July 12, 2011 -- Updated 1858 GMT (0258 HKT)
Andre Greipel shows his delight after winning his first Tour de France stage.
(CNN) -- Germany's Andre Greipel denied arch-rival Mark Cavendish his third stage win of this year's Tour de France as he outsprinted him Tuesday for his maiden victory in cycling's premier race.
Greipel, a former teammate of Cavendish at HTC Columbia, surprised sprinting's undisputed king with a late burst to edge ahead on the line after the 158km 10th stage from between Aurillac and Carmaux.
France's Thomas Voeckler of the Europcar team kept the race leader's yellow jersey, leading Spaniard Luis Leon Sanchez of Rabobank by one minute 49 seconds.
The major contenders for eventual overall victory such as defending champion Alberto Contador, Australian Cadel Evans and Andy Schleck of Luxembourg all finished in the main group.
It was one of the last remaining stages where sprint specialists like Cavendish could make an impression, but as the race fragmented in the closing stages, he lost his famous support 'train' and was left alone.
But he remained in a good position off the final bend, coming off the wheel of Italian Daniel Oss to hit the front.
He had reckoned without Omega Pharma Lotto's Greipel, who came tracked him before making his decisive and winning burst.
"Today I managed to get on his (Cavendish's) wheel and it was one of the greatest moments since I started racing my bike," Greipel told AFP.
Spain's Jose Joaquin Rojas, of the Movistar team, claimed third ahead of Norway's Thor Hushovd of Garmin-Cervelo.
Greipel's teammate Philippe Gilbert, who helped set up his victory, took 14th, but retained the green jersey.
Racing had resumed after Monday's rest day and passed off without the major incidents and crashes that have marked this year's race.
Russian Alexandr Kolobnev, who tested positive for a banned diuretic in the Tour's first week, did not start having been sent home by his Katusha team.
In a statement, the team confirmed that if Kolobnev's B-sample also proves positive, he would be sacked.
Credit: CNN (www.cnn.com)
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