Sylvain Chavanel's persistence was rewarded yesterday with a first stage victory on the Tour de France.

The Frenchman, who had unsuccessfully attacked again and again in this year's race, beat compatriot Jeremy Roy in a sprint finish after the two broke away on the 165.5-kilometer 19th stage from Roanne.

German Gerald Ciolek won the sprint of the bunch to take third place a little more than a minute behind the front two as Spaniard Carlos Sastre retained the overall leader's yellow jersey after spending a quiet day in the peloton.

"I was frustrated because I had been trying so hard and every time I had failed," said Chavanel, who is to join the Quick Step team from Cofidis next season.

"This year, I have overcome a barrier. It's the best gift I could offer Cofidis."

Chavanel has seven victories under his belt this year, including the Fleche Brabanconne semi-classic and a stage win in the Paris-Nice.

The top of the standings remained unchanged with Sastre leading CSC teammate Frank Scheck of Luxembourg by one minute and 24 seconds.

Austrian Bernhard Kohl is third 1:33 adrift and Australian Cadel Evans fourth one second further behind.

After a few abortive moves, Roy and Chavanel broke away at 80 kms and never looked back, opening up a five-minute lead over the peloton.

The Liquigas, Caisse d'Epargne and Barloworld teams chased the pair to offer victory to their sprinters but ended 1:13 behind the two attackers.

The Tour de France has been very different to last year's but the last weekend will look oddly familiar with an Australian and a Spaniard battling it out for final victory in a time trial today.

Evans, among the potential victors for the second year in a row, missed becoming the first Australian to win the Tour by 23 seconds in 2007.

He has a different Spanish rival, though.

In the absence of title-holder Alberto Contador, whose Astana team was rejected for its past doping record, Evans will this time tackle Sastre, an experienced Tour climber wearing the leader's yellow jersey for the first time.

"I seem to have a knack for this at the Tour, eh," said Evans about this remake of last year's script.

Twelve months ago, in the final time-trial in Angouleme, Evans took one minute and 27 seconds back from Contador.

Is it a bad sign then, that Evans will be 1:34 behind Sastre at the start of the 53-km test between Cerilly and St. Amand-Montrond?

Not really, for Contador is a superior time trial rider to Sastre.

The present Tour leader was a witness to last year's final showdown as he lost 2:50 to Evans in the penultimate stage to finish fourth overall.

However, the Australian's 2007 domination of Sastre is no real indication of what he can expect today - in 2006, in a similar 57-km stage in Montceau-les-Mines, he beat Sastre by only 1:01.

If most experts, like Briton David Millar, himself one of the favorites for stage victory along with Swiss Fabian Cancellara, believe Evans is in the better position, the safest forecast comes from Sastre himself.

"Honestly, I don't know. Nothing's over," the Spaniard said when asked who would win the Tour.

If Evans's power and expertise plead in his favour on the flat and fast course, Sastre is known to usually finish the Tour better than he started it, and to ride a decisive time-trial wearing the yellow jersey is usually the best of motivations.

(Agencies via Shanghai Daily July 26, 2008)