Another flat stage today, but a rather tricky finish. The last ~ 20km includes a number of small, steep ramps. None of them are much longer than 200m, but the constant ups and downs might tire some of the sprinters. It also invites to late attacks.
Nevertheless, Chicchi is the big favourite after yesterday's dominance. Boeing showed that they're capable of delivering him perfectly, which they'll probably try to do again today. Polivoda and Belletti look like his biggest rivals, perhaps together with Jiriakov, who might be able to surprise once more.
The curse is finally broken today as Giacomo Scarponi attacks right from the start. Alexis Gougeard makes sure not to miss a move like this.
Nobody else tags along, so we have an early breakaway duo. They obviously start cooperating straight away, and a gap of 2'30 is built up.
The sprinter teams have plans today that doesn't involve the two leaders, however. With mainly Magna in charge, the peloton speeds up insanely as we start coming close to the day's first intermediate sprint.
The break's advantage is thus reduced to just a minute with more than two kilometers left to the portal.
After being moved into position by his team, Chicchi times the sprint perfectly and blows past Gougeard and Scarponi in the last 100m to win the intermediate sprint and take 6 valuable points for the green jersey.
Belletti challenges him all the way to the wire, but isn't quick enough.
As consequence of this, Scarponi and Gougeard drops back into the field, frustrated about getting shot down for just a few points.
The speed thus returns to normal, with Kenya Air sitting on the front for race leader Martinez.
Gougeard has his mind fixed on breaking away though and attacks again a little while later. This time without Scarponi for company.
Still a good 150 kilometers left to race.
After a long period up front all by himself, Gougeard reaches the day's only KoM. The peloton is roughly three minutes back, keeping the gap steady around there.
Gougeard experiences a frustrating flashback as the peloton starts to cut his advantage when the second and last intermediate sprint approaches.
Two km away from it, he leads by no more than 45 seconds.
The sprint is again timed to perfection, and Gougeard gets passed just 50m from the line by Chicchi. Belletti follows his compatriot closely in second.
Still pretty far to the finish, so the sprinters teams don't really want to start working already, and the pace drops once more.
This invites to new attacks, and Dor Dviri gives it a try!
He swiftly extends his advantage to four minutes before the sprinter teams react. 40 km from the finish, it's down to 3'30 as Boeing and Magna takes the reponsibility.
The gap is easily diminished by the domestiques, and Dviri enters the last 20 kilometers within sight for the peloton. Still two minutes to make back, though.
Inside the 20k-banner, Privatbank decides to take full control of the chase. Mestre and Konenenko are both sent up together with a few of their team mates. Polivoda is without any doubt their main focus!
Boeing insists on helping out though, and sends up both Colorado and Parra Bustamante to take some turns. Clearly not much interest in the GC on their part either!
The high speed causes a lot of tenstion and stress in the positions further back, and the inevitable happens.
Hayakawa clips a wheel and hits the ground hard. On the way down, he rams Rodas, who can't do anything to prevent falling!
And to make it even worse, he then tangles into Landa - who also loses control and takes a tumble!
Unfortunately for them, there's no time for waiting. Dviri is still ahead, forcing Privatbank and Boeing to continue the pursuit!
MTN and Evian both immediately order all their domestiques to help Rodas and Landa, but the peloton is already far ahead. Really bad luck to crash at the worst possible moment.
Colorado shuts Dviri down 9 km from the finish. Rodas and Landa are 3'30 back, and increasing. Too close to the finish for the peloton to slow down!
Privatbank pushes Boeing away from the front as we reach the first of the last three small ramps. Kononenko leads up and over it, followed by Mestre, Hoelgaard and Dzhus, with Polivoda's final sprint train just behind.
Dzhus drops of after a big final pull with 4 km remaining and hands over to Gomenyuk, who is followed by Lima and Polivoda.
The other sprinters tag on right behind the men in green.
Gomenyuk
Lima
Polivoda
Ghafari
Daniel
Belletti
Matzka
Chicchi
Baumann
Gomenyuk takes a monster turn and leads over the penultimate little climb. All the sprinters survive also this little bump, and still no attacks.
Gomenyuk buries himself completely and uses the last bit of energy to accelerate over the top.
This really stretches out the lead of sprinters as we approach the final ramp.
Lima kicks off instantly as they hit the gradient, with Polivoda glued on like a shadow. This acceleration puts Ghafari in a world of pain, and a slight gap emerges right between him and Polivoda.
Ghafari burns up completely as the road pans out, and the gap grows to several meters!
Polivoda makes sure to profit from the headstart and leaves Lima's wheel.
Matzka, Baumann and Chicchi all move past Ghafari in the final km and starts to eat their way back towards the Privatbank duo, but Polivoda is a long way up the road!
They can't even get anywhere close, and Polivoda takes the stage win in a fashionable way!
Belletti manages to steal second place from Lima with an impressive finish. Ghafari recovers in the end and moves back into fourth place. Chicchi can't do any better than fifth, just ahead of an impressive Daniel.
Matzka, Alizadeh, Baumann and Martinez complete the top 10.
A black day for MTN and Evian comes to an end almost five minutes later. Rodas and Landa drops all the way down to 25th and 26th overall, seven minutes back on Martinez. This most likely ends their GC ambitions.
Belletti meanwhile takes over the points jersey. All those efforts he has made to snatch points at the intermediate sprints could actually pay off, as he now leads Air Kenya duo Martinez and Ghafari by 7 points.
