Tour de France : Marie Regains the Lead as French Take Second Stage

The French Systeme U team, led by two-time champion Laurent Fignon, powered its way to victory Saturday in the second stage--a team time trial--of the 73rd Tour de France bicycle race.

Systeme U sprinter Thierry Marie, winner of Friday’s prolog, conceded the overall leader’s yellow jersey to Canada’s Alex Stieda after the 52.8-mile first stage Saturday morning, from Nanterre to Sceaux. Marie, however, took it back in the time trial.

Frenchman Dominique Gaigne moved into second place overall, three seconds behind Marie. Fignon was third, four seconds back.

Fignon’s chief rivals, five-time champion Bernard Hinault and American Greg Lemond of the La Vie Claire team, finished fifth in the time trial and fell nearly two minutes behind.

The two stages left 12 riders disqualified for finishing too far behind. Included were four Colombian teammates of one of the race favorites, Luis Herrera, and two strong French riders, Vincent Barteau and Pascal Jules. Barteau wore the yellow jersey for more than a week in 1984 while with the Renault team.

There are 198 riders left from a starting list of 210, and they will leave the Paris region today and head north on the 133-mile third stage from Levallois to Lievin. The 24-day, 2,542-mile race ends July 27.

Belgian Pol Verschuere won the primarily flat first stage in 1:58:33, barely outsprinting compatriot Michel Dernies and Gerrit Solleveld of Holland.

Stieda finished fifth but picked up enough bonus seconds on a long breakaway to take the overall lead and become the first Canadian ever to wear the yellow jersey in cycling’s most prestigious race. Stieda’s 7-Eleven team finished 20th among 21 teams in the time trial, and the Vancouver native dropped to 116th place overall.

The Systeme U team, put together last year from the remnants of the former Renault squad under Fignon’s leadership and depleted by key injuries, completed the time trial in 1:10:27. Despite Christophe Lavainne’s punctured tire, Systeme U finished 38 seconds better than the Carrera team, which is led by Ireland’s Stephen Roche.

The Panasonic team was third, and the Kas team, riding without injured leader Sean Kelly, was fourth. La Vie Claire was fifth. The second through fifth teams all finished less than two minutes off the leaders.