Spaniard Oscar Freire won the 14th stage of the Tour de France from Nimes to Digne-les-Bains on Saturday.
The Rabobank rider, currently leading the Tour's sprint standings, prevailed in a sprint at the end of a 194.5km leg which took place in hot conditions.
He was followed home by Colombian Leonardo Duque of Cofidis, with German Erik Zabel coming third for Milram.
Aussie Cadel Evans of the Silence-Lotto team kept the leader's yellow jersey ahead of three tough Alpine stages.
The stage saw 21 riders break away after 15 km but the peloton reacted swiftly to catch them.
Four riders, however, managed to stay ahead and France's Sandy Casar and William Bonnet, with Dutchman Bram Tankink and Spain's Jose Ivan Gutierrez, opened up a lead of over six minutes.
The Liquigas and Milram teams stepped up a gear midway through the stage.
A breakaway split came some 25 km from the finish when Gutierrez attacked Casar and Tankink after Bonnet was dropped.
Casar and Tankink were swallowed with less than 20 km to go, with Gutierrez pulling over 10 km from the finish.
In the fourth-category ascent to the Col de l'Orme, Britain's Mark Cavendish, who has become the first British rider to win four stages of one Tour, dropped out of the main bunch and could not find the strength to rejoin his team-mates to take part in the final sprint.
Team Columbia manager Bob Stapleton later said: "He is clearly very tired. I think we have to seriously consider him stepping out."
France's Romain Feillu, winner of the third stage, launched the sprint far from the line but could not sustain his attack, and 32-year-old Freire powered ahead for his fourth Tour stage victory and his 60th career win.
"I stayed behind Zabel's wheel and came out at the right moment," said Freire.
"I knew I had to stay on his wheel, that I could not lose an inch and then I had enough power to win it."
Cavendish's struggle on the final climb of the stage has given Freire new belief of winning the sprinters' green jersey, after the Manxman had leapt up to second place in the points competition after his win on stage 13.
"I've got a bit more of a hold on the green jersey, so I hope to keep it till Paris," said Freire.
"But still, I spoke to Mark Cavendish to find out whether he was going to make it over the Alps okay. I was glad to see that he was struggling to make it over the final climb today."
After stage 14, Freire has a total of 219 points, with Norway's 2006 winner Thor Hushovd on 172 and Germany's six-time winner Erik Zabel, on 167, ahead of Cavendish who dropped to fourth on 156.
Earlier in the day, Barloworld announced that they would withdraw sponsorship of cycling after the Tour, following the positive test for EPO of team rider Moises Duenas Nevado.
Barloworld is the team of GB Olympic cyclists Geraint Thomas and Steve Cummings.
Stage 14 results, Nimes to Digne-les-Bains (194.5km):
1. Oscar Freire (Esp/Rabobank) 4hrs 13mins 8secs 2. Fabio-Leonardo Duque (Col/Cofidis) same time 3. Erik Zabel (Ger/Milram) same time 4. Julian Dean (NZ/Garmin) same time 5. Steven De Jongh (Ned/Quick Step) same time 6. Alessandro Ballan (Ita/Lamprey) same time 7. Ruben Perez (Esp/Euskaltel-Euskadi) same time 8. J�r�me Pineau (Fra/Bouygues Telecom) same time 9. Matteo Tosatto (Ita/Qucik Step) same time 10. Thor Hushovd (Nor/Credit Agricole) same time
Selected others:
82. David Millar (GB/Garmin) same time 108. Mark Cavendish (GB/Columbia) +3mins 27secs
Overall standings (after 14 stages):
1. Cadel Evans (Aus/Silence-Lotto) 59hrs 1min 55secs 2. Frank Schleck (Lux/CSC) +1sec 3. Christian Vande Velde (USA/Garmin) +38secs 4. Bernhard Kohl (Aut/Gerolsteiner) +46secs 5. Denis Menchov (Rus/Rabobank) +57secs 6. Carlos Sastre (Esp/CSC) +1min 28secs 7. Kim Kirchen (Lux/Columbia) +1min 56secs 8. Vladimir Efimkin (Rus/AG2R) +2mins 32secs 9. Mikel Astarloza (Esp/Euskaltel-Euskadi) +3mins 51secs 10. Vincenzo Nibali (Ita/Liquigas) +4mins 18secs
Selected others:
46. David Millar (GB/Garmin) +35mins 22secs 140. Mark Cavendish (GB/Columbia) +1hr 55mins 31secs
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