Popovych restores pride with stage win

Ukrainian Yaroslav Popovych restored some pride for the Discovery Channel team when he led a 115-km breakaway to clinch the 12th stage of the Tour de France over 211.5 kms from Luchon to Carcassonne yesterday.

Popovych decisively attacked a group of four riders three kms from the finish to grab his first stage victory on the world's greatest cycling race one day after his team's failure on entering the Pyrenees.

Italy's Alessandro Ballan took second place 27 seconds behind Popovych with Oscar Freire of Spain finishing third 29 seconds off the pace.

Frenchman Christophe Le Mevel had to settle for fourth 35 seconds behind Popovych.

The Ukrainian, a former team-mate of seven-times Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong jumped to 10th in the overall standings.

He is 4:15 adrift of American Floyd Landis, the Phonak rider who retained his yellow jersey after crossing the line 4:25 behind Popovych safe in the bunch.

"I'm not worried. I don't think Popovych is a threat after what he showed in the Pyrenees," said Phonak manager John Lelangue.

The stage got off to a nervous start with American George Hincapie trying to make amends for his failure on Thursday and he broke away after 24 kms along with German Jens Voigt, Italian Giuseppe Guerini and Spaniard Oscar Pereiro.

The quartet opened a one-minute gap after being joined by 11 other riders, only for them to be caught by the pack some 120 kms from the line.

It looked like the stage would be another bad day for the Discovery Channel team after their failure in the Pyrenees.

They were reduced to seven men with Spaniard Benjamin Noval and double Giro d'Italia champion Paolo Savoldelli pulling out.

However, Popovych was brave enough to break away and beat his companions in a tactical finish to save the team's honour.

Today's 13th stage will take the peloton over 230 kms from Beziers to Montelimar.