A 178 km escape was caught with 8km to go when Lotto-Belisol took control of the peloton. Tucked in behind them were four riders from Orica-GreenEdge and this was essentially the order through to the final 3km. The first true attack came from Sylvain Chavanel with about 2.5km on the final climb to the finish. He was chased down by Albasini but their move only served to force the hand of Cancellara who, as he's done so well before in the Tour of Flanders, bolted into the lead with an impressive surge on the steepest part of the climb. He was marked by Peter Sagan (Liquigas-Cannondale) and this pair had a solid lead but it wasn't enough to deter Boasson Hagen (SKY). The Norwegian bridged and, in the final 600m this trio was set to contest the stage win. Cancelllar urged a turn from the others as the peloton closed in quickly on the false flat but Sagan didn't budge: he only took the lead when he opened up his sprint inside the final 200m. Cancellara tried to hold him off but to no avail.
"I knew it was one of the best chances I’d get," remarked Sagan, "But at the Tour de France you have to compete against the best riders in top form. I didn’t have the best feeling at the start and it was only as the race progressed that I started to feel better and think I might have a chance of trying to win. I have to thank the entire team as they got me to the front in the run-in to the finish when the situation wasn’t very easy to manage. First I thought about going on my own on the decisive final climb then decided to mark Cancellara. DS Zanatta and Scirea had advised me in the meeting this morning not to lose his wheel as he would probably attack. I’m very happy, also because I was a bit disappointed after yesterday’s prologue; I’d expected something more. Today’s win was a difficult one and it made me understand what’s so special about the Tour compared with other races: so many people at the side of the road cheering you on, journalists from all over the world looking at you, a very high tempo race and you mustn’t ever lose your concentration … well, you can tell straightway that it’s different. Now I mustn’t get carried away with all the excitement. I’ve always planned to race this Tour one day at a time and that’s what I’ll do until we get to Paris. The green jersey? It’s a dream; let’s see if I can make it come true."
Sagan will have a special bike at the start in Visé tomorrow, created especially by Cannondale to pay tribute to his triumphs: the "Tourminator".
Tomorrow: Stage 2, Visé-Tournai, 207.5 km. TdF analysis by Jean-François Pescheux:
"This pancake flat stage is tailored to pure sprinters. If Cavendish has missed out on a win the day before, this is the perfect place to make amends. This will be the third day straight that the Tour de France stays in Belgium. The stage will start from Visé, which is hosting the Tour for the first time. The bunch will visit the citadel of Namur halfway through the stage (km 82). We are sticking to tradition.""
Photos by: Bettini
GC:
1 Peter Sagan (Svk) Liquigas-Cannondale 4:58:19
2 Fabian Cancellara (Swi) RadioShack-Nissan
3 Edvald Boasson Hagen (Nor) Sky Procycling
4 Philippe Gilbert (Bel) BMC Racing Team
5 Bauke Mollema (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team
6 Alejandro Valverde Belmonte (Spa) Movistar Team
7 Robert Gesink (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team
8 Daniel Martin (Irl) Garmin - Sharp
9 Ryder Hesjedal (Can) Garmin - Sharp
10 Dries Devenyns (Bel) Omega Pharma-QuickStep
11 Jurgen Van Den Broeck (Bel) Lotto Belisol Team
12 Sylvain Chavanel (Fra) Omega Pharma-QuickStep
13 Simon Gerrans (Aus) Orica GreenEdge Cycling Team
14 Samuel Dumoulin (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne
15 Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale
16 Bradley Wiggins (GBr) Sky Procycling
17 Janez Brajkovic (Slo) Astana Pro Team
18 Nicolas Roche (Irl) AG2R La Mondiale
19 Pierre Rolland (Fra) Team Europcar
20 Cadel Evans (Aus) BMC Racing Team
21 Tejay van Garderen (USA) BMC Racing Team
22 Michael Rogers (Aus) Sky Procycling
23 Michele Scarponi (Ita) Lampre - ISD
24 Mikael Cherel (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale
25 Rein Taaramae (Est) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne
26 Kanstantsin Sivtsov (Blr) Sky Procycling
27 Marco Marcato (Ita) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team
28 Maxime Monfort (Bel) RadioShack-Nissan
29 Samuel Sanchez Gonzalez (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi
30 Arthur Vichot (Fra) FDJ-Big Mat
31 Jean-Christophe Peraud (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale
32 Christian Vande Velde (USA) Garmin - Sharp
33 Tony Martin (Ger) Omega Pharma-QuickStep
34 Frank Schleck (Lux) RadioShack-Nissan
35 Andreas Klöden (Ger) RadioShack-Nissan
36 Ivan Basso (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale
37 Thomas Danielson (USA) Garmin - Sharp
38 Haimar Zubeldia Agirre (Spa) RadioShack-Nissan
39 Jelle Vanendert (Bel) Lotto Belisol Team
40 Pieter Weening (Ned) Orica GreenEdge Cycling Team
41 Wout Poels (Ned) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team
42 Thomas Voeckler (Fra) Team Europcar
43 Vladimir Gusev (Rus) Katusha Team
44 Denis Menchov (Rus) Katusha Team
45 Dominik Nerz (Ger) Liquigas-Cannondale
46 Robert Kiserlovski (Cro) Astana Pro Team
47 Koen De Kort (Ned) Argos - Shimano
48 Eduard Vorganov (Rus) Katusha Team
49 Mikel Astarloza Chaurreau (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi 0:00:14
50 Michael Albasini (Swi) Orica GreenEdge Cycling Team
51 Lieuwe Westra (Ned) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team 0:00:17
52 Rafael Valls Ferri (Spa) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team
53 Rui Alberto Faria Da Costa (Por) Movistar Team
54 Levi Leipheimer (USA) Omega Pharma-QuickStep
55 Matthieu Ladagnous (Fra) FDJ-Big Mat
56 Oscar Freire Gomez (Spa) Katusha Team 0:00:21
57 Rob Ruijgh (Ned) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team
58 Thibaut Pinot (Fra) FDJ-Big Mat 0:00:23
59 Chris Anker Sörensen (Den) Team Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank
60 Christophe Riblon (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale
61 Steven Kruijswijk (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team
62 Juan Jose Cobo Acebo (Spa) Movistar Team
63 Tony Gallopin (Fra) RadioShack-Nissan
64 Andriy Grivko (Ukr) Astana Pro Team
65 Cyril Gautier (Fra) Team Europcar
66 Giovanni Bernaudeau (Fra) Team Europcar
67 Nick Nuyens (Bel) Team Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank
68 Giampaolo Caruso (Ita) Katusha Team
69 Yury Trofimov (Rus) Katusha Team
70 Johnny Hoogerland (Ned) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team
71 Jerome Coppel (Fra) Saur - Sojasun
72 Vasili Kiryienka (Blr) Movistar Team 0:00:40
73 Egoi Martinez De Esteban (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi
74 Dmitriy Fofonov (Kaz) Astana Pro Team 0:00:45
75 Andrey Kashechkin (Kaz) Astana Pro Team
76 Jorge Azanza Soto (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi
77 Alessandro Petacchi (Ita) Lampre - ISD
78 Yann Huguet (Fra) Argos - Shimano
79 Ruben Plaza Molina (Spa) Movistar Team
80 Sébastien Hinault (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale
81 Danilo Hondo (Ger) Lampre - ISD 0:00:55
82 Bram Tankink (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team
83 Christopher Horner (USA) RadioShack-Nissan
84 Marcus Burghardt (Ger) BMC Racing Team
85 Federico Canuti (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale 0:01:05
86 Maxime Bouet (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale 0:01:16
87 Roy Curvers (Ned) Argos - Shimano
88 Fabrice Jeandesboz (Fra) Saur - Sojasun
89 Fredrik Kessiakoff (Swe) Astana Pro Team
90 Davide Malacarne (Ita) Team Europcar
91 Amaël Moinard (Fra) BMC Racing Team
92 Simone Stortoni (Ita) Lampre - ISD
93 Johannes Fröhlinger (Ger) Argos - Shimano
94 Laurens Ten Dam (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team 0:01:20
95 Christopher Froome (GBr) Sky Procycling 0:01:25
96 Christophe Kern (Fra) Team Europcar
97 Luis Angel Mate Mardones (Spa) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne
98 Maxim Iglinskiy (Kaz) Astana Pro Team
99 Yukiya Arashiro (Jpn) Team Europcar
100 Peter Velits (Svk) Omega Pharma-QuickStep 0:01:52
101 Sandy Casar (Fra) FDJ-Big Mat 0:02:02
102 José Ivan Gutierrez Palacios (Spa) Movistar Team 0:02:07
103 Alessandro Vanotti (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale
104 Cyril Lemoine (Fra) Saur - Sojasun
105 Gorka Izagirre Insausti (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi
106 Nicki Sörensen (Den) Team Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank
107 Kevin De Weert (Bel) Omega Pharma-QuickStep
108 Maarten Wynants (Bel) Rabobank Cycling Team
109 Kenny Robert Van Hummel (Ned) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team
110 Imanol Erviti Ollo (Spa) Movistar Team
111 Johan Vansummeren (Bel) Garmin - Sharp
112 Aliaksandr Kuchynski (Blr) Katusha Team
113 Kristijan Koren (Slo) Liquigas-Cannondale
114 Kris Boeckmans (Bel) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team
115 Baden Cooke (Aus) Orica GreenEdge Cycling Team
116 Cédric Pineau (Fra) FDJ-Big Mat
117 Vincent Jerome (Fra) Team Europcar
118 David Moncoutie (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne
119 Romain Zingle (Bel) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne
120 Rémy Di Gregorio (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne
121 Yauheni Hutarovich (Blr) FDJ-Big Mat
122 Anders Lund (Den) Team Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank
123 Yaroslav Popovych (Ukr) RadioShack-Nissan
124 Jonathan Cantwell (Aus) Team Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank
125 Mark Renshaw (Aus) Rabobank Cycling Team
126 Ruben Perez Moreno (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi
127 Sylvester Szmyd (Pol) Liquigas-Cannondale
128 Mark Cavendish (GBr) Sky Procycling
129 Matthew Harley Goss (Aus) Orica GreenEdge Cycling Team
130 Daryl Impey (RSA) Orica GreenEdge Cycling Team
131 Matthieu Sprick (Fra) Argos - Shimano
132 George Hincapie (USA) BMC Racing Team
133 Davide Vigano (Ita) Lampre - ISD
134 Daniel Oss (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale
135 Borut Bozic (Slo) Astana Pro Team
136 Luca Paolini (Ita) Katusha Team
137 Brett Lancaster (Aus) Orica GreenEdge Cycling Team
138 Sebastian Langeveld (Ned) Orica GreenEdge Cycling Team
139 Marco Marzano (Ita) Lampre - ISD
140 Sergio Miguel Moreira Paulinho (Por) Team Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank
141 Karsten Kroon (Ned) Team Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank
142 Stuart O'Grady (Aus) Orica GreenEdge Cycling Team
143 Jens Voigt (Ger) RadioShack-Nissan 0:03:01
144 Patrick Gretsch (Ger) Argos - Shimano
145 Amets Txurruka (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi
146 Bert Grabsch (Ger) Omega Pharma-QuickStep
147 Jérémy Roy (Fra) FDJ-Big Mat
148 Sébastien Minard (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale
149 Anthony Delaplace (Fra) Saur - Sojasun
150 Jimmy Engoulvent (Fra) Saur - Sojasun
151 Michael Schär (Swi) BMC Racing Team
152 Brice Feillu (Fra) Saur - Sojasun
153 Jurgen Roelandts (Bel) Lotto Belisol Team
154 Adam Hansen (Aus) Lotto Belisol Team
155 David Millar (GBr) Garmin - Sharp
156 Pierrick Fedrigo (Fra) FDJ-Big Mat
157 Tyler Farrar (USA) Garmin - Sharp 0:03:32
158 Robert Hunter (RSA) Garmin - Sharp
159 Anthony Roux (Fra) FDJ-Big Mat 0:03:41
160 Albert Timmer (Ned) Argos - Shimano
161 Tom Veelers (Ned) Argos - Shimano
162 Richie Porte (Aus) Sky Procycling
163 Matthew Lloyd (Aus) Lampre - ISD
164 Joan Horrach Rippoll (Spa) Katusha Team
165 Greg Henderson (NZl) Lotto Belisol Team
166 Manuel Quinziato (Ita) BMC Racing Team
167 Lars Ytting Bak (Den) Lotto Belisol Team
168 Stephen Cummings (GBr) BMC Racing Team
169 Yohann Gene (Fra) Team Europcar
170 Julien Fouchard (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne
171 Gustav Larsson (Swe) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team
172 Alexandr Vinokourov (Kaz) Astana Pro Team
173 Blel Kadri (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale
174 Hubert Dupont (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale
175 Jan Ghyselinck (Bel) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne
176 Grega Bole (Slo) Lampre - ISD
177 Juan José Haedo (Arg) Team Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank
178 Michael Morkov (Den) Team Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank
179 Nicolas Edet (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne
180 Jérôme Pineau (Fra) Omega Pharma-QuickStep
181 David Zabriskie (USA) Garmin - Sharp
182 André Greipel (Ger) Lotto Belisol Team
183 Marcel Sieberg (Ger) Lotto Belisol Team
184 Christian Knees (Ger) Sky Procycling
185 Maarten Tjallingii (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team 0:04:05
186 Luis Leon Sanchez Gil (Spa) Rabobank Cycling Team
187 Julien Simon (Fra) Saur - Sojasun 0:04:13
188 Martin Velits (Svk) Omega Pharma-QuickStep
189 Marcel Kittel (Ger) Argos - Shimano 0:04:23
190 Vladimir Karpets (Rus) Movistar Team 0:04:42
191 Bernhard Eisel (Aut) Sky Procycling 0:04:50
192 Yuriy Krivtsov (Fra) Lampre - ISD 0:05:40
193 Jose Joaquin Rojas Gil (Spa) Movistar Team
194 Gorka Verdugo Marcotegui (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi 0:06:11
195 Pablo Urtasun Perez (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi
196 Francis De Greef (Bel) Lotto Belisol Team 0:06:44
197 Jean Marc Marino (Fra) Saur - Sojasun
198 Guillaume Levarlet (Fra) Saur - Sojasun 0:08:52
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Stories for the Italian Cycling Journal about rides, granfondos, touring, having a good time cycling in Italy, Italian cycling history, etc. are always welcome. Contact me at veronaman@gmail.com. There are more than 2,500 stories in this blog. The search feature to the right works best for finding subjects in the blog. There is also a translate button at the bottom so you can translate each page .
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