Greig Leach

With the first break away rider back in the fold, it was Laurent Pichon (Fortuneo-Samsic) who tried to go for a long solo effort to the line in Chartes. It is pretty common for a counter attack to go after a catch is made by the peloton. That is the reason the group will often delay catching the break until the final kilometers of the stage. It keeps the opportunist like Pichon from getting a jump on the plans of the sprinters. With just today and tomorrow being stages for the sprinters ahead of the cobbles and the mountains, it was unlikely any escape would succeed. A solo effort had no chance at all.