Rous rides away with win in Tour's last tough stage; Julich, U.S. Postal's Robin back in hunt
By Andrew Hood
Outside Online correspondent

Didier Rous celebrated his stage victory with style (342k avi)

That's American Bobby Julich (Cofidis) describing Festina's Didier Rous, who rode with wind in his sails to win Thursday's 18th stage by more than five minutes in the Tour de France's last tough stage.

With only three days left before the three-week Tour concludes Sunday in Paris, Julich and U.S. Postal's Jean-Cyril Robin were among nine riders who choked on Rous's dust throughout the hot, four-climb stage in the sun-baked Vosges Mountains of eastern France.

"The Tour's done for me. I'm so tired. I wanted to give it one last schnikt today, but Rous was just so strong," said Julich, who crossed the line third for his best result in his Tour debut.

Robin posted the U.S. Postal team's second consecutive top-10 finish, crossing the line sixth, while overall leader Jan Ullrich (Telekom) had to work hard to defend his jersey in the 175-kilometer (105-mile) stage from Colmar to Montbeliard.

With time running out for second-place Richard Virenque, his Festina team attacked early in the stage featuring four steep category-2 climbs and pulled nearly one minute ahead of Ullrich on the Cote de Gueberschwihr at 21 kilometers to go.

"We showed again today that were the strongest team and we've never given up and we've never dropped our heads even though he's so far ahead," Virenque said. "This morning, I said that we can't quit this Tour because Ullrich was always finishing quite tired."

Proud as they may be, Festina can't shake the indefatigable Ullrich and his strong Telekom squadron. Teammate Udo Bolts powered the front of a chase group to reel in Virenque to keep Ullrich securely in the lead going into Saturday's final time trial at Disneyland Paris and Sunday's ceremonial spin down the Champs Elysées.

"It was definitely one of the toughest stages of the Tour so far. Virenque was out to get the yellow jersey today. When Ullrich wasn't there, I wasn’t thinking, 'Uh oh, this is scary.' But Ullrich's team pulled him back," said Julich, the top American at 18th overall. "Ullrich rides with such class for a 23-year-old. He never panics. And Bolts is an animal. This guy is so strong. He's like having three or four teammates. And he has the experience that Ullrich doesn't."

Attacking with Festina teammate Pascal Herve, who finished second in the stage, Rous pulled away for good midway through the stage, topping out on the category-2 Ballon d'Alsace nearly four minutes ahead of the Julich/Robin chase group with 50 kilometers to go.

"We saw that Ullrich wasn't so good because he kept shaking his legs. I told my teammates to attack. On that first climb, we rode very hard and we had 45 seconds on him. The other teams didn't collaborate, otherwise we could have really made something happen," said Rous after his first-career Tour stage win. "It was really a great race for me. The stage is for Festina and I just felt great."

Ullrich looks all but certain to become the first German to win cycling's greatest race, with only three days between him and a place in history. Friday's flat stage will be a chance for the sprinters to make another charge for a stage win before Saturday's 63-kilometer time trial, which Ullrich enters as the hands-down favorite.

"I’ve had a lot of stress because of all the interviews, but I guess I have to get used to it," said Ullrich, who appeared on the podium Wednesday with his mother. "I can’t wait to finally arrive in Paris. I will never forget Andorra because this was the first time I wore the yellow jersey."

For U.S. Postal's Robin, the second-ranked Frenchman in the overall g.c. at 15th, Rous's fast pace spoiled his plans to try to win a stage for his team. In Wednesday's stage, teammate Vjatceslav Ekimov finished third after U.S. Postal played its cards right for a stage win only to be foiled by a joker.

"I wanted to win this stage because it's my last chance," said Robin, a strong climber who faltered in the Pyrenees but recovered in the Alps. "I looked at this stage and I thought it was good for me, but Virenque and Ullrich were driving too hard today. It's been a good Tour, but very hard. This is the hardest Tour for me, with all the climbing."

Friday's flat 172-kilometer (103-mile) stage from Montbeliard to Dijon is well-suited for the sprinters.

After the race, the peloton will take a high-speed train to Disneyland Paris for Saturday's time trial.

Stage 18 results

Andrew Hood is Outside Online's European cycling correspondent.