Armstrong Is Inspiring Awe
Belgian cycling champion Ludo Dierckxsens won the 11th stage of the Tour de France on Thursday, arms raised above his shaven head as he crossed the finish line almost 1 1/2 minutes ahead of the rest of the lead group.
On a day when race favorites did not push for stage victory, the results of the leg did not make much difference in the overall standings.
American Lance Armstrong, whose incredible performance in this year’s Tour has captured such headlines as “Stupefying Armstrong” and “On Another Planet,” easily held onto the overall leader’s yellow jersey, which he earned Sunday.
He finished Thursday’s 124-mile leg--winding out of the Alps from Le Bourg d’Oisans to Saint-Etienne in the Loire region--with the pack, which arrived 22 minutes after the lead group.
The 27-year-old Texan comfortably leads Spaniard Abraham Olano in overall rankings by 7 minutes 42 seconds--an accomplishment many call incredible after a life-threatening battle with testicular cancer that was diagnosed in 1996. Armstrong, who rides with the U.S. Postal Service team, returned to pro cycling last year.
Top French contender Richard Virenque, who also finished in the pack, said Armstrong looks unbeatable.
“If Armstrong doesn’t crack, the rest of us will simply be playing for podium places in Paris,” he said. The Tour concludes July 25 with 11 laps on the Champs-Elysees.
Dimitri Konyshev of Russia was second in the stage, just ahead of Alexandre Vinokourov of Kazakhstan.
“It was tough, really tough out there today, but I badly wanted the stage win and managed to hold on,” Dierckxsens said.
Seven cyclists, including the top finishers in Thursday’s stage, broke from the pack about halfway through the course and continued to widen their lead as they pedaled to the finish line. Near the end of the stage, two of the cyclists dropped back.
The Tour moves from Saint-Galmier to Saint-Flour today.
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Tour de France
A look at Thursday’s 11th stage:
* Stage: A relatively flat 124 miles from Le Bourg d’Oisans in the Alps to Saint-Etienne, capital of French bicycle manufacturing.
* Stage winner: Belgium’s Ludo Dierckxsens, riding for Lampre, in 4 hours 34 minutes 3 seconds.
* Overall: American Lance Armstrong retained a comfortable lead.
* Next stage: Saint-Galmier to Saint-Flour, 125.2 miles today.