Greig Leach

Marc Soler (Movistar) decided to play the roll of spoiler on the final kilometers into Nice. Ironically, after refusing to assist Contador in the chase earlier, he called unsuccessfully to get his two remaining escapees to aid in his efforts. Being denied, he attacked near the summit of the Col d'Eze, taking the KOM points (which mattered little to everyone), and the bonus seconds at the final intermediate sprint. The sprint bonus seconds hurt Contador's bid for Yellow, leaving him only two seconds gained in d'Eze. Behind, the group containing the Yellow Jersey was slowly clawing back precious seconds on the three escapes. Now they were racing for a stage victory and its bonus seconds. Should Contador take the stage, the 10 bonus seconds, he would most likely be able to claim the final Maillot Jaune. Right now, that was in the legs of Soler, but Contador had another rival with him, David de la Cruz (Quickstep).