Robbie McEwen perfectly negotiated the "non-sprinter friendly" terrain of the finishing line and showed that he can still deliver the flashes of brilliance that he became so noted for throughout his career. The Aussie sprinter timed his sprint perfectly after the field was sent into chaos with a late attack from Edvald Boasson-Hagen. Boasson-Hagen launched himself at about 800 meters to go, but just did not have the legs to stay ahead over the final hump while others like McEwen waited until they reached the summit to accelerate. McEwen's form looked great in the sprint and on twitter he said that he hopes it would be enough to get him selected to the Australian worlds team. Though Boasson-Hagen's late attack sure was one of the most dangerous, it was not the only one. The entire stage was filled with a spree of failed attacks and breakaways as well as quite a few crashes. The tumultuous conditions and course caused problems for Jens Voigt and Richie Porte, and also took a large toll on Jurgen Van Den Broeck's GC hopes. Despite this, many riders were simply happy to just finish unharmed and try it again tomorrow.Stage Results
1. Robbie McEwen
2. Lucas Haedo
3. Allan Davis
General Classification
1. Svein Tuft
2. Jos Van Emden -5
3. Lars Boom -6
4. Maarten Tjallingii -6
5. Edvald Boasson-Hagen -7
6. Tony Martin -7
7. Richie Porte -9
8. Christian Knees -11
9. Patrick Gretsch -12
10. Greg Henderson -12
11. Vasili Kiryienka -13
12. Ivan Gutierrez -13
18. Jurgen Roelandts -16
19. Andreas Kloden -17
21. Daniel Oss -17
48. Jurgen Van de Walle -25
101. Jurgen Van Den Broeck -1:32
Points
1. Robbie McEwen 30
2. Lucas Haedo 25
3. Adriano Malori 24
Young Rider
1. Jos Van Emden
2. Lars Boom -1
3. Edvald Boasson-Hagen -2
Team Standings
1. Rabobank
2. HTC Columbia -16
3. Garmin-Transitions -17
It looks like a sprint again tomorrow, though nothing is certain in this race.
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