Cavendish takes stage victory

MONTPELLIER, France (AP):

British sprinting star Mark Cavendish overcame high winds and 'bashing' in the pack to collect his fourth stage victory yesterday at this year's Tour de France, as French rider Thomas Voeckler earned the race leader's yellow jersey for a sixth straight day.

Victory in the 15th stage was a 19th win on the Tour for Cavendish, who clocked 4 hours, 20 minutes, 24 seconds. Tyler Farrar of the United States was second, and Alessandro Petacchi of Italy was third, both in the same time as Cavendish.

The mostly flat 192.5-kilometre (119.6-mile) route through vineyards from Limoux to Montpellier was expected to favour sprinters, giving them a chance to shine again after three days of tough climbs in the Pyrenees.

"I had a lot of trouble in the mountains. It was difficult," the 26-year-old Cavendish said. "Today, it was a difficult, technical finish - there was wind on both sides and lot of bashing."

Voeckler, a 32-year-old rider with the Europcar squad, kept the overall lead that he first took in a crash-marred Stage 9 and surprisingly held through the mountains.

"I am happy it was flat," he said. "It was dangerous near the end, we knew that with a finish in town, you have to be really careful, plus the fact after two weeks, there's the fatigue factor."

The main contenders also played it safe on the wind-swept ride toward the Mediterranean and finished in the pack right behind the sprinters. Frank Schleck of Luxembourg remains second overall, 1:49 behind, while two-time Tour runner-up Cadel Evans is third, 2:06 back.

Defending champion Alberto Contador is seventh, 4 minutes back.

Two punishing days await in the Alps on Thursday and Friday, each featuring uphill finishes, followed by what could be a decisive individual time trial in and around Grenoble on Saturday. The race ends Sunday.

Voeckler, who's stunned himself by keeping the yellow jersey so long, has a word for his fellow French fans of cycling: Don't expect me to take it home.

"I don't want to lie to the public," he said. "Maybe it would make for good publicity, I don't know, but it doesn't interest me ... I'm not going to announce to the French people that, "I'm in yellow, I have a chance to win."

"I will fight of course, but I mustn't be dishonest," he added, suggesting that the Alps and the time trial may be too much. "I consider I have a zero per cent chance of winning the Tour de France."

In 2009, the last time a Tour stage finished in Montpellier, Armstrong's Astana team won the team time trial. The seven-time Tour champion came within a split second of gaining the yellow jersey for one final time before he retired last year.

Today is the second and final rest day before cyclists head into the foothills of the Alps for Stage 16 tomorrow, a 162.5-kilometre (101-mile) ride from Saint-Paul-Trois-Chateaux to Gap.

The Tour ends July 24 in Paris.