With Ullrich Absent, Zabel Sprints to Front

Erik Zabel’s fellow speedsters can only be chartreuse with envy.

Zabel, a favorite to extend his own record and win his seventh consecutive green jersey as the Tour de France’s top sprint specialist, prevailed in Friday’s rolling Stage 6 after falling short in a couple of previous attempts this week.

With Jan Ullrich vacationing in semi-disgrace in Florida, recuperating from an injured knee and two humiliating busts for drunk driving and illicit amphetamine use, the staunch German sprinter is Team Telekom’s default leader.

“It’s been clear from the beginning of the Tour that there was a certain amount of pressure on me because of Jan Ullrich’s absence,” Zabel said. “That’s why I’m happy we have a team that works extraordinarily well together.”

Under heavy, gray skies and occasional light rain in Normandy, the riders streaked through quaint villages dotted with the region’s traditional half-timbered houses and geraniums spilling from windowsills.

Spain’s Once team successfully defended the yellow jersey, chasing down breakaways to keep the overall lead in Igor Gonzalez de Galdeano’s hands. U.S. Postal stayed in the hunt when it needed to and protected Lance Armstrong’s position in third place, seven seconds off the pace.

However, a breach of Tour etiquette threatened to dissolve the gentlemen’s harmony in the main pack.

Traditionally, riders refrain from attacking if one of the leaders has to take a bathroom break, giving his team a chance to usher him back to the main pack. But when Gonzalez de Galdeano paused at the 77-mile mark, riders from the Domo-Farm Frites team took off. After several riders, including Armstrong, wheeled up and expressed their strong displeasure, the errant Domo riders apologized and dropped back into the pack.

At the finish, Zabel staved off what has become a routine late charge from Australia’s Robbie McEwen and Spain’s Oscar Freire to take his 12th career stage win in the 123.9-mile endurance test.

The victory ties Zabel, 32, for the lead among active riders with Armstrong, the defending champion, and flamboyant Mario Cipollini. The overall record, 34, is held by five-time champion Eddy Merckx.

Race organizers began awarding the green jersey in 1953. Racers accumulate points at intermediate sprint points and some stage finishes.

Zabel won his first Tour stage in 1995, and his string of sprint titles started the next year. He has twice won three stages in one Tour, and also twice collected the honor without winning a stage in the race.

The pack is down to 185 riders. Lotto’s Rik Verbrugghe did not start because of injuries incurred in a crash Thursday, and Alexandr Shefer of Alessio wiped out on a sharp right-hand turn and was taken from the course by ambulance.

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Tour de France

Highlights from the sixth stage of the Tour de France:

STAGE: A 123.69-mile stretch through Normandy from Forges-les-Eaux to Alencon.

WINNER: Germany’s Erik Zabel, of the Telekom team, in 4 hours 23 minutes and 7 seconds.

HOW OTHERS FARED: Spain’s Igor Gonzalez de Galdeano, of Once, and three-time champion Lance Armstrong of U.S. Postal Service finished in a pack of 181 other riders that finished with the same time. Gonzalez de Galdeano retained the overall leader’s yellow jersey, with teammate Joseba Beloki second, four seconds behind. Armstrong is third, seven seconds back.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: “You won’t see Lance attacking in these flat stages and wasting his energy. With his capabilities, you don’t want to take the risk of having a crash in a sprint.” -- U.S. Postal spokesman Jogi Muller after Zabel’s sprint finish toward the stage victory.

NEXT STAGE: A 109.1-mile stretch through the Normandy battlefields of World War II from Bagnoles-de-L’Orne to Avranches.

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*--* Overall Standings (After Six Stages) Rider Time 1. Gonzalez Galdeano 23:29:03 2. Beloki 4 seconds behind 3. Armstrong 7 seconds 4. Jorg Jaksche, Germany 12 seconds 5. Abraham Olano, Spain 22 seconds

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