Russian grabs Tour de France stage win

Russian cyclist Sergey Ivanov has praised his team, Katusha, after his emphatic win of stage 14 of the Tour de France.

The 34-year-old said he was given one chance to win yesterday's race and he grabbed it with both hands.

Ivanov was part of a breakaway midway through the stage from Colmar to Besancon. In that group was a Team Columbia rider George Hincapie from the U.S.

But Ivanov made his trademark break for the stage win just under six kilometers from the line. He won by a clear 16 seconds from the chasing group.

His second stage win on the tour came eight years after the first.

Hincapie missed taking the overall lead from Rinaldo Nocentini by just five seconds.

And Mark Cavendish was disqualified from the stage for pushing Thor Hushovd on the final sprint for the line, leaving Hushovd in the sprinter’s green jersey.

Today marks the start of three grueling mountain stages. And the big names of Contador and Armstrong are expected to make their moves for the overall lead.