Favourites:

Ciolek	Goss	Lo Cicero
Vantomme		Napolitano

Points from intermediate sprint points:

16 -- Postlberger
16 -- Wohler
6 -- Zamri

These riders would all be high up in GC, if they were not to be passed and dropped by the peloton later on in the stage.



Team Puma - SAP and Meiji - Cannondale do the most of the chasing today, the break stood little chance.



BelarusBank Pro Cycling would add their weight to the chase and the break would be caught with 15 KM to go.

Being caught so early meant the breakaway riders had longer than expected to hold on to the peloton, they would all be dropped.


Kankovský & Thorsen with 500 meters to go.

Usually Kankovský and Thorsen are amongst the first riders out the back of the peloton, but today they are integral parts of the best lead-out train.


400 meters to go.

	Thorsen
	Cavendish
Napolitano
Lo Cicero
Lavoine	Vantomme
Vanderbiest		Giaux
Nelson	Modolo
		Greipel

Goss and Ciolek are a good 15 riders back and can say goodbye to a stage 1 victory.



Napolitano comes alongside the leading trio from the Belarussian team, Lo Cicero struggles to follow the wheel of his teammate. Seeing Napolitano come level prompts Cavendish into starting his sprint a fraction earlier than he would have liked.


200 meters to go.

Napolitano vs. Cavendish.


100 meters to go.

Napolitano goes backwards. Cavendish still leads but can he hold off the likes of Vanderbiest and Vantomme?


50 meters to go.


.....................



Stage win Vantomme! He timed it perfectly today, he comes around Cavendish in the final 20 meters to take the first stage win here. Vanderbiest came around Cavendish inside the final 5 meters and finishes 2nd amassing 12 seconds of bonifications in the process.

Many will be shocked Cavendish, 3rd, and his team managed the best lead-out today, will this be so in the coming stages?

Lavoine, 4th, placed himself well in the sprint and Goss must have been one of the fastest to finish 5th from so far back.