TOUR DE FRANCE 2007: SOLER GOES SOLO TO WIN STAGE NINE

Mauricio Soler Tour de France 07 stage 9

Click here to view video highlights of this stage

Colombia?s Juan Mauricio Soler (Barloworld) stole the spotlight from the big names in the Tour de France in Briancon, attacking on the legendary Galibier climb and winning alone in Briancon. The 24 year-old gave Barloworld their first stage win in the Tour with an aggressive ride and joined the growing number of young riders showing their talent in this year?s Tour de France.

Behind Soler, the battle for the yellow jersey also exploded on the steep slopes of the second half of the Galibier. Alejandro Valverde (Caisse d?Epargne) blew the lead group apart with four strong attacks and left Alexandre Vinokourov (Astana) behind. Michael Rasmussen (Rabobank) and most of the other joined Valverde, including Andreas Kloden of Astana but Vino was in serious trouble and it was clear Kloden is now the new protected leader in what has been dubbed 'Team Borat'.

2 Alejandro Valverde (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne 0.38

2 Alejandro Valverde Belmonte (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne 2.35

6 Christophe Moreau (Fra) AG2r Prévoyance 3.18

Mauricio Soler on his way to a stage win. Photo: Luc Claessen

TOUR DE FRANCE 2007: GUIDE

Route guide

Complete start list

Guide to all 21 teams

Tour 2007 videos

ITV and Eurosport Tour TV listings

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