Tour de France : Pedersen Comes Out of the Pack to Win 10th Stage

Jorgen Pedersen became the second Dane to grab the spotlight in this year’s Tour de France, winning the race’s 10th stage Monday between Epinal and Pontarlier in 5 hours, 6 minutes and 27 seconds.

He nosed out John Lammerts of the Netherlands in the final sprint of the 127-mile course. Two seconds behind were Inaki Gaston of Spain and Dominique Arnaud of France, in third and fourth places.

Bernard Hinault, the four-time champion Frenchman, held on to the overall lead, arriving just over a minute behind Pedersen. Hinault had taken over the lead Saturday from La Vie Claire teammate Kim Andersen of Denmark, who had led for four days in a row. The race moved southward toward the Swiss border under a hot sun that beat on the 163 riders who started in the morning.

It was the 11th day of the 2,500-mile race around France that continues until July 21 with a grand finish up the Avenue des Champs Elysees in Paris.

At the start Monday, Hinault moved into the lead and set the pace over a hilly course. Pedersen held on in the middle of the pack before charging into the top four on the final climb to Pontarlier.

The Tour continues today with the 121-mile 11th stage into the Alps and into Switzerland--the only one to leave French territory.