CYCLING / TOUR DE FRANCE : Lino Is About to Change His Shirt

Pascal Lino of France held the yellow jersey for the sixth day in a row Sunday, but his moments of cycling glory are probably about to end as the Tour de France reaches its first pivotal stage.

Tour favorites--Miguel Indurain of Spain and Gianni Bugno of Italy--are expected to make their moves in today’s 41-mile individual time trial, starting and ending in Luxembourg. Considered the two best time-trial cyclists among the favorites, Indurain (12th) and Bugno (11th) should move up dramatically.

“We will all see everything clearer tomorrow night in Luxembourg,” Lino told reporters after retaining the leader’s jersey on the 128-mile eighth stage that ended in Koblenz, Germany.

The 186 riders will start in reverse order of placing in two-minute intervals today. The hilly course will force cyclists to use standard equipment instead of the specially designed gear for flat courses.

Lino, of the RMO team, does not have a realistic chance of retaining the yellow jersey as the Tour leader because of his weakness in time trials. He lost more than six minutes in each of the time trials last year.

Indurain won both those stages in 1991, propelling him to his first Tour title. Bugno was fifth and second in the trials and finished second to Indurain overall.

Indurain, 27, is even stronger this year, if results from the Tour of Italy are evidence. He passed Claudio Chiappucci of Italy after starting three minutes behind him in a time trial at last month’s tour. Indurain gained 3 minutes 57 seconds on Chiappucci, one of the world’s strongest riders.

“I try to ride as hard as I can in the time trials,” Indurain told VeloNews last month. “The goal is to take as much time as possible, and then ride conservatively, losing the least possible (time) in the mountains.”

Such strategy has benefited Indurain in the past, but not everyone is convinced it will work in the Tour de France.

“They’re not being as aggressive as the other riders,” Steve Bauer of Canada said in a telephone interview. “I don’t know if their strategy is so good, the way the race has evolved.”

While Indurain and Bugno were content to ride in the main group, known as the peleton, Chiappucci, Greg LeMond and Stephen Roche attacked to gain time on the favorites in stages on which such maneuvers usually do not succeed.

Indurain reportedly was furious with his Banesto teammates after Chiappucci and LeMond made a successful break Friday that went unchallenged. Chiappucci and LeMond gained 1:22 over their rivals, and moved into contention for the overall title. LeMond, in particular, is dangerous because he has never finished worse than fifth in a Tour time trial.

Bauer fell from second to fourth after Sunday’s stage, won by Jan Nevens of Belgium in 4 hours 45 minutes 23 seconds. Jens Heppner of Germany moved into second, 2:51 behind Lino, and Jesper Skibby of Denmark was three seconds behind Heppner.

The veteran Motorola cyclist, Bauer did not lose any time, still trailing Lino by 3:11. But his concern is fending off the favorites behind him.

Bauer, who has worn the yellow jersey in two Tours, in 1988 and 1990, and finished fourth in 1988, realizes his chances, like Lino’s, are slim.

“It’s difficult to all of a sudden go from a good Tour de France rider to a Tour de France winner,” he said. “At this point in my career, it might be a little unrealistic to say I have a chance to win.”

Indurain and Bugno entered the Tour with hopes of controlling the pace over the first eight days, then striking during today’s time trial. But Bauer said the racing has been so fast that no team has been able to control the action.

LeMond, of Wayzata, Minn., was hoping for such a race. While conceding Indurain is the world’s strongest rider, LeMond--who has been 4:29 behind the leaders since Friday and is 10th overall--said the Spaniard had not been challenged during his successful run the past year.

That has changed dramatically over the past few days.

Bauer said Indurain was forced to ride in front of the pack to make sure none of his challengers try another attack. He could not afford to lose too much more time; he is 5:33 behind Lino and 29 seconds behind Bugno.

“Now he is putting out more effort himself,” Bauer said. “In the (Tour of Italy) his team controlled the race, and he was totally relaxed.”

Standings

AFTER 8 OF 21 STAGES

1. Pascal Lino (France), 35:35:26

2. Jens Heppner (Germany), 2:51 behind

3. Jesper Skibby (Denmark), 2:54

4. Steve Bauer (Canada), 3:11

5. Yvon Ledanois (France), 3:23

6. Claudio Chiappucci (Italy), 3:34

7. Stephen Roche (Ireland), 3:34

8. Richard Virenque (France), 4:15

9. Alberto Leanizbaruttia (Spain), 4:24

10. Greg LeMond (Wayzata, Minn.), 4:29