Big day for Robert Gesink and Rabobank, as the young Dutch climber counterattacked an Andy Schleck move some 8km from the top of the Albulapass and rode away for the stage win and what appears to be an insurmountable overall lead.
- Robert Gesink, Rabobank 6:20:53
- Rigoberto Urán, Caisse d’Epargne, at 0.42
- Joaquim Rodríguez, Katusha, s.t.
- Olivier Zaugg, Liquigas, s.t.
- Lance Armstrong, The Shack, s.t.
And the GC:
- Gesink, 25:18:57
- Urán, at 0.29
- Steve Morabito, BMC, at 0.36
- Frank Schleck, Saxo Bank, at 0.38
- Rodríguez, at 0.42
- Matteo Carrara, Vacansoleil, at 0.54
- Armstrong, at 0.55
- Zaugg, at 1:01
- Jakob Fuglsang, Saxo Bank, at 1:17
- Thomas Lovkvist, Sky, at 1:38
For Gesink, this may be his biggest win, assuming he can hang on through tomorrow's mid-mountain stage, a slightly undulating ride Saturday, and a short ITT on Sunday. He should rate as a solid favorite, though Uran and Morabito are close enough to give him trouble over the next couple stages. At age 24, same as Kreuziger, Gesink is coming along nicely, even if we've seen him approaching this level for a couple years and it can be a bit hard to wait. If he closes this out, it doesn't propel him into Tour contender status, but he should be in the mix for a top ten and moving up in status there over the next 2-3 years. Patience grasshoppers!