The battle for the green jersey--the sprinter's prize--continued apace in the Tour de France today. Robbie McEwen and Tom Boonen are now neck-and-neck in the standings after a furious finish at the end of the 225K stage under overcast skies. But, it was Spaniard Oscar Freire who outsprinted the field to win his first Tour de France stage since 2002. The three-time world champion won the chaotic drag race down Guillou Boulevard in Caen, near France's northwestern coast and the beaches of Normandy.
The overall standings remain stable with six Americans still in the top twenty-five:
1. Tom Boonen (Belgium)
2. Michael Rogers (Australia)
3. Oscar Freire (Spain)
4. George Hincapie (USA)
5. Thor Hushovd (Noresy)
6. Robbie McEwen (Australia)
7. Paolo Savoldelli (Italy)
8. Floyd Landis (USA)
9. Vladimir Karpets (Russia)
10. Serhiy Honchar (Ukraine)
11. Matthias Kessler (Germany)
12. Cadel Evans (Australia)
13. Christophe Moreau (France)
14. David Millar (Britain)
15. Patrik Sinkewitz (Germany)
16. David Zabriskie (USA)
17. Andreas Kloden (Germany)
18. Marcus Fothen (Germany)
19. Cyril Dessel (France)
20. Bobby Julich (USA)
21. Eddy Mazzoleni (Italy)
22. Yaroslav Popovych (Ukraine)
23. Christian Vande Velde (USA)
24. Vaugrenard Benoit (France)
25. Levi Leipheimer (USA)
