Belgium’s Tom Boonen won stage six of the Tour de France after Bradley Wiggins marked the 40th anniversary of the death of the great Tom Simpson with a lengthy solo break.

Filippo Pozzato won the fifth stage of the Tour de France on a photo finish today, while favourite Alexandre Vinokourov lost significant time after crashing.

OVERALL leader Fabian Cancellara claimed a dramatic victory in the 236.5km third stage of the Tour de France between Waregem and Compiegne.

OSCAR FREIRE claimed victory on stage nine of the Tour de France, winning a sprint finish by the narrowest of margins ahead of Robbie McEwen and Erik Zabel.

AUSTRALIAN Robbie McEwen stole through to claim a sprint finish win on the fourth stage of the Tour de France in Saint-Quentin yesterday as world champion Tom Boonen held on to the yellow jersey.

NORWEGIAN Thor Hushovd reclaimed the yellow jersey after Australian Robbie McEwen outsprinted world champion Tom Boonen to win the second stage of the Tour de France yesterday.

IRELAND’S Mark Scanlon played a critical role in helping AG2R team-mate Jean-Patrick Nazon win yesterday’s third stage of the Tour de France from Waterloo in Belgium to Wasquehal in France.

Frenchman Jean-Patrick Nazon produced a superb sprint finish to claim the third stage of the Tour de France today.

GIRO sprint king Alessandro Petacchi humbled his rivals to win the 168-km first stage of the Tour de France in a mass sprint tarnished by a spectacular crash near the finish line yesterday.

THE stages come and go but still no one can get closer to Lance Armstrong.

FOR a nation which gave birth to the greatest cycle race in the world, the French have had little to cheer about in the Tour de France recently.

For a nation which gave birth to the greatest cycle race in the world, the French have had little to cheer about in the Tour de France recently.

THERE was no storming victory by a French rider on Bastille Day in the Tour de France, just a guerrilla attack by a Dutch master.

GERMAN sprint-meister Erik Zabel put paid to any suggestions his powers are fading as he won stage six of the Tour de France.

German sprint-meister Erik Zabel today put paid to any suggestions his powers are fading as he won stage six of the Tour de France.

SPAIN took the honours on the fourth stage of the Tour de France yesterday with ONCE-Eroski claiming the team time trial and Gasteiz-born Igor Gonzalez de Galdeano taking over the yellow jersey.

ERIK ZABEL bounced back from the disappointment of Monday's defeat on home soil to claim the Tour de France yellow jersey today.

Erik Zabel bounced back from the disappointment of yesterday’s defeat on home soil to claim the Tour de France yellow jersey today.

OSCAR FREIRE surprised himself and the Saarbrucken crowd gathered to cheer an Erik Zabel win by denying the German rider a victory on home soil yesterday.

Switzerland's Rubens Bertogliati has won his first Tour stage in sensational style.

Lance Armstrong became only the fifth man to win three consecutive Tour de France titles in a party atmosphere in Paris today.

With Lance Armstrong marching effortlessly toward his third Tour de France title in succession, the sprinters took centre stage today.

German Erik Zabel won a sprint finish to claim the first stage of the Tour de France between St-Omer and Boulogne-sur-Mer.