DIGNE LES BAINS (France), July 20: Three-time world champion Oscar Freire honoured his green jersey with victory in the 14th stage of the Tour de France, a 194.5-km trek from Nimes, on Saturday.

The Spaniard, who wears the jersey for the best sprinter but had not won a stage this year, prevailed in a sprint, beating Colombian Leonardo Duque of the Cofidis team.

German veteran Erik Zabel came home third for Milram.

Australian Cadel Evans of the Silence-Lotto team retained the overall leader’s yellow jersey after a quiet day in the peloton.

Freire, who won three Tour stages in 2002 and 2006, now enjoys a 47-point lead over Norway’s Thor Hushovd in the points classification.

In scorching heat, 21 men broke away after 15 km but the peloton reacted swiftly to catch them.

Four riders, however, managed to stay ahead and France’s Sandy Casar and William Bonnet, with Dutchman Bram Tankink and Spain’s Jose Ivan Gutierrez, opened up a six-minute lead.

The sprinters’ teams stepped up a gear midway through the stage.

A breakaway split came some 25 km from the finish when Gutierrez attacked Casar and Tankink after Bonnet was dropped.

Casar and Tankink were swallowed with less than 20 km to go, with Gutierrez pulling over 10 km from the finish.

In the fourth-category ascent to the Col de l’Orme, Mark Cavendish, who has won four stages this year, dropped out of the main bunch and could not take part in the final sprint.

Results of 14th stage:

1. Oscar Freire (Spain/Rabobank) four hours 13 minutes 8 seconds; 2. Leonardo Duque (Colombia/Cofidis); 3. Erik Zabel (Germany/Milram); 4. Julian Dean (New Zealand/Garmin-Chipotle); 5. Steven de Jongh (Netherlands/Quick-Step); 6. Alessandro Ballan (Italy/Lampre); 7. Ruben Perez (Spain/Euskaltel); 8. Jerome Pineau (France/Bouygues Telecom); 9. Matteo Tosatto (Italy/Quick-Step); 10. Thor Hushovd (Norway/Credit Agricole); 11. Xavier Florencio (Spain/Bouygues Telecom); 12. Stefan Schumacher (Germany/Gerolsteiner); 13. Martin Elmiger (Switzerland/AG2R); 14. Sebastian Lang (Germany/Gerolsteiner); 15. Filippo Pozzato (Italy/Liquigas); 16. Geoffroy Lequatre (France/Agritubel); 17. John-Lee Augustyn (South Africa/Barloworld); 18. Chris Froome (Kenya/Barloworld); 19. Inaki Isasi (Spain/Euskaltel); 20. Kim Kirchen (Luxembourg/Columbia); 21. Christian Vande Velde (US/Garmin-Chipotle); 22. Gerald Ciolek (Germany/Columbia); 23. Oscar Pereiro (Spain/Caisse d’Epargne); 24. Fabian Cancellara (Switzerland/Team CSC); 25. Alejandro Valverde (Spain/Caisse d’Epargne); 26. Dmitriy Fofonov (Kazakhstan/Credit Agricole); 27. Romain Feillu (France/Agritubel); 28. Cadel Evans (Australia/Silence-Lotto); 29. Kanstantin Siutsou (Belarus/Columbia); 30. Peter Velits (Slovakia/Milram).—Reuters