Mark Cavendish of Great Britain flashes three fingers for his third victory as he crosses the finish line in Narbonne to win the 12th stage of the Tour de France between Lavelanet and Narbonne, southern France, yesterday. - AP

NARBONNE, France (AP):

MARK CAVENDISH of Britain won the 12th stage of the Tour de France yesterday, just hours after cycling's showcase race was thrown into chaos with a third doping bust this year - netting the biggest name yet.

Cavendish earned his third stage win this year by leading a group sprint after the trek through rolling hills and plains for the 168.5-kilometre (104.7-mile) ride from Lavelanet to Narbonne.

"Every time it's special," said Cavendish.

Cadel Evans of Australia retained the overall leader's yellow jersey, trailing in the main pack. He has a one-second lead over Frank Schleck of Luxembourg and a 38-second lead over American rider Christian Vande Velde.

Cavendish, a Team Columbia rider who had never won a stage before this year, outpaced Sebastien Chavanel of France in second and Gert Steegmans of Belgium in third.

But the race was badly overshadowed by the latest doping case.

Caught

Italian rider Riccardo Ricco was detained by police and booed by spectators before the stage began, becoming the third person this year to test positive for performance enhancer EPO - cycling's most famous drug.

Ricco's Saunier-Duval team withdrew from the Tour and suspended all of its activities after news of the rider's test. For the third straight year, the race has been marred by doping.

Ricco, a 24-year-old Italian who won two Tour stages this year, tested positive for the performance enhancer after the fourth stage, a time trial in the western town of Cholet.