Saxo Bank exploded the field and the overall rankings with a massive and cunning attack with Jens Voigt, Chris Anker Sørensen and Jakob Fuglsang in key roles where Cadel Evans (BMC) lost the race and Andy took the leader's jersey.

Saxo Bank's Jens Voigt was vigilant and on his toes on today's 204 kilometer long and extremely demanding ninth stage of Tour de France where the German veteran took part of a long breakaway consisting of twelve riders. However, the front group slowly and steadily decreased as they passed the five categorized climbs of the course.

In the main field, Cadel Evans took control of the pace with his BMC-squad which very early on the stage was the axe that split dozens of riders and let them fall from the scaffold on the very first mountain of the stage, Col de Columbiere in the Alps.

When the peloton hit the foot of the final, legendary and 25 kilometer long climb, Col de Madeleine, the steadily shrinking front group had a six minute lead to the main field and when Chris Anker Sørensen moved to the front of the pack increasing the pace, the Danish guillotine caused a bloody fall from the back of the pack. In the front group teammates, Christophe Moreau and Ivan Guiterrez (Caisse d'Epargne) fought hard to put their leader, Luis-Leon Sanchez in the leader's jersey or at least to a stage victory by keeping up the pace of the group.

When Jakob Fuglsang took over the responsibility of the massacre from Chris Anker Sørensen, he simply delivered a world class lead in front of the pack causing leading rider, Cadel Evans (BMC) to fall out of the stage and out of the race. Soon, only Andy and Alberto Contador (Astana) were the only favorites left and after several attempts to drop his Spanish rival, they both agreed to work together in order to distance Cadel Evans (BMC).

Only one kilometer from the top of Col de Madeleine, Jens Voigt let go of the group and now Andy and Contador formed a duo chasing the front group and they succeeded the mission only one kilometer to go. On the finish line, Sandy Casar (Francaise de Jeux) took the stage victory.

Andy succeeded in conquering the leader's jersey after an impressive team mission in the high mountains.