Colombian Gonzalez Wins 11th Stage
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VALENCE, France — The shortest man in the field, 5-foot-2 Colombian Chepe Gonzalez, won the 11th stage of the Tour de France on Thursday and Denmark’s Bjarne Riis held to the overall lead.
Gonzalez attacked from the back of an eight-man break in the final stretch to win the 125-mile stage in his first Tour de France.
With the cyclists coming off their only rest day, Riis kept the lead he has held since Monday.
Five-time defending champion Miguel Indurain remained eighth overall after finishing with the main pack of riders, 2 minutes, 51 seconds behind Gonzalez. The Spaniard was 4 minutes, 38 seconds behind Riis.
Russian Yevgeny Berzin held to second place, 40 seconds behind.
Tony Rominger of Switzerland fell in the final descent of the five-climb stage and suffered cuts and abrasions to his right leg and arm. He lost no time in the standings and remained in third-place, 53 seconds behind.
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