Europcar's Tommy Voeckler won the tenth stage of the Tour De France this afternoon.
Today was a 194.5km stage from Mâcon to Bellegarde-sur-Valserine, at the foot of Haute Chaine du Jura and saw Liquigas' Peter Sagan who has already won three stages in this year's race, attack followed by Cyril Lemoine (Saur Sajosun) and Andriy Grivko (Astana).
Kiryienka (MOV) and Jerome (EUC) then crashed before we reached the 6kms stage.
Garmin's David Millar tried to bridge the gap to the three escapers but was brought back by a chasing group which had now increased to 23 riders.
The escapers were caught and a group containing Burghardt and Cummings (BMC), Popovych and Voigt (RNT), Arashiro (EUC), Martinez (EUS), Sagan (LIQ), Scarponi (LAM), Millar and Zabriskie (GRS), Peraud (ALM), Jeandesboz (SAU), Horrach (KAT), Casar, Hutarovich and Ladagnous (FDJ), Sanchez (RAB), Kroon and Morkov (STB), Fofonov and Grivko (AST), Devenyns (OPQ), Gerrans and Goss (OGE) took to the front.
After 50kms, their lead had gone out to 4.50 ahead of race leader Bradley Wiggins, who has said that he is taking every stage day by day, and the rest of the peloton which was without the injured Tony Martin and Remy Di Gregorio who had been arrested.
The gap went out to seven minutes as the riders started on the Category 2 Col de Corlier. Michael Morkov of Saxo Bank took the five points at the summit ahead of Grivko and Jens Voigt with 104kms to go.
As we reached the 100kms to go mark, Sky started to eat in to the lead of the 25 escapers.
The day's intermediate sprint came at Beon with 64kms to go. Green Jersey wearing Peter Sagan went but it was Matt Goss who took the twenty points with Hutarovich taking 17 points and Sagan 15.
Things started to get hilly as the race moved to its biggest mountain so far, the 1501m Hors CategoryCol du Grand Colombier which had a climb of 17.4kms and gradients of up to 12%.
Amidst stunning scenary in temperatures of 22oc, there were switch backs galore going up this mountain and this took its toll on some of 25 up front. Seven riders were able to get away before Luis Leon Sanchez tried his luck.
Sanchez was soon brought back by Tommy Voeckler, Dres Devenyns and Michele Scarponi (pictured below).
Thomas Voeckler was the first over the climb and took 25 points, ahead of Scarponi (20pts) and Sanchez (16pts).
Back down the road, wherever, Cadel Evans went, Bradley Wiggins followed. Michael Rogers suffered a flat tyre going round a bend. Vincenzo Nibali, a highly respected descender and also a threat to the yellow jersey, shot away from Wiggins and Evans.
Nibali caught up to Peter Sagan and some of the tail enders who had been involved in the earlier 25 man break.
The four out front were now on the climb up to the Category Three Col de Richemond on the D30 whilst the gap to the peloton had dropped to three minutes.
Europcar rider Voeckler took the two points on the climb ahead of Scaponi to give him the King Of The Mountains jersey tonight.
The race continued and thoughts were turning towards the finish line in Bellegarde Sur Valserine on the avenue Saint Exupery which is an uphill straight that is 280m long.
Radio Shack's Jens Voigt put in a tremendous effort and caught the front four with nine kms to go.
At Billiat, the five were being persued by Jurgen Van Den Broeck and Pierre Rolland who was 42 seconds ahead of the peloton, some 3.30 down on the front five.
With 3.2kms to go, Dres Devenyns attacked. Voigt, who had been dipping into the suitcase of courage all day, went after him. as did Voeckler who shot past Dres Devenyns and stayed away to win in a time of 4.46.26 with Scarponi second and Voigt third.
Bradley Wiggins group came in 3.16 back.
Voeckler (pictured above) said to Eurosport: "This is my tenth tour and I'm 33. It was amazing and I could not give up. I wanted to win the stage today and I got it."
Picture copyright of ASO
Bradley Wiggins continues to lead Evans by 1.53 with Chris Froome third and Nicholas Roche ninth.
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