US-based Team Columbia posted its fifth stage win at the 2008 Tour de France on Thursday as Marcus Burghardt won a breakaway sprint to the finish in Saint Etienne.
It was the first Tour win for the 25-year-old German in what looked more like a sprint in a velodrome than the end of a 122-mile road race across the French countryside.
Meanwhile, Team CSC didn't have to field any threats to the yellow jersey held by Carlos Sastre. There were no changes among the Tour leaders as they conserve energy for the individual time trial on Saturday.
Breakaway
Burghardt and Spain's Carlos Barredo of Quick Step comprised the surviving breakaway for the last 74 miles of the 122-mile stage from Bourg d'Oisans to Saint Étienne.
The pair worked together to keep a three-man chase group at bay, until the final five miles. That's when Barredo attacked three times to test Burghardt's ability to respond.
A countless series of attacks and counter-attacks followed to the final kilometer, when the two slowed to a crawl. Burghardt kept watching Barredo on his wheel, then attacked. Barredo couldn't pass and the German won.
Columbia
It was the fifth stage win for Team Columbia, which had raced as Team High Road in 2008 until the beginning of the Tour. For the previous decade or more it had been sponsored by T-Mobile. Sprinter Mark Cavendish was responsible for the previous four stages wins.
Team Columbia also held the yellow jersey for four stages on the shoulders of Kim Kirchen. George Hincapie is a member of the team.
American Christian Vande Velde finished with the peloton, maintaining 6th place, 4:41 behind the leader Sastre.
Top 10 overall:
1 Carlos Sastre Candil (Spa) Team CSC – Saxo Bank
2 Frank Schleck (Lux) Team CSC – Saxo Bank, 1.24
3 Bernhard Kohl (Aut) Gerolsteiner, 1.33
4 Cadel Evans (Aus) Silence – Lotto, 1.34
5 Denis Menchov (Rus) Rabobank, 2.39
6 Christian Vande Velde (USA) Team Garmin-Chipotle, 4.41
7 Alejandro Valverde Belmonte (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne, 5.35
8 Samuel Sanchez Gonzalez (Spa) Euskaltel – Euskadi, 5.52
9 Tadej Valjavec (Slo) AG2R La Mondiale, 8.10
10 Vladimir Efimkin (Rus) AG2R La Mondiale, 8.24
Other leaders:
Sprint jersey: Oscar Freire (Spain) Rabobank
Mountains: Bernard Kohl (Austria) Gerolsteiner
Young rider: Andy Schleck (Luxembourg) CSC
Best Team: CSC
Bummer of the stage
Damiano Cunego, one of the favorites of this year's Tour de France, suffered his third crash on Thursday early in the stage. Four Lampre teammates escorted him all the way to the finish, where he crossed the line with blood dripping from his chin. He decided to drop out after visiting a hospital. More at VeloNews.
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