Andy Schleck looked like he might have caught Alberto Contador today, making a break and Contador slow to follow… and then Schleck lost his chain, hesitated, stopped and struggled to get it back on. He lost about 40 seconds on the day, and so is now 8 seconds behind Contador overall. Contador now in the yellow jersey. Two days to go in the Pyrenees and still lots to happen, but it’s hard to see where Schleck will get the time over Contador back, and then get ahead of him, to make up whatever he may then lose in the final timetrial. It would be a terrible way to lose out… and whatever the rights or wrongs of making the most of a mechanical failure to get an advantage, it surely can’t be the way Contador would want to win.

A brutally honest self-assessment from Bradley Wiggins here. Not at all sure it’s right to describe last year as a ‘fluke’, but he’s certainly not been up there this year. But it seems a tougher course, and really hot weather.