Ullrich Still First Despite Team Effort

The riders in the Tour de France tried to crack leader Jan Ullrich on Thursday. Ullrich struggled, but he didn’t break.

So, with three days remaining in the Tour, Ullrich leads by 6 minutes 22 seconds and has an excellent chance to become the first German winner, barring a mishap or an accident.

Ullrich retained his commanding advantage despite a 1-2 finish by Festina riders Didier Rous of France and Pascal Herve.

The Festina team, winning its second consecutive stage, worked hard to detach themselves from Ullrich, who weakened slightly in the rolling hills of eastern France.

“We tried everything to make Ullrich crack, but he didn’t fold when he was 30 seconds behind,” Herve said.

Rous had an advantage of more than five minutes over the rest of the field as he broke away from a small group halfway through the 18th stage from Colmar to Montbeliard, 101.8 miles.