Etoile de Besseges, Cat 2.4

France, February 5-9, 1997 

  • Stage One Results

  • Stage Two Results

  • Stage Three Results

  • Stage Four Results

  • Stage Five Results and Final GC

    • The Stages are as follows:

    February 5: Stage 1, Nimes-Nimes (143km)
February 6: Stage 2, Sete-Sete (138km)
February 7: Stage 3, Saint-Florent-sur-Auzonnet-Les Fumades (138km)
February 8: Stage 4, Laudun-Laudeu (139km)
February 9: Stage 5, Molieres-sur-Ceze-Besseges (142km)

    Stage 1, Nimes-Nimes, 143 kms:

     1. Patrice Halgan (France) Festina    3.13.09
 2. Eros Poli (Italy) GAN
 3. Bruno Boscardin (Italy) Festina
 4. Rodolfo Massi (Italy) Casino
 5. Laurent Roux (France) TVM
 6. Zbigniew Spruch (Poland) Mapei      all s.t.
 7. Steven De Jongh (Netherlands)         1:42
 8. Wim Feys (Belgium) Lotto
 9. Ruben Galvan (Spain) Kelme
10. Kris Gerits (Belgium) Vlaandeeren
11. Frederic Pontier  (Fra,CASINO)
12. Thierry Gouvenou  (Fra, BIGMAT)    all s.t.
13. Jacky Durand      (Fra, CASINO)     +  1.47
14. Jann Kirsipuu     (Est, CASINO)     +  1.52
15. Jo Planckaert     (Bel, LOTTO)         s.t.

Classified:  126

    GC after Stage 1

     1. Halgan                           3.12.59
 2. Poli                         	0.04
 3. Boscardin                    	0.06
 4. Massi                        	0.08
 5. Roux                        	0.10
 6. Spruch                  		s.t.
 7. De Jongh                  		1:52
 8. Feys
 9. Galvan
10. Gerits                  	       all s.t.

    Stage 2, Sete-Sete, 138.3 km

     1. Jan Svorada (Slovakia) Mapei 		3.22.58
 2. Marcel Wust (Germany) Festina
 3. Jann Kirsipuu (Estonia)
 4. Frederic Moncassin (France) GAN
 5. Lars Michaelsen (Denmark) TVM
 6. Steven De jongh (Netherlands) TVM
 7. Emmanuel Magnien (France) Festina
 8. Zbigniew Spruch (Poland) Mapei
 9. Elio Aggiano (Italy) Refin
10. Jo Planckaert (Belgium) Lotto
11. Gabriele Balducci (Italy) Refin
12. Gordon Fraser (Canada) Mutuelle
13. Enrico Cassani (Italy) Polti
14. Bruno Boscardin (Italy) Festina
15. Djamolidin Abdujaparov (Uzb.) Lotto        all s.t.

The peloton arrived at the same time as Svorada.

    GC after Stage 2

     1. Patrice Halgan (France) Festina          6.35.56
 2. Eros Poli (Italy) GAN                 	0.05
 3. Bruno Boscardin (Italy) Festina       	s.t.
 4. Rodolfo Massi (Italy) Casino          	0.09
 5. Zbigniew Spruch (Poland) Mapei       	0.10
 6. Laurent Roux (France) TVM            	0.11
 7. Jan Svorada (Slovakia) Mapei       		1:48
 8. Steven De Jongh (Netherlands) TVM  		1:53
 9. Wim Feys (Belgium) Lotto
10. Ruben Galvan (Spain) Kelme
11. Kris Gerits (Belgium, Vlaanderen)
12. Frederic Pontier  (France, Casino)         all s.t.
13. Marcel Wust (Germany) Festina               1.57
14. Jacky Durand ( France) Casino               1.58
15. Jann Kirsipuu (Estonia)                     1.59

    Stage 2 Report

    The seconds stage, contested yesterday in the hinterland of Shte on a layout of 134.5 kms. designed around the delicious Mediterranean city and which was won by Jan Svorada, was full of emotions, suspense and polemics. At Km. 85, while Pascal Lance of the Big-Mat Aubervilliers was on a lonely breakaway with 2'30" of advantage on the peloton, one of the commissioner of competition cars made seven riders fall. The caravan decided to stop and the race director neutralized the race temporarily, stopping Pascal Lance's escape.

    The commisioner believed that he had made the right decision and that the seven riders should not be penalized for the accident, although it is possible that if the accident hadn't happened Lance would have been able to carry his escape to. Mapei's Jan Svorada, who won two stages and the overall ahead of Nelissen and Baldato in 1996, has said loud and clear that he doesn't think that he will be able to repeat last season's results.

    "I feel in form and I could count on my team which is both ambitious and of character - the Slovak explained-, but he's not in a position now to think about the general classification. I will work for Zibl Spruch, who is doing very well and who seems to have all it takes to take it all. After the Besseges we will go to the Tour de Murcia, Tirreno-Adriatico and the Giro di Sardinia. I fell really good with Mapei, we are still in period of adjustment, but this new group is already tight, I have many ambitions and I will surely have a chance to show it in the course of the season".

    Pascal Lance, he put up a good face to his bad luck. "I don't know exactly what happened -he has said at the finishing line- ,they explained to me that because of an accident the caravan had asked and gotten the neutralization of the race. I know only that I had 2'30 of advantage: I was stopped for 20 minutes. It is useless to say that I felt like I could have gone all the way, but the peloton caught me a t 12 kilometers from the finish".

    Stage 3, St. Florent-Les Fumades, 138 kms:

     1. Jan Svorada (Czech Republic) Mapei 		3.15.43
 2. Frederic Moncassin (France) GAN
 3. Jo Planckaert (Belgium) Lotto
 4. Fabio Sacchi (Italy) Polti
 5. Jann Kirsipuu (Estonia) Casino
 6. Elio Aggiano (Italy) Refin
 7. Laurent Brochard (France) Festina
 8. Johan Capiot (Belgium) TVM
 9. Gordon Fraser (Canada) Mutuelle de Seine-et-Marne
10. Steven de Jongh (Netherlands) TVM
11. Angel Edo (Spa, Kelme-Costa Blanca-Eurosport)
12. Nottebart (Bel, Cedico-Ville de Charleroi)
13. Emmanuel Magnien (France) Festina
14. Enrico Cassani (Italy) Polti
15. Philippe Gaumont (France) Cofidis
16. Christophe Capelle (France) Cofidis
17. Laurent Pillon (France) Mutuelle           all s.t.

Classified: 122

Didn't start: Blevin (Mutuelle), Gerits (Vlaanderen 2002), Bramati (Mapei)
Abandoned: Chauviere (Mutuelle)

    GC after Stage 3

     1. Patrice Halgand (France) Festina 	     9.51.39
 2. Eros Poli (Italy) GAN              		0.05
 3. Bruno Boscardin (Italy) Festina   		s.t.
 4. Rodolfo Massi (Italy) Casino      		0.09
 5. Zbigniew Spruch (Poland) Mapei   		0.10
 6. Laurent Roux (France) TVM        		0.11
 7. Svorada                        		1:38
 8. De Jongh                       		1:53
 9. Wim Feys (Belgium) Lotto
10. Ruben Galvan (Spain) Kelme
11. Frederic Pontier  (France, Casino)       all s.t.
12. Frederic Moncassin (France) GAN             1.57
13. Marcel Wust (Germany) Festina               s.t.
14. Jacky Durand ( France) Casino               1.58
15. Stephane Barthe (France) Casino             s.t.

    Stage 3 Report

    Jan Svorada (Mapei GB) won for the second day in a row at the Etoile de Besseges, when he won the third stage in a sprint, contested today between the French cities of Saint-Florent and Lea Fumades. Frenchman Patrice Halgand (Festina) remains the overall leader, with a five second advantage over the Italians Eros Poli and Bruno Boscardin.

    There was a breakaway at kilometer 43 by Italian Daniele Nardello, Spaniard Juan de los Angeles, Frenchman Yvon Ledanois, Belgians Marc Wauters and Thierry Marcihal and Japanese Daisuke Imanaka which marked the development of this stage. The breakaway reached a maximum advantage of two minutes at the climb of Trelis at 40 kilometers from the finish line. But twenty kilometers later they were neutralized by a peloton commanded by Festina, which fought to retain the leader's yellow jersey of Halgand. Svorada won in the sprint with a time of 3:15:53 for the 141 kilometer stage.

    Stage 4, Laudun-Laudun, 139 kms:

     1. Emmanuel Magnien (France) Festina 	     3.12.57
 2. Zbigniew Spruch (Poland) Mapei
 3. Jann Kirsipuu (Estonia) Casino
 4. Gabriele Balducci (Italy) TRefin
 5. Jo Planckaert (Belgium) Lotto
 6. Andrei Tchmil (Ukraine) Lotto
 7. Enrico Cassani (Italy) Polti
 8. Steven de Jongh (Netherlands) TVM
 9. Bruno Boscardin (Italy) Festina
10. Guido Wirz (Switzerland) Post Swiss
...
15. Patrice Halgand (Fra, Festina-Lotus)  all s.t.
(120 finishers)

    GC after Stage 4

    
 1. Patrice Halgand (France) Festina 	    13.04.35
 2. Zbigniew Spruch (Poland) Mapei              0.05
 3. Bruno Boscardin (Italy) Festina             0.06
 4. Eros Poli (Italy) Gan                       s.t.
 5. Rodolfo Massi (Italy) Casino                0.10
 6. Laurent Roux (France) TVM                   0.12
 7. Jan Svorada (Czech Republic) Mapei      	1:39
 8. Ruben Galvan (Spain) Kelme              	1:51
 9. Magnien                                 	1:54
10. De Jongh                               	s.t.

    Stage 4 Report

    A break of five took off a little before the penultimate finishing circuit 12km form the line: Vogondy (Fra, La Francaise des Jeux), Cassani (Polti), Baducci (Refin), Michaelsen (Den, TVM) and Barthe (Fra, Casino). Chased down by Mapei-GB and GAN the break was caught with 4km to go. Svorada worked for Mapei team-mate Spruch -- closest to Halgand on general classification -- who appeared to have won the stage, even taking the bouquest on the podium. A later closer examination of the photo showed Magnien to have won -- a relief to Halgand whose overall lead jumped from a scary 1 second to a merely frightening 5 seconds.

    Stage 5, Moliere-sur-Ceze, 142 kms:

     1. Jan Svorada (Czech Republic) Mapei 		     3.21.42
 2. Elio Aggiano (Italy) Refin          		0.02
 3. Enrico Cassani (Italy) Polti              		0.11
 4. Gerard Rue (France) Gan                        	s.t.
 5. Peter Farazijn (Belgium) Lotto                 	s.t.
 6. Frederic Bessy (France) Casino                 	s.t.
 7. Jann Kirsipuu (Estonia) Casino                   	0.25
 8. Gabriele Balducci (Italy) Refin                	s.t.
 9. Jo Planckaert (Belgium) Lotto                  	s.t.
10. Bruno Boscardin (Italy) Festina               	s.t.

    Final overall standings:

     1. Patrice Halgand (France) Festina 		    16.26.42
 2. Zbigniew Spruch (Poland) Mapei      		0.05
 3. Boscardin                                     	0.06
 4. Eros Poli (Italy) Gan                          	s.t.
 5. Rodolfo Massi (Italy) Casino                 	0.10
 6. Laurent Roux (France) TVM                    	0.12
 7. Svorada                                    		1:01
 8. Aggiano                                    		1:34
 9. Rue                                        		1:48
10. Farazijn                                      	s.t.
11. Galvan 						1.51
12. Barthe						1.53
13. Magnien						1.54
14. Feys
15. Pontier 						both s.t.

    Final Stage Report

    Frenchman Patrice Halgand scored his first major win on Sunday by taking the Etoile de Besseges race despite sustaining a puncture near the end of the final stage.

    Despite the mishap during the 142-km ride from Molieres-sur-Ceze to Besseges in southeastern France, Halgand managed to catch up with the peloton, assisted by his team mates in the Festina team, and hold on to his overall lead.

    The stage was won by Czech Jan Svorada, the winner of last year's race, who took three of this year's five stages but had to be content with seventh place 61 seconds overall behind the winner.

    Polish Zbigniew Spruch ended second five seconds behind Halgand with Italian Bruno Boscardin third a further one second back.