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Stage 9, July 10 -- Gérardmer - Mulhouse
Another day for a successful break. The course on this stage was much more hilly, with several Cat 3 climbs, a Cat 2, and a Cat 1 climb, 40km from the end. A good day for a break--the big climb is far enough from the end that none of the major players will be attacking on it, leaving it open for other riders. In this case, Michael Rasmussen of the Rabobank team, attacked almost from the start, initially with one other rider whom he soon dropped. He then kept on going, taking all of the climbs and the polka-dot jersey of the best climber, before winning the stage solo. Notably, Lance's team didnt chase Jens Voight, the German hardman on the CSC team, who also attacked, but was unable to catch Rasmussen. Voight finished away from the group with enough time to put him in yellow. A good thing for the Discovery boys, because they will have a bit less work as they head into the Alps after the rest day tomorrow.
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"Good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will find a way around the laws."
--Plato
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