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Rubens who? Bertogliati takes stage and jersey
Cycling journalists love to play with numbers. All day long, the hackswere figuring the time splits among the favorites in the chase for theyellow jersey in the 192.5-km opening stage of the 2002 Tour de France.
Prologue winner Lance Armstrong revealed he wasn’t interestedin defending the maillot jaune when he conceded the time bonusesat the first intermediate sprint after 50km, so the jersey was prime forthe picking.
All eyes were on the established riders, especially those immediatelybehind Armstrong in the overnight standings, Laurent Jalabert (CSC-Tiscali)and Raimondas Rumsas (Lampre-Daikin), and the best two sprintersfrom last year, Erik Zabel (Telekom) and Stuart O’Grady (CreditAgricole).
But Rubens Bertogliati? A promising, but little knownSwiss teammate of Rumsas, Bertogliati surprised everyone with a brilliantattack in the final kilometer to ruin the party in what racers called themost difficult opening Tour stage in years.
Now, Bertogliati, 23, from Lugano in the Ticino region of Switzerland-- whose only career win came this year at the GP de Chiasso on March 2-- has won a stage in the Tour and holds both the yellow jersey and theunder-25 white jersey.
“I was just trying to stay calm and be in position. I wanted to waitfor the final kilometer because I was sure it was going to be a good stagefor me,” said Bertogliati, whose nickname is Little Barrichello.
Just as the Telekom train leading Zabel reached the 1 km-to-go marker,Bertogliati shot off on the right side of the bunch and slipped to theleft side of the barriers on a long grinding climb up to the finish linein Luxembourg City. He opened up an eight-second gap with 500 meters togo, while the sprint teams went full-throttle to try to bring him back.
Bertogliati had just enough gas in the tank to hang on for thestage victory. Zabel, who won the first intermediate sprint for a six-secondbonus, came across in second just a few meters behind the upstart Swissrider while Australian champion Robbie McEwen (Lotto-Adecco) crossed in third.
“I didn’t think we’d catch Bertogliati because he opened up such a gapon that last steep section,” McEwen said. “Despite not getting the stage-win, today really helped my motivation because I have a lot of pain in my back.I did something in the prologue, pinched a nerve or something. I couldbarely put my shoes on this morning.”
Jalabert disappointed
The opening stages of the Tour are often a numbers game, where fleetsprinters fight for time bonuses in an attempt to snatch the jersey beforethe overall favorites take over later in the race.
There were three point sprints with time bonuses and more waiting atthe finish line. Zabel shot across to win the first bonuses at 50km, takingsix seconds off his time (he eventually moved into the green jersey). O’Gradywas second while Jalabert, who started the day just under two seconds behindArmstrong, finished third to take two seconds and become the “virtual”on-course leader.
A breakaway featuring Ludo Dierckxsens (Lampre), ChristopheMengin (FDJeux.com) and Stéphane Bergès (AG2R)gobbled up the second batch of bonuses at 117.5km and another break, thisone by Gianluca Bortolami (Tacconi Sport), Piotr Wadecki(Domo-Farm Frites) and Jacky Durand (FDJeux.com), smothered thefinal bonuses at 160 km.
It was a lottery coming into the finish. More than a dozen riders stoodthe chance to take the yellow jersey if they could win the stage, wherethe winner earns a 20-second time bonus.
Jalabert had the best chance. The popular French rider took his “virtual”lead to the finish line, but it wasn’t enough as Bertogliati – who startedthe day just 17 seconds back – took the time bonus and the jersey.
“I am disappointed. I cannot say I was satisfied,” Jalabert said. “Theteam worked very well. In the end the sprinters' teams went to the frontand then we weren’t able to stay in the front. In the end, it just wasn’tpossible to get the yellow jersey,”
Long, hard stage
Many were calling the opening stage of the 2002 Tour de France thehardest in years, probably the toughest since the 194.5km opener throughthe Basque Country hills in 1992.
“It was one of the hardest first stages in the Tour for sure,” saidCofidis’s David Millar, who will wear the white jersey Sunday becauserace-leader Bertogliati, who now leads the under-25 category as well, willdon the yellow jersey.
“I was looking around in the final 30km and I was starting to suffer.You think you’re the only one but everybody was just grimacing,” Millarsaid. “I haven’t cramped up like that in so long. This was very much aLiège or Amstel Gold-style race.”
The opening hour of the race was slow, with the peloton covering just33.1km on a difficult classics-style course over the steep hills of theArdennes. While only four of the climbs were rated, there were 13 uphillsthroughout the stage.
Several pileups marred the day, including two featuring CréditAgricole’s Christophe Moreau. The Frenchman crashed in trainingtwo weeks before the Tour and came to Luxembourg in less-than-stellar form,which he revealed by finishing a disappointing 40th in Saturday’s openingprologue.
The winner of last year’s prologue limped home in 139th, 3:20 back withabrasions to his right knee and other cuts. Several other riders fell,including American Tyler Hamilton (CSC-Tiscali), who went down withMoreau in the late-stage crash without serious injuries.
Scores of riders tried to attack in the closing kilometers, butTelekom and Lotto hammered hard to try to bring it back together beforethe finish.
“It was an awful day for us,” said Crédit Agricole’s StuartO’Grady. “Moreau crashed twice and lost three minutes. I didn’t haveanything for the sprint. I was knackered. The climb at the end was veryhard.”
Armstrong fine to lose jersey
Lance Armstrong was happy to see the yellow jersey — and thepressure that goes with it — slip away to another rider. The three-timedefending champion knows his destiny with the maillot jaune lies sometimelater in the three-week Tour de France.
Armstrong finished safely in the main bunch in 30th and moved to thirdoverall three seconds back. Armstrong quietly slipped across the finishline, went directly to his U.S. Postal Service team bus and quickly droveback to the team hotel. His day at the Tour de France was over.
“Today was a good day for the team,” said U.S. Postal Service directeursportif Johan Bruyneel. “We stayed at the front but we didn’t have to workat all. Jalabert took the two seconds and then CSC controlled the race.”
Bruyneel said the team kept Armstrong well-protected at the front, keepingthe three-time defending champion out of harm’s way.
“These opening stages are usually no problem for the leaders. It’s atthe back where the problems are, with the wind, crashes, splits. It’s justa matter of keeping the team in control at the front of the race,” he said.
The next major challenge for the team will be Wednesday’s team timetrial. Postal will work to stay at the front and keep the Texan out ofharm’s way, Bruyneel said.
“The team time trial is big, the most important day until the firstindividual time trial,” Bruyneel said. “Lance is relaxed. He’s feelinggood and he’s feeling confident.”
Stage 1, 192.5 km (119 miles), circuit course, Luxembourg-Luxembourg
Weather: Partly cloudy, brisk winds where dense forests didn’tbuffer the roads, temperatures in mid- to upper-60s.
Stage winner: Rubens Bertogliati (Swi), Lampre-Daikin, 4 hours,49 minutes, 16 seconds, 39.929 kph
Overall leader: Rubens Bertogliati
Points jersey: Erik Zabel (G), Telekom
Climber’s jersey: Christophe Mengin (F), FDJeux.com
Best young rider: Rubens Bertogliati
Best team: CSC-Tiscali
Peloton: All 189 riders remain.
UCI jury decisions
Four riders fined 50 SF for modifying their race bib numbers: JoseAzevedo (Sp), ONCE; Servais Knaven (Nl), Domo; Massimo Donati(I), Tacconi and Andrej Hauptman (Slo), Tacconi
Injury report
Seven riders treated for injuries in spills, including Erik Dekker(Nl), Rabobank, cuts to left knee and bruises on left leg and ChristopheMoreau (F), Crédit Agricole, multiple cuts and traumatism toleft knee.
Up next
Monday’s 181km (112-mile) secondstage leaves Luxembourg and travels to Saarbrücken, Germany, anindustrial city along the French-German border. The relatively flat, rollingstage features two minor climbs: Cote de Perl (Cat. 4, 60 km); and Coted’Alsweiler-Heid (Cat. 4, 132.5 km). The flat, straight finish is idealfor the sprinting teams.
