French rider Pierrick Fedrigo gave the hosts their fourth win of the Tour de France when he beat American Christian Vande Velde to win the 158.5km 15th stage between Samatan and Pau yesterday.

Race leader Bradley Wiggins, of Britain, and the main peloton came over the finish line nearly 12 minutes behind a five-man breakaway that had fought hard to form in a frantic opening to the race.

Wiggins came under no threat during the undulating stage from the Gers department to the foot of the Pyrenees where the peloton will spend the second rest day today.

The Team Sky leader still has a 2min 05sec lead over team-mate Chris Froome, with Italian Vincenzo Nibali in third at 2:23 and Australian Cadel Evans fourth at 3:19.

Fedrigo attacked with 6.5km remaining and after being countered by Vande Velde he dominated the Garmin rider in a two-up sprint for the finish.

“It’s unbelievable,” said Fedrigo, whose last win on the race was in Pau in 2010.

“The last time I won on the Tour was here. When you’re racing the Tour, you need luck. And some days you just get the feeling it can be your day. The closer we got to the finish, the more I believed in my chances.”

The race resumes tomorrow when the 197 km 16th stage takes the peloton over two unclassified and two category one climbs to a downhill finish in Bagneres-de-Luchon.