Bradley Wiggins took another step towards securing his maiden Tour de France crown after a 16th stage won in stylish fashion by Frenchman Thomas Voeckler yesterday.
Yellow jersey holder Wiggins repelled a number of attacks by Vincenzo Nibali on the fourth and final climb to come over the finish with his Italian rival and Sky team-mate Chris Froome around seven minutes behind a triumphant Voeckler.
Defending champion Cadel Evans, of BMC, finished nearly 12 minutes behind Voeckler and five minutes behind Wiggins’s group after being dropped for good on the Col du Peyresourde.
It means the Australian drops from fourth overall to seventh at 8:06 behind Wiggins and virtually ends his bid to defend his 2011 title.
He has been replaced in fourth by Lotto team leader Jurgen Van den Broeck (5:46), with Spaniard Haimar Zubeldia in fifth at 7:13 and American team-mate Tejay Van Garderen in sixth at 7:55.
Evans started trailing on the Col d’Aubisque, came over the summit of the penultimate climb with a 45secs deficit to Wiggins and then fought to get back on before the final climb to the summit of the Peyresourde.
Not long after the road started rising, however, the Australian lost touch with Wiggins’s group when a turn of pace by Van den Broeck’s team-mate Jelle Vanendert split the group and just proved too much.
Meanwhile, after another impressive day in the mountains by Sky, Wiggins retained his 2min 05sec lead over Froome, with Liquigas rider Nibali still third at 2:23.
Voeckler grabbed his second stage win of the race and the fourth of his career after leaving breakaway companion Brice Feillu behind with 22km remaining and 7km from the summit of the Col du Peyresourde.
Although he was countered by Saxo Bank’s Chris Anker Sorensen, the Dane who is famous for his lively grimacing as he pulls himself up the climbs, was never a threat to the Frenchman.
Sorensen eventually came over the finish nearly two minutes behind Voeckler, giving the Europcar rider plenty of time to savour his second victory in Luchon, two years after winning stage 15 in 2010.
The 17th stage today is a 143.5km ride from Luchon to the summit of Peyragudes and is the last climbing stage of the race.