Yesterdays stage already started into the climbing part again but today is a lot more difficult with 4 mountains to climb. First a long Cat.1 followed by a short but steep and a long but less steep Cat.2. Then last but not least a short climb towards the finish line and hence a great opportunity to attack and open gaps. Schelling still has 47s but Barguil is looking really strong and surely has the better team behind him, in especially Chamorro who sits in the 5th GC spot himself!
Then there are the stronger climbers Kiserlovski, Pinot and Berhane. All need to gain between 4'50 and 7'39 on Schelling and hence the last week must see a firework by those.
10 riders in the break including yesterdays stage winner Jim, who also is 6th in the KoM ranking.
The other 9 are: Anguilet Vuillermoz Simon Ebsen Stancu Handley (3rd in KoM) Bookwalter (2nd in KoM) van der Poel Daspuntsag
The first Cat.1 had 16 points to offer but while Bookwalter as best placed couldn`t get any points, also the others struggled. Handley with 2 tiny points and Jim as 5th getting 6 points.
Vuillermoz taking the big points with Stancu as best climber of the group, Anguilet and Simon following.
So Barguil remains in the lead 6 points ahead of Bookwalter and Handley now another 4 points behind.
Haute Route now with 2 riders! Girdlestone again chased the breakaway and joined them on the flat. Impressive effort by him but maybe he should enter the early break instead.
Meanwhile Daspuntsag got caught again and also Van der Poel hardly kept contact with the group.
Cat.2 and this time Ebsen ahead of Vuillermoz.
Then Simon, Girdlestone and Jim. So yet again the top KoM riders missing to get points. Not that they weren`t trying. But the others are simply stronger.
On the way up the long Cat.2 first Van der Poel, then Bookwalter and Handley lost contact.
Also the Haute Route duo Anguilet/Girdlestone and Jim struggled here.
So in the end we see a lot of small groups at the top. Leading solo is Stancu.
Then Simon and Vuillermoz with Ebsen another 30s behind.
The peloton meanwhile is down to 50 riders while UBS (Goncalves/Ivars) is chasing. Ramos Ticona as 3rd option staying with Schelling at the moment. It`s ~3-5min gap to Stancu and the others. Pendling quite a lot from time to time.
23km and the downhill saw all but Stancu being caught. Here Simon and Vuillermoz.
The gap to the solo leader though is at 3'30 and hence a realistic chance for the MOL climber.
10km and he has lost 1min. The final climb starts right now and should come to his favour again as the flat wasn`t his kind of thing.
UBS still controlling but then the first attacks. It`s Atapuma, 12th in the GC and following is Campero, 9th.
Immediately the mountain goats of Ticos Air are taking over.
5 of their riders in the first spots and surprisingly Barguil being the one in front right now.
Jeannesson, Quintana, Elissonde, Chamorro the others.
5km and Stancu is really exhausted it seems.
Just 12s left of the 2'39 at the bottom.
Campero following 30s behind Atapuma and the same gap to the other favourites.
The acceleration by Ticos Air though sees 10 riders getting a small gap. All 5 Ticos riders in there as well as GC leader Schelling (without support though), Berhane, Pinot, Manfredi and Pomoshnikov.
Missing the most are Kiserlovski and Garby as also Fraille/Warbasse, Pozzovivo, De Marchi.
Garby mainly chased those ten down and Pinot immediately attacks again.
Barguil following as also Pomoshnikov and Garby.
Berhane and Schelling chasing behind now.
Further in front Atapuma has passed Stancu, who is giving it all. Still in between the Colombian and Campero.
The gap to Pinot then is ~1min and the French is looking good not allowing Barguil or Pomoshnikov to join.
But who is coming from behind? It`s not Berhane, Kiserlovski or GC leader Schelling!
Instead it`s the 2nd tier climbers. First De Marchi, who is up to Garby now.
Then Fraile and surprisingly also De Clercq was able to attack the big climber group around Berhane.
Grmay and Chamorro are other riders who go on their own now while Berhane is looking all but good.
And Schelling next to him is really in danger of losing the lead today even though he is chasing still. Kiserlovski behind him having a relaxed ride today and not even sending his team mate to chase.
Finally. Schelling stops to just chase and attacks. His earlier work was good and hence he quickly is reaching the first riders and Barguil is not that far ahead neither.
Behind it`s now Kiserlovski`s support to chase as Berhane couldn`t go any faster. What a disappointing stage (yet again) for Eritel.
Big day though for Atapuma. If Granjel Cabrera can`t win on the flat after the first week, it`s the team`s climber to go for stages instead and actually attacking the late top10 today.
Incredible final 5km as well from Stancu. Looking really tired on the first 5km of the final climb, he was able to stay ahead of Campero. About 1min behind Atapuma though.
Pinot coming next then in the background at 1'38 and gaining big time today.
Looking back to the Flamme Rouge. Barguil, Pomoshnikov, De MArchi, Garby and Fraile are looking against each other and still keep a gap to the Schelling group, where also Berhane and Kiserlovski were able to make contact again.
About the same scenario at the line. Barguil is gaining today but is it enough?
Good rides of course by the other 4 who gain on direct rivals, even though losing on those already being in the finish.
32s in the end and hence Schelling is the lucky one keeping the GC lead. But it`s just 15s now! Close one.
Berhane and Kiserlovski really weak today and instead of gaining, they lost even more.
GC wise Pinot up to 3rd, then Kiserlovski while Berhane dropped behind Garby to 7th.
Atapuma indeed new 10th as Pozzovivo had a bad day and lost a bit more than another minute.
Also Sakalou struggled after all his work and came in more than 6min behind Atapuma and hence losing the U25 lead to Eritel`s Hadi.
