Pierrick Fedrigo denies Armstrong Tour de France stage win

PAU, France – Pierrick Fedrigo of the Bbox-Bouygues team won the 16th stage of the Tour de France here on Tuesday to hand the hosts their sixth stage win of the race. He also denied Lance Armstrong a stage win in his final Tour de France.

The Frenchman won a sprint finish in a group of nine that included Armstrong, who had attacked repeatedly from the beginning of Tuesday’s 16th stage. Both finished the 124 miles from Bagneres-de-Luchon to Pau in 5 hours, 31 minutes, 43 seconds.

“It was harder than I expected. It’s been a while since I sprinted,” Armstrong said. “Just not quick enough.”

Fedrigo finished ahead of Frenchman Sandy Casar, with Ruben Plaza of Spain in third place. It was the third straight French victory in this year’s race.

There was no change in the overall standings in the race.

Still, Alberto Contador of Spain owns the yellow jersey, followed by Andy Schleck of Luxembourg.

(Photo Credit by AP Photo/Laurent Rebours)