourites:
*****Atapuma(SAH) ****Szmyd(IBA) ***Serpa(CAR)
**Clarke(BLU) *De Weert(SWI)

The Galactic stage of this TOTC. We end on the fabled Mount Washington. (11KM - 11%) One of the most spectacular mountain stages you could wish for.

9 men make the break today, they are: Louder, Champion, Ciolek, Vogondy, Pereyra, Mate, Aldape, Wurf and vandeWalle.

Champion (Alcyon) will move into the, temporary, KOM lead. He claims max 10 KOM points at Kancamagus highway and 6 KM points at Lost River road, both uncontested. He was now on 46 KOM points.

One of the highlights of Alcyon's tour.

With 11 KM to go the break hit the start of the Mount Washington climb with 8'50 over the peloton. This gap would have been larger if Aer Lingus and Bluebell Creameries didn't start to chase more emphatically with 40 KM to go.

Just before the final climb started Vogondy, Louder and Champion attacked the break, but they are back to together now. van de Walle is the first to be dropped. It may be a good advantage but the break really needed something closer to 20'00 to hold on for the stage win.

As soon as the peloton hit the final climb three riders attack. They are Serpa, Di Gregorio and Cattaneo (whit jersey). The attacks looked good but did not last.

Out front Pereyra is starting to distance the rest of the break, but they are all suffering.

The Swiss Cheese attacks from a long long way out. 8 KM OUT! It looks like an all or nothing move! Serpa tries to go with him....

Serpa can't go with him! Tschopp continues on, the gap to the break plummeting metre by metre. Szmyd leads the GC group in chase.

van de Walle has hit a wall. A high one! The Cartoon Network rider is already caught and passed by Tschopp with the favourites around '30 behind. The favourites are taking turns at the front but are not making any ground up on Tschopp. The favourites group is around 12 riders.

Cummings (3rd) can't follow the pace of the favourites. Good news for Clarke(4th) with around 5 KM to go. Cummings is not the only rider from the top 10 dropped. Geschke is even further back.

Szmyd finally attacks!

With 5 KM to go and Tschopp around 1'00 ahead Szmyd attacks. The other favourites ... can't go with the red jersey. Everyone expects Szmyd to eat into the time of Tschopp .... but he doesn't! The gap holds at around the 1'00 mark as Tschopp almost catches the last of the break.

Tschopp has caught Pereyra and now leads the race. The toughest part of the climb is now here with fans covering the mountain sides. Szmyd .... is starting to lose a second here and a second there....

This is for the GC. Tschopp looks strong and .... he continues to put time into Szmyd on the unrelenting mountain. Tschopp now leads by over 1'20 on the stage. The stage win is in the bag, but how much time will Tschopp put into Szmyd?

The fight for third.

Paulinho and De Weert are looking at their peaks for the first time in this tour, putting in multiple attacks to try and distance the other favourites. Serpa, Clarke and Sella are not too far behind with Garate and Di Gregorio a bit further off.

Aer Lingus take their first win with an epic display from the most expensive rider in the tour. Tschopp puts in 1'53 to Szmyd + time bonuses!

Szmyd comes home second and retains the red jersey. But the fight for the red is certainly not over after today.

De Weert takes 3rd and consolidates his 5th place by putting in a few seconds into Paulinho who rode well for fourth on the day. Cummings loses his spot on the podium and Serpa is breathing down the neck of those above him for a 10th place in GC.