Roche in Good Spot as Tour Takes Day Off

Lech Piasecki of Poland is the leader after the first two days of the Tour de France, the world’s most prestigious cycling race, but favorite Stephen Roche of Ireland has positioned himself well for the 26-day race.

The 207 cyclists had a day off Friday to travel to Karlsruhe, West Germany, for today’s third stage to Stuttgart. The race reaches France Sunday after the short fourth and fifth stages.

After a brilliant prologue Wednesday and team time trial Thursday by his Italian-based Carrera team, Roche ended the West Berlin leg in third place with a wide lead over the riders who are expected to provide his toughest competition.

Roche leads Frenchman Jean-Francois Bernard, the Toshiba leader, by 38 seconds and Britain’s Robert Millar, an excellent climber with the Panasonic team, by 40 seconds.