STAGE 10
Mâcon to Bellegarde-sur-Valserine
Star of the stage
The oldest rider in this year’s Tour de France Jens Voigt made a brave effort to catch the four-man leading group just before the finish, but when he tried to power past them in the final kilometres his energy deserted him.
Therefore, the title must go to France’s hero Thomas Voeckler who won the stage by constantly attacking his rivals in the breakaway throughout the stage.
PA images
Best moment
Vincenzo Nibali and Peter Sagan put on a great show with some super-fast descending on the Col du Grand Colombier, but the final few hundred metres of the stage were even more dramatic.
After a day of tough climbs the long slope up to the finish made the tired riders look like they were on a travelator. The leading group desperately fought out one of the slowest and most painful ‘sprint’ finishes I’ve ever seen.
Overall standings:
Yellow – Bradley Wiggins – had a solid day and with excellent support from his team-mates.
Green – Peter Sagan – did well to join the breakaway group and secured points at the intermediate sprint.
Polka – Thomas Voeckler – pulled on the jersey for the first time after the first day in the mountains.
White: Tejay Van Garderen – cracked on the big climb when his main rival Taarame didn’t, but recovered on the descent.
The big question
Nibali proved he can escape from the other leaders on the big descents but couldn’t maintain his advantage when he left the mountain. Will he be able capitalise on his descending skills in the bigger mountain stages?
Answer today’s big question or nominate your best moment and star of the stage in the comments below.
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