Ullrich blitzkrieg continues; Virenque wins consolation prize
By Andrew Hood
Outside Online correspondent

Richard Virenque battles Jan Ullrich to take Stage 14 (767k avi)

Virenque raised a "number one" finger to the heavens after attacking throughout the short but tough climbing stage 148 kilometers (89 miles) from Le Bourg d’Oisans to Courchevel. Maybe second-place Virenque should have put up two fingers instead.

Despite aggressive riding, the 26-year-old Frenchman couldn’t shake Ullrich. The young German erased an early-stage deficit and finished second behind Virenque to remain firmly entrenched in a six-minute lead with seven stages left in the three-week Tour.

"It’s a superb conclusion of a fantastic race for the team. Without Festina, this Tour would be very sad," said Virenque, who refuses to concede the race. "There’s still one week to go and I think it’s still open to win the Tour. In my mind, it is not yet over."

The elite climbers once again dominated the stage, though Italy’s Marco Pantani finished three minutes back and fell to fourth place overall. Defending Tour champion Bjarne Riis (Telekom) had his best day in the mountains, working for Ullrich and finishing fifth to move into third overall.

Virenque and his Festina squad attacked often as racers humped over three "cols," or high-altitude passes under cobalt-blue skies through the heart of France’s high mountains.

Virenque said he knew this was a pivotal stage.

"Yesterday we had a team meeting to discuss how we could win the Tour, that is why were attacking so hard," said Virenque, last year’s third-place finisher.

Their plan came up short, but early in the race Ullrich showed signs of trouble.

The key moment came at the top of the first climb. Virenque, one of the best downhillers in the peloton, blasted down the col with his Festina team, leaving Ullrich stranded between the attacking Frenchmen and his Telekom teammates, still languishing up the climb.

Ullrich almost lost control on the descent (780k avi)

"Ullrich had a bad moment when he panicked and couldn’t hang on," Riis said. "At the bottom of (the first col) I told Ullrich, 'Keep calm now. I will manage this. Trust me and stay on my wheel.'"

With Virenque bobbing out of the saddle to muscle up the climb, Ullrich didn’t stand once on his pedals. With Ullrich spinning a large gear and Riis setting a fast chase, they chipped away at Virenque. At the top of the day’s second climb, the Col de la Madeleine, Virenque's lead was whittled down to 19 seconds.

The finale was a battle between the Tour's two strongest riders, a fitting end to the exciting stage. Ullrich and Virenque pulled away and worked alone on the final climb to the ski resort Courchevel at 6,600 feet. The pair were like heavyweights trading punches; every time one would attack, the other would counter.

"Today Virenque had a lot of strength. There was a risk I could have lost (the lead)," Ullrich said. "I’m happy to control the race after stages in the Alps. (Virenque’s) stage win should be a nice consolation for him."

Virenque won the day’s Coeur de Lion prize for the rider that demonstrates the "heart of a lion." Last year's third-place finisher refuses to lie down to Ullrich’s unrelenting blitzkrieg in the 1997 Tour.

"To win a mountain stage is very tough. It's hard to recover, so I hope I am all right for tomorrow," Virenque said. "Even though I worked hard today, tomorrow’s another day."

The first Frenchman on the Tour podium since Laurent Fignon finished second to Greg Lemond in 1989, Virenque demonstrated incredible desire, pride, and strength throughout the Tour, a race he dearly wants to win.

At the first climb at the Col du Glandon, Virenque topped out first and looks sure to win his record fourth straight climber’s jersey. At the Col de la Madeleine, he topped out 19 seconds ahead of Ullrich, and at the category-one finish at Courchevel he stayed with Ullrich and won his third career Tour stage.

Spaniard Abraham Olano (Banesto) had another difficult day on the steep cols. The former world champion fell back on the first col and finished ninth, losing nearly four minutes. Sitting in fifth overall, more than three minutes behind third-place Riis, Olano’s hopes of finishing on the podium seem to be fading on the steeps of the high Alps.

"This is a stage that I feared a lot and I didn’t have a good day," Olano said. "I’m going to arrive in Paris, whether it’s in fifth, ninth or 20th, I don’t know."

American Bobby Julich (Cofidis) posted another strong finish, crossing the line in 18th at 12’14” for the top U.S. finish in the stage. At 25th overall, he’s the top American in the field.

U.S. Postal’s Jean-Cyril Robin finished in the top 25 and sits in 17th overall. Team manager Mark Gorski said Robin is their best hope for a top-15 finish in Paris, one of the team’s main goals in its first year in the Tour.

Six riders were eliminated from the field when they didn’t finish within the time limit. Race judges ruled that scores of others could remain in the Tour despite not finishing within the official time limit.

Monday’s 15th stage is another challenging stage featuring six climbs high in the Alps, 208 kms (125 miles) from Courchevel to Morzine, near Lake Geneva.

Stage 14 results

Andrew Hood is Outside Online's European cycling correspondent.