On Stage 14 through the Pyrenees from Revel to Ax 3 Domaines, Team Sky's British National Champion Geraint Thomas (pictured below) was in a breakway group which was ten minutes clear with 100km left of the 184.5km stage.
This was the 100th anniversary of Le Tour coming through the Pyrenees and on a very warm day, the gap was closed with 60km to to five and a half minutes.
The peleton which included David Millar who is being reported as spear-heading a bid for Scotland to stage the start of the 2015 Tour, were initially catching at a minute every ten kilometres.
Yellow Jersey leader Andy Schleck, Alberto Contador and those in the group of favourites tried to close the gap even further but AG2R's Christophe Riblon who pulled away in a bid to take the stage, leaving Thomas and everyone else, who was caught by the peleton in his wake.
Contador (pictured below) and Schleck, who could be team-mates next season, battled it out with both matching each others moves as they attacked a 2 minute and five second gap to Riblon with four kilometres to go.
The road was now steep into the ski resort town, close to the border with Andorra and Denis Menchov who was fourth in General Classification had enough of the games of Contador and Schleck and went for it. Samuel Sanchez, was thrilling the Basque support by keeping with Menchov.
Riblon was first to the line and won in 4hr 52 mins and 43 seconds. Rabobank's Menchov finished second, fifty four seconds down with third placed Sanchez. Andy Schleck and Contador a further fifteen seconds back.
Stage 15 is from Pamiers to Bagneres De Luchon and is again full of climbs. It is 187.5km long and you can see it live on British Eurosport and ITV4.
Pictures copyright of Covsupport News Service. Credit CNS/Jeff Matthews