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Stage 16, Wednesday, July 18: Pau - Bagnères de Luchon, 197 km. high mountains

Rated ascents:

• Km 53.5: Col d'Aubisque (1709 m), 16.4 km @ 7.1% - Category H
• Km 120.5: Col du Tourmalet (2115 m), 19.0 km @ 7.4% - Category H
• Km 150.5: Col d'Aspin (1489 m) - 12.4 km @ 4.8% - Category 1
• Km 181.5: Col de Peyresourde (1569 m) - 9.5 km @ 6.7% - Category 1

The Race: A big move of 28 riders went clear about 20 km into the stage. From there, the day's four big mountains broke the legs of all but Thomas Voeckler, who went over the last climb, the Peyresourde, nearly 2 minutes ahead of Chris Anker Sorensen. Voeckler won his second stage of the year and took over the polka dot jersey.

In the Yellow Jersey group, there were a few flashes of rebellion against Sky's hegemony, but Sky did most of the pacemaking on the climbs. Cadel Evans was gapped on the the Aspin, but scrambled back on in time to be dropped early on the Peyresourde when Liquigas hit the front to prepare things for Vincenzo Nibali's attack.

Nibali attacked and got a gap near the top, but Froome and Wiggins closed up to him, taking no other riders with them. And that's how they went over the top of the Peyresourde and finished, the three best riders: Nibali, Wiggins and Froome together.

While Lotto-Belisol and Liquigas wanted to shake things up, no one had enough horsepower to dislodge Sky.

Results:

1. Thomas Voeckler (Europcar) 5hr 35min 2sec. 35.3 km/hr
2. Chris Anker Sorensen (Saxo-Tinkoff) @ 1min 40sec
3. Gorka Izaguirre (Euskaltel) @ 3min 22sec
4. Alexandre Vinokourov (Astana) @ 3min 22sec
5. Brice Feillu (Saur-Sojasun) @ 3min 58sec
6. Jens Voigt (Radio Shack-Nissan) @ 4min 18sec
7. Daniel Martin (Garmin-Sharp) @ 6min 8sec
8. Simone Stortoni (Lampre) s.t.
9. Gianpaolo Caruso (Katusha) s.t.
10. Laurens Ten Dam (Rabobank) @ 6min 11sec
11. Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas) @ 7min 9sec
12. Bradley Wiggins (Sky) s.t.
13. Christopher Froome (Sky) s.t.
14. Nicolas Roche (Ag2r) @ 8min 7sec
15. Tejay Van Garderen (BMC) s.t.
16. Jurgen Van Den Broeck (Lotto-Belisol) s.t.
17. Haimar Zubeldia (Radio Shack-Nissan) s.t.
18. Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) s.t.
19. Juan José Cobo (Movistar) s.t.
20. Christopher Horner (Radio Shack-Nissan) s.t.
21. Janez Brajkovic (Astana) @ 8min 48sec
22. Pierre Rolland (Europcar) @ 8min 48sec
23. Thibaut Pinot (FDJ-Big Mat) @ 10min 1sec
24. Egoi Martinez (Euskaltel) @ 10min 46sec
25. Jelle Venendert (Lotto-Belisol) s.t.
26. Christopher Kern (Europcar) s.t.
27. Maxime Monfort (Radio Shack-Nissan) @ 20min 54sec
28. Denis Menchov (Katusha) s.t.
29. Eduard Vorganov (Katusha) s.t.
30. Rui Alberto Faria da Costa (Movistar) s.t.
31. Richie Porte (Sky) s.t.
32. Marco Marzano (Lampre) s.t.
33. Andréas Klöden (Radio Shack-Nissan) s.t.
34. Levi Leipheimer (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) s.t.
35. Cadel Evans (BMC) @ 11min 56sec
36. George Hincapie (BMC) s.t.
37. Andriy Grivko (Astana) s.t.
38. Amaël Moindard (BMC) s.t.
39. Andriy Kashechkin (Astana) s.t.
40. Johnny Hoogerland (Vacansoleil) s.t.
41. Rafael Valls (Vacansoleil) s.t.
42. Steven Kruikswijk (Rabobank) s.t.
43. Pablo Urtasun (Euskaltel) s.t.
44. Ivan Basso (Liquigas) @ 14min 7sec
45. Fredrik Kessiakoff (Astana) @ 14min 17sec
46. Sandy Casar (FDJ-Big Mat) @ 15min 17sec
47. Vladimir Karpets (Movistar) s.t.
48. Dominik Nerz (Liquigas) s.t.
49. Jorge Azanza (Euskaltel) s.t.
50. Fabrice Jeandesboz (Saur-Sojasun) @ 15min 54sec
    

General Classification: 2,948.5 km raced so far at an average speed of 39.71 km/hr

1. Bradley Wiggins (Sky) 74hr 15min 32sec
2. Chris Froome (Sky) @ 2min 5sec
3. Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas) @ 2min 23sec
4. Jurgen Van Den Broeck (Lotto-Belisol) @ 5min 46sec
5. Haqimar Zubeldia (Radio Shack-Nissan) @ 7min 13sec
6. Tejay Van Garderen (BMC) @ 7min 55sec
7. Cadel Evans (BMC) @ 8min 6sec
8. Janez Brajkovic (Astana) @ 9min 9sec
9. Pierre Rolland (Europcar) @ 10mn 10sec
10. Thibaut Pinot (FDJ-Big Mat) @ 11min 43sec
11. Nicolas Roche (Ag2r) @ 11min 47sec
12. Andréas Klöden (Radio Shack-Nissan) @ 13min 14sec
13. Christopher Horner (Radio Shack-Nissan) @ 13min 39sec
14. Chris Anker Sorensen (Saxo-Tinkoff) @ 14min 43sec
15. Jérôme Coppel (Saur-Sojasun) @ 20min 12sec
16. Denis Menchov (Katusha) @ 21min 6sec
17. Maxime Monfort (Radio Shack-Nissan) @ 21min 26sec
18. Egoi Martinez (Euskaltel) @ 21min 41sec
19. Rui Alberto Faria da Costa (Movistar) @ 22min 47sec
20. Eduard Vorganov (Katusha) @ 24min 20sec
21. Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) @ 33min 57sec
22. Sandy Casar (FDJ-Big Mat) @ 35min 11sec
23. Thomas Voeckler (Europcar) @ 27min 19sec
24. Peter Velits (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) @ 43min 43sec
25. Laurens Ten Dam (Rabobank) @ 44min 37sec
26. Michele Scarponi (Lampre) @ 46min 27sec
27. Michael Rogers (Sky) @ 46min 29sec
28. Jelle Vanendert (Lotto-Belisol) @ 48min 22sec
29. Levi Leipheimer (Omega Pharma-Quick step) @ 51min 2sec
30. Ivan Basso (Liquigas) @ 52min 11sec
31. Steven Kruijswijk (Rabobank) @ 53min 21sec
32. Alexandre Vinokourov (Astana) @ 53min 41sec
33. Juan José Cobo (Movistar) @ 55min 38sec
34. Gianpaolo Caruso (Katusha) @ 59min 38sec
35. Gorka Izaguirre (Euskaltel) @ 1hr 0min 44sec
36. Peter Sagan (Liquigas) @ 1hr 2min 38sec
37. Richie Porte (Sky) @ 1hr 9min 11sec
38. George Hincapie (BMC) @ 1hr 9min 11sec
39. Rein Taaramae (Cofidis) @ 1hr 9min 51sec
40. Rafael Valls (Vacansoleil) @ 1hr 11min 27sec
41. Jens Voigt (Radio Shack-Nissan) @ 1hr 11min 36sec
42. Philippe Gilbert (BMC) @ 1hr 16min 43sec
43. Amaël Moinard (BMC) @ 1hr 18min 26sec
44. Pierrick Fedrigo (FDJ-Big Mat) @ 1hr 18min 49sec
45. Andriy Grivko (Astana) @ 1hr 19min 9sec
46. Daniel Martin (Garmin-Sharp) @ 1hr 19min 38sec
47. Jean-Christopher Peraud (Ag2r) @ 1hr 20min 14sec
48. Fredrik Kessiakoff (Astana) @ 1hr 21min 57sec
49. Fabrice Jeandesboz (Saur-Sojasun) @ 1hr 23min 13sec
50. Christian Vande Velde (Garmin-Sharp) @ 1hr 24min 22sec

Climber:

1. Thomas Voeckler (Europcar): 107 points
2. Fredrik Kessiakoff (Astana): 103
3. Chris Anker Sorensen (Saxo-Tinkoff): 77
4. Pierre Rolland (Europcar): 55
5. Brice Feillu (Saur-Sojasun): 38

Points:

1. Peter Sagan (Liquigas): 356 points
2. André Greipel (Lotto-Belisol): 254
3. Matthew Harley Goss (Orica-GreenEdge): 203
4. Mark Cavendish (Sky): 130
5. Edvald Boasson Hagen (Sky): 127

Young Rider:

1. Tejay Van Garderen (BMC) 74hr 23min 27sec
2. Thibaut Pinot (FDJ-Big Mat) @ 3min 48sec
3. Steven Kruijswijk (Rabobank) @ 45min 26sec

Team Classification:

1. Radio Shack-Nissan: 222hr 58min 15sec
2. Sky @ 17min 18sec
3. Astana @ 28min 53sec
4. BMC @ 29min 13sec
5. Europcar @ 50min 3sec

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Stage 16 map and profile

Stage 16 map

Stage 16 profile

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Stage 16 photos

George Hincapie (who crashed on the Tourmalet and was fixed up by the Tour doctor while climbing the Aspin!!) leads the effort to get Cadel Evans back up to the Wiggins group.

Thomas Voeckler descends the Peyresourde.

Chris Anker Sorensen is chasing Voeckler

And behind Sorensen are Gorka Izaguirre and Alexandre Vinkourov.

Brice Feillu had been climbing with Voeckler, but had to drop back.

Jens Voigt battled all day and finished just behind Feillu.

Several minutes behind Voeckler, Chris Froome leads Bradley Wiggins and Vincenzo Nibali down the Peyresourde.

Tejay Van Garderen (white jersey) leads Alejandro Valverde and Jurgen Van Den Broeck.

Nicolas Roche was in the White Jersey group.

Laurens Tem Dam leads Daniel Martin, Giampaolo Caurso and Simone Stortoni.

Janez Brajkovic and Pierre Rolland

Nibali leads Wiggins and Froome across the finish line.

That's two stage wins this year for Thomas Voeckler.

And Voeckler retakes the dots.

Wiggins was never really challenged today.