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Wednesday, August 30
Dufaux wins sprint finish in World Cup race
Associated Press
ZURICH, Switzerland -- Lance Armstrong finished fifth, more
than a minute behind winner Laurent Dufaux, in Sunday's Zurich
Championship, the last World Cup road race before the Olympics.
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Armstrong mildly hurt in accident
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Lance Armstrong suffered only bruises after he and another
cyclist were hit by a car in southern France in an accident that
destroyed his bicycle and smashed his helmet into pieces.
The two-time Tour de France champion took the brunt of the
impact with the car Tuesday, but X-rays proved negative, said Dan
Osipow, a spokesman for the San Francisco-bsed sports marketing
firm Disson Furst and Partners.
"He was not hurt seriously, but was bruised and banged up pretty good," Osipow said Wednesday. The 28-year-old Texan was recuperating at home in Nice.
Another member of Armstrong's U.S. Postal Service team, Tyler
Hamilton, scraped his knee and elbow, Osipow said.
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Armstrong, who has won the Tour de France the last two years
after coming back from cancer, didn't match the pace of Dufaux and
two other riders who broke away and battled in a tight sprint.
Dufaux, the first Swiss rider to win the event in 19 years, just
edged 1997 Tour de France winner Jan Ullrich and Italy's Francesco
Casagrande at the finish.
Dufaux completed the 154 miles over six circuits of a route
around Zurich in 6 hours, 7 minutes, 21 seconds.
Temperatures topped 90 degrees, causing the field to splinter
early, with many riders quitting. Only 47 of the 167 starters
completed the race.
Armstrong crossed the line just behind 1997 Zurich Championship
winner Davide Rebellin, and both were officially timed in 1:03
behind Dufaux.
Germany's Erik Zabel finished 24th, more than 17 minutes back,
gaining only two points for the overall World Cup standings. But he
stayed comfortably ahead of defending World Cup champion Andrei
Tchmil, 332 points to 206, with two races remaining.
The World Cup resumes in October, after the Sydney Games, where
Armstrong should contend for a medal in the road race and will be a
favorite in the time trial.
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