Fedrigo wins the battle.

FRENCHMAN Pierrick Fedrigo emerged from a straight fight with breakaway partner Franco Pellizotti to claim victory on the ninth stage of the Tour de France.

The Bouygues Telecom rider claimed his team's second stage win of the 2009 tour after responding to the challenge of fellow escapee Pellizotti (Liquigas) over the final metres of the 160km stage between Saint-Gaudens and Tarbes.

Oscar Freire won the sprint for third place, coming in 34 seconds behind the breakaway duo, while Rinaldo Nocentini retained the yellow jersey by six seconds from Alberto Contador and eight from Lance Armstrong, as all the leading general classification contenders finished in the peloton.

With limited movement in the classification, there was also no change in the race for the green jersey - Thor Hushovd still leading from Britain''s Mark Cavendish going into today's rest day - but there was movement in the mountain standings, Egoi Martinez taking over the polka-dot jersey from Christophe Kern.

Fedrigo's win was his second career victory on the Tour, and was on the cards when he and Pellizotti broke from the early leading pack with Jens Voigt (Saxo Bank) and Leonardo Duque (Cofidis) before the first climb of the day up Col d'Aspin.