CYCLING / TOUR DE FRANCE : Ludwig First East German to Win Stage

Olaf Ludwig became the first East German to win a stage of the Tour de France when he led a breakaway group of 13 riders in a sprint across the finish line Sunday.

Canada’s Steve Bauer maintained his overall lead of 17 seconds, joining virtually all the other cyclists who finished 21 seconds behind Ludwig.

“To win a stage of the tour has always been a dream to me,” Ludwig said before heading off to cheer for West Germany in the World Cup soccer final against Argentina.

The eighth stage of the tour covered 113 miles from Epinal to Besancon in east-central France.

The list of leaders remained the same after major changes in Saturday’s individual time trial. Raul Alcala of Mexico had won that trial to leap into contention, while American Greg LeMond was disappointed by his fifth-place finish.

Ronan Pensec of France was still second after Sunday’s stage; Italy’s Claudio Chiappucci was third, 67 seconds back; Frans Maassen of the Netherlands was fourth, and Alcala was fifth.

LeMond, the two-time champion, remained 10:09 back. He gained just 32 seconds on Bauer in the time trial and is seventh overall after finishing with the pack Sunday.