Britain’s Bradley Wiggins is refusing to get too carried away despite moving up to third in the overall standings in the Tour de France.

Alberto Contador called for his Astana team to back his Tour de France bid after the Spaniard seized the leader's yellow jersey with an emphatic victory on the 15th stage this afternoon.

Ireland’s Nicolas Roche has finished runner-up in the 14th stage of the Tour de France, 16 seconds behind Katusha’s Sergei Ivanov, with Hayden Roulston in third.

Alpine ski resorts were on high alert today after heavy weekend snowfalls caused avalanches that killed at least five people in the last three days.