Tour de France
July 1-23, 2000
Stage Two; Futuroscope to Loudun (191 kms)
July 2, 2000
Tom Steels Sprints to the Finish
By James Raia
 |
| Graham Watson |
Finishing strong: Tom Steels sprints to victory
|
LOUDON, France—Belgium's Tom Steels (Mapei) won the second stage after a long, physical sprint and Cofidis rider David Millar of Britain extended his race lead by two seconds Sunday.
Steels, who won three stages last year, claimed the 194-kilometer (120-mile) Futuroscope to Loudon road race after a furious, flat and fast 800-yard concluding straightaway in which some of the sport's top sprinters exchanged headbutts.
Stuart O'Grady (Credit Agricole) of Australia was second and Erik Zabel (Telekom) placed third as the leaders approached the finish line at just under 40 mph. Steels' margin of victory was announced as five centimters or two inches.
Millar, 23, riding in his first Tour, and defending race champion Lance Armstrong (USPS), his closest pursuer, finished in the main pack. Millar gained a two-second sprint bonus during the stage and now holds four-second advantage over Armstrong. Laurent Jalabert (ONCE) of France is third in the general classification, trailing by 15 seconds.
Millar's entourage, including his mother and sister, are all wearing black T-shirts inscribed "it's millar time ..." in white letters. The shirts were designed by Millar's sister and were a surprise to the race leader.
With Millar in the race leader's jersey at the start of the day, his teammates rode at the front of the stage controlling the peloton as it headed toward the small city known for its flowered gardens and hosting a Tour finish for the first time.
Tyler Hamilton (USPS), who finished ninth in the time trial, crashed with a few others about an hour into the stage and after approximately 25 miles. He quickly returned to his bike and then retracted to receive treatment from the medical vehicle before returning to the peloton.
"It was better than last year's crash," said Hamilton, who's ninth overall, 35 seconds back. "I'm glad we don't have the jersey right now because it's easier not to defend."
Armstrong was favored to win the opening stage, but fell short to the upstart Millar.
Erik Dekker of the Netherlands (Rabobank) and Jacky Durand of France (Lotto), who broke from the field after 21 miles, built their cushion to more than five minutes.
As flat stages often progress, the group steadily began to dissolve the leaders' advantage. And, after nearly 3 1/2 hours, first Dekker, then Durand. Durand's break lasted for nearly 70 miles. Dekker, suffering from cramps, finished last in the stage, 14:47 behind.
|
