Tour leader Michael Rasmussen is escorted to the start as he is surrounded by the press before the start of the stage

Germany's Linus Gerdemann of T-Mobile heads out with the pack as the race leaves Montpellier and heads for Castres

France's Christophe Moreau looks to gain ground on the leaders after his disappointing ride in stage 11

Stef Clement is parted from his bike as several riders experience difficulties before settling into a steady rhythm

France's Pierrick Fedrigo is shadowed by Spain's Amets Txurruka as the pair build a sizeable gap over the peloton

Quick Step's Tom Boonen chats to George Hincapie as he keeps hold of the green jersey ahead of Robbie Hunter

A main bunch speed through local farmland as they prepare for another gruelling climb on the route to Castres

Back at the head of the field Fedrigo and Txurruka prepare for the descent to Castres with the peloton gaining ground

The peloton begin to gain ground on Txurruka and his partner with the deficit just over a minute with 13km remaining

The peloton swallows up the leaders in the streets of Castres before the sprinters take centre stage in the final metres

The power and pace of Boonen earns him his second win of the 2007 Tour ahead of rivals Erik Zabel and Robert Hunter