BRIANCON, France (AFP) - Italy's Danilo Di Luca, riding for the Liquigas team, won the 12th stage of the Tour of Italy here on Thursday to regain the overall leader's pink jersey.

Di Luca finished ahead of two-time Giro winner Gilberto Simoni in the summit finish at Briancon after this 163km initial stage in the high mountains.

Luxembourg's Andy Schleck came third, several seconds ahead of Italians Eddy Mazzoleni and Damiano Cunego as the race crossed over into France.

Earlier Yoann Le Boulanger, who was kept company by fellow Frenchman Christophe Riblon, led a long breakaway more than a quarter-hour ahead of the main bunch at one point.

Le Boulanger was first over the Agnel climb, at 2,744m the highest point of the race, and was only caught at 3km from the summit of the Izoard, the second major climb of the day.

Di Luca took the lead on the Izoard and had about a dozen-second lead over Simoni, Schleck, and Mazzoleni with Cunego a little further back.

Italy's Paolo Savoldelli, a dual winner of the race, lost several minutes as did another title challenger Yaroslav Popovych of Ukraine and the overnight wearer of the leader's pink jersey, Andrea Noe of Italy.

Several sprinters -- Robbie McEwen, Robert Forster, and George Hincapie -- did not even start the stage.

It was 31-year-old Di Luca's second stage win in this race after his victory in the fourth stage, the first summit finish. Overall, Di Luca leads Italy's Marzio Bruseghin by 1min 3sec and Spain's David Arroyo by 1min 16sec.

Friday could see a shake up of the overall standings with a 12.6km mountainous time-trial from Biella to Santuario di Oropa.