Tour Sprints to Climbs

Now for the hard part.

Having made it through fast and dangerous racing during the opening flat stages of the Tour de France, riders veer today into the Pyrenees for their first encounter with the high mountains.

The steep, long, hard climbs should help separate true contenders to succeed seven-time winner Lance Armstrong from those who can’t make the gradient, offering a little clarity to a race devoid so far of any standout favorite.

The spotlight will move away from sprint specialists such as Oscar Freire, winner of Tuesday’s pancake-flat Stage 9. Lithe climbers and riders eyeing the overall title, who need to get over the humps well if they are to win in Paris on July 23, will move to the fore.

Freire, a three-time former world champion, flashed past current world champion Tom Boonen and held off a late-surging Robbie McEwen of Australia to triumph in a grouped sprint finish Tuesday at Dax in southwest France. The 105-mile ride started in Bordeaux.

The win was the Spaniard’s second of this Tour -- consolation for missing the expected birth of his first child in coming days.

“It’s better to be here winning, while not being at home, than being here losing,” he said.

Contenders for the overall title did what they nearly always do in flat stages -- stay safely out of the sprinters’ way. The gap between race leader Serhiy Honchar of Ukraine and next best overall Floyd Landis of the United States remained unchanged at 1 minute.

American Levi Leipheimer’s bad Tour got worse. He had a tire problem in the final stretch that cost him 26 seconds, adding to the large deficit he built up in the first long time trial last weekend. He is now 6:43 behind Honchar.

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AT A GLANCE

Tuesday: The 105.3-mile ninth stage took riders through the pine forests and towns of southwestern France from Bordeaux to Dax.

* Winner: Oscar Freire, a Spaniard with the Rabobank team, in 3 hours 35 minutes 24 seconds, earning his second stage victory at this year’s Tour. Australia’s Robbie McEwen, of Davitamon-Lotto, was second and Erik Zabel, a German with Milram, was third.

* Yellow jersey: T-Mobile rider Serhiy Honchar of Ukraine retained the overall lead.

* Quote of the day: “He’s cool. He’s going to get it replaced and he’ll be fine.” -- Team CSC’s David Zabriskie, on news that friend and fellow American Floyd Landis, the leader of the rival Phonak team, is to have surgery on a damaged hip this fall.

*--* STAGE 97 RESULTS OVERALL LEADERS 1. Oscar Freire, 3:35:24 Serhiy Honchar, 38:14:17 Spain Ukraine 2. Robbie McEwen, Same time Floyd Landis, 1 minute behind Australia U.S. 3. Erik Zabel, Same time Michael Rogers, 1:08 behind Germany Australia 4. Tom Boonen, Same time Patrik 1:45 behind Belgium Sinkewitz, Germany 5. Cristian Same time Andreas Kloden, 1:50 behind Moreni, Italy Germany

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Source: Associated Press