Today’s stage didn’t really make much different to the overall standings, though when Oscar Periero attacked midway through the stage it looked for a moment he was going to do a 2006 all over again and claw back the minutes he was down on GC. It wasn’t to be though and a break of 12 men stayed away with Kurt-Alse Arvesen taking the victory.

The last few days however have seen things shake up in dramatic fashion.

Cadel Evans has moved into Yellow. He didn’t go out and clean up a stage but he held in there when it mattered, limited the attacks from those around him and in the case of Frank Schleck just about held him back enough to move into yellow by one second heading out of the first mountain stages.

There were some superb rides in the mountain stages however that threw up some surprises. Alejandro Valverde, one of the pre-race favourites blew up on the big mountains and lost a lot of minutes to the riders around him. It was the shock that I wasn’t shocked to see. I had a feeling one of the big names would turn out not to be quite as big as expected. It has left Valverde out of the running for the overall, baring a miracle and now only going for stage wins.

Still, with the entire Alps to come anything can happen and I don’t think we’ve seen the last attack, crack or suprise before Paris yet.

Category: Pro Road Racing » Cadel Evans, Tour de France |

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