Alexander Vinokourov's hopes of winning the Tour de France ended in tears when he failed to keep up with the top contenders in the ninth stage, a 159.5-km ride from Val d'Isere to Briancon yesterday.
The Kazakh rider finished three minutes and 24 seconds behind stage winner Juan Mauricio Soler of the Barloworld team, who became the first Colombian to win a Tour stage since Santiago Botero in 2002.
Pre-race favourite Vinokourov burst into tears when he told reporters: "It was very difficult. I managed to stay with the favourites in the ascent of the Telegraphe but it was too hard in the Galibier."
It was a good day, however, for yellow jersey holder Michael Rasmussen. The Rabobank rider is now enjoying a lead of 2:35.