Tour de France Stage 16: Tough Day in the Pyrenees
An escape group of 38 riders produced eventual solo stage winner Thomas Voeckler (Team Europcar) on a brutal stage with two HC climbs — including the Tourmalet, the highest peak in the Pyrenees — and two Category 1 climbs.
Voeckler also took over the KOM jersey by reaching the top of each climb first. Omega Pharma - Quick-Step Cycling Team missed out on the original break, though Jerome Pineau tried his best to bridge early on.
Levi Leipheimer managed to finish the stage 34th, as the peloton continued to fracture with each passing climb. Dries Devenyns was with him at one point in the race when Cadel Evans (BMC Racing Team) was dropped for the first time, eventually forming a chase group with Levi. Evans struggled later on in the race and dropped a few spots in the GC as a result.
Chris Anker Sorensen (Team Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank) was the only rider able to chase Voeckler in the end, but couldn't bring the gap any closer than a minute and a half. He crossed alone for 2nd, while Gorki Izagirre (Euskaltel-Euskadi) beat Alexander Vinokourov to the line for 3rd.
Keep up to date on our social media channel