Riccardo Ricco from team Saunier Duval-Scott won the ninth stage of the 2008 Tour de France after attacking on the last climb of the day, but the first Pyrenees stage did not bring about majour changes at the top of the general classification of the race.

The Italian powered out of the yellow jersey's group half-way through the category-one climb to Col d’Aspin, catching up break-away Sebastian Lang and racing down the long descent to grab his second stage win in two days.

"I had told you the other day that I would win another one," Ricco said after the finish of the 224km stage between Toulouse and Bagnères-de-Bigorre. "It was not part of the plan to attack when I did; it was just a spur of the moment decision and when I went, I was really impressive; I was so fast. The mountains are my domain and it’s great to be able to perform so well,” he said, as quote by the Tour's website letour.com.

It helped that no-one in the leading group that featured all of the main contenders made an effort to catch up with Ricco, choosing instead to conserve their strength for the testing stage 10 on July 14.

Despite finishing more than a minute ahead of the race leaders, Ricco is still outside the top 20 in the general classification, two minutes and 35 seconds behind Kim Kirchen, who retained the yellow jersey of the overall leader.

Australian Cadel Evans remains second, six seconds behind, despite crashing out early in the stage. American Christian Vandevelde moved up to third, switching places with Stefan Schumacher. Russia's Denis Menchov, Belgian Stijn Devolder and four Spaniards - Alejandro Valverde, Oscar Pereiro Sio, Samuel Sanchez and Carlos Sastre - round up the rest of the top 10, with Briton David Millar and Swede Thomas Lovkvist dropping out.

Kirchen also reclaimed the green jersey of the leader in the sprinters' standings, but it will be once again worn by Oscar Freire.

King of the mountain classification leader David de la Fuente did just enough to keep his polka-dot jersey and will wear it for one more day, but the next stage could bring a shake-up in the standings as the Tour passes its first highest-category climbs - the classic route over the ever-present Col du Tourmalet and the finish in the ski resort of Hautacam at the end of a 156km stage.

De la Fuente is well familiar with the Tourmalet pass, having won the climb the last time the Tour passed it in 2006, but after one difficult stage in the mountains and with the first rest day coming up on July 15, more than one climber may feel that the day is perfect for stealing a march on the race leaders.