LeMond Says He Can Still Win the Race : Cycling: While Tour de France competitors enjoy an off day, American looks ahead to making up time in mountainous stages.

With the Alps now at their backs, the 170 cyclists still left in the Tour de France enjoyed an off day today as two-time winner Greg LeMond remained confident he can make a decisive run.

“The race is far from over,” said LeMond, who is in fourth place, more than seven minutes behind leader Claudio Chiappucci of Italy. “There are still another 10 days to go. Seven minutes are easily lost in the mountains.”

Two relative unknowns, Chiappucci and Ronan Pensec of France, head the standings, followed by the favorites--Eric Breukink of the Netherlands, LeMond and 1988 winner Pedro Delgado of Spain.

“The Tour is always decided in the third week,” said LeMond, who should know. He has gone into the lead twice in that period and last year waited until the last seconds of the final time trial to edge Laurent Fignon.

Right now, Chiappucci has a lead of 1 minute, 17 seconds over Pensec, 6:55 over Breukink and 7:27 on LeMond.

The Italian was 81st last year in the Tour de France. But in 1990 he was named the best climber in the Tour of Italy, although he finished low in the standings.

Pensec was best known as LeMond’s teammate on the French ‘Z’ team.

Two flat stages and then the Pyrenees come at the start of the final week.

Fignon is gone now, having exited in the fifth stage as he succumbed to a variety of problems, both physical and emotional.

LeMond, too, had physical woes; he was slow to get into shape as publicity demands over the winter and a virus in the spring limited his training. In the Tour of Italy, he was almost three hours behind.

Now he is leaving behind nearly all those who left him behind.

Chiappucci’s hold on the yellow jersey of the leader is tenuous, as Steve Bauer and Pensec found out before him.

Bauer held the top spot for the first nine days until the race entered the mountains. Then he quickly dropped out of sight, losing 21 minutes in the l’Alpe d’Huez stage after giving up the lead.

Pensec took over on his 27th birthday. At 27 and two days, he was in second place, grateful for an off day after a 49th in the individual time trial.

Now it is Chiappucci’s turn for the others to take aim at.

Especially LeMond.

But the off day that benefitted others was a disadvantage for him.

“Unfortunately, I am the type of rider who needs two or three days in the mountains,” he said. “You can see the others start to crack.”