Along the River's Edge
After climbing the Col de la Mure, the second of two Cat 2 climbs on today's stage, the peloton dropped down to speed along the edge of the Rhone River for a flat 39 kilometer all out run to Le Teil. With that much distance from the final climb to the finishing line, it was likely to be a day for the sprinters. Sadly for Trek Factory Racing, their sprinter, Giacomo Nizzoli, crashed out of the race before getting to contest a single sprint in the Dauphine. He had the frustration earlier in the Giro d'Italia of always finishing second to other sprinters at the Italian finish lines.