BikeCal

Click for Home Page

Links

Tour de France

1999

Click for Official Site

The Official Tour Site

Map of the Route

Bicycling Magazines TDF Site

ESPN TV Schedule

Prologue
Stage 1
Stage 2

Stage 3

Stage 4

Stage 5

Stage 6

Stage 7

Stage 8

Stage 9

Stage 10

Stage 11

Stage 12

Stage 13

Stage 14

Stage 15

Stage 16

Stage 17

Stage 18

Stage 19

Stage 20

 

Daily stages of the Tour de France.  Click on any day for a complete report.  Other Tour links will also be added as they become available.  Other Racing News

Stage 15

Escartin triumphs in 15th Tour stage

By Francois Thomazeau

51172 bytes
Fernando Escartin of Spain celebrates as he wins the 173km 15th stage of the Tour de France cycling race from Saint-Gaudens to Piau-Engaly, south western France July 20. Lance Armstrong of the USA retains his leader's yellow jersey jna/Photo by Jean-Paul Pelissier REUTERS

PIAU-ENGALY, France, July 20 - Spanish rider Fernando Escartin broke away on his own in the Pyrenees to score his first stage win in a major tour, taking the 15th stage of the Tour de France on Tuesday.

His solo ride over the final 33 kms of the 173-km stage from St Gaudens to a mountain-top finish gave the 31-year-old climbing specialist victory after two third placings in the Alpine stages.

He finished two minutes and one second clear of Switzerland's Alex Zuelle, with Frenchman Richard Virenque third in the same time. Escartin moved up to second overall behind American Lance Armstrong.

Armstrong stayed with his other rivals in the last climb to Piau-Engaly and now looks an unbeatable overall leader with only five days left before the finish in Paris.

The American, winner of the three most important stages in this Tour so far -- the prologue, the first individual time trial and the first Alpine stage in Sestriere -- again looked extremely solid, finishing fourth.

"It was not long today, but it was hard. I struggled in the last two or three kilometres for I paid for the hard work done all day," Armstrong said.

His 6:19 lead over Escartin in the overall standings looks comfortable enough to hold until Paris, with Wednesday's last mountain stage to Pau ending on a long 60 kms descent which should not favor pure climbers.

Zuelle lies third overall, 7:26 behind, with compatriot Laurent Dufaux fourth.

"I'm always optimistic, but we'll see after tomorrow's stage. It is also a hard stage tomorrow with long, high climbs," Armstrong added.

The Tour now seems almost certain to go the American's way but the stage belonged to Escartin, rewarded at last for his constant efforts in the mountains.

The skinny rider from Aragon, who was second in the Vuelta last year, was irresistible in the Peyresourde and Val d'Ouron passes, both first category climbs.

On Peyresourde, a long and steady pass overlooking the spa of Luchon, Escartin sparked the fight with Dufaux, chasing a group of eight making early breakaways who were quickly caught and left scattered along the road.

The Spaniard, whose main goal this season is to win the Vuelta, then attacked on his own in the Val Louron climb to take a lead of over two minutes which he managed to keep until the finish line.

Third in the Alpine stages of Sestriere and l'Alpe d'Huez, always in the top 10 in the moutain stages of the past three Tours, Escartin finally triumphed in just under five hours and 20 minutes.

Behind him, the race for overall victory was raging.

It quickly became one-sided as Armstrong, who took shelter behind team mates Kevin Livingston and Tyler Hamilton in the first passes of the day, also attacked near the Val Louron summit to drop most of his rivals.

Russian Pavel Tonkov quickly lost ground, followed by Vuelta winner Abraham Olano, who lost over two minutes.

At first dropped by the American, Zuelle, Dufaux and local hero Virenque came back on the last climb and Virenque, the current king of the mountains, led a vain chase behind Escartin.

Wednesday's 192-kms 16th stage from Lannemezan to Pau will take the bunch over classic climbs such as the Tourmalet, Aubisque and Soulor before the riders return to the valley.


Tour de France 15th stage placings/overall standings

PIAU-ENGALY, France, July 20 - Leading placings in the 15th stage of the Tour de France over 173 kms from St Gaudens on Tuesday:

1. Fernando Escartin (Spain) Kelme 5 hours 19 minutes 49 seconds
2. Alex Zuelle (Switzerland) Banesto 2 minutes 1 second behind
3. Richard Virenque (France) Polti same time
4. Lance Armstrong (U.S.) U.S. Postal 2:10
5. Kurt van de Wouwer (Belgium) Lotto 2:37

6. Angel Casero (Spain) Vitalicio Seguros same time
7. Daniele Nardello (Italy) Mapei 2:45
8. Laurent Dufaux (Switzerland) Saeco same time
9. Francisco Garcia (Spain) Vitalicio Seguros 3:39
10. Wladimir Belli (Italy) Festina 4:00

11. Manuel Beltran (Spain) Banesto 5:03
12. Alberto Elli (Italy) Telekom 6:07
13. Roland Meier (Switzerland) Cofidis 6:26
14. Tyler Hamilton (U.S.) U.S. Postal
15. Massimiliano Lelli (Italy) Cofidis both same time

16. Francisco Mancebo (Spain) Banesto 6:40
17. David Etxebarria (Spain) ONCE 7:01
18. Abraham Olano (Spain) ONCE
19. Andrea Peron (Italy) ONCE both same time
20. Alvaro Galdeano (Spain) Vitalicio Seguros 8:09

Overall standings:

1. Armstrong 72 hours 45 minutes 27 seconds
2. Escartin 6 minutes 19 seconds behind
3. Zuelle 7:26
4. Dufaux 8:36
5. Virenque 9:46

6. Nardello 11:33
7. Casero 11:40
8. Olano 12:35
9. Belli 15:16
10. Van de Wouwer 16:41

11. Peron 18:23
12. Pavel Tonkov (Russia) Mapei 19:24
13. Etxebarria 20:10
14. Benoit Salmon (France) Casino 21:01
15. Beltran 21:22

16. Meier 21:43
17. Christophe Moreau (France) Festina 21:59
18. Stephane Heulot (France) La Francaise de Jeux 22:21
19. Hamilton 23:30
20. Paolo Lanfranchi (Italy) Mapei 24:09