Spain's Luis Leon Sanchez won the 159km seventh stage of the Tour de France from Brioude to Aurillac.
The 24-year-old Caisse d'Epargne rider, 88th at the start of the day, broke clear with five kilometres to go.
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Kim Kirchen of Team Columbia retains the leader's yellow jersey going into Saturday's stage, while David Del La Fuente took the polka dot jersey.
Luxembourg's Kirchen is six seconds ahead of Australian Cadel Evans in the general classification.
Sanchez was hugely aided by team-mate Oscar Pereiro, the 2006 champion after Floyd Landis was disqualified for doping, in the final stages and was able to celebrate metres from the finish punching the air in delight as his pursuers failed to regain lost ground.
Germany's former race leader Stefan Schumacher of the Gerolsteiner team finished second and Italy's Filippo Pozzato came home third for Liquigas.
The stage included three sprints and four climbs and produced a day of thrilling cycling at a high pace.
Briton's David Millar, of the Garmin team, attacked one kilometre from the summit of the category four climb at Villedieu after 52 km but eventually found himself with company.
A four-man break formed but because Millar began the stage in fifth overall just 47secs behind Kirchen, he was never going to be given much rein and his hopes of remaining clear of the peloton were further undermined by a puncture that eventually forced him to change bike.
A combination of the high pace as the peloton pursued the group including Millar and strong winds split the field.
Josep Jufre, Vincenzi Nibali, Sanchez and De La Fuente comprised the day's most significant break. Jufre and Sanchez broke clear on the lower slopes of the Col d'Entremont with 65km left and were soon joined by the other two riders.
The four reached the summit of the category two Puy Mary one minute 30 seconds clear of the chasing pack, while De La Fuente moving to the top of the King of the Mountains classification after breaking clear of the final climb of the day.
The four riders were eventually caught but Sanchez then launched his decisive break to take the stage.
(BBC)
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