Sörensen speeds to super stage win for Saxo Bank

It was another stage for the sprinters but Nicki Sörensen was determined not to let it end that way.

As the Tour de France has proved time and time again, there are no pre-written scripts to any stage of La Grande Boucle. And with a succession of difficult mountain legs to come, Thursday's 12th stage to Vittel was about as good a chance as any to break the sprinters' mould.

The opportunists knew it, and it took 82 hard-fought kilometres before a septet of hopefuls had clearance to leave the peloton. Sörensen of Team Saxo Bank, the best-placed of the seven on the classement general, knew his 10:36 gap to maillot jaune Rinaldo Nocentini would result in the Italian's AG2R La Mondiale squad keeping the break checked at no more than five minutes.

The Dane, rarely given a chance to ride for himself at the Tour de France, was feeling pretty good. Good enough to win. But there were two in the move that concerned him most: "The way I saw it, the two strongest guys in the break were [Egoi] Martinez and [Franco] Pellizotti, so I was worried," he said.

With around 50 kilometres left and as AG2R La Mondiale peeled off the front, its marking duties done for the day, Sörensen expected Columbia-HTC, the team of maillot vert Mark Cavendish, to begin the chase. However, its past two days of toil, coupled with the blazing afternoon sun in the region of Vosges, had taken its toll, and the strangest thing happened: no one chased.

"We expected Columbia to pull for their main guy but that never happened, so we knew it would be between us," said Sörensen. "From 25 k's to go, I had it in my mind to give it all I could. The worst thing for me would be to come to the finish line without having used all my strength and not win the stage."

Odds in his favour

Working to Sörensen's advantage was that the men he feared most, Martinez (Euskaltel-Euskadi) and Pellizotti (Liquigas), now first and second on the mountains classification, were partially cooked after fighting for the three mountain primes between kilometres 150 and 170.5. He had to go soon, before they recovered.

Twenty-three kilometres before the finish, Sörensen attacked.

Sylvain Calzati of Agritubel, the only rider in the escape to have won a Tour stage, chased him down and made the junction. Fifteen kilometres from the line, they had a second for every kilometre remaining to the guys they'd just ditched, who had in no way given up and were pissed they'd been dropped.

A consistently strong all-rounder, Sörensen, with five-and-a-half kilometres left to race, decided to attack again. For a man who still had the strength - which he had judged to perfection - it was a faultless move by the Great Dane. "After I went alone, I began to get nervous whether I could succeed or not," he said.

Sörensen needn't have worried, because after 211.5 kilometres, he finished 48 seconds clear of Laurent Lefevre (Bbox Bouygues Telecom) and Pellizotti. Cavendish, winning the field sprint for eighth place, arrived a massive six minutes behind.

"It's a thing I'm going to carry with me forever. I was in good shape and mentally, I was on top of things today. The tactical part, I did myself," said Sörensen, asked how much he relied on the race radio to make his own decisions.

How long can Nocentini hold on?

With Sörensen in no way threatening the leader board, Thursday's top 10 once again remained at status quo, Nocentini continuing to hold a slender six and eight-second advantage over his closest rivals, Astana's Alberto Contador and Lance Armstrong.

"It wasn't an easy day today," Nocentini said, relieved his dream run isn't over. "The first two hours had an incredible speed. Sörensen was the best-placed of the break at 10 minutes, so that was okay for us.

"The team worked a lot and kept the gap around four minutes. We hoped the sprinters' teams would take over, but with the heat, they didn't want to help out, so they stopped chasing. I certainly hope it will be easier tomorrow, and that I can keep the maillot jaune," he said, even though Friday's Stage 13 profile could be the end of his reign at the top.

Fourth-place on GC, Levi Leipheimer, also of Astana, ended up overcooking a corner with Silence-Lotto's Cadel Evans 2.5 kilometres from the finish, but within the stipulated three-kilometre-to-go margin that negates any time lost, both kept their places and times on the overall standings.

A trip to Waterworld

Thursday's 12th leg began in Tonnerre, within the previous day's region of Yonne and by car, roughly two hours from Paris and one-and-a-half hours from Dijon.

Another roller coaster parcours presented itself for the remaining 170 riders that included six categorised climbs: five Cat. 4s and one Cat. 3, the latter positioned 41 kilometres from the finish. Beginning at a très vit 47.9 km/h average, any attacks - one of which included Evans, Leipheimer, Andy Schleck (Team Saxo Bank) and Mikel Astarloza (Euskatel-Euskadi) - were stymied till some 80 kilometres into the stage, when a group of seven established themselves after the third Cat. 4 climb of Essoyes. Included in the move were: Lefevre (Bbox Bouygues Telecom), Calzati (Agritubel), Pellizotti (Liquigas), Markus Fothen (Team Milram), Martinez (Euskaltel-Euskadi), Rémi Pauriol (Cofidis, Le Credit en Ligne) and Sörensen (Team Saxo Bank) - the best-placed on GC at the start of the day.

Working well together, the septet enjoyed a handy 4:17 advantage 100 kilometres out from Vittel, well-known for its Belle Epoque façades and majestic Art Deco luxury hotels, as well as a beautifully preserved natural environment. However, they weren't allowed to get much more than that, Nocentini's AG2R La Mondiale squad intent on keeping its newfound star in yellow for at least one more day.

Around the same time the lead group was 60 clicks out from the finish, Astana's Lance Armstrong stopped for a mechanical but was quickly paced back to the peloton by four of his teammates - one of which wasn't Contador. Shortly after, with Pellizotti crossing the Grand Bois climb (km. 150) first - by the day's end, the Italian would win four of six mountain primes - he moved into virtual second on the mountains classification behind Martinez, ending the day 16 points adrift of the spotted tunic and no doubt eyeing the larger mountains to come.

Twenty-three kilometres out and sensing recapture, first Sörensen and then Calzati decided to break free, before the Team Saxo Bank rider chose to go solo 5.3 kilometres from home, the peloton at that point almost five minutes behind and conceding defeat. Pedalling a strong, fluid tempo like the rouleur he is, the Danish rider stood a good chance as he gapped his previous companions by half a minute three kilometres from the finish. And as the narrow roads switched from left to right and vice-versa in the last kilometres it proved ideal for the Dane, eventually gapping the remnants of the break by 48 seconds and the peloton by 5:58.

It wasn't a half-hearted sprint for eighth place by Cavendish and Hushovd, the Manxster continuing to get the better of his Norwegian adversary and thereby increase his points lead by a margin of 10.

For images of stage 12 click here

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Full Results
1Nicki Sörensen (Den) Team Saxo Bank4:52:24
2Laurent Lefevre (Fra) BBOX Bouygues Telecom0:00:48
3Franco Pellizotti (Ita) LiquigasRow 2 - Cell 2
4Marcus Fothen (Ger) Team MilramRow 3 - Cell 2
5Egoi Martinez De Esteban (Spa) Euskaltel - EuskadiRow 4 - Cell 2
6Sylvain Calzati (Fra) AgritubelRow 5 - Cell 2
7Rémi Pauriol (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit en Ligne0:01:33
8Mark Cavendish (GBr) Team Columbia - HTC0:05:58
9Thor Hushovd (Nor) Cervelo Test TeamRow 8 - Cell 2
10Marco Bandiera (Ita) Lampre - NGCRow 9 - Cell 2
11Mauro Santambrogio (Ita) Lampre - NGCRow 10 - Cell 2
12Steven de Jongh (Ned) Quick StepRow 11 - Cell 2
13Cyril Lemoine (Fra) Skil-ShimanoRow 12 - Cell 2
14Nikolai Troussov (Rus) Team KatushaRow 13 - Cell 2
15Yaroslav Popovych (Ukr) AstanaRow 14 - Cell 2
16Lance Armstrong (USA) AstanaRow 15 - Cell 2
17Bradley Wiggins (GBr) Garmin - SlipstreamRow 16 - Cell 2
18Christian Vande Velde (USA) Garmin - SlipstreamRow 17 - Cell 2
19Yauheni Hutarovich (Blr) Française des JeuxRow 18 - Cell 2
20Jose Joaquin Rojas Gil (Spa) Caisse d'EpargneRow 19 - Cell 2
21Alberto Contador Velasco (Spa) AstanaRow 20 - Cell 2
22Andreas Klöden (Ger) AstanaRow 21 - Cell 2
23Serguei Ivanov (Rus) Team KatushaRow 22 - Cell 2
24Vladimir Karpets (Rus) Team KatushaRow 23 - Cell 2
25George Hincapie (USA) Team Columbia - HTCRow 24 - Cell 2
26Arnaud Coyot (Fra) Caisse d'EpargneRow 25 - Cell 2
27Brett Lancaster (Aus) Cervelo Test TeamRow 26 - Cell 2
28Luis Pasamontes Rodriguez (Spa) Caisse d'EpargneRow 27 - Cell 2
29Bernhard Eisel (Aut) Team Columbia - HTCRow 28 - Cell 2
30Nicolas Roche (Irl) AG2R La MondialeRow 29 - Cell 2
31Haimar Zubeldia Aguirre (Spa) AstanaRow 30 - Cell 2
32Maxime Monfort (Bel) Team Columbia - HTCRow 31 - Cell 2
33Mikel Astarloza Chaurreau (Spa) Euskaltel - EuskadiRow 32 - Cell 2
34Christian Knees (Ger) Team MilramRow 33 - Cell 2
35Alan Perez Lezaun (Spa) Euskaltel - EuskadiRow 34 - Cell 2
36Andy Schleck (Lux) Team Saxo BankRow 35 - Cell 2
37Tony Martin (Ger) Team Columbia - HTCRow 36 - Cell 2
38Koen de Kort (Ned) Skil-ShimanoRow 37 - Cell 2
39Peter Wrolich (Aut) Team MilramRow 38 - Cell 2
40Kim Kirchen (Lux) Team Columbia - HTCRow 39 - Cell 2
41Stijn Vandenbergh (Bel) Team KatushaRow 40 - Cell 2
42Leonardo Duque (Col) Cofidis, Le Credit en LigneRow 41 - Cell 2
43Linus Gerdemann (Ger) Team MilramRow 42 - Cell 2
44Sébastien Minard (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit en LigneRow 43 - Cell 2
45Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) LiquigasRow 44 - Cell 2
46Jens Voigt (Ger) Team Saxo BankRow 45 - Cell 2
47Fränk Schleck (Lux) Team Saxo BankRow 46 - Cell 2
48Rinaldo Nocentini (Ita) AG2R La MondialeRow 47 - Cell 2
49Thierry Huppond (Fra) Skil-ShimanoRow 48 - Cell 2
50Stéphane Goubert (Fra) AG2R La MondialeRow 49 - Cell 2
51Sylvain Chavanel (Fra) Quick StepRow 50 - Cell 2
52Roman Kreuziger (Cze) LiquigasRow 51 - Cell 2
53Denis Menchov (Rus) RabobankRow 52 - Cell 2
54Aleksandr Kuschynski (Blr) LiquigasRow 53 - Cell 2
55Sergio Miguel Moreira Paulinho (Por) AstanaRow 54 - Cell 2
56Alexandre Botcharov (Rus) Team KatushaRow 55 - Cell 2
57William Bonnet (Fra) BBOX Bouygues TelecomRow 56 - Cell 2
58Vladimir Efimkin (Rus) AG2R La MondialeRow 57 - Cell 2
59Brice Feillu (Fra) AgritubelRow 58 - Cell 2
60Geoffroy Lequatre (Fra) AgritubelRow 59 - Cell 2
61Gustav Erik Larsson (Swe) Team Saxo BankRow 60 - Cell 2
62Christophe Le Mevel (Fra) Française des JeuxRow 61 - Cell 2
63Grischa Niermann (Ger) RabobankRow 62 - Cell 2
64Luis León Sánchez Gil (Spa) Caisse d'EpargneRow 63 - Cell 2
65Jurgen Van Den Broeck (Bel) Silence - LottoRow 64 - Cell 2
66Carlos Sastre Candil (Spa) Cervelo Test TeamRow 65 - Cell 2
67Volodymir Gustov (Ukr) Cervelo Test TeamRow 66 - Cell 2
68Christophe Moreau (Fra) AgritubelRow 67 - Cell 2
69Sandy Casar (Fra) Française des JeuxRow 68 - Cell 2
70Peter Velits (Svk) Team MilramRow 69 - Cell 2
71Ruben Perez Moreno (Spa) Euskaltel - EuskadiRow 70 - Cell 2
72Jérémy Roy (Fra) Française des JeuxRow 71 - Cell 2
73Heinrich Haussler (Ger) Cervelo Test TeamRow 72 - Cell 2
74Fumiyuki Beppu (Jpn) Skil-ShimanoRow 73 - Cell 2
75Sébastien Rosseler (Bel) Quick StepRow 74 - Cell 2
76Stuart O'Grady (Aus) Team Saxo BankRow 75 - Cell 2
77Tyler Farrar (USA) Garmin - SlipstreamRow 76 - Cell 2
78Chris Anker Sørensen (Den) Team Saxo BankRow 77 - Cell 2
79Bert Grabsch (Ger) Team Columbia - HTCRow 78 - Cell 2
80Joost Posthuma (Ned) RabobankRow 79 - Cell 2
81Amets Txurruka (Spa) Euskaltel - EuskadiRow 80 - Cell 2
82José Ivan Gutierrez Palacios (Spa) Caisse d'EpargneRow 81 - Cell 2
83Julian Dean (NZl) Garmin - SlipstreamRow 82 - Cell 2
84Johannes Fröhlinger (Ger) Team MilramRow 83 - Cell 2
85Hubert Dupont (Fra) AG2R La MondialeRow 84 - Cell 2
86Simon Spilak (Slo) Lampre - NGCRow 85 - Cell 2
87Juan Manuel Garate Cepa (Spa) RabobankRow 86 - Cell 2
88Stéphane Auge (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit en LigneRow 87 - Cell 2
89Tom Boonen (Bel) Quick StepRow 88 - Cell 2
90Stef Clement (Ned) RabobankRow 89 - Cell 2
91Bingen Fernandez Bustinza (Spa) Cofidis, Le Credit en LigneRow 90 - Cell 2
92Samuel Dumoulin (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit en LigneRow 91 - Cell 2
93Alessandro Vanotti (Ita) LiquigasRow 92 - Cell 2
94Pierre Rolland (Fra) BBOX Bouygues TelecomRow 93 - Cell 2
95Andreas Klier (Ger) Cervelo Test TeamRow 94 - Cell 2
96Hayden Roulston (NZl) Cervelo Test TeamRow 95 - Cell 2
97Mark Renshaw (Aus) Team Columbia - HTCRow 96 - Cell 2
98Fabian Cancellara (Swi) Team Saxo BankRow 97 - Cell 2
99Daniele Bennati (Ita) LiquigasRow 98 - Cell 2
100Filippo Pozzato (Ita) Team KatushaRow 99 - Cell 2
101Kenny Robert van Hummel (Ned) Skil-ShimanoRow 100 - Cell 2
102Alexandre Pichot (Fra) BBOX Bouygues TelecomRow 101 - Cell 2
103Daniele Righi (Ita) Lampre - NGCRow 102 - Cell 2
104Joan Horrach Rippoll (Spa) Team KatushaRow 103 - Cell 2
105Simon Geschke (Ger) Skil-ShimanoRow 104 - Cell 2
106Marzio Bruseghin (Ita) Lampre - NGCRow 105 - Cell 2
107Fabian Wegmann (Ger) Team MilramRow 106 - Cell 2
108Matteo Tosatto (Ita) Quick StepRow 107 - Cell 2
109Gorka Verdugo Marcotegui (Spa) Euskaltel - EuskadiRow 108 - Cell 2
110Carlos Barredo Llamazales (Spa) Quick StepRow 109 - Cell 2
111Marcin Sapa (Pol) Lampre - NGCRow 110 - Cell 2
112Stijn Devolder (Bel) Quick StepRow 111 - Cell 2
113Frederik Willems (Bel) LiquigasRow 112 - Cell 2
114Pierrick Fedrigo (Fra) BBOX Bouygues TelecomRow 113 - Cell 2
115Maxime Bouet (Fra) AgritubelRow 114 - Cell 2
116Yukiya Arashiro (Jpn) BBOX Bouygues TelecomRow 115 - Cell 2
117Mikhail Ignatiev (Rus) Team KatushaRow 116 - Cell 2
118Yury Trofimov (Rus) BBOX Bouygues TelecomRow 117 - Cell 2
119Gerald Ciolek (Ger) Team MilramRow 118 - Cell 2
120Rigoberto Uran (Col) Caisse d'EpargneRow 119 - Cell 2
121David Arroyo Duran (Spa) Caisse d'EpargneRow 120 - Cell 2
122David Loosli (Swi) Lampre - NGCRow 121 - Cell 2
123Oscar Freire Gomez (Spa) RabobankRow 122 - Cell 2
124Amaël Moinard (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit en LigneRow 123 - Cell 2
125Staf Scheirlinckx (Bel) Silence - LottoRow 124 - Cell 2
126Alessandro Ballan (Ita) Lampre - NGCRow 125 - Cell 2
127Laurens ten Dam (Ned) RabobankRow 126 - Cell 2
128Cyril Dessel (Fra) AG2R La MondialeRow 127 - Cell 2
129Sebastian Lang (Ger) Silence - LottoRow 128 - Cell 2
130Grégory Rast (Swi) AstanaRow 129 - Cell 2
131Greg Van Avermaet (Bel) Silence - LottoRow 130 - Cell 2
132Nicolas Vogondy (Fra) AgritubelRow 131 - Cell 2
133Anthony Geslin (Fra) Française des JeuxRow 132 - Cell 2
134David Moncoutie (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit en LigneRow 133 - Cell 2
135Fabio Sabatini (Ita) LiquigasRow 134 - Cell 2
136Benoït Vaugrenard (Fra) Française des JeuxRow 135 - Cell 2
137Jussi Veikkanen (Fin) Française des JeuxRow 136 - Cell 2
138Danny Pate (USA) Garmin - SlipstreamRow 137 - Cell 2
139Igor Anton Hernandez (Spa) Euskaltel - EuskadiRow 138 - Cell 2
140Matthew Lloyd (Aus) Silence - LottoRow 139 - Cell 2
141Brian Vandborg (Den) LiquigasRow 140 - Cell 2
142Juan Jose Oroz Ugalde (Spa) Euskaltel - EuskadiRow 141 - Cell 2
143Ryder Hesjedal (Can) Garmin - SlipstreamRow 142 - Cell 2
144Iñigo Cuesta Lopez De Castro (Spa) Cervelo Test TeamRow 143 - Cell 2
145José Angel Gomez Marchante (Spa) Cervelo Test TeamRow 144 - Cell 2
146David Zabriskie (USA) Garmin - SlipstreamRow 145 - Cell 2
147Saïd Haddou (Fra) BBOX Bouygues TelecomRow 146 - Cell 2
148Juan Antonio Flecha Giannoni (Spa) RabobankRow 147 - Cell 2
149Niki Terpstra (Ned) Team MilramRow 148 - Cell 2
150Jonathan Hivert (Fra) Skil-ShimanoRow 149 - Cell 2
151Christophe Kern (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit en LigneRow 150 - Cell 2
152Thomas Voeckler (Fra) BBOX Bouygues TelecomRow 151 - Cell 2
153David Millar (GBr) Garmin - SlipstreamRow 152 - Cell 2
154Albert Timmer (Ned) Skil-ShimanoRow 153 - Cell 2
155Martijn Maaskant (Ned) Garmin - SlipstreamRow 154 - Cell 2
156Jérôme Pineau (Fra) Quick StepRow 155 - Cell 2
157Johan Van Summeren (Bel) Silence - LottoRow 156 - Cell 2
158Charles Wegelius (GBr) Silence - LottoRow 157 - Cell 2
159Mickael Delage (Fra) Silence - LottoRow 158 - Cell 2
160Cadel Evans (Aus) Silence - LottoRow 159 - Cell 2
161Dmitriy Muravyev (Kaz) AstanaRow 160 - Cell 2
162Levi Leipheimer (USA) AstanaRow 161 - Cell 2
163José Luis Arrieta Lujambio (Spa) AG2R La Mondiale0:08:09
164Lloyd Mondory (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale0:08:27
165Michael Rogers (Aus) Team Columbia - HTC0:05:58
166Christophe Riblon (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale0:09:35
DNFRomain Feillu (Fra) AgritubelRow 166 - Cell 2
DNFAngelo Furlan (Ita) Lampre - NGCRow 167 - Cell 2
DNFJérôme Coppel (Fra) Française des JeuxRow 168 - Cell 2
DNSRui Alberto Faria da Costa (Por) Caisse d'EpargneRow 169 - Cell 2
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Sprint 1 - Channes, km. 32.0
1Mark Cavendish (GBr) Team Columbia - HTC6pts
2Thor Hushovd (Nor) Cervelo Test Team4Row 1 - Cell 3
3Sandy Casar (Fra) Française des Jeux2Row 2 - Cell 3
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Longchamp-Sur-Aujon, km. 90.0
1Sylvain Calzati (Fra) Agritubel6pts
2Franco Pellizotti (Ita) Liquigas4Row 1 - Cell 3
3Egoi Martinez De Esteban (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi2Row 2 - Cell 3
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Saint-Thiebault, km. 169.0
1Rémi Pauriol (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit en Ligne6pts
2Franco Pellizotti (Ita) Liquigas4Row 1 - Cell 3
3Sylvain Calzati (Fra) Agritubel2Row 2 - Cell 3
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Mountain 1 - Côte de Baon (Cat. 4) km. 19.0
1David Millar (GBr) Garmin - Slipstream3pts
2Daniele Bennati (Ita) Liquigas2Row 1 - Cell 3
3Franco Pellizotti (Ita) Liquigas1Row 2 - Cell 3
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Mountain 2 - Côte de Gye(Cat. 4) km.sur-Seine - 55.0
1Franco Pellizotti (Ita) Liquigas3pts
2Egoi Martinez De Esteban (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi2Row 1 - Cell 3
3Roman Kreuziger (Cze) Liquigas1Row 2 - Cell 3
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Mountain 3 - Côte d'Essoyes (Cat. 4) km. 64.5
1Laurent Lefevre (Fra) BBOX Bouygues Telecom3pts
2Sylvain Calzati (Fra) Agritubel2Row 1 - Cell 3
3Franco Pellizotti (Ita) Liquigas1Row 2 - Cell 3
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Mountain 4 - Côte des Grands(Cat. 4) km.Bois - 150.0
1Franco Pellizotti (Ita) Liquigas3pts
2Egoi Martinez De Esteban (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi2Row 1 - Cell 3
3Nicki Sörensen (Den) Team Saxo Bank1Row 2 - Cell 3
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Mountain 5 - Côte de Morlaix (Cat. 4) km. 156.5
1Franco Pellizotti (Ita) Liquigas3pts
2Egoi Martinez De Esteban (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi2Row 1 - Cell 3
3Nicki Sörensen (Den) Team Saxo Bank1Row 2 - Cell 3
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Mountain 6 - Côte de Bourmont (Cat. 3) km. 170.5
1Franco Pellizotti (Ita) Liquigas4pts
2Egoi Martinez De Esteban (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi3Row 1 - Cell 3
3Nicki Sörensen (Den) Team Saxo Bank2Row 2 - Cell 3
4Sylvain Calzati (Fra) Agritubel1Row 3 - Cell 3
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Young riders
1Mark Cavendish (GBr) Team Columbia - HTC4:58:22
2Marco Bandiera (Ita) Lampre - NGCRow 1 - Cell 2
3Mauro Santambrogio (Ita) Lampre - NGCRow 2 - Cell 2
4Nikolai Troussov (Rus) Team KatushaRow 3 - Cell 2
5Jose Joaquin Rojas Gil (Spa) Caisse d'EpargneRow 4 - Cell 2
6Nicolas Roche (Irl) AG2R La MondialeRow 5 - Cell 2
7Andy Schleck (Lux) Team Saxo BankRow 6 - Cell 2
8Tony Martin (Ger) Team Columbia - HTCRow 7 - Cell 2
9Stijn Vandenbergh (Bel) Team KatushaRow 8 - Cell 2
10Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) LiquigasRow 9 - Cell 2
11Thierry Huppond (Fra) Skil-ShimanoRow 10 - Cell 2
12Roman Kreuziger (Cze) LiquigasRow 11 - Cell 2
13Brice Feillu (Fra) AgritubelRow 12 - Cell 2
14Peter Velits (Svk) Team MilramRow 13 - Cell 2
15Heinrich Haussler (Ger) Cervelo Test TeamRow 14 - Cell 2
16Tyler Farrar (USA) Garmin - SlipstreamRow 15 - Cell 2
17Chris Anker Sørensen (Den) Team Saxo BankRow 16 - Cell 2
18Johannes Fröhlinger (Ger) Team MilramRow 17 - Cell 2
19Simon Spilak (Slo) Lampre - NGCRow 18 - Cell 2
20Pierre Rolland (Fra) BBOX Bouygues TelecomRow 19 - Cell 2
21Simon Geschke (Ger) Skil-ShimanoRow 20 - Cell 2
22Maxime Bouet (Fra) AgritubelRow 21 - Cell 2
23Yukiya Arashiro (Jpn) BBOX Bouygues TelecomRow 22 - Cell 2
24Mikhail Ignatiev (Rus) Team KatushaRow 23 - Cell 2
25Yury Trofimov (Rus) BBOX Bouygues TelecomRow 24 - Cell 2
26Gerald Ciolek (Ger) Team MilramRow 25 - Cell 2
27Rigoberto Uran (Col) Caisse d'EpargneRow 26 - Cell 2
28Greg Van Avermaet (Bel) Silence - LottoRow 27 - Cell 2
29Fabio Sabatini (Ita) LiquigasRow 28 - Cell 2
30Niki Terpstra (Ned) Team MilramRow 29 - Cell 2
31Jonathan Hivert (Fra) Skil-ShimanoRow 30 - Cell 2
32Albert Timmer (Ned) Skil-ShimanoRow 31 - Cell 2
33Mickael Delage (Fra) Silence - LottoRow 32 - Cell 2
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Most aggressive rider
1Nicki Sörensen (Den) Team Saxo Bank
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Teams
1Team Saxo Bank14:49:08
2Euskaltel - Euskadi0:00:48
3Team MilramRow 2 - Cell 2
4LiquigasRow 3 - Cell 2
5AgritubelRow 4 - Cell 2
6BBox Bouygues TelecomRow 5 - Cell 2
7Cofidis Le Credit En Ligne0:01:33
8Astana0:05:58
9Team KatushaRow 8 - Cell 2
10Team Columbia - HTCRow 9 - Cell 2
11Caisse d'EpargneRow 10 - Cell 2
12Skil-ShimanoRow 11 - Cell 2
13Cervelo Test TeamRow 12 - Cell 2
14Lampre - N.G.CRow 13 - Cell 2
15Garmin - SlipstreamRow 14 - Cell 2
16AG2R-La MondialeRow 15 - Cell 2
17Quick StepRow 16 - Cell 2
18Francaise Des JeuxRow 17 - Cell 2
19RabobankRow 18 - Cell 2
20Silence - LottoRow 19 - Cell 2
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General classification after stage 12
1Rinaldo Nocentini (Ita) AG2R La Mondiale48:27:21
2Alberto Contador Velasco (Spa) Astana0:00:06
3Lance Armstrong (USA) Astana0:00:08
4Levi Leipheimer (USA) Astana0:00:39
5Bradley Wiggins (GBr) Garmin - Slipstream0:00:46
6Andreas Klöden (Ger) Astana0:00:54
7Tony Martin (Ger) Team Columbia - HTC0:01:00
8Christian Vande Velde (USA) Garmin - Slipstream0:01:24
9Andy Schleck (Lux) Team Saxo Bank0:01:49
10Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Liquigas0:01:54
11Luis León Sánchez Gil (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne0:02:16
12Maxime Monfort (Bel) Team Columbia - HTC0:02:21
13Fränk Schleck (Lux) Team Saxo Bank0:02:25
14Roman Kreuziger (Cze) Liquigas0:02:40
15Vladimir Efimkin (Rus) AG2R La Mondiale0:02:45
16Carlos Sastre Candil (Spa) Cervelo Test Team0:02:52
17Mikel Astarloza Chaurreau (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi0:03:02
18Cadel Evans (Aus) Silence - Lotto0:03:07
19Kim Kirchen (Lux) Team Columbia - HTC0:03:16
20Vladimir Karpets (Rus) Team Katusha0:03:49
21Sandy Casar (Fra) Française des Jeux0:03:58
22Haimar Zubeldia Aguirre (Spa) Astana0:04:14
23Yaroslav Popovych (Ukr) Astana0:04:20
24Linus Gerdemann (Ger) Team MilramRow 23 - Cell 2
25Brice Feillu (Fra) Agritubel0:04:26
26Nicki Sörensen (Den) Team Saxo Bank0:04:38
27Alexandre Botcharov (Rus) Team Katusha0:05:00
28Denis Menchov (Rus) Rabobank0:05:02
29George Hincapie (USA) Team Columbia - HTC0:05:25
30Peter Velits (Svk) Team Milram0:05:28
31Christophe Le Mevel (Fra) Française des Jeux0:06:03
32Stéphane Goubert (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale0:06:54
33Juan Manuel Garate Cepa (Spa) Rabobank0:06:56
34Gustav Erik Larsson (Swe) Team Saxo Bank0:06:59
35David Moncoutie (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit en Ligne0:07:27
36Chris Anker Sørensen (Den) Team Saxo Bank0:08:06
37Christian Knees (Ger) Team Milram0:08:21
38Jurgen Van Den Broeck (Bel) Silence - Lotto0:09:37
39Pierre Rolland (Fra) BBOX Bouygues Telecom0:09:59
40Egoi Martinez De Esteban (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi0:10:20
41Franco Pellizotti (Ita) Liquigas0:11:34
42Laurent Lefevre (Fra) BBOX Bouygues Telecom0:11:42
43Laurens ten Dam (Ned) Rabobank0:11:44
44Sergio Miguel Moreira Paulinho (Por) Astana0:11:50
45Sylvain Chavanel (Fra) Quick Step0:12:00
46José Angel Gomez Marchante (Spa) Cervelo Test Team0:12:17
47Jérémy Roy (Fra) Française des Jeux0:13:52
48Volodymir Gustov (Ukr) Cervelo Test Team0:14:37
49Sébastien Minard (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit en Ligne0:14:56
50José Ivan Gutierrez Palacios (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne0:16:02
51Nicolas Roche (Irl) AG2R La Mondiale0:16:45
52Rigoberto Uran (Col) Caisse d'Epargne0:17:07
53Yury Trofimov (Rus) BBOX Bouygues Telecom0:18:40
54Amets Txurruka (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi0:20:13
55Hubert Dupont (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale0:20:55
56Rémi Pauriol (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit en Ligne0:22:18
57Jens Voigt (Ger) Team Saxo Bank0:23:02
58Luis Pasamontes Rodriguez (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne0:23:38
59Nicolas Vogondy (Fra) Agritubel0:24:44
60Grischa Niermann (Ger) Rabobank0:25:03
61Christophe Riblon (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale0:25:11
62Christophe Moreau (Fra) Agritubel0:27:58
63Jose Joaquin Rojas Gil (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne0:28:07
64Geoffroy Lequatre (Fra) Agritubel0:28:08
65David Millar (GBr) Garmin - Slipstream0:28:18
66Thomas Voeckler (Fra) BBOX Bouygues Telecom0:28:27
67Carlos Barredo Llamazales (Spa) Quick Step0:29:48
68David Zabriskie (USA) Garmin - Slipstream0:30:26
69Ryder Hesjedal (Can) Garmin - Slipstream0:32:02
70Matthew Lloyd (Aus) Silence - Lotto0:32:21
71David Arroyo Duran (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne0:33:13
72Jérôme Pineau (Fra) Quick Step0:33:20
73Serguei Ivanov (Rus) Team Katusha0:33:23
74Johannes Fröhlinger (Ger) Team Milram0:33:28
75José Luis Arrieta Lujambio (Spa) AG2R La Mondiale0:34:36
76Maxime Bouet (Fra) Agritubel0:35:02
77Gorka Verdugo Marcotegui (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi0:35:22
78Alessandro Ballan (Ita) Lampre - NGC0:35:43
79Juan Jose Oroz Ugalde (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi0:36:01
80Fabian Cancellara (Swi) Team Saxo Bank0:36:11
81Charles Wegelius (GBr) Silence - Lotto0:36:14
82Frederik Willems (Bel) Liquigas0:36:46
83Sylvain Calzati (Fra) Agritubel0:37:28
84Juan Antonio Flecha Giannoni (Spa) Rabobank0:37:52
85Igor Anton Hernandez (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi0:39:02
86Pierrick Fedrigo (Fra) BBOX Bouygues Telecom0:39:43
87Cyril Dessel (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale0:39:54
88Oscar Freire Gomez (Spa) Rabobank0:41:58
89Hayden Roulston (NZl) Cervelo Test Team0:42:34
90Aleksandr Kuschynski (Blr) Liquigas0:42:35
91Amaël Moinard (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit en Ligne0:43:48
92Bingen Fernandez Bustinza (Spa) Cofidis, Le Credit en Ligne0:44:31
93Greg Van Avermaet (Bel) Silence - Lotto0:44:45
94Sebastian Lang (Ger) Silence - Lotto0:47:25
95Filippo Pozzato (Ita) Team Katusha0:48:08
96David Loosli (Swi) Lampre - NGC0:48:28
97Jussi Veikkanen (Fin) Française des Jeux0:48:57
98Simon Spilak (Slo) Lampre - NGC0:49:07
99Iñigo Cuesta Lopez De Castro (Spa) Cervelo Test Team0:50:59
100Christophe Kern (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit en Ligne0:51:29
101Martijn Maaskant (Ned) Garmin - Slipstream0:52:33
102Ruben Perez Moreno (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi0:52:49
103Thierry Huppond (Fra) Skil-Shimano0:53:00
104Marcus Fothen (Ger) Team Milram0:54:58
105Heinrich Haussler (Ger) Cervelo Test Team0:55:24
106Stijn Devolder (Bel) Quick Step0:55:45
107Alessandro Vanotti (Ita) Liquigas0:55:50
108Joost Posthuma (Ned) Rabobank0:56:53
109Johan Van Summeren (Bel) Silence - Lotto0:57:49
110Marzio Bruseghin (Ita) Lampre - NGC0:57:57
111Sébastien Rosseler (Bel) Quick Step0:59:34
112Stuart O'Grady (Aus) Team Saxo Bank0:59:42
113Brian Vandborg (Den) Liquigas0:59:44
114Michael Rogers (Aus) Team Columbia - HTC1:01:08
115Joan Horrach Rippoll (Spa) Team Katusha1:03:53
116Anthony Geslin (Fra) Française des Jeux1:04:01
117Thor Hushovd (Nor) Cervelo Test Team1:04:32
118Stef Clement (Ned) Rabobank1:05:11
119Leonardo Duque (Col) Cofidis, Le Credit en Ligne1:05:23
120Lloyd Mondory (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale1:06:47
121Arnaud Coyot (Fra) Caisse d'Epargne1:07:00
122Nikolai Troussov (Rus) Team Katusha1:08:57
123Daniele Righi (Ita) Lampre - NGC1:09:58
124Alexandre Pichot (Fra) BBOX Bouygues Telecom1:10:19
125Julian Dean (NZl) Garmin - Slipstream1:10:38
126Benoït Vaugrenard (Fra) Française des Jeux1:11:01
127Matteo Tosatto (Ita) Quick Step1:12:14
128Daniele Bennati (Ita) Liquigas1:12:45
129Koen de Kort (Ned) Skil-Shimano1:13:01
130Mikhail Ignatiev (Rus) Team Katusha1:13:13
131Stijn Vandenbergh (Bel) Team Katusha1:13:23
132Mark Cavendish (GBr) Team Columbia - HTC1:13:54
133Bert Grabsch (Ger) Team Columbia - HTC1:14:02
134Brett Lancaster (Aus) Cervelo Test Team1:14:04
135Simon Geschke (Ger) Skil-Shimano1:15:08
136Mauro Santambrogio (Ita) Lampre - NGC1:15:10
137Grégory Rast (Swi) Astana1:15:19
138Gerald Ciolek (Ger) Team Milram1:15:32
139Marcin Sapa (Pol) Lampre - NGC1:16:33
140Peter Wrolich (Aut) Team Milram1:16:43
141Mickael Delage (Fra) Silence - Lotto1:16:47
142Yukiya Arashiro (Jpn) BBOX Bouygues Telecom1:17:56
143Samuel Dumoulin (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit en Ligne1:18:44
144Marco Bandiera (Ita) Lampre - NGC1:19:10
145Steven de Jongh (Ned) Quick Step1:20:23
146Fabian Wegmann (Ger) Team Milram1:20:38
147Tom Boonen (Bel) Quick Step1:21:41
148Stéphane Auge (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit en Ligne1:21:56
149Fabio Sabatini (Ita) Liquigas1:22:06
150Cyril Lemoine (Fra) Skil-Shimano1:22:51
151Fumiyuki Beppu (Jpn) Skil-Shimano1:23:04
152Mark Renshaw (Aus) Team Columbia - HTCRow 151 - Cell 2
153Bernhard Eisel (Aut) Team Columbia - HTC1:23:31
154Albert Timmer (Ned) Skil-Shimano1:23:32
155Saïd Haddou (Fra) BBOX Bouygues Telecom1:23:43
156Alan Perez Lezaun (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi1:23:52
157Staf Scheirlinckx (Bel) Silence - Lotto1:24:35
158William Bonnet (Fra) BBOX Bouygues Telecom1:24:36
159Dmitriy Muravyev (Kaz) Astana1:26:15
160Tyler Farrar (USA) Garmin - Slipstream1:26:32
161Niki Terpstra (Ned) Team Milram1:28:15
162Jonathan Hivert (Fra) Skil-Shimano1:29:18
163Danny Pate (USA) Garmin - Slipstream1:30:55
164Andreas Klier (Ger) Cervelo Test Team1:32:46
165Yauheni Hutarovich (Blr) Française des Jeux1:33:10
166Kenny Robert van Hummel (Ned) Skil-Shimano1:59:32
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Points classification
1Mark Cavendish (GBr) Team Columbia - HTC200pts
2Thor Hushovd (Nor) Cervelo Test Team190Row 1 - Cell 3
3Jose Joaquin Rojas Gil (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne116Row 2 - Cell 3
4Tyler Farrar (USA) Garmin - Slipstream110Row 3 - Cell 3
5Gerald Ciolek (Ger) Team Milram100Row 4 - Cell 3
6Oscar Freire Gomez (Spa) Rabobank97Row 5 - Cell 3
7Franco Pellizotti (Ita) Liquigas81Row 6 - Cell 3
8Lloyd Mondory (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale74Row 7 - Cell 3
9Leonardo Duque (Col) Cofidis, Le Credit en Ligne64Row 8 - Cell 3
10Fabian Cancellara (Swi) Team Saxo Bank55Row 9 - Cell 3
11William Bonnet (Fra) BBOX Bouygues Telecom54Row 10 - Cell 3
12Kenny Robert van Hummel (Ned) Skil-Shimano48Row 11 - Cell 3
13Thomas Voeckler (Fra) BBOX Bouygues Telecom47Row 12 - Cell 3
14Andreas Klöden (Ger) Astana47Row 13 - Cell 3
15Nicolas Roche (Irl) AG2R La Mondiale47Row 14 - Cell 3
16Cyril Lemoine (Fra) Skil-Shimano47Row 15 - Cell 3
17Samuel Dumoulin (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit en Ligne46Row 16 - Cell 3
18Jérôme Pineau (Fra) Quick Step46Row 17 - Cell 3
19Marco Bandiera (Ita) Lampre - NGC45Row 18 - Cell 3
20Nikolai Troussov (Rus) Team Katusha43Row 19 - Cell 3
21Egoi Martinez De Esteban (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi42Row 20 - Cell 3
22Yauheni Hutarovich (Blr) Française des Jeux37Row 21 - Cell 3
23Pierrick Fedrigo (Fra) BBOX Bouygues Telecom36Row 22 - Cell 3
24Nicki Sörensen (Den) Team Saxo Bank35Row 23 - Cell 3
25Mark Renshaw (Aus) Team Columbia - HTC35Row 24 - Cell 3
26Cadel Evans (Aus) Silence - Lotto34Row 25 - Cell 3
27Mikhail Ignatiev (Rus) Team Katusha34Row 26 - Cell 3
28Ruben Perez Moreno (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi33Row 27 - Cell 3
29George Hincapie (USA) Team Columbia - HTC33Row 28 - Cell 3
30Maxime Bouet (Fra) Agritubel31Row 29 - Cell 3
31Rinaldo Nocentini (Ita) AG2R La Mondiale31Row 30 - Cell 3
32Serguei Ivanov (Rus) Team Katusha31Row 31 - Cell 3
33Stéphane Auge (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit en Ligne30Row 32 - Cell 3
34Laurent Lefevre (Fra) BBOX Bouygues Telecom30Row 33 - Cell 3
35Yukiya Arashiro (Jpn) BBOX Bouygues Telecom30Row 34 - Cell 3
36Daniele Bennati (Ita) Liquigas29Row 35 - Cell 3
37Saïd Haddou (Fra) BBOX Bouygues Telecom29Row 36 - Cell 3
38Sylvain Calzati (Fra) Agritubel28Row 37 - Cell 3
39Thierry Huppond (Fra) Skil-Shimano28Row 38 - Cell 3
40Sylvain Chavanel (Fra) Quick Step27Row 39 - Cell 3
41Christophe Kern (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit en Ligne27Row 40 - Cell 3
42Alberto Contador Velasco (Spa) Astana27Row 41 - Cell 3
43Alessandro Ballan (Ita) Lampre - NGC27Row 42 - Cell 3
44Filippo Pozzato (Ita) Team Katusha27Row 43 - Cell 3
45Marcin Sapa (Pol) Lampre - NGC26Row 44 - Cell 3
46Yaroslav Popovych (Ukr) Astana26Row 45 - Cell 3
47Sandy Casar (Fra) Française des Jeux25Row 46 - Cell 3
48Rémi Pauriol (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit en Ligne25Row 47 - Cell 3
49Bradley Wiggins (GBr) Garmin - Slipstream25Row 48 - Cell 3
50Tony Martin (Ger) Team Columbia - HTC25Row 49 - Cell 3
51Koen de Kort (Ned) Skil-Shimano25Row 50 - Cell 3
52Luis León Sánchez Gil (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne24Row 51 - Cell 3
53Marcus Fothen (Ger) Team Milram24Row 52 - Cell 3
54José Ivan Gutierrez Palacios (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne22Row 53 - Cell 3
55Brice Feillu (Fra) Agritubel21Row 54 - Cell 3
56Linus Gerdemann (Ger) Team Milram21Row 55 - Cell 3
57Peter Velits (Svk) Team Milram21Row 56 - Cell 3
58Roman Kreuziger (Cze) Liquigas20Row 57 - Cell 3
59Christophe Riblon (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale20Row 58 - Cell 3
60Lance Armstrong (USA) Astana19Row 59 - Cell 3
61Fabian Wegmann (Ger) Team Milram19Row 60 - Cell 3
62Andy Schleck (Lux) Team Saxo Bank18Row 61 - Cell 3
63Mauro Santambrogio (Ita) Lampre - NGC18Row 62 - Cell 3
64Fumiyuki Beppu (Jpn) Skil-Shimano18Row 63 - Cell 3
65Mikel Astarloza Chaurreau (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi17Row 64 - Cell 3
66Jérémy Roy (Fra) Française des Jeux17Row 65 - Cell 3
67Johannes Fröhlinger (Ger) Team Milram17Row 66 - Cell 3
68Steven de Jongh (Ned) Quick Step17Row 67 - Cell 3
69Johan Van Summeren (Bel) Silence - Lotto16Row 68 - Cell 3
70Tom Boonen (Bel) Quick Step15Row 69 - Cell 3
71Stef Clement (Ned) Rabobank14Row 70 - Cell 3
72Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Liquigas14Row 71 - Cell 3
73Juan Antonio Flecha Giannoni (Spa) Rabobank14Row 72 - Cell 3
74Cyril Dessel (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale14Row 73 - Cell 3
75Levi Leipheimer (USA) Astana13Row 74 - Cell 3
76Vladimir Efimkin (Rus) AG2R La Mondiale13Row 75 - Cell 3
77Greg Van Avermaet (Bel) Silence - Lotto13Row 76 - Cell 3
78Sebastian Lang (Ger) Silence - Lotto13Row 77 - Cell 3
79Benoït Vaugrenard (Fra) Française des Jeux12Row 78 - Cell 3
80Heinrich Haussler (Ger) Cervelo Test Team11Row 79 - Cell 3
81Sébastien Rosseler (Bel) Quick Step11Row 80 - Cell 3
82Albert Timmer (Ned) Skil-Shimano11Row 81 - Cell 3
83David Millar (GBr) Garmin - Slipstream10Row 82 - Cell 3
84Anthony Geslin (Fra) Française des Jeux10Row 83 - Cell 3
85Sébastien Minard (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit en Ligne10Row 84 - Cell 3
86Alexandre Pichot (Fra) BBOX Bouygues Telecom9Row 85 - Cell 3
87Christian Vande Velde (USA) Garmin - Slipstream8Row 86 - Cell 3
88Kim Kirchen (Lux) Team Columbia - HTC8Row 87 - Cell 3
89Geoffroy Lequatre (Fra) Agritubel8Row 88 - Cell 3
90Fränk Schleck (Lux) Team Saxo Bank7Row 89 - Cell 3
91Maxime Monfort (Bel) Team Columbia - HTC5Row 90 - Cell 3
92Alexandre Botcharov (Rus) Team Katusha5Row 91 - Cell 3
93Alan Perez Lezaun (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi5Row 92 - Cell 3
94Christophe Le Mevel (Fra) Française des Jeux4Row 93 - Cell 3
95Amets Txurruka (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi4Row 94 - Cell 3
96Aleksandr Kuschynski (Blr) Liquigas4Row 95 - Cell 3
97Stuart O'Grady (Aus) Team Saxo Bank4Row 96 - Cell 3
98Fabio Sabatini (Ita) Liquigas4Row 97 - Cell 3
99Christian Knees (Ger) Team Milram3Row 98 - Cell 3
100Jens Voigt (Ger) Team Saxo Bank3Row 99 - Cell 3
101Simon Geschke (Ger) Skil-Shimano3Row 100 - Cell 3
102Mickael Delage (Fra) Silence - Lotto3Row 101 - Cell 3
103Vladimir Karpets (Rus) Team Katusha2Row 102 - Cell 3
104Haimar Zubeldia Aguirre (Spa) Astana2Row 103 - Cell 3
105Juan Manuel Garate Cepa (Spa) Rabobank2Row 104 - Cell 3
106Grischa Niermann (Ger) Rabobank1Row 105 - Cell 3
107Michael Rogers (Aus) Team Columbia - HTC1Row 106 - Cell 3
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Mountains classification
1Egoi Martinez De Esteban (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi88pts
2Franco Pellizotti (Ita) Liquigas71Row 1 - Cell 3
3Christophe Kern (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit en Ligne59Row 2 - Cell 3
4Brice Feillu (Fra) Agritubel49Row 3 - Cell 3
5Pierrick Fedrigo (Fra) BBOX Bouygues Telecom49Row 4 - Cell 3
6Christophe Riblon (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale46Row 5 - Cell 3
7Sandy Casar (Fra) Française des Jeux43Row 6 - Cell 3
8Mikel Astarloza Chaurreau (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi38Row 7 - Cell 3
9Vladimir Efimkin (Rus) AG2R La Mondiale35Row 8 - Cell 3
10Rinaldo Nocentini (Ita) AG2R La Mondiale34Row 9 - Cell 3
11Juan Manuel Garate Cepa (Spa) Rabobank32Row 10 - Cell 3
12Johannes Fröhlinger (Ger) Team Milram32Row 11 - Cell 3
13David Moncoutie (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit en Ligne31Row 12 - Cell 3
14Thomas Voeckler (Fra) BBOX Bouygues Telecom31Row 13 - Cell 3
15Luis León Sánchez Gil (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne26Row 14 - Cell 3
16Jérôme Pineau (Fra) Quick Step23Row 15 - Cell 3
17George Hincapie (USA) Team Columbia - HTC21Row 16 - Cell 3
18Amets Txurruka (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi21Row 17 - Cell 3
19Jurgen Van Den Broeck (Bel) Silence - Lotto20Row 18 - Cell 3
20José Ivan Gutierrez Palacios (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne20Row 19 - Cell 3
21Cadel Evans (Aus) Silence - Lotto19Row 20 - Cell 3
22Mikhail Ignatiev (Rus) Team Katusha17Row 21 - Cell 3
23Laurens ten Dam (Ned) Rabobank17Row 22 - Cell 3
24Aleksandr Kuschynski (Blr) Liquigas17Row 23 - Cell 3
25Alberto Contador Velasco (Spa) Astana15Row 24 - Cell 3
26Stéphane Auge (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit en Ligne14Row 25 - Cell 3
27Pierre Rolland (Fra) BBOX Bouygues Telecom14Row 26 - Cell 3
28Sergio Miguel Moreira Paulinho (Por) Astana14Row 27 - Cell 3
29Juan Antonio Flecha Giannoni (Spa) Rabobank13Row 28 - Cell 3
30Haimar Zubeldia Aguirre (Spa) Astana12Row 29 - Cell 3
31David Millar (GBr) Garmin - Slipstream11Row 30 - Cell 3
32Jens Voigt (Ger) Team Saxo Bank11Row 31 - Cell 3
33Levi Leipheimer (USA) Astana10Row 32 - Cell 3
34Leonardo Duque (Col) Cofidis, Le Credit en Ligne10Row 33 - Cell 3
35Jussi Veikkanen (Fin) Française des Jeux9Row 34 - Cell 3
36David Zabriskie (USA) Garmin - Slipstream9Row 35 - Cell 3
37Sylvain Chavanel (Fra) Quick Step8Row 36 - Cell 3
38Thierry Huppond (Fra) Skil-Shimano7Row 37 - Cell 3
39Tony Martin (Ger) Team Columbia - HTC6Row 38 - Cell 3
40Anthony Geslin (Fra) Française des Jeux6Row 39 - Cell 3
41Koen de Kort (Ned) Skil-Shimano6Row 40 - Cell 3
42Fabian Cancellara (Swi) Team Saxo Bank6Row 41 - Cell 3
43Laurent Lefevre (Fra) BBOX Bouygues Telecom5Row 42 - Cell 3
44Johan Van Summeren (Bel) Silence - Lotto5Row 43 - Cell 3
45Marcin Sapa (Pol) Lampre - NGC5Row 44 - Cell 3
46Cyril Dessel (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale5Row 45 - Cell 3
47Nicki Sörensen (Den) Team Saxo Bank4Row 46 - Cell 3
48Maxime Bouet (Fra) Agritubel4Row 47 - Cell 3
49Samuel Dumoulin (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit en Ligne4Row 48 - Cell 3
50Alexandre Botcharov (Rus) Team Katusha3Row 49 - Cell 3
51Sylvain Calzati (Fra) Agritubel3Row 50 - Cell 3
52Marcus Fothen (Ger) Team Milram3Row 51 - Cell 3
53Benoït Vaugrenard (Fra) Française des Jeux3Row 52 - Cell 3
54Daniele Bennati (Ita) Liquigas2Row 53 - Cell 3
55Bradley Wiggins (GBr) Garmin - Slipstream1Row 54 - Cell 3
56Roman Kreuziger (Cze) Liquigas1Row 55 - Cell 3
57Rémi Pauriol (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit en Ligne1Row 56 - Cell 3
58Stef Clement (Ned) Rabobank1Row 57 - Cell 3
59Albert Timmer (Ned) Skil-Shimano1Row 58 - Cell 3
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Young rider classification
1Tony Martin (Ger) Team Columbia - HTC48:28:21
2Andy Schleck (Lux) Team Saxo Bank0:00:49
3Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Liquigas0:00:54
4Roman Kreuziger (Cze) Liquigas0:01:40
5Brice Feillu (Fra) Agritubel0:03:26
6Peter Velits (Svk) Team Milram0:04:28
7Chris Anker Sørensen (Den) Team Saxo Bank0:07:06
8Pierre Rolland (Fra) BBOX Bouygues Telecom0:08:59
9Nicolas Roche (Irl) AG2R La Mondiale0:15:45
10Rigoberto Uran (Col) Caisse d'Epargne0:16:07
11Yury Trofimov (Rus) BBOX Bouygues Telecom0:17:40
12Jose Joaquin Rojas Gil (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne0:27:07
13Johannes Fröhlinger (Ger) Team Milram0:32:28
14Maxime Bouet (Fra) Agritubel0:34:02
15Greg Van Avermaet (Bel) Silence - Lotto0:43:45
16Simon Spilak (Slo) Lampre - NGC0:48:07
17Thierry Huppond (Fra) Skil-Shimano0:52:00
18Heinrich Haussler (Ger) Cervelo Test Team0:54:24
19Nikolai Troussov (Rus) Team Katusha1:07:57
20Mikhail Ignatiev (Rus) Team Katusha1:12:13
21Stijn Vandenbergh (Bel) Team Katusha1:12:23
22Mark Cavendish (GBr) Team Columbia - HTC1:12:54
23Simon Geschke (Ger) Skil-Shimano1:14:08
24Mauro Santambrogio (Ita) Lampre - NGC1:14:10
25Gerald Ciolek (Ger) Team Milram1:14:32
26Mickael Delage (Fra) Silence - Lotto1:15:47
27Yukiya Arashiro (Jpn) BBOX Bouygues Telecom1:16:56
28Marco Bandiera (Ita) Lampre - NGC1:18:10
29Fabio Sabatini (Ita) Liquigas1:21:06
30Albert Timmer (Ned) Skil-Shimano1:22:32
31Tyler Farrar (USA) Garmin - Slipstream1:25:32
32Niki Terpstra (Ned) Team Milram1:27:15
33Jonathan Hivert (Fra) Skil-Shimano1:28:18
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Teams classification
1Team Saxo Bank143:47:41
2AG2R-La Mondiale0:00:34
3Astana0:00:37
4Team Milram0:00:44
5Team Columbia - HTC0:05:19
6Cofidis Le Credit En Ligne0:06:09
7Garmin - Slipstream0:06:30
8Caisse d'Epargne0:07:39
9Euskaltel - Euskadi0:08:31
10Rabobank0:11:45
11Francaise Des Jeux0:13:33
12Liquigas0:13:34
13Cervelo Test Team0:16:47
14BBox Bouygues Telecom0:17:29
15Agritubel0:20:00
16Silence - Lotto0:23:49
17Team Katusha0:28:15
18Quick Step0:50:39
19Lampre - N.G.C1:35:57
20Skil-Shimano2:54:19

Anyone want to be in Ciolek's sprinting shoes?

He's tried, but Milram's Gerard Ciolek just can't seem to get anywhere close to Mark Cavendish, who yesterday in Saint-Fargeau, went quatre á quatre, picking up his fourth stage win with apparent ease.

Granted, at 22 years old, Ciolek's two years younger than his arch-rival Cavendish, himself hardly an old fart at 24. And being Germany's only ProTour team after numerous doping scandals left the country's cycling fraternity lifeless, the weight of expectation must be enormous after Erik Zabel's prolific success the past decade-and-a-half.

So far in this 96th Tour de France, Ciolek, a former Under-23 world road champion, hasn't even made the top three, his fifth place in Saint-Fargeau the best he's done so far. What gives?

"You have a strong Columbia team with a really strong Mark Cavendish. That's what makes it really difficult for us," he told Cyclingnews." First of all, we have to try and beat his team, then we have to try and beat him, and they're two really difficult things,"

"If it works like [Stage 11], I think we have a good chance to beat Columbia in the finale. Maybe we don't have as much experience as them, but I think if you saw the first [road] stage or the [11th] stage yesterday, then you can see we have a team able to organise a finale like that."

Confidence is everything for a sprinter, yet Ciolek's words exude little of that. It's a sprinter's worst fear, coming to the world's biggest bike race without a recent win - or any season win, for that matter - though unfortunately, that's the way it's been for the young German.

"I had a difficult spring," Ciolek said. "I didn't start so well in the season; I had some problems, got sick, and it was hard for me to come back. But my pre-races for the Tour were really good, like the Bayern Rundfahrt or the Tour de Suisse. I'm trying to do a good Tour."

Does he expect to improve from here on in, or did the Pyrenees sap some of his precious leg strength?

"I think the rest day was really good for me. But yeah, you never feel fresh after 10 or 11 days of racing. At this point of the Tour, I think my condition's okay," said Ciolek.

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