The Tour de France made it's way from Chablis to Autun in the Burgundy region of Fance today. The 113 mile course of today's stage actually had some rolling hills to challenge the sprinters who have dominated the race thus far, but for the most part it was still a fast leg.
Filippo Pozzato of Italy claimed the stage vicotory, while Swiss rider Fabian Cancellara remains the overall leader, 33 seconds in front of Andreas Kloeden of Germany, who was taken to the hospital after being injured in a crash. No word yet on his condition or status for the race. Meanwhile, another race favorite, Alexandre Vinokourov, was also taken to the hospital after a separate crash that saw him lose 50 seconds to Cancellara.
Tomorrow the Tour will run from Semur-en-Auxois to Bourg-en-Bresse a distance of a 124 miles.
Update: The Outside Online Tour de France blog is reporting that Kloden may have suffered a broken coccyx and is doubtful for the start on Friday. I had to Google what a "coccyx" to even know where to comment on that, but it turns out it's his tailbone. If true, one of the favorites of the race, and the man currently in second place, will be out of this year's Tour.
They also report that Vinokourov rode strongly after his crash, but was bleeding from both legs and his torn shorts showed a bloody and deeply bruised thigh. Lets hope he can continue as he may have time to rest up before the Pyrenees.
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