Tinkoff Saxo’s Rafal Majka has taken victory on stage eleven of the 102nd Tour De France.
After Chris Froome extended more time into his rivals with a stunning victory on stage ten in La Pierre-Saint-Martin, the race moved onto stage eleven with a second stage in the Hautes-Pyrenese from Pau to Cauterets which covered a distance of 188kms and took in the col d'Aspin and col du Tourmalet climbs on a day of six categorised climbs.
After Joaquim Rodriquez had crashed in the neutral zone, the stage finally got underway with four riders in Lieuwe Westra, Michal Kwiatkowski (Etixx Quick Step), Bob Jungels (Trek) and Edvald Boasson Hagen (MTN Quhbeka) breaking away.
Lampre and Cannondale-Garmin put in chases as the quartet took a thirty second lead after seventeen kilometres and forty seconds as they went through Lourdes with 35.5 kilometres ridden.
Onto the category three côte de Loucrup climb, which was two kilometres long with an average gradient of 7% and the four out front were no longer out having been caught by the peloton.
Thomas Voeckler took the main points for the climb with Cannondale-Garmin’s Dan Martin in second place before there was a split in the peloton. Race leader Chris Froome along with Geraint Thomas were in the front group which saw Etixx Quick Step’s Matteo Trentin take the intermediate sprint at Pouzac and the twenty points on offer ahead of Tinkoff Saxo’s Peter Sagan, who moved back into the lead in the Green Jersey competition and John Degenkolb of Giant Alpecin.
After Bora Argon 18’s Dominik Nerz abandoned, Steve Morabito (FDJ) was first over the top of category four côte de Bagnères-de-Bigorre, a group of fifteen riders tried to launch a new break but by the seventy kilometres gone mark, they had been brought back into the fold.
Then another attack saw Mikaël Chérel (AG2R), Laurens ten Dam (LottoNL-Jumbo) and Jacques Janse van Rensburg (MTN) get away to be quickly re-joined by Alexis Vuillermoz (AG2R), Steve Morabito (FDJ) and Daniel Teklehaimanot (MTN) who was first over the category three côte de Mauvezin climb.
That group was soon caught and more attacks followed with Rafal Majka (Tinkoff), Thomas Voeckler (Europcar) and shortly afterwards Serge Pauwels of MTN taking a six second lead after 76kms with the peloton fifteen seconds behind them before Morabito and Emmanuel Buchmann joined the latest break.
Up sat the peloton, with many taking a natural break, and this group of five, which became seven when Arnaud Démare (FDJ) Julien Simon (Cofidis), joined, were able to take a lead of 2.45 on a day where temperatures were at 27 degrees before Daniele Bennati (Tinkoff-Saxo) crashed and was forced to abandon the race.
On the D529 road, those in the break had a lead of 5.23 as they made their way to the Col d’Aspin which saw a climb of twelve kilometres with an average gradient of 6.5%.
Grivko and Dan Martin went after the escapers whilst Demare started to drop back.
Martin caught up to the group, which had a lead of 7.08 with 73.8kms left and stormed clear to take the points on the Col d’Aspin.
Johan Van Summeren of AG2R and Rui Costa (Lampre-Merida) abandoned the race as the escapers descended on the D918 road before taking on the hors category Col du Tourmalet, which stands at 2,115 metres and sees the first rider over, get the Souvenir Jacques Goddet and €5,000.
Rein Taaramae joined the list of those abandoning, whilst at the front Polish rider Rafal Majka rode through La Mongie clear of the others he had escaped with.
Majka took the climb some 1.18 ahead of Pauwels,Buchmann and Martin and 5.18 ahead of the yellow jersey group and on the descent, narrowly avoided some cows who had strayed on the D918.
Alejandro Valverde clocked a speed of 93.38kmh on the descent which saw Majka making his way through Soulom with a lead of six minutes over the yellow jersey group.
Richie Porte in the Polka Dot jersey was leading Froome’s group Majka extended his lead to 6.30 with 6.3kms left.
Dan Martin caught up and passed Pauwels but Majka was away whilst down the road, Bauke Mollema went on the attack whilst Vincenzo Nibali remained in difficulty as riders were spread all over the road as Majka took the Cote de Cauderets and then went on to take the win in a time of 5.02.01.
Dan Martin finished second, some 59 seconds down with Buchmann, the German champion in third 1.22 down.
Chris Froome finished 5.19 down in ninth place and continues to lead the race by two minutes and fifty two seconds.