TOUR DE FRANCE : Zabel Captures Stage in a Day of Surprises

Erik Zabel of Germany gave himself a birthday surprise Friday--a Tour de France stage victory. Bjarne Riis offered teammate Ivan Gotti another surprise--he took his yellow jersey.

Zabel celebrated his 25th birthday with a powerful rush to the finish line, edging Frenchman Laurent Jalabert and Djamolidine Abdoujaparov of Uzbekistan in an uphill mass sprint.

“What a day. I’m overcome with joy,” Zabel said.

The pack broke into several parts during the final stretch to the finish line, with Gotti trapped three seconds behind Riis. The Dane now leads his Gewiss-Ballan teammate by two seconds going into today’s stage.

Riders are all clocked in the same overall time if they cross the line in one pack. On Friday, however, a 1.2-second gap after the 15th finisher made sure the judge imposed a new gap in final stage results.

Gotti was convinced he would be wearing the yellow jersey for another day. “I didn’t realize that there was a gap in the pack,” he said. “I’m not disappointed because the yellow jersey stays in the team.”

The flat stage into Belgium offered the final opportunity for the sprinters for nearly two weeks. Jabel took full advantage.

He reached top speed with less than 200 yards to go, and his finishing kick could not be matched by a surging Jalabert.

Zabel already had won the Paris-Tours one-day classic this year. “Only two things count: a one-day classic win and a Tour stage,” he said. “Now I have both and I’m delighted.”

Today’s seventh stage goes through southern Belgium’s Ardennes hills.