2011 Tour de France, Stage 1 to Stage 11
Encyclopedia
These are the profiles for the individual stages in the 2011 Tour de France
, with Stage 1 on 2 July, and Stage 11 on 13 July.
to Mont des Alouettes
, 191.5 km (119 mi)
The Tour started with a road stage rather than the traditional prologue time trial, and with an uphill finish. The day started with a non-racing parade over the tidal Passage du Gois
. When underway, the riders initially followed the coast, where the wind could have had an impact, before heading inland to Les Herbiers
and the finish on the Mont des Alouettes.
The first breakaway of the Tour was formed by three riders: Lieuwe Westra
of , Perrig Quemeneur
of and Jérémy Roy
of . They attacked from the very beginning of the race and their maximum advantage was over six minutes. The top places in the intermediate sprint after 87 km (54 mi) were won by the breakaway members and the new points distribution saw green jersey contenders competing for the rest of points. Tyler Farrar
took fourth place ahead of André Greipel
. About nine kilometres from the end, Maxim Iglinsky
collided with a spectator, and the resulting crash held up the majority of the field, including Alberto Contador
and Samuel Sánchez
. This group were chasing the lead group of 78 riders, until within the last three kilometers, they were delayed by another crash that had split the lead group approximately in half. On the uphill finish, an attack by Fabian Cancellara
was successfully countered by Philippe Gilbert
, who was favourite for the stage, and who finished three seconds clear of Cadel Evans
, who finished a similar margin clear of the chasing group. Due to rules that protect riders against time lost due to accidents in the latter stages of a race, about 40 riders who had been in the same group as Gilbert and others at 3 km (2 mi) to go, but who were delayed by a later crash, were awarded the same time as those who finished just behind Gilbert and Evans, but those who caught up with them, having been delayed in the Iglinsky incident, lost at least 1'20".
, 23 km (14 mi) team time trial
(TTT)
The team time trial was relatively short at 23 km (14 mi) and mostly flat, so large time gaps were not expected. , who saw all their GC contenders lose nearly two minutes on stage 1, won the stage to place their world champion
Thor Hushovd
in the overall lead, while Cadel Evans
, who had a three second advantage over Hushovd going into the stage, was almost able to take the yellow jersey, as his team took just four seconds longer than to come second, a fraction of a second faster than .
to Redon
, 198 km (123 mi)
The break of the day, consisting of Mickaël Delage
, José Iván Gutiérrez , Rubén Pérez
, Maxime Bouet
and Niki Terpstra
went clear within the opening kilometre of racing. Their lead reached a maximum of eight minutes after 80 km (50 mi). The members of the breakaway took the intermediate sprint, but the sprint for remaining points caused controversy, as Mark Cavendish
, who won the sprint, later had the points he won at this stage removed, as did Thor Hushovd
. Delage and Gutiérrez were the last pair of the break to remain clear of the peloton, but were caught with 9 km (6 mi) remaining. The stage was won by Hushovd's team mate Tyler Farrar
, who took his first individual Tour stage win. Farrar formed a 'W' sign with his fingers on the line in homage to his friend Wouter Weylandt
who died in a crash on the Giro d'Italia in May. rider José Joaquín Rojas
, third on the stage, assumed the lead of the points classification from Philippe Gilbert
.
to Mûr-de-Bretagne
, 172.5 km (107 mi)
This was an undulating course, with a steep hill shortly before the finish. A five man breakaway group escaped after 9 km (6 mi), consisting of Jérémy Roy
, Blel Kadri , Imanol Erviti
, Johnny Hoogerland
and Gorka Izagirre
, and remained on their own until the foot of the Mûr-de-Bretagne. Defending champion Alberto Contador
was the first to attack in the closing stages, causing several splits in the field, including a group of ten at the front of the race. As Contador's initial attack failed, Jurgen Van Den Broeck
tried to break clear, but was caught up by the front group, and Cadel Evans
, third in the overall standings at the beginning of the day, held off a final sprint from Contador to win the stage, but the presence of Thor Hushovd
in the lead group meant that Hushovd kept the overall lead, while Evans took the lead in the mountains classification.
to Cap Fréhel
, 164.5 km (102 mi)
Many riders tried to get into the breakaway in this stage, but the final breakaway was formed of 4 riders: José Iván Gutiérrez
, Tristan Valentin
, Sébastien Turgot
, and Anthony Delaplace
. They had a maximum advantage of 5 minutes. The intermediate sprint was won by the breakaway riders, while in the peloton
Borut Božič
took the highest remaining points haul. José Joaquín Rojas
and Tom Boonen
were penalised for irregular sprinting at this point, a penalty that cost Rojas his lead in the green jersey competition. After the intermediate sprint, set a very high pace and there were many crashes in the peloton, one of which involved Janez Brajkovič
, who had to abandon due to a broken collarbone and concussion. Another crash involved Nicki Sørensen
who fall off when his bike was clipped by a photo motorcycle and it was dragged along by it for 200m. Alberto Contador
, Robert Gesink
, Tom Boonen
, Sylvain Chavanel
and Iván Velasco
, who substained a broken collarbone, were among other riders who crashed on this stage. The breakaway was caught with 45 km (28 mi) to go, but Thomas Voeckler
and Jérémy Roy
attacked with 32 km (20 mi) to go, creating a maximum gap of one minute, and the race was in the last 2 km (1 mi) before Voeckler was caught. A late attack by Edvald Boasson Hagen
disrupted the lead out lines for the main sprinters, but Mark Cavendish
nevertheless took the victory ahead of Philippe Gilbert
in the last 50 metres. There were no changes among the leading riders and contenders for the General Classification, but Gilbert assumed the lead in the sprinters' competition, although this was confirmed only after Rojas had been presented with the leader's jersey on the podium.
to Lisieux
, 226.5 km (141 mi)
This was another undulating stage with a hill in the last few kilometres, expected to suit classics specialists. Lieuwe Westra
initiated the main break of the day, eventually joined by his teammate Johnny Hoogerland
, Anthony Roux
, Leonardo Duque
and Adriano Malori
. Their lead reached 12 minutes, and Hoogerland added to the point in the mountains classification that he already had on the first two categorised climbs of the day, and thus ensured that he would take over the polka-dot jersey, and he, along with Roux and Duque, had ceased trying to stay clear when there were still some 60 km remaining, but Westra and Malori persisted, with Malori only caught with less than three km remaining. A late attack by Jelle Vanendert
and Thomas Voeckler
was caught with a kilometre remaining, and the sprint was eventually won by Edvald Boasson Hagen
of , with fellow Norwegian Thor Hushovd
finishing third to retain the yellow jersey. Although there were several heavy rain showers, there were fewer falls than in the previous stage, although GC contender Levi Leipheimer
fell and lost more than a minute.
to Châteauroux
, 218 km (135 mi)
This stage had no climbing points available, and was considered to be very much a chance for the sprint specialists to contest the stage win. The break formed very early in the stage, with two riders from , Gianni Meersman
and Mickaël Delage
along with Yannick Talabardon
and Pablo Urtasun . A crash with 40 km (25 mi) remaining caused injuries to Bradley Wiggins
of and Chris Horner
of that caused them to retire from the race, while other GC contenders to lose time included Levi Leipheimer
, Ryder Hesjedal
, Roman Kreuziger
, Rigoberto Uran
and Bauke Mollema
. The sprint train of dominated the closing stages of the races, allowing Mark Cavendish
to take the stage win. Overall leader Thor Hushovd
finished in seventh place to retain that position.
to Super Besse
, 189 km (117 mi)
This stage had the first category two climb of the race, and brought the race into the higher climbs of the Massif Central
. By the ascent of the day's main climb, in the final 25km, four riders from the original nine-man break remained clear: Rui Costa
, Christophe Riblon
, Tejay Van Garderen
and Cyril Gautier
. On that climb, several riders attempted to attack from the group, of whom Juan Antonio Flecha
and Alexander Vinokourov
attained a considerable margin over the peloton as they pursued the leader. Vinokourov started the stage only 32 seconds behind overall leader Thor Hushovd
, and this was thought to be a bid to take the yellow jersey. The final climb to the Super Besse ski station saw several attempts at breaks among the leaders, and eventually Costa was able to open a gap to the rest of the breakaway group. Vinokourov overhauled the rest of the escapees, but he was caught within the last kilometre, while Costa won the stage. Philippe Gilbert
broke clear of the peloton to secure second place, and the lead in the points competition, while Hushovd, contrary to expectations, finished in the first group to retain his overall lead. Van Garderen, by virtue of having been the first rider over the category two Col de la Croix Saint-Robert, assumed the lead in the climbers' category.
to Saint-Flour
, 208 km (129 mi)
This stage, like the preceding one, had more points available for the king of the mountains competition than all the preceding stages added together. There were no breaks from the peloton until the first climb of the day, which was contested by Thomas Voeckler
and Johnny Hoogerland
, who were joined by Juan Antonio Flecha
, Sandy Casar
, Luis León Sánchez
and Niki Terpstra
. Terpstra was unable to stay with the escapees on higher climbs as the day went on, but the remaining five riders extended their lead. An early fall by Alberto Contador
, after a collision with Vladimir Karpets
, caused aggravation to an earlier knee injury, but a later fall delayed many riders, and caused the elimination of GC contenders Alexander Vinokourov
and Jurgen Van Den Broeck
, and injury to Andreas Klöden
and other riders. The pursuit of the breakaway was delayed to allow riders involved in the crash, or who stopped to help their colleagues, to rejoin the peloton, thus increasing the likelihood that Voeckler, less than a minute and a half behind in the general classification, would take over the race leadership. Within the final 40 km, two of the leading five riders were involved in a dramatic crash after Juan Antonio Flecha
was sideswiped by a France Télévisions
car during an overtaking manoeuvre, causing fellow breakaway rider, Johnny Hoogerland
to crash into a barbed wire fence. His wound required 33 stitches. Although both riders were able to finish the stage and they shared the combative rider award for the day (one of the rare cases when it had been jointly awarded), they were unable to stay ahead of the peloton. The other three riders from the breakaway retained most of their lead, with little urgency among the peloton for reducing their winning margin, and Sánchez sprinted clear to take the stage. Voeckler assumed the overall lead and Hoogerland had gained enough points prior to his crash to regain leadership in the King of the Mountains competition, while Philippe Gilbert
was again the first to finish from the main group, extending his lead in the points classification.
to Carmaux
, 158 km (98 mi)
The stage after the first rest day returned to lower altitudes, and had only third and fourth category climbs. A six man breakaway group became established after 11 km, consisting of Rémy Di Gregorio
, Arthur Vichot
, Sébastien Minard
, Julien El Fares
, Marco Marcato
and Anthony Delaplace
, but never had more than three minutes advantage, and was finally caught by late breakaways, and eventually most of the field, on the ascent of the final climb, some 15 km from the finish. That late break was started by Philippe Gilbert
, leader of the points competition, and overall leader Thomas Voeckler
, and also had Tony Gallopin
, Dries Devenyns
and Tony Martin
. This break was unsuccessful, but prevented the usual sprinters' trains, and in the final kilometre, Mark Cavendish
was following Daniel Oss
prior to his final effort. André Greipel
, who had been following Cavendish, was able to pass him in the final straight to win the stage, while Cavendish and third placed José Joaquín Rojas
reduced Gilbert's lead in the points competition on a day that had no effect on the upper reaches of the general classification.
to Lavaur
, 167.5 km (104 mi)
On another stage that was expected to suit sprint specialists, the six members of the breakaway group (Rubén Pérez
, Lars Boom
, Andriy Grivko, Mickael Delage
, Tristan Valentin
and Jimmy Engoulvent
were unable to gain an advantage of more than four and a half minutes. Amid heavy rain, the break was not caught until the final 3 km (2 mi) of the race, and Mark Cavendish
took the bunch sprint for his third win of the race, and the resultant points, in combination with those he took by being the first non-breakaway rider at the intermediate sprint, allowed him to take the leadership in the green jersey competition. The stage had no impact on the overall placings.
2011 Tour de France
-Pre-race favourites:2010 winner Alberto Contador was suspended from cycling during a doping investigation from September 2010 to February 2011, during which time 2010 runner-up Andy Schleck was regarded as the favourite. When the suspension was lifted, Contador declared his desire to compete in...
, with Stage 1 on 2 July, and Stage 11 on 13 July.
| LegendJerseys appearing in the table on the left of the page indicate those worn by the cyclist during the particular stage, while those appearing in the table on the right of the page indicate those awarded to the cyclist after the stage. | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 |
Denotes the leader of the general classification |  |
Denotes the leader of the points classification Points classification in the Tour de France The points classification in the Tour de France is a secondary competition in the Tour de France, that started in 1953. Points are given for high finishes in a stage and for winning intermediate sprints, and these are recorded in a points classification. It is considered a sprinters' competition... |
 |
Denotes the leader of the mountains classification |  |
Denotes the leader of the young rider classification Young rider classification in the Tour de France -History:From 1968 to 1975, there was a white jersey awarded in the Tour de France to the lead rider in the combination classification . In 1975, this classification was removed, and replaced by the Best Young Rider Classification... |
 |
Denotes the leader of the team classificationThe bibs are designated to all remaining riders within the leading team. |  |
Denotes the rider designated as the day's most combative Combativity award The combativity award, , is a prize given in the Tour de France. It favours constant attackers and since 1981 the winner of the award has not won the whole Tour.- History :... |
| s.t. indicates that the rider crossed the finish line in the same group as the one receiving the time above him, and was therefore credited with the same finishing time. | |||
Stage 1
2 July 2011 — Passage du GoisPassage du Gois
Le Passage de Gois ou Gôa is a natural, periodically flooded passage leading to the island of Noirmoutier in France. It is located between Île de Noirmoutier and Beauvoir-sur-Mer, in the department of Vendée...
to Mont des Alouettes
Mont des Alouettes
Mont des Alouettes is a hill near Les Herbiers in Vendée, France. In the 16th century, no less than seven windmills were built on this hill. Today there are three left, one of which is still running. During the war in the Vendée the movement of the opposing troops were measured from the wind mills....
, 191.5 km (119 mi)
The Tour started with a road stage rather than the traditional prologue time trial, and with an uphill finish. The day started with a non-racing parade over the tidal Passage du Gois
Passage du Gois
Le Passage de Gois ou Gôa is a natural, periodically flooded passage leading to the island of Noirmoutier in France. It is located between Île de Noirmoutier and Beauvoir-sur-Mer, in the department of Vendée...
. When underway, the riders initially followed the coast, where the wind could have had an impact, before heading inland to Les Herbiers
Les Herbiers
Les Herbiers is a commune in the Vendée department in the Pays de la Loire department in the Pays de la Loire region in western France.-References:*...
and the finish on the Mont des Alouettes.
The first breakaway of the Tour was formed by three riders: Lieuwe Westra
Lieuwe Westra
Lieuwe Westra is a Dutch professional racing cyclist, who is riding for the UCI ProTeam .- Palmares :200720082009...
of , Perrig Quemeneur
Perrig Quemeneur
Perrig Quemeneur is a French road bicycle racer for UCI Professional Continental team .-External links:...
of and Jérémy Roy
Jérémy Roy
Jérémy Roy is a French professional road bicycle racer for UCI Professional Continental team . He was named the most aggressive rider of the 2011 Tour de France after escaping into breakaways on many stages and continuiously attacking from inside the breakaway.-Biography:Roy turned professional...
of . They attacked from the very beginning of the race and their maximum advantage was over six minutes. The top places in the intermediate sprint after 87 km (54 mi) were won by the breakaway members and the new points distribution saw green jersey contenders competing for the rest of points. Tyler Farrar
Tyler Farrar
Tyler Farrar is an American professional road racing cyclist since 2003.-Cycling career:Farrar started racing at 13, and rode for in 2003, in 2004, and in 2006 and 2007. In April 2006 he crashed near the finish of the Circuit de la Sarthe and broke his collarbone and missed most of the season...
took fourth place ahead of André Greipel
Andre Greipel
André Greipel is a German professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTeam .He currently lives in Hürth, close to Cologne in Germany...
. About nine kilometres from the end, Maxim Iglinsky
Maxim Iglinsky
Maxim Iglinsky is a Kazakh road racing cyclist who rides for UCI ProTour team , who he joined in 2007. Iglinsky turned professional in 2005 with Domina Vacanze and rode for in 2006. Iglinsky won stage 6 of the 2007 Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré.He is the elder brother of Valentin Iglinsky.-...
collided with a spectator, and the resulting crash held up the majority of the field, including Alberto Contador
Alberto Contador
Alberto Contador Velasco is a Spanish professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTeam . He was the winner of the 2007 Tour de France with the team. With the Astana team he has won the 2008 Giro d'Italia, the 2008 Vuelta a España, the 2009 Tour de France, the 2010 Tour de France and won 2011 Giro...
and Samuel Sánchez
Samuel Sánchez
Samuel Sánchez González is a Spanish professional road bicycle racer. He was the gold medal winner in the 2008 Beijing Olympics Men's Road Race. In recent years Sánchez has proven himself in hilly classics and stage races as one of the most important riders in the peloton...
. This group were chasing the lead group of 78 riders, until within the last three kilometers, they were delayed by another crash that had split the lead group approximately in half. On the uphill finish, an attack by Fabian Cancellara
Fabian Cancellara
Fabian Cancellara is a Swiss professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTeam . A time trial specialist, he is a four-time World Time Trial Champion and is the current Olympic gold medalist...
was successfully countered by Philippe Gilbert
Philippe Gilbert
Philippe Gilbert is a Belgian professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTour team . Gilbert is a classics specialist...
, who was favourite for the stage, and who finished three seconds clear of Cadel Evans
Cadel Evans
Cadel Lee Evans is an Australian professional racing cyclist and winner of the 2011 Tour de France. Early in his career, Evans was a champion mountain biker, winning the World Cup in 1998 and 1999 and placing seventh in the men's cross-country mountain bike race at the 2000 Summer Olympics in...
, who finished a similar margin clear of the chasing group. Due to rules that protect riders against time lost due to accidents in the latter stages of a race, about 40 riders who had been in the same group as Gilbert and others at 3 km (2 mi) to go, but who were delayed by a later crash, were awarded the same time as those who finished just behind Gilbert and Evans, but those who caught up with them, having been delayed in the Iglinsky incident, lost at least 1'20".
Stage 1 Result and General Classification after Stage 1
|
Stage 2
3 July 2011 — Les EssartsLes Essarts, Vendée
Les Essarts is a commune in the Vendée department in the Pays de la Loire department in the Pays de la Loire region in western France.- Geography :...
, 23 km (14 mi) team time trial
Team time trial
A team time trial is a road-based bicycle race in which teams of cyclists race against the clock .Teams start at equal intervals, usually two, three or four minutes apart...
(TTT)
The team time trial was relatively short at 23 km (14 mi) and mostly flat, so large time gaps were not expected. , who saw all their GC contenders lose nearly two minutes on stage 1, won the stage to place their world champion
2010 UCI Road World Championships
The 2010 UCI Road World Championships took place in Geelong and Melbourne, Australia, over 5 days from 29 September to 3 October 2010. It was the 77th UCI Road World Championships and the first time that Australia had held the event...
Thor Hushovd
Thor Hushovd
Thor Hushovd is a Norwegian professional road bicycle racer riding . He has signed for from 2012 onwards. He is known for sprinting and time trialing and is the 2010 Norwegian and world road champion. He is the first Norwegian to lead the Tour de France, and first Scandinavian to win the road...
in the overall lead, while Cadel Evans
Cadel Evans
Cadel Lee Evans is an Australian professional racing cyclist and winner of the 2011 Tour de France. Early in his career, Evans was a champion mountain biker, winning the World Cup in 1998 and 1999 and placing seventh in the men's cross-country mountain bike race at the 2000 Summer Olympics in...
, who had a three second advantage over Hushovd going into the stage, was almost able to take the yellow jersey, as his team took just four seconds longer than to come second, a fraction of a second faster than .
Stage 2 Result
|
General Classification after Stage 2
|
Stage 3
4 July 2011 — Olonne-sur-MerOlonne-sur-Mer
Olonne-sur-Mer is a commune in the Vendée department in the Pays de la Loire region in western France.-External links:*...
to Redon
Redon, Ille-et-Vilaine
-Breton language:The municipality launched a linguistic plan through Ya d'ar brezhoneg on 10 October 2008.In 2008, 14.31% of the children attended bilingual schools in primary education.-Economy:* Cargill Texturising Systems - A pectin factory...
, 198 km (123 mi)
The break of the day, consisting of Mickaël Delage
Mickaël Delage
Mickaël Delage is a French professional racing cyclist. He rides for . He is also active as a track cyclist.As a junior he participated at the World Championships in track cycling in Moscow 2003, where he won the silver medal at the points race, after Australian Miles Olman...
, José Iván Gutiérrez , Rubén Pérez
Rubén Pérez
Rubén Pérez Moreno is a Spanish professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTour team Euskaltel-Euskadi....
, Maxime Bouet
Maxime Bouet
Maxime Bouet is a French road racing cyclist who rides for UCI ProTour team . He caused some controversy on the second stage of the Tour de France 2010 by stealing a bike length on the Peloton's attempt to all finish at the same time...
and Niki Terpstra
Niki Terpstra
Niki Terpstra is a Dutch racing cyclist with UCI ProTeam . He is the silver medal winner of the team pursuit in the 2005 UCI Track Cycling World Championships, together with Levi Heimans, Jens Mouris and Peter Schep...
went clear within the opening kilometre of racing. Their lead reached a maximum of eight minutes after 80 km (50 mi). The members of the breakaway took the intermediate sprint, but the sprint for remaining points caused controversy, as Mark Cavendish
Mark Cavendish
Mark Cavendish MBE is a Manx professional road racing cyclist who rides for UCI ProTeam until the end of this season when the team is dissolved. He will join Team Sky at the start of the 2012 season...
, who won the sprint, later had the points he won at this stage removed, as did Thor Hushovd
Thor Hushovd
Thor Hushovd is a Norwegian professional road bicycle racer riding . He has signed for from 2012 onwards. He is known for sprinting and time trialing and is the 2010 Norwegian and world road champion. He is the first Norwegian to lead the Tour de France, and first Scandinavian to win the road...
. Delage and Gutiérrez were the last pair of the break to remain clear of the peloton, but were caught with 9 km (6 mi) remaining. The stage was won by Hushovd's team mate Tyler Farrar
Tyler Farrar
Tyler Farrar is an American professional road racing cyclist since 2003.-Cycling career:Farrar started racing at 13, and rode for in 2003, in 2004, and in 2006 and 2007. In April 2006 he crashed near the finish of the Circuit de la Sarthe and broke his collarbone and missed most of the season...
, who took his first individual Tour stage win. Farrar formed a 'W' sign with his fingers on the line in homage to his friend Wouter Weylandt
Wouter Weylandt
Wouter Weylandt was a Belgian professional cyclist for UCI ProTeam and later for . His first major win was the 17th stage of the 2008 Vuelta a España. He also won the 3rd stage of the 2010 Giro d'Italia...
who died in a crash on the Giro d'Italia in May. rider José Joaquín Rojas
José Joaquín Rojas
José Joaquín Rojas Gil is a Spanish professional road bicycle racer, currently riding for UCI ProTeam . He turned professional in 2006 with the Liberty Seguros-Würth team. His older brother Mariano was a professional cyclist as well, riding for ONCE until 1996...
, third on the stage, assumed the lead of the points classification from Philippe Gilbert
Philippe Gilbert
Philippe Gilbert is a Belgian professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTour team . Gilbert is a classics specialist...
.
Stage 3 Result
|
General Classification after Stage 3
|
Stage 4
5 July 2011 — LorientLorient
Lorient, or L'Orient, is a commune and a seaport in the Morbihan department in Brittany in north-western France.-History:At the beginning of the 17th century, merchants who were trading with India had established warehouses in Port-Louis...
to Mûr-de-Bretagne
Mûr-de-Bretagne
Mûr-de-Bretagne is a commune in the Côtes-d'Armor department in Brittany in northwestern France.-External links:*...
, 172.5 km (107 mi)
This was an undulating course, with a steep hill shortly before the finish. A five man breakaway group escaped after 9 km (6 mi), consisting of Jérémy Roy
Jérémy Roy
Jérémy Roy is a French professional road bicycle racer for UCI Professional Continental team . He was named the most aggressive rider of the 2011 Tour de France after escaping into breakaways on many stages and continuiously attacking from inside the breakaway.-Biography:Roy turned professional...
, Blel Kadri , Imanol Erviti
Imanol Erviti
Imanol Erviti Ollo is a Spanish professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTeam .- Palmares :20042007- External links :...
, Johnny Hoogerland
Johnny Hoogerland
Johnny Hoogerland is a Dutch professional cyclist riding for the Dutch Vacansoleil Pro Cycling Team. Due to the prominent bull-tattoo on his arm and his roots from the peninsula of Zuid-Beveland he is nicknamed the "Bull of Beveland"....
and Gorka Izagirre
Gorka Izagirre
Gorka Izagirre Intxausti is a professional cyclist, who rides for the UCI ProTeam, .-Palmarès:2010* 1st, Stage 4, Tour of Luxembourg* 1st, Prueba Villafranca de Ordizia* 7th, Stage 3, Eneco Tour2011* 2nd, Trofeo Deia* 7th, Stage 3, Tour Down Under...
, and remained on their own until the foot of the Mûr-de-Bretagne. Defending champion Alberto Contador
Alberto Contador
Alberto Contador Velasco is a Spanish professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTeam . He was the winner of the 2007 Tour de France with the team. With the Astana team he has won the 2008 Giro d'Italia, the 2008 Vuelta a España, the 2009 Tour de France, the 2010 Tour de France and won 2011 Giro...
was the first to attack in the closing stages, causing several splits in the field, including a group of ten at the front of the race. As Contador's initial attack failed, Jurgen Van Den Broeck
Jurgen Van Den Broeck
Jurgen Van Den Broeck is a Belgian professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTeam . He specializes in the time trial, having been Junior World Champion in time trialing...
tried to break clear, but was caught up by the front group, and Cadel Evans
Cadel Evans
Cadel Lee Evans is an Australian professional racing cyclist and winner of the 2011 Tour de France. Early in his career, Evans was a champion mountain biker, winning the World Cup in 1998 and 1999 and placing seventh in the men's cross-country mountain bike race at the 2000 Summer Olympics in...
, third in the overall standings at the beginning of the day, held off a final sprint from Contador to win the stage, but the presence of Thor Hushovd
Thor Hushovd
Thor Hushovd is a Norwegian professional road bicycle racer riding . He has signed for from 2012 onwards. He is known for sprinting and time trialing and is the 2010 Norwegian and world road champion. He is the first Norwegian to lead the Tour de France, and first Scandinavian to win the road...
in the lead group meant that Hushovd kept the overall lead, while Evans took the lead in the mountains classification.
Stage 4 Result
|
General Classification after Stage 4
|
Stage 5
6 July 2011 — CarhaixCarhaix-Plouguer
Carhaix-Plouguer is a commune in the Finistère department in northwestern France.-Culture:The Vieilles Charrues Festival is held every year in mid-July....
to Cap Fréhel
Cap Fréhel
Cap Fréhel is a peninsula in Côtes-d'Armor, in northern Brittany, France which extends off the Côte d'Émeraude into the Golfe de Saint-Malo. No towns or villages are situated on the peninsula however two lighthouses, one from the 17th century and the other one from 1950, are located at the tip of it...
, 164.5 km (102 mi)
Many riders tried to get into the breakaway in this stage, but the final breakaway was formed of 4 riders: José Iván Gutiérrez
Iván Gutiérrez
José Iván Gutiérrez Palacios is a Spanish professional road bicycle racer. He was Spanish Road national champion, three time Spanish time trial champion and won a silver medal in the 2005 Time Trial World Championships...
, Tristan Valentin
Tristan Valentin
Tristan Valentin is a French professional road bicycle racer. He tested positive for Heptaminol on 6 June 2006. The UCI summary of 'Decisions on Anti-Doping Rule Violations made in 2006' states "disqualification and ineligibility for 6 months".- Palmares :2005- External links :**...
, Sébastien Turgot
Sébastien Turgot
Sébastien Turgot is a French road bicycle racer for UCI Professional Continental team .His biggest result came when he came in third in the 2008 Paris–Tours after leading in the last 100 metres, but was beaten by Philippe Gilbert of Francaise des Jeux and Jan Kuyckx of Landbouwkrediet - Tönissteiner...
, and Anthony Delaplace
Anthony Delaplace
Anthony Delaplace is a professional French road cyclist, currently riding for Saur-Sojasun.Delaplace was a junior champion for France in 2007. He made his Grand Tour debut in the 2011 Tour de France, where he was the youngest rider in the competition, and finished 135th in the general...
. They had a maximum advantage of 5 minutes. The intermediate sprint was won by the breakaway riders, while in the peloton
Peloton
The peloton , field, bunch or pack is the large main group of riders in a road bicycle race. Riders in a group save energy by riding close near other riders...
Borut Božič
Borut Božic
Borut Božič is a Slovenian professional road racing cyclist, who currently rides for . Considered a sprinter in the mould of Óscar Freire, Božič's career highlights include winning the 2007 Tour de Wallonie, victory in the first stage of the 2009 Tour de Pologne , winning the sixth stage of the...
took the highest remaining points haul. José Joaquín Rojas
José Joaquín Rojas
José Joaquín Rojas Gil is a Spanish professional road bicycle racer, currently riding for UCI ProTeam . He turned professional in 2006 with the Liberty Seguros-Würth team. His older brother Mariano was a professional cyclist as well, riding for ONCE until 1996...
and Tom Boonen
Tom Boonen
Tom Boonen is a Belgian professional road bicycle racer who won the 2005 World Road Race Championship. He is a member of the team, and is considered a single-day road race specialist with a strong finishing sprint...
were penalised for irregular sprinting at this point, a penalty that cost Rojas his lead in the green jersey competition. After the intermediate sprint, set a very high pace and there were many crashes in the peloton, one of which involved Janez Brajkovič
Janez Brajkovic
Janez Brajkovič is a racing cyclist from Slovenia. He was the world under-23 Time Trial champion in Verona and rides for on the UCI ProTour.-Career:...
, who had to abandon due to a broken collarbone and concussion. Another crash involved Nicki Sørensen
Nicki Sørensen
Nicki Sørensen is a Danish professional road bicycle racer currently riding for . He has competed in five consecutive editions of the Tour de France from 2001 to 2005, riding as an all-round rider who rides well in hilly terrain, Sørensen is a valued support for the team captain without many wins...
who fall off when his bike was clipped by a photo motorcycle and it was dragged along by it for 200m. Alberto Contador
Alberto Contador
Alberto Contador Velasco is a Spanish professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTeam . He was the winner of the 2007 Tour de France with the team. With the Astana team he has won the 2008 Giro d'Italia, the 2008 Vuelta a España, the 2009 Tour de France, the 2010 Tour de France and won 2011 Giro...
, Robert Gesink
Robert Gesink
Robert Gesink is a Dutch professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTeam Rabobank.-Early years:At the Junior World Championships of 2004 UCI Road World Championships in Verona, Gesink finished eighth in the individual time trial and sixth in the road race, while riding for team De Peddelaars in...
, Tom Boonen
Tom Boonen
Tom Boonen is a Belgian professional road bicycle racer who won the 2005 World Road Race Championship. He is a member of the team, and is considered a single-day road race specialist with a strong finishing sprint...
, Sylvain Chavanel
Sylvain Chavanel
Sylvain Chavanel Albira is a French professional road bicycle racer. His brother Sébastien Chavanel is also a cyclist.Chavanel started his professional career in 2000 with Jean-René Bernaudeau's team Bonjour, which became Brioches La Boulangère in 2003...
and Iván Velasco
Iván Velasco
Iván Velasco Murillo is a Spanish professional road bicycle racer. He competes for the UCI ProTeam Euskaltel-Euskadi.- External links :*...
, who substained a broken collarbone, were among other riders who crashed on this stage. The breakaway was caught with 45 km (28 mi) to go, but Thomas Voeckler
Thomas Voeckler
Thomas Voeckler is a French professional road racing cyclist who rides for the cycling team.- Biography :Voeckler has been a professional cyclist since 2001. He rides for , formerly known as Bbox Bouygues Telecom, Bouygues Télécom, Brioches la Boulangère, and Bonjour...
and Jérémy Roy
Jérémy Roy
Jérémy Roy is a French professional road bicycle racer for UCI Professional Continental team . He was named the most aggressive rider of the 2011 Tour de France after escaping into breakaways on many stages and continuiously attacking from inside the breakaway.-Biography:Roy turned professional...
attacked with 32 km (20 mi) to go, creating a maximum gap of one minute, and the race was in the last 2 km (1 mi) before Voeckler was caught. A late attack by Edvald Boasson Hagen
Edvald Boasson Hagen
Edvald Boasson Hagen is a Norwegian professional road racing cyclist riding for the UCI ProTour team . He is the Norwegian Time Trial Champion and also considered as one of the biggest rising talents in the sport, being ranked as no...
disrupted the lead out lines for the main sprinters, but Mark Cavendish
Mark Cavendish
Mark Cavendish MBE is a Manx professional road racing cyclist who rides for UCI ProTeam until the end of this season when the team is dissolved. He will join Team Sky at the start of the 2012 season...
nevertheless took the victory ahead of Philippe Gilbert
Philippe Gilbert
Philippe Gilbert is a Belgian professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTour team . Gilbert is a classics specialist...
in the last 50 metres. There were no changes among the leading riders and contenders for the General Classification, but Gilbert assumed the lead in the sprinters' competition, although this was confirmed only after Rojas had been presented with the leader's jersey on the podium.
Stage 5 Result
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General Classification after Stage 5
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Stage 6
7 July 2011 — DinanDinan
Dinan is a walled Breton town and a commune in the Côtes-d'Armor department in northwestern France.-Geography:Its geographical setting is exceptional. Instead of nestling on the valley floor like Morlaix, most urban development has been on the hillside, overlooking the river Rance...
to Lisieux
Lisieux
Lisieux is a commune in the Calvados department in the Basse-Normandie region in northwestern France.Lisieux is the capital of the Pays d'Auge area, which is characterised by valleys and hedged farmland...
, 226.5 km (141 mi)
This was another undulating stage with a hill in the last few kilometres, expected to suit classics specialists. Lieuwe Westra
Lieuwe Westra
Lieuwe Westra is a Dutch professional racing cyclist, who is riding for the UCI ProTeam .- Palmares :200720082009...
initiated the main break of the day, eventually joined by his teammate Johnny Hoogerland
Johnny Hoogerland
Johnny Hoogerland is a Dutch professional cyclist riding for the Dutch Vacansoleil Pro Cycling Team. Due to the prominent bull-tattoo on his arm and his roots from the peninsula of Zuid-Beveland he is nicknamed the "Bull of Beveland"....
, Anthony Roux
Anthony Roux
Anthony Roux is a French road bicycle racer for UCI Professional Continental team .- Palmares :200320052007...
, Leonardo Duque
Leonardo Duque
Leonardo Fabio Duque is a Colombian professional road racing cyclist. After stage 19 of the 2009 Tour de France, Duque was named the most combative rider of the stage after aggressively pacing a breakaway....
and Adriano Malori
Adriano Malori
Adriano Malori is an Italian professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTeam . He was the Lanterne Rouge of the 2010 Tour de France, finishing almost four and a half hours behind the winner Alberto Contador.- Palmares :...
. Their lead reached 12 minutes, and Hoogerland added to the point in the mountains classification that he already had on the first two categorised climbs of the day, and thus ensured that he would take over the polka-dot jersey, and he, along with Roux and Duque, had ceased trying to stay clear when there were still some 60 km remaining, but Westra and Malori persisted, with Malori only caught with less than three km remaining. A late attack by Jelle Vanendert
Jelle Vanendert
Jelle Vanendert is a Belgian professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTour team .- Palmares :20012006...
and Thomas Voeckler
Thomas Voeckler
Thomas Voeckler is a French professional road racing cyclist who rides for the cycling team.- Biography :Voeckler has been a professional cyclist since 2001. He rides for , formerly known as Bbox Bouygues Telecom, Bouygues Télécom, Brioches la Boulangère, and Bonjour...
was caught with a kilometre remaining, and the sprint was eventually won by Edvald Boasson Hagen
Edvald Boasson Hagen
Edvald Boasson Hagen is a Norwegian professional road racing cyclist riding for the UCI ProTour team . He is the Norwegian Time Trial Champion and also considered as one of the biggest rising talents in the sport, being ranked as no...
of , with fellow Norwegian Thor Hushovd
Thor Hushovd
Thor Hushovd is a Norwegian professional road bicycle racer riding . He has signed for from 2012 onwards. He is known for sprinting and time trialing and is the 2010 Norwegian and world road champion. He is the first Norwegian to lead the Tour de France, and first Scandinavian to win the road...
finishing third to retain the yellow jersey. Although there were several heavy rain showers, there were fewer falls than in the previous stage, although GC contender Levi Leipheimer
Levi Leipheimer
Levi Leipheimer is an American professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTour team . His major results are winning the 2007–2009 editions of the Tour of California, the 2006 Dauphiné Libéré and the 2005 Deutschland Tour, coming in second in the 2008 Vuelta a España, third in the 2001 Vuelta a...
fell and lost more than a minute.
Stage 6 Result
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General Classification after Stage 6
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Stage 7
8 July 2011 — Le MansLe Mans
Le Mans is a city in France, located on the Sarthe River. Traditionally the capital of the province of Maine, it is now the capital of the Sarthe department and the seat of the Roman Catholic diocese of Le Mans. Le Mans is a part of the Pays de la Loire region.Its inhabitants are called Manceaux...
to Châteauroux
Châteauroux
Châteauroux is the capital of the Indre department in central France and the second-largest town in the province of Berry, after Bourges. Its residents are called Castelroussines or Castelroussins....
, 218 km (135 mi)
This stage had no climbing points available, and was considered to be very much a chance for the sprint specialists to contest the stage win. The break formed very early in the stage, with two riders from , Gianni Meersman
Gianni Meersman
Gianni Meersman is a Belgian professional road bicycle racer for UCI Professional Continental team . After stage 3 of the Tour de Georgia, Meersman was forced to abandon the race due to a severe case of patella tendinitis...
and Mickaël Delage
Mickaël Delage
Mickaël Delage is a French professional racing cyclist. He rides for . He is also active as a track cyclist.As a junior he participated at the World Championships in track cycling in Moscow 2003, where he won the silver medal at the points race, after Australian Miles Olman...
along with Yannick Talabardon
Yannick Talabardon
Yannick Talabardon is a French professional road bicycle racer for Saur-Sojasun. He won the Most Combative rider award for Stage 7 of the 2011 Tour de France for his role in the early breakaway.- Palmares :...
and Pablo Urtasun . A crash with 40 km (25 mi) remaining caused injuries to Bradley Wiggins
Bradley Wiggins
Bradley Marc Wiggins, CBE is a British professional track and road bicycle racer, currently riding for Team Sky. Wiggins' career began on the track, where he specialised in the pursuit and madison disciplines....
of and Chris Horner
Chris Horner
Christopher Horner is an American professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTour team . A native and current resident of Bend, Oregon, Horner dominated the American road racing scene by winning the points standings in the 2002, 2003 and 2004 USA Cycling National Racing Calendar.-PAA-NutraFig...
of that caused them to retire from the race, while other GC contenders to lose time included Levi Leipheimer
Levi Leipheimer
Levi Leipheimer is an American professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTour team . His major results are winning the 2007–2009 editions of the Tour of California, the 2006 Dauphiné Libéré and the 2005 Deutschland Tour, coming in second in the 2008 Vuelta a España, third in the 2001 Vuelta a...
, Ryder Hesjedal
Ryder Hesjedal
Ryder Hesjedal is a Canadian professional racing cyclist for . He is a former mountain biker, winning a silver medal at the 2001 Under-23 world championship...
, Roman Kreuziger
Roman Kreuziger
Roman Kreuziger is a Czech professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTour team . Kreuziger is an all-rounder, with climbing and time trial abilities, becoming a contender for the General Classification of stage races...
, Rigoberto Uran
Rigoberto Urán
Rigoberto Urán Urán is a Colombian professional road racing cyclist, currently riding for UCI ProTeam .-Early life:Urán's first cycling race was at the age of 14, three months before his father was accidentally killed in a gunfight related to the drug war in Colombia...
and Bauke Mollema
Bauke Mollema
Bauke Mollema is a Dutch professional cyclist currently riding for Rabobank. Mollema is a Climbing specialist.-Early years:...
. The sprint train of dominated the closing stages of the races, allowing Mark Cavendish
Mark Cavendish
Mark Cavendish MBE is a Manx professional road racing cyclist who rides for UCI ProTeam until the end of this season when the team is dissolved. He will join Team Sky at the start of the 2012 season...
to take the stage win. Overall leader Thor Hushovd
Thor Hushovd
Thor Hushovd is a Norwegian professional road bicycle racer riding . He has signed for from 2012 onwards. He is known for sprinting and time trialing and is the 2010 Norwegian and world road champion. He is the first Norwegian to lead the Tour de France, and first Scandinavian to win the road...
finished in seventh place to retain that position.
Stage 7 Result
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General Classification after Stage 7
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Stage 8
9 July 2011 — AigurandeAigurande
Aigurande is a commune in the Indre department in central France.-History:The town's name derives from the Gallic word "Equoranda", which refers to a river or stream separating two Gallic tribes Aigurande is a commune in the Indre department in central France.-History:The town's name derives from...
to Super Besse
Super Besse
Super Besse is a winter sports resort in the Massif Central in France.-Geography:The winter sports resort of Super Besse is located in the commune of Besse-et-Saint-Anastaise in the Parc naturel régional des volcans d'Auvergne in the department of Puy de Dôme, in Auvergne...
, 189 km (117 mi)
This stage had the first category two climb of the race, and brought the race into the higher climbs of the Massif Central
Massif Central
The Massif Central is an elevated region in south-central France, consisting of mountains and plateaux....
. By the ascent of the day's main climb, in the final 25km, four riders from the original nine-man break remained clear: Rui Costa
Rui Costa (cyclist)
Rui Alberto Faria da Costa is a Portuguese professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTeam ....
, Christophe Riblon
Christophe Riblon
Christophe Riblon is a French professional road and track racing cyclist for UCI ProTour team . He won stage 14 of the 2010 Tour de France with a mountain-top finish at the ski resort of Ax-3 Domaines in the Pyrenees.- Palmares :200420062007*: 1st, Tour de la Somme2010- External links :*...
, Tejay Van Garderen
Tejay van Garderen
Tejay van Garderen is an American professional cyclist for . He lives in Lucca, Tuscany, during the season.-Early life:...
and Cyril Gautier
Cyril Gautier
Cyril Gautier is a French road bicycle racer for UCI Professional Continental team .-Palmares:2008-External links:* *...
. On that climb, several riders attempted to attack from the group, of whom Juan Antonio Flecha
Juan Antonio Flecha
Juan Antonio Flecha Giannoni is an Argentine-born Spanish professional road bicycle racer for the UCI ProTour team .-Career:...
and Alexander Vinokourov
Alexander Vinokourov
Alexander Nikolaevich Vinokourov, also written Alexandre Vinokourov, is an ethnically Russian Kazakhstani professional road bicycle racer who currently competes with the UCI ProTeam Astana...
attained a considerable margin over the peloton as they pursued the leader. Vinokourov started the stage only 32 seconds behind overall leader Thor Hushovd
Thor Hushovd
Thor Hushovd is a Norwegian professional road bicycle racer riding . He has signed for from 2012 onwards. He is known for sprinting and time trialing and is the 2010 Norwegian and world road champion. He is the first Norwegian to lead the Tour de France, and first Scandinavian to win the road...
, and this was thought to be a bid to take the yellow jersey. The final climb to the Super Besse ski station saw several attempts at breaks among the leaders, and eventually Costa was able to open a gap to the rest of the breakaway group. Vinokourov overhauled the rest of the escapees, but he was caught within the last kilometre, while Costa won the stage. Philippe Gilbert
Philippe Gilbert
Philippe Gilbert is a Belgian professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTour team . Gilbert is a classics specialist...
broke clear of the peloton to secure second place, and the lead in the points competition, while Hushovd, contrary to expectations, finished in the first group to retain his overall lead. Van Garderen, by virtue of having been the first rider over the category two Col de la Croix Saint-Robert, assumed the lead in the climbers' category.
Stage 8 Result
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General Classification after Stage 8
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Stage 9
10 July 2011 — IssoireIssoire
Issoire is a commune in the Puy-de-Dôme department in Auvergne in central France.-Geography:Issoire is located on the Couze River, near its junction with the Allier, SSE of Clermont-Ferrand on the Paris-Lyon-Méditerranée railway to Nîmes...
to Saint-Flour
Saint-Flour, Cantal
Saint-Flour is a commune in the Cantal department in the Auvergne region in south-central France. Its inhabitants are called Sanflorains.-Geography:...
, 208 km (129 mi)
This stage, like the preceding one, had more points available for the king of the mountains competition than all the preceding stages added together. There were no breaks from the peloton until the first climb of the day, which was contested by Thomas Voeckler
Thomas Voeckler
Thomas Voeckler is a French professional road racing cyclist who rides for the cycling team.- Biography :Voeckler has been a professional cyclist since 2001. He rides for , formerly known as Bbox Bouygues Telecom, Bouygues Télécom, Brioches la Boulangère, and Bonjour...
and Johnny Hoogerland
Johnny Hoogerland
Johnny Hoogerland is a Dutch professional cyclist riding for the Dutch Vacansoleil Pro Cycling Team. Due to the prominent bull-tattoo on his arm and his roots from the peninsula of Zuid-Beveland he is nicknamed the "Bull of Beveland"....
, who were joined by Juan Antonio Flecha
Juan Antonio Flecha
Juan Antonio Flecha Giannoni is an Argentine-born Spanish professional road bicycle racer for the UCI ProTour team .-Career:...
, Sandy Casar
Sandy Casar
Sandy Casar is a French professional racing cyclist.Casar turned professional in 2000 after riding for Jean Floch-Mantes as an amateur. As a professional he has always ridden for FDJ.Severo...
, Luis León Sánchez
Luis León Sánchez
Luis León Sánchez Gil is a Spanish road bicycle racer for UCI ProTeam . He is also known as Lulu Sanchez. He rode for team Liberty Seguros-Würth from 2004 until 2006, when he moved to the Caisse d'Epargne team following the collapse of the Liberty Seguros-Würth team in the wake of the Operación...
and Niki Terpstra
Niki Terpstra
Niki Terpstra is a Dutch racing cyclist with UCI ProTeam . He is the silver medal winner of the team pursuit in the 2005 UCI Track Cycling World Championships, together with Levi Heimans, Jens Mouris and Peter Schep...
. Terpstra was unable to stay with the escapees on higher climbs as the day went on, but the remaining five riders extended their lead. An early fall by Alberto Contador
Alberto Contador
Alberto Contador Velasco is a Spanish professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTeam . He was the winner of the 2007 Tour de France with the team. With the Astana team he has won the 2008 Giro d'Italia, the 2008 Vuelta a España, the 2009 Tour de France, the 2010 Tour de France and won 2011 Giro...
, after a collision with Vladimir Karpets
Vladimir Karpets
Vladimir Alexandrovich Karpets is a Russian road bicycle racer currently riding for UCI ProTeam , most notable for winning the white jersey for best young rider in the 2004 Tour de France. Karpets is a two-time Olympian. At the 2000 Summer Olympics, Karpets competed in the men's team pursuit and...
, caused aggravation to an earlier knee injury, but a later fall delayed many riders, and caused the elimination of GC contenders Alexander Vinokourov
Alexander Vinokourov
Alexander Nikolaevich Vinokourov, also written Alexandre Vinokourov, is an ethnically Russian Kazakhstani professional road bicycle racer who currently competes with the UCI ProTeam Astana...
and Jurgen Van Den Broeck
Jurgen Van Den Broeck
Jurgen Van Den Broeck is a Belgian professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTeam . He specializes in the time trial, having been Junior World Champion in time trialing...
, and injury to Andreas Klöden
Andreas Klöden
Andreas Klöden is a German professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTour team . His major achievements include a bronze medal at the 2000 Olympic Games and second place in the 2004 Tour de France and 2006 Tour de France...
and other riders. The pursuit of the breakaway was delayed to allow riders involved in the crash, or who stopped to help their colleagues, to rejoin the peloton, thus increasing the likelihood that Voeckler, less than a minute and a half behind in the general classification, would take over the race leadership. Within the final 40 km, two of the leading five riders were involved in a dramatic crash after Juan Antonio Flecha
Juan Antonio Flecha
Juan Antonio Flecha Giannoni is an Argentine-born Spanish professional road bicycle racer for the UCI ProTour team .-Career:...
was sideswiped by a France Télévisions
France Télévisions
France Télévisions is the French public national television broadcaster. It is a state-owned company formed from the bringing together of the public television channels France 2 and France 3 , later joined by the legally independent channels France 5 , France Ô , and France 4 France Télévisions ...
car during an overtaking manoeuvre, causing fellow breakaway rider, Johnny Hoogerland
Johnny Hoogerland
Johnny Hoogerland is a Dutch professional cyclist riding for the Dutch Vacansoleil Pro Cycling Team. Due to the prominent bull-tattoo on his arm and his roots from the peninsula of Zuid-Beveland he is nicknamed the "Bull of Beveland"....
to crash into a barbed wire fence. His wound required 33 stitches. Although both riders were able to finish the stage and they shared the combative rider award for the day (one of the rare cases when it had been jointly awarded), they were unable to stay ahead of the peloton. The other three riders from the breakaway retained most of their lead, with little urgency among the peloton for reducing their winning margin, and Sánchez sprinted clear to take the stage. Voeckler assumed the overall lead and Hoogerland had gained enough points prior to his crash to regain leadership in the King of the Mountains competition, while Philippe Gilbert
Philippe Gilbert
Philippe Gilbert is a Belgian professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTour team . Gilbert is a classics specialist...
was again the first to finish from the main group, extending his lead in the points classification.
Stage 9 Result
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General Classification after Stage 9
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Stage 10
12 July 2011 — AurillacAurillac
Aurillac is a commune in the Auvergne region in south-central France, capital of the Cantal department.Aurillac's inhabitants are called Aurillacois, and are also Cantaliens or Cantalous in Occitan....
to Carmaux
Carmaux
Carmaux is a commune in the Tarn department in southern France.Carmaux was famous for its important coal mining and its glassworks . "In 1892, Jean Jaurès supported the miners of Carmaux when they went on strike over the dismissal of their leader, Jean Baptiste Calvignac."...
, 158 km (98 mi)
The stage after the first rest day returned to lower altitudes, and had only third and fourth category climbs. A six man breakaway group became established after 11 km, consisting of Rémy Di Gregorio
Rémy Di Gregorio
Rémy Di Gregorio is a French professional road bicycle racer. He currently rides for , but will move to for the 2012 season....
, Arthur Vichot
Arthur Vichot
Arthur Vichot is a French professional cyclist and member of UCI Professional Continental team FDJ. He is the nephew of Frédéric Vichot, who won stages in the Tour de France in 1984 and 1985.-2010 Tour Down Under:...
, Sébastien Minard
Sébastien Minard
Sébastien Minard is a French professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTeam .- Palmares :2004*...
, Julien El Fares
Julien El Fares
Julien El Fares is a French road bicycle racer for UCI ProTeam Cofidis.-Palmares:20062009-External links:...
, Marco Marcato
Marco Marcato
Marco Marcato is an Italian racing cyclist currently riding for .- Palmares :200520062007...
and Anthony Delaplace
Anthony Delaplace
Anthony Delaplace is a professional French road cyclist, currently riding for Saur-Sojasun.Delaplace was a junior champion for France in 2007. He made his Grand Tour debut in the 2011 Tour de France, where he was the youngest rider in the competition, and finished 135th in the general...
, but never had more than three minutes advantage, and was finally caught by late breakaways, and eventually most of the field, on the ascent of the final climb, some 15 km from the finish. That late break was started by Philippe Gilbert
Philippe Gilbert
Philippe Gilbert is a Belgian professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTour team . Gilbert is a classics specialist...
, leader of the points competition, and overall leader Thomas Voeckler
Thomas Voeckler
Thomas Voeckler is a French professional road racing cyclist who rides for the cycling team.- Biography :Voeckler has been a professional cyclist since 2001. He rides for , formerly known as Bbox Bouygues Telecom, Bouygues Télécom, Brioches la Boulangère, and Bonjour...
, and also had Tony Gallopin
Tony Gallopin
Tony Gallopin is a French professional road bicycle racer for UCI Professional Continental team .-Palmares:2010*...
, Dries Devenyns
Dries Devenyns
Dries Devenyns is a Belgian professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTeam Quick Step.- Palmares :201120102009*...
and Tony Martin
Tony Martin (cyclist)
Tony Martin is a German professional road bicycle racer riding for the UCI ProTeam . Martin is known as a time trial specialist: in 2011, he won a time trial stage in the Tour de France and in the Vuelta a España, and became world champion...
. This break was unsuccessful, but prevented the usual sprinters' trains, and in the final kilometre, Mark Cavendish
Mark Cavendish
Mark Cavendish MBE is a Manx professional road racing cyclist who rides for UCI ProTeam until the end of this season when the team is dissolved. He will join Team Sky at the start of the 2012 season...
was following Daniel Oss
Daniel Oss
Daniel Oss is an Italian professional road bicycle racer who is currently racing with Italian cycling team on the UCI ProTour.-Biography:...
prior to his final effort. André Greipel
Andre Greipel
André Greipel is a German professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTeam .He currently lives in Hürth, close to Cologne in Germany...
, who had been following Cavendish, was able to pass him in the final straight to win the stage, while Cavendish and third placed José Joaquín Rojas
José Joaquín Rojas
José Joaquín Rojas Gil is a Spanish professional road bicycle racer, currently riding for UCI ProTeam . He turned professional in 2006 with the Liberty Seguros-Würth team. His older brother Mariano was a professional cyclist as well, riding for ONCE until 1996...
reduced Gilbert's lead in the points competition on a day that had no effect on the upper reaches of the general classification.
Stage 10 Result
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General Classification after Stage 10
|
Stage 11
13 July 2011 — Blaye-les-MinesBlaye-les-Mines
Blaye-les-Mines is a commune in the Tarn department in southern France.-References:*...
to Lavaur
Lavaur, Tarn
Lavaur is a commune in the Tarn department in southern France.It lies 37 km southeast of Montauban by rail.-History:Lavaur was taken in 1211 by Simon de Montfort during the wars of the Albigenses, a monument marking the site where Dame Giraude de Laurac was killed, being thrown down a well...
, 167.5 km (104 mi)
On another stage that was expected to suit sprint specialists, the six members of the breakaway group (Rubén Pérez
Rubén Pérez
Rubén Pérez Moreno is a Spanish professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTour team Euskaltel-Euskadi....
, Lars Boom
Lars Boom
Lars Anthonius Johannes Boom is a professional cyclo-cross and road racing cyclist who was born in Vlijmen in the Netherlands. Boom rides for UCI ProTeam Rabobank cycling team, having previous ridden for the junior and continental teams. Boom won the cyclo-cross world championships in 2008...
, Andriy Grivko, Mickael Delage
Mickaël Delage
Mickaël Delage is a French professional racing cyclist. He rides for . He is also active as a track cyclist.As a junior he participated at the World Championships in track cycling in Moscow 2003, where he won the silver medal at the points race, after Australian Miles Olman...
, Tristan Valentin
Tristan Valentin
Tristan Valentin is a French professional road bicycle racer. He tested positive for Heptaminol on 6 June 2006. The UCI summary of 'Decisions on Anti-Doping Rule Violations made in 2006' states "disqualification and ineligibility for 6 months".- Palmares :2005- External links :**...
and Jimmy Engoulvent
Jimmy Engoulvent
Jimmy Engoulvent is a French road racing cyclist who rides for Saur-Sojasun.-Palmares:20112010-External links:**...
were unable to gain an advantage of more than four and a half minutes. Amid heavy rain, the break was not caught until the final 3 km (2 mi) of the race, and Mark Cavendish
Mark Cavendish
Mark Cavendish MBE is a Manx professional road racing cyclist who rides for UCI ProTeam until the end of this season when the team is dissolved. He will join Team Sky at the start of the 2012 season...
took the bunch sprint for his third win of the race, and the resultant points, in combination with those he took by being the first non-breakaway rider at the intermediate sprint, allowed him to take the leadership in the green jersey competition. The stage had no impact on the overall placings.
Stage 11 Result
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General Classification after Stage 11
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