Yesterday saw the first major gaps in the GC. Today there is a chance to extend or rectify those. The rider travel around Sion, climbing three climbs of the first category and two of the second. The finish follows after a long downhill, which means attacks have to come on the Basse-Nendaz.
Beautiful surroundings this stage, the start is below the Basilique de Valère, an eleventh-century fortified church. Janse van Rensburg has no time for sightseeing and attacks immediately.
Multiple riders follow, in the end we have a breakaway of thirteen riders: Dall'Oste (KoM leader @ 18 pts) Hardy (2nd KoM @ 16 pts) Jaramillo (4th KoM @ 14 pts) Atapuma (31st GC @ + 5'52) Manfredi (43rd GC @ + 6'27) Janse van Rensburg (47th GC @ + 6'43) Battaglin Cornu Destribois Fouche Mäder Shapira Stancu
Pavlic and Petilli were the only other riders to try, but they failed.
A kilometer from the top of the first category one climb to Ovronnaz, six riders separate themselves in the battle for the KoM: Hardy, Dall'Oste, Shapira, Stancu, Destribois and Battaglin. The best seven receive points, with the winner receiving sixteen. All three Europcars not involved despite Jaramillo being a serious contender.
Destribois sweeps across for the sixteen points. Hardy takes twelve and Dall'Oste takes ten, meaning they now tie in the overall classification. No need for the Italian to cut off half his jersey and give it to the Frenchman.
#
Ovronnaz
Pts
#
Overall
Pts
1
Destribois
16
1
Dall'Oste
28
2
Hardy
12
1
Hardy
28
3
Dall'Oste
10
3
Destribois
16
4
Shapira
8
3
Monsalve
16
5
Stancu
6
5
Jaramillo
14
6
Battaglin
4
5
Neuman
14
7
Atapuma
2
5
Thill
14
Fouche and Cornu were the only two to lose contact with the group, which leads by five minutes over the peloton at this points.
Attacks now start two kilometer from the top, with previous winner Destribois surprisingly not getting involved. He stays back with the Europcar trio and Centovalli duo. The same five as before contending for the points, as well as Fouche who's feeling better now.
Hardy reigns supreme in Vercorin and takes the solo lead in the mountains classification. Stancu twelve, Shapira ten, Dall'Oste only eight, and Battaglin six points. About 50 seconds later, Atapuma and Manfredi take the final points, snatching them away from Fouche.
#
Vercorin
Pts
#
Overall
Pts
1
Hardy
16
1
Hardy
44
2
Stancu
12
2
Dall'Oste
36
3
Shapira
10
3
Shapira
18
4
Dall'Oste
8
3
Stancu
18
5
Battaglin
6
5
Destribois
16
6
Atapuma
4
5
Monsalve
16
7
Manfredi
2
7
Jaramillo
14
Destribois, Janse van Rensburg, Jaramillo and Mäder cross the top at 1'30, needing to make up a lot of ground on the downhill.
Cornu however realizes his endeavor is over and takes a slow descent to allow himself to be caught by the peloton. Berg did most of the work on the climb with Silvestre and Goncalves (despite Destribois in the break). Now it's MOL (despite Stancu in the break) and Azteca setting the pace. A few riders have been dropped, Drapac already twelve minutes behind the peloton in his fight against the time limit.
Starting the category two climb to Hax we have eight leaders, which is also the top eight at the previous climb. The four chasers are at two minutes, shocked to see them drop out of the group like this. The peloton is at 6'30, not yet worried about the presence of Atapuma and Manfredi.
Atapuma wins the sprint and takes ten points. Shapira second for eight and Hardy in third taking six, but Dall'Oste only takes two after an accidental block by teammate Battaglin. The Frenchman now has a twelve-point lead over the Italian who himself has a twelve-point lead over the Israeli.
#
Hax
Pts
#
Overall
Pts
1
Atapuma
10
1
Hardy
50
2
Shapira
8
2
Dall'Oste
38
3
Hardy
6
3
Shapira
26
4
Manfredi
4
4
Stancu
18
5
Dall'Oste
2
5
Atapuma
16
5
Destribois
16
5
Monsalve
16
Stancu and Fouche couldn't follow the pace in the end but their situation doesn't seem to be terminal, unlike the chasing group which is now given at three minutes.
An uphill puncture for Henao! Sergio from Europcar, who is currently 26th in the GC at five minutes. It is difficult to get back up to speed on an incline, so he ends up behind the peloton which contains about 80 riders. Lienhard the only other rider in the top 50 also being dropped.
A short sprint for the category two climb in Suen, won by Manfredi. Dall'Oste takes back four points on Hardy, the gap now eight points. Shapira didn't pick up anything and sees Atapuma with eight closing in to two for third place.
#
Suen
Pts
#
Overall
Pts
1
Manfredi
10
1
Hardy
52
2
Atapuma
8
2
Dall'Oste
44
3
Dall'Oste
6
3
Shapira
26
4
Battaglin
4
4
Atapuma
24
5
Hardy
2
5
Stancu
18
6
Destribois
16
6
Manfredi
16
Stancu rejoined the group but Fouche is still at a minute.
Three quarters of the chasing quartet is caught by the peloton, Destribois places a re-attack in the hope to bridge the four-minute gap. MOL leading the peloton with some help from Campari, Monsalve right behind them already.
The intermediate sprint in Vex is also uncontested, Atapuma, Dall'Oste and Battaglin the lucky ones. It gives a nice moment to make up the balance with 44 kilometer to go:
The breakaway is near the start of the final climb, the category one Basse-Nendaz. The top lies at 28 kilometer from the finish line, then it's only downhill to Sion.
Destribois was given orders to return to the peloton and set pace for Henao Montoya. He quickly catches Fouche and halfway up the climb the gap to the leaders is only three minutes. It also reduces the group to 50 riders, Sterobo, Habtemichael, Mutsumine, Bazhkou, Bester, Thiery and Martins Sandoval amongst the riders recently dropped.
Four kilometer from the top, seven leaders becomes six as Dall'Oste can't follow the pace anymore. The current polka dot wearer will not wear it tomorrow, with Hardy getting more points today. The group sets roughly the same pace as peloton, the current lead still three minutes.
Suaza, De Luna, Bonnin and Schleck lead the peloton, but no attacks as of them reaching the four-kilometer point as well. The numbers reduce to 39, Duarte, Miller, Domagalski, Bille (19th @ 4'20) and Bartl (20th @ 4'22) not making the cut.
Back to the front, Stancu and Manfredi ride away one kilometer from the summit. Shapira and Atapuma form the chasing duo with Hardy leaving a bike length. Battaglin struggling to hang on with Dall'Oste getting smaller in the background. They still have three minutes on the peloton, so a breakaway win seems likely unless someone attacks now.
Manfredi wins the mountain sprint and takes sixteen points, thereby overtaking Stancu by two points with the Romanian taking twelve. They start the descent of 28 kilometer towards Sion with a lead.
That lead is close to a minute. Shapira ten points to remain third in the mountains classification, followed by Atapuma with eight. Hardy fought back to their wheel and takes six, with Battaglin taking four. Dall'Oste a minute behind them taking the final two points.
#
Basse-Nendaz
Pts
#
Overall
Pts
1
Manfredi
16
1
Hardy
58
2
Stancu
12
2
Dall'Oste
46
3
Shapira
10
3
Shapira
36
4
Atapuma
8
4
Atapuma
32
5
Hardy
6
4
Manfredi
32
6
Battaglin
4
6
Stancu
30
7
Dall'Oste
2
7
Battaglin
18
A maximum of 34 points is still available on the next two stages, but the sixteen on the mountain tomorrow will go to the GC favorites. That leaves eighteen points on the final stage, of which Dall'Oste needs to take at least twelve in order to overtake Hardy. Not mathematically sealed but the Frenchman is close.
The peloton of 33 riders crosses the top at five minutes from the leading duo, taking off the gas in the final parts. No attacks from the favorites today, saving their energy for the MTT tomorrow...
...but one rider who dropped in the final moments is white jersey Bernal. The only rider eligible for the youth classification ahead of him is Schleck, whom he leads by 3'30, so no fear of losing his jersey. Gallopin and Soler also dropped.
Speaking of GC implications, the riders in the break will make a nice jump if the gaps stay as they are. Atapuma and Manfredi would jump into the top ten and Shapira is looking to enter the top twenty.
Stancu is clearly less comfortable on the descent than Manfredi, so all he has to do is follow his lead until they are down and on the main road towards Sion. So far he does exactly that, though leaving a bike length. The chasers are not gaining time on them, not taking any major risks.
In the peloton, master descender Preidler takes the lead. Schleck tries to follow his wheel, but quickly realizes that is madness and brakes. The Austrian has his gap.
Eventually Manfredi manages to shake off Stancu. He leads by ten seconds into the final flat six kilometer. It would be a huge win for Centovalli on home soil.
Preidler's plan failed after missing his breaking point in a tight turn and losing all his progress. He doesn't risk it again, confirming it will be a day without differences between the GC men. The only two riders from the group to lose contact in the downhill are Janse van Rensburg and Lemus Davila, who might lose his GC top ten.
Stancu sees Manfredi getting smaller and smaller. The leaders are back in Sion with the beautiful Basilique de Valère in the distance, which is also where the finish line is drawn. Exactly where we started, so this excursion over the mountains has been rather pointless.
Part of the finish line has vanished so Andrea Manfredi hasn't yet realized he won. His manager is probably going nuts in the team car, a stage win in their home race must be an amazing moment.
Stancu finishes second. Once he realized he lost he put the foot off the gas and finishes forty seconds down.
Hardy wins the sprint for third with Battaglin fourth, Atapuma fifth and Shapira sixth. The gap to Manfredi is 1'25, meaning he has overtaken Atapuma in the GC. Both men might hope to enter the top ten depending on the final gap to the group yellow jersey.
But first we have Dall'Oste in seventh, + 2'43. He concedes the mountains jersey to Hardy and has to fight hard to get it back.
Yellow jersey Monsalve wins the peloton sprint himself, even though nothing major is on the line. It gives him an even bigger lead in the points classification. Latour is ninth and Pomoshnikov is tenth. All riders in the top twenty of the general classification bar Lemus Davila (10th), Bille (19th) and Bartl (20th) are here.
The gap of 4'18 to the winner is enough for Yonathan Monsalve to keep the yellow jersey. The big entrant into the top ten however is Manfredi, who goes to eighth at 1'49 and has the same time as Barbio in seventh. Atapuma elevates himself to eleventh at 2'53. Lemus Davila finished at 34 seconds and drops behind the two aforementioned riders and Henao Montoya to thirteenth. Shapira also makes a nice jump to eighteenth (+ 3'33).
Bernal with Soler at 6'29. He is lucky nearest rival Habtemichael dropped earlier and Schleck lost loads of time in the time trial. The Colombian remains in white with 1'29 over the Ugandan and 5'45 over the Eritrean.
The teams classification stays in the hands of Bakkafrost, maintaining their 31-second gap over Nordstrom. The extra few seconds for Lemus Davila cost Mapei their second place, but they are still close at 43 seconds. Fablok moves to fourth and also within a minute.
Henao never managed to recover from his puncture, finishing eight minutes behind the group yellow jersey and from 23rd to 53rd in the GC.
Drapac was still at the top of the mountain when the peloton finished, but he finishes within the hour and remains in the race. Since there was no camera with him, he might have been ski jumping down the mountain, but I'll guess we never know. He gets a chance to sprint in the final stage unless he fails to ride up the mountain tomorrow.
Speaking off, tomorrow is a short mountain time trial up to Villars-sur-Ollon. The gaps at the top of the GC are still relatively small, but it has to happen tomorrow as the final stage is not suited to creating large gaps. The favorites took it easy to be in optimal shape tomorrow.
