The Hindu : Sport / Cycling : Second stage win for Moncoutie

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Jul 15, 2005

Sport

Sport - Cycling

Second stage win for Moncoutie

DIGNE-LES-BAINS (France): Lance Armstrong retained the overall lead but lost a key teammate in a crash as the Tour de France headed out of the Alps on Thursday in a stage won by David Moncoutie on Bastille Day. Moncoutie became the 15th Frenchman since World War II to win on France's national holiday. It was his second stage win in five Tours. ``It's fabulous,'' Moncoutie said. ``I'm so happy to win. It's July 14th.''

Moncoutie took the lead on the Col du Corobin, the fourth of five ascents on the 187-km trek from Briancon to Digne-les-Bains, and cycled alone to the finish past cheering crowds. The Cofidis team rider completed the 12th stage in 4 hours, 20 minutes, 6 seconds.

Armstrong cruised in with his main rivals in a group more than 10 minutes behind, but he lost teammate Manuel Beltran, who crashed and abandoned the race. The Spanish rider fell on the Cote des Demoiselles Coiffees climb, the stage's first ascent.

He got back on his bike but quit after receiving treatment from a Tour doctor, Discovery Channel team spokesman Jogi Muller said. Beltran, 34, is a specialist mountain climber and will be missed by Armstrong when the race heads into the Pyrenees on Saturday. He has been part of the American's Tour-winning team since 2003.

Armstrong's lead over second-place Mickael Rasmussen of Denmark stayed at 38 seconds, with French rider Christophe Moreau still third overall, 2:34 behind the six-time champion. Italian rider Ivan Basso is 2:40 back, fourth overall, with Jan Ullrich 4:02 behind in ninth. They all finished together in a large group 10:33 behind Moncoutie. Armstrong was 41st.

Moncoutie is way down in the overall standings, so Armstrong did not give chase when the French rider and a group of other racers low down in the standings rode off ahead. The race was run under hot sun — a weather change that Armstrong welcomed as ``perfect.''

Past midway in the three-week Tour, Armstrong is aiming to keep his race leader's yellow jersey all the way to the finish in Paris on July 24 and retire with a seventh consecutive victory.

Earlier, Belgian Tom Boonen did not start the 12th stage because of injury. The Paris-Roubaix and Tour of Flanders winner, who won two stages on the Tour this year, hurt his right knee when he fell heavily in a descent shortly after the start of Wednesday's stage. It was his third crash in five days. — AP

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Sport