After a transitional stage that gives the GC contenders a chance to catch their breath after three brutal days in the Alps , this year’s Tour arrived on the streets of Lons-le-Saunier.

After 100 miles, it was Juan Miguel Mercado who took a little bit of a gamble. After sitting on the wheel of Vincente Acosta Garcia -- who saw the chasers still close enough to be worrisome -- lead out the sprint. In the last kilometer, it was Mercado who had the fresher legs. Even though Acosta Garcia, on paper is probably faster, it was Mercardo.

He was thought to be a contender for GC, but a crash put laid to rest his chances earlier in the Tour. He well behind Lance Armstrong on general classification, so he was allowed to contest the stage win.

For Lance Armstrong, it was a pretty reasonable day at the office. His team set a steady tempo, and arrived without any incidents. Lance Armstrong will now get ready for the final time trial. One would presume if Lance has good legs and no accidents, he will be able to extend his lead over Ivan Basso, who sits more than 4 minutes behind already.