July 15/00 12:06 pm - Botero Takes Longest Stage, Sydor at Whistler

Posted by Editor on 07/15/00
 

Tour de France

Stage 14 - Draguignan to BrianÇon 249.5 km

A slow start to today's stage, the longest of this year's Tour, with a Cat. 2 climb, two cat. 1's and a final Hors Category (Beyond Category) ascent of the Col d'Izoard before a quick drop to the finish in Briançon.

No one wanted to be out in front on this long stage, so the peloton stayed together for the first 120 kilometres, until Javier Pascual-Llorente (Kelme) attacked part way up the second climb of the day, the Col d'Allos (Cat. 1). He was quickly joined by 5 others, including Polka Dot jersey holder Otxoa (Banesto). This group quickly went a minute clear by the three-quarter way mark of the climb, with Armstrong, Livingston, Virenque and Ullrich in the chasing group. Marco Pantani lost contact with the chasers shortly before the top of the climb. After the riders went over the top, the front regrouped into a pack of 30. Pantani rejoined, but Abraham Olano had punctured and fallen, and would not get back on until the base of the descent.

Meanwhile, another attack was launched with 100 kilometres to go. 7 riders broked free, but none were within 20 minutes of Armstrong, so U.S. Postal did not chase too hard. The leaders gained 3:20 by the base of the Cat. 1 Col de Vars climb, but begin to drop back on the climb, cresting 2:20 ahead of Armstrong's group. With 50 kilometres left to race, the gap had opened up again, to 4 minutes. More significantly, Santiago Botero (Kelme) had bridged up, and he was 13 minutes behind Armstrong on GC.

Armstrong was in good shape - 7 of his 8 team members were still in the front group to support him as the riders approached the Col d'Izoard climb. With 35 kilometres to go the gap had grown another minute - to 5. Riders began to fall off the chase group, as the Posties kept the pace high. First it was Olano, then Zulle, and finally Ullrich and Virenque. Pantani and Armstrong rode away from their competitors, just like on Ventoux a couple of days ago. The duo began chasing down the leaders, and then Armstrong was able to do something he couldn't manage on Ventoux - drop Pantani.

Ullrich, Pantani, Virenque, Pascal Herve and Joseba Beloki regrouped, and were chasing hard to catch Armstrong, which they managed to do shortly before the summit. Botero had managed to shake the other leaders, and crested the summit of Col d'Izoard on his own, picking up enough points on the way to move into the Polka Dot. His lead over Armstrong's group was 3 minutes, with only a descent to the finish remaining. In between were two riders, less than a minute in front of Armstrong's group - Baranowski (Banesto) and Savoldelli (Saeco). Botero was pretty safe, but second and third were still up in the air.

In the end, Botero stayed clear to give Columbia its first stage win of this Tour (and first since 1996), as well as take over the Polka Dot climbers jersey. Savoldelli also stayed clear for second place, but Baranowski was reeled in by the chasers. Pantani attacked in the final kilometre to take third.

1 BOTERO Santiago COL KEL 7:56:13
2 SAVOLDELLI Paolo ITA SAE at 2:30
3 PANTANI Marco ITA MER 2:46
4 ESCARTIN Fernando ESP KEL 2:49
5 VIRENQUE Richard FRA PLT
6 MOREAU Christophe FRA FES both s.t.
7 ARMSTRONG Lance USA USP 2:51
8 HERAS Roberto ESP KEL
9 ULLRICH Jan GER TEL
10 BELOKI Joseba ESP FES all s.t.
11 HERVE Pascal FRA PLT 2:55
12 BARANOWSKI Dariusz POL BAN 2:57
13 PASCUAL LLORENTE Javier ESP KEL 3:16
14 GUERINI Giuseppe ITA TEL 3:21
15 MANCEBO Francisco ESP BAN 3:26
16 HEPPNER Jens GER TEL 4:05
17 VERHEYEN Geert BEL LOT 4:57
18 BELTRAN Manuel ESP MAP 4:59
19 ATIENZA Daniel ESP SAE
20 NARDELLO Daniele ITA MAP

21 VINOKOUROV Alexandre KAZ TEL
22 CONTI Roberto ITA VIN all s.t.
24 OTXOA Javier ESP KEL 05:38
31 JIMENEZ Jose Maria ESP BAN 6:25
35 BOOGERD Michael NED RAB 6:48
47 OLANO Abraham ESP ONC 10:20

GC

1 ARMSTRONG Lance USA USP 61:02:33
2 ULLRICH Jan GER TEL at 4:55
3 BELOKI Joseba ESP FES 5:52
4 MOREAU Christophe FRA FES 6:51
5 VIRENQUE Richard FRA PLT 8:26
6 HERAS Roberto ESP KEL 8:33
7 BELTRAN Manuel ESP MAP 9:33
8 BOTERO Santiago COL KEL 10:00
9 PANTANI Marco ITA MER 10:13
10 MANCEBO Francisco ESP BAN 10:17
11 ESCARTIN Fernando ESP KEL 10:56
12 OTXOA Javier ESP KEL 12:33
13 LUTTENBERGER Peter AUT ONC 12:48
14 HERVE Pascal FRA PLT 12:48
15 NARDELLO Daniele ITA MAP 13:24
16 VAN DE WOUWER Kurt BEL LOT 13:56
17 VINOKOUROV Alexandre KAZ TEL 17:21
18 GARCIA CASAS Felix ESP FES 17:54
19 SERRANO Marcos ESP ONC 19:20
20 BOOGERD Michael NED RAB 19:33

22 JIMENEZ Jos Maria ESP BAN 21:30
23 ZULLE Alex SUI BAN 22:01


Sydor at Whistler Classic

WHISTLER, B.C. (Canada)---TEAM Management has confirmed that 1996 Olympic and 1999 Pan Am Games Silver Medalist and former World Champion, Alison Sydor of Victoria/Vancouver, B.C., will be competing in the fifth annual Whistler International Classic from July 14 - 16, 2000, as part of the Whistler Summer Session. The internationally sanctioned Whistler International Classic is a four-stage mountain biking cross country race, one level below a World Cup.

In an e-mail message sent to race organizers after taking second place at the World Cup in Canmore, Alberta, Sydor stated she is "looking forward to coming to Whistler and racing close to home." The Whistler International Classic is likely the last race Sydor will compete in in B.C. before representing Canada at the Summer Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia, September 23 & 24, 2000. Sydor, who rides for the Volvo-Cannondale team, is currently third in the Union Cycliste International (UCI) rankings. Based on past results, Sydor has been selected to the Olympic Team.

On the men's side, National Team members confirmed to date for this weekend include Roland Green of Victoria who placed second at the 2000 World Championships in Spain‹the best finish by a Canadian male in a mountain bike World Championships. After a third place finish in Canmore, Green is currently ranked ninth on the UCI rankings and is the only North American in the top 25 ranked riders. As a result, Green is considered a likely pick for one of two spots on the Olympic Team.

Green will be up against the Silver Medallist at the1998 World Junior Championships, Ryder Hesjedal from Victoria, 1999 National Cross Country Champion, Eric Tourville of Ste.-Foy, Quebec and Chris Sheppard of Kamloops, B.C. 1999 was a banner year for Sheppard with a silver medal at the Pan Am Games. In 1999, Sheppard was ranked 22nd overall in the UCI rankings, finishing as the top North American.

The Whistler International Classic got underway on Friday, July 14 with the Village Fat Tire Criterium at 5:00 p.m. Sydor and Green won their respective races and take the lead in the stage race. The Time Trial and Dirt Criterium will be held on Saturday, with the Cross Country race on July 16, after which the overall winner will be declared.

The Whistler Summer Session will be featured in a half hour special on the mountain biking and mountain series, Ride Guide, to air on Outdoor Life Network (OLN) Canada on Thursday, August 31, 2000 at 6:00 p.m. Eastern Time (3:00 p.m. Pacific) and again at 11:00 p.m. Pacific. OLN USA will also carry the Ride Guide Summer Session program airing across the United States on OLN on August 24, 2000 at 10:00 p.m Eastern and again at 10:00 p.m .Pacific, with a third repeat on Saturday, August 26 at 6:00 p.m. Eastern (3:00 p.m. Pacific). The Ride Guide Summer Session program will also air on CTV SportsNet on a date and time to be announced.