Italy’s Bontempi Wins Fifth Stage, Lino Retains Lead in Tour de France

Taking advantage of a relatively flat course, Guido Bontempi of Italy rode to near-record speed Thursday while winning the fifth stage of the Tour de France, and Steve Bauer of Canada improved 10 places and moved into third overall.

Pascal Lino of France retained the overall leader’s yellow jersey in the 122-mile stage from Nogent-sur-Oise to Wasquehal, on the French-Belgian border. Richard Virenque, Lino’s French RMO teammate, is second, trailing by 1 minute 54 seconds. Bauer is 3:11 behind.

Bontempi, 32, eased away from a leading group of 10 riders near the finish, then made a bold move with three miles left and won by 30 seconds over Dimitri Konyshev of Russia.

“I almost didn’t make that last breakaway,” Bontempi said. “Toward the end, the first one to attack has the chance to win, and that’s what I did.”

Tour officials said Bontempi’s average speed of 29.7 m.p.h. was the second-highest recorded in the race’s 89-year history. The fastest was in 1974 when Belgian Eddy Merckx averaged 30 m.p.h. for the 70-mile stage from Vouvray to Orleans.

Bontempi’s stage victory--his fifth in the last six Tours--took 4 hours 6 minutes 1 second. The main group of cyclists, including all the race favorites, was 3:33 behind Bontempi.

Fifth-place Gianni Bugno of Italy and defending champion Miguel Indurain of Spain, who is ninth, are waiting for Monday’s individual time trial in Luxembourg before making their moves. American Greg LeMond fell to 14th but did not lose time to the favorites.