How can this be boring? Servais Knaven did the same special trick that made him win Paris - Roubaix two years ago: a 17km solo that kept him ahead of the others, while the gap was never more than just over 30sec. He was clever, knew he had no chance if they had to sprint, he also knew that he has good time trial capabilities. He combined physical strength and intelligence to win that stage. He got the best out of his possibilities in a way that is in every way comparable to Armstrongs attack on Luz Ardiden. To call these stages a snoozer is quite an insult to those guys who were in front all day working their buts off to stay clear of the pack.
Just my 2 cents,
Timo