Stage Favourites:

Craven, Bibby, Barrio, Nepomnyachsniy & Kangert



We start the stage with Grillo protecting, the yellow jersey, Kump. Who expected that?



The break on this crucial GC stage:

Sambris would claim the most KOM points at all the climbs in the first 80% of the stage moving into the KOM lead.



Tiernan-Locke would contest the minor KOM points by attacking out of the peloton as the climb was reached, he being the only one to do so.



Allianz-BMW Cycling Team, AMEXpc, Jaguar - Eritel & La Vie Claire would be the most active teams on the front of the peloton.



With 11 KM to go Facci distances the rest of the break, the gap back to the 70 man favourites group is still well over 1'30.

Barrio is the biggest name well dropped from the 70 man peloton.



On the last lump before the final climb we see a flurry of attacks. Nepomnyachsniy attacks and is immediate countered by: Bibby, Kump, Kangert and Ignatiev before a slow down.



Just as that series of attacks winds down we see Mehr-Wenigie and Tiernan-Locke put in a counter attack. The latter distancing the former.


6 KM to go.

At the foot of the final climb the big guns fire! Craven is the first to attack, right on his wheel is Bibby. Tiernan-Locke quickly gets absorbed.


3 KM to go.

Nepomnyachsniy really puts on the pressure and a decisive split is made as 6 riders pull clear.



Ignatiev digging deep. With still well over 2 KM to go the Ukrainian looks to be really suffering. He loses a wheel then another and it is not long before Bibby and Craven distance the rest of the sextet in search of a strong Facci.

For Ignatiev it is about limiting loses now.


Just behind.

Koren is looking strong as he bridges across to the Ignatiev/Kump group, Talabardon and Westra are trying to follow.

Reus is suffering and his two teammates ahead are in a quandary: to ride on or to slow up?



So close but so far for Facci, he is caught with only a few hundred meters to go. Can Craven resist the onslaught brought forth by Bibby?



Stage win and the GC lead for Bibby. He wins with a gap back to Craven, those two were the tops when it came to the final climb today.



'31 behind comes Nepomnyachsniy, still very much in contention for the GC. Facci holds on for fourth meaning he will move into the joint KOM lead.



Koren leads home a quality five man group home at '53. Ignatiev finds himself over 1'10 down in GC now, can he bounce back? Kump continues his great tour and picks up enough points to keep the points jersey. Danacik and Talabardon show really well today.

Kangert, Westra and McEvoy are parts of the next group to come home followed be a group containing the best placed continental riders at 1'39. Almost 2'00 down, Plaza, the best placed of his team today, would lead home another group with the final hill really having taken its toll.