O'Grady tries to take more points

With time ticking down to Sunday's finish on the Champs Elysees, Stuart O'Grady is doing all he can to catch and overtake maillot vert Thor Hushovd (Credit Agricole). The Cofidis rider is a better climber than his rivals Hushovd and McEwen but was unable to get into the points today.

"I knew it would be impossible to stay with the front guys over the top of the climb but I tried to stay with them for as long as possible," he said at the finish. "A few of the guys waited for me, but it was not to be."

"I don't know how the rest of the week looks. I'll just take it like I do every day…each stage I will try and get what advantage I can. It's going to be hard, though."

O'Grady said that the terrible accident yesterday involving the AIS women's team made the stage event tougher. "It's a shocking day, a dark day for Australian cycling. I tried to ride out there with their spirit and thinking of the guys back home…a hard day."