Cavendish Grabs Green Jersey In Stage 11

There was no real surprise in the way stage 11 developed. The 167.5 kilometer ride from Blaye-Les-Mines to Lavaur was expected to be another day for the sprinters and that's exactly how it turned out. And even the bad weather and a long-lasting breakaway couldn't change that. The breakaway was caught by the peloton with only 2 kilometers left in the race. After that, the only question remaining was would the green jersey change hands at the finish -- and it did.

This was a very good day for British rider Mark Cavendish (HTC-Highroad), who won the stage and took over possession of the sprinter's green jersey for the first time in this year's Tour. Yesterday's stage winner, German Andre Greipel (Omega-Lotto), finished the race in second place and American Tyler Farrar (Garmin-Cervelo) finished in third place.

Now the race gets serious. Tomorrow the Tour enters the high mountains for the first time this year. The next three days in the Pyrenees will undoubtably separate the pretenders from the contenders (who have a real chance of winning this year). Then next weeks trek through the Alps will determine the podium finishers for this year.

Stage 12 will obviously be the toughest ride of the year so far. It is a 211 kilometer ride from Cugnaux to Luz-Ardiden, and has three incredibly difficult climbs after a fairly flat first half. The first climb is a category 1 and that is followed by an unrated climb (to difficult to categorize). The race then finishes at the top of a second unrated climb.

Here are the current standings:

YELLOW JERSEY (INDIVIDUAL LEADER)
1. Thomas Voeckler, France (Europcar)
2. Luis-Leon Sanchez, Spain (Rabobank)..........1' 49"
3. Cadel Evans, Australia (BMC Racing)..........2' 26"
4. Frank Schleck, Luxembourg (Leopard-Trek)..........2' 29"
5. Andy Schleck, Luxembourg (Leopard-Trek)..........2' 37"
6. Tony Martin, Germany (HTC-Highroad)..........2' 38"
7. Peter Velits, Slovakia (HTC-Highroad)..........2' 38"
8. Andreas Kloden, Germany (Radio Shack)..........2' 43"
9. Philippe Gilbert, Belgium (Omega-Lotto)..........2' 55"
10. Jakob Fuglsang, Denmark (Leopard-Trek)..........3' 08"
16. Alberto Contador, Spain (Saxo Bank)..........4' 07"
17. Tom Danielson, USA (Garmin-Cervelo)..........4' 22"
19. Christian Vande Velde, USA (Garmin-Cervelo)..........4' 53"
35. Levi Leipheimer, USA (Radio Shack)..........7' 16"


GREEN JERSEY (SPRINTERS)
1. Mark Cavendish, Great Britain (HTC-Highroad)........251 pts
2. Jose Joaquin Rojas, Spain (Movistar)........235 pts
3. Philippe Gilbert, Belgium (Omega-Lotto)........231 pts
4. Andre Greipel, Germany (Omega-Lotto)........164 pts
5. Thor Hushovd, Norway (Garmin-Cervelo)........163 pts


POLKA DOT JERSEY (CLIMBERS)
1. Johnny Hoogerland, Netherlands (Vacansoleil)..........22 pts
2. Thomas Voeckler, France (Europcar)..........17 pts
3. Tejay Van Garderen, USA (HTC-Highroad)..........5 pts
4. Marco Marcato, Italy (Vacansoleil)..........5 pts
5. Rui Alberto Costa, Portugal (Movistar)..........5 pts
6. Sandy Casar, France (FDJ)..........5 pts


TEAM STANDINGS
1. Europcar (France)
2. Leopard-Trek (Luxembourg)..........32"
3. Radio Shack (USA)..........1' 02"
4. Rabobank (Netherlands)..........1' 18"
5. Garmin-Cervelo (USA)..........1' 50"