PONTARLIER, France -- Lance Armstrong finished the eighth
stage of the Tour de France nearly 36 minutes behind winner Erik
Dekker, but remained in position to win the race for the third
consecutive year.
|  | | Cyclists in the Tour de France pass traditional houses in Hirtzbach in eastern France during the eighth stage of the race.
|
Riding through heavy rain and cold wind, the Texan crossed the
finish line with the main pack 35 minutes, 54 seconds after the
Dutchman.
The big margin probably will not have much bearing because
Dekker and the 13 riders within 10 minutes of him are not expected
to do well in the key mountain stages that start Tuesday.
Dekker, who rides for Rabobank, edged Spain's Aitor Gonzalez in
the final sprint on a day when another Spanish rider became the
Tour's first cyclist to fail a drug test.
Dekker completed the 138-mile stage in 4:59:18. The stretch took
riders from Colmar near Germany to Pontarlier, close to the Swiss
border.
"It was cold, and when you're in a breakaway group you get home
quicker," Dekker said.
Also in the breakaway group was Australia's Stuart O'Grady. He
reclaimed the overall leader's yellow jersey by finishing 2:32
behind Dekker.
Armstrong was 35:19 behind O'Grady, but remained 27 seconds ahead
of his main rival, Jan Ullrich of Germany.
Only seven riders trailed O'Grady in the standings by fewer than
30 minutes. Armstrong and Ullrich can easily gain time in the Alps
and the Pyrenees, which force many riders to abandon the Tour.
Servais Knaven of the Netherlands was third Sunday, registering
the same time as the top two finishers. The three were part of a
14-man group that broke from the main pack after the first three
miles.
The cyclists rode through fertile pastures and followed a
stretch of the Doubs Rver. Despite the icy rain and strong wind
there were no major crashes.
The stage Monday covers 115 miles, from Pontarlier to
Aix-les-Bains at the foot of the Alps.
Dekker's victory followed news that Txema Del Olmo pulled out of
the race. His preliminary urine sample showed unspecified
"abnormalities," his Euskaltel team said.
The test was done after the prologue in Dunkirk last weekend.
The team said he has asked that a second sample be sampled.
He was informed of the result Friday by the International
Cycling Union and the team decided he should withdraw. Del Olmo did
not start the stage Saturday.
The 1998 Tour de France was shaken by a drug scandal that led to
several riders being kicked out of the event.  Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories |
|
ALSO SEE
Tour de France results
Tour de France: Day-by-day
Spanish cyclist pulls out of Tour de France after failed drug test
Driver steers into Tour de France crowd
Tour de France results
Armstrong teammate Vande Velde pulls out of Tour
Kirsipuu takes Tour de France's sixth stage
Armstrong team falters in Tour time trial
Jalabert overcomes ladder injury to win stage
|
