OYONNAX, France -- French rider Tony Gallopin led a late breakaway in a show of opportunism and savvy racing to win Wednesdays 11th stage of the Tour de France as Italys Vincenzo Nibali retained the overall lead. The peloton returned to action after the races first rest day with the 187.5-kilometre (116.3-mile) ride from Besancon to Oyonnax, not far from the Swiss border. The stage featured four small- to medium-sized hills near the end. In the stages mini-drama, American Andrew Talansky, struggling through pain from crashes earlier in the race, dropped out of the pack and rode solo much of the day. In a show of grit, he finished some 32 minutes back -- enough to qualify to ride another day under race rules. Gallopin, who wore the yellow jersey for a day before Nibali recaptured it, first tried to break away with about 13 1/2 kilometres (8.4 miles) left but got reeled in. Then, in a late flurry, with less than 3 kilometres to go, the Lotto-Belisol rider tried again. This time, it worked. He chiseled out a lead of several seconds and, desperately pedaling, held off a surging pack in the final several hundred meters. Gallopin won by several bike lengths, just enough for him to have time to lift his arms in celebration, panting. "Incredible," said Gallopin of his first Tour stage win. "I came to train for the Tour de France here ... that really served me today. "Its really a victory that feels good." The top standings didnt change, because Nibali finished in the pack with the same time as Gallopin. Astana team leader Nibali has a lead of 2 minutes, 23 seconds over Australias Richie Porte, in second. Alejandro Valverde of Spain was third, another 24 seconds back. Gallopin was in fifth, 3:12 behind Nibali. With such a margin and the strong form he has shown so far, Nibali is looking well-positioned for possible victory when the race ends in Paris on July 27. But tough days lie ahead: in the Alps later this week, and the Pyrenees mountains in Week Three. Talansky, in pain after two crashes twice in recent days, dropped back from the peloton more than halfway through the stage. At one point, he stopped and sat down on a roadside guard rail. French TV first counted him out, as did some observers on Twitter. But in a show of heart, and with encouragement from his team sports director Robert Hunter, Talansky got back on his bike, wiped his eyes and continued. Now he was racing against the clock. Under race rules, which require riders to finish within a certain time of the stage winner, he had to finish within 37 minutes of Gallopin. Talansky did that with about five minutes to spare, said Jean-Francois Pescheux, a top race official. The Garmin-Sharp team leader, who won the Criterium du Dauphine stage race last month, was seen as a potential podium contender before this Tour. But Talansky fell largely out of contention for that prospect in Stage 10, when he had the second of two crashes in this race. As Wednesdays stage began, he was nearly 15 minutes back of Nibali in 26th place. Riders head off on another day featuring four small- to mid-sized climbs on Thursday, with a 185.5-kilometre (115-mile) 12th stage from Bourg-en-Bresse to Saint-Etienne. Dave Hill Jersey . A quick first step to get to the hoop for a layup. A rousing dunk on the break off a high outlet pass saved by teammate Ramon Sessions. Darron Lee Jersey . Louis Cardinals continued their offensive tear with a 9-5 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers in the opener of a four-game series. http://www.customchiefsjersey.com/custom-willie-lanier-jersey-large-1256n.html. -- Jack Del Rio only wanted to talk about the Cowboys, not the Trojans. Sammy Watkins Jersey . Dane Dobbie and Shawn Evans each had two goals and two assists for the Roughnecks (8-5), who outscored Minnesota 6-2 in the fourth quarter after being tied through 45 minutes. Curtis Dickson scored once and set up three more for Calgary and Dan MacRae, Geoff Snider, Tor Reinholdt, Karsen Leung and Matthew Dinsdale. Terrell Suggs Jersey . They say things like "stress is when you dont know what youre doing" and "I wasnt hired to motivate players, I was hired to coach motivated players." They ring as true now as they did when Mularkey heard them the first time playing tight end for the Pittsburgh Steelers Hall of Fame coach 25 years ago.Edmonton, AB (SportsNetwork.com) - Pekka Rinne stopped 26 shots and Craig Smith scored a pair of goals to lead Nashville in a 4-1 decision over Edmonton at Rexall Place. Taylor Beck and Shea Weber added tallies with Roman Josi chipping in a pair of assists for the Predators, who kicked off a six-game road trip with their third win in the last four outings. Taylor Hall potted the lone goal for the Oilers, whose four-game win streak came to a halt. Ben Scrivens took the loss despite making 31 saves. The chances were there, but we just couldnt find a way to put them in. Were in the West, we have to find a way to beat them, said Edmontons Ryan Nugent- Hopkins. Smith opened the scoring at 6:23 of the second period by lifting a Josi rebound over Scrivens, and Becks first of the season -- a redirection of a Colin Wilson pass -- doubled the visitors advantage only 1:26 later. Webers point blast with 24 seconds elapsed in the third period made it 3-0 Nashville. Halls successful swipe at a Nugent-Hopkins rebound from the left wing gave the Oilers some life at 8:54, but Smiths one-timer from a Matt Cullen dish restored the Preds three-goal margin 3 1/2 minutes later.dddddddddddd The Predators appeared to have netted the games initial goal just 95 seconds after the opening faceoff. Smith managed to poke a loose puck through traffic in front, but the goal was disallowed since the referee closest to the action had intended to blow the whistle to end the play before the puck was worked free. Game Notes Cullen made his season debut after missing the first eight games with a lower-body injury ... Nashville continues the western Canadian portion of its road swing in Calgary on Friday ... Smith posted his initial multi-goal performance of the season and his first since striking for two goals and two assists in the Preds regular-season finale at Minnesota on April 13. ' ' '