Apart from the third-category climb of the Côte des Dix-sept Tournants – the hill of seventeen turns – the stage was relatively flat, dropping only 9 metres (30 ft) in altitude from the start, to the end.

[10] For the first rider to depart the start in Dampierre-en-Yvelines, Project 1t4i's Alexandre Geniez, weather conditions were cloudy and grey,[11] with slightly damp roads due to overnight rains.

[17] Following his crash in the opening day time trial, Team Saxo Bank's Nick Nuyens became the race's first abandonment; he attempted to ride through the pain barrier, but had to withdraw within the neutralised zone prior to the real start of the stage.

Wiggins put more time into his rivals by taking the intermediate sprint, and with it, three bonus seconds on offer that gave him the virtual race lead, without even considering the fact that the overnight leader Gustav Larsson (Vacansoleil–DCM) failed to make the split.

Larsson's team-mate Lieuwe Westra attacked with around 4 km (2.5 mi) remaining,[22] but his effort was quickly neutralised by Chavanel, one of a number of Omega Pharma–Quick-Step riders in the group hoping to help Tom Boonen in a sprint finish lead-out.

[24] Rojas just beat Degenkolb for second place on the line with Sep Vanmarcke and Francesco Gavazzi rounding out the top five for Garmin–Barracuda and Astana respectively.

[28][29] The pack, now fronted by the Movistar Team, steadily cut into the lead for the three escapees, who reached the categorised climb of the Côte de Bourganeuf with an advantage of less than three minutes.

[27] Curvers crested the summit first, but posed no threat to the mountains classification leader Thomas De Gendt (Vacansoleil–DCM), who kept a hold of the polka-dot jersey.

Engoulvent left his two breakaway companions behind with 14 km (8.7 mi) remaining,[27] as Omega Pharma–Quick-Step hit the front of the peloton, this time with points classification leader Tom Boonen doing some of the legwork.

[30] Vacansoleil–DCM rider Sergey Lagutin attacked with 4 km (2.5 mi) to go[27] – just as team-mate Lieuwe Westra did the previous day – but was unsuccessful, and was eventually caught just before the final kilometre of the stage.

French pair Blel Kadri (Ag2r–La Mondiale) and Jérémie Galland (Saur–Sojasun) both launched their attacks in the closing stages,[31] but were overhauled by a bunch of riders from which Alejandro Valverde (Movistar Team) looked to have the legs on the rest of the field, sprinting from 300 m (980 ft) out.

Valverde was briefly troubled by the sprint of Australian road race champion Simon Gerrans (GreenEDGE), with Valverde ultimately prevailing at the line – just as was the case at the Tour Down Under in a two-up sprint[32] – by half a wheel length, with Lotto–Belisol's Gianni Meersman rounding out the podium ahead of Rabobank's Luis León Sánchez and Team Katusha's Xavier Florencio; both of whom had launched their own attacks in the closing metres.

[35] 15 km (9.3 mi) later, Maté sat up with cramping in his knee – stemming from a crash in Stage 2 – having already wrested the lead of the mountains classification away from Thomas De Gendt (Vacansoleil–DCM).

[35] After a short period off the front of the field, De Gendt was caught by a small gruppetto of riders and ultimately the rest of the field moments later, with the Movistar Team and Team Sky squads making moves in order to get their respective classification leaders Alejandro Valverde and Bradley Wiggins in safe positions for the run to Rodez.

[37] The easing gradient into Rodez set up a sprint to the line with Lampre–ISD's Grega Bole launching early, but was eventually passed by Lotto–Belisol rider Gianni Meersman, who was third the previous day.

Meersman held on to win ahead of Bole and Vacansoleil–DCM's Lieuwe Westra,[38][39] whose bonus seconds on the line enabled him to surpass Valverde for sixth place in the general classification.

[36] Other than Maté assuming the mountains lead from De Gendt, none of the other jerseys changed hands as Wiggins, Valverde and Tejay van Garderen (BMC Racing Team) all finished safely in the pack.

[43] Veuchelen earned the majority of points on offer for the mountains classification, summiting the stage's first three climbs, cresting them all ahead of Lelay and Arashiro.

[43][46] On the Côte de l'Estrade, Astana's Kevin Seeldraeyers and Rabobank's Laurens ten Dam attacked off the front of the main field, and set off in chase of the lead quartet.

Arnold Jeannesson attacked from the group for FDJ–BigMat, gaining several bike lengths before Wiggins upped his pace, putting youth classification leader Tejay van Garderen (BMC Racing Team) into difficulty.

The main field reformed on the day's second categorised climb, the Côte du Pas de Ventoux, but seven riders – mountains classification leader Frederik Veuchelen (Vacansoleil–DCM), RadioShack–Nissan's Jens Voigt, Project 1t4i rider Simon Geschke, Luis León Sánchez of Rabobank, Mikaël Cherel (Ag2r–La Mondiale), FDJ–BigMat's Anthony Geslin and Daniel Navarro of Team Saxo Bank – went clear to form the day's primary breakaway.

[51] Sánchez, Voigt and Cherel went clear of their four other companions as they crested the final climb of the day, the Côte des Marquises with around 12 km (7.5 mi) left in the stage.

Cherel was dropped several minutes later, and with the main bunch not closing quickly enough to force a field sprint for the honours,[51] it was left to Sánchez and Voigt to do battle themselves.

Astana's Evgeni Petrov gave chase on his own for around 30 km (18.6 mi),[60] but was eventually recaptured by the peloton, still twelve minutes in arrears of De Gendt and Taaramäe.

[63] Wiggins maintained his six-second lead over Westra in the overall classification,[64] as both riders finished safely in the pack, however this was not the case for Levi Leipheimer, who had been lying in third place overnight for Omega Pharma–Quick-Step.