With 45 kilometres to go, while going through "Mons-en-Pévèle" cobblestone section, George Hincapie's steerer tube broke and he injured his collarbone, forcing him to retire from the race. Soon after Tom Boonen and Juan Antonio Flecha made a series of accelerations that selected the lead group to only eight riders: Alessandro Ballan, Tom Boonen, Fabian Cancellara, Bernhard Eisel, Juan Antonio Flecha, Vladimir Gusev, Leif Hoste and Peter Van Petegem. Vladimir Gusev fell a short time later in a fall that also brought down the Italian Alessandro Ballan with 25 kilometres to go, although they could make it back to the lead.