Behind him, the peloton set up for a group sprint, which was dominated by Team Columbia. The General Classification standings were not affected by the outcome.
The Sprinters Robbed Yet Again?
Stage Nineteen, 165.5 km from Roanne to Montluçon, had a pair of categorized climbs early in the stage, but the rest of the stage was rolling hills with a flat finish. No one would be able to make a dramatic improvement in overall time here; the stage, like Eighteen, was well-suited for a successful breakaway or a group sprint, but none of the overall leaders would be allowed to escape.
Most of the GC contenders would be saving their legs for tomorrow’s brutal time trial. Some of the lesser-known riders could certainly try to make a breakaway; otherwise, it would be a finish for the sprinters.
As it has all through the Tour this year, the pace of the peloton was exceptionally high at the start. Nonetheless, a group of four—Egoi Martinez, Stefan Schumacher, Pierrick Fedrigo and Alessandro Ballan—attacked at the top of the first climb, but they were run down by the 70 km mark.
Once the attackers were caught, several other riders took turns trying to escape.
At the 75 km mark, Francaise des Jeux rider Jeremy Roy and Cofidis rider Sylvain Chavanel successfully insisted in a breakaway attempt. This break opened a four-minute gap, and preserved it all the way up the final climb.
With 50 km to go, CSC moved to the front of the peloton for the first time all day, perhaps deciding it was time to reel in the break. Shortly after, Chavanel and Roy picked up their pace, intent on staying out ahead.
With 35 km to go, Barloworld, riding in their last race as a team, went to the front of the peloton, supporting sprinter Robbie Hunter, hoping to win a stage in the Tour as a way of saying goodbye to cycling. Out of a nine-man team, only four were left; injuries and an unfortunate doping scandal involving only one rider had cut the team down to this handful.
Despite the effort by Barloworld, it seemed possible that Chavanel and Roy might succeed.
The Desperate Chase
With 22 km to go, the leaders were still four minutes ahead of the field. Quickstep and Milram joined Barloworld at the ehad of the peloton, wanting to get their sprinters, Gert Steegmans and Erik Zabel, into the final race. The racers were running in to a stiff cross-headwind, ten to fifteen kph, but the majority of the climbing was done.
CSC let other teams fight for the sprint; for the GC contenders, resting for tomorrow’s time trial was much more important than the glory of a stage win.
With fifteen km to go, the Chavanel and Roy had a three-minute lead. With five km to go, the break was still 2-and-a-half minutes ahead. Now the two leaders were in the town of Montlucon, blocked from the wind by the buildings.
Tactics And Muscles Favor Chavanel
The end of the race was, as yesterday, a slow, crafty waiting game, as Chabvanel and Roy tried to make the other rider commit to a sprint. Chavanel had the strength and the experience, but Roy wisely waited until Chavanel was looking away to make his break.
Chavanel was turning a much bigger gear, so it took him a moment to catch up, but once he did, he had the power to make the speed, and took the Stage win. This is Chavanel's eighth Tour de France, and his first stage win.
In the group sprint which ensued when the peloton arrived, Thor Hushovd broke too soon; Leonard Duque rode his wheel and then passed him. Team Columbia organized itself well and dominated the final sprint, with Erik Zabel following.
| Stage Nineteen Results | ||||
| Place | Rider | Team | Time | Gap |
| 1. | Sylvain Chavanel | Cofidis | 3h 37' 09" | 0 |
| 2. | Jérémy Roy | Francaise des Jeux | 3h 37' 09" | + 00' 00" |
| 3. | Gerald Ciolek | Columbia | 3h 38' 22" | + 01' 13" |
| 4. | Erik Zabel | Team Milram | 3h 38' 22" | + 01' 13" |
| 5. | Heinrich Haussler | Gerolsteiner | 3h 38' 22" | + 01' 13" |
| 6. | Leonardo Duque | Cofidis | 3h 38' 22" | + 01' 13" |
| 7. | Filippo Pozzato | Liquigas | 3h 38' 22" | + 01' 13" |
| 8. | Thor Hushovd | Credit Agricole | 3h 38' 22" | + 01' 13" |
| 9. | Robert Fortster | Lampre | 3h 38' 22" | + 01' 13" |
| 10. | Julian Dean | Garmin Chipotle | 3h 38' 22" | + 01' 13" |
| General Classification | ||||
| Place | Rider | Team | Time | Gap |
| 1. | Carlos Sastre | CSC Saxo Bank | 82h 54' 36" |
|
| 2. | Frank Schleck | CSC Saxo Bank | 82h 56' 00" | + 01' 24" |
| 3. | Bernhard Kohl | Gerolsteiner | 82h 56' 09" | + 01' 33" |
| 4. | Cadel Evans | Silence-Lotto | 82h 56' 10" | + 01' 34" |
| 5. | Denis Menchov | Rabobank | 82h 57' 15" | + 02' 39" |
| 6. | Christian Vande Velde | Garmin Chipotle | 82h 59' 17" | + 04' 41" |
| 7. | Alejandro Valverde | Caisse D’Epargne | 83h 00' 11" | + 05' 35" |
| 8. | Samuel Sanchez | Euskaltel-Euskadi | 83h 00' 28" | + 05' 52" |
| 9. | Tadej Valjavec | AG2R La Mondiale | 83h 02' 46" | + 08' 10" |
| 10. | Vladimir Efimkin | AG2R La Mondiale | 83h 03' 00" | + 08' 24" |
| Team Standings | |||
| Place | Team | Time | Gap |
| 1. | CSC Saxo Bank | 248h 37' 12" | 0 |
| 2. | AG2R-La Mondiale | 248h 46' 39" | + 09' 27" |
| 3. | Rabobank | 249h 38' 29" | + 1h 01' 17" |
| 4. | Euskaltel-Euskadi | 249h 45' 09" | + 1h 07' 57" |
| 5. | Caisse D’Epargne | 249h 49' 08" | + 1h 11' 56" |
| 6. | Silence—Lotto | 249h 50' 41" | + 1h 13' 29" |
| 7. | Lampre | 249h 55' 28" | + 1h 18' 16" |
| 8. | TEAM COLUMBIA | 250h 00' 21" | + 1h 23' 09" |
| 9. | Credit Agricole | 250h 02' 39" | + 1h 25' 27" |
| 10. | Gerolsteiner | 250h 06' 26" | + 1h 29' 14" |
