Vive la France as Vasseur wins
The Quick Step rider was part of a five-man strong group who launched the decisive attack with just 32 kilometres remaining on the second longest stage of this year’s Tour to finish over 10 minutes ahead of the peloton.
The result had no bearing on the overall leaders, with Denmark’s Michael Rasmussen maintaining his two minute 35 second advantage over Spaniard Alejandro Valverde and strengthening his grip on the yellow jersey at the half-way stage of the Tour.
Vasseur said: “I was glad to be in the break. I felt confident, my team have been going well since the beginning. Now I’ve won the stage I can leave the world of cycling with my head held high, you need to know when to leave and I’m just happy to have a stage win.”
However, the day’s dramatic finale failed to divert the attention from the announcement that German T-Mobile rider Patrik Sinkewitz, who dropped out of the tour after crashing into a spectator on stage eight, has tested positive for high levels of testosterone.
The findings, which have prompted two main German television stations to drop their coverage of the Tour, relates to a test Sinkewitz carried out on June 8 — a month before the start of the race.
The German rider, who has denied the allegations, has been immediately suspended by his team while he decides whether to request a B sample test which could result in a possible ban and loss of his entire annual salary if it also comes back positive.
The 171 riders still involved in the race set off from Tallard in blistering fashion, completing the first hour’s racing at an average speed of 48.3km/h.
After several unsuccessful attempts, the decisive breakaway finally came with 160km remaining courtesy of a sprint from Marcus Burghardt, the T-Mobile rider racing after Tuesday’s spectacular crash with a stray dog.
However, his solo lead did not last long as within 10km he was joined by a chasing group of 10 riders who worked together to build up a commanding 10 minute advantage over the peloton with 115km remaining.
The lead, which at one point reached an impressive 14 minutes, became a sustained break with the 11-man strong group still holding a 10 minute advantage 50km from the finishing line. At the start of the Cote des Bastides, the penultimate climb on the stage, five of the 11 riders attacked the group to start their own breakaway and build up a sizeable lead on the chasing pack.
Jens Voigt, Patrice Halgand, Sandy Casar, Michael Albasini and Vasseur sustained their advantage and reached the summit of the final climb a full 52 seconds ahead of the chasing riders and over 12 minutes ahead of the peloton.
And it was left to Vasseur to make his final sprint with just 300 metres remaining to seal victory by three centimetres ahead of Frenchman Casar.
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