Dutchman Wins the 82-Mile 11th Stage, but Hinault Extends His Overall Lead

Dutch rider Martin Ducrot attacked 11,316-foot Fremont Pass and bolted into the lead with 12 miles left Monday to win the 82-mile Copper Mountain road race, the 11th stage of the Coors International bicycle race.

But the biggest winner of the day was Frenchman Bernard Hinault, who managed to finish strong enough to pad his lead in the men’s overall standings. Hinault is 1 minute 16 seconds ahead of Jeff Pierce and 2:37 ahead of Phil Anderson of Australia. Greg LeMond, the 1986 Tour de France champion, stands fourth overall.

Ducrot finished the men’s race in 3:21:39, 11 seconds ahead of Italian Valerio Piva and 13 seconds ahead of the the pack led by amateur Todd Gogulski.

LeMond said he has been bothered by the high altitude the past few days and is tired.

“I can either make this race into a Tour de France kind of battle with Bernard (Hinault), or else I can take it easy,” he said. “Right now, I think I want to take it easy.”

In the women’s 57-mile Copper Mountain stage, New Zealand expatriate Madonna Harris sprinted ahead of the pack to a surprise victory, while Jeannie Longo placed third to retain the women’s overall lead.

Harris was timed in 2 hours 37 minutes 25 seconds. She took control of the race after Katrin Tobin was unable to keep pace on the climb to the summit of Fremont Pass. Tobin, 24, of Ketchum, Idaho, finished as the runner-up, 38 seconds later.