TOUR DE FRANCE : Showdown Begins Through Passes in Pyrenees

Greg LeMond is after Claudio Chiappucci’s yellow jersey. So is Eric Breukink. And Pedro Delgado.

But Chiappucci, the current Tour de France leader, isn’t quite ready to give up the chase.

“For the past three days I’m asked when I am going to lose the yellow jersey,” Chiappucci said.

“I still have it on my back. I still have chances, and I have nothing to lose. It’s up to the others to attack and take it from me.”

That attack will take place today on the slopes of the Pyrenees leading up to Luz Ardiden. Monday’s 15th stage resolved little in the overall rankings because the leaders again spent a day back in the pack, unconcerned about the activity up front.

LeMond, Breukink and Delgado conserved their energy as Frenchmen Charly Mottet won the 105.5-mile leg from Millau to Revel in 4 hours 13 minutes 56 seconds.

The stage provided a sense of salvation for Mottet, who had a disappointing first two weeks of the Tour and was 37th overall, more than half an hour behind Chiappucci.

“This was a beautiful victory for me,” he said. “I was working for (French teammate Thierry) Claveyrolat, but I felt so good I decided to have a go myself. It was difficult, but I finished very strongly.”

Chiappucci leads the Tour by 1:52 over Breukink, 2:24 over LeMond and 4:29 over Delgado. In Monday’s leg, they finished almost five minutes behind Mottet with a slight change--Chiappucci added three seconds to his lead by sprinting away from the pack to finish 22nd.

LeMond was 36th, Breukink 39th and Delgado 51st.

Temperatures cooled slightly to about 80 degrees with a gentle breeze as the Tour headed south for the next leg. For the first 100 miles of the 133.5-mile 16th stage, the course will be relatively flat.

Then the real race begins.

Over the final miles, three of the most difficult peaks are scaled. One is rated first category and the other two are rated “out of category” on a ranking measuring steepness, length and difficulty.

This stage is the third longest of the Tour and has some history. The first two passes were part of the first Pyrenee crossing in 1910.

LeMond, the two-time champion, says that the key to the race will be the final two mountain stages, especially the route to Luz Ardiden.

LeMond was not about to reveal his strategy, either.

“If I told it, everybody would know,” LeMond said.

“Besides, I don’t really know what I am going to do yet. But whatever it is, I hope it will make the difference.”

One who could have made a difference was Robert Millar, LeMond’s British colleague on the “Z” team and its best climber. Millar had been expected to help his leader today but had to give up Monday because of an upset stomach.