Still, quite unusual to see Valverde finish almost last out of the group he was in with 1km to go. And yes, it's the Tour etc, but for a second I thought he might try for the finish, so he probably was just hanging on.
Valverde said he was cramping in the last few KMs of the stage. Which explains his issues in the finish.
It's good to see the team and particularly Mas and Valverde continuing to prove and noticeably continue to improve as we watch. I'm not convinced Mas can fight for the podium this year, but I do think he has a chance for the top 5. Valverde still has a chance at the top 10. Coming into this Tour I don't think even those of us who are his biggest fans thought he had a real shot at yet another GT top 10.
On a different note over in Italy at Tirreno-Adriatico, Hector Carretero is still in the KOM jersey and as long as he finishes the ITT tomorrow will take home the final overall KOM prize.