CLUSES (France), July 25: Dario Frigo avenged a year in oblivion when he won the last mountain stage of the Tour de France over 142 kms between Aime and Cluses on Thursday.

The Tacconi Sport leader outsprinted his two breakaway companions, Belgian Mario Aerts and fellow-Italian Giuseppe Guerini, to give Italy its first Tour stage win in two years.

For the Italian, winner of last year’s Paris-Nice and the Tour of Romandy, the victory was all the more significant as he had been one of the big names caught up in last year’s Giro police blitz.

Holder of the leader’s pink jersey for nine days, he was kicked out of the Tour of Italy after drugs were found in his hotel room and was banned for nine months on doping charges. He returned to cycling in March and finished 10th in the Giro.

Frigo, Aerts and Guerini had broken away in the second of the day’s four climbs, the first category pass of Les Saisies and were never to be seen again.

In the last stretch, each one attacked in turn, but Frigo had the final say, surging ahead in the last 200 metres and just avoiding a camera waved in front of him by a spectator in the finish area.

American Lance Armstrong was content to watch from a distance as the also-rans battled it out for the stage win.

The three times Tour champion finished with all his main rivals, 4:36 behind the leading trio after another quiet day.

With three more stages to go, his fourth successive Tour victory seems to be a formality.

The Texan still leads Spaniard Joseba Beloki by 5:06, with Lithuanian Raimondas Rumsas third, 7:24 behind Armstrong.

Colombian Santiago Botero, who lost the Tour in Mont Ventoux despite winning two crucial stages, attacked in the last climb to recover to fourth overall, 10:59 adrift of the leader.

Overall standings: 1. Lance Armstrong (U.S.) U.S. Postal 72 hours 50 minutes and 25 seconds; 2. Joseba Beloki (Spain) ONCE 5:06 behind; 3. Raimondas Rumsas (Lithuania) Lampre 7:24; 4. Santiago Botero (Colombia) Kelme 10:59; 5. Jose Azevedo (Portugal) ONCE 12:08; 6. Igor Gonzalez Galdeano (Spain) ONCE 12:12; 7. Francisco Mancebo (Spain) Ibanesto.com 12:28; 8. Roberto Heras (Spain) U.S. Postal 12:54; 9. Levi Leipheimer (U.S.) Rabobank 13:58; 10. Carlos Sastre (Spain) CSC-Tiscali 14:49; 11. Ivan Basso (Italy) Fassa Bortolo 15:04; 12. David Moncoutie (France) Cofidis 17:12; 13. Michael Boogerd (Netherlands) Rabobank 17:32; 14. Richard Virenque (France) Domo Farm Frites 22:40; 15. Massimiliano Lelli (Italy) Cofidis 24:56; 16. Unai Osa (Spain) Ibanesto.com 24:57; 17. Stephane Goubert (France) Jean Delatour 25:04; 18. Tyler Hamilton (U.S.) CSC-Tiscali 25:50; 19. Andrei Kivilev (Kazakhstan) Cofidis 26:39; 20. Nicolas Vogondy (France) FDJeux.com 26:43; 21. Jose Luis Rubiera (Spain) U.S. Postal 29:46; 22. Ivan Gotti (Italy) Alessio 34:27; 23. Dario Frigo (Italy) Tacconi Sports 36:04; 24. Dariusz Baranowksi (Poland) Ibanesto.com 37:19; 25. Axel Merckx (Belgium) Domo Farm Frites 37:31.—Reuters