Alexander Vinokourov of Kazakhstan was the victor today as the centenary Tour de France provided another day of thrills and spills with Spain‘s much-fancied Joseba Beloki eliminated after injuring himself in a fall close to the finish.

Italy‘s Alessandro Petacchi won the first stage of the centenary Tour de France on Sunday, prevailing in a sprint finish marred by a crash which affected most of the 198-strong peloton.

The wife of Raimondas Rumsas, the Lithuanian cyclist who finished third in the Tour de France, was officially placed under investigation today, two days after being caught with suspicious drugs.