LONDON (Dispatches) -Britain's Simon Yates claimed his second Tour de France stage win as defending champion Geraint Thomas clawed back time from leader Julian Alaphilippe on an enthralling stage 15.
Yates, who also won stage 12, kicked clear of Simon Geschke with 8.6km left to ride to victory on the Prat d'Albis.
Thomas stays second overall but gained 27 seconds on Alaphilippe after a late attack distanced the Frenchman.
Yet Thibaut Pinot was the biggest winner among the overall contenders.
He backed up his stage 14 win by repeatedly attacking his rivals and finished second on the day to move up to fourth overall, now just 15 seconds down on Thomas.
Alaphilippe fought hard to limit his losses and retain the yellow jersey but showed his first signs of weakness in the mountains, with the final week set to be one of the closest races in years.
Egan Bernal again looked more comfortable than Thomas on the steeper sections, the young Colombian gaining 31 seconds on his Ineos team-mate.
**********Simon Yates rode away to claim his second stage win of this year's Tour de France