Greipel wins sprint as Voeckler keeps yellow

German Andre Greipel finally put paid to years of playing second fiddle to Mark Cavendish when he beat the British sprinter to claim his maiden stage win on the Tour de France yesterday.

Frenchman Thomas Voeckler, of Europcar, retained the race leader’s yellow jersey by 1min 49sec on Spaniard Luis Leon Sanchez as the peloton moved out the Massif Central on the 158km 10th stage between Aurillac and Carmaux.

It was one of the few remaining sprint finishes, and Greipel took full advantage of Cavendish losing his formidable sprint ‘train’ in the final kilometres.

As the finish line came into view HTC-Highroad sprinter Cavendish emerged from the wheel of Liquigas sprinter Daniel Oss to attack on his own.

Greipel, however, had been keeping a close eye on his rival and immediately pulled out to the side, gritted his teeth and drove hard for the line where he beat the Isle of Man rider by a wheel length.

“It’s the moment I’ve been waiting for all year. I’ve worked really hard, and I want to say thanks to everyone who has supported me,” said Greipel, who rides for Omega-Pharma.

He dedicated his win to stricken team-mate Jurgen van den Broeck, a yellow jersey hope who crashed out of the race injured on Sunday.

“It wasn’t easy for us to lose a rider like that. I’m sure he would have been on the podium in Paris,” added Greipel.

“This morning when we went to visit him in the hospital he told me to go for the victory, and I’m happy to have done that for him.”

Cavendish has won two stages on the 98th edition so far to take his career tally on the race to 17 – unrivalled for a sprint specialist on the Tour.

Claiming he made a mistake, Cavendish was this time gracious in defeat.

“I’m disappointed. I feel I made a mistake but Greipel beat me so there’s not much I can say,” said Cavendish, who beat Greipel into third on stage seven to Chateauroux.