Just when it looked like the HTC-Columbia cycling team had been lost in the mass sprint, Mark Cavendish emerged from behind Mark Renshaw to win his fourth stage at the Tour de France on Sunday.

American Tyler Farrar (Garmin-Cervelo) was gaining on Cavendish at the finish, but he didn't have enough distance left to beat him. In interviews after the race, the Wenatchee, Washington, sprinter was clearly disappointed.

Meanwhile, France's Tom Voeckler finished in the peloton to survive another day in the yellow jersey. Certainly he'll lose it in the Alps next week, but that's what everything thought would have happened already in the Pyrenees.
Speaking of survival, Cavendish was luck to be in the stage at all ….

The tradition that the winner on Plateau de Beille continues to win the Tour de France will probably end this year.

Saturday's winner for Stage 14 was Belgian cyclist Jelle Venendert, who started the day in 30th place and had never before won a professional bike race.

Meanwhile, the favorite contenders attacked, marked and matched each other all the way up the final climb. The cat and mouse enabled France's Thomas Voeckler to survive for another day in the yellow jersey. With two flat stages coming up, there's no reason he can't hold onto the jersey into the Alps. …

The last Tour de France stage set in the Pyrenees throws six category climbs at the peloton in Stage 14 on Saturday.

The cyclists must cross the Col de Portet-d’Aspet (Category 2), the Col de la Core (Category 1), the Col de Latrape (Category 2), the Col d’Agnes (Category 1), and the Port de Lers (Category 3) before racing up the mountaintop finish at the Plateau de Beille (beyond category).

Although individually the ascents are easier than others like the Tourmalet and the Aubisque, taken together…

The US-based cycling team that started the Tour de France with four cyclists aiming for the podium is now down to just one — Levi Leipheimer.

Andreas Kloden withdrew from the Tour de France early in the race on Friday, suffering from injuries he received in a crash the day before when he had risen to 8th overall in the standings, just 2:43 behind the leader.

The 36-year-old German cyclist had finished 2nd in the Tour de France in 2004 and 6th in 2009.

This year he was one of four that RadioShack had picked as potential team leaders. Others were Leipheimer, American Chris Horner and Slovenian Janez Brajkovic …

World champion Thor Hushovd joined the breakaway on the mountainous Stage 13 of the Tour de France and engineered himself to a stage victory in Lourdes on Friday.

A victory by a sprinter on this 156km (97-mile) mountainous stage was probably not anticipated by many observers, especially as the route included the “above category” ascent of the Col d'Aubisque.

Meanwhile, France's Thomas Voeckler (Europcar) retained the yellow jersey for another stage, finishing at the front of the peloton ….

The Col d'Aubisque is the big challenge for Stage 13 of the Tour de France today, but it probably won't prove decisive since it's nearly 30 miles from the finish.

There are three climbs over the 156km (97-mile) route between Pau and Lourdes — a Category 3 and 4 summit and the “above category” Col d'Aubisque.

There is no mountain top finish, like Thursday. That final climb catapulted …