Richard Virenque topped his return to the peloton after a doping ban with a stunning ride up the Mont Ventoux to win the 14th stage of the Tour de France today.
Virenque clocked 5hr 43min 26secs to claim his first stage win of the Tour. Russian Alexandre Botcharov came second at 1min 58sec. Race leader Lance Armstrong made a fantastic effort to catch Virenque on the climb and finished third at 2:20 to keep hold of the yellow jersey.
Armstrong stole time from his closest overall challenger Joseba Beloki. The Spaniard, who rides for ONCE, struggled to keep tabs on the American when he attacked with six kilometers left and he eventually finished eighth.
Beloki, who was only 2:28 behind Armstrong on Saturday, is now 4:21 adrift of the American in the overall standings, with Raimondas Rumsas third overall at 6:39.