BMC Racing's Greg Van Avermaet claimed his first Tour de France stage win by holding off Peter Sagan in a dramatic conclusion to the 13th leg of the race.
The Belgian, previously a points classification winner in the Vuelta a Espana, timed his attack to perfection at the end of Friday's 198.5-kilometer stage between Muret and Rodez.
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With 10 kilometers to go, the trio of Cyril Gaultier, Wilco Kelderman and Thomas De Gendt broke away from the peloton in a bid to secure victory for themselves.
They pulled 30 seconds clear during a late descent but were caught in the final 400 meters as the riders made a gruelling climb back up into Rodez.
In scorching temperatures of well over 86 degrees Fahrenheit, the trio failed to hold off the chasing pack and Van Avermaet hit the front.
Tinkoff-Saxo's Sagan looked well-positioned to take the lead in the final few meters but pulled up just as Van Avermaet secured victory, the German forced to settle for his fourth second-place finish in this year's Tour.
"I was pushing out of the saddle and then I came to [Van Avermaet's] wheel and I sat down," Sagan said, upset with another runner-up finish. "That was my mistake because I needed to carry on pushing so that I could win. But it was my mistake, and I'm pissed now."
Van Avermaet, on the other hand, was delighted.
"It was really close," he said. "I saw that there was somebody in my wheel so I just kept on sprinting and hoped that they wouldn't come over.
"I have a very good team and to win the stage is very good. We've been doing well so far in this Tour, and I think that this victory is a reflection of that performance."
Jan Bakelants, of AG2R La Mondiale, finished third, three seconds back, while overall leader Chris Froome (Team Sky) came home sixth and retains his two-minute, 52-second lead in the general classification.
Reigning champion Vincenzo Nibali of Astana recovered from a punctured tire to finish seventh, while Jean-Christophe Peraud (AG2R) suffered a heavy crash midway through the stage but, after having a bleeding arm heavily bandaged, was able to finish the race.