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Stage 9
Armstrong
turns the screw in first Tour mountain stage
By Francois
Thomazeau
SESTRIERE, ITALY, 13
JUL 99 - Lance Armstrong of the USA celebrates as he wins the first mountains
stage of the Tour de France cycling race from Le Grand Bornand in France
to Sestriere in Italy (213.5 km) July 13. Lance Armstrong is first
placed in the overall standings. jna/Photo by Jacky Naegelen REUTERS
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SESTRIERE, Italy, July
13 - American Lance Armstrong delivered a potentially fatal blow
to his rivals in the Tour de France on Tuesday, brilliantly winning
the first mountain stage in Sestriere to open up a huge lead overall.
Armstrong raced away on his
own in the final climb to the ski resort of Sestriere to win the
213.5-km ninth stage from Le Grand Bornand in France by 31 seconds
from Swiss Alex Zuelle.
It was his third stage win
in the race and put him way out in front with a serious option of
eventual victory provided he holds up physically in the other mountain
stages in the coming week.
Overall, he now leads
Spain's Abraham Olano by six minutes and three seconds with Frenchman
Christophe Moreau third, seven minutes 44 seconds behind.
Armstrong had been
impressive in winning Sunday's crucial 56.5-km time trial in Metz
ahead of Zuelle.
But many, including the
American himself, wondered how strong the U.S. Postal leader would be
in the first alpine passes of the Tour.
His attack 10 kms from the
finish on the climb to Sestriere, when he caught and broke away from
natural climbers like Italian Ivan Gotti and Spaniard Fernando
Escartin was a formidable answer.
The 27-year-old Texan so
outclassed what was left of the bunch in the final climb that he
reminded fans of former cycling greats such as Bernard Hinault, Miguel
Indurain or compatriot Greg LeMond -- the only American to have won
the Tour.
His victory in just under
six hours was the first by an American in a mountain stage in the Tour
since Andrew Hampsten won in l'Alpe d'Huez in 1992. The riders will
return to l'Alpe d'Huez at the end of the 220.5-kms 10th stage on
Wednesday.
It was the Tour's fourth
stage finish in Sestriere. Previous winners were Fausto Coppi in 1952,
Claudio Chiappucci in 1992 and Dane Bjarne Riis in 1996 with both
Coppi and Riis going on to win the Tour.
Earlier in the day, the
climbing specialists seemed to be getting the better of all-rounders
such as Armstrong on the first big passes of the day, including the
classic Telegraphe and Galibier.
Frenchman Richard Virenque,
Escartin and his team mate Jose Castelblanco attacked in the Galibier,
the highest point of the Tour at 2,645 metres.
But the three and Spain's
Jose Luis Arrieta, who staged a solo breakaway on the Telegraphe, were
caught by Armstrong and the leading chasers in the descent from the
Galibier.
By then two other race
favorites, Russian Pavel Tonkov and Olano, had dropped out of
contention for stage victory.
With Zuelle more than seven
minutes adrift in the overall standings at the start because of a bad
crash early in the Tour, Armstrong had been expected to hang on in and
let the main climbers have their day.
When Gotti and Escartin
tried their luck at the start of the climb to Sestriere, everything
seemed to suggest this would be so.
But then Armstrong made his
move and left the climbers trailing bewildered in his wake.
"At the start, I was
not thinking about winning the stage. I only wanted to defend my
yellow jersey," the American said. "But the race dictated
the strategy."
"Everybody was
wondering how well I could do in the climbs. This was not a total
answer. It just means my legs were strong today and I hope it will
stay this way."
With five stage wins
altogether in his Tour career, Armstrong has now equalled the tally of
great LeMond, who finished three times a Tour winner.
The other hero of the first
alpine stage was Virenque, who attacked on each of the five passes of
the day to take the climbers' red polka dot jersey. The Frenchman has
finished four previous Tours as King of the Mountains.
The controversial Virenque,
who started the Tour at the last minute after an initial ban from the
organizers following the doping scandal around his then team Festina
last year, was sixth in the stage and now lies ninth overall, 10
minutes behind Armstrong.
Italian sprinter Mario
Cipollini, who dominated the first week of the Tour with four stage
wins, gave up after a crash. He was not seriously injured.
Tour de France ninth stage placings/overall standings
SESTRIERE, Italy, July 13 - Leading placings in the ninth stage of the Tour de
France over 213.5 kms from Le Grand Bornand on Tuesday:
1. Lance Armstrong (U.S.) U.S. Postal five hours 57 minutes 11 seconds
2. Alex Zuelle (Switzerland) Banesto 31 seconds behind
3. Fernando Escartin (Spain) Kelme 1:26
4. Ivan Gotti (Italy) Polti same time
5. Manuel Beltran (Spain) Banesto 2:27
6. Richard Virenque (France) Polti
7. Carlos Contreras (Colombia) Kelme both same time
8. Kurt van de Wouwer (Belgium) Lotto 3:10
9. Abraham Olano (Spain) ONCE same time
10. Laurent Dufaux (Switzerland) Saeco 3:30
11. Daniele Nardello (Italy) Mapei
12. Giuseppe Guerini (Italy) Telkom
13. Angel Casero (Spain) Vitalicio Seguros all same time
14. Benoit Salmon (France) Casino 3:43
15. Bo Hamburger (Denmark) Cantina Tollo 3:46
16. Mario Aerts (Belgium) Lotto 4:24
17. Joaquim Castelblanco (Colombia) Kelme 4:34
18. Stefano Garzelli (Italy) Mercatone Uno 4:51
19. Roland Meier (Switzerland) Cofidis same time
20. Christophe Moreau (France) Festina 5:04
Leading overall standings:
1. Armstrong 39 hours 31 minutes seven seconds
2. Olano six minutes three seconds behind
3. Moreau 7:44
4. Zuelle 7:47
5. Dufaux 8:07
6. Nardello 8:36
7. Casero 8:51
8. Escartin 9:01
9. Virenque 10:02
10. Pavel Tonkov (Russia) Mapei 10:34
11. Salmon 10:42
12. Andrea Peron (Italy) ONCE 11:13
13. Hamburger 11:30
14. Guerini 11:39
15. Garzelli 12:10
16. Aerts 13:20
17. Kevin Livingston (U.S.) U.S. Postal 15:41
18. Van de Wouwer 16:14
19. Tyler Hamilton (U.S.) U.S.Postal 16:52
20. Alvaro Galdeano (Spain)
BORNAND, FRANCE, 13
JUL 99 - Italian cycling star Mario Cipollini waves dressed as Roman Emperor
Julius Caesar as he arrives for the first mountain stage of the Tour de France
cycling race from Le Grand Bornand to Sestriere in Italy July 13. Cipollini is
celebrating the anniversary of Caesar's birthday. jna/Photo by Charles Platiau
REUTERS
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BORNAND, FRANCE, 13
JUL 99 - Riders of the Tour de France relieve themselves at the side of the road before
starting the arduous first mountain stage from Le Grand Bornand to
Sestriere in Italy /Photo by Charles Platiau REUTERS
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