Spaniard continues to wear yellow

GAP, France -- Frenchman Pierrick Fedrigo won stage 14 of the Tour de France on Sunday, while Spain's Oscar Pereiro kept the overall lead.

Fedrigo, of the Bouygues Telecom team, beat Italy's Salvatore Commesso at the line after they broke away from the main pack. Pereiro and American Floyd Landis, who is second overall, both finished in a group together, 7 seconds behind the winner.

"In the final stretch, I never looked back and let Commesso do the work," the 2005 French national champion said of his first stage win in four Tours. "It worked and I stayed concentrated on the finish line. For me, it is pure happiness."

Pereiro's lead over Landis remained at 1 minute and 29 seconds, with Frenchman Cyril Dessel third, 1:37 behind.

The 112-mile course ran from Montelimar to Gap, in the foothills of the Alps, and the riders cycled under a scorching sun that melted some of the pavement they were racing on. The hilly stage, which featured two moderately hard hill climbs and two slightly easier ones, was marked by a spectacular crash involving David Canada and Rik Verbrugghe, which sent both to the hospital.

Verbrugghe broke his left leg and had a bad cut on his left arm, while Canada broke his right collarbone, the Tour's medical service said.

Today is the three-week race's second and last rest day before the Alps, which start Tuesday. Those mountains and the final time trial on Saturday are expected to decide the outcome of the race.

-- AP