Tour de France : Delgado Finishes 3rd in 22nd Stage and Retains Lead

Pedro Delgado of Spain retained the overall lead Thursday in the Tour de France bicycling race after the 22nd stage, a 115-mile Alpine course from La Plagne to Morzine. Countryman Eduardo Chozas won the stage after a solitary breakaway.

Stephen Roche of Ireland, in second place overall, reduced Delgado’s lead from 39 to 21 seconds in this final mountain stage, leaving him in a position to pass Delgado in Saturday’s 24th stage time trial encircling Dijon.

Chozas broke away on the descent from the Saisies Pass after 43 miles and was never caught.

Roche drew on his exceptional descending abilities after the final climb at the 106-mile mark to cross the line second, 18 seconds ahead of Delgado, who was third.

Overall, Frenchman Jean-Francois Bernard is third, trailing by 4 minutes 18 seconds, and Charles Mottet of France is fourth, trailing by 5:54.

“I’m in a great position with the Dijon time trial to go, but anything can happen in this race,” Roche said. “Exciting, eh?”

Jeannie Longo of France won the 13th stage of the Women’s Tour de France to regain the overall lead from Maria Canins of Italy.

Longo beat Canins by nearly three minutes and is virtually assured of victory when the race finishes in Paris on Sunday. Only two seconds behind Canins in the overall standings at the start of the day, Longo leads by 2:52. She regained the lead she lost to Canins after last Sunday’s ninth stage.

With just two flat stages remaining, Longo should win the tour on her third attempt, relegating Canins, the champion in 1985 and 1986, to second place.

West German Ute Enzenauer is third overall, 12:14 behind Longo.