The Hindu : Sport / Cycling : Pereiro wins 16th stage

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jul 20, 2005

Sport

Sport - Cycling

Pereiro wins 16th stage

PAU (FRANCE): Spaniard Oscar Pereiro of the Phonak team won the 16th stage of the Tour de France here on Tuesday held over 180.5km between Mourenx and Pau.

American Lance Armstrong retained the yellow jersey after the final day of climbing in the high mountains despite coming under a brief attack from Germany's Jan Ullrich.

Armstrong began the day with a 2min 46sec lead on Italian Ivan Basso, of the CSC team, with 1997 race winner Ullrich in fourth place, behind Michael Rasmussen, at nearly six minutes adrift of the six-time winner.

Last chance

After Tuesday's stage — which was the last real chance for any of his rivals to claw back time in the mountains — Armstrong's lead remained the same as all the main challengers finished in the peloton although there are likely to be significant changes in the race's hierarchy after Saturday's 55.5km time trial in St Etienne.

Ullrich, who is now riding to make sure he finishes on the podium, made some brief attempts to shake off Rasmussen and Armstrong on the 16.5km climb to the summit of the Col d'Aubisque however the T-Mobile team leader was quickly countered and soon brought under control.

Tricky descent

At the front, meanwhile, Australia's Cadel Evans, who had attacked around eight kilometres from the summit of the unclassified Aubisque climb, was eventually caught on the tricky descent towards the day's final climb by Oscar Pereiro.

Evans, who rides for the Davitamon team and is fighting for a top ten finish on his race debut, had broken away from his group of earlier breakaway companions with speed which left all of them trailing.

The 27-year-old former mountain bike champion came over the summit with a 48-second lead on Pereiro, with Italian Eddy Mazzoleni of Lampre not far behind.

Armstrong's group came over the Aubisque summit over four minutes behind Evans, who saw his chances of a stage victory compromised when he was caught by Pereiro and Mazzoleni after just a few kilometres of the descent. — AFP

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