Team Garmin-Cervelo's Thor Hushovd captured his second stage victory of the 2011 Tour de France and the 10th of his career. He clocked in at 3:31:38. Edvald Boasson Hagen also received that time for second place. Ryder Hesjedal, a Canadian, found himself taking third place.
This race took a fast pace and at one point the breakaway was 20 minutes ahead of its expected location. Rain hit during the final stretch of the race. Alberto Contador proved to be one of the toughest competitors in today's race and did move slightly closer to the yellow jersey.
Thomas Voeckler kept the maillot jaune despite finishing 4:44 behind Hushovd on the stage. Voeckler's lead stands at 69:00:56, a 1:45 lead over Cadel Evans. Frank Schleck moved to third place, while his brother, Andy, fell behind on this stage and now has a 3:03 gap ahead of him. American Tom Danielson is ninth overall and 6:04 behind Voeckler.
Mark Cavendish maintained the maillot vert with 319 overall points, a 34-point lead over Jose Joaquin Rojas. Team Garmin-Cervelo has the overall team lead at 206:31:24, a 7:01 lead over Team Leopard-Trek. Jelle Vandendert holds just a two-point lead over Samuel Sanchez (74-72) for the King of the Mountains classification.
The cyclists will contend with the Alps for the next four days.
For in-depth coverage of the race, visit out cycling blog, Podium Cafe, and our SB Nation StoryStream.