Stage 16

The road

At the start

The longest day, into the Pyrenees

Out of the rest day and into the longest stage of the Tour: 237 kilometres from Carcassonne over the Portet-d'Aspet and then the Port de Balès, where Andy Schleck's chain came off in 2010, before a fast descent to Luchon. Vincenzo Nibali leads Alejandro Valverde by 4:37 and Romain Bardet by 4:50. Simon Yates and Rui Costa do not start. If ever a stage was drawn for a breakaway, this is it.

How it was won

1. 127 km to go

   Voeckler, tongue out, on Port de Balès

   The lead group is down to a handful with 26.5km left when Thomas Voeckler attacks in the only style he knows, leaving four men out front: himself, Rogers, Serpa and Gautier.

2. 221 km to go

   Through the crowds at the summit

   Serpa takes the points at the top of the Port de Balès. Behind, Van Garderen is the first GC man to crack, and Pinot's attack catches Bardet cold — Nibali, Valverde and Péraud latch on and the podium fight is redrawn.

3. 39 km to go

   Words between Rogers and Voeckler

   Eight and a half minutes clear of the race, the two leaders start arguing about who is doing the work — and while they argue, Kiryienka and Gautier ride back up to them with 9km left.

4. 43 km to go

   Rogers over the top of them

   Gautier goes first, Rogers and Voeckler chase him down, and then the Australian counters with three kilometres left and drops both Frenchmen and Serpa in a few hundred metres.

5. 5At the line

   Luchon, nine seconds

   Rogers rides in alone for his first Tour stage, Voeckler second, Kiryienka third. Nibali tries the descent behind but the favourites arrive together, 8:30 down, the GC untouched.

The result