Tour de France - report stage 13

Four wins for Mark Cavendish as he out sprints the rest yet again.

Number four! - Pic fotoreporter sirotti

It was never going to happen that the sprint teams would let anyone get away and spoil their party. Taking the chance that they wouldn't were Florent Brard (Cofidis) and Niki Terpstra (Milram), as the two went clear and gained a lead of over seven minutes.

Their lead withered as the pack pulled them back slowly, but surely and when Stéphane Auge (Cofidis) jumped from the pack with Juan Antonio Flecha (Rabobank), Niki Terpstra decided to go it alone some 25 kilometres out from the finish.

Felcha was quickly back in the main bunch whilst Auge and Brard did a few kilometres in a team two up until they too succumbed.

When Terpstra was finally caught at 10 kilometres to go, Stef Clement (Bouygues Telecom) launched a very brief attack before he was replaced by the more formidable Sylvain Chavanel (Cofidis), a rider more than able to succeed. The race responded with Columbia, Milram, Liquigas, Credit Agricole and Argitubel all to the fore in the pace setting.

Under the three kilometre to go flag and the race was as one. Next Liquigas and Milram swapped positions at the front under the red kite, and Robbie McEwen (Silence Lotto) moved to the front only for Mark Cavendish (Columbia) to spring clear to win.

Talking afterward Cavendish said - “I had to give it a final push and give it full gas again at the end because when I did the initial kick I didn’t realize there was a headwind at the finish. I thought, ‘Oh no, I’m going to have to get a further advantage and so I put in another kick with about 100 to go in case I died. I didn’t die and I was able to hold on so I’m pleased."

“My team-mates were willing to put in the work for me. You could see it all day long. There was a breakaway so they had to use their legs and ride hard. I was dropped off by Marcus Burghardt who delivered me to the Liquigas train and then I was able to use that to my advantage and go on to win the stage."

1 Mark Cavendish 43 Team Columbia 4h 25' 42"
2 Robbie McEwen 6 Silence - Lotto 4h 25' 42" @ 00' 00"
3 Romain Feillu 124 Agritubel 4h 25' 42" @ 00' 00"
4 Heinrich Haussler 114 Gerolsteiner 4h 25' 42" @ 00' 00"
5 Oscar Freire 133 Rabobank 4h 25' 42" @ 00' 00"
6 Thor Hushovd 81 Credit Agricole 4h 25' 42" @ 00' 00"
7 Leonardo Duque 186 Cofidis Credit Par Telephone 4h 25' 42" @ 00' 00"
8 Erik Zabel 151 Team Milram 4h 25' 42" @ 00' 00"
9 Julian Dean 193 Garmin Chipotle 4h 25' 42" @ 00' 00"
10 Sébastien Chavanel 162 Francaise Des Jeux 4h 25' 42" @ 00' 00"
11 Robert Hunter 58 Barloworld 4h 25' 42" @ 00' 00"
12 Gert Steegmans 97 Quick Step 4h 25' 42" @ 00' 00"
13 Inaki Isasi 23 Euskaltel - Euskadi 4h 25' 42" @ 00' 00"
14 Arnaud Coyot 33 Caisse d'Epargne 4h 25' 42" @ 00' 00"
15 Ruben Perez 26 Euskaltel - Euskadi 4h 25' 42" @ 00' 00"
16 Xavier Florencio 143 Bouygues Telecom 4h 25' 42" @ 00' 00"
17 Martijn Maaskant 197 Garmin Chipotle 4h 25' 42" @ 00' 00"
18 Alessandro Ballan 72 Lampre 4h 25' 42" @ 00' 00"
19 Robert Förster 112 Gerolsteiner 4h 25' 42" @ 00' 00"
20 Jimmy Casper 123 Agritubel 4h 25' 42" @ 00' 00"
22 David Millar 198 Garmin Chipotle 4h 25' 42" @ 00' 00"
25 Alejandro Valverde 31 Caisse d'Epargne 4h 25' 42" @ 00' 00"
26 Francesco Chicchi 63 Liquigas 4h 25' 42" @ 00' 00"
29 Christian Vandevelde 191 Garmin Chipotle 4h 25' 42" @ 00' 00"
37 Cadel Evans 1 Silence - Lotto 4h 25' 42" @ 00' 00"
40 Damiano Cunego 71 Lampre 4h 25' 42" @ 00' 00"
50 Carlos Sastre 11 Team CSC Saxo Bank 4h 25' 42" @ 00' 00"
64 Denis Menchov 131 Rabobank 4h 25' 42" @ 00' 00"

General Classification (Yellow jersey)
1 Cadel Evans 1 Silence - Lotto 54h 48' 47"
2 Frank Schleck 17 Team CSC Saxo Bank 54h 48' 48" @ 00' 01"
3 Christian Vandevelde 191 Garmin Chipotle 54h 49' 25" @ 00' 38"
4 Bernhard Kohl 115 Gerolsteiner 54h 49' 33" @ 00' 46"
5 Denis Menchov 131 Rabobank 54h 49' 44" @ 00' 57"
6 Carlos Sastre 11 Team CSC Saxo Bank 54h 50' 15" @ 01' 28"
7 Kim Kirchen 41 Team Columbia 54h 50' 43" @ 01' 56"
8 Vladimir Efimkin 104 Ag2r-La Mondiale 54h 51' 19" @ 02' 32"
9 Mikel Astarloza 22 Euskaltel - Euskadi 54h 52' 38" @ 03' 51"
10 Vincenzo Nibali 67 Liquigas 54h 53' 05" @ 04' 18"
12 Alejandro Valverde 31 Caisse d'Epargne 54h 53' 28" @ 04' 41"
14 Damiano Cunego 71 Lampre 54h 54' 24" @ 05' 37"
15 Oscar Pereiro 37 Caisse d'Epargne 54h 54' 48" @ 06' 01"

Sprint (Green jersey)
1 Oscar Freire 133 Rabobank 184 Pts
2 Mark Cavendish 43 Team Columbia 156 Pts
3 Thor Hushovd 81 Credit Agricole 156 Pts
4 Erik Zabel 151 Team Milram 141 Pts
5 Kim Kirchen 41 Team Columbia 138 Pts
6 Robert Hunter 58 Barloworld 110 Pts
7 Leonardo Duque 186 Cofidis Credit Par Telephone 107 pts
8 Robbie McEwen 6 Silence - Lotto 105 pts
9 Alejandro Valverde 31 Caisse d'Epargne 97 Pts
10 Romain Feillu 124 Agritubel 94 Pts

Mountains (Polka Dot jersey)
1 Sebastian Lang 117 Gerolsteiner 60 Pts
2 Bernhard Kohl 115 Gerolsteiner 57 Pts
3 Frank Schleck 17 Team CSC Saxo Bank 46 pts
4 Luis-Leon Sanchez 39 Caisse d'Epargne 31 Pts
5 Cadel Evans 1 Silence - Lotto 30 pts
6 Vincenzo Nibali 67 Liquigas 30 Pts
7 Sylvain Chavanel 181 Cofidis Credit Par Telephone 27 pts
8 Thomas Voeckler 149 Bouygues Telecom 27 Pts
9 Denis Menchov 131 Rabobank 24 Pts
10 Vladimir Efimkin 104 Ag2r-La Mondiale 24 Pts