CARMAUX, France — After all the feuding and hard words, Andre Greipel finally got what he wanted and it had nothing to do with talk: a winning ride in the Tour de France.
The German sprinter beat Mark Cavendish — his former teammate and sometimes adversary — by the length of a wheel Tuesday to capture the 10th stage of a three-week race that is soon to leave the flatlands for the perilous climbs of the Pyrenees.
Thomas Voeckler of France kept the yellow jersey after nestling safely in the main pack for most of the day. Defending champion Alberto Contador did much the same, and the Spaniard had even more reason to be careful after hurting his right knee during crashes in the fifth and ninth stages.
“At the beginning of the stage, I wasn’t sure what to think,” said Contador, a three-time champion. “But as the stage progressed my knee was feeling less sore.”
Contador, the best climber in the world, trails main rivals Cadel Evans of Australia and Andy Schleck of Luxembourg by 1:41 and 1:30.
Tuesday’s 98-mile trip from Aurillac to Carmaux ended with Cavendish applying brutal acceleration and seemingly headed toward his third stage victory in this Tour. Instead, Greipel got on his wheel and surged ahead in the last 20 yards.
Greipel and Cavendish clashed last year while on the HTC-Highroad team. Greipel now rides for Omega Pharma-Lotto.
“I have a lot of respect for Cavendish — he has won 17 stages of the Tour de France. Now I have one,” Greipel said. “He was not always really friendly with his comments (about) me. This is not my level. I just try to show on the bike what I am able to do.”
Jose Joaquin Rojas of Spain was third. The top three completed the stage in 3 hours, 31 minutes, 21 seconds.
Boulder’s Garmin-Cervelo was without David Zabriskie, who suffered a broken wrist in a crash Sunday. Thor Hushovd, who held the yellow jersey for a week, finished fourth in the stage, and Tom Danielson was 39th. Danielson is the top Garmin rider in the overall standings — 17th — 4:22 behind leader Voeckler.
Tour de France
A brief look at Tuesday’s 10th stage:
Stage: A 98-mile flat ride from Aurillac to Carmaux. With British sprint ace Mark Cavendish’s HTC team doing much of the work, the peloton caught the escapees about 10 miles from the finish. Green jersey holder Philippe Gilbert attempted a solo win but the peloton chased him down, setting up a dramatic finish between Cavendish and former teammate Andrei Greipel. Garmin-Cervelo’s Thor Hushovd sprinted to fourth.
Yellow jersey: Thomas Voeckler of France. Voeckler is not considered a contender for the title.
Where’s Contador? The three- time winner finished safely without losing any time to his principal rivals. Contador, who was riding with a sore right knee, said after the race he is getting back to full fitness. He is 16th overall, 4:07 behind Voeckler.
Garmin-Cervelo: Hushovd, who wore yellow for a week, wanted a stage win and sprinted to fourth. “I’ve already had a successful Tour,” he said. Others: Tom Danielson, 39th, 17th overall; Christian Vande Velde, 45th, 19th; David Millar, 77th, 28th; Ramunas Navardauskas 107th, 152nd; Tyler Farrar 137th, 155th; Ryder Hesjedal 142nd, 52nd; Julian Dean 153rd, 147th.
Quote of the day: “I’ve got 33 stitches. In my knees, on the left side, the back, I’ve got them everywhere.” — Johnny Hoogerland, the Dutch rider knocked into a barbed wire fence by a car in Sunday’s stage.
Next stage: Today’s 104-mile stage from Blaye-les-Mines to Lavaur features two minor hills.
The Associated Press
