CYCLING / TOUR DE FRANCE : Switzerland’s Zuelle Leads After 122-Mile First Stage

Alex Zuelle of Switzerland said his vision was impaired as he pedaled through a driving rain in northern Spain Sunday during the 122-mile first stage of the Tour de France that started and ended at San Sebastian.

“It was very difficult,” Zuelle, who wears glasses, told reporters. “I couldn’t see anything at all.”

Zuelle will be visible today when the 198 riders say adios to Spain and enter France in a 158-mile second stage ending in Pau. Zuelle, who celebrated his 24th birthday Sunday, will be the cyclist wearing the yellow jersey designating him as the Tour de France’s overall leader.

Although few believe he can outlast some of the world’s greatest cyclists over a three-week span, Zuelle has had two exceptional days of riding. In his first Tour, Zuelle overtook defending champion Miguel Indurain of Spain by placing 28th Sunday on a two-loop course in which the top 69 riders finished with a time of 4 hours 37 minutes 39 seconds.

Zuelle’s strong ride frustrated Indurain, a Basque who was born in the region. Dominique Arnould of France won the stage and is second overall, two seconds behind Zuelle, who was second in Saturday’s prologue. Indurain, the favorite to win his second Tour, is third, four seconds back.

Arnould, who rides for Castorama, used a powerful sprint less than a mile from the finish to win the Tour’s first road race. Arnould, Alberto Elli of Italy and Pascal Lino of France led a breakaway up the stage’s only major climb, the 1,492-foot Alto de Jaizkibel, considered a challenging ascent for an early Tour stage.

Zuelle, riding in his first Tour, earned a six-second bonus for winning a mid-stage sprint that propelled him to first place overall.

Besides Indurain, several top contenders are close behind Zuelle. Raul Alcala of Mexico is fifth, 16 seconds back; Gianni Bugno of Italy is sixth, also 16 seconds behind; Erik Breukink, Alcala’s PDM teammate, is eighth, 18 seconds back, and Greg LeMond is 10th, also 18 seconds behind.

About 30 cyclists had flats when they ran over tacks thrown on the race course near the small town of Aizpurutxo. Jean-Marie Leblanc, Tour race director, told reporters that officials do not know who put the tacks in the road.