Pozzatto times sprint finish to perfection

Filippo Pozzatto timed his sprint finish to perfection to ride into Saint-Brieuc in front and hand the Fassa Bortolo team their…

Filippo Pozzatto timed his sprint finish to perfection to ride into Saint-Brieuc in front and hand the Fassa Bortolo team their second win of this year's Tour de France.

Pozzatto, who at 22 is the youngest rider in the Tour, was in a group of six riders in the final moments of the stage but showed excellent maturity to hold off the challenge of rivals Laurent Brochard, Francisco Mancebo, Michele Scarponi and Iker Flores.

Spaniard Flores, the Euskaltel rider, finished second, with his compatriot Mancebo, competing for Illes Balears, in third.

Pozzatto's team-mate Fabian Cancellara won the prologue time trial last Saturday for Fassa Bortolo's other stage win.

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Frenchman Thomas Voeckler, riding for Brioches La Boulangere, finished 43rd in the stage to hold onto the leader's yellow jersey, with five-time champion Lance Armstrong sixth overall, nine minutes and 35 seconds behind Voeckler.

Ireland's Shane Scanlon finished in the main bunch in 111th position, ten seconds behind the stage winner.  He improved his overall classification by three places to 50th.

PA