Lance Armstrong's bid for a fairytale finale ended in an anticlimax today as Pierrick Fedrigo won the 16th stage of the Tour de France.

Michael Rasmussen has "broken team rules", a Rabobank spokesman confirmed tonight - amid reports the Tour de France leader has been removed from the race.

LANCE ARMSTRONG has still to win a stage in this year’s Tour de France but Paolo Salvodelli yesterday became the second of his Discovery team-mates to cross the line first with an impressive victory in Revel.

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.