Tour de France 2007/18. stage

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Stage 18
Result of the 18th stage
Stage winner Sandy Casar 5:13:31 h
(40.381 km / h)
Second Axel Merckx + 0:01 min
Third Laurent Lefèvre equal time
Fourth Michael Boogerd equal time
fifth Tom Boonen + 8:34 min
Sixth Robert Hunter equal time
seventh Erik Zabel equal time
Eighth Sébastien Chavanel equal time
Ninth Bernhard Eisel equal time
Tenth Thor Hushovd equal time
Most combative driver Sandy Casar
Intermediate results after the 18th stage
Yellow jersey Alberto Contador 86:04:16 h
Second Cadel Evans + 1:50 min
Third Levi Leipheimer + 2:49 min
Green jersey Tom Boonen 234 P.
Second Robert Hunter 210 p.
Third Erik Zabel 206 P.
Dotted jersey Mauricio Soler 206 P.
Second Alberto Contador 128 P.
Third Yaroslav Popovych 104 P.
White jersey Alberto Contador 86:04:16 h
Second Mauricio Soler + 13:31 min
Third Amets Txurruka + 45:54 min
Team evaluation Discovery Channel 258: 27: 02 h
Second Team CSC + 16:12 min
Third Caisse d'Epargne + 16:51 min

The 18th stage of the Tour de France 2007 on July 27th was 211 kilometers long and led the riders from Cahors northwest through the southwest region Midi-Pyrénées , specifically through the Lot department , to the southwest region Aquitaine through the Dordogne department , and finally to Angoulême in the Charente department in the Poitou-Charentes region . The ninth flat stage had a total of four mountain ratings in the fourth category.

After the early breakaway attempts on the previous stages, it was up to race kilometer 14 before the first three-man breakaway group formed. Sandy Casar , Jérôme Pineau and Frederik Willems were released from the peloton just one kilometer after they had formed. Shortly afterwards, the next group attacked, which included Michael Boogerd and Laurent Lefèvre as well as Casar and Willems. The four drivers were able to quickly find a gap in the main field, from which Axel Merckx had taken up the sole pursuit of the leading quartet. After 27 kilometers driven, there was a fall in the leading group after Casar collided with a dog running across the street. Willems also fell because he couldn't avoid Casar.

Initially, only Boogerd and Lefèvre remained at the top, while Casar and Merckx took up the pursuit again and Willems fell back into the field. As the two leaders subsequently waited for the duo behind them, they were able to catch up again at race kilometer 36. The quartet was able to extend their lead to almost 18 minutes on the wavy profile at the beginning of the stage, as there was initially no interest in following the outliers in the main field. The Euskaltel-Euskadi team did not join the pursuit until about 30 kilometers from the finish , as Michael Boogerd jeopardized the top 10 placements of their drivers Mikel Astarloza and Haimar Zubeldia , and reduced the gap.

Boogerd launched the first attack in the leading group ten kilometers from the finish, but could not break away because Lefèvre closed the gap again. Four kilometers later it was Lefèvre himself who attacked next, but was just as unable to break away. On a traffic island that divides the lane, 2.5 kilometers from the finish line, Casar, the first driver, was able to break away decisively, but like his opponents, he was put on the last kilometer. So it came to the sprint of the four outliers on the slightly rising home straight, which Sandy Casar was able to win in a superior manner in front of Axel Merckx, Laurent Lefèvre and Michael Boogerd. The main field reached the goal 8:34 minutes behind the winner. Tom Boonen won the mass sprint of the field , followed by his two rivals for the green jersey, Robert Hunter and Erik Zabel .

In the individual rankings, as well as in the team rankings , there was no change in the respective leading positions, but Cadel Evans was able to shorten the gap to Alberto Contador by three seconds in the overall ranking .

Intermediate sprints

1st intermediate sprint in Saint-Cyprien (kilometer 66) (57 m above sea level)

First Axel Merckx 6 p. And 6 s
Second Laurent Lefèvre 4 p. And 4 s
Third Michael Boogerd 2 P. and 2 s

2nd intermediate sprint in Dignac (kilometer 192) (148 m above sea level)

First Sandy Casar 6 p. And 6 s
Second Axel Merckx 4 p. And 4 s
Third Michael Boogerd 2 P. and 2 s

Mountain ratings

Côte de Salvezou , category 4 (kilometer 15) (246 m above sea level; 1.3 km at 6.5%)

First Frederik Willems 3 p.
Second Jérôme Pineau 2 p.
Third Sandy Casar 1 P.

Côte de Lavercantière , category 4 (kilometer 24) (288 m above sea level; 1.2 km at 5.8%)

First Laurent Lefèvre 3 p.
Second Michael Boogerd 2 p.
Third Sandy Casar 1 P.

Côte de Saint-Martial-de-Nabirat , category 4 (km 39.5) (205 m above sea level; 1.5 km at 4.3%)

First Laurent Lefèvre 3 p.
Second Michael Boogerd 2 p.
Third Sandy Casar 1 P.

Côte de Saint-Cyprien , Category 4 (km 70.5) (277 m above sea level; 2.8 km at 4.9%)

First Michael Boogerd 3 p.
Second Sandy Casar 2 p.
Third Laurent Lefèvre 1 P.