Tour De France: Arvesen Edges Out Elmiger and Ballan

Kurt-Asle Arvesen of Norway won the 11th stage of the Tour de France, a ride largely overshadowed by the second positive doping test to mar the race this year.

The 33-year-old Norwegian national champion edged out Swiss rider Martin Elmiger and Italy's Alessandro Ballan in a photo finish for his first Tour stage victory. Australia's Cadel Evans of the Silence Lotto team retained the overall leader's yellow jersey, finishing in the main pack with most of his prominent rivals.

Arvesen, of Team CSC, led a sprint among three riders in a 12-man breakaway group that had a lead of about 15 minutes on the main pack when he finished the 167.5km trek from Lannemezan to Foix.

Before the stage began this morning, French police detained Spanish cyclist Moises Duenas Nevado after he tested positive for the banned blood-booster EPO following the fourth stage on July 8 in Cholet. Duenas Nevado, who rides for the Barloworld team and had been 19th overall in the Tour, was immediately suspended by his team and removed from the race.