Four survivors of a breakaway that led most of the day played a game of cat and mouse at the approach to the finish line in Castelsarrasin on Thursday, but all the tactics couldn't stop sprinter Daniele Bennati from winning Stage 17.
Meanwhile, the Discovery Channel team drove the rest of the peloton about 10 minutes back to protect race leader Alberto Contador, who did not wear the yellow jersey during the stage but pulled it on at ceremonies at the finish line.
Tour de France organizers decided that no one would wear the yellow jersey on Thursday's stage, the day after the Rabobank team removed and fired overall leader Michael Rasmussen for lying about his whereabouts in June.
An eight-man breakaway attacked early in the 117-mile stage from Pau to Castelsarrasin. Either the peloton was tired from three days in the Pyrenees or concerned about the future of their sport, but the race seemed subdued.
The breakaway split in half near the finish when David Millar (Saunier-Duval) tried to attack on a hill. He was pulled back and the other four launched clear. In addition to winner Lampre's Bennati, they were Jens Voigt (CSC), Markus Fothen (Gerolsteiner), and Martin Elmiger (Ag2r – Prévoyance).
Millar put himself in the breakaway after pledging to win the stage to prove a clean rider can win the Tour. The British rider is in the peloton after serving a two-year ban for doping. Since then, he's become an outspoken supporter of drug-free cycling.
None of the cyclists in the lead group are a threat to Contador, so Discovery wasn't interested in fighting to reel them in. Apparently the other teams aren't interested in doing the work to get their sprinters to the front.
Perhaps as a delayed result of Rasmussen's firing, teammate Denis Menchov pulled out of the race out on the field. Menchov, who started the Tour de France as team leader, worked hard to keep Rasmussen in the lead through the Pyrenees. He must be spent.
No changes in the Top 10 overall:
1. Alberto Contador (Spa) Discovery Channel
2. Cadel Evans (Aus) Predictor – Lotto — 1:53 behind
3. Levi Leipheimer (USA) Discovery Channel — 2:49
4. Carlos Sastre (Spa) Team CSC — 6:02
5. Haimar Zubeldia (Spa) Euskaltel – Euskadi — 6:29
6. Alejandro Valverde (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne — 10:18
7. Kim Kirchen (Lux) T-Mobile Team — 11:36
8. Yaroslav Popovych (Ukr) Discovery Channel — 12:50
9. Mauricio Soler (Col) Barloworld — 13:31
10. Mikel Astarloza (Spa) Euskaltel — 13:42
Full results and green and polka dot jersey standings at CyclingNews.
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