Today's inevitable sprint was the usual chaos and the winners were Garmin and Tyler Farrar. HTC had exerted control over the race's final few km, and looked set to deliver Cavendish well up in the standings and to a stage as well, following his win of the leftover midrace sprint points. But HTC botched the leadout when Cavendish lost his positioning at 1km to go, and the entire race fell into Garmin's lap. Thor Hushovd, in yellow, took second leadout, followed by Dean and then Farrar executing to perfection, just barely challenged. Great day for the American who paid tribute to Wouter Weylandt after crossing the line. Results:
- Tyler Farrar
- Romain Feillu, Vacansoleil
- JJ Rojas, Movistar
- Seb Hinault, AG2R
- Mark Cavendish, HTC
No big changes on GC, with Hushovd still in yellow, but the green jersey comp is beginning to take shape:
- JJ Rojas, Movistar, 64 Points
- Farrar, 58
- Thor Hushovd, Garmin, 54
- Philippe Gilbert, OPL, 51
- Cavendish, 37
Photo by Bryn Lennon, Getty Images Sport