Tour of Mediterranean, Cat 2.3

1998 results     Other Stages     Stage 4     Stage 3, Bouc-Bel-Air - Miramas, 86 kms: Om Wednesday morning, the young 22-year old French rider Guillaume Auger (Big Mat-Auber 93), won with a strong solo attack in the stage to Miramas, in the delta area of the Rhone. He was in a 3 person breakaway which left the peloton at 30 kms - Auger, Frédéric Vifian (Post Swiss Team) and Belgian Stive Vermaut (Vlaanderen 2002). They rode well together until Auger, who is one of the bright hopes of French cycling, attacked with around 20 kms to go and was able to stay away for a solo victory. In the afternoon stage, it was another French triumph. The French team Crédit agricole won Stage 4, a Teams Time Trial over 19.5 kms between La Fare-les-Oliviers and Berre-l'Etang (North West of Marseilles), while the Italian Davide Rebellin (Polti) retained the yellow leader's jersey. On a rolling parcours of 19.5 kms, made more technical because of the side-winds which later became tail winds, the Crédit Agricole team beat Italian team Polti by 26 seconds. Credited with the best intermediate time, the team of Roger Legeay, were reduced to only 4 riders over the second half of the race. They still put in a strong performance. They rode like true professionals with Frenchman Frédéric Moncassin, Australian Stuart O'Grady, Swede Magnus Backstedt and the New Zealander Christopher Jenner, demonstrating that they had the class to make up for their lack of numbers in the end. 48 hours after Rebellin had dominated the race on the Faron, he consolidated his lead on Michael Boogerd (Rabobank) to 22 seconds. Without any bad luck occuring now, he looks like he will add the overal victory in the Tour Méditerranéen to his race record. Fellow Italian Rodolfo Massi has also won this race. The 5th stage is the longest of the Tour - 219 kms, between Miramas and Béziers (Hérault). 1. Guillaume Auger (Fra) Big Mat-Auber 93 2.03.28 2. Lauri Aus (Est) Casino 0.48 3. Fabio Baldato (Ita) Ballan-Alessio 0.50 4. Koen Beeckman (Bel) Lotto-Mobistar 5. Flavio Zandarin (Ita) Riso Scotti-Vinavil 6. Alex Vinokourov (Kaz) Casino 7. Olivier Perraudeau (Fra) Crédit Agricole 8. Ronny Assez (Bel) Home Market-Ville Charleroi 9. Jay Sweet (Aus) Big Mat-Auber 93 10. Peter Wuyts (Bel) Lotto-Mobistar s.t. Stage 4, La Fare-les-Oliviers - Berre, Team Time Trial, 19.5 kms: 1. Crédit Agricole (Fra) 20.24 2. Polti (Ita) 0.26 3. Team Home Jack & Jones (Dan) 0.32 4. Rabobank (Ned) 0.33 5. Casino (Fra) 0.40 6. Ballan-Alessio (Ita) 0.45 7. Festina (Fra) 0.49 8. Mapei-Quickstep (Ita) 0.50 9. Cofidis (Fra) 1.03 10. Vini Caldiroli (Ita) 1.04 GC after Stage 4 1. Davide Rebellin (Ita) Polti 9.25.55 2. Michael Boogerd (Ned) Rabobank 0.22 3. Wladimir Belli (Ita) Festina 0.27 4. Patrick Jonker (Ned) Rabobank 0.32 5. Beat Zberg (Swi) Rabobank 0.32 6. Christopher Jenner (NZ) Crédit Agricole 0.32 7. Mirko Celestino (Ita) Polti 0.37 8. David Moncoutié (Fra) Cofidis 0.43 9. Axel Merckx (Bel) Mapei-Quickstep 0.55 10. Fabio Baldato (Ita) Ballan-Alessio 1.08