Stage 14 and its intimidating hills were claimed on Sunday by AG2R's Christophe Riblon, who currently sits at 27th in the overall standings. The standings at the top remain unchanged, with Andy Schleck in first, Alberto Contador in second, and Samuel Sanchez in third.
Our cycling blog, Podium Cafe, breaks down the stage results:
Behind him the battle raged on for podium spots on the category-1 climb, though mostly it was shadowboxing ahead of bigger days, including Thursday's decisive event. Denis Menchov of Rabobank took a very strong second on the stage, showing great form and his historic knack for riding well in the Pyrenees, on both sides of the border with Spain. However, Sammy Sachez, currently third overall, matched Menchov's accelerations and held off the Russian for that hold on his spot.
Here are Stage 14's top ten finishers:
1. Christophe Riblon, AG2R
2. Denis Menchov, Rabobank, at 0.54
3. Samuel Sanchez, Euskaltel, s.t.
4. Andy Schleck, Saxo Bank, at 1.08
5. Joaquim Rodriguez, Katusha, s.t.
6. Robert Gesink, Rabobank, s.t.
7. Alberto Contador, Astana, s.t.
8. Jurgen Van den Broeck, Omega Pharma, s.t.
9. Damiano Cunego, Lampre, at 1.49
10. Carlos Sastre, Cervelo, s.t.
The tour continues on Monday with a 187.5-kilometer mountain stage that ends in Bagnères-de-Luchon, near the Spanish border. Stay tuned to Podium Cafe for previews, predictions, course maps, analysis, results... in short, they have this Tour completely covered.