Australian McEwen sprints to Tour treble

Robbie McEwen improved on his best ever harvest of stages in a Tour de France by outsprinting the bunch for the third time this year in the streets of Montpellier yesterday.

The Australian champion surged on the line to win the 173.5-kilometre 13th stage from Miramas on a sweltering day in the south of France.

The Davitamon Lotto leader had already won two stages this year, the fifth in Montargis and the seventh in Karlrsruhe to match his hauls of 2002 and 2004 when he ended the Tour wearing the leading sprinter's green jersey.

Lance Armstrong, who rode near the front of the peloton for most of a torrid and flat stage, retained his yellow jersey.

The six-times Tour champion still leads Dane Michael Rasmussen by 38 seconds and France's Christophe Moreau by 2:34 before the first stage in the Pyrenees mountains today.

"Today was a flat stage and we were lucky to have a team like Davitamon Lotto to take care of the race," said the Texan.

"Everybody was waiting for tomorrow's stage and there will be attacks tomorrow."

Five riders, Frenchmen Thomas Voeckler, Ludovic Turpin and Carlos Da Cruz, Spain's Juan Antonio Flecha and American Christopher Horner, escaped from the pack shortly after the start only to be caught 7km from the finish.

Only Horner resisted and he was joined by France's Sylvain Chavanel in the streets of Montpellier but the pair were reeled in with 100m to go.

Norway's Thor Hushovd, the green jersey holder, was the first to make a move in the final sprint.

But he was soon overwhelmed and McEwen's magic kick worked to perfection once more, the Australian beating compatriot Stuart O'Grady and American Fred Rodriguez.

"Today, it's not a victory by Robbie McEwen, it's a victory by Davitamon Lotto," he said. "Everybody saw the hard work they produced all day. To catch a nine-minute breakaway after the mountains in such a hard Tour is just unbelievable."

Spain's Alejandro Valverde, winner of the first high mountain stage in Courchevel on Tuesday, pulled out with knee tendinitis.

The Illes Balears rider, who was fifth overall, 3:16 behind Armstrong, got off his bike at a feeding station after 76.5km, losing his white jersey to mate Yaroslav Popovych.