67th Paris - Nice - 2.HC

France, March 5 - 12, 2000

Stage 2 - March 6: Sens - Nevers, 201 km

Kirsipuu in white

The second stage of Paris - Nice went to Estonian Jaan Kirsipuu in a bunch sprint, quite expected. No one really got a chance to show off along the road and the last two hours was a transport with only minor attacks. The printer's teams did not want to take any chances since this stage, and maybe the last, are the only ones designed for sprinters.

Here is our live report from the last 70 kms of racing:

An early break of 13-15 riders were reeled in when Kelme's Spaniard Angel Vicioso tried his luck for a while and got half a minute. Race leader Laurent Brochard's team Jean Delatour caught him back with the help from Bonjour at around 140 kms.

After some minor attacks another Kelme rider, Alvaro Forner, got a little gap when the days only little climb started with 40 kms to go. He was caught before the top and Céderic Vasseur (US Postal) took the mountain prize sprint and will be riding in the KOM jersey tomorrow.

On the way down from the hill Erik Dekker (Rabobank) attacked, Italian Petacchi (Fassa Bortolo) came along as did Nocolas Vogondy (FDJ) and some others. Petacchi soon attacked again. Dekker tried to cover and it all ended in nothing. From an assembled peloton, another Fassa Bortolo rider, Matteo Tosatto, attacked and Jean Delatour had more and more problems to keep the speed up, but now they are helped by Credit Agricole's Chris Boardman to catch the Italian.

The sprinter's teams have taken over the peloton and will probably keep a decent speed in this the last half hour of the race, Ag2R for Kirsipuu and Crédit Agricole for O'Grady who was eleventh, eight seconds after Brochard, on the TT stage yesterday with a crash and a change of bike! Other sprinters: Steels of Mapei of course and and Baldato of Fassa Bortolo. FDJ is also tugging, for Magnien probably. This is really the only bunch sprint stage in the race, so all the sprinters are eager to do well today.

There are two finishing laps in Nevers and there are some of minor attacks among the street corners. First Polti's Spaniard Perez with Banesto's Pablo Lastras and then Vini Caldirola's Zanetti. Pascal Chanteur (Ag2R) gets a gap, with the help of Big Mat's Stéphane Bergès. This looks more serious and he passes the finishing line with two laps to go with an eight second gap but then gives up after some more kilometres.

Mapei is driving for Steels on the first of the two laps, and the Telekom train is coming up for Hondo or Lombardi for the last lap.

O'Grady is seen at the front, and now the giant Swede Bäckstedt is coming up to lead out for him. Kirsipuu is also where he should be, five victories already this season. Fassa Bortolo riding hard with Petacchi leading out to early for Baldato at 700 meters.

It's Kirsipuu once again and Danilo Hondo manages to get a couple of inches ahead of O'Grady! A crash around 30th place at 950 meters to go split the peloton. Among the victims Memorycard's Danish champion Nicolai Bo Larsen. Kirsipuu takes over the white leaders jersey.

With his victory, the sixth in less than three weeks, Jaan Kirsipuu seems to be more victorious than ever. His palmares includes 16 victories in 1997, 17 in 1998 and 18 last season. Will it be twenty this year?

"This year I am not fixed at the numbers of victories, but I hope to win big races like those in the World Cup," says the Estonian Champion, now dressed in white for at least one day to come.

Milan San Remo is mentioned by all but Kirsipuu himself as a race to try his abilities in.

"Even if Jaan does not speak much about it, I believe that he thinks of Milan-San Remo" says Pascal Chanteur, organizer of the sprint in Nevers today.

Kirsipuu is not the only Ag2R rider to consider for the Primavera in San Remo: According to Stéphan Barthe there are a couple of others in the team with a capacity for a victory:

"Yes there are two or three to think of", says French ex Champion Stéphane Barthe who indicates that his personal goal right now is a stage at the Paris - Nice although he is one of the Ag2R riders with classics capability. Kirsipuus compatriot Lauri Aus being the third.

Results

1. Jaan Kirsipuu (Est) Ag2R Prevoyance             4.56.01
2. Danilo Hondo (Ger) Telekom
3. Stuart O'Grady (Aus) Crédit Agricole
4. Jean Patrick Nazon (Fra) Francaise des Jeux
5. Fabio Baldato (Ita) Fassa Bortolo
6. Ivan Klemencic (Slo) Vini Caldirola
7. Paolo Fornaciari (Ita) Mapei-Quick Step
8. Francois Simon (Fra) Bonjour - Toupargel
9. Jo Planckaert (Bel) Cofidis
10. Tristan Hoffman (Ned) Memorycard Jack&Jones
11. Torsten Nitsche (Ger) Saeco Valli&Valli
12. Silvio Martinello (Ita) Team Polti
13. Philippe Gaumont (Fra) Cofidis
14. Tom Steels (Bel) Mapei-Quick Step
15. Ruben Galvan (Esp) Kelme-Costa Blanca
16. George Hincapie (USA) US Postal Service
17. Laurent Brochard (Fra) Jean Delatour
18. Giovanni Lombardi (Ita) Telekom
19. Andrei Kivilev (Kaz) Ag2R Prevoyance
20. David Clinger (USA) Festina-Lotus

37. Udo Bölts (Ger) Telekom
40. Andrei Tchmil (Bel) Lotto Adecco
41. Bobby Julich (USA) Crédit Agricole
43. Alexandre Vinokourov (Kaz) Telekom
51. Bo Hamburger (Den) Memorycard Jack&Jones
66. Richard Virenque (Fra) Team Polti
94. Chris Boardman (Gbr) Crédit Agricole
157. Damien Nazon (Fra) Bonjour

157 starters
157 classified


Overall:
1. Jaan Kirsipuu (Est) Ag2R Prevoyance           5.05.29
2. Laurent Brochard (Fra) Jean Delatour             0.04
3. Chris Boardman (Gbr) Credit Agricole             0.05
4. Lauri Aus (Est) Ag2R Prevoyance                  0.08
5. Stuart O'Grady (Aus) Crédit Agricole             0.08
6. George Hincapie (USA) US Postal                  0.09
7. Gilles Maignan (Fra) Ag2R Prevoyance             0.10
8. Andreas Klöden (Ger) Telekom                     0.10
9. Eddy Seigneur (Fra) Jean Delatour                0.11
10. Frankie Andreu (USA) US Postal                  0.12
11. Philippe Gaumont (Fra) Cofidis                  0.12
12. Jonathan Vaughters (USA) Credit Agricole        0.13
13. Francisco Mancebo (Esp) Banesto                 0.13
14. Tomasz Brozyna (Pol) Banesto                    0.14
15. Patrick Jonker (Ned) US Postal Service          0.15
16. Grischa Niermann (Ger) Rabobank                 0.15
17. Danilo Hondo (Ger) Telekom                      0.15
18. Erik Dekker (Ned) Rabobank                      0.16
19. Rik Verbrugghe (Bel) Lotto-Adecco               0.16
20. Aitor Garmendia (Esp) Banesto                   0.16

22. Laurent Dufaux (Sui) Saeco-Valli&Valli          0.17
24. Bobby Julich (USA) Crédit Agricole              0.17
30. Andrei Tchmil (Bel) Lotto-Adecco                0.21
31. Jacky Durand (Fra) Lotto-Adecco                 0.21
33. Stéphane Barthe (Fra) Ag2R Prevoyance           0.22
34. Daniele Nardello (Ita) Mapei-Quick Step         0.23
38. Alexandre Vinokourov (Kaz) Telekom              0.24
41. Beat Zberg (Swi) Rabobank                       0.25
48. Dario Frigo (Ita) Fassa Bortolo                 0.26
51. Alessandro Petacchi (Ita) Fassa Bortolo         0.28
63. Salvatore Commesso (Ita) Saeco Valli&Valli      0.33
73. Wladimir Belli (Ita) Fassa Bortolo              0.35
81. Andy Flickinger (Fra) Festina                   0.37
82. Udo Bölts (Ger) Telekom                         0.38
83. Fabio Baldato (Ita) Fassa Bortolo               0.38
91. Paolo Fornaciari (Ita) Mapei-Quick Step         0.41
96. Rinaldo Nocentini (Ita) Mapei-Quick Step        0.41
99. Armin Meier (Swi) Saeco - Valli & Valli         0.43
105. Giuliano Figueras (Ita) Mapei-Quick Step       0.44
109. Mauro Gianetti (Swi) Vini Caldirola            0.45
112. Richard Virenque (Fra) Team Polti              0.47
126. Sven Montgomery (Swi) Francaise Des Jeux       0.55
130. Niki Aebersold (Swi) Rabobank                  0.57
143. Francesco Casagande (Ita) Vini Caldirola       1.10
147. Michael Klinger (Swi) Vini Caldirola           1.19
156. Pietro Zucconi (Swi) Vini Caldirola            1.40
157. Anthony Morin (Fra) Crédit Agricole            1.57