Sprinters Rule in the Short Run

This year more than ever, the first part of the Tour de France belongs to the sprinters.

With the exception of Wednesday’s team time trial, this week’s finishes are built for the specialists who use their fast-twitch muscles and considerable nerve to go into handlebar-to-handlebar combat at the end of a flat stage. And there are fewer chances than in previous years for them to win toward the race’s end.

Davis Phinney, the sprinter and first U.S. rider to win a Tour stage in 1986, calls the homestretch of a sprint a “vortex ... where you’re going at maximum velocity, but you have to slow things down.”

Multiple decisions have to be made as the finish nears. Which teammate or teammates will “lead out” the sprinter, allowing him to draft until he gauges the right moment to strike? When to make a move? When should the victor raise his arms? More than a few riders have misjudged the finish line and exulted a split second too soon.

Estonia’s Jaan Kirsipuu of the French Ag2R team had the right help and made the right calls Sunday to win a blustery first stage in a photo finish with Australia’s Robbie McEwen.

Defending champion Lance Armstrong rolled in with the main pack and is 10 seconds behind leader Fabian Cancellara of Switzerland. Armstrong wore an unaccustomed color courtesy of his previous day’s second-place finish in the prologue -- the green, or sprint, jersey, which he last donned in 1999.

The finish, straight with a slight incline, looked on paper like a good setup for Italian rivals Mario Cipollini and Alessandro Petacchi. But crosswinds buffeted the peloton, making it difficult for teams to set up the multirider “trains” that try to slingshot sprinters to the front.

Petacchi was in the mix at the end, and although Cipollini is probably less than 100% after a serious crash in the Tour of Italy, it would be surprising if their anticipated duel didn’t materialize this week.

The Tour traditionally front-loads sprint stages, giving the speedsters a chance to shine before the focus turns to the overall contenders and climbers in the mountains. Courses are configured so that even if break-aways happen during the stage, the peloton winds up more or less together at the end.

There are sprinters who come to the Tour to win a few stages and leave. Petacchi powered to four victories in the first week last year and quit when the road began to go uphill. Cipollini has started seven Tours and finished none, though he has vowed to get to Paris this time.

“I am waiting to see him finally win [the stage] on the Champs-Elysees,” five-time Tour winner Bernard Hinault said pointedly in the official Tour de France guide.

And there are sprinters who want to make it over the mountains. Former 7-Eleven team director Jim Ochowicz said his fondest memory of Phinney is the time he came chugging around the last switchback of Alpe d’Huez long after the winner had crossed.

“I was waiting and waiting, looking at my watch, trying to calculate if he would make the time cut,” Ochowicz said. “He came around the corner and said, ‘Thanks for waiting.’ I couldn’t give up on him.”

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At a Glance

The first stage of the 91st Tour de France:

Stage: A relatively flat 125.5-mile stage featuring brisk winds, cool temperatures and intermittent rain that left roads slick, resulting in several crashes.

Winner: Jaan Kirsipuu of Estonia, in 4 hours 40 minutes 29 seconds.

How others fared: Lance Armstrong finished 48th, in a massive pack with the same time as Kirsipuu. Fellow American Tyler Hamilton, a top rival, was 52nd, and Jan Ullrich of Germany was 32nd.

Yellow jersey: Fabian Cancellara of Switzerland.

Quote of the day: “You have to live with the crashes, and hope you don’t get into one” -- Armstrong.

Next stage: A 122-mile stage from Charleroi to Namur, Belgium, today.

FIRST STAGE: 125.5 miles from Liege, Belgium, to Charleroi

*--* P CYCLIST COUNTRY TEAM TIME 1. Jaan Kirsipuu Estonia Ag2R Prevoyance 4:40:29 2. Robbie McEwen Australia Lotto-Domo 0 seconds behind 3. Thor Hushovd Norway Credit Agricole same time 4. Danilo Hondo Germany Gerolsteiner same time 5. Jean-Patrick Nazon France Ag2R Prevoyance same time

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OVERALL STANDINGS

*--* 1. Fabian Switzerland Fassa Bortolo 4:47:11 Cancellara 2. Thor Hushovd Norway Credit Agricole 0:04 seconds behind 3. Lance United States USPS 0:10 seconds Armstrong behind 4. Jens Voigt Germany Team CSC 0:15 seconds behind 5. Jose Ivan Spain Illes Balears - B. 0:16 seconds Gutierrez Santander behind

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