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Straight ahead Armstrong retains lead; Steels wins 17th stage
Posted: Thursday July 22, 1999 12:43 PM
BORDEAUX, France (AP) -- Lance Armstrong stayed safely in command of the Tour de France Thursday as the race left the grueling Pyrenees mountains and returned to flat ground in Bordeaux wine country. Armstrong came in 51st in a stage won by Belgium's Tom Steels. The 27-year-old Texan crossed the finish line with much of the pack, retaining his overall lead of 6 minutes, 15 seconds. Steels surged past his rivals in the last seconds of the 17th stage to capture his third win of the Tour. Robbie McEwen of Australia was second and Erik Zabel of Germany was third. It was a disappointing day for Stuart O'Grady. The Australian was in position to contest the final sprint, but fell close to the finish line. He was bruised, but managed to complete the race. And it was a sad day for Pavel Tonkov. The Russian, who was in 11th place overall, had to quit the race because of the death of his father. Tonkov, leader of Italy's Mapei team, is a former Tour of Italy winner. The 200-kilometer (125-mile) stage went from the foot of the Pyrenees near Spain into the Bordeaux region, where cyclists rode through pine forests and past vineyards. It got off to a strange start when, only 5 kilometers (3.1 miles) into the race, the riders were blocked by firemen protesting their working conditions. "Angry Firemen!" said a banner. The race had to begin again. In another strange occurrence later, a number of riders found themselves wiping their eyes when a fan threw some kind of substance into the road -- some said it may have been pepper. An eight-man group broke out at 45 kilometers (28 miles) and eventually reached a lead of :55, before the pack started picking up speed and reeling them in. The group included two national champions, Germany's Udo Bolts and Australia's Henk Vogels. With 14 kilometers (8.8 miles) left, the pack was grouped together again, and the sprinters were jockeying for position. Armstrong, making a stunning comeback from testicular cancer, remained on course for a probable victory on Sunday in Paris, when the riders reach the Champs-Elysees for their grand finale. Before then, he has only one flat stage left on Friday, and then a time trial -- his specialty -- on Saturday. A day after lashing out at the French media for what he called "vulture journalism," Armstrong was quiet on Thursday, not appearing for the post-race news conference. "They want me to crack on the bike -- and I'm not going to," he said defiantly on Wednesday. For two days, the French newspaper Le Monde had reported that traces of a corticosteroid were detected in his urine. Corticosteroids are anti-inflammatory and painkilling drugs that are not classed as steroids. They are banned unless prescribed by doctors for a variety of conditions, including asthma. Cycling's governing body announced Wednesday that the only drug Armstrong has been taking is an authorized skin cream for saddle sores. Armstrong said he had been "persecuted" by journalists who were out looking for stories about drugs. "This is bad for cycling and for the Tour de France," he said. The French media began sniping at Armstrong a week ago after he powered to victory in the Alps, intimating that only banned drugs could explain his dramatic success. After being diagnosed in October 1996, he had surgery to remove
his right testicle and brain lesions, then underwent three months
of chemotherapy. He was out for the 1997 season and began his
comeback last May.
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