British champion loses a few seconds to some on Mûr-de-Bretagne but gains some on others, while Geraint Thomas holds on to the white jersey
Bradley Wiggins (Team Sky) finished eleventh on the stage finish on the Mûr-de-Bretagne, as the first rider of the second group across the line. The British champion lost six seconds to stage winner Cadel Evans (BMC Racing), and the select group of riders in the leading ten but moved up from tenth to sixth in the overall classification as some riders previously ahead of him lost time.
"It's probably not much of a climb if you do it in training,” Wiggis said of the Mûr-de-Bretagne at the finish, “but the way the stage was, with the wet, the wind and a nervy peloton, that was pretty tough at the end of 170-k.
"I just conceded a few seconds at the top there but gained a lot on other people and at the end of three weeks it's not going to mean much,” he continued. “It was a tricky finish and it's a question of making sure you stay out of trouble again, staying upright and getting it all out so I'm pretty happy.”
While the Mûr-de-Bretagne was the first real climb of the race, which until today had scaled just two 4th category hills – one of which was a bridge – but the winner of the Critérium du Dauphiné knows that it was a mere taster compared to what is to come when the race hits the Pyrénées and the Alps.
"It's still early days yet and these stages are all about not giving anything away but the real stuff is still to come," Wiggins concluded.
Geraint Thomas finished in the group of riders, just behind that of teammate Wiggins, he lost and extra two seconds, dropping him from fourth to seventh. He is now 12 seconds behind yellow jersey Thor Hushovd (Garmin-Cervélo), but holds onto the white, young rider’s jersey.
"We started the climb at the front, with Brad in a good position, and then it's all about giving everything to the top and getting up it as quick as you can,” he explained.
"Those last 500 metres were hurting a bit but I just had to hold the wheel in front of me and all in all I think it's another decent day for the team.”
While most of the 172.5km stage was relatively flat, with the race moving north into the cycling heartland of Brittany, the roads narrowed and the weather moved in, making the stage very different from the rest of the race so far.
"There was a lot of stress in the bunch earlier on and it was a long, hard day especially with the weather playing its part too,” said Thomas. “But I feel pretty good and have just been getting stuck in every day; when you've got a jersey like this you have to dig in and give it everything - and I'm enjoying it."
Thomas is on the same time as teammate Edvald Boasson Hagen and just a single second ahead of American Tejay Van Garderen, who are second and third in the white jersey standings. With no time bonuses awarded in this year’s race, the Welshman, barring catastrophe, should keep the jersey at least until the race reaches Super-Besse Sancy on Saturday.