Gilbert looks to me like he's fading.
d.
I don't think he's fading - yet - he's just not really an all-out sprinter. And it doesn't help when Greipel takes some of his intermediate sprint points from him.
Reasons why I think the tour has been more exciting this year, so far:
Rather than the 6 or 7 'real', predicatable, sprint stages we would normally have had, there have been 2 or 3. The others have been like classics races with punchy hills at or near the end. That gave hopes of stage wins for the classics-type riders like Gilbert, Hushovd, Cancellara, EBH, Goss and Cunego, as well as the real sprinters, and the tougher GC men like Evans and Contador, who were also hoping to get a few seconds gaps for the GC and to make a point. That's an awful lot of riders with hopes of a win/jersey, and an awful lot more trying to get them to the front and keep them there. The roads just weren't big enough.
The change to the intermediate sprints has been good. Previously they have had little bearing on the points competition, with the breakaway riders, with no interest in them, mopping them up. This year, with points still up for grabs by the time the peloton gets there, there's been something to race for. Before the ride it wasn't clear if it was going to be worth the effort.
I'm looking forward to the mountains tomorrow, and to Chasing Legends on ITV4.