Tour de France : With Help From Hinault, LeMond’s Lead Increases

Greg LeMond of the United States virtually clinched the Tour de France bicycle race Friday when he stretched his overall lead to more than three minutes over teammate and rival Bernard Hinault.

Switzerland’s Erich Maechler finished alone to win the 118-mile 21st stage from St. Etienne. LeMond came in 17th to retain the overall lead on the last dangerous stage before the 23-stage race ends Sunday in Paris.

LeMond, who took the race leader’s yellow jersey from La Vie Claire teammate Hinault last Sunday, gained 43 seconds on the Frenchman to stretch his overall lead to 3 minutes 10 seconds.

At the end of Thursday’s individual time trial, Hinault, the five-time Tour champion, promised to forgo his search for a record sixth victory and help LeMond become the first American to win the tour in its 83-year history.

“Bernard Hinault kept his promise. He worked all day for me,” LeMond said.

LeMond, who finished the stage 6:06 behind Maechler, said the race “is essentially over. I understand Hinault’s attitude. To want to win the Tour six times is an understandable ambition. Tonight, I feel really happy, and the pressure has disappeared.”

Hinault, who battled LeMond through the first 20 stages, finished 34th at 6:51 back. He spent the day controlling the pack for LeMond and protecting his teammate from the hostile French public who wanted a French champion.

“Everything went smoothly today,” Hinault said. “Fearing the excesses of the crowd, I said to Greg that if it gets too dangerous, and the public presses too close, then Jean-Francois Bernard and I will ride ahead, and you stay on our wheel. You’ve always got to be careful in cases like that.”

The stage virtually clinched the 2,542-mile race for LeMond. The mountain run was the last chance for any challenger to mount a dangerous attack.

Only two long, flat stages remain until the finale Sunday on the Avenue des Champs Elysees in Paris in which LeMond should have little difficulty protecting his lead.

Today, the 132 riders left from an original starting list of 210 tackle the 120 1/2-mile 22nd stage to Nevers, southeast of the capital.

Urs Zimmermann of Switzerland, in third-place overall, remained more than 10 minutes behind the leader.

Maechler, who stayed more than an hour behind LeMond, broke from a small group of riders on the final grueling climb up the Puy de Dome mountain to win the stage in 5 hours 32 minutes 40 seconds.

Belgian Ludo Peeters was second, 34 seconds behind, and compatriot Guido Van Calster was third, one minute back. Scotland’s Robert Millar, one of the pre-race favorites, abandoned on the stage.