Europcar's Tommy Voeckler won the sixteenth stage of the Tour De France this afternoon.
With Frank Schleck removed from the Tour by his Radio Shack Nissan team, the riders left Pau where they had spent the rest day. the riders left Pau heading for Luchon in a 197km stage.
Thirty riders in Steven Cummings and George Hincapie (both BMC Racing Team), Yaroslav Popovych and Jens Voigt (both RadioShack-Nissan), Thomas Voeckler and Yukiya Arashiro (both Europcar), Jorge Azanza, Egoi Martinez and Gorka Izaguirre (all Euskaltel), Danilo Hondo, Marco Marzano and Simone Stortoni (all Lampre-ISD), Daniel Martin (Garmin-Sharp) Maxime Bouet and Sebastien Minard (both AG2R La Mondiale), Rein Taaramae and Samuel Dumoulin (both Cofidis), Brice Feillu, Guillaume Levarlet and Jean Marc Marino (all Saur-Sojasun), Johnny Hoogerland and Rafael Valls Ferri (both Vacansoleil-DCM), Gianpaolo Caruso, Yury Trofimov and Eduard Vorganov (all Katusha), Sandy Casar, Pierrick Fedrigo and Matthiew Ladagnous (all FDJ-Big Mat), Steven Kruiswijk and Laurens Ten Dam (both Rabobank), Rui Costa, Vladimir Karpets, and Vasili Kiryienka (all Movistar), Sergio Paulinho and Chris Anker Sorensen (both Saxo Bank-Tinkof Bank), Fredrik Kessiakoff and Alexandre Vinokourov (both Astana) and Matthieu Sprick (Argos-Shimano). took an initial lead.
Garmin's Danny Martin, Tommy Voeckler and Roman Filleu attacked whilst Mark Cavendish's turn at the front of the peloton came to an end.
Martin was left as Voeckler took the 25 points on the Col du Tourmalet climb.
Chris Froome,Race leader Bradley Wiggins and Nibali left Cadel Evans behind and went off on the attack.
Voecker took over the King Of The Mountains jersey when he was first over the Col de Peyresourde to give him the full points on all four of hte climbs in the Pyrenees today.
Union Jacks and St Georges flags were out on the road as Voeckler led by a minute and 36 from a group containing Nicky Sorensen and Jens Voigt who was six and a half minutes ahead of the ground containing Wiggins.
Voeckler was now riding at 44mph on the flat road into Begneres de Luchon whilst Nibali tried to attack with 7.7kms to go. Wiggins brought the Liquigas rider straight back.
Voeckler stayed away and enjoyed his parade to the finish to win in a time of 5.35.02. Sorenson was second with Izaguirre third
Dan Martin finished seventh.with Wiggins 13th and Froome 14th.
Bradley Wiggins still leads by 2.05 from Chris Froome. Cadel Evans is down to seventh.
Stage 17 tomorrow is from Bagneres de Luchon to Peyragudes and is 143.5km long.
Picture copyright of Covsupport News Service. Credit CNS/KM