Today followed the script to a T for a sprint stage: a futile break, sprint teams assuming control in the final 30k, jockeying for position in the final 10k, and lead out men peeling off and saying a prayer as their sprinters do what they do best.
Eager to show off now that the race has entered their home region, Bretagne Séché sent 2 riders in the 4 man break. Anthony Delaplace, Brice Feillu (Bretagne Séché), Daniel Teklehaimanot (MTN Qhubeka), and Luis Angel Mate (Cofidis) rode a couple of minutes up the road from the peloton, who were presumably overjoyed to have a relatively easy day for once.
I had originally looked to Cavendish for the stage, knowing the Manxman was chomping at the bit and motivated to make it back to back Etixx stage wins after losing Tony Martin and the yellow jersey, but I was surprised to see the final couple hundred meters were not flat as the race book had indicated. Upon seeing the 4% slope leading to the finish line, I wrote off Cavendish immediately and thought it would be Peter Sagan's day.
In the closing kilometers, the sprint teams all came to the front while the GC teams sat close behind.
Coming up the final hill and around the bend, the strongest of the sprinters were neck and neck across the road. No one was fading, this was the very definition of full gas. It was anyone's race!
The one rider I had specifically named and then discarded was the one who pulled it off. It was close but clear: Cavendish had nabbed the stage ahead of Greipel and Sagan (who again seemed to throw his bike too early).
Below: Alexander Kristoff 5th, Arnaud Demare 6th, Tyler Farrar 7th, Reinardt Janse Van Rensburg 8th, and Davide Cimolai 9th. Sam Bennett finished 10th (not pictured).
Without a sprinter, Geoffrey Soupe was Cofidis's top finisher on the stage.
Tony Gallopin, Geraint Thomas, and Daniel Oss.
Greg Van Avermaet and Jan Bakelants.
The bunch comes in.
Yohan Gène.
Joaquim Rodriguez.
Matthias Brandle.
Filippo Pozatto and Florian Senechal.
Jacques Janse Van Rensburg and Sep Vanmarcke.
Marco Haller, exhausted on a hot day.
Matteo Bono and Winner Anacona.
Danilo Wyss.
Ruben Plaza, Damiano Caruso, and Marcel Wyss.
Adam Yates and Bartosz Huzarski.
Sebastian Langeveld.
Lars Boom, Luca Paolini, and Zak Dempster.
Thomas De Gendt and Marcel Sieberg took massive pulls on the front today to set the stage for Greipel. Upon approaching the finish, De Gendt looked at the results board and held up 2 fingers, indicating Greipel's place to Sieberg.
Luis Angel Mate (center) spent over 100 kilometers in the break.
Michal Kwiatkowski and Adam Hansen.
Daniel Teklehaimanot.
Luke Durbridge, Matteo Tosatto, Michele Scarponi, Svein Tuft, Thomas Voeckler, and Pierre Rolland.
Alex Dowsett, Ryder Hesjedal, Nick Roche, and Michael Matthews.
A heavily bandaged Matthews seems unable to be competitive in the sprints, so I imagine he is staying in the race for the sake of the team time trial on Sunday. Down to just 6 riders, Orica cannot afford to lose another rider. Depending on how he feels on the rest day, it's probably 50/50 whether or not he reaches Paris.
Peter Kennaugh.
Rohan Dennis.
Rafal Majka.
The podium was brilliantly placed so that spectators could see it from multiple spots.
A jubilant Cavendish!
After Tony Martin abandoned overnight due to a fractured clavicle, Chris Froome became the virtual maillot jaune on the road. Finishing on bunch time, he was awarded the yellow jersey at the stage's end.
Greipel has been in the green jersey since winning stage 2.
Teklehaimanot added another point to his KOM tally to stay in polka dots for tomorrow.
Meanwhile, a pair of Eritreans were losing their minds! It was great!
I'm happy to see Sagan stay in the white jersey if it means he doesn't have to wear the hideous Slovakian champion's kit.
Anthony Delaplace collected the most combative prize.
I hope the peloton took it easy today. Tomorrow they can look forward to an up-and-down 181k with two categorized climbs. The first, a cat 4, comes 100k into the stage, while the day ends by climbing the Mur de Bretagne. It's a cat 3, like the Mur de Huy. Bretagne is longer at 2 kilometers but not as steep. Rui Costa could have a go. MTN have 2 cards to play in either Farrar or Boasson Hagen while Kristoff, Degenkolb, and Sagan–all winless–will surely be near the front.