THE SIDELINES : Belgian Wins Tour de France Sprint That Was Split by Pile-Up

Belgium’s Johan Museeuw won the first mass sprint of the 77th Tour de France but his win today was overshadowed by a tactical battle between arch-rivals Greg LeMond and Laurent Fignon that raged throughout the 127-mile fourth stage.

Frenchman Fignon, who lost by just eight seconds to LeMond in last year’s race, was stopped by a massive pile-up eight miles from the finish at the world-famous Mt. Saint-Michel site, and lost over 30 seconds to his American rival who rode safely at the front of the pack.

Canada’s Steve Bauer, who also rode at the front during the haul through Brittany, retained his leader’s yellow jersey and increased his overall lead from eight seconds to 30.

Dutchman Frans Maassen, who was also caught up in the accident, dropped from second to third overall, three seconds behind Frenchman Ronan Pensec and 33 abaft Bauer.

The fall occurred on a tight bend as Bauer and LeMond led the bunch at top speed toward the 11th-Century fortified rock off the French northwestern coast. It split the pack, and despite a strong effort by his teammates, Fignon could not make up the lost time.