Voigt climbs into yellow jersey

The Tour de France has a new overall leader after German rider Jens Voigt took the yellow jersey from Lance Armstrong on a mountainous ninth stage.

Denmark’s 31-year-old former world mountain bike champion Michael Rasmussen retained the polka-dot jersey and earned a superb stage victory in four hours, eight minutes and 20 seconds for Team Rabobank.

Team CSC’s Voigt and Credit Agricole’s Christophe Moreau were the Dane’s closest challengers, crossing the Mulhouse finish line 3mins 7secs behind Rasmussen, before Armstrong arrived with the peleton some three minutes later.

Armstrong lost over six minutes on Voigt on today's stage.