BAGNERES DE BIGORRE (France), July 14: Italian Riccardo Ricco paraded his climbing skills with a stunning attack on the first mountain test of the Tour de France on Sunday to claim his second stage victory.

The Giro d’Italia runner-up dropped the race favourites on the ascent of the category-one Col d’Aspin on the ninth stage with a sudden burst of speed and never looked back.

A winner in an uphill finish on the sixth stage, Saunier-Duval’s Ricco beat Russian Vladimir Efimkin, the AG2r-La Mondiale rider crossing the line one minute four seconds later.

France’s Cyril Dessel, also of AG2r-La Mondiale, was third, 13 seconds behind, after winning the sprint of the favourites’ group.

Australian Cadel Evans, widely seen as the overall favourite, crashed midway through the stage and sustained bruises on his left knee, elbow and thigh.

Evans remains second in the overall standings six seconds behind Kirchen, who also took the green jersey for sprinters from Spain’s Oscar Freire.

American Chris Vande Velde of the Garmin-Chipotle team is third overall, 44 seconds behind.

Team Columbia’s Thomas Lovkvist of Sweden suffered in the climbs and lost his white jersey for the best young rider to Luxembourg’s Andy Schleck, 12th overall.

Although he is still not favourite to win in Paris, Ricco showed that in a race without an overwhelming figure, he could shake the hierarchy and be a permanent threat.

Aleksandr Kuschynski of Belarus, German Sebastian Lang and France’s Nicolas Jalabert built a 14-minute gap but it was down to 10 minutes at foot of the category-one Col de Peyresourde.

Jalabert was the first to be dropped, soon followed by Kuschynski and it was Lang who reached the summit first with an advantage of 5:25. Ricco, however, was at it again four km from the summit, firing clear of the bunch in a style reminiscent of the late Marco Pantani, his idol.

It was the Caisse d’Epargne team who then worked to reduce the arrears with Evans content to follow the pace.

Results of ninth stage:

1. Riccardo Ricco (Italy/Saunier Duval) five hours 39 minutes 28 seconds; 2. Vladimir Efimkine (Russia/AG2R) +1:04; 3. Cyril Dessel (France/AG2R) +1:17; 4. Dmitriy Fofonov (Kazakhstan/Credit Agricole); 5. Christian Knees (Germany/Milram); 6. Maxime Monfort (Belgium/Cofidis); 7. Alejandro Valverde (Spain/Caisse d’Epargne ); 8. Roman Kreuziger (Czech Republic/Liquigas); 9. Damiano Cunego (Italy/Lampre); 10. Yaroslav Popovych (Ukraine/Silence-Lotto); 11. Sebastian Lang (Germany/Gerolsteiner); 12. Kim Kirchen (Luxembourg/Columbia); 13. Vincenzo Nibali (Italy/Liquigas); 14. Pierrick Fedrigo (France/Bouygues Telecom); 15. Matteo Carrara (Italy/Quick-Step); 16. Fraenk Schleck (Luxembourg/Team CSC); 17. Eduardo Gonzalo (Spain/Agritubel); 18. Sandy Casar (France/Francaise des Jeux); 19. Moises Duenas (Spain/Barloworld); 20. Christian Vande Velde (US/Garmin-Chipotle ); 21. Tadej Valjavec (Slovenia/AG2R); 22. Oscar Pereiro (Spain/Caisse d’Epargne); 23. Cadel Evans (Australia/Silence-Lotto); 24. Mikel Astarloza (Spain/Euskaltel); 25. Juan Jose Cobo (Spain/Saunier Duval); 26. Remy Di Gregorio (France/Francaise des Jeux); 27. Andy Schleck (Luxembourg/Team CSC); 28. Marzio Bruseghin (Italy/Lampre); 29. Denis Menchov (Russia/Rabobank); 30. Bernhard Kohl (Austria/Gerolsteiner).—Reuters