 Thomas Voeckler started the day 's breakaway after about 10 km ( 6 @.@ 2 mi ) . Nine riders followed him , and their maximum advantage was just under three minutes , with the chase beginning in earnest very early on this stage due to its short length . Many of the riders in the break were unable to maintain the pace set by Voeckler at the foot of the Blockhaus for very long , as only Voeckler , Félix Cárdenas , and Giuseppe Palumbo were left out front as the climb began . The subsequent attacks from the pink jersey group absorbed the three of them . When Sylwester Szmyd attacked from the pink jersey group as the climb began , Franco Pellizotti followed him and was able to get clear , as Szmyd paced him to sizable gap over the pink jersey group before hitting the wall . Lance Armstrong tried to follow , but could not reach Pellizotti , as Pellizotti decided not to wait for Armstrong and chose to race the climb like a time trial . His strong , steady climb was good for the stage win . Armstrong finished the stage in the third group on the road , along with Levi Leipheimer and Carlos Sastre . 
