Mont Ventoux served up a dandy in Thursday’s 197km fourth stage as the Dauphiné Libéré remains anything but decided with six riders within 53 seconds of each other in the overall standings. Christophe Moreau (Ag2r) attacked to his second win in three days as Andrey Kashechkin inherited the race leader’s jersey from Alexandre Vinokourov just as Astana promised, but it didn’t come without pain. “I was thinking more about winning the stage today than the overall,” said Moreau, who bounced into second overall at 14 seconds back. “There are still some hard days to come. Anything can happen in this Dauphiné.” Moreau is certainly correct in that assessment. Vinokourov faded about midway up the Ventoux, leaving the eight-day race without its strongman after finishing more than seven minutes off the pace to plummet to 20th at 5:14 back.
FullResults With most riders looking ahead to July’s Tour de France, no one seems ready to step into the void and take control – at least not yet. “It’s all about getting for July, but we’re paid to win bike races, too,” said Evans, who moved into fourth overall at 26 seconds back. “If the legs are good, I can try to go for the win. The most important thing is to be strong for the Tour.” Kashechkin leads Moreau by 14 seconds, with Denis Menchov (Rabobank) slotting into third at 25 seconds back and Cadel Evans (Predictor-Lotto) and Dave Zabriskie (CSC) tied at 26 seconds back. Defending champion Levi Leipheimer (Discovery Channel) is poised in sixth at 53 seconds back. With three stages across the Alps still on tap – including Saturday’s brutal seven-climb stage to Valloire – the 59th Dauphiné is still up for grabs. Dave Zabriskie (CSC) rode brilliantly up the wind-blasted Ventoux with teammate Volodymir Gustov setting the pace in the lead group of 17 favorites. The American time trial champion revealed he could climb with the big boys and only lost contact when rivals started sprinting for leftovers behind Moreau in the final 400 meters. Zabriskie finished 11th at 2:00 back to retain in contention with fifth oveall. With an early four-man breakaway still dangling about four minutes off the front, Astana looked to have the race thoroughly under control as they set the pace up the lower flanks of the 21km Ventoux climb.

That façade of apparent Kazakh invincibility started to crack when overnight leader Vinokourov slipped off the pace with about 11km to go. Kashechkin, his 26-year-old understudy who started the stage just two seconds back, struggled to find his rhythm through the steep wooded sections lower on the climb as the lead group fractured. Moreau – a winner after a daring attack in Tuesday’s second stage into Saint-Etienne – played his hand with about 15km to go when he followed a move by Iñigo Cuesta (CSC), Sylvester Szmyd (Lampre) and Alexandre Botcharov (Credit Agricole). Cuesta dropped back to help Zabriskie while Botcharov faded, leaving Szmyd to follow Moreau as they slowly reeled in the remnants of the day’s main breakaway that included Ag2r teammate Sylvain Calzati with about 4km to go. Moreau dropped the hammer with 3km to go to lose Szmyd and he soloed in to erase the bad taste of finishing second by inches last year to Denis Menchov atop the legendary climb. “It played against our team tactics to have Szmyd with me,” said Moreau, who also claimed the best climber’s jersey. “I couldn’t afford to wait for Sylvain because Szmyd was still dangerous. The most important thing was to win the stage for the team.” Moreau’s attack came in the protected wooded section and he was able to forge about a minute’s difference to the leaders with the luxury of not battling the strong winds higher on the summit. By the time the leaders rolled past the Chalet Reynard and onto the rocky, exposed summit with about 6km to go, swirling head- and crosswinds (and sometimes even tailwinds as the winds bend and buckle around the stony summit) took the fight out of any real efforts to chase down the 36-year-old Frenchman. Basque climbing sensation Igor Anton – a winner of a stage in last year’s Vuelta a España – forged bravely alone against the buffeting winds to snag third place behind Szmyd. Kashechkin was on the rivet in the final kilometer as Evans and Menchov ramped up the speed to try to unglue the aspiring Astana. He stopped the clock in 13th at 2:04 off Moreau’s winning pace. Evans and Menchov shot ahead to take fourth at 1:51, some five seconds ahead of Haimar Zubeldia (Euskaltel), Triki Beltrán (Liquigas), Leipheimer and Leonardo Piepoli (Saunier Duval-Prodir). Nose to the wind
It’s no surprise that most riders weren’t exactly looking forward to Thursday’s festivities. Savvy veteran Iñigo Cuesta (CSC) said he’s lost count of how many times he’s climb the beast, but admitted he anticipating the stage “like going to the dentist” while Cadel Evans (Predictor-Lotto) admitted he was “nervous” about his first crack at the feared Ventoux. High clouds helped turn down the summer heat a few degrees from Wednesday’s cooker, but the peloton was facing a brisk headwind as it rolled out of Hauterives for the trip down the Rhone Valley toward the looming climb. Four riders were looking for a headstart on the suffering. Sylvain Calzati (Ag2r), Stéphane Augé (Cofidis), Cédric Vasseur (Quick Step) and Frederik Willems (Liquigas) pulled away with an early attack. Willems was the best-placed at 69th at 5:24 back. The quartet had a 11-minute lead midway through the stage, with Astana comfortably setting the pace on the front in what’s sure to be a practice drill for next month’s Tour. Vinokourov reconfirmed before the start he’s not thinking about fighting for the overall. “I am satisfied with the time trial victory. I wanted to make a test and I came home with the win,” he told the collective press mob outside the team bus. “I think this is a good chance for ‘Kash’ to win. I won the Dauphiné in 1999 when I was his age. I’ve already won this race. It would be important for his career to win.”

The quartet’s gap was down to six minutes as the peloton rolled through Bedoin, the last village before the “hard” way up the Ventoux. Valverde – who was vomiting overnight - was not looking good off the back. Vinokourov had to make a scrambled bike change at Bedoin, but latched back to the front of the bunch as it approached the base of the Geant du Provence. Up the Geant
With 21km to go – the official distance of the climb – the peloton quickly splintered under the average grade of 8 percent. The lead bunch quickly dwindled to about 40 riders under the first steep ramps through the storied forest section on the lower flanks of the climb. Filippe Gilbert (FDJeux) was the first rider to bolt out of the pack, but he was countered by Cuesta, Christophe Moreau (Ag2r), Sylvester Szmyd (Lampre) and Alexandre Botcharov (Credit Agricole), who dangled about one minute ahead of the yellow jersey group. At 12km to go, the leading quartet still held a three-minute lead when Calzati dropped his companions to make a solo run for glory (wearing his unlucky 13 upside down). Szmyd and Moreau continue alone, at 2:11 behind Calzati and about 30 seconds ahead of the Vinokourov group. Astana’s plans appeared scuttled when Kashechkin had trouble staying with the lead group. Juan Antonio Redondo led the way for Vinokourov until about 11km to go. Vinokourov slowly drifted back in the bunch, leaving Cuesta and Vlodomyr Gustov (CSC) looking around and wondering where the Astana train had derailed. With 10.5km to go, Moreau was about 1:45 behind Calzati and working one minute ahead of the lead group as Vinokourov and Kashechkin continued to dangle off the back of the group. Sensing an opening, riders started to test the waters. Triki Beltrán (Liquigas) and Cadel Evans (Predictor-Lotto) bolted ahead. More riders were falling off the pace, including Tour heir apparent Oscar Pereiro (Caisse d’Epargne). Riders were moving up and down the line with no one able to make the definitive move and no one after to find the lethal rhythm. It appeared the lead group had split into two, with Zabriskie riding comfortably in the front. A lead group of 17 riders gelled with eight kilometers to go. Among them were Zabriskie, Gustov and Sorensen (all CSC), Leipheimer and Contador (Discovery), Evans (Predictor), Menchov (Rabobank), Kashechkin (Astana), Anton and Zubeldia (Euskaltel), Beltran (Liquigas), Piepoli (Saunier Duval), Chavanel (Cofidis), Botcharov and Fofonov (Credit Agricole), Sanchez and Xabio (Caisse d’Epargne). Calzati swept past the Chalet Reynard nursing a 30sec lead on the chasing Moreau and Szmyd while the Zabriskie bunch rolled through another 1:10 back. Calzati was reeled in and then Moreau unleashed an attack to drop Szmyd with 3km to go to make a run for the solo victory with a 1:05 gap. Gustov continued to do good work to pull Zabriskie and Co. up the exposed rocky slopes past the statue of commemorating the spot where Tom Simpson collapsed and died during the 1967 Tour. Botcharov made another stab out of the front pack, which upped the speed and drew out Evans and Beltrán again. Antón, the young Basque climbing sensation, peeled off the front group with 3km to go as such riders as Gustov and Chavanel slipped off the back under the increased pace. Moreau continued working alone as the lead group was slowly reduced to about a dozen. Szmyd came through second, almost getting blown over by the blasting winds, while Anton surged ahead to take third at 1:22 back.Stage 4
1. Christophe Moreau (F), Ag2r 197km in 5:51:52 (33.592kph)
2. Sylvester Szmyd (Pol), Lampre, at 1:08
3. Igor Antón (Sp), Euskaltel-Euskadi, at 1:21
4. Cadel Evans (Aus), Predictor-Lotto, at 1:51
5. Denis Menchov (Rus), Rabobank, at 1:51
6. Haimar Zubeldia (Sp), Euskaltel-Euskadi, at 1:56
7. Manuel Beltrán (Sp), Liquigas, at 1:56
8. Levi Leipheimer (USA), Discovery, at 1:56
9. Leonardo Piepoli (I), Saunier Duval, at 1:56
10. Alberto Contador (Sp), Discovery, at 2:00
FullResultsOverall
1, Andrey Kashechkin (Kz), Astana, 16:17:21
2. Christophe Moreau (F), Ag2r, at 0:14
3.Denis Menchov (Rus), Rabobank, at 0:25
4. Cadel Evans (Aus) Predictor-Lotto, at 0:26
5. David Zabriskie (USA), CSC, at 0:26
6. Levi Leipheimer (USA), Discovery, at 0:53
7. Sylvain Chavanel (F), Cofidis, at 1:50
8. Haimar Zubeldia (Sp), Euskaltel, at 3:15
9. Alberto Contador (Sp), Discovery, at 3:15
10. Manuel Beltran (Sp), Liquigas, at 3:34
11. Tadej Valjavec (Slo), Lampre, at 3:50
12. Luis Sanchez (Sp), Caisse d'Epargne, at 3:52
13. Thomas Voeckler (F) Bouygues Telecom, at 4:02
14. Volodymir Gustov (Ukr), CSC, at 4:03
15. Sylvester Szmyd (Pol), Lampre, at 4:13
16. Mikel Astarloza (Sp), Euskaltel 4:19
17. Dmitriy Fofonov (Kz), Credit Agricole, at 4:22
18. Bernhard Kohl (A), Gerolsteiner, at 4:41
19. Stef Clement (Nl), Bouygues Telecom, at 5:02
20. Alexandre Vinokourov (Kz), Astana, at 5:14To see how the stage developed, simply click here. Then stay tuned for a race report, photos and results.