Tour News for July 29

Stage 20 - Live coverage
Stage 20 - Full results and report

Post-stage comments

Lance Armstrong (1st GC)

"Like always, I am happy when it is over. The feeling of this win is even greater this year than the two preceding ones. Next year? I like the bike, it is my profession, and the Tour is my prime objective. It is the greatest race of the world, I am always motivated."

"My program? I will wait before deciding about the Vuelta. The World Championships? Not, I do not think so."

Jan Svorada (1st stage)

"I felt really good today. I didn't know when I made my jump that they wouldn't catch me. I'm very surprised to win, but happy.

Andrei Kivilev (4th GC)

"No, I'm very happy. It was a great Tour. I did my best and I think this is a very good result."

Winner's profile: Jan Svorada

Jan Svorada
Photo: © AFP
The winner of the final stage of the Tour 2001 was a little surprising, as Jan Svorada (Lampre) got the jump on Erik Zabel to take the sprint by several bike lengths. It was Svorada's third ever Tour stage win, after wins in 1994 and 1998. The 32 year old Czech fast man was actually on the point of retiring last year, but was persuaded by Lampre manager Giuseppe Saronni to continue one more season.

Svorada won the amateur Peace Race in 1990 before turning pro in 1991 with Colnago. He then rode for Lampre from 1992-1995, Ceramiche Panaria (1996), Mapei (1997-1998), before signing with Lampre again from 1999 onwards.

Although a pure sprinter, Svorada also managed to win the G.P. du Midi Libre in 1994, a race with some moderate climbs in it. His other victories have included four stages in the Giro, and three in the Vuelta, making him one of the rare cyclists to have won stages in all major tours.

He was originally a Slovak, but when the split happened he chose the Czech Republic in 1996.

Summary of classification winners

General classification: Lance Armstrong (USA) US Postal Service
Mountains classification: Laurent Jalabert (Fra) CSC-Tiscali
Points classification: Erik Zabel (Ger) Telekom
Best young rider classification: Oscar Sevilla (Spa) Kelme
Most combative rider classification: Laurent Jalabert (Fra) CSC-Tiscali
Teams classification: Kelme-Costa Blanca

Final podium

1 Lance Armstrong (USA) US Postal Service
2 Jan Ullrich (Ger) Telekom
3 Joseba Beloki (Spa) ONCE-Eroski

Note: This is the first and only time since 1978-1979 that the final podium has been identical to the previous year.

Second fastest Tour ever

The 2001 edition of the Tour de France turned out to be the second fastest of all time, with Lance Armstrong's time of 86:17:28 corresponding with an average speed of 40.07 km/h. Armstrong also holds the record for the fastest Tour: 40.276 km/h in his first win in 1999.

Records

1999: 40.276 km/h: Lance Armstrong
2001: 40.070 km/h: Lance Armstrong
1998: 39.983 km/h: Marco Pantani
2000: 39.572 km/h: Lance Armstrong
1992: 39.504 km/h: Miguel Indurain
1997: 39.237 km/h: Jan Ullrich
1996: 39.227 km/h: Bjarne Riis
1995: 39.193 km/h: Miguel Indurain

Lance gets the lemon

In addition to winning his third Maillot Jaune, Lance Armstrong was also awarded the somewhat less prestigious "Prix Citron du Tour de France". This was given out by journalists and photographers for the least(!) cooperative rider since the start of the Tour in Dunkirk on July 7.

Armstrong was fairly closed in the first week, but after he took stage 10 he opened up, primarily in press conferences and interviews. Did he deserve the lemon or was it just sour grapes?

Laurent Jalabert, on the other hand, was given the orange prize for being the most cooperative rider, adding to his polka dot jersey and most combative prize.

Spectator injured by the the advertising caravan

A 20 year old man has been slightly wounded after being hit by a vehicle part of the advertising caravan, shortly after the start of the final stage. The man was crossing the road to try and pick up one of the many valuable objects thrown out by the caravan, and ended up on the windscreen of a car. He was not seriously wounded, but was taken by the firemen to the hospital in Corbeil-Essonnes.

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