Greg LeMond Races to Within 5 Seconds of Tour de France Lead

Two-time champion Greg LeMond, with a powerful ride over the mountainous 16th stage, today moved within five seconds of the overall lead in the Tour de France.

LeMond finished second in today’s stage behind Spain’s Miguel Indurain but cut 2 minutes, 19 seconds off Claudio Chiappucci’s overall lead.

LeMond is now in second place overall with five more stages to be contested. He began the day in third place, 2:24 behind the leader.

Only the unexpected resilience of Italian Chiappucci stopped LeMond from taking the lead on a punishing mountain stage over three daunting passes in the Pyrenees on a sweltering hot day that saw one of the most exciting finishes of this year’s race.

Indurain clocked 7 hours, 4 minutes, 38 seconds over the 133.6-mile, 16th stage to beat LeMond, the defending champion, by just six seconds in today’s leg.

An elated LeMond, who looks certain to make up the narrow difference on Chiappucci before Sunday’s finish in Paris, said: “I hope I won the Tour today but I won’t say anything until we reach the Champs Elysees.”

The stage from Blagnac was expected to be the setting for 1988 Tour winner Pedro Delgado of Spain to put on his usual devastating display in the Pyrenees.

But it was Chiappucci who surprised the field with an early attack, taking the lead on the first climb to the Col d’Aspin.

On the next pass, the 6,936-foot Col du Tourmalet, which is the highest point of the Tour, Chiappucci’s group led the LeMond-Delgado group by more than two minutes.

LeMond attacked 2 1/2 miles from the top and was followed by Delgado, Indurain and a few other riders.

They joined Chiappucci’s group in the valley at St. Sauveur with the stage perfectly set for a showdown on the final nine-mile ascent to Luz Ardiden.

LeMond attacked again twice but the apparently indefatigable Chiappucci countered to move into the lead both times.

Four miles from the top, Fabio Parra of Colombia made a break and LeMond was immediately behind him. This time Chiappucci had no response and, more surprisingly, nor had Delgado.

Only Delgado’s teammate Indurain, who won a stage in the Pyrenees last year, could stay with the American and he took the lead in today’s stage for the first time with just 300 yards left.

Delgado is now third overall.