Tour of Mediterranean, Cat 2.3

1998 results     Other Stages     Stage 1, Antibes - Toulon Mont Faron, 140 kms: The 26th Tour Méditerranéen saw the summit of Mont-Faron adopted by Italian colours and the Italian fans were not disappointed as Team Polti rider Davide Rebellin won the first stage and took over the leadership of the GC after day 1. 6th in the 1996 Giro, Rebellin continued the recent Italilan tradition on Faron. In the last 6 years, this stage - Antibes to Toulon (140 kms) which is considered a crucial stage in the over Tour, the Italians have won it 4 times - Casagrande won last year. Bartoli in 1997, Cipollili in 1996, and now Rebellin. 27-year old Rebellin won by a second in front of his compatriat Wladimir Belli (Festina) and the French rider David Moncoutié (Cofidis) in very cold and wet conditions. The first attack of the stage came early with Frenchman Laurent Pillon creating a 1.14 lead on the peloton. Jacky Durand (Lotto), who has a reputation for long solo breaks, then created a new break with Guillaume Auger (Big-Mat-Aubervilliers). But they were caught on the foot of Faron. On the climb of Faron, with a gradient of around 16 per cent, French rider Pascal Chanteur (Casino) attacked first and was assisted immediately by his teammate, Kazak rider Alex Vinikourov. With 3 kms before the finish they were narrowly in front, but a chasing group was coming fast. Under the red kit a group led by Luca Mazzanti with Rebellin and Belli caught them. 1. Davide Rebellin (Ita) Polti 3.62.01 2. Wladimir Belli (Ita) Festina 0.01 3. David Moncoutié (Fra) Cofidis 0.01 4. Michael Boogerd (Ned) Rabobank 0.06 5. Luca Mazzanti (Ita) Cantina Tollo 0.15 6. Patrick Jonker (Aus) Rabobank 0.16 7. Beate Zberg (Swi) Rabobank 0.16 8. Axel Merckx (Bel) Mapei-Quick Step 0.22 9. Mirko Celestino (Ita) Polti 0.27 10. Yvon Ledanois (Fra) La Francaise des Jeux 0.36