 Four riders broke clear of the main field almost immediately after the race rolled out of Ambérieu @-@ en @-@ Bugey , with <unk> Beppu ( Orica – GreenEDGE ) being joined in the breakaway by Garmin – Sharp rider Jacob <unk> , Sander <unk> of Lotto – Belisol and Vacansoleil – DCM 's Juan Antonio Flecha . The quartet pulled clear to a maximum advantage of around seven minutes early in the stage . This was steadily brought down by the team @-@ mates of the race leader David Veilleux ( Team Europcar ) and the Omega Pharma – Quick @-@ Step team for their sprinter Gianni Meersman . FDJ also aided with the chase for Nacer Bouhanni , and the peloton was within a minute of the leaders at the intermediate sprint in <unk> . <unk> was the last member of the group to be caught , just as he commenced the Col des Sauvages . After several solo attacks were pulled back by Omega Pharma – Quick @-@ Step , it set up the final sprint in Tarare . With a lead @-@ out from team @-@ mate Geraint Thomas , Edvald Boasson Hagen finished strongest to take the stage win – the third Dauphiné win of his career – ahead of Orica – GreenEDGE 's Michael Matthews and Meersman . 
