Hushovd wins stage, Voeckler still leads

Norway's Thor Hushovd won the 13th stage of the Tour de France Friday and France's Thomas Voeckler kept the yellow jersey on a ride through the Pyrenees that ended at Lourdes, home of one of the most famous Catholic shrines.

"I really didn't think I would win this stage," said Hushovd, who is part of the Garmin-Cervelo team. "I did things right tactically."

Voeckler was part of the main pack that lagged nearly nine minutes behind Hushovd. He held the overall lead for another day heading into a mammoth climbing stage. Defending champion Alberto Contador of Spain and two-time runners-up Andy Schleck and Cadel Evans, did not chase as they conserved energy for Saturday.

Frank Schleck is second overall -- 17 seconds ahead of Evans, 28 seconds ahead of younger brother Andy and 2:11 clear of Contador. Contador has been nursing a sore right knee after hitting it twice in separate crashes.

Veteran German rider Andreas Kloeden has pulled out of the Tour early in the 13th stage, becoming the fourth RadioShack rider to leave the race. Kloeden hurt his back after crashing earlier in the race, and he then banged his right elbow in a fall on Thursday. His withdrawal means American Levi Leipheimer takes over as RadioShack's leader. -- AP