Tour de France Leaders Gear Up for Final Run

Claudio Chiappucci and Greg LeMond cleared the final barrier to their rendezvous in Saturday’s time trial of the Tour de France, staying five seconds apart after today’s largely meaningless 19th stage.

Guido Bontempi of Italy won the stage after he broke away from the small lead group late in the 113.5-mile leg from Castillon la Bataille to Limoges in central France. Temperatures again were above 95 degrees.

Chiappucci and LeMond stayed together for much of the race with barely a bicyle length between them except for one brief moment when LeMond dropped back for a small mechanical problem. He quickly rejoined the pack and hounded Chiappucci’s back wheel in the final miles.

They were 6 minutes, 3 seconds behind Bontempi at the end as Bontempi won in 5 hours, 16 minutes, 4 seconds.

Overall Chiappucci maintained his slim margin over LeMond, who is seeking his third Tour de France title.

LeMond has been pointing to Lac Vassiviere for the chance to overtake the Italian. On the final day last year, LeMond wiped out a 50-second gap on Fignon on a course about half as long as Saturday’s 28.5-mile circuit.

LeMond was unavailable for comment Friday as he cut himself off from the hordes of fans, followers, journalists and others who have been pressing him.

The day’s events were marred by the death of a police brigadier who struck by a car Thursday while directing traffic during the Tour de France cycling race, police said.

Christian Villemin, 44, was among four people struck by a car which drove into a crowd in suburb of Bordeaux on Thursday shortly before the cyclists arrived.

The other three people, two of them children, were not seriously injured. But Villemin was taken to a Bordeaux hospital, and died there today, police said.

The nature of his injuries was not disclosed, and there was no indication whether the driver of the car might be charged.