Stage 18

The road

At the start

Five climbs and nothing steep at the end

Froome's win on Peña Cabarga cut Cobo's lead to thirteen seconds, with Wiggins now 1:41 back and riding for his teammate whether or not anybody says so. Today has five ranked climbs including the first-category Puerto de Alisas fifty kilometres out, but nothing hard enough at the end to trouble a red jersey. It is a day for the break and for the mountains jersey, which Moncoutié leads.

How it was won

1. 153 km to go

   The Alisas splits the break

   The day's only first-category climb comes with fifty kilometres left, and the scrap for mountain points over it is what finally breaks the escape apart. Behind, Roche and Poels try to get away from the bunch and are refused.

2. 243 km to go

   Ten men, twelve minutes

   Out of the wreckage a group of ten forms — Montaguti, Sijmens, Oroz, Rodriguez, Gavazzi, De Greef, Kiserlovski, Vandewalle, Gustov and Paulinho — and casually rides away to more than twelve minutes.

3. 330 km to go

   Paulinho goes

   With thirty kilometres left Sergio Paulinho leaves the ten and keeps leaving them, up to fifty seconds. He takes the top points over the last climb too, and the group behind him cannot decide whether to chase or to save something for the sprint.

4. 4At the line

   Noja

   The chase finally organises, Paulinho is caught, and Kristof Vandewalle attacks the moment it happens with Francesco Gavazzi glued to him. Vandewalle leads it out and looks over his shoulder, which is when Gavazzi comes round him.

The result