Stage 16

The road

At the start

Out of the rest day, into the Alps

Nothing changed at Montpellier — Cavendish took his fourth — and Thomas Voeckler still leads Fränk Schleck by 1:49, Cadel Evans by 2:06 and Andy Schleck by 2:15, with a week left and the Alps in front of him. Today is the first taste of them: a long run east to Gap, finishing over the Col de Manse and down the twisting descent into the town, ten kilometres where a bike handler can take time out of a climber.

How it was won

1. 161 km to go

   A hundred kilometres of refusals

   Nobody can agree on who deserves to be up the road after a rest day, and move after move is dragged back. The break of the day only goes with sixty kilometres left — and Thor Hushovd and Ryder Hesjedal are both in it.

2. 245 km to go

   Six minutes at Veynes

   The cord finally breaks. A nature break in the peloton hands the escapees fifty seconds in a single kilometre, and by Veynes the gap has ballooned past six minutes.

3. 315 km to go

   Contador attacks the Col de Manse

   Fifteen kilometres out, with everyone's eyes on the break, the defending champion goes on the day's last climb. BMC, Leopard Trek and the yellow jersey all have to chase — and chase again when he does it a second time, harder.

4. 411 km to go

   The third attack

   Near the summit Contador goes for a third time, and now only Evans and Samuel Sánchez can hold the wheel. The Schlecks and Voeckler are already coming unstuck behind.

5. 57 km to go

   Evans down the far side

   Off the Col de Manse the Australian rides like a man who has decided something. Fränk Schleck and Voeckler lose more than thirty seconds on the descent alone; Andy Schleck is timid on it and comes in forty-eight down, ushered home by Monfort. And then, with the road flat and the finish close, Evans attacks again — alone, on the level — and leaves Contador and Sánchez scratching their heads.

6. 6At the line

   Two Norwegians in Gap

   Up front Hushovd has a teammate in Hesjedal and a problem in Boasson Hagen. The younger man tries at two and a half kilometres and cannot get away; Hesjedal opens the sprint at five hundred metres; the world champion takes his second stage of this Tour.

The result