SAINT-LARY-SOULAN, France -- Lance Armstrong's teammate, George Hincapie, won the hardest stage of the Tour de France in the Pyrenees on Sunday, sprinting to the line just ahead of Oscar Pereiro.

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Hincapie has riden for Armstrong in all the Texan's tour victories, and once the Texan crossed the line of the 15th stage, Hincapie came out of the Discovery Channel team trailer to embrace Armstrong and tell reporters he felt "incredibly emotional."

By winning Sunday, Hincapie notched his first tour victory ever, became the first member of Armstrong's to ever win a tour stage, and placed himself higher than he has ever been in the tour's overall standings.

Armstrong, who has yet to win a stage of the race this year, was content to catch Team CSC's Ivan Basso and stay with him for a seventh-place finish and maintain his overall lead over the Italian.

Hincapie said that his charge to the top of the Pyrenees was not part of Discovery Channel's race plan that morning, but when the situation presented itself he took it, riding out in front of the pack with Periera, of Phonak, and eventually sprinting ahead with the finish line in sight.

"It's great to see him win the hardest stage of the Tour de France," Discovery Channel team manager Johann Bruyneel said afterward.

The plan for the day "was to control the situation and keep our lead," Bruyneel said. "He got in there and it was a dream situation."

The day also carried a special emotional burden for Armstrong and Hincapie. Exactly 10 years ago, on the same route, their teammate Fabio Casartelli crashed and died on a descent from the Portet d’Aspet. Armstrong said Casartelli's mother told him Sunday to go out and win.

Stage 15 Results:

1 George Hincapie (USA) Discovery Channel 6.06.38
2 Oscar Pereiro Sio (Spa) Phonak Hearing Systems + 0.06
3 Pietro Caucchioli (Ita) Credit Agricole + 0.38
4 Michael Boogerd (Ned) Rabobank + 0.57
5 Levi Leipheimer (USA) Gerolsteiner + 1.31
6 Ivan Basso (Ita) Team CSC + 5.04
7 Lance Armstrong (USA) Discovery Channel
8 Oscar Sevilla (Spa) T-Mobile Team + 6.28
9 Jan Ullrich (Ger) T-Mobile Team
10 Michael Rasmussen (Den) Rabobank + 6.32

General Classification:

1 Lance Armstrong (USA) Discovery Channel 62.09.59
2 Ivan Basso (Ita) Team CSC + 2.46
3 Michael Rasmussen (Den) Rabobank + 3.09
4 Jan Ullrich (Ger) T-Mobile Team + 5.58
5 Francisco Mancebo (Spa) Illes Balears-Caisse d'Epargne + 6.31
6 Levi Leipheimer (USA) Gerolsteiner + 7.35
7 Floyd Landis (USA) Phonak Hearing Systems + 9.33
8 Alexandre Vinokourov (Kaz) T-Mobile Team + 9.38
9 Christophe Moreau (Fra) Credit Agricole + 11.47
10 Andreas Klöden (Ger) T-Mobile Team