Spaniard Takes Stage as Armstrong Cruises

As much as traveling 119.6 miles on a bike on a hot, windy day can be, it was an easy ride through the verdant French countryside Sunday at the Tour de France for all the cyclists who still think of themselves as contenders.

Aitor Gonzalez of Spain, a 29-year-old rider for the Fassa Bortolo, has never completed a Tour de France, but he raised his hands in triumph Sunday as he won the 14th stage, a steamy, flat ride from Carcassonne to this city of Roman ruins on the edge of Provence.

Gonzalez became the first Spaniard to win a stage in a year when Spaniards had high hopes that one of their own, Iban Mayo most probably, could unseat five-time defending champion Lance Armstrong.

It won’t be a Spaniard who defeats Armstrong this year. It seems more likely that only Armstrong can keep himself from winning an unprecedented sixth straight title.

After a punishing two days in the Pyrenees where he took more than nine minutes from the lead of Thomas Voeckler and left most of his other top rivals with apparently insurmountable deficits or out of the race entirely, Armstrong and his U.S. Postal teammates rode at a leisurely pace, content to finish 14:12 behind Gonzalez.

Armstrong remains in second place overall, 22 seconds behind Voeckler. Italy’s Ivan Basso, who rode side-by-side with Armstrong on Friday and Saturday, is still in third place, 1:17 behind Armstrong.

Voeckler, an appealing 25-year-old who has stamped himself as a future winner of the Tour, happily accepted another day as owner of the yellow jersey that is worn by the overall leader. He crossed the finish line on Armstrong’s wheel and afterward Voeckler said he felt a sense of accomplishment and contentment.

It has been almost 20 years since a Frenchman has won the race. Voeckler, with a gutsy piece of riding Saturday, proved a lot of people wrong. He continually fell behind the leaders only to stand up in the pedals and push himself further and keep the yellow jersey instead of surrendering it to Armstrong. Voeckler will wear the maillot jaune for a ninth time when the Tour resumes Tuesday after a final rest day.

“Whatever else happens,” Voeckler, a member of the French team Brioches La Boulangere, said Sunday, “the pressure on me is gone. We crossed the Pyrenees with the yellow jersey and that fulfilled our ambitions. Every other day now that I hold it is a bonus.”

Voeckler has charmed fans here with his constant smile and gracious behavior after each day of his first-place reign. Born on the island of Martinique, Voeckler speaks precise English and has patiently answered questions and told of his respect for the race, its history and the future of French cycling, which seemed bleak until the last 10 days.

For the last four days, the crowd has been speckled more and more with “Merci, Thomas” signs. Bernard Hinault in 1985 was the last Frenchman to win the Tour, and Voeckler’s holding of the yellow jersey for eight stages is the best showing by a hometown boy since 1992.

But Tuesday the race heads back uphill, first to the 15th stage that ends in Villard-de-Lans in the Alps after seven climbs and then Wednesday for the historic time trial that has riders climbing the 21 switchbacks of the famous L’Alpe d’Huez climb. It is the first time the punishing, dizzying slog up that mountain has been made a time trial. Riders will get no help from teammates, will have no one but themselves to lead the way or set the pace.

It will be a “great test,” Armstrong has said. Whether Armstrong, aided by his U.S. Postal riders, makes up the 22 seconds and takes over the yellow jersey Tuesday or whether he does it in Wednesday’s time trial, the question now seems more a matter of when rather than if.

It seems that way to everybody but Armstrong and his camp. Several times Saturday, Armstrong said “there are tough stages left” and the Alps “are punishing” and “nothing is certain until we ride down the Champs Elysees Sunday.”

Chris Carmichael, Armstrong’s trainer, said that it is still possible that Germany’s Jan Ullrich, more than six minutes behind Armstrong, could find his climbing legs and get back in the race. That’s what they say.

At this point no one believes them.

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Stage 14 at a Glance

* Stage: A flat, 119.6-mile course from Carcassonne to Nimes.

* Winner: Aitor Gonzalez, Spain, Fassa Bortolo, 4 hours, 18 minutes, 32 seconds.

* How others fared: Lance Armstrong, United States, U.S. Postal-Berry Floor, 14 minutes, 12 seconds behind. Ivan Basso, Italy, Team CSC, same time as Armstrong.

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

* Quote of the day: “I felt the ideal moment to attack and I gave everything I had.” -- Gonzalez, on his breakaway from a small lead group with just more than 3 miles left.

*--* STAGE 14 TOP FINISHERS N. RIDER Country Time 1. AITOR GONZALEZ Spain 4:18:32 2. NICOLAS JALABERT France :25 behind 3. CHRISTOPHE MENGIN France :25 behind 4. PIERRICK FEDRIGO France :29 behind 5. PETER WROLICH Austria :31 behind OVERALL LEADERS N. RIDER Country Time 1. THOMAS VOECKLER France 62:33:11 2. LANCE ARMSTRONG U.S. :22 behind 3. IVAN BASSO Italy 1:39 behind 4. ANDREAS KLODEN Germany 3:18 behind 5. FRANCISCO MANCEBO Spain 3:28 behind

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