Ghirotto of Italy Sprints to a Win in Tour’s 9th Stage

Italy’s Massimo Ghirotto out-sprinted breakaway companion Eduardo Chozas of Spain today to win the ninth stage of the Tour de France, the last stage before the race moves into the Alps.

Ghirotto and Chozas, both former stage winners in the three-week race, crossed the line in four hours, 46 minutes and seven seconds after a 50-mile ride in the front.

The main bunch, including overall leader Steve Bauer, crossed the line in blazing sunshine 36 seconds behind Ghirotto, at the end of a 122.5-mile stage which gave the 186 riders their first taste of the arduous climbs to come.

Ghirotto, a balding 29-year-old, and Chozas, a born climber who won mountain stages in 1985, 1986 and 1987, launched the decisive charge in the main ascent of the day, the Col des Rousses.

They built up a lead of 2 1/2 minutes in the valley over a nervous bunch, constantly led by defending champion Greg LeMond of the United States and his teammates.

Tuesday’s 74-mile 10th stage leads the riders toward the foot of Mont Blanc, Europe’s highest peak.

Bauer, who complained of the heat during the ninth stage, said his lead could be threatened soon.

“I’ll have to do a superb job in the next week and a half,” Bauer said. “I’ll need to suffer up to the limit. I hope it’s not beyond my abilities.”