| | By Andrew Hood
ABC Sports Online
LAUSANNE, Switzerland -- It was the calm after the storm on Wednesday as the 2000
Tour de France rolled into the home of the Olympics.
The Tour changed gears as the peloton roared out of the Alps and into the
rolling heartland of the French-speaking region of Switzerland for the
96-mile 17th stage.
Riders who languished in the mountains now had a chance to earn a stage
victory.
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Erik Dekker never dreamed of winning three stages. |
Several early breaks were checked by the sprint teams hungry for a stage win.
In the end, it was a triple-decker day for the flying Dutchman Erik Dekker of the Rabobank team. Already a winner of two Tour stages this year, Dekker and
Lotto's Mario Aerts pulled away from the lead group of riders with three kilometers to
go. The main sprinters were churning in their wake, slowly reeling them in.
Aerts and Dekker were giving it everything they had going into the finish and
Dekker managed to hang on for the win, staying just ahead of Erik Zabel and
third-place Fred Rodriguez.
"I can't believe it," Dekker said. "To win three stages is incredible. I
dreamed of winning one Tour stage in my life. Now I have three."
It was a wild finish over the steep, winding streets of this posh lakeside
city. The lead group split and race leaders Lance Armstrong and Jan Ullrich
were even at the front setting the pace.
"The last three kilometers alone were difficult and I didn't think we would make it," Dekker said. "The last 500 meters I was gambling with Aerts, and he went to the finish. I saw the bunch coming up behind and I used Aerts' wheel to sprint to the finish."
Rodriguez' finish is his best so far in his impressive Tour debut. Rodriguez finished fourth in Stage Eight behind a familiar face, Dekker. On Tuesday, the U.S. champion said he was feeling good and would be looking for a stage-win as the Tour winds back to Paris.
"Our team has had some bad luck," Rodriguez said, referring to his four Mapei
teammates who abandoned the Tour last week. "My legs feel good so I'll be
looking for another opportunity."
With only four days left until the Tour ends Sunday in Paris, Armstrong recovered from Tuesday's final mountain stage and rolled calmly through Wednesday's ride with the confidence knowing the Tour is within his grasp.
"I slept well last night," Armstrong said before the start. "I'm not worried
about yesterday. In racing you have bad days. Luckily, it wasn't so bad for
me so I hope to have no problems for the rest of the Tour."
But there was some roadkill to clear out of the way before the end of
Wednesday's ride from Evian-les-Bains to Lausanne. Marco Pantani didn't start and Alex Zülle, second overall last year, abandoned midway through the stage.
Pantani was suffering from intestinal problems after going on a futile solo
attack Tuesday and packed it in after finishing 38th, more than 13 minutes
back. Pantani won two stages, but the 1998 Tour champion couldn't break
Armstrong's hold on the yellow jersey despite attacking in every mountain
stage in this year's Tour.
Pantani had some kind words for Armstrong to help sooth their feud.
"I apologize not to finish the Tour. I wanted to arrive in Paris to honor
Armstrong," Pantani said. "He was the strongest rider in this year's Tour. I
tried everything to break him. I will come back to the Tour next year in
better condition and try to win."
Pantani said he feels vindicated after coming back to racing in May after a traumatic year off the bike. He was kicked out while leading the 1999 Giro d'Italia on the penultimate stage when he failed blood tests and nearly quit cycling.
"I am surprised Pantani left the race, but he is a different kind of man. No
one can completely understand what he thinks," Armstrong said. "Elephantino a
la casa."
Zülle abandoned the Tour on the only obstacle in Wednesday's stage, the
Category 2, 1,445-meter Col des Mosses in the first half of the stage.
Zülle finished second to Armstrong last year and sacrificed his entire season
to prepare for the Tour. Nothing went well for the 32-year-old Swiss rider,
who started the day 1 hour, 26 minutes behind Armstrong.
With Zülle's withdrawal, the U.S. Postal Service is the only team with all
nine riders left.
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ALSO SEE
Stage Seventeen results
Armstrong closes in on title; Pantani, Zülle pull out
Notes from Lausanne
Hincapie Diary No. 13
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Stage 17 course map
RealVideo: 28.8
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