Turpin holds on for win

"I could hear they were coming on the team radio, but they didn't come as fast as I expected," said a Beaming Turpin after finishing 26 seconds ahead of Mayo and the others.

Used to playing lieutenant to Franciso Mancebo and Christophe Moreau, Turpin - along with Jerome Pineau and Thor Hushovd - attacked after 44km, opening up a gap that would climb to 8'25" before the 2360m Col d'Izoard.

With Alejandro Valverde's Caisse d'Epargne team doing the work at the front of the peloton, the lead shrank steadily and no one believed the trio could go all the way. In fact, it was Turpin's own AG2R team-mate Moreau who opened hostilities in a bid to gain time on Leipheimer and Ventoux winner Denis Menchov.

Mayo, Saunier Duval's Leonardo Piepoli and Eddy Mazzoleni of T-Mobile followed Moreau. But Leipheimer responded, and with him went Rabobank's Menchov, second overall.

NOTHING TO LOSE

With sprinter Hushovd having faded out of the picture, Turpin was left to climb the Col d'Izoard on his own.

Turpin, having discarded his earpiece, went hell-for-leather in the descent while the likes of George Hincapie, Francesco Mancebo, Pietro Caucchioli worked to join the party.

In the final ascent to Briançon, Mayo went out and Turpin's team-mate Mancebo stayed in his wheel.

A 50-second margin with a little over a kilometre to go was more than enough for the Frenchman to win.

Mayo, beating his handlebar in frustration at allowing Turpin too much time, took second ahead of Mancebo.

Note that Norway's Hushovd managed to stay in touch in the descent, a great omen as he prepares to defend his Tour de France green jersey.

But where was Valverde?

The winner of two spring classics started the day 11th overall, 4'37" back of Leipheimer and finished far back as he lost an additional 1'01".

Instead the day belonged to Turpin:

"I wanted to get away early, and I knew they [the peloton] would let me go. My legs still felt good at the finish and allowed me to maintain the gap," he told Eurosport2.

Questioned on whether the win was the biggest of his career, a broad smile appeared across his face.

"For sure" he said.

Have your say on the forum