TDF Stage 19 Race Report and Stage 20 ITT Preview 2014 Tour De France

Stage 19 Race Report:

Stage 19 on the map

 

208.5k from Maubourguet Pays du Val d'Adour to Bergerac; FLAT.

Weather: Rain and thunderstorms, 68f; Wind ~10mph

164 riders took the start on Friday. The rain seemed to follow the riders through the course.

A 5-man breakaway group escaped by km 15, and built a lead of about 3:30 early on:

Slagter, Gautier, Elmiger, Taaramae, and Gerard.

(All five riders succeeded in making it into multiple breakaways in this race; this was at least Gautier's 5th break (stages 9, 14, 16, 17, and 19).

By km75 the lead had been brought down to about 2:30. The peloton kept the gap at about 2:30 for the next 50k, and then started to reel the break in. Inside of 30k to go, Garmin Sharp's Tom Jelte Slagter attacked and broke away from the peloton. The early escapees were all swept up by the peloton by 20k to go, when Omega's Jan Bakelants attacked from the bunch.

Profile of stage 19; northward

Garmin had more cards to play, clearly intent on making something happen today. Alex Howes attacked, but was soon brought back. Riders fought to be in front for the narrow, technical cat-4 hill that topped out with 13k to go to the finish. The rain fell heavily at times, probably dissuading more attackers.

Recidivist escapees: Gautier, Elmiger and Taaramae (R to L)

With about 13.5k to go, another Garmin rider, Navardauskas attacked and bridged up to his teammate Slagter, who still led the race about 10 or 15 seconds up the road. Slagter led Navardauskas over the KOM line at the top of the Côte de Montbazillac (1.3k at 7.6%), and then Navardauskas pushed on alone.

Navardauskas clung to a 12-second lead with 11k to go, but then started to gradually build it up until it leveled out between 22 and 24 seconds with about 7k left to the finish. Navardauskas slogged through heavy downpours, and as he crossed the Dordogne River with about 3k to go, the chasing peloton was gaining ground on him again.

Just inside of 3k to go, the peloton was chasing the Garmin rider through Bergerac, when a crash near the front of the peloton created a big pile-up. Many big names were involved, including Peter Sagan, Andre Greipel, Frank Schleck, Greg Van Avermaet, Romain Bardet, Leopold König, and more. Later Sagan apologized and took responsibility for the carnage, saying, "I crashed first". Known for his excellent bike-handling skills, Sagan was a big favorite to win on today's technical run-in.

The Tour's biggest fan watched the race go by today

A group of about 15 riders survived to chase after Navardauskas. They were at + :13 as the strong Lithuanian sped under the flamme rouge.

Navardauskas rounded a 90-degree left turn onto the soaked finish straight. He looked behind to see the chase group coming fast, but his lead was sufficient.

He coasted over the line first, taking a much-appreciated win for his hard-working Garmin teammates.

John Degenkolb won the sprint for second, ahead of Alexander Kristoff and Mark Renshaw.

Tom Jelte Slagter lit up the race for Garmin

It was a great attack and win for the Lithuanian Navardauskas, but a rather disappointing finish otherwise, since we were denied a proper bunch sprint.  Fortunately for all those involved, the crash occurred inside of 3k to go, so everybody there got the same time as the sprint group. Jack Bauer appeared to have suffered the worst from the crash, but is reported to be ok, and was able to take solace in the fact that his teammate scored the win.

Garmin got a win from Ramunas Navardauskas

STAGE 20 PREVIEW:

Tomorrow is the big 54k individual time trial. The standings will certainly get a shakeup, and then we will find out what the final 2014 Tour De France podium will look like. The course is hilly, but without any major climbs. The sheer length of it will destroy some riders hopes of a high finish, and we may see some surprise results.

Stage 20 ITT profile

 

I expect Nibali, Peraud, Valverde, and Van Garderen will do well. The other top GC contenders will have to throw every last ounce of their energy into the stage 20 ITT. Thibaut Pinot should be especially worried about losing his podium position.

The strong time trialists outside of the top GC contention who I expect to excel on Saturday include Tom Dumoulin of Giant-Shimano and Sylvain Chavanel of IAM. Chavanel has expressed the desire to "do something special" in the TT.

Other typically good TT-ers like Richie Porte and Michal Kwiatkowski are less of a sure bet, as they both showed weakness in the mountains. But put those guys in a skinsuit and an aero helmet, and you usually get fireworks. 

Compatriots JC Peraud and Thibaut Pinot

Some of the veteran TT-ers like Lieuwe Westra, Mick Rogers, and Vasil Kiryienka may be able to come up with decent performances. Kiryienka and Rogers particularly showed a lot of strength in the mountains.

Orica's Luke Durbridge and Svein Tuft would love to put on good performances tomorrow, and look out for Ion Izaguirre, Jan Barta, Maciej Bodnar, and Geraint Thomas. Any of them could be capable of a good show in the race of truth.

MY PICKS:

I think this course will suit JC Peraud very well, as well as Tom Dumoulin and Ion Izaguirre. In top form I would like Kwiatkowski, Porte, and Valverde for this course, but I'm not sure how their legs will be after the Pyrenees. Valverde will fight hard for a podium finish however, so I would still say he is a good pick.

I think Tony Martin means "turbo boosted" in German

But at the end of the day, we are talking about a time trial; and you can't have a TT and not talk about the German locomotive, Tony Martin. I wouldn't bet on him finishing worse than second, and in this case, I am picking him for the win.

It will all be decided tomorrow...

...Enjoy the race!

TDF Stage 18 Race Report and Results 2014 Tour De France

STAGE 18 REPORT:

Stage 18 on the map

145.5k from Pau to Hautacam; Hi mtns; summit finish;

Weather: Mostly sunny; 76f at low elevation, and about 60f up at the finish; [Thunderstorms were forecast for later in the day, but they never came.]

Abandoned: Heinrich Haussler (stomach bug)

The 2014 Tour De France raced its last day in the mountains today, conquering the Hors Categoie Pyrenean climbs of the famed Tourmalet, and the perhaps infamous Hautacam. The Tourmalet is a classic Tour big-mountain favorite, and is the highest pass in the Pyrenees at 2115 meters. Among this year's riders, men who have led the race over the 17k-long climb include Thomas Voeckler, Jeremy Roy and Sylvain Chavanel. The winners on the Hautacam however, now look like a who's who of doped cyclists. Leaving their names aside for now, we can only hope and trust that today's winner will not have his name one day expunged from the record books.

Vincenzo Nibali may look unbeatable, but a great battle for the overall podium positions and the king of the mountains jersey would be on the menu for stage 18...

Stage 18 profile; the last of the mountains

The peloton were fortunate to race on dry roads under sunny skies all day, despite the predicted afternoon thunderstorms. A 20-rider break formed early, and built a four-minute lead...

TDF Stage 17 Race Report and Stage 18 Preview 2014 Tour De France

STAGE 17 REPORT:

 

Stage 17 on the map

124.5K From Saint-Gaudens to Pla d'Adet

Weather: Sunny, 80 f; light wind

The 17th stage of the 2014 Tour De France was dubbed the queen stage of the race. It began with about 50k of relatively flat roads.  The final 75k featured virtually no flat roads. What it did feature were four big mountains for the peloton to climb. First, three category-1 climbs: the 1292-meter high Col du Portillon, the 1569m Col de Peyresourde, the 1580m Col de Val Louron Azet; and then came the finish, 1654m up on top of the Hors Categorie Pla d'Adet.

An 8-man break got away early, without the top mountain jersey contenders. Joaquim Rodriguez tried, but failed to get into the break again.  As a result, his Katusha team chased hard to try and bridge the gap to the leaders before they reached the mountains.

Stage 17 profile, with four big Pyrenean climbs

The 8 escapees were: Gautier, Slagter, Elmiger, Arashiro, Edet, Kadri, Voigt, and Paulinho. They held a lead of one minute by the intermediate sprint point at km 31. Kadri took the INT ahead of Elmiger and Paulinho...

TDF STAGE 13 REPORT and RESULTS 2014 TOUR DE FRANCE

Stage 13 Report

197.5k from Saint-Étienne to Chamrousse. High mountains; HC summit finish.

Weather: Clear skies; Hot, high 80s f.

Stage 13 forays into the Alps

Matteo Trentin was relegated from 6th to 60th place on stage 12, after his crooked sprint in the finish, which blocked out John Degenkolb. Trentin made a public and genuine apology for the illegal move, which he said was not intentional.

Arthur Vichot (FDJ) abandoned the race today, due to bronchitis.

To the road:

A 9-man breakaway group has gotten clear. The break includes:

Bakelants, Visconti, Durasek, Brice Feillu, Oss, Kadri, De Marchi, Molard, and Huzarski.

Van Den Broeck and Kittel have been down on the ground, before the race came on the air.

*Visconti was first over the first cat-3 KOM, and Kadri was second.

Katusha are driving at the front of the peloton.

By km85 the lead is almost five minutes.

They have averaged 44 kph (27 mph) over the first two hours on the road.

Stage 13 profile shows two long climbs

-97k: The lead is 3:50.

-96k: Cofidis leader Daniel Navarro is off the bike getting attention on the roadside. He has been ill with bronchitis, and is now climbing into the team car with a painful grimace on his face. The Spanish climber's race is over.

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TDF Stage 12 Report and Results 2014 Tour De France

Stage 12 Race Report - as it happened:

Stage 12 on the map

185.5k from Bourg-en-Bresse to Saint-Étienne

Rolling; 4 low-grade climbs on the way. Fast, flat finish.

Weather: Sunny and hot, 89f. Very little wind.

178 riders took the start today.

DNS: Andrew Talansky ; despite yesterday's valiant effort, the American was not able to continue in the race.

A 4-man break leads on the road: Rast (TFR), Clarke (OGE), Vachon (BSE). De La Cruz (TNE).

They build about a six-minute advantage over the first 40k.

Sebastian Langeveld (GRS) connects up with the lead group, and we've got a 5-man breakaway group now. But their lead is coming down...

*km 39.5: INT (Romaneche Thorins):

1. Vachon  2. Rast  3. Clarke  4. De La Cruz  5. Langeveld  6. Kittel  7. Coquard  8. Renshaw  9. Feillu  10. Greipel  11. Sagan  12. Sabatini  13. Viviani  14. Veelers  15. Gene

Stage 12 profile

-130k: The break has a 3:45 advantage over the peloton. It seems early for the peloton to be chasing down the break, but the teams have their strategies. Sprinters' teams who hope to contest the finish will want to keep the break on a reasonably tight leash. Giant Shimano are driving the pace now.

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TDF STAGE 11 REPORT and RESULTS 2014 Tour De France

Stage 11 Report:

Stage 11 on the map

1100 miles and the first rest day behind the riders, the race is about half over (in distance)

187.5k from Besancon to Oyonnax (still in the Jura); rolling.

Weather: mostly clear and sunny; significantly warmer, 80 f.

DNS: Fabian Cancellara (said he wants to rest before training for the Worlds in Spain, which are in about nine and a half weeks).

If you are like me then you spent a significant amount of time last night reading all the news and tweets about Contador's broken bike. So, I won't beleaguer the point. Just to say, a not-so-simple chain of events took place wherein Berto crashed, and one of his bikes got smashed. The frame was broken on the top tube and on the down tube, with very little other damage or other marks. Team Tinkoff's final word is that Alberto was not riding the bike that broke. They say the broken bike was caused when the Tinkoff-Saxo car brushed past the Belkin Team car, and the bikes on the roof racks got tangled and snapped Alberto's spare bike frame. It was like "Bike-gate" on the social media sites, but I am perfectly content to believe the publicized story, and get on with the race. Bicycles certainly do overlap the top edges of the vehicles, so it is entirely plausible that bicycles on top of two parallel cars could get tangled up. My question is: Why haven't we seen more of that?

Unfortunately the race will go on without the explosive attacking of the Spanish 5-time grand tour champion, Alberto Contador. 179 riders took the start today for stage 11.

Here is a list, by stage, of all the riders who have abandoned the race so far:

TO CONTINUE, CLICK "Read more..." JUST BELOW 

TDF Stage 10 Report and Results 2014 Tour De France

Stage 10 Report:

Stage 10 on the map

Monday July 14, 2014

Bastille Day

161.5k from Mulhouse to La Planche Des Belles Filles;

High mountains, mountaintop finish (mtf)

Rain has passed for now, and it is partly clear at the start, temps in the mid 60s. The finish line atop the summit is shrouded in rain and clouds early, but may clear later.

Today is the first real mountaintop finish...and it's Bastille Day. Most of the parcours is up and down; very little flat road. On paper, it is the toughest stage the riders have seen, so far. It should be a good GC battle before the first rest day on Tuesday. Seven categorized climbs are featured on stage 10. Four of them are category-1 climbs, including the summit finish atop the Planche des Belles Filles (5.9k at 8.5%).

The remaining 183 riders leave the start town of Mulhouse. They have 20k of flat roads to start the day, before all the climbing begins.

Shortly after the neutralized opening kms, the attacks begin.

*Ten riders are off the front, and trying to form a viable break. The peloton lets them go.

Stage 10 Profile

The first seven riders clear are Westra (AST), Voeckler (EUR), Moinard (BMC), Irizar (TFR), Visconti (MOV), Gerard (BSE), and Riblon (ALM). A handful of others are chasing them. 

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TDF Stage 8 Report and Results 2014 Tour De France

Stage 8 Report:

Stage 8 on the map

Today's stage goes 161k through the Lorraine region to the Vosges, from Tomblaine to Gérardmer (La Mauselaine).

The riders will see the first cat-2 climbs of the race; and the first uphill finish.

The profile shows about 130k of flats, followed by three climbs in quick succession in the final 25k, including a short, steep kick up to the finish. Made for a puncheur.

Weather: Overcast, mid 60s f. Rain later.

DNS: Mathias Frank (BMC) retired last night after finishing stage 7 with a fractured femur.

Vincenzo Nibali enters stage 8 with a lead of 2:37 over Alberto Contador.

Kwiatkowski trails Nibali by :50; he is Nibali's closest GC threat.

Van Den Broeck trails by 1:45; Porte by 1:54; Talansky by 2:05; Valverde, Bardet, and Rui Costa all trail Nibali by 2:11; Mollema is at 2:27; then Contador at 2:37; Van Garderen by 3:14; Pinot by 3:24; and Peraud is at 3:29.

Stage 8 Profile

Peter Sagan comes into the stage with a lead of over 100 points in the points jersey competition. Will he go for it at the finish today? He has shown that he is capable of impressive results on punchy finishes as well as flat sprints.  Sagan has finished in the top 5 on every stage so far. No rider has finished the first seven stages with all top-ten finishes since 1930**.

Purito Rodriguez would normally eat up today's race profile, but he seems to still be building form. He has not raced since crashing out of the Giro d'Italia in mid-May.

This is a good finish for Valverde, but he may have to defer to the break unless the peloton chooses to chase down the break today.

To the road...

Fast and furious start;

Breaks aren't taking.

Bart De Clercq (LTB) has abandoned the race (ankle).

*~km35: Sylvain Chavanel (IAM) and Niki Terpstra (OPQ) get away.

Simon Yates, Adrien Petit, and Blel Kadri join the 2 up front to form a 5-man breakaway group.

Break (5): Chavanel (IAM), Terpstra (OPQ, Kadri (ALM), Yates (OGE), and Petit (COF).

Today's break has a good chance of succeeding. They could likely be allowed to get a healthy lead, and may not be chased down.

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TDF Stage 7 Report and Results 2014 Tour De France

Stage 7 Race Report:

Stage 7 on the map

A long, mostly flat stage under cloudy skies today:

234.5k (146 miles) from Epernay to Nancy;

Just two cat-4's on the course, both inside the last 20k. The last is a short, steep climb with a fast descent, and it tops out just 5k before the finish. Looks like a tempting spot for a late attack, but I think several sprinters should make it over to contest the stage--assuming the break doesn't succeed.

Peter Sagan is a good pick today. I like Samuel Dumoulin as a dark-horse pick.

Stage 7 profile

*Today's finish town of Nancy was the sight of some race carnage on stage 6 of the Tour back in 2005, when a crash up front led to a huge pile-up of riders on a wet curve running into the finish. Then 25-year-old Fassa Bartolo rider, Lorenzo Bernucci became the unlikely benefactor of the metal, rubber and flesh apocalypse behind him, when he magically escaped the pile-up and sprinted ahead to take one of his two career race wins--and certainly the biggest of his career.

Lorenzo Bernucci was lucky in Nancy in 2005

Two years later, while riding for T-Mobile, Bernucci tested positive for a banned substance, and received a one-year ban. In 2010 he was caught with doping substances in his house, and is still now serving a five-year ban that is due to end in early 2016, when he will be 36.

To the road!...

6-man break: Elmiger (IAM), Edet (COF), Busche (TFR), Huzarski (TNE), Pichot (EUR), and Delaplace (BSE) have escaped the bunch.

Their lead was uo to 4:30 around km30.

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TDF Stage 6 Race Report and Results 2014 Tour De France

Stage 6:

  

194k from Arras to Reims; flat.

2 cat-4 climbs on the course. Nine traffic circles to navigate in the finale.

Cloudy at start/mostly rainy later; 60 f; frequent rain.

Stage 6 profile

DNS: Richeze (LAM)

Stage 6 on the map

Today the race commemorates 100 years since the start of World War I. Today's route covers ground that saw a lot of military misery a hundred years ago. The peloton will pass several landmarks, cemeteries and memorial sites on the way to Reims.

Yesterday more than 40 riders are reported to have crashed. Perhaps surprisingly, Froome was the only abandon on stage 5. So, no one who crashed on the cobbles was forced to abandon the race. And, as I said yesterday, most of the crashes happened on the wet traffic circles. So I refute any argument that rain-soaked, slick cobbles are too dangerous to be included in the French grand tour. The streets and the roundabouts were much more perilous yesterday. Does anybody like those roundabouts?

My girlfriend, Emily pointed out that the images of the peloton riding through the roundabouts has become sort of iconic in cycling broadcasting; so maybe they belong as much to the cycling aesthetic as cobblestones. It's a point I had not considered. I will put up a poll asking who thinks the cobblestones should be excluded from the Tour De France...

Today's Break (4):

Jerome Pineau (IAM), Tom Leezer (BEL), Luis Mate (COF), and Arnaud Gerard (BSE).

Second time Mate has made the break (stage 4).

They build a lead of about 4:15.

John Degenkolb has a torn gluteal muscle. He won't be much help in the Giant-Shimano lead-out train for Kittel today.

km 80: With about 115k left to ride, the escapees have a lead of 2:53 over the peloton.

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Stage 4 Race Report and Results 2014 Tour De France

Stage 4 Race Report:

Stage 4 on the map

It was sunny at the start in Northwestern France today, but rain began to fall around the finish town of Lille. The peloton rode into cloudier skies around midway through the stage, and hit wet roads before the finish, but managed to avoid the downpours.

Early Break (2):

Thomas Voeckler (EUR) and Luis Mate (COF) escape right from the start.

4k into the racing: Crash in the peloton: Chris Froome goes down on his left thigh and elbow after bumping shoulders like a pinball between two other riders in the dense peloton. He has two teammates (Eisel and Lopez) to help pace him back to the bunch. A second, related crash takes down the new Spanish National Champion, Jon Izagirre of the Movistar team and Jens Keukeleire of OGE, as Izagirre's front wheel buckled going over a stray water bottle from the first tumble.

The jersey wearers at the start of stage 4

Everyone is back up and riding. Bauke Mollema and Stephen Kruijswijk of Belkin were also involved. Keukeleire and an FDJ rider are with the SKY trio riding to get back to the peloton, the Belkin duo is just behind.

Mate takes the first of the stage's two cat-4 climbs, ahead of Voeckler.

*km34: 1st KOM (cat-4 Cote de Campagnette, 1k at 6.5%):

1. Mate

The 2 leaders build a gap of about 3:30.

With just under 100k left to the finish Voeckler and Mate have a lead of 2:30 over the peloton.

The day's two escapees: Voeckler & Mate

Mate's chain slips and he has to pull off and get a bike change inside 1k to the intermediate sprint point. The sprint line is at the top of a small hill, so it will be interesting to see how the sprinters handle it when they arrive in about two minutes.

Voeckler actually waits for Mate, so the Cofidis rider catches up to the Frenchman 300 meters before the sprint line. Mate gets on TV's wheel, and, appropriately, does not contest the sprint.

*km 92: INT SPR, Cassel:

1. Voeckler  2. Mate  3. Sagan  4. Marcato 5. Coquard  6. Hansen  7. Van Den Broeck  8. Martin  9. Scarponi  10. Majka  11. Kwiatkowski  12. Thomas  13. Contador  14. Froome  15. Nibali

Sagan crossed the INT line 1:04 behind the two leaders.

The descent to Steenvoorde takes the riders over a long stretch of cobbled roads.

It is raining heavily at the finish, but fortunately the pavé here is dry.

-63k: a split has formed in the peloton as the wind has changed.

Rain is lessening at the finish now.

Mate has another technical, looks like a puncture.

*Voeckler continues ahead solo.

Omega's Niki Terpstra, a favorite for tomorrow, goes down, and later stops for a bike change.

-45k: Voeckler's lead over the peloton is now 1:26.

Voeckler approaches the second KOM:

*km117.5: 2nd KOM (cat-4 Mont Noir, 1.3k at 5.7%):

1. Voeckler

The split in the peloton, which had temporarily caught out Kwiatkowski, Rolland, and Purito Rodriguez--among about two-dozen others--has reformed.

The road surface is beginning to show some wet and dry spots.

It seems Chris Froome has hurt his wrist in that crash. Kiryienka had gone back to the team car to bring Froome some kind of brace for his wrist. Oleg Tinkoff just grinned. That could be the edge that Contador needs to beat Chris Froome to Paris. We will have to wait and see...

-30k: Voeckler's lead is down to :30 with 30k to go.

Two of tomorrow's favorites, Terpstra and Cancellara catching up

He's making a good show of it, but he has no hope of surviving today. The sprinters will surely have their day, but not before Voeckler shows his green Europcar colors for as long as he can.

Greg Henderson's front tire slips out on a tight curve, and he goes down hard on his right side as he led the peloton into a tight roundabout. De Clercq and Bak also came down behind him. Andrei "Gorilla" Greipel's chances to contest the final sprint just took a major hit.

Now news that Henderson injured his knee and has had to retire from the race. That will make for one grumpy Gorilla.

Greg Henderson crashed hard

-20k: The lead is down to :16.

-16.4k: As they approach the city limits in Lille, the peloton sweep up Voeckler.

Sagan must have had a mechanical of some kind; he is soloing back up to the rear of the peloton now.

Garmin and Saxo are the two most prominent teams at the front of the peloton now. They're doing their best to keep their team leaders safe through the damp, technical lead-in to the finale.

-15k: The roads are looking wetter here, but the rain is not falling anymore.

-14k: Sagan is moving up through the rear of the peloton, and gets some help from his Cannondale team car.

10k to go, no one is attempting an escape here in town. Saxo and Garmin still in front; Trek, OGE and BMC just behind, with Movistar, OPQ and Europcar moving up...

-8.3k: Tony Martin jumps out of the pack for a moment and takes a good look behind to assess the situation. 

Kevin Reza - Bryan Coquard's new best friend

-7k: The pace has been picking up, and riders are being shed off the back.

Vansummeren and Talansky are still in front.

-5.5k: Katusha are moving up on the right for Kristoff...

-5k OPQ stack up 5 guys in the front for Renshaw. They navigate a 90-degree right turn perfectly, and hold the lead through the next several turns. Seven of them are there now!

-3k: Petacchi takes over the driving duty and 500 meters later, pulls off as Giant-Shimano line up alongside the OPQ men, with Katusha trying to open the zipper in between. Just behind them is the lone Cannondale survivor, Peter Sagan. Then Andrei Greipel with two Lotto teammates leading him up the right side; then Europcar has two guys leading Bryan Coquard up on the far left.

-2k: The Lotto boys move up in a quick spurt, as GIA and OPQ continue to lead, but are both thinning out...

-1.5k: They take a wide left turn, and lead-out men fall back as the sprinters push forward...

-1k: Two GIA riders--the second is clearly Degenkolb, and maybe Veelers or De Kort in front?--lead under the red kite at the front of the speeding peloton. A Lotto rider is in third.

Who says sharks and wolverine's don't get along?

Renshaw still has 3 teammates trying to pull him back up to the front. Katusha are right up there too, moving Kristoff into position, and Sagan sits at around 14th wheel, behind Kittel, and is momentarily sandwiched between Kristoff and Greipel.

Reza is trying to keep Coquard in contention, but good lines are hard to find in the quickening melee.

King of the Mountains jersey wearer Cyril Lemoine is moving up fast through the gaps! He's up to about 8th wheel now.

This lead-up stretch to the line is a fairly narrow road, with several turns. Riders are getting blocked out left-and-right. Sagan is pasted onto Kittel's wheel.  Lead-out trains are disintegrating as they lurch into the last few hundred meters...

-700 meters: Two Katusha riders have taken control at the front. Kristoff must be the second wheel. Renshaw sits third; Kittel weaves his way through the front riders and into 4th wheel; Sagan marks his every move, bumping past Greipel, and is still on Kittel's wheel with 500 meters to go...

Just behind them is a Trek rider and a BMC rider, and then Kevin Reza leading an attentive Bryan Coquard through the chaos into 8th and 9th positions, with French champ Arnaud Demare in 10th, passing a frustrated Andrei Greipel.

-350m: Kristoff's last lead-out man drops off, and the Norwegian is forced to start his sprint a little early. He is out of the saddle, and he gets a gap...

But Kittel and Renshaw are hot on his trail...

Kristoff looks to be holding them all at bay into the last 100 meters...

But with under 30 meters to go, Kittel pulls up behind Kristoff, and then lunges past him to take the win at the line!

Kristoff manages to hold on and take second. Demare made a good show of it too, passing from sixth place in the final 50 meters, to finish third, ahead of Sagan and Coquard.

As Kristoff couldn't keep the gas on any longer, Kittel came around him, being chased hard by Renshaw, Sagan, Coquard and Demare. Greipel just couldn't get into position in the finale but he managed to edge out Renshaw and finish 6th.

The stage-4 finish sprint

Marcel Kittel has won three of the 2014 Tour De France's first four stages. We can only wonder what might have been different had Cavendish not crashed out of stage one.

Stage 4 Results/Standings follow the stage 5 preview.

 

photo finish

Kittel wins three of the first four stages

Stage 5 preview:

Big cobbled stage tomorrow! Rain is expected in the afternoon, so it could get hairy as the race will cover nine cobbled sections in the last 70 kilometers, like a mini Paris-Roubaix. 

 

Among the top sprinters, Greipel, Sagan and Kristoff would have an edge if it came to a bunch sprint, but I'm looking at the big Cobbled Classics riders like Fabian Cancellara, Greg Van Avermaet, Sep Vanmarcke, Niki Terpstra, Sebastian Langeveld, Johan Vansummeren, and Heinrich Haussler. Guys like Sylvan Chavanel, Maxim Iglinskiy, Luca Paolini, Jurgen Roelandts, Matthieu Ladagnous, Geraint Thomas, and John Degenkolb could also do well on stage 5 if conditions allow.

STAGE 4 RESULTS: 

		Result
1	Marcel Kittel (Ger) Team Giant-Shimano	3:36:39
2	Alexander Kristoff (Nor) Team Katusha
3	Arnaud Demare (Fra) FDJ.fr
4	Peter Sagan (Svk) Cannondale
5	Bryan Coquard (Fra) Team Europcar
6	André Greipel (Ger) Lotto-Belisol
7	Mark Renshaw (Aus) Omega Pharma-Quick Step
8	Danny Van Poppel (Ned) Trek Factory Racing
9	Davide Cimolai (Ita) Lampre - Merida
10	Daniel Oss (Ita) BMC Racing Team
11	Heinrich Haussler (Aus) IAM Cycling
12	Michael Albasini (Swi) Orica Greenedge
13	Samuel Dumoulin (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale
14	Romain Feillu (Fra) Bretagne - Seche Environnement
15	Greg Van Avermaet (Bel) BMC Racing Team
16	Zakkari Dempster (Aus) Team Netapp-Endura
17	Elia Viviani (Ita) Cannondale
18	Alberto Contador (Spa) Tinkoff-Saxo
19	Jens Keukeleire (Bel) Orica Greenedge
20	Alejandro Valverde Belmonte (Spa) Movistar Team
21	Michal Kwiatkowski (Pol) Omega Pharma-Quick Step
22	Adrien Petit (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions Credits
23	Jakob Fuglsang (Den) Astana Pro Team
24	Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Astana Pro Team
25	Johan Van Summeren (Bel) Garmin - Sharp
26	José Joaquin Rojas Gil (Spa) Movistar Team
27	Roger Kluge (Ger) IAM Cycling
28	Andrew Talansky (USA) Garmin - Sharp
29	Reto Hollenstein (Swi) IAM Cycling
30	Sylvain Chavanel (Fra) IAM Cycling
31	Marcus Burghardt (Ger) BMC Racing Team
32	Michael Schär (Swi) BMC Racing Team
33	Jurgen Van Den Broeck (Bel) Lotto-Belisol
34	Tejay Van Garderen (USA) BMC Racing Team
35	Romain Bardet (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale
36	Lars Boom (Ned) Belkin Pro Cycling
37	Paul Voss (Ger) Team Netapp-Endura
38	Tiago Machado (Por) Team Netapp-Endura
39	Mathias Frank (Swi) IAM Cycling
40	Armindo Fonseca (Fra) Bretagne - Seche Environnement
41	Leopold Konig (Cze) Team Netapp-Endura
42	Christopher Froome (GBr) Team Sky
43	Tom Dumoulin (Ned) Team Giant-Shimano
44	Jurgen Roelandts (Bel) Lotto-Belisol
45	Jon Izaguirre Insausti (Spa) Movistar Team
46	Peter Velits (Svk) BMC Racing Team
47	Brice Feillu (Fra) Bretagne - Seche Environnement
48	Jean-Christophe Péraud (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale
49	Bauke Mollema (Ned) Belkin Pro Cycling
50	Nicolas Roche (Irl) Tinkoff-Saxo
51	Christopher Horner (USA) Lampre - Merida
52	Laurens Ten Dam (Ned) Belkin Pro Cycling
53	Kristijan Durasek (Cro) Lampre - Merida
54	Kévin Reza (Fra) Team Europcar
55	Haimar Zubeldia Agirre (Spa) Trek Factory Racing
56	Mikel Nieve Iturralde (Spa) Team Sky
57	Tanel Kangert (Est) Astana Pro Team
58	Thibaut Pinot (Fra) FDJ.fr
59	Arthur Vichot (Fra) FDJ.fr
60	Jesus Herrada Lopez (Spa) Movistar Team
61	Richie Porte (Aus) Team Sky
62	Tony Gallopin (Fra) Lotto-Belisol
63	Fabian Cancellara (Swi) Trek Factory Racing
64	Michael Rogers (Aus) Tinkoff-Saxo
65	Rui Alberto Costa (Por) Lampre - Merida
66	Mathew Hayman (Aus) Orica Greenedge
67	Yury Trofimov (Rus) Team Katusha
68	Cyril Gautier (Fra) Team Europcar
69	Frank Schleck (Lux) Trek Factory Racing
70	Pierre Rolland (Fra) Team Europcar
71	Geraint Thomas (GBr) Team Sky
72	Bram Tankink (Ned) Belkin Pro Cycling
73	Nelson Oliveira (Por) Lampre - Merida
74	Alexander Porsev (Rus) Team Katusha
75	Fabio Sabatini (Ita) Cannondale
76	Martin Elmiger (Swi) IAM Cycling
77	Gregory Rast (Swi) Trek Factory Racing
78	Markel Irizar Arranburu (Spa) Trek Factory Racing
79	Bernhard Eisel (Aut) Team Sky
80	Jens Voigt (Ger) Trek Factory Racing
81	Gatis Smukulis (Lat) Team Katusha
82	Egor Silin (Rus) Team Katusha
83	Imanol Erviti Ollo (Spa) Movistar Team
84	Tony Martin (Ger) Omega Pharma-Quick Step
85	Niki Terpstra (Ned) Omega Pharma-Quick Step
86	Ben Gastauer (Lux) AG2R La Mondiale
87	Marco Marcato (Ita) Cannondale
88	Bartosz Huzarski (Pol) Team Netapp-Endura
89	Vasili Kiryienka (Blr) Team Sky
90	Alexandre Pichot (Fra) Team Europcar
91	Arnold Jeannesson (Fra) FDJ.fr
92	Jérémy Roy (Fra) FDJ.fr
93	Steven Kruijswijk (Ned) Belkin Pro Cycling
94	Tom Jelte Slagter (Ned) Garmin - Sharp
95	Janier Alexis Acevedo Calle (Col) Garmin - Sharp
96	Vladimir Isaichev (Rus) Team Katusha
97	John Darwin Atapuma (Col) BMC Racing Team
98	Amaël Moinard (Fra) BMC Racing Team
99	Maciej Bodnar (Pol) Cannondale	0:00:16
100	Cyril Lemoine (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions Credits	0:00:17
101	Mickaël Delage (Fra) FDJ.fr
102	Matteo Trentin (Ita) Omega Pharma-Quick Step	0:00:26
103	Michael Morkov (Den) Tinkoff-Saxo
104	Koen De Kort (Ned) Team Giant-Shimano
105	Tom Veelers (Ned) Team Giant-Shimano
106	Rudy Molard (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions Credits
107	Egoitz Garcia Echeguibel (Spa) Cofidis, Solutions Credits
108	Sébastien Minard (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale	0:00:31
109	Roy Curvers (Ned) Team Giant-Shimano	0:00:34
110	John Degenkolb (Ger) Team Giant-Shimano
111	Adam Hansen (Aus) Lotto-Belisol
112	Marcel Sieberg (Ger) Lotto-Belisol
113	Jean-Marc Bideau (Fra) Bretagne - Seche Environnement	0:00:41
114	Jan Barta (Cze) Team Netapp-Endura
115	William Bonnet (Fra) FDJ.fr
116	Matthew Busche (USA) Trek Factory Racing
117	Ruben Plaza Molina (Spa) Movistar Team
118	Anthony Delaplace (Fra) Bretagne - Seche Environnement
119	Benoit Jarrier (Fra) Bretagne - Seche Environnement	0:00:50
120	Florian Vachon (Fra) Bretagne - Seche Environnement
121	Sergio Miguel Moreira Paulinho (Por) Tinkoff-Saxo
122	José Pimenta Costa Mendes (Por) Team Netapp-Endura
123	Rein Taaramäe (Est) Cofidis, Solutions Credits
124	Michal Golas (Pol) Omega Pharma-Quick Step
125	José Serpa (Col) Lampre - Merida
126	Alessandro Petacchi (Ita) Omega Pharma-Quick Step
127	Luca Paolini (Ita) Team Katusha	0:00:55
128	Yukiya Arashiro (Jpn) Team Europcar
129	Lars Bak (Den) Lotto-Belisol	0:01:09
130	Kristijan Koren (Slo) Cannondale
131	Cedric Pineau (Fra) FDJ.fr
132	Andriy Grivko (Ukr) Astana Pro Team	0:01:19
133	Stef Clement (Ned) Belkin Pro Cycling
134	Christian Meier (Can) Orica Greenedge
135	Matteo Montaguti (Ita) AG2R La Mondiale	0:01:28
136	Sébastien Reichenbach (Swi) IAM Cycling
137	Marcel Wyss (Swi) IAM Cycling
138	Albert Timmer (Ned) Team Giant-Shimano	0:01:32
139	Simon Gerrans (Aus) Orica Greenedge
140	Jan Bakelants (Bel) Omega Pharma-Quick Step
141	Florian Guillou (Fra) Bretagne - Seche Environnement	0:01:32
142	Matthieu Ladagnous (Fra) FDJ.fr
143	Yohann Gene (Fra) Team Europcar	0:01:43
144	Jean Marc Marino (Fra) Cannondale
145	John Gadret (Fra) Movistar Team
146	Simon Clarke (Aus) Orica Greenedge	0:01:45
147	Daniele Bennati (Ita) Tinkoff-Saxo	0:02:05
148	Matteo Tosatto (Ita) Tinkoff-Saxo
149	Jesus Alberto Hernandez Blazquez (Spa) Tinkoff-Saxo
150	Lieuwe Westra (Ned) Astana Pro Team
151	Simon Spilak (Slo) Team Katusha
152	Nicolas Edet (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions Credits
153	Andreas Schillinger (Ger) Team Netapp-Endura
154	Daniel Navarro Garcia (Spa) Cofidis, Solutions Credits
155	Benat Intxausti (Spa) Movistar Team
156	Ariel Maximiliano Richeze (Arg) Lampre - Merida
157	Joaquim Rodriguez (Spa) Team Katusha
158	Xabier Zandio Echaide (Spa) Team Sky
159	Perrig Quemeneur (Fra) Team Europcar
160	Rafael Valls (Spa) Lampre - Merida
161	Simon Yates (GBr) Orica Greenedge
162	Danny Pate (USA) Team Sky
163	Giovanni Visconti (Ita) Movistar Team	0:02:23
164	Svein Tuft (Can) Orica Greenedge	0:02:51
165	Luke Durbridge (Aus) Orica Greenedge
166	Maarten Wynants (Bel) Belkin Pro Cycling
167	Thomas Leezer (Ned) Belkin Pro Cycling
168	Dries Devenyns (Bel) Team Giant-Shimano	0:03:37
169	Benjamin King (USA) Garmin - Sharp	0:03:53
170	Sebastian Langeveld (Ned) Garmin - Sharp
171	Blel Kadri (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale	0:04:19
172	Arnaud Gerard (Fra) Bretagne - Seche Environnement
173	Ramunas Navardauskas (Ltu) Garmin - Sharp
174	Maxim Iglinskiy (Kaz) Astana Pro Team
175	Dmitriy Gruzdev (Kaz) Astana Pro Team
176	Alessandro De Marchi (Ita) Cannondale
177	Michele Scarponi (Ita) Astana Pro Team
178	Thomas Voeckler (Fra) Team Europcar	0:04:40
179	Luis Angel Mate Mardones (Spa) Cofidis, Solutions Credits
180	Sep Vanmarcke (Bel) Belkin Pro Cycling	0:05:40
181	Jérôme Pineau (Fra) IAM Cycling	0:05:43
182	Peter Stetina (USA) BMC Racing Team	0:05:52
183	Mikael Cherel (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale
184	Christophe Riblon (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale
185	Julien Simon (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions Credits
186	Rafal Majka (Pol) Tinkoff-Saxo
187	David De La Cruz Melgarejo (Spa) Team Netapp-Endura
188	David Lopez Garcia (Spa) Team Sky
189	Alex Howes (USA) Garmin - Sharp	0:07:11
190	Jack Bauer (NZl) Garmin - Sharp
191	Bart De Clercq (Bel) Lotto-Belisol	0:07:26
192	Cheng Ji (Chn) Team Giant-Shimano
193	Edward King (USA) Cannondale
194	Alessandro Vanotti (Ita) Astana Pro Team
DNF	Gregory Henderson (NZl) Lotto-Belisol
DNS	Andy Schleck (Lux) Trek Factory Racing

Vincenzo Nibali remains in yellow

General classification after stage 4

		Result
1	Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Astana Pro Team	17:07:52
2	Peter Sagan (Svk) Cannondale	0:00:02
3	Michael Albasini (Swi) Orica Greenedge
4	Greg Van Avermaet (Bel) BMC Racing Team
5	Alberto Contador (Spa) Tinkoff-Saxo
6	Alejandro Valverde Belmonte (Spa) Movistar Team
7	Christopher Froome (GBr) Team Sky
8	Jurgen Van Den Broeck (Bel) Lotto-Belisol
9	Bauke Mollema (Ned) Belkin Pro Cycling
10	Jakob Fuglsang (Den) Astana Pro Team
11	Romain Bardet (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale
12	Tejay Van Garderen (USA) BMC Racing Team
13	Tiago Machado (Por) Team Netapp-Endura
14	Jean-Christophe Péraud (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale
15	Rui Alberto Costa (Por) Lampre - Merida
16	Mikel Nieve Iturralde (Spa) Team Sky
17	Haimar Zubeldia Agirre (Spa) Trek Factory Racing
18	Richie Porte (Aus) Team Sky
19	Michal Kwiatkowski (Pol) Omega Pharma-Quick Step
20	Tony Gallopin (Fra) Lotto-Belisol
21	Andrew Talansky (USA) Garmin - Sharp
22	Geraint Thomas (GBr) Team Sky	0:00:16
23	Mathias Frank (Swi) IAM Cycling
24	Thibaut Pinot (Fra) FDJ.fr
25	Nicolas Roche (Irl) Tinkoff-Saxo
26	Tanel Kangert (Est) Astana Pro Team
27	Tom Dumoulin (Ned) Team Giant-Shimano
28	Christopher Horner (USA) Lampre - Merida
29	Laurens Ten Dam (Ned) Belkin Pro Cycling
30	Yury Trofimov (Rus) Team Katusha

Points classification

		Points
1	Peter Sagan (Svk) Cannondale	158
2	Marcel Kittel (Ger) Team Giant-Shimano	135
3	Bryan Coquard (Fra) Team Europcar	121
4	Alexander Kristoff (Nor) Team Katusha	82
5	Mark Renshaw (Aus) Omega Pharma-Quick Step	48
6	Arnaud Demare (Fra) FDJ.fr	44
7	Greg Van Avermaet (Bel) BMC Racing Team	42
8	Ramunas Navardauskas (Ltu) Garmin - Sharp	38
9	Michael Albasini (Swi) Orica Greenedge	37
10	André Greipel (Ger) Lotto-Belisol	37
11	Danny Van Poppel (Ned) Trek Factory Racing	36
12	Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Astana Pro Team	31
13	José Joaquin Rojas Gil (Spa) Movistar Team	30
14	Heinrich Haussler (Aus) IAM Cycling	28
15	Michal Kwiatkowski (Pol) Omega Pharma-Quick Step	27
16	Daniel Oss (Ita) BMC Racing Team	24
17	Christopher Froome (GBr) Team Sky	22
18	Michael Rogers (Aus) Tinkoff-Saxo	22
19	Jean-Marc Bideau (Fra) Bretagne - Seche Environnement	20
20	Jens Voigt (Ger) Trek Factory Racing	20
21	Thomas Voeckler (Fra) Team Europcar	20
22	Blel Kadri (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale	20
23	Kévin Reza (Fra) Team Europcar	18
24	Romain Feillu (Fra) Bretagne - Seche Environnement	18
25	Elia Viviani (Ita) Cannondale	18
26	Tony Gallopin (Fra) Lotto-Belisol	17
27	Jan Barta (Cze) Team Netapp-Endura	17
28	Nicolas Edet (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions Credits	17
29	Luis Angel Mate Mardones (Spa) Cofidis, Solutions Credits	17
30	David De La Cruz Melgarejo (Spa) Team Netapp-Endura	17
31	Sep Vanmarcke (Bel) Belkin Pro Cycling	16
32	Jurgen Van Den Broeck (Bel) Lotto-Belisol	15
33	Perrig Quemeneur (Fra) Team Europcar	15
34	Benoit Jarrier (Fra) Bretagne - Seche Environnement	15
35	Samuel Dumoulin (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale	14
36	Davide Cimolai (Ita) Lampre - Merida	14
37	Andrew Talansky (USA) Garmin - Sharp	13
38	Marco Marcato (Ita) Cannondale	13
39	Matthew Busche (USA) Trek Factory Racing	13
40	Fabio Sabatini (Ita) Cannondale	12
41	Bauke Mollema (Ned) Belkin Pro Cycling	11
42	Maciej Bodnar (Pol) Cannondale	11
43	Armindo Fonseca (Fra) Bretagne - Seche Environnement	11
44	Fabian Cancellara (Swi) Trek Factory Racing	10
45	Adam Hansen (Aus) Lotto-Belisol	10
46	Zakkari Dempster (Aus) Team Netapp-Endura	10
47	Bart De Clercq (Bel) Lotto-Belisol	10
48	Tejay Van Garderen (USA) BMC Racing Team	9
49	Cyril Lemoine (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions Credits	9
50	Paul Voss (Ger) Team Netapp-Endura	8
51	Tony Martin (Ger) Omega Pharma-Quick Step	8
52	Alexandre Pichot (Fra) Team Europcar	8
53	Alberto Contador (Spa) Tinkoff-Saxo	7
54	Romain Bardet (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale	7
55	Michele Scarponi (Ita) Astana Pro Team	7
56	Alessandro Petacchi (Ita) Omega Pharma-Quick Step	7
57	Rafal Majka (Pol) Tinkoff-Saxo	6
58	Jakob Fuglsang (Den) Astana Pro Team	5
59	Geraint Thomas (GBr) Team Sky	4
60	Martin Elmiger (Swi) IAM Cycling	4
61	Giovanni Visconti (Ita) Movistar Team	4
62	Rui Alberto Costa (Por) Lampre - Merida	3
63	Jurgen Roelandts (Bel) Lotto-Belisol	3
64	Daniele Bennati (Ita) Tinkoff-Saxo	3
65	Alexander Porsev (Rus) Team Katusha	3
66	Haimar Zubeldia Agirre (Spa) Trek Factory Racing	2
67	Sergio Miguel Moreira Paulinho (Por) Tinkoff-Saxo	2
68	Jérémy Roy (Fra) FDJ.fr	1
69	Lars Bak (Den) Lotto-Belisol	1

Mountains classification

		Points
1	Cyril Lemoine (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions Credits	6
2	Blel Kadri (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale	5
3	Jens Voigt (Ger) Trek Factory Racing	4
4	Nicolas Edet (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions Credits	4
5	Thomas Voeckler (Fra) Team Europcar	3
6	Pierre Rolland (Fra) Team Europcar	2
7	Tom Jelte Slagter (Ned) Garmin - Sharp	2
8	Perrig Quemeneur (Fra) Team Europcar	2
9	David De La Cruz Melgarejo (Spa) Team Netapp-Endura	2
10	Christopher Froome (GBr) Team Sky	1
11	Andriy Grivko (Ukr) Astana Pro Team	1
12	Luis Angel Mate Mardones (Spa) Cofidis, Solutions Credits	1
13	Benoit Jarrier (Fra) Bretagne - Seche Environnement	1
14	Jean-Christophe Péraud (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale	1
15	Andrew Talansky (USA) Garmin - Sharp	1
16	Tony Martin (Ger) Omega Pharma-Quick Step	1
17	Lars Bak (Den) Lotto-Belisol	1

Young rider classification

		Result
1	Peter Sagan (Svk) Cannondale	17:07:54
2	Romain Bardet (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale
3	Michal Kwiatkowski (Pol) Omega Pharma-Quick Step
4	Thibaut Pinot (Fra) FDJ.fr	0:00:14
5	Tom Dumoulin (Ned) Team Giant-Shimano
6	Rudy Molard (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions Credits	0:00:59
7	Jesus Herrada Lopez (Spa) Movistar Team	0:01:43
8	Anthony Delaplace (Fra) Bretagne - Seche Environnement	0:02:24
9	Sébastien Reichenbach (Swi) IAM Cycling	0:02:47
10	Tom Jelte Slagter (Ned) Garmin - Sharp	0:02:48
11	Simon Yates (GBr) Orica Greenedge	0:08:29
12	Nelson Oliveira (Por) Lampre - Merida	0:10:29
13	Matteo Trentin (Ita) Omega Pharma-Quick Step	0:10:55
14	John Degenkolb (Ger) Team Giant-Shimano	0:11:46
15	Bryan Coquard (Fra) Team Europcar	0:14:46
16	Jon Izaguirre Insausti (Spa) Movistar Team
17	Benjamin King (USA) Garmin - Sharp	0:16:14
18	Luke Durbridge (Aus) Orica Greenedge	0:19:33
19	Danny Van Poppel (Ned) Trek Factory Racing	0:19:48
20	Arnaud Demare (Fra) FDJ.fr
21	Armindo Fonseca (Fra) Bretagne - Seche Environnement	0:21:40
22	Benoit Jarrier (Fra) Bretagne - Seche Environnement	0:21:43
23	Adrien Petit (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions Credits	0:22:13
24	Elia Viviani (Ita) Cannondale	0:22:58
25	David De La Cruz Melgarejo (Spa) Team Netapp-Endura	0:26:44
26	Davide Cimolai (Ita) Lampre - Merida	0:28:40
27	Rafal Majka (Pol) Tinkoff-Saxo	0:28:53

Teams classification

		Result
1	Team Sky	51:23:42
2	Astana Pro Team	0:00:12
3	BMC Racing Team	0:00:14
4	Team Netapp-Endura	0:00:47
5	Trek Factory Racing
6	IAM Cycling	0:01:01
7	Team Katusha	0:01:20
8	Belkin Pro Cycling	0:01:31
9	Lampre - Merida
10	Cannondale	0:01:42
11	Tinkoff-Saxo	0:02:46
12	Garmin - Sharp	0:03:26
13	Orica Greenedge	0:04:42
14	AG2R La Mondiale	0:05:44
15	Fdj.Fr	0:06:31
16	Team Europcar	0:08:28
17	Cofidis, Solutions Credits	0:10:27
18	Lotto-Belisol	0:10:29
19	Omega Pharma-Quick Step	0:11:02
20	Movistar Team	0:12:12
21	Bretagne-Seche Environnement	0:13:29
22	Team Giant-Shimano	0:25:55