Frenchman Thomas Voeckler (Europcar) rode to his second 2012 Tour de France stage victory on Wednesday, prevailing on Stage 16 to Bagnères-de-Luchon after 197km.
Voeckler also took the lead in the king of the mountains classification, getting the better of Fredrik Kessiakoff (Astana) with the Frenchman holding a narrow four-point lead at day's end.
General classification hopeful Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas-Cannondale) did his best to put a dint in the overall lead of Bradley Wiggins (Sky) but his attack was unsuccessful. Wiggins, teammate and second-placed overall teammate Chris Froome along with the Italian finished the stage together meaning the virtual podium remains unchanged for another day.
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