DH: Day two of the alps today and we have another delicious mountain top finish - I am going to call it a bit of a shock yesterday with Rigoberto Uran sneaking away to snatch yellow. He caught a few riders cold there - it will be tougher today with two big climbs for the riders.
Kg: Yes Daniel, I actually disagree with you slightly there, Uran and Gomez Marchante were just too powerful for the others on that sort of climb. Anyway we have a longish run in of 140 or so kilometers until the 15km, 7% average 1st category Col de la Ramaz. If this brute was not enough the riders bump their way along to the slightly longer but shallower 15.5 km Avoirez climb.
DH: We finish on top of that one, it is a further shuffling of the pack today. Any riders catch your eye yesterday Smowz?
Sm: It was more a case of riders doing worse than I would have thought. Pluchkin showed nothing yesterday and Gesink didn't react early enough at all. They do that today and they are going to lose the tour before it starts.
DH: Early on today , we had a slightly larger breakaway of five. Didier (Bbox), Criel (Starbucks), Oste-McDonald (Sony), Steurs (Nespresso) and Poels (Jack Wolfskin).
Five men try to use long flat run in to get clear
Sm: These riders are trying to get exposure for their sponsers, for a team like Bbox who we have seen in the breaks a lot this is such a good race for them to be in. Also a long flat run in can give a break like this huge leeway.
DH: At the first sprint Creil beat Oste-McDonald and Didier for the maximum points, but Didier struck back to take the second one ahead of Oste-McDonald and the Poels.
Didier takes a sprint for Bbox
DH: Philips once again doing a lionshare of the work on the front, they have limited the gap to 5 minutes with 50km to go. Pity for the break they had two 1st cat climbs to go!
Sm: Philips are really impressive in the early going here, they are putting it all in for Thomas Dekker.
DH: They are helped out today by Markus Fothen's Pearl Adidas team.
Philips and Pearl chase
DH: As we moved onto the first major climb of the day, the Ramaz, the five men in the break became three.
Kg: Steurs and CTour man Didier falling off the back.
Three men left out front
DH: The Ramaz is the softening ground for the Avoirez today, not a lot of action in the peleton, until Robert Kiserlowski (Starbucks) put in an attack about halfway up.
Kiserlowski makes an early move
Sm: It is a bit far out but the young Croatian champion is perhaps looking for King of the Mountains points.
DH: He will start mopping up the break soon, Sony’s half decent Dutch climber Oste – McDonald begins to push away from the other two.
Kg: Another Sony surprise package perhaps, gents?
Oste-McDonald stretches away from the break
DH: Behind though Thomas Lovkvist leads the peleton, in the already familiar Philips on the front role. Thomas Dekker is really cracking the whip on his team, particularly Lovkvist, Gerdemann and Pecherroman.
Lovkvist reels in first two drops
DH: Oste McDonald did well really to hang on out there and take the maximum 15 points for cresting the Ramaz first.
Ramez: 1st Oste McDonald
DH: Kiserlowski rounded the other breakaway men to crest in second place.
Kg: Incidentally, the polkadot jersey is worn today by Gomez Marchante who has 19 KOM Points, though Uran leads with 20 all gained from yesterdays Rousses victory.
Croat crosses in second
DH: Plenty of riders were interested in the minor placing points, Ikea’s Alarcon sprinting past breakaway man Criel for 3rd. Then Kashechkin, Contador, Pluchkin and Gomez Marchante getting into points scoring positions.
Alarcon best of the KOM point grabbers on the Ramaz
Kg: It gives us joint KOM leaders in Lipton’s Kashechkin (he has won KOM last year) and Cafe du Columbia’s Gomez Marchante with 24 points, Contador is 3rd on 21, then Uran on 20.
DH: ...and welcome to live coverage as we near the end of the descent of the Ramaz, just the Avoiraz to come.
Sm: This is a big day, Philips set a nasty pace up the Ramaz, they cannot be far behind the lead two.
DH: Kiserlowski has joined Oste-McDonald on the descent.
Two men look to keep clear from peleton as long as possible
Sm: Rigoberto Uran is going to be really tested here today – he and Gomez Marchante were possibly allowed a bit of breathing room on yesterdays less testing Rousses slopes.
DH: We are coming onto the climb now, they are reeling Oste McDonald back in, Kiserlowski is still out there alone. Determined stuff from the Starbucks rider, but the contenders are coming out now... It is Schleck...
Andy Schleck goes with 11km of climbing left
Sm: Avoirez is steepest in the bottom section and so an early attack is a way to make the difference.
Kg: Let's not forget Frank Schleck won the tour a few years ago, can the Schlecks get this back in the family.
DH: He certainly needs to attack at every opportunity, Andy is a good but not great TTer. It is a move to be marked though. Dekker and Pluchkin are mustering a response.
Dekker, Pluchkin mark Schleck
Sm: Dekker was pretty solid yesterday, Pluchkin had a poor day really he knows another repeat today could destroy the Tour de France.
DH: More riders streaming out of the peleton now, no Philips to pace anymore. Henao Montoya, Spilak and Fothen have moved across.
Three more bridge to Kiserlowski, Schleck, Dekker and Pluchkin
Sm: This is getting serious now, some real heads of state up here... look Uran is going.
DH: Indeed he is, with a really fast turn of speed.
Uran drives across to the seven
Kg: He has quite a kick doesn’t he the man from Columbia.
Sm: Several more riders are coming across, it reminds me of the Vuelta this attack and counter. It is the way to break someone really these riders are so equal that they can all rider tempo with each other.
DH: Names of riders also coming across to this is Popovich, Kasheshkin and Pedraza. Kiserlowski is falling back though so this makes ten riders I think Kingston?
DH: It is scattered behind now, Gesink and Contador are desperately trying to dig themselves up to their rivals ahead.
Sm: Typical from Gesink, though you watch he will come around riders in this last 6 or so km.
Contador wakes up to the fact the race is ahead of him
DH: Andy Schleck though having weakened them by attacking is now riding at a hard tempo, a gap is opening, what happened?
Sm: Contrary to my previous comment he is just riding away, awesome stuff from Schleck. This is Tour winning type form!
Schleck eases away from group of favourites
DH: 5km to go he has 30 seconds and rising it seems, they are beginning to look at each other behind.
Sm: It is Dekker, Spilak, Pluchkin, Uran, Fothen, Popovich, Henao Montoya, Contador and Pedraza... Kasheshkin has dropped back to another group 30 seconds back.
Kg: Gesink, Caruso, Kiserlowski, Gomez Marcante, Panayotov and Taaramae are there I think, Phinney is further back still.
DH: Tough for him, that crash has taken its toll. I see Henao Montoya and Pedraza beginning to fade – Schleck is destroying them today the gap is out to a minute
Sm: Popovich is trying to bridge to Schleck, Dekker and Uran are responding.
Popovich tries to gain ground on Schleck, he is marked by Dekker and Uran
DH: Uran seems to be more defensive today, Smowz.
Sm: I am impressed though Daniel, he looks good to stay in yellow today no-one is going to dominate this tour. Dekker too, is riding smart for me, but Schleck is really piling it on.
DH: In fact he is in the last kilometre and yes he takes a big decisive win.
Andy Schleck announces his Tour winning potential winning a big alpine stage
DH: Fothen is finishing fast again, with the gritty Spilak. Popovich looks like he will hold second, he has looked strong so far. Fothen once again finishes fast for third, Uran defends his lead in 4th. Dekker and Spilak finish together with Contador.
Popo grabs second ahead of fast finishing Fothen
DH: Now Pluchkin, slightly better day from him.
Sm: Pretty poor overall so far though for the B and O man, Pedraza is with him.
Pluchkin finishes in about 90 seconds back from Schleck
DH: Now the Gesink group he is finishing with Henao Montoyo and Caruso, not really good enough for the Dutchman.
Gesink disappoints, failing to move with the favourites at the right time
Kg: Looks like Kasheshkin and Phinney are really big losers today, Gomez Marchante too finishing over two minutes back.
DH: Rigoberto Uran though holds the yellow jersey, but Schleck moves up to second with a terrific ride today.
