Tour de France : Hinault Retains Lead, Closes In on Fifth Title

The Netherlands’ Johan Lammerts won the 20th leg the 72nd Tour de France cycling race Friday, while France’s Bernard Hinault retained the yellow jersey as the overall leader.

Lammerts moved out ahead of a forward pack just less than six miles from the finish of the leg, a 140-mile ride from Montpon-Menesterol to Limoges, in the center of France.

He crossed the finish line ahead of Denmark’s Kim Andersen. Belgium’s Ludo Peeters was third.

Hinault, going for his fifth Tour de France victory, was in control throughout the leg and at one point had a 25-second lead on his competitors. He finished in eighth position.

Lammerts was timed in 5 hours 53 minutes 10 seconds. Andersen’s time was 5:53:31, and Peters had a clocking of 5:53:32.

American Greg LeMond was 14th, 54 seconds behind.

Hinault leads the overall standings with 107:07:31 with LeMond second, 1 minute 59 seconds behind.

France’s Jeannie Longo won the fourth leg of the second stage of the women’s Tour de France, while Italy’s Maria Canins retained the yellow jersey of the overall leader.

Longo’s victory in the 50.7-mile leg from Saint-Yrieix-La Perche to Limoges was her fifth success in a leg during the tour, the second for women.

Longo took the leg in the final sprint in 2 hours 4 minutes 46 seconds, vying with countrywoman Valerie Simonnet, who placed second in 2:04:47. Belgium’s Nadine Fiers was third with the same time, and Canins 13th, one minute behind Longo.

Americans Ramona D’Viola was 15th and Janelle Parks 19th.

In the overall standings, Canins leads with 16.285 points, while Longo is second with 14.949.

Parks is seventh overall with 13.882 points, countrywoman Carol Rogers-Dunning is 18th with 13.212 and fellow American Betsy King 20th with 12.857.