The Rettenbachferner dominates proceedings today, its a constant steep gradient at the end of the stage - and the final mountains of the 2011 ProTour season. The top favourites here are Sella, Fothen and Dekker. Sella really needs time, he is already down, and the time trial later in the race will not help him. Fothen is probably best placed, but both he and Dekker will be keen to gain a comfortably advantage prior to the time trial - the likes of Pluchkin, Uran, Popovych, Nibali and Karpets are all both strong climbers and time trialers as well after all. And then theres Carlos Castano, the Festina rider having arguably his best ever season - that included 5th in the Giro - who holds the race lead.
Attacks came on the first climb, many hoping to get in the days breakaway. Suaza leads over with Jaramillo, while Vasquez, Bontenackels, Sprick and Rangel are at 40 seconds.
Curiously, 8th, 9th and 10th over are mini-attacks from Caruso, Pozzovivvo and Pluchkin - surely they should be saving energy?
The 6 already mentioned attackers are joined by Taberlay, and will be indefinately chased (thus without success) by Vaugrenard, Giraldo and Sestili. Rangel takes the sprint, not that he, or the rest of the break, noticed - and goes on to be 2nd at the KoM - Solis taking the points here aswell.
Again no interest in the second sprint, so we skip too soon before the 3rd. 17km to go, roughly 5 to the start of the climb, Vladimir Efimkin launches an attack. Pozzovivvo, Karpets, Gomez Marchante and Meier counter (meanwhile Jaramillo has taken Sprint 3).
They leave Efimkin behind, and are roughly 2 minutes behind the break as the climb begins, and the 2 strongest climbers in there - Suaza and Vasquez - attack away. There is only 10km to go, and these 2 can climb, can they climb well enough to hold off the rest?
Karpets, Pozzovivvo and Gomez Marchante home in on the rest of the break. Its an ambitious move by these 3 - all of teams towards the bottom end of the table - and would be very lucrative if they pull it off. They move straight to the front of the break, still 2 minutes behind the lead 2, with 9km to go.
Sella attacks! He gets about 50 seconds before his attack ends, still just behind the break which Efimkin has now latched on to. He is highlighted nicely below by his own Graffiti, as Pluchkin, Pedraza and Veloso also attack - the latter Spaniard not getting anywhere though
Pedraza fails aswell as Fothen, Popovych and Castano go
Caruso tries to go, but along with Efimkin, Popovych and notably Castano, cant get away. Uran does though - linking up with Fothen - as Dekker now makes his effort
5km to go. Suaza and Vasquez lead by 1 minute - over Pozzovivo, Gomez Marchante, Karpets, Pluchkin, Sella and Fothen. 27 seconds later are Uran, Dekker and Efimkin
Those 3 catch up, as Nazaret makes his move - with Nicacio also now up there inbetween
But this group of attackers then falters. Theyre brought back by the peloton - allowing Suaza and Vasquez to extend their lead to 1'40 - and now Pluchkin goes again then. Uran immediately countering
Other moves then of course follow, as Pluchkin moves away from Uran and up to Suaza and Vasquez
Pluchkin moves clear, as Sella allso follows up - with Fothen, Uran, Dekker, Pozzovivvo and Gomez Marchante all also moving up. Game over for Suaza and Vasquez now really, and still just under 4km to go
Gomez Marchante and Pozzovivvo fall back though, as Popovych too cant get away of the ever-reducingly sized chase group. Sl Benfica has a good presence here, but Castano is isolated - yet still fighting on.
This isnt an ideal situation for Sella, to be in a group with many strong time trialists - aswell as Suaza still holding on - but he is getting on with it and trying to ride away. Pluchkin keeps close
Popovych tries to attack now, closing on Vasquez who is falling back. Castano is finding himself some allies, Menchov, Krasnoperov and Marquez are relaying - with their own teammates Caruso and Nazaret in this group - as well as Pedraza, Pozzovivvo, Gomez Marchante and Nibali
The front group is starting to split under the Sella pressure. Pluchkin still up there, Dekker and Uran battling - Fothen too - as Popovych joins the group, Suaza starting now to fall back
The group behind is splitting, Marquez and Krasnoperov seem to have done the damage, and Castano is keeping up. Pozzovivvo and Gomez Marchante perhaps regretting having gone early now and its not looking so good for them
Pluchkin takes it on from Sella to continue to apply the pressure. Uran in particular now seems to really be digging deep to hold on - as Marquez moves clear of Castano and Krasnoperov
In the large group of 20 - including the likes of Rogers - behind Pozzovivvo and Gomez Marchante - Nibali makes his first attack of the day, Caruso trying to follow
Moving into the final kilometre, and Pluchkin has broken through and gone solo.
Fothen leads the pursuit - and with Uran falling off the race lead is a real possibility
And Uran is detached from this 4 man group - and now not far behind him is Castano! He has sensibly conserved as much as possible and is riding to limit his losses about as well as he could have hoped
Pluchkin is clearly the strongest here, although big gains are unlikely as whenever he gets given a gap in game he stops sprinting. But all the matters for now is the win, and he takes it!
Fothen and Popovych 2nd and 3rd at 11 seconds. Sella ends up at 19 seconds, Dekker at 30. Uran and Castano together at 44
The SL Benfica duo, Krasnoperov and Marquez - riding to impress for new teams next year maybe - are just over 1 minute down. Then at 1'38 is Gomez Marchante and Pozzovivvo
A dissapointing day for Nibali, never really getting going, as he finishes with Suaza, Pedraza, Caruso and Duarte to lead in a 20 man group that includes Karpets, Efimkin and Rogers. The gap to Pluchkin is 2 minutes.
