Although the overall standings in the Tour de France remained unchanged after today’s 131-mile stage from Tonnerre to Vittel, there was one surprise: Mark Cavendish didn’t win. The stage victory went to Saxo Bank’s Nicki Sorensen who attacked a breakaway and soloed to the finish, while Cavendish finished in the eighth slot—enough to keep him in the green points jersey for another day.

The race heads into the hills tomorrow, with two challenging category 1 climbs. Most of the overall leaders, including Christian Vande Velde and Bradley Wiggins from Boulder’s Garmin-Slipstream squad, will likely save their legs for next week’s trip to the Alps. Look for a breakaway or attacks from the likes of Carlos Sastre and Cadel Evans, both considered top contenders who are down in the overall classification and need to make something dramatic happen sooner rather than later.

Geoff Van Dyke
Geoff Van Dyke
Geoff Van Dyke is the editorial director of 5280 Publishing. Follow him on Twitter @GeoffVanDyke