Route du Sud starts with an hilly stage. This stage seems easy as it has one ascent in the start of the stage and other (much easier) in the last kilometers. The riders know that the next stages are harder, does it mean that today's stage will be calm?
Costa, Østergaard and Vantourenhout (1st, 2nd and 3rd, respectively in the intermediate sprint) attacked in the sprint preparation and manage to beat the sprinters in this first sprint.
Those three atackers have the company of another three: Kirsch, Tang and Speirs. It's also possible to see that Speirs and Østergaard are being dropped.
The Ultra Adventure's rider takes the 10 points. Kirsch and Vantourenhout take 6 and 4, respectively.
Speirs uses his downhill skills to join with the front group. Østergaard follows him.
Tang, Speirs and Vantourenhout are the first to pass on second intermediate sprint.
6 minutes after comes the peloton that is being headed by Benfica and NVidia. 90km to go.
7km after, Bjelkmark, Sambris and Quinzato attack.
Quinziato gains a 33 seconds advantage over Sambris and Bjelkmark. This two riders are 55 seconds in front of the peloton.
Tang takes the last intermediate sprint, beating Vantourenhout and Costa.
Quinziato passes 2 minutes later.
After being caught, Sambris and Bjelkmark attack again. But the pack, led by Kenda and NVidia, will probably catch these attackers again. Still 3 minutes to recover to the front and 49km to go.
Bru Pascal joins with Sambris and Bjelkmark.
Sambris and Bjelkmark are caught soon but Bru Pascal catches Quinziato.
De Greef, Colby and (again) Sambris attack while Bru Pascal and Quinziato are being swallowed by the peloton. 32km to the line.
Time for Colom Mas, Taaramäe, Bru Pascal, Pedraza and Caruso to attack! (missing screen)
And the attacks keep on coming. Nazaret, Ferrio, Alarcon, Ortega and Pardilla jump from the pack.
Efimkin, Cardoso, Linden and MartÃnez also want to escape from the pack.
With 18km to go, there's a mix with early break riders and recent attackers. Caruso and Speirs are in the front and Ortega is near.
+ 38'' - Ferrio, Nazaret, Efimkin, Bru Pascal, Colom Mas, De Greef and Colby.
+ 24'' - Peloton, from where Becerra, Stybar, MartÃnez, Osella and Nogaledo attack.
The group that was led by Ferrio is now being caught.
Basso attacks and Linden follows.
The last climb starts and Speirs is, as predicted, being dropped. Ortega seems to be losing ground, as well, for Caruso. The Italian has an advantage of 40 seconds for Pedraza's group in which Basso and Linden have entered.
Pedraza leaves the group and passes Speirs and Ortega.
But Basso doesn't let him go. The peloton is not too far when they pass the 10km marker.
Caruso is the first over the top.
Ghisalberti and De Greef attacked from the pack and get 2nd and 3rd on the top. Other riders that attacked from the pack have joined the chase group. 38 seconds is the gap to Caruso.
2km to go and Caruso still holds an advantage of 32 seconds.
While Basso is leading the sprint in the chase group.
Under the banner, MartÃnez leads the group.
Caruso takes the win but MartÃnez almost catches him, cutting any time gaps.
Nazaret completes the podium. This group is awarded with the same time of front duo and the peloton.
