It's the road to Mende on Stage 5 for the first hill stage of the race. Without gaps on the hill opener, this is where we do expect to see Ponzi, De Bie, Bobridge, Bakelants and Mohoric looking to do some damage; and with next best McCarthy and Koretzky having shed time on the flat, they surely are the 5 to watch.
Much more attacks than yesterday, and an early group of 5 going clear are Mosca, Dumoulin, Hepburn, Leung and KoM Phelan, glad of the company today.
But they are hotly pursued. Ariesen, Van Niekerk, Riesebeek, Amezawa, Gillett, Madouas, Baska, Teunissen, Katrasnik and Meyer are 10 further riders to have broken off the front of the pack.
The initial 5 make it to the first climb and surprisingly it is Leung who takes the 6 points, edging ahead of Phelan and Mosca.
The climb also allowed some others to catch them, and a breakaway of 9 has now formed:
Mosca, Van Niekerk, Phelan, Riesebeek, Amezawa, Madouas, Dumoulin, Hepburn and Leung.
The Cote de la Malene is the first big Cat 1 climb of the day, 4.3km at 7.4%. Van Niekerk drives a split in the breakaway with Mosca, Riesebeek and Madouas following. As much the problem may well have been Leung though, 5th in line and one of the weakest climbers in the group - he allows that gap to open up, with KoM leader Phelan amongst those to suffer.
Mosca takes the 16 points here, with 12 for Riesebeek, 10 for Van Niekerk then Madouas. A minute down, Amezawa beats Phelan for 5th so again just the 4 points for the Australian.
And while Amezawa is able to rejoin the front, that is it for Phelan's points collection today. He is up to 40, while Mosca leads the chase now up to 18.
Madouas opened up the contest at the next climb which of course means he misses out on the points. Mosca comes through for 6 more to keep up his charge, only just ahead of a resurgent Amezawa. Van Niekerk has paid for his earlier initiative and now cracked, and won't be back.
The remaining 4 will start the next Cat 1 climb the Cote de l'Estrade with a 1'35 advantage. 7km at 6.8% to hold on for more points.
T-Mobile, Fablok and Bennelong amongst those contributing to the chase - suggesting Buchmann fancies his chances today perhaps?
Still, 2 of the break largely hold on to their gap. Mosca is not amongst them, and his day ends on 24 points. Amezawa wins it, and joins him on 24, while 2nd place for Riesebeek takes his tally to 28. No scores of note in the front of the peloton - Moser's McKenna ahead of Fablok's Bernard, then Lane and Schultz from Bennelong.
Isostar and Indosat also in the mix at the front of the peloton, with Tarvis doing a lot of work. Not exactly a blistering pace though, nor any sign of contender attacks, even though we now enter the final 10km and that penultimate climb.
There is finally an attack, but bizarrely it is Wirtgen (2nd in U25).
Screenshot missed of the KoM top, where Riesebeek finally won a climb. The 10 points there takes him to 38 - just 2 short of Phelan. Amezawa moves to 32. Wirtgen picked up the points for 3rd but not much else, as all three were soon brought back on the descent.
The unusual sight then of an intermediate sprint with 6km to go. Van Stayen takes full advantage, for the points and the seconds, Kemboi still there in a 98 strong peloton, and taking 2nd place.
A couple of useful seconds also for Simon Yates, taking 3rd without much effort.
Van Stayen doesn't choose to take advantage of this gap, and drops back. 4km to go and about to start this climb of Mende, after a very passive day from the race favourites.
And the first attack is Amezawa? What is going on here?
He opens a 30 second lead over the next kilometre, and now the climb. Bakelants in the front line of the peloton alongside lesser names of Lietaer, Boaro, Martin, Bayly, Rosch and Okbamariam. Sicard is there in the 2nd line, Ponzi on his shoulder.
Bakelants drives the pace and is soon upon Amezawa. Sicard and Konrad are tracking him the closest. Bobridge has the numbers here with 3 teammates in front of him. Zardini is that Aegon rider, but De Bie is only just out of shot.
Bakelants is moving clear. Sicard follows, but Konrad can't keep it up. Pressure on for those Bennelong numbers now.
Ponzi recognises the need to react, as Bakelants now breaks free of Sicard.
De Bie is close behind and looking to follow, with Bobridge, Buchmann and Zardini next. But what of our other favourites?
Yates is in around 20th. 26th-28th on the road are Gautier, Boswell and Koretzky.
A further 10 places back and we see Van Stayen still with Kemboi. Ulissi another dozen or so further back.
And a real nightmare for Mohoric. He's basically in around 90th place in the road, and right on the back of the peloton.
Ponzi looks to have timed his move very well, and sweeps in front of Bakelants to lead - still with 1.1km to go. Buchmann now into 4th as De Bie and Bobridge struggle to make an impact.
The steep rise to the top of Mende continues and it is a real grind all round. This looks to be favouring the climbing abilities of Sicard, he's turned it around to now pass Bakelants, and putting the pressure on Ponzi.
Buchmann riding well but clearly a gap behind. De Bie not resisting as well as teammate Zardini, with Bobridge also faling back. Moving forward is Bibby - again a rider with moutainous skills; while Wirtgen continues to surprise. Koretzky has made it up into this battle, while the Tinkoff rider is Rybalkin.
We're going to have a French stage winner. Sicard has measured his effort and wins on Mende, Ponzi 2nd and Bakelants 3rd, are credited with the same time.
At 20 seconds, Buchmann has done well for 4th place.
A resurgence for Bobridge sees him to 5th place and 38 seconds. Bibby, Wirtgen, Zardini, Rybalkin and Koretzky complete the Top 10, ahead of De Bie and Konrad.
Dennis has made this group, and of others to do well in the prologue there is Prado, Koch, Gidich and Carpenter.
A group of 20 is given the same time of 38 seconds loss. Of the expected contenders, Gautier and Yates are in here, and just making the cut as the final rider is Ulissi.
Boswell leads in the subsequent group of note at 1'39, only just beating Jordan Schleck, so not exactly something to be proud of. Looking behind him shows that this is as far as Mohoric recovered too, charging up the other side of the road.
The gaps don't fall kindly for Van Stayen, as he heads the next group at 2'32. He may still lead the Points competition but this really puts pays to his GC hopes.
Kemboi over 4 minutes back in the end, his spell in the race lead over.
Sicard will take over, with 15 seconds on Ponzi and 19 seconds on Bakelants. De Bie and Buchmann then at 42 and 43, with Dennis now sat in 6th overall, 2 seconds and 4 places ahead of leader Bobridge. In between are Bibby, Prado and Wirtgen - now the U25 leader.
