Shock! Horror! A breakaway nearly stayed away! Unfortunately the peleton woke up just in time, and rapidly ate away at Samuel Dumoulin and Björn Schröder's lead in the final ten kilometres. Disappointment all round.

The finish was just as chaotic as we've become accustomed to in this year's race. Boonen moved from good position to bad postition to good position, and Robbie McEwen, a master of advanced "following Boonen's wheel" tactics did the same. Oscar Friere blasted around the outside un-noticed, and Boonen couldn't quite respond. First place for Friere, second for Tornado Tom. And, strangely, Euskaltel's Inaki Isasi managed third.

Robbie McEwen's sprint went off like a damp squib, meaning that none of the commentators or pundits had any reason to talk about "English speaking riders" (although they all still did, like the disgusting profit-seeking sniffer dogs they are).

Mayo watch:
92nd on the stage. Ever get the feeling that he could win the Tour if he didn't have to do the week and a half of flat stages?

Tomorrow:
We'll stop all this staid race coverage bollocks and go back to showing you pictures of monkeys riding bikes.