Greig Leach

Japser Stuyven (Lidl-Trek) seemed to be getting a bit frustrated with Brent Van Moer (Lotto-Dstny). Stuyven had come close to winning stage 9 on the gravel roads but was caught within sight of the flame rounge. Today he was trying to get the jump on the sprinters' teams with just fourteen kilometers left in the stage. Lidl-Trek has lost their sprinter due to a crash in a mass sprint, so it is left to one of the team members to go in a break away for them to get the coveted stage win in the Tour. Conversely, Van Moer is trying to be a dead weight to Stuyven's attack to ensure that his sprinter, Arnaud De Lie, will be able to contest for stage honors today. As he would say to Stuyven, "It is just race tactics, sorry."