Team FDJ-BigMat's Pierrick Fedrigo of France won the 15th stage of the 2012 Tour de France earlier this afternoon while Team Sky Procycling's Bradley Wiggins (Great Britain) kept the overall lead by staying with his rivals in the main pack far behind.

The 99-mile route from Samatan to Pau was mostly flat, but teams with strong sprinters didn't manage to chase down Fedrigo and American Christian Vande Velde of Team Garmin-Sharp in the final breakaway.

Fedrigo captured a Tour de France stage for the fourth time in his career. He left a group of six riders with about four miles to go. Only Vande Velde was able to stay close.

Vande Velde tried to outsprint Fedrigo in the last 200 yards, but his rival accelerated to the line to become the fourth French rider to win a stage this Tour.

"It's incredible ... the stars need to be aligned," said Fedrigo, whose last Tour de France stage win was also in Pau two years ago. "There are days when things go like that," Fedrigo added.

Fedrigo said the victory was especially satisfying because he was sidelined for six months last year with Lyme disease.

Wiggins finished 11 minutes, 50 seconds behind Fedrigo in the main pack. The 32-year-old Team Sky leader is looking to become Britain's first winner of cycling's showcase race

Overall, Wiggins leads second-place teammate Christopher Froome by 2:05. Team Liquigas-Cannondale's Vincenzo Nibali of Italy is third, 2:23 behind. Defending champion Cadel Evans of Team BMC Racing remains fourth, 3:19 back.

Wiggins said he and other riders were looking forward to Tuesday's rest day.

"A lot of people are tired now -- mentally more than physically," he told French TV and added "It was hard today nonetheless, it was quite hot. And the road was hilly."

The rest day comes before two punishing days in the Pyrenees. The rides, along with a final time trial in the next-to-last stage, are likely to determine the winner of the three-week race, which ends July 22 in Paris.

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