Colombia’s Juan Mauricio Soler Hernandez surprised everyone on Tuesday after winning a back-breaking ninth stage of the Tour de France, while veteran Michael Rasmussen keeps his lead after finishing sixth.

This is the first triumph for 24-year-old Soler and a premiere for his team Barloworld. He finished 38 seconds before Spaniard Alejandro Valverde with a daring race, culminated with a rhythm break on the second of the climbs, the Col du Télégraphe.

Soler kept raging towards the finish line for 38 kilometers, obtaining a “well-deserved” victory in after a “magnificent stage,” as French President characterized the Colombian’s performance.

The “victory from heaven” was clinched after a strenuous 159.5-kilometer race between Val d'Isere and Briancon, with an average speed of 38.92 kph.

After Soler and Valverde, Predictor-Lotto’s Cadel Evans claiming the third spot after a neck-to-neck race with “The Green Bullet” Valverde.

Dane Michael Rasmussen maintained his overall lead with the Valverde trailing behind 2’35”, as the third ranking is occupied by Iban Mayo from Saunier Duval-Prodir. Rasmussen maintained his pace throughout the race and along with it hopes of keeping the yellow jersey.

The final mountainous stage wasn’t a good-luck charm for ailing Alexandre Vinokourov, who threw away initial predictions, claiming a disappointing 20th spot and the 21st position in the overall standings with practically no chances of mending a 8’05” gap between him and Rasmussen.

The 10th stage will be a relief for the riders and a challenge for sprinters, stretching through 229.5 kilometers from Tallard to France's largest commercial port Marseille.