Euskatel's Samuel Sanchez won stage twelve of the Tour De France this afternoon.
The race moved into the mountains for the first time and it rolled out early from Cugnaux, a town with a 17,000 population, some ten kilometres from Toulouse.
Today's destination via the legendary Col du Tourmalet saw a finish on an 80m finishing straight at Luz Ardiden after a climb of 13.3km on a gradient of 7.4%.
With Vancansoleil's Romain Feillu not starting due to tendinitis, 177 riders set off.
Six riders got away early and Team Sky's Geraint Thomas was in the break along with Jose Ivan Gutierrez (Movistar), Laurent Mangel (Saur-Sojasun), Ruben Perez (Euskatel), Jeremy Roy (FDJ) and AG2R's Blel Kadri who hailed from nearby.
They were seven and a half minutes ahead as the race headed into the Hautes Pyrenees.
The day's sprint came at Sarrancolin with 92kms to go and it was a Frenchman on Bastille Day,- Laurent Mangel who took the twenty sprint points. Geraint Thomas took ten points with nine points for Green Jersey wearing Mark Cavendish.
Polka dot jersery wearer Jonny Hoogerland who had 33 stitches holding his lower half together after ending up in a barbed wire fence on Sunday, attacked from the peleton trying to keep his jersey along with Astana's Roman Kreuziger and Quick Step's Sylvan Chavanel.
Mangel took the point on the Category One La Hourquette d'Ancizen but just past the summit and in front of a woman waving a Welsh flag, Geraint Thomas has his backwheel spin out and he was able to miss a quad bike and land on some grass. He was able to remount. Problems with his rims were being muted but at the same point, a few minutes later, proof that it was the road surface was confirmed when yellow jersey wearing Thomas Voeckler went off the course and a number of riders including Andreas Klodden and an Eustaktel rider went down.
Thomas had lost a bit of time on the five escapers who were now tackling what was a technical descent before they started on the ascent of the Col du Tournmalet.
The Welshman (pictured below) put in a supreme effort and not only caught those in front but over took them and went away with 40kms to go.
Thomas had a three and a half minute lead on the yellow jersey peleton as he made his way to Souvenier Jacques Goddet on the top of the 2115m Col du Tournmalet in front of massive crowds which included a large number of Brits who had waited for hours to see the riders appear out of the gloom.
Unfortunately, Thomas missed out on the £5k prize for being first over the top as he was pipped by Jeremy Roy who also took twenty points for winning the first Hors Category climb.
With speeds touching 90km/h on the descent, there was one more Hors Category climb to concern the riders and that was at the finish at Luz Ardiden.
Thomas, who won the Brandt Combativity Rider of the day award, and Roy were just over two minutes clear with 10kms to go. But two kms up the road, Eustkatel's Samuel Sanchez and Vanendert of Omega Pharma Lotto got past them.
Nicholas Roche (pictured above) was in a group with Philippe Gilbert just behind a group containing the likes of Alberto Contador, the Schlecks, Cadel Evans and Ivan Basso and Thomas Voeckler.
The Basques were loving having one of their countrymen in the lead as the riders carried on up to the top of the Hors Category Luz Ardiden.
Frank Schleck and Cadel Evans attacked as the front two went under the flam rouge with a 48 second lead.
Samuel Sanchez shot away and took the win in a time of 6hr 1mns and 15 seconds ahead of Vanendert, Roy, Frank Schleck, Hoogerland and Geraint Thomas.
Thomas Voeckler kept his yellow jersey after coming in 50 seconds back and leads Frank Schleck by a minute and 49 seconds. Nicholas Roche is tenth, four minutes and 59 seconds down.
Samuel Sanchez takes over the King Of The Mountains jersey from Jonny Hoogerland.
Tomorrow's Stage 12 is from Pau to Lourdes.
Pictures copyright of Covsupport News Service. Credit CNS/KM and ©Pool/Tim De Waele