The 2011 Tour de France made its way into the Italian Alps on Wednesday and Thomas Voeckler continued to maintain his hold on the yellow jersey. Edvaid Boasson Hagen claimed the stage victory while Cadel Evans, Frank Schleck, Andy Schleck and Alberto Contador all finished in a bunch at 4:26 back of Hagen. The four significant favorites were able to gain 27 seconds on Voeckler, leaving Cadel Evans 1:18 back heading into day two of the Alps.
Andy Schleck had capture the lead heading into the final climb of the day, but the other three co-favorites behind Voeckler were able to make up ground on the descent and create a logjam at the finish line. Voeckler was hanging with that group but he struggled enough at times staying on the road during the descent and that cost him the 27 seconds. The Tour heads into the second day of Alps climbing with the highest points still in front of the peloton.
Here is your current top ten after Stage 17:
| Stnd | Rider | Rider # | Team | Time | Gaps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. |
 VOECKLER Thomas |
181 | TEAM EUROPCAR | 73h 23' 49" | |
| 2. |
 EVANS Cadel |
141 | BMC RACING TEAM | 73h 25' 07" | + 01' 18" |
| 3. |
 SCHLECK Frank |
18 | TEAM LEOPARD-TREK | 73h 25' 11" | + 01' 22" |
| 4. |
SCHLECK Andy |
11 | TEAM LEOPARD-TREK | 73h 26' 25" | + 02' 36" |
| 5. |
 SANCHEZ Samuel |
21 | EUSKALTEL - EUSKADI | 73h 26' 48" | + 02' 59" |
| 6. |
CONTADOR Alberto |
1 | SAXO BANK SUNGARD | 73h 27' 04" | + 03' 15" |
| 7. |
 CUNEGO Damiano |
161 | LAMPRE - ISD | 73h 27' 23" | + 03' 34" |
| 8. |
BASSO Ivan |
91 | LIQUIGAS-CANNONDALE | 73h 27' 38" | + 03' 49" |
| 9. |
 DANIELSON Tom |
52 | TEAM GARMIN - CERVELO | 73h 29' 53" | + 06' 04" |
| 10. |
 URAN Rigoberto |
118 | SKY PROCYCLING | 73h 31' 25" | + 07' 36" |
We'll be here for the entire race providing news updates and stage previews and recaps, particularly as they relate to Bay Area cyclist Levi Leipheimer and Bay Area-based BMC Racing. For more in-depth discussion on the 2011 Tour De France, head over to Podium Cafe. For more general Tour coverage, head over to the SB Nation story stream.