Vasseur pulls fast one on peloton, takes fifth stage and lead
By Andrew Hood
Outside Online correspondent

Cédric Vasseur

Posting the first breakaway victory of the ‘97 Tour, Vasseur’s win puts the Frenchman two minutes and 17 seconds ahead of Cipollini, a surprise on a day when many expected another sprint duel to end the 261-kilometer (157-mile) course from Chantonnay to La Chatre through the rolling farm country of western France.

Instead, the 26-year-old Vasseur broke at the 114km mark and built up a lead as large as 17:45 by the 164km mark. Despite a late attack by 10 riders, including U.S. Postal’s Peter Meinert-Nielson, Vasseur crossed the line 2:32 ahead of the chase group led by teammate Stuart O’Grady. Cipollini led the main group of riders at 3:24 back.

"This is the greatest moment of my career. I was thinking of my father and everyone who’s helped my career as I crossed the line," said Vasseur, who talked by phone with his father, Alain, a Tour stage-winner in 1970.

Vasseur said he was looking to avenge Wednesday’s photo-finish loss by teammate Frédéric Moncassin to Telekom’s Erik Zabel. The Frenchman worked alone for 147 kilometers, past hundreds of thousands of fans lining the course.

Cedric Vasseur on his way to winning the stage (896k avi)

Now Gan has four riders in the top 10, including Australia’s O’Grady, who moved up to eighth overall after finishing with the chase group.

The peloton was quiet Thursday, with only TVM and Batik half-heartedly upping the pace in the final 40 kms to try to reel in the Frenchman. Vasseur’s lead was trimmed to seven minutes with 20 kilometers to go, but he hung on to post the first French victory of the 1997 Tour.

Cofidis’s Frankie Andreu, who finished with the main group of riders, said he was disappointed when the top teams didn’t give a stronger chase.

"It was an okay day. The wind direction was good and the roads were nice and wide. There was nothing too dangerous in the back," said Andreu, sitting as the top American in 17th at 3:38.

"It was an even tempo, so you can call it a relatively easy day, despite the distance. I don’t know what they were thinking about. I can’t believe these sprinters let (Vasseur) get away."

Expect expansive, page-one coverage in tomorrow’s L’Equipe, France’s leading sports daily, after Vasseur takes the maillot jaune from Cipollini, the Italian sprinter who held it since winning the first stage July 6.

ONCE’s Alex Zulle didn’t join the 192 riders starting the Tour’s second-longest stage in Chartonnay. The Swiss rider, who broke his shoulder in the sixth stage of last month’s Tour de Suisse and made a gutsy decision to start in Rouen, said he felt it was too dangerous to keep riding through the crash-marred early stages of the three-week Tour.

Zulle said he will return to Barcelona to meet with ONCE team doctors, rest at his home in Spain, and then prepare to defend his Vuelta España title and then race in the world championships in early October.

"I’ve had trouble sleeping and the pain is getting worse," said Zulle, who went down in a crash near the finish of the first stage. "If the mountain stages were sooner, I might continue. But it’s too dangerous in these early stages and I don’t want to crash again."

Vasseur wins the stage and takes the overall lead (505k avi)

With compatriot Tony Rominger (Cofidis) abandoning after breaking his right shoulder Tuesday, and Olympic gold medalist Pascal Richard not starting the Tour, Switzerland's hopes now rest on Mapei’s Oskar Carmenzind (12th overall at 3:22) and last year’s fourth-place overall Laurent Dufaux of Festina (26th overall at 4:14).

With U.S. Postal’s Meinert-Nielsen finishing fifth, it’s the fourth stage that the American team has posted a top-10 finish in its Tour debut. Postal’s Marty Jemison was part of an early break of 15 riders that built up a 10:15 lead before falling back to the peloton.

Festina’s Laurent Brochard retains the climber’s jersey after finished second behind Vasseur’s break on the day’s lone climb, the category-four Cote d’Argenton at 222 kms.

Telekom’s Erik Zabel keeps the green points jersey, though the German was hoping to move into the overall lead using time bonuses. Still, Zabel trimmed two seconds off his deficit to Cipollini.

Friday’s sixth stage is another long, flat stage, 215 kms (129 miles) from Le Blanc west to Marennes, a fishing village on the Atlantic Coast. Dark clouds were rolling in at Thursday’s finish, so there’s a threat of rain.

Stage 5 results

Andrew Hood is Outside Online's European cycling correspondent.