Today's break is made up of Noelson(GLM), Konnaugh(EDR), McDonald(DRP), Hansen(GAM), Caldwell(USG), Lund(SAX), and Ghyllobert.
They would be caught with 22 K to go.
Gasparotto(AST) attacked with 9 K to go but couldn't get away.
With 7 K to go Lopez Garcia(RSH), Sitherland(USC), and C. A. Sorensen(SAX) attacked but none of them were able to get away.
Gasparotto sprinted up the uphill before the finish to win.
Favorites
Gasparotto-AST Armstrong-USG
Pidgornyy-ISD
Lopez Garcia-RSH
C. A. Sorensen-SAX
Diarte-CAP
Today's break is made up of Neber(GLM), Borton(BMC), Mejias Leal(RSH), Arashiro(SKS), Ricci Bitti(ISD), and McBain(USG).
Borton(BMC), Neber(GLM), Mejias Leal(RSH) and McBain(USG) are the first to top the Penhas Douradas climb. Ricci Bitti(ISD) comes in 1:23 behind them.
Arashiro comes over the top 3:33 behind the lead group. A 40-man pack comes through 4:24 behind the leaders.
With 24 K to go Neber attackes.
Neber is the first to cross over the top of the finishing climb on the first time it is passed. Mejias Leal, Borton, and McBain come through 1:15 behind and the pelaton comes through 3:07 behind the leader.
With 6 K to go Neber is the only one out front, with a lead of 50 seconds.
With 5 K to go Armsrrong(USG), Gasparotto(AST), Kussiakoff(GAM), and Sorensen(SAX) attack but none of them are able to get away.
Neber wins the stage with the peloton right behind him. Lance comes in 12th on the stage, but moves to 6th in the overall.
Today's break is made up of Hansen(GAM), Pessoni(SKY), Devine(USG), Jorgensen(SAX), Bencik(PSK), and Stonnard(SKS).
The Pelaton set a hard pase up the major climb before the finishing climb. Most of the breakaway was caught then. Also, Pidgornyy fell of the pase and would lose time at the end of the day. Gaparotto also fell off the pase. Hansen(GAM) and Pessoni(SKY) were the first over the top of the climb. A 15-man pack went over next, 1:04 behind. Astana worked hard to help Gasparotto catch up.
With 7 K to go Diarte(CAP), Armstrong, Rujano(ISD), and Puuwels(SKY) but they weren't able to get any where. Hansen and Pessoni were caught at the same time.
Yellow Jersey holder Diarte crashed and would lose 58 seconds at the end of the day.
Rujano outsprints Lopez Garcia, Kussiakoff, and Armstrong for the win and the yellow jersey.
Today's break is made up of Jorgensen(SAX), Joul Jensen(GLM), Muller(PST), Jinkins(USC), Kump, Nymid(BMC), and Devine(USG).
Kump and Jinkins attacked on the Aroez climb, meanwhile Devine (after collecting his mountain points, coming in fourth on the sprint) sat up and droped pack to the pack to help Lance, later in the day. Surprisingly Jorgensen, Joul Jensen, Muller, and Nymid went with Devine.
With 39 Armstrong attacked out of the Peleton.
With 35 K to go Siutsou and then Gasparotto attacked. Gasparotto wasn't able to get away, but Siutsou bridged up to Armstrong, where they worked together to pass Kump and Jinkins. However, it was in vain as the pack caught them 24 K to go.
Siutsou attacked again with 16 K to go.
With 12 K to go Rujano(ISD), Roux(PSK), Gasparotto(AST), and Sorensen(SAX) attacked. Only Gasparotto was able to get away and he bridged up to Siutsou. Gasparotto and Siutsou worked together but the Peleton swollowed them up with 8 K to go.
Gasparotto outsprints the others in the Peleton and gets the win.
Today's break is made up of Kalun(USC), Caoni(SKY), McCallum(EDR), Pedersen(CCC), Mirandi(SMS), Noelsen(GLM), Dyachenko(AST), and Devine(USG).
With 25 K to go the break still had over a 12 minute lead over the pack and Kalun attacked
With 2 K to go (for the break) Kalun was still in front. Mirandi, Dyachenko, and Caoni were 1:11 back, while Noelsen, Devine, McCallum, and Pedersen were 1:39 behind Kalun.
With 4 K to go (for the peleton) Armstrong attacked.
Kalun gets the stage.
A sprinting peleton catches Armstrong on the line, however some gaps opened up in the sprint.
Team USA 2011
Van Garderen will start his season off as our leader for Paris-Nice, but his fitiness is horrible, so he probably won't get a top ten. Farrar will go for some stage wins and the sprinters jersey.
Major GC Competitors
A. Schleck-SAX
S. Sanchez-EUS
F. Schleck-SAX
Van den Broeck-OLO
L. L. Sanchez-GCE
Menchov-RAB
Nibali-LIQ
Brajkovic-AST
Vinokourov-CAT
Paris-Nice: Stage 1
Favorites
L. L. Sanchez-GCE
Boom-RAB
Chavanel-QST Firrar-USG
Grivko-AST
Lincaster-THR
Not a great ride by Farrar as he comes in 9 seconds behind the current first place Voigt, he would go on to finish 11th in the end.
Boom becomes the current first place as he comes in 9 seconds ahead of Kenovalovas.
A horrible ride by Van Garderen coming in 54 seconds back of Boom.
Spain ITT champ L. L. Sanchez comes in with the new best time, beating Boom by 5 seconds.
Andy Schleck is the last one on the course. He comes in 32nd place, with 40 seconds to make up on defending champ L. L. Sanchez.
Today there was a solo breakaway by Vagano(SKY). He couldn't get more than a 2 minute lead and was caught with 55 K to go.
Firrar wins the second intermediate sprint, coming in front of Steegmans and Boom.
Lequatre lead out Steegmans, while Greipel sat third in line and Firrar fourth.
Firrar was doing great, and was just about to move out from Greipel and Steegmans to get the win. Then catastrophe struck. Greipel crashed in a turn, bringing Firrar down with him.
This caused a mass pile up including GC competitors Vinokourov, Nibali, Karchen, Menchov, and Mitto. None of them would lose any time. BBox sprinter Jimmy Casper and Radioshack leadout man Geoffroy Lequatre were injured to badly in the crash and had to abandon the race.
Favorites
A. Schleck-SAX
Rudriguez-CAT
Chunego-THR
F. Schleck-SAX
S. Sanchez-EUS
L. L. Sanchez-GCE
Karchen-CAT
Today's break is made up of Rillin(CTT), Guldhammer(THR), De Greef(OLO), Gadret(ALM), Dewning(SKY), Stelder(BMC), Zingle(COF), Mourey(FDJ), and Malacarne(QST).
With 22 K to go Rillin and Malacarne are the only ones still in front. Chavanel(QST), Nibali(LIQ), Van den Broeck(OLO), and L. L. Sanchez(GCE) attack.
Only Chavanel and Nibali are able to get away. They work with Rillin and Malacarne to try to stay out front. But they are caught with 20 K to go. Right when they are caught Karchen(CAT), F. Schleck(SAX), Txurruka(EUS), and L. L. Sanchez(GCE) attack.
They are able to get away and form a new lead group, but the pack catches them with 16 K to go. When they are caught Kenovalovas(CTT), Visconti(LAM), A. Shleck(SAX), Kruon(BMC), and Ladagnous(FDJ) attack.
They are caught with 14 K to go.
With 8 K to go F. Schleck, L L. Sanchez, Karchen, and Chunego attack.
Schleck is the last to be caught with 2 K to go.
Bazayev(AST) is the strongest sprinter and he gets the win. Farrar didn't have the energy to challenge him, and he can only manage 5th.
Favorites
A. Schleck-SAX
F. Schleck-SAX
Rudriguez-CAT
Vinokourov-CAT
Karchen-CAT
S. Sanchez-EUS
I am not sure how this happened, but Mitto(EUS) and Sustre(CTT) are over 3 minutes back. Today's break is made up of Sustre(CTT), Mitto(EUS),(both Sustre and Mitto are over 3 minutes back) Schroder(MLR), De Gregorio(FDJ), Bonnaire(FDJ), Ljungblad(OLO), Charteau(BLT), Reynes(RSH), and Mori(LAM).
With 3 K to go F. Schleck, Cunego, L L. Sanchez, Nibali, Karchen attack. At the same time the break is caught.
Schleck's attack takes him clear to the line as the World Champion shows off his jersey as he wins the stage. Van Garderen finishes 40th, 2 minutes back. However he does get the young rider jersey.
Several riders attacked and tried to form a breakaway, but they were alway's pulled back before they could get over 2 minutes lead by the hard work Team USA and Caisse d'Epargne.
Firrar was not in great position for the start of the mass sprint, as he did not have a leadout man.
Despite the bad position Firrar moved to the front to get the win.
Today's break is made up of Lang(OLO), Pichot(BLT), Hent(SKY), Le Lay(ALM), Wynants(QST), Dyachenko(AST), Beppu(RSH), Riccio(ISD), Tift(GAM) and Racchetti.
Tift is the last of the break is caught with 7 K to go.
Vona(ISD) starts the sprint off at 1.5 K to go and is able to pass everybody else for the win.
