This is the stage many will have been waiting for. We have seen nothing from the likes of Franzoi, Maes and Thomas all race, well they have to do something, and big, today if they want to impact the GC.



A 6 man break would form, many of whom we have seen attacking throughout this race:

Vangenechten could be a danger, he started at just 1'23 down in GC and along with Grashev and Lampaert can handle the cobbles well.


A decisive attack?

Oz Cycling Project and Team Puma - SAP ensure the break are well within reach, having a 1'50 gap with 45 KM to go when Lindeman (1'26 down in GC) attacks out of the peloton, Hornbach's third choice cobbler. He is clearly feeling good but has he attacked too early, there are 25 KM to go until we hit the cobbles.


20 KM to go: Break @ 1'02.

Lindeman did bridge across to the break and hits the front as we hit the cobbles. Immediately the break is decimated, only Grashev, Lampaert and Vangenechten can follow.



Back in the bunch Declerq is really pushing on the pace, can Ciolek survive these cobbles?


Peloton in disarray as the leaders can't follow.

Declerq and Kojic ride off the front of the peloton, other domestiques and their leaders can't follow the pace on the pave. Needless to say they slow up before riding again. Yellow jersey Ciolek slips ever further back in the bunch, but does take advantage of the various slow downs in pace. All this plays into the break's hands.



Gyurov would be one of the few to puncture on the cobbles.


14 KM to go: Break @ 1'00.

The peloton are down to 79 riders, three of the early break are absorbed, when we see Del Nero attack off the nose of the peloton. He is soon followed by, green jersey, Napolitano.


Cue, strangeness.

The two did get a gap, a decent one, before just sitting up and resigning to be brought back by the peloton. The subsequent slow down, would again favour the break.


9 KM to go: Break @ 1'25

Lindeman puts in an attack, he distances everyone else but he can't shake Grashev, who is really making this race his own! Notably the gap is increasing to the peloton.


Ciolek well down in the peloton.

Another Del Nero attacks means the peloton are down to 51 riders. Notable riders who have been dropped are as follows: Maksimov, Olman & Vanderbiest.



Del Nero sitting up after another attack, we are yet to see anything from the outright cobble favourites. A big slow down in the pace once Del Nero is caught sees the previously dropped riders regain contact and the gap to the break out-front spirals outwards,


7 KM to go: The fiercest rivals.

Grashev & Lindeman
Lampaert @ '18
Vangenechten @ '26
Peloton @ 2'27.

Vangenechten and Lindeman are becoming real dangers for the GC now, they provisionally have over 1'00 in the GC at this stage.


More attacks.

With the cobbles running out we see Del Nero attack again, followed by Napolitano and Steegmans. They get the biggest gap yet ..... but it soon means nothing as they sit up and wait to be brought back.



The cobbles are almost over, bar the breakaway riders out-front no one is ahead of the c.90 man peloton.



Out-front Lindeman leads Grashev into the final. Grashev has been in the break for a good 75+ more KM, can he come around for the win?



Stage win Boeing-Bulgaria Bicycling. Stage win Grashev, his umpteenth breakaway attempt finally ends in victory. If only he hadn't been dropped the other stage, then the GC might well have been his.

Lindeman finishes 2nd, however, it looks likely he will move into the race lead, but how will the bunch finish?

Lampaert beats Vangenechten home for 3rd place on the stage, however, the latter could well end up very high in GC depending on where the bunch finishes.



Del Nero are Steegmans lead the race with the final approaching, no gaps in the peloton.



With the cobbles well over it is Steegmans who has a decent advantage with 150 meters to go.



But the sprinters did rally with Cavendish, 5th, and Giaux leading home the 90+ man peloton @ 2'11 down on the stage winner. Veelers and Thomas, the most prominent of the cobblers, only showed their heads in the last few hundred meters to sprint for a top 10 placing.

So, after the stage turned out to be an anti-climax these are the GC standings ahead of the final stage. Lindeman takes the GC lead. Vangenechten moves up to 2nd, a huge result as Gazelle look to profit in another GC from another breakaway which means they may now win the African Standings. Previous GC leader, Ciolek, is down to 3rd. Oz Cycling Project have five in the top 10 going into the last.

Surely the most bitter win imaginable for Boeing-Bulgaria Bicycling, they take a stage win, yes, but see Hornbach take the GC going into the final stage.