[Le Tour 2003]Stage 18 - Big Break and Subtle Seconds

Tour Reporter race-report@cyclofiend.com
Fri, 25 Jul 2003 08:18:54 -0700


Stage 18 - Bordeaux - St. Maixent L'Ecole - 203 km

A slight tailwind helps the bunch plow along at a leg-breaking 52 km / 
hr for the first 3 hours - a stunningly painful excercise for everone at 
this late stage of the tour.

Well, not everyone - Telekom's Colombian ex-phenom Santiago Botero did 
not start today, so only 148 riders are making the northward journey 
toward the smallest city on this year's Tour host list.

Attack after attack certainly helped to drive up the pace for the first 
kilometers, but the biggest news was played out at the first sprint 
point.  McEwen fires out from the bunch, but is suddenly followed 
towards the sprint point by a couple names we've heard before: Jan 
Ullrich and Lance Armstrong.  Ullrich seems to have caught Armstrong 
just a little flat, and he goes over the sprint in second, Lance in third.

Time bonuses are gained at the sprint, and Ullrich gains two seconds by 
his finish - a cagey and astute move by this strong rider.

All chances of a big dog run for the finish end as 16 riders move clear 
and expand their lead to an excess of 19 minutes with 54 km to go on the 
course.

Today again stays blessedly cool at 66 degrees, with the slight 
dampening of the odd shower and 88% humidity.

The breakaway - 16 riders - 15 teams represented
17 - Mikel Pradera - ONCE
27 - Danielle Nardello - Telekom
35 - Pablo Lastras - iBanesto
55 - Paolo Fornaciari - Saeco
65 - Massimilliano Lelli - Cofidis
76 - Andrea Peron - CSC
83 - Dario Cioni - Fassa Bortolo
94 - Carlos DaCruz - FDJeux.com
101 - Javier Pascaul Lorente - Kelme
114 - Davide Bramati - Quick Step
115 - David Canada - Quick Step
136 - Frabrizio Guidi - Bianchi
143 - Christophe Brandt - Lotto
155 - Andy Flickinger - Ag2R
189 - Thomas Voekler - Brioches Le Boulangerie
207 - Vladimir Miholjevic - Alessio

USPS most experience rider Vlatchislav Ekimov rolls next to the doctor's 
car, lower lip badly swollen from what looks to be a bee sting.

Luckily, it does not seem that he'll need to be at the front, since with 
50 km to go the gap has pushed out 20:30

Average speed for this year's Tour remains in the high 40.7 kph's, up 
ahead of the fastest which is about 40.2 kph. Today's screaming pace 
certainly contributes to that effort.

The gap continues to edge up slightly, pushing into the coffee-break 
range of 22 minutes - specifically 22:11 with 30 km to go.

Somewhere under 15 km to go, Voekler instigates a break, and seven other 
riders snip the cord from the others and join him up the roadway.
Flickinger, Lastras, Nardello, Fornaciari, Canada plus a couple others 
who seem a bit camera shy.

50.355 is record for a stage, set some years ago by a screaming fast 
Mario Cipollini in 1999.  They are definitely within striking distance 
of that effort.

David Canada has moved sharply away from the remnants of the break, 
clearly having noticed that Servais Knaven was the toast of the team 
dinner last night.  With little fanfare, Canada put his head down and 
just went away - working hard to get a gap of 25 seconds with 12 km to go.

But he's suffering a bit, and a group with Dacruz, Nardello and Lastras 
move away from the last serious bunch and work together to bridge the 
hundred meter gap.  They've crept up a bit closer Canada (Can-YA-da) as 
he moves up out of the saddle as they hit some undulations in the roadway.

Dacruz has been taking a majority of the pulls, while Lastras takes 
micro pulls before pulling off quickly - either pretty cagey or just a 
sufferin-B.  Everyone's very tired, and Dacruz nearly touches wheels as 
he overcorrects after looking back to see their progress in front of 
their former break compatriots.  Again Lastras opts out of the pull, 
trying to waste the strength of sprinter Dacruz' legs.

Canada suffers to hold every meter he's gained, and the gap just edges 
down to about 5 seconds.  He takes a quick look back as the road takes a 
hard left and begins down a low spot before the rise to the finish.  His 
lead is under 100 meters.

Trying to juice it a bit, he's rolling over the biggest gear he can buy, 
sreaking up the barriers at the right hand side of the wide straight 
roadway. But as the road edges slightly upward, he's pedaliing squares, 
and the chasing trio zig across the roadway trying to gain his 
slipstream.  They can see him and their glasses begin to foul slightly 
with the spray of lube and gristle coming back from Canada.  They move 
strongly, and Dacruz gaps his partners by a few meters.

Dacruz screams up and blows past a suddenly flailing Canada, who cannot 
take any more effort as the road tips up just slightly enough to crack 
his legs!  With 100 meters, it looks like Dacruz has it - but now he 
begins to pedal squares and both Nardello and Lastras unleash their 
been-racing-for-the-last-two-and-a-half-weeks sprint.  Nardello starts 
to move between them, but there's no room, and Lastras accellerates away 
from both riders to win by a bike length!

Way back in another county, the USPS riders mark the Bianchi team as 
they both follow the pacemakeing of the remaining Gerolsteiner riders. 
They pass under the 15 km banner.

Results have been tabulated for the leaders, who averaged 50.25 kph over 
203 kilometers - just under the record from 1999, but notching this 
stage into the books as the 2nd fastest Tour stage ever.

Ullrich at second wheel as they move to the front - 1 km to go. There 
are no time bonuses this far down the finishing bunch, but the strong 
crosswinds which have been buffeting the riders and the slight uphill 
could cause a split.  Armstrong sits right behind his team, ready to 
mobilize if need be.  Everyone begins to fade back into the bunch as the 
sprinters' teams begin to take over.

Erik Zabel moves up near the front Ullrich's Bianchites slide down into 
  the bunch.  A Lotto rider - Van Bon? - cranks the pace up as they 
begin the rise to the finish.  But, he's leading Stuart O'Grady on his 
wheel. O'Grady begins to pull, and neither Baden Cooke nor Robbie McEwen 
seems particularly well positioned - at least seven or eight riders back.

O'Grady's teammate Thor Hushovd moves strongly from his leadout - but 
Zabel moves hard and eclipses his effort.  But McEwen make his move from 
several spots back and has an entirely different level of speed.  He 
moves up strongly to Zabel.

Cooke tries to follow, but he cannot move up on McEwen who wins the 
sprint - for 17th place, but a position which generously provides him 
with the Green Points Jersey.  The photo finish shows that Zabel just 
nicked Cooke, pushing him 2 points behind the howling-fast Australian.

Stage 18 -
1 - Pablo Lastras - iBanesto.com - 4:03:18
2 - Carlos Dacruz - FDJeux.com - s.t.
3 - Daniele Nardello - Telkom - s.t.
4 - David Canada - QuickStep - @ :04
5 - Massimaliano Lelli - Cofidis - @ :19
6 - Andy Flickinger - Ag2R - s.t.
7 - Thomas Voeckler - Brioches La Boulangere - s.t.
8 - Paolo Fornaciari - Saeco - s.t.
9 - Fabrizio Guidi - Bianchi - @ :35
10 - Vladimir  Miholjevic - Alessio - s.t.

Strange to say it, but there has been a shift on the GC - Ullrich 
drawing 2 seconds closer to yellow, while Lance's effort dropped 
everyone else in the top ten down two seconds.

General Classification
MJ - Lance Armstrong - 79:07:49
2 - Jan Ullrich - @ 1:05
3 - Alexandre Vinokourov - @ 2:47
4 - Haimar Zubeldia - @ 5:18
5 - Iban Mayo - @ 5:27
6 - Tyler Hamilton - @ 6:37
7 - Ivan Basso - @ 8:10
8 - Christophe Moreau - @ 11:14
9 - Francisco Mancebo - @ 16:07
10 - Carlos Sastre - @ 16:14

Tomorrow's Stage -
Stage 19 - Pornic - Nantes
49 km. Due east. Probably a tailwind on this near dead flat course
Everything has been said, and it's time for the big dogs to howl.
Fires will burn outside the camps of those who will challenge, sentries 
will remain awake all night, and as the morning sun rises blood red in 
the east, all will be decided.



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