If today’s stage would finish in a bunch sprint, Cisse would be the favourite. It probably won’t though. 14 ascents of the Liechtensteinian mountain, with the last one even harder than the first thirteen.
Jesus Christ, this is one hard climb. Six riders have a gap of 45” when they reach the top for the first time: Naud, Gaday, Herregodts, Schmid, Grosser and Van Hooydonck. Popo4Ever leading the chase in the peloton, with most of the top favourites around tenth position already.
The favourites really don’t want a breakaway apparently. Xandri and the other domestiques catch the break on the second ascent of the day with still 218 km to go.
Schmid attacks again on the third ascent, Herregodts and Christensen follow him. Two more riders trying to join the leading group are Grosser and Lammertink.
The five come together to be the break of the day. Their maximum gap has been 5’20”, but as they start the sixth out of fourteen ascents it has dropped back to 4’30”. The teams chasing are Festina, Evonik, Gazelle and Popo4Ever.
100 km to go, eight out of fourteen ascents done. The leading trio of Schmid, Lammertink and Christensen 25” ahead of Herregodts and Grosser. The peloton slowly thinning out and currently at 3’30”. Vingegaard, Eenkhoorn and Zimmermann tried something in the peloton, but Xandri quickly reeled them back in.
Evonik then keeping up the high pace, as only 58 other riders are able to follow Polanc with 92 km and five ascents to go! The three leaders remain 30” ahead at the top of the mountain.
The pace goes down a bit on the flat, the peloton growing to 79 riders. Eenkhoorn attacks again and this time he is able to join the leading trio. Evonik doesn’t seem to like this, Xandri chasing and receiving aid from Bardet. 80 km left as we are on ascent ten out of fourteen.
Evonik keeping up the pace with Polanc now, as the four leaders are caught! We reach the top with 75 km to go, as O'Shea, Boros and Cisse are the first riders to be lapped.
We are close to reaching the top of ascent eleven with 58 km left, as Hirt attacks! He doesn’t fancy his chances in the finale, so he tries to anticipate with an early move!
Cort Nielsen realizes the danger and catches him quickly, just before the top of the climb. 23 riders in the group of favourites here, with no big gun missing out!
On the flat, the group grows to 44 riders. 45 km and three ascents of the mountain to go! Best represented team with six riders is PCT outfit Jura – Fiat.
Hirt with another attack! 42 km to the finish line as Polanc tries to reel him back in!
The Evonik rider unable to close the gap! Hirt has a 30” gap over eight riders: Cort Nielsen, Yates, Lecuisinier, Madrazo, Taaramäe, Tenorio, Padun and Godoy! The other favourites at an additional 30”!
At the top with 38 km to go, Hirt has a 50” gap over nine riders! These are Lecuisinier, Tenorio, Taaramäe, Madrazo, Padun, Yates, Kritskiy, Phinney and Pinot! Right behind them are Pluchkin and Godoy, with Roglic and Cattaneo at an additional twenty seconds! Quintana at 2’30” of the race lead now!
Padun brings Pluchkin back to the first chasing group, as leader Hirt enters the penultimate lap! He still has an advantage of 50” as there are 28 km to the finish line!
A Yates acceleration brings the Moser rider back to earth in no time! 26 km left as Padun seems to be the only victim so far!
Madrazo the next rider to attack! He immediately gets a gap of fourty seconds!
The Spaniard’s gap growing bigger than a minute! Lecuisinier not liking this at all, as he attacks as well now! 23 km to go!
Madrazo reaches the top of the climb for the penultimate time, Lecuisinier only 15” behind! Then there is a gap of 1’20” to the next four favourites: Tenorio, Taaramäe, Phinney and Hirt!
As the two leaders come together in the descent, the following four favourites get split in two groups as well! Phinney and Hirt had to leave a small gap towards Tenorio and Taaramäe just before the top!
Their four chasers get back together on the flat, but they have some time to make up for! The leading duo of Madrazo and Lecuisinier 1’35” ahead of them with 12.5 km to go!
Lecuisinier going for it! As the two leaders start their final ascent with 9.5 km to the top, the Frenchman attacks!
But the Spaniard holds his wheel! 8.5 km to the finish line and the first four chasers at two minutes!
Oooh, Madrazo cracking now! Lecuisinier solo with 8 km to go!
In the background, Pinot, Yates and Pluchkin try joining the four chasers again. Those four chasers at 2’25” of Madrazo and 2’50” of Lecuisinier with 7 km left!
Lecuisinier inside the final five km, as Madrazo is now at 45”! The next four chasers at an additional 2’10”!
Yates came close to joining the four chasers, but the tempo has gone up there now! Phinney seems to be in trouble, as Taaramäe and the other two have reduced the gap to leader Lecuisinier to 2’30” and they are 1’40” behind number two Madrazo! 3 km to the finish line!
Phinney slowly but surely getting dropped indeed! In the background the chasers can see Lecuisinier entering the final two km with a lead of 45” over Madrazo and an additional 1’40” over them!
Gradients of up to 23 percent with 1.5 km to go! Can the French leader survive this?! Madrazo at 50”, the three chasers coming some seconds closer!
Tenorio on the podium? He leaves Hirt behind, and Taaramäe seems to be having a hard time holding on!
The Estonian gets dropped inside the final km! Lecuisinier at 500 meters of the finish line, it seems to be in the pocket for him!
Et voila, it’s a victory again for Lecuisinier! Just as Taaramaë he has now won this race twice, and he might be back next year to equal the record of Andy Schleck!
2012 winner Madrazo finishing second after a strong race and tactical early attack! Seems like there might still be a fight for the podium behind him!
Tenorio holds on for third! Taaramäe then in fourth ahead of a strong Hirt (5th) and a disappointed Phinney (6th).
Yates will be content with a seventh place, as the top-10 gets completed by Kritskiy (8th), Pluchkin (9th) and Pinot (10th).
Cattaneo 11th ahead of Padun, with Godoy 13th at 9’30” already of the race winner. Roglic and Cort Nielsen complete the top-15. In the end, 19 riders are unable to finish inside the time limit.
