Oscar Pereiro crashed over a barrier on the descent of col Agnel and suffered a broken arm.
Dennis Menchov crashed out on a corner going uphill whilst attacking for the yellow jersey.
Cadel Evans grimaces and he is obviously suffering on the final climb of the day to the Italian resort of Prato Nevoso and he loses narrowly loses yellow.
Elsewhere, back in the UK, riders at the Southern Counties Road Race Champs also had their own summit finish to look forward to, the mighty Leigh Hill, the highest hill in the South Downs which tops out at something like an oxygen deprived 250 metres. This race unfolded in a similar fashion.
After last weekends London Dynamo Road Race on the man to beat was definately Jon Tiernan-Locke.
The first lap was very quick for a regional race with the Ploughmen, including Eurosport pundit Tony Gibb keen to stamp their mark on the race. On the second lap though Sigma team mate Wouter leapt off the front of the peleton and took with him a number of strong riders including the race favourite. Knowing full well that Wouter doesn't do riding easy when he's in a break I jumped across myself, and this group of 9 quickly rode away from the bunch to get a nearly 3 minute lead at one point.
Tiernan-Locke was looking very strong in the break particularly when it hit the little hills around the rolling circuit. Near the end he fell badly when a horse bolted across the road in front of the break which had slowed but not stopped. Some riders said that he was kicked by the horse. I had slowed right down though and was on the back of the group so didn't see it too clearly.
This left just 5 in the break (with Roy Chamberlain also crashing out in the same incident), Wouter having puncturing a little earlier and Andrew Mckie from Norwood finding the pace a little too high and dropping back.
Seeing the rest of the group were tiring I rode away alone from half a lap out and finished the hill some 40s ahead of Dan Patten who finished second. No doubt with my head leaning to one side in a similar fashion to Evans, perhaps one reason why i'm warming to the whiney little Aussie who I think is still well placed to win the yellow jersey.
I'm sure it would have been a much closer race up the hill without Jon's crash and I really do hope he makes a good recovery.
Unfortunately as of yet I couldn't find the photos of my race on Eurosport.com, but Sleeping Bear Productions were there videoing it:
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