 The day began with 16 riders from 14 teams breaking away , after about 18 km ( 11 mi ) . They attained a maximum advantage of about six minutes , and race leader Denis Menchov 's Rabobank team seemed content to let them go , since no real GC threat was posed : José Serpa was the best placed man in the break , ten minutes back of Menchov . For a while , it seemed that the stage would progress this way to its conclusion , with the breakaway up ahead and the peloton not really chasing very hard . 
