BEZIERS (France), July 20: Britain’s David Millar kept his cool in a five-man sprint finish to win the 13th stage of the Tour de France here Saturday, a 171km ride between Lavelanet in the Pyrenees to Beziers.

American three-time winner Lance Armstrong of US Postal retained the yellow jersey after arriving with the peloton, with the sprint being won by young Australian Baden Cooke, at around 10 minutes behind.

Millar, the 25-year-old Cofidis rider who spent his formative years in Hong Kong, clocked 4hr 08min 16sec after a mainly flat stage that he said beforehand he was going to try and win.

After an hour of racing he joined an early four-man breakaway which grew to an 11-man bunch who then built their lead to over 13 minutes on an apathetic peloton.

They enjoyed the lion’s share of the day’s attention before a five-man bunch, including Millar, broke away with around 18km to race.

The group included Spaniards David Extebarria and David Latasa, Frenchman Laurent Brochard and Michael Boogerd of the Netherlands, with all five jostling for supremacy in the final few kilometres of a stage that was always going to have little attraction for the yellow jersey challengers.

After a series of attacks by Jean Delatour rider Brochard, Latasa took over.

However both riders, not noted sprinters, saw their attacks fail rapidly.

Millar kept his cool, and despite being blocked in the final few metres, he pulled past Etxebarria to grab his first stage win of the Tour.

It is his second win on the Tour overall after his unexpected prologue win in 2000.—AFP