Vicious cycle: Dope trouble hits Tour again

Arvesen, of Team CSC, led a sprint among three riders in a 12-man breakaway group at the end of the 167.5-kilometre stage from Lannemezan to Foix that features a category 1 climb up the Col de Portel.

The 33-year-old Norwegian national champion edged out Swiss rider Martin Elmiger and Italy’s Alessandro Ballan in a photo finish, for Arvesen’s first Tour stage victory. “Today I rolled the dice and everything worked well,” said Arvesen. “Winning a stage of the Tour while I’m wearing my national jersey — it can’t get much better than that.”

Evans, the Silence Lotto team leader, held onto his narrow 1-second lead over Frank Schleck of Luxembourg. American rider Christian Vande Velde is third, 38 seconds behind.

The Australian didn’t chase the 14-man breakaway group because it didn’t contain anyone likely to challenge for the title. The highest-placed rider in the bunch was Russia’s Alexandre Botcharov, who erased his deficit to Evans to 6:07, from 20:47.

Evans said he was nursing residual pain from a nasty crash in Sunday’s ninth stage, and was hoping it will have disappeared altogether by the time the race hits the Alps this weekend.

Before the stage began Wednesday, French police detained Spanish cyclist Moises Duenas Nevado after he tested positive for the banned blood-booster EPO following the fourth stage on July 8 at Cholet.

Duenas Nevado, who rides for the Barloworld team and had been 19th overall in the Tour, was suspended by his team and removed from the race. Barloworld got even more bad news Wednesday: Two of their riders were forced to quit the race after receiving injuries in a crash midway through the stage that occurred when cyclists braked suddenly. Felix Cardenas of Colombia has a deep cut in his left knee and Paolo Longo Borghini of Italy broke his right collarbone. Barloworld is now down to the minimum five riders. Team leader Juan Mauricio Soler of Colombia pulled out of the race last week after injuring his wrists in a crash during the first stage.

The case of Duenas Nevado marks the second positive EPO test at this Tour, adding a new blow to a sport whose image has been long tarnished by doping. Manuel Beltran of Spain was sent home Friday for testing positive for EPO after the first stage.