It's a cool 17 degrees Celsius as the riders report to the start line for what should be a crazy 210kms of racing. The french crowds line the street hoping to see a great race just like managers sitting at home watching on their TVs.
The opening attack comes from Nacer Bouhanni, and Puma-SAP are showing they aren't afraid of these Pro Tour teams right at the gun. He is followed by, Sven Vandousselaere Sebastien Einsle Edward King
Anthony Lavoine shows Festina tactics pretty earlier by getting in the breakaway. Filippo Pozzato and Diego Ulissi are clearly the options if Festina are willing to send their best sprinter up front.
When the road finally smoothed out the attacks started right up again looking to create the breakaway of day. Elinsle, Bouhanni, Vandousselaere, and Sobota were all at it once again for the second time today.
After all the hard chasing we get our first dropped riders, Jaime Alberto Castañeda Alexander Kristoff
Not a good sign if you are rooting on the sprinters with Castañeda dropping this early with 160kms to go.
Now back to the attacks up front as we are still searching for the breakaway of the day as a few new attackers show themselves. Carlos Betancourt Salvatore Mancuso
and Martin Pedersen makes another appearance.
Here we go again, more follow up attacks. However this time around we get to see a few new faces as it looks like the morning attackers are out of energy. The new hopefuls are Matej Mugerli Pieter Jacobs Sylvain Chavanel
As we circle around back to the start line, with 136kms to go, more riders want to try this breakaway attempt. Santo Anza Francisco Javier Echarri
It's taken 90kms, but we finally got the breakaway of the day! Santander must be feeling lucky after sneaking Echarri into the group on their first attack, along with Jack Wolfskin who got the hometown hero Chavanel in on their first attack as well. But on the other hand, Pendleton's, Festina, Colombia, B&O, and perhaps Wikipedia must be kicking themselves after trying numerous times earlier in the day and failing.
The breakaway is quickly brought to 6 riders as Pedersen and Jacobs are dropped from the group. Pedersen can blame it on fatigue, and Jacobs just couldn't handle the tough inclines. Then a few kms later Echarri is dropped for good as well.
As well back in the peloton more riders are dropping. Dan Holloway Leonardo Duque and Honorio Machado Óscar Avelino
Are just the headline riders that can say goodbye to the peloton with 80kms to go. Many of the other sprinters are now starting to get worried.
Pedersen, Jacobs, and Echarri are picked up by the peloton as the hills start to get even harder, if that was even possible. Riders start dropping like flies now, who is going to make it out of the hills and onto the Champs Elysees waiting in the distance?
Infighting starts in the breakaway, as now lapped riders start to cause problems and confusion. Could this be what the breakaway needs to survive?
Nope, with 1 lap left the breakaway is caught.
Aleksandr Efimkin crashes at the worst time and will lose some valuable points for his team as the peloton isn't going to stop and wait for him.
Confusion sets in as Summerhill attacks again into a large group of lapped riders. Could this be the winning move?
No, Summerhill is pulled back as the peloton infuses into the lapped riders. There is no time set up sprint trains as the peloton is caught in these riders. Whoever can come out of the chaos in the lead will surely win
It's Tom Boonen! Trying to stick to his wheel are Sam Bewley Simone Ponzi Philippe Gilbert Filippo Pozzato and Diego Ulissi.
Robert Gesink, Edvald Boasson Hagen, Frank Schleck, and Jan Bakelants round out the top 10 in a crazy finish with lapped riders causing all the problems. The organizers will surely look over the route in make some changes for next year because the last 10kms was really dangerous for all the riders. But it did make it pretty interesting for the viewers, which I guess is all that matters.
Disappointing day for the sprinters that didn't make it through the hills, Daniele Bennati, Romain Vanderbiest, Francisco Ventoso, Matthew Goss, and Maximiliano Richeze, will regret the outcome today.
