Now It’s an Uphill Battle

The racing Wednesday belonged to the French, which seemed fair since it was Bastille Day, a national holiday.

Richard Virenque, a 34-year-old who was brought down by the Tour de France’s worst doping scandal in 1998 and rose again because of his fierce love of climbing the mountains, rode triumphantly to the first mountain-stage victory.

And a young native, Thomas Voeckler, 25, made a determined sprint at the end to hold on to the Tour’s yellow jersey.

While Virenque wept at the finish, pointing skyward to honor his grandmother who had died two days earlier, there was another broken heart in the peloton.

Tyler Hamilton lost 11 seconds to Lance Armstrong, his former teammate and current rival. But Hamilton’s labored riding and lowered head had more to do with sorrow than exhaustion. A day earlier, Hamilton found out that his beloved 9-year-old golden retriever, Tugboat, had terminal cancer.

“My best friend, my dog, I’ve had him for nine years, he has cancer really bad and we have to put him down to rest,” Hamilton said after Wednesday’s 10th stage. “For me, he was like a child. I’ve had many great years with him.”

Hamilton’s wife, Haven, brought Tugboat to the Tour a year ago after Hamilton broke his collarbone in a race fall, and the dog became almost as famous as the rider.

Deirdre Moynihan, head of Hamilton’s foundation, said Tugboat received autograph requests and was inundated with people offering hugs and treats wherever Hamilton went.

Haven brought Tugboat to Limoges, where Wednesday’s stage had begun, so Hamilton could say his goodbyes before the dog was put to sleep.

Hamilton’s father, Bill, said Tugboat had gotten sick the day Hamilton left for this Tour, but the seriousness of the illness didn’t become apparent until Monday.

For the other racers, it was a day of glorious weather and tortured riding. After a week and a half of mostly flat stages, the path through the Massif Central area included nine climbs and very little flat territory. The sun was shining and the holiday crowds packed the roadsides and leaned in close to the riders.

Virenque, who rides for the Belgian team Quick Step-Davitamon, is trying to become the only man to be crowned King of the Mountains for a seventh time and wear the polka dot jersey awarded to the cyclist who earned the most points on all the climbs.

Besides winning in 6 hours, 24 seconds in the Tour’s longest stage, 147 miles, Virenque also finished first on all nine climbs.

“It’s fabulous, especially on July 14,” Virenque said as he began crying. “Two close persons to me have departed and they both kept me going toward the end.”

He was referring to his grandmother and also to Joel Chabiron, who had been the mechanic on Festina, the team disgraced by the 1998 drug scandal.

Two cycling web sites reported that Axel Merckx, who had ridden on the wheel of Virenque for two-thirds of the race, accused Virenque of breaking a pre-race agreement that Merckx would help Virenque win the climbs and that the two would sprint to the finish. Instead Virenque left a tiring Merckx behind well before the finish.

Virenque told French reporters he did not break the agreement and that Merckx, son of five-time winner Eddie Merckx, fell behind on his own.

Armstrong, aiming for an unprecedented sixth consecutive Tour title, finished sixth in the stage and remained sixth overall, 9:35 behind Voeckler.

In the final few kilometers of the stage a group of 14 riders including Armstrong, Jan Ullrich, the 1997 winner and five-time runner-up, Voeckler, Spaniard Iban Mayo and Italian Ivan Basso, separated themselves from the rest of the field. Armstrong was smiling at the finish.

Armstrong said he didn’t expect major moves from the top riders until Friday and Saturday’s mountaintop finish stages.

He leads Hamilton by 47 seconds and Ullrich by 55.

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Stage 10 at a Glance

* Stage: The longest in the three-week tour, from Limoges to Saint-Flour; 147.27 miles.

* Winner: Richard Virenque, France, Quick Step-Davitamon, 6 hours, 24 seconds.

* How others fared: Lance Armstrong, United States, US Postal-Berry Floor, 6th place, 5 minutes, 19 seconds behind. Jan Ullrich, Germany, T-Mobile Team, 15th place, same time.

* Yellow jersey: French cyclist Thomas Voeckler of Brioches La Boulangere retains the leader’s shirt.

* Quote of the Day: “It’s fabulous, I was at the end of my strength. I had cramps everywhere” -- Virenque, after his stage victory.

*--* OVERALL LEADERS N. RIDER Country Time 1. THOMAS VOECKLER France 42:42.14 2. STUART O’GRADY Australia 3:00 behind 3. SANDY CASAR France 4:13 behind 4. RICHARD VIRENQUE France 6:52 behind 5. JAKOB PIIL Denmark 7:31 behind 6. LANCE ARMSTRONG U.S. 9:35 behind

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