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Dancing Up the Mountain
The longest stage of the Tour de France, 237.5 kilometers, feature five categorized climbs, the final a Haute Categorie monster. Astana and the peloton was happy to let a large break away get up the road, they had no worries about the Maillot Jaune, as not one of the 21 riders in the break represented a threat to Vincenzo Nibali, or any of the top ten on GC tucked into the peloton. The break was bound to fall apart once they got to the fourth climb of the day. It was on the way up the Col des Ares that the attacking started, with the ever aggressive Thomas Voeckler (Europcar) being the first to try and dance away when the road pointed up. Voeckler has won twice before in the finishing town of Bagneres-de-Luchon and was riding in hopes of making it a third in a row, a feat not accomplished since 1961. Europcar was well position to make the move having put three men clad in dark green into the break. So it was Voeckler along with Cyril Gautier (Europcar) on the front of the group joined by Jose Serpa (Lampre-Merida) and Jan Bakelants (OPQS) as they toiled up the climb. The break had built up an eleven minute lead on the disinterested peloton, so it was safe to assume they were racing for the stage victory.