Omega Pharma - Quick-Step Cycling Team led the chasing peloton for much of the 222km Stage 18 of the Tour de France, knowing they missed a break that had a chance of winning the stage.
Thanks to their work, along with the effort of other teams, the break was on its last legs with just 500 meters to go in a flat stage that many sprinters wanted a chance at winning.
The sprinter who took the victory was Mark Cavendish (Team Sky ProCycling), who flew by Nicolas Roche (Ag2R - La Mondiale) and Luis Leon Sanchez (Rabobank) out of nowhere with just meters left to the finish. Matthew Goss (Orica-GreenEDGE) was 2nd, and Peter Sagan (Liquigas-Cannondale) was 3rd.
Dries Devenyns tried attacking with a little more than a kilometer to go, but the peloton reeled him in and continued to chase down the break.
OPQS looks next to a 53.5km time trial tomorrow.