France's Thomas Voeckler, holder of the white jersey for the best young rider, smiles at the start of stage 18 in Annemass

Switzerland's Martin Elmiger is the first rider to breakaway from the pack as his early sprint gives him a brief lead

A series of breakaways follow with Australia's Allan Davis and Belgium's Marc Wauters two of the riders to set the pace

Lance Armstrong and his US Postal colleagues hold their usual position at the front of the peloton

But Armstrong surprises the field by leaving the peloton to launch a breakaway of his own

Italy's Filippo Simeoni goes on the attack but fails to get the better of Armstrong

After the lead swaps hands on many occasions the race comes down to a sprint finish

Spain's Juan Miguel Mercado narrowly claims a thrilling victory ahead of his compatriot Vincente Garcia-Acosta