Taaramäe takes over the lead of this group and Isostar should keep the bubbly in the cupboard for now - it's stabilising 20 seconds higher than it was two kilometres ago, but it's still just 57 seconds when Spilak needs at least 72 to be sure! Intxausti has joined this group too now, good work.
Brambilla attacks now, the Italian looking to put extra time into those behind, and he has to do this as he needs four minutes on Francesco Bongiorno, who is currently two minutes down and so a real possibility for the eBuddy rider to pass his countryman! He would need four minutes also on Nerz, who is still ahead of him, and a whopping eight on Patrick Schelling!
But the big story here is that Warren Barguil is paying for his activity earlier on the climb and perhaps throughout this Tour de France, he's been an aggressive force but that can sometimes results in days like this late in the race. It looks like Galta's miraculous sixth is secure!
Further behind Kangert is riding solidly with Sosnitskiy for company, but he is a minute behind and that's already a position lost to Nibali and the Estonian will fall to 13th today!
Throughout this Tour de France I hope you've appreciated my insights into the action - that's what I'm here for. But I'm afraid I have no safe predictions, no words to describe the knife edge this Tour de France is standing on. I can't call it. There are 58 seconds between Simon Spilak and Rein Taaramäe, each aided by a willing companion. If Spilak eeks out 3 seconds in the next seven kilometres - which is a hell of a long way and anything can still happen - and wins the stage with Taaramäe coming fourth or below, it's his. Otherwise there's more of a bonification mess, et cetera.
I think the real key to this fight might not be Spilak or Taaramäe. or even Lecuisinier or Gesink. It's Romain Sicard. When he attacks - it is a question of when and not if - will Taaramäe follow him as Gesink surely will? Will their battle for third block the Estonian out of the bonus seconds? There's no much left to happen on the Col de Portet, and this new climb is receiving an introduction for the ages - I don't think anyone watching here will forget this day for a long while.
He may be down, but Warren Barguil is not out, he's hurting but he's not done yet, and has fought his way back to this group! Can he hold on, will Galta think this is time to attack?
Meanwhile Brambilla has passed Nerz and can start working on gapping him as much as possible too! He has 3'40 on Bongiorno, it looks like he will overturn that deficit!
The gap is down to 50 seconds and could Robert Gesink be saving Taaramäe's yellow jersey? Isn't he weakening himself for when Sicard attacks? Surely there's a reason behind this tactic. However it seems unless Taaramäe droops. or Gesink stops helping, Spilak needs to dig a little deeper to win this Tour de France! 5.5km to go.
Another spectator's camera falls victim to the oncoming storm of Moto #23
Sicard, Intxausti and Wellens continue to bide their time as we pass under the 5km banner, Taaramäe is back on the front and the gap is at 52 seconds, what do any of these men have left to give? Everyone has to keep going and then some for five more kilometres, dig a little deeper and find that second wind, that heroic burst of fire and energy that wins these stages, races, positions, and the fight that wins yellow jerseys.
I'm not sure why but Romain Sicard isn't attacking but in fact helping the chase effort, and this could swing it to Taaramäe, the gap is down under 50 seconds again now! 3.5km left, what can Spilak do in response? Has Taaramäe managed to expertly cover up his weakness by convincing his companions to help?
Dekker and Barguil are both tiring now, and it looks like they might be dropped. This group now six minutes behind Spilak and Lecuisinier and it looks like 5'20 behind Intxausti and Wellens, the former has overtaken Dekker and both of them may end up threats to Barguil and Galta too, they'd need just another minute or two!
This is heartbreaking stuff now, as Sicard with fresher legs brings the gap back down to 32 seconds. If he doesn't attack, and Spilak doesn't either, then it looks almost over for the Slovenian now! But what is the Frenchman's plan, to completely catch them and get bonuses? He needs to attack!
Wellens and Intxausti dropped here but their race isn't here, but it's in the gap back to Barguil and Galta, which isn't quite on their side yet, but there is still time!
2km to go and the gap is at 24 seconds now, perhaps Sicard really does plan on going for bonifications to overtake Gesink! Pierre-Henri Lecuisinier is doing his best but it's Simon Spilak who needs to attack now if he can - or even if he can't.
Up to 27 seconds but Spilak has to go hard with just 1400m remaining, does he have anything left in the final kilometre?
Here we go, the sprint to the line is on and Spilak needs 30 more seconds at least, and this has all been for nothing as Sicard won't win this battle now with the eight available bonifications, but he may have just lost one of the most favourite non-French riders the Tour de France!
But it's with bitter resignation that Spilak realises that's just not possible, shakes his head at Pierre-Henri Lecuisinier who, bittersweetly I'm sure, takes this as the signal to take the victory here on the Col de Portet. He raises his arms and this is a great victory for the young man, no doubt about that. He has something else out of this Tour to partly make up for his failure in the podium race. Today he tried what he could to get his friend and mentor the GC win, but he couldn't go up against Sicard and Gesink. However this stage win is a kind reward for that effort.
Simon Spilak definitely lay it all on the line today and nobody can fault him for that. He was undone by being two against three really, and just didn't have anything left to give in the final kilometres as Sicard joined the fray behind. A great Tour de France for him, but a bitter ending as he has to settle for second.
Confirmation here as Romain Sicard stops the clock 36 seconds behind Lecuisinier, and so Rein Taaramae wins Le Tour de France by 32 seconds! He wasn't at his best today but he won't give a single damn about that, he found allies to get him here and he has made it through the last two days and kept yellow, and Rein Taaramae finally tastes Grand Tour glory after a fantastic 20 days, from La Planche des Belles Filles to the Tourmalet he went big where it mattered, three stage wins along the way. Congratulations!
Sicard sprints to third but he doesn't gap Gesink and so he's stuck in fourth on GC by a mere four seconds, after some strange tactical decisions in the final kilometres - really he's got nobody to blame but himself for that, it looked there for the taking as he was so strong then, as he has been throughout this Tour de France. Neither of these two have anything to be ashamed of overall, two great competitors and to the end virtually inseperable.
Intxausti stops the clock ahead of Wellens at 2'05 and so we start the countdown to Galta and Barguil to see in what order sixth to ninth will come in. Great rides from them both and though it's still just outside chances at gaining positions, they did all they could do really and rode exceptionally well today.
Nibali and Keinath now go clear of Galta, who is fighting to keep sixth, which with the altest gaps reported at around five minutes should be very doable! Keinath may have a shot at the top 10 if he finishes strongly here, he needs 30 more provisional seconds on Thomas Dekker!
Barguil who has reports of six minutes to Intxausti and Wellens which is ok - though if he loses another one in the next two kilometres, then Wellens will move into seventh! Meanwhile a deflated Nerz is in the mdidle of all of this, having been caught and so not going to get another top 10.
Brambilla and Reis with nice rides to the top 10 - the former obviously going for some GC gains and so we'll wait on that, it looked like he'd overtake one Puma rider but not the other with Nerz not far behind at all and Bongiorno losing many minutes. The latter as a domestique for Intxausti rode very well and hanging on for his own result is nice too.
Nibali and Keinath at + 6'17 showing the huge gaps the Col de Portet makes possible - and the exhausting new stage design! We start the countdown to Dekker, Keinath needs 2'10 on the Dutchman to finish in the top 10! But probably these two are 11th and 12th after good showings - Nibali with a solid start and getting weaker towards the end and Keinath with a poor start but an aggressive second half of the race, with his second place on Stage 12 particularly memorable.
Galta at + 6'57 will keep his sixth place, and what a freaking Tour de France this man had! Out of the picture after week one he took two magnificent solo stage wins totalling 130km solo kilometres in the saddle on those two mountain stages and lifted himself to a sixth place that would have been amazing even in a regular Tour de France for him. What a rider Aker have on their hands for the next seven or eight years!
Dekker and Nerz finish at + 7'47 and so the Dutchman hangs onto the top 10 by 39 seconds, and he had a brilliant Tour de France - the old dog still has it! A great opening half backed up by a better back half than anyone would have thought - the Pyrenees weren't what he would have wanted but this is a very credible top 10 from Thomas Dekker.
Nerz... he has had a great race, but the stage win he so deserved eluded him today again, and it's such a shame to see someone earn it twice over at least and not get it. At least he has a huge KOM win and a top 15 on GC for his troubles.
Barguil comes in... 8'15 down, and keeps seventh by the skin of his teeth, eleven seconds to Tim Wellens. One of the standout performers of this Tour de France, his aggression won him many fans but caught up to him on the last two days unfortunately, as at one point he looked like an outsider to attack Lecuisinier's top 5 - though we saw how that would have gone today anyway!
Haig with a subpar Tour de France really and though he'll gain a spot or two with this good ride, especially after being dropped way back on the Peyresourde, but it won't fix what has been a disappointing race all-around for Bennelong and Jack Haig, that TTT win notwithstanding
Kangert with a great showing considering his climbing pedigree yet again and finishing 13th here is a massive achievement for him, what a Tour de France he had and he's finished it off well here to hang on to the top 15 everybody had written him off for. Behind will be a disappointed Bongiorno slipping a spot, and a furious Schelling who had had a torrid time in the Alps, and ends up a too-low 14th on GC. I think that may even be the large frame of Steven Kruiswijk with them, if so that's a great ride from the Dutchman who would be my Man of the Pyrenees, and should lift him towards the top 25 on GC!
But the man who will be happiest with the Pyrenees is this one: Rein Taaramäe celebrates a wonderful Tour de France win and the joy of finally snaring the Grand Tour victory that has eluded him for so long, and in his adopted country of France as well - I'm sure if Crommy and Bos have TV signal in the palace they eloped to after retirement, they'll be crying tears of joy. A great rider finally rewarded, and despite the heartbreaking fight that Simon Spilak showed, it's not hard to feel that this is what Rein Taaramäe deserves.
1
Pierre-Henri Lecuisinier
Festina - Dexia
2h23'53
2
Simon Spilak
Isostar - Slovenija
s.t.
3
Romain Sicard
Air France - KLM
+ 36
4
Rein Taaramäe
T-Mobile
s.t.
5
Robert Gesink
Berg Cycles
s.t.
6
Benat Intxausti
Porto - Prio
+ 2'05
7
Tim Wellens
Volvo acc. by Spotify
s.t.
8
Gianluca Brambilla
eBuddy
+ 4'35
9
Rafael Reis
Porto - Prio
+ 4'44
10
Vincenzo Nibali
Desigual
+ 6'16
11
Nico Keinath
EA Vesuvio
s.t.
12
Fredrik Strand Galta
Aker - MOT
+ 6'57
13
Thomas Dekker
Aegon - Lavazza
+ 7'47
14
Dominik Nerz
Team Puma - SAP
s.t.
15
Warren Barguil
Moser - Sygic
+ 8'15
16
Jack Haig
Bennelong - Mitchelton
+ 8'33
17
Anatoliy Sosnitskiy
Gazelle
+ 9'50
18
Tanel Kangert
Gazelle
s.t.
19
Francesco Bongiorno
Team Puma - SAP
+ 10'20
20
Steven Kruijswijk
Gazelle
s.t.
21
Patrick Schelling
Team UBS
s.t.
22
Petr Ignatenko
Team Tinkoff
+ 10'54
23
Riccardo Ricco
Isostar - Slovenija
+ 11'24
24
Mike Aaron Egger
Evonik - ELKO
s.t.
25
Josef Hosek
Moser - Sygic
+ 11'59
26
Denys Karnulin
Gazelle
s.t.
27
Benjamin Dyball
Bennelong - Mitchelton
+ 12'55
28
Sergei Kolesnikov
Team Tinkoff
s.t.
29
Rui Pedro Vinhas
Porto - Prio
+ 14'38
30
Michel Koch
Air France - KLM
+ 15'14
31
Sigurd Nesset
Grieg - Eftel
s.t.
32
Thomas Bonnin
RBC Pro Cycling
s.t.
33
Pawel Poljanski
Fablok - Bank BGZ
s.t.
34
Yuriy Vasyliv
Festina - Dexia
s.t.
35
Edoardo Zardini
Aegon - Lavazza
s.t.
36
Aleksej Kunshin
Team Tinkoff
s.t.
37
Tom Jelte Slagter
Hugo Boss
s.t.
38
Davide Formolo
Gazelle
+ 16'31
39
Hermann Pernsteiner
Isostar - Slovenija
s.t.
40
Kaspars Sergis
Evonik - ELKO
s.t.
41
Omar Fraile
Desigual
s.t.
42
Idan Shapira
Fablok - Bank BGZ
s.t.
43
Aberlardo Ablenado
Hugo Boss
+ 17'33
44
Alex Kirsch
EA Vesuvio
+ 17'55
45
Nicolas Roche
Fablok - Bank BGZ
s.t.
46
Ricardo Van der Velde
eBuddy
+ 18'10
47
Jakub Kratochvila
Isostar - Slovenija
+ 19'59
48
Andrei Sakalou
Evonik - ELKO
s.t.
49
Nikita Novikov
Team Tinkoff
+ 20'16
50
Ondrej Cink
Moser - Sygic
s.t.
51
Jonathan Hivert
Air France - KLM
s.t.
52
Thomas Koep
Aegon - Lavazza
s.t.
53
Thomas Lˆvkvist
Volvo acc. by Spotify
s.t.
54
Aleksandar Fl¸gel
Kraftwerk Man Machine
s.t.
55
Mikayil Krasnoperov
T-Mobile
s.t.
56
ThÈry Schir
Team UBS
s.t.
57
Evgeny Shalunov
Team Tinkoff
+ 21'07
58
Alex Ariya Destribois
Berg Cycles
s.t.
59
Patrick Bevin
Team Puma - SAP
+ 21'49
60
Caio Godoy
EA Vesuvio
+ 22'51
61
Rohan Dennis
Bennelong - Mitchelton
+ 23'59
62
Aleksey Rybalkin
Team Tinkoff
s.t.
63
Brendan Canty
Bennelong - Mitchelton
+ 24'33
64
Jose Goncalves
Team UBS
s.t.
65
Matteo Fabbro
Festina - Dexia
s.t.
66
Daniel Alexander Jaramillo
Isostar - Slovenija
s.t.
67
Armanto Archimandritis
Festina - Dexia
s.t.
68
Conor Dunne
Team Puma - SAP
+ 25'07
69
Jonathan Salinas
Air France - KLM
+ 25'25
70
Gilles Heymes
EA Vesuvio
s.t.
71
Souheil Khederi
Aker - MOT
s.t.
72
Tyron Giogieri
RBC Pro Cycling
s.t.
73
Colin St¸ssi
Team Puma - SAP
s.t.
74
Jakub Danacik
Moser - Sygic
s.t.
75
Marko Pavlic
Isostar - Slovenija
s.t.
76
Artemio Moschella
T-Mobile
s.t.
77
Matvey Mamykin
Team Tinkoff
s.t.
78
Jaka Bostner
Fablok - Bank BGZ
s.t.
GC:
1
Rein Taaramäe
T-Mobile
79h44'27
2
Simon Spilak
Isostar - Slovenija
+ 32
3
Robert Gesink
Berg Cycles
+ 9'38
4
Romain Sicard
Air France - KLM
+ 9'42
5
Pierre-Henri Lecuisinier
Festina - Dexia
+ 12'56
6
Fredrik Strand Galta
Aker - MOT
+ 22'29
7
Warren Barguil
Moser - Sygic
+ 23'53
8
Tim Wellens
Volvo acc. by Spotify
+ 25'04
9
Benat Intxausti
Porto - Prio
+ 26'58
10
Thomas Dekker
Aegon - Lavazza
+ 31'40
11
Nico Keinath
EA Vesuvio
+ 32'19
12
Vincenzo Nibali
Desigual
+ 37'42
13
Tanel Kangert
Gazelle
+ 40'30
14
Patrick Schelling
Team UBS
+ 41'57
15
Dominik Nerz
Team Puma - SAP
+ 42'38
16
Gianluca Brambilla
eBuddy
+ 44'17
17
Francesco Bongiorno
Team Puma - SAP
+ 46'09
18
Jack Haig
Bennelong - Mitchelton
+ 49'02
19
Sergei Kolesnikov
Team Tinkoff
+ 53'01
20
Denys Karnulin
Gazelle
+ 54'34
21
Rafael Reis
Porto - Prio
+ 58'18
22
Davide Formolo
Gazelle
+ 58'28
23
Steven Kruijswijk
Gazelle
+ 1h01'41
24
Tom Jelte Slagter
Hugo Boss
+ 1h02'58
25
Riccardo Ricco
Isostar - Slovenija
+ 1h04'10
26
Sigurd Nesset
Grieg - Eftel
+ 1h05'43
27
Edoardo Zardini
Aegon - Lavazza
+ 1h06'02
28
Nicolas Roche
Fablok - Bank BGZ
+ 1h07'19
29
Yuriy Vasyliv
Festina - Dexia
+ 1h09'12
30
Alex Ariya Destribois
Berg Cycles
+ 1h11'26
Spoiler
31
Pawel Poljanski
Fablok - Bank BGZ
+ 1h12'08
32
Benjamin Dyball
Bennelong - Mitchelton
+ 1h14'31
33
Alex Kirsch
EA Vesuvio
+ 1h18'00
34
Aleksandar Fl¸gel
Kraftwerk Man Machine
+ 1h18'01
35
Petr Ignatenko
Team Tinkoff
+ 1h18'59
36
Aleksej Kunshin
Team Tinkoff
+ 1h21'52
37
Hermann Pernsteiner
Isostar - Slovenija
+ 1h23'21
38
Kaspars Sergis
Evonik - ELKO
+ 1h27'01
39
Mike Aaron Egger
Evonik - ELKO
+ 1h30'43
40
Anatoliy Sosnitskiy
Gazelle
+ 1h31'32
41
Omar Fraile
Desigual
+ 1h31'53
42
Rui Pedro Vinhas
Porto - Prio
+ 1h32'39
43
Josef Hosek
Moser - Sygic
+ 1h33'06
44
Michel Koch
Air France - KLM
+ 1h33'59
45
Idan Shapira
Fablok - Bank BGZ
+ 1h38'23
46
Patrick Bevin
Team Puma - SAP
+ 1h39'27
47
ThÈry Schir
Team UBS
+ 1h40'17
48
Jonathan Salinas
Air France - KLM
+ 1h42'45
49
Ricardo Van der Velde
eBuddy
+ 1h49'08
50
Rohan Dennis
Bennelong - Mitchelton
+ 1h49'54
51
Andrei Sakalou
Evonik - ELKO
+ 1h52'29
52
Nikita Novikov
Team Tinkoff
+ 1h54'52
53
Ondrej Cink
Moser - Sygic
+ 1h59'01
54
Thomas Lˆvkvist
Volvo acc. by Spotify
+ 2h00'03
55
Evgeny Shalunov
Team Tinkoff
+ 2h01'31
56
Jakub Kratochvila
Isostar - Slovenija
+ 2h02'13
57
Tyron Giogieri
RBC Pro Cycling
+ 2h06'29
58
Conor Dunne
Team Puma - SAP
+ 2h07'40
59
Brendan Canty
Bennelong - Mitchelton
+ 2h11'12
60
Souheil Khederi
Aker - MOT
+ 2h12'07
61
Thomas Bonnin
RBC Pro Cycling
+ 2h13'06
62
Caio Godoy
EA Vesuvio
+ 2h13'38
63
Jaka Bostner
Fablok - Bank BGZ
+ 2h20'14
64
Thomas Koep
Aegon - Lavazza
+ 2h20'43
65
Aberlardo Ablenado
Hugo Boss
+ 2h22'11
66
Jose Goncalves
Team UBS
+ 2h25'19
67
Daniel Alexander Jaramillo
Isostar - Slovenija
+ 2h26'09
68
Armanto Archimandritis
Festina - Dexia
+ 2h30'45
69
Artemio Moschella
T-Mobile
+ 2h35'10
70
Jakub Danacik
Moser - Sygic
+ 2h36'43
71
Aleksey Rybalkin
Team Tinkoff
+ 2h40'49
72
Jonathan Hivert
Air France - KLM
+ 2h42'10
73
Colin St¸ssi
Team Puma - SAP
+ 2h45'19
74
Matvey Mamykin
Team Tinkoff
+ 2h48'58
75
Mikayil Krasnoperov
T-Mobile
+ 2h54'49
76
Matteo Fabbro
Festina - Dexia
+ 3h00'44
77
Marko Pavlic
Isostar - Slovenija
+ 3h03'45
78
Gilles Heymes
EA Vesuvio
+ 3h06'42
Points:
1
Simon Spilak
Isostar - Slovenija
188
2
Rein Taaramäe
T-Mobile
155
3
Robert Gesink
Berg Cycles
128
4
Romain Sicard
Air France - KLM
115
5
Pierre-Henri Lecuisinier
Festina - Dexia
108
6
Dominik Nerz
Team Puma - SAP
83
7
Benat Intxausti
Porto - Prio
70
8
Warren Barguil
Moser - Sygic
68
9
Aleksandar Fl¸gel
Kraftwerk Man Machine
63
10
Fredrik Strand Galta
Aker - MOT
60
11
Tim Wellens
Volvo acc. by Spotify
55
12
Nico Keinath
EA Vesuvio
47
13
Thomas Dekker
Aegon - Lavazza
39
14
Steven Kruijswijk
Gazelle
39
15
Omar Fraile
Desigual
34
16
Rohan Dennis
Bennelong - Mitchelton
34
17
Kaspars Sergis
Evonik - ELKO
29
18
Nicolas Roche
Fablok - Bank BGZ
27
19
Tom Jelte Slagter
Hugo Boss
25
20
Vincenzo Nibali
Desigual
23
21
Rafael Reis
Porto - Prio
22
22
Patrick Bevin
Team Puma - SAP
22
23
Patrick Schelling
Team UBS
21
24
Tanel Kangert
Gazelle
19
25
Gianluca Brambilla
eBuddy
17
KOM:
1
Dominik Nerz
Team Puma - SAP
262
2
Fredrik Strand Galta
Aker - MOT
150
3
Simon Spilak
Isostar - Slovenija
107
4
Rein Taaramäe
T-Mobile
105
5
Steven Kruijswijk
Gazelle
82
6
Rui Pedro Vinhas
Porto - Prio
75
7
Kaspars Sergis
Evonik - ELKO
72
8
Romain Sicard
Air France - KLM
50
9
Omar Fraile
Desigual
48
10
Robert Gesink
Berg Cycles
47
11
Pierre-Henri Lecuisinier
Festina - Dexia
43
12
Idan Shapira
Fablok - Bank BGZ
38
13
Mike Aaron Egger
Evonik - ELKO
34
14
Patrick Bevin
Team Puma - SAP
32
15
Warren Barguil
Moser - Sygic
30
16
Vincenzo Nibali
Desigual
28
17
Tim Wellens
Volvo acc. by Spotify
25
18
Alex Ariya Destribois
Berg Cycles
25
19
Jakub Kratochvila
Isostar - Slovenija
24
20
Nico Keinath
EA Vesuvio
19
21
Benat Intxausti
Porto - Prio
18
22
Thomas Bonnin
RBC Pro Cycling
18
23
Gianluca Brambilla
eBuddy
17
24
Rafael Reis
Porto - Prio
13
25
Matvey Mamykin
Team Tinkoff
12
U25:
1
Pierre-Henri Lecuisinier
Festina - Dexia
79h57'23
2
Jack Haig
Bennelong - Mitchelton
+ 36'06
3
Yuriy Vasyliv
Festina - Dexia
+ 56'16
4
Alex Kirsch
EA Vesuvio
+ 1h05'04
5
Mike Aaron Egger
Evonik - ELKO
+ 1h17'47
6
Thèry Schir
Team UBS
+ 1h27'21
7
Andrei Sakalou
Evonik - ELKO
+ 1h39'33
8
Caio Godoy
EA Vesuvio
+ 2h00'42
9
Aleksey Rybalkin
Team Tinkoff
+ 2h27'53
10
Colin St¸ssi
Team Puma - SAP
+ 2h32'23
Teams:
1
Gazelle
240h07'00
2
Isostar - Slovenija
+ 25'42
3
Porto - Prio
+ 39'26
4
Team Puma - SAP
+ 41'08
5
Aegon - Lavazza
+ 1h02'12
6
Festina - Dexia
+ 1h11'48
7
Air France - KLM
+ 1h12'20
8
T-Mobile
+ 1h14'46
9
EA Vesuvio
+ 1h19'55
10
Team Tinkoff
+ 1h19'59
Obviously these are all provisional results without the riders re-added, I will do so before points calculations are done for things like overnight points standings, and certainly tomorrow in final results they'll be there
