Live from Bill's Racing Results Service - LBL As it Unfolds
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Profile of Route, and Previews
FINISH
1. Bartoli 2. Jalabert 0.08 3. Colombo 0.21 4. Le Blanc 5. Sciandri 6. Museeuw 7. Zberg What a finale! LAST CLIMB - BARTOLI AWAY FROM JALABERT. Finale - Zulle at 8". Group - Sorensen, Casarotto, Casagrande and Sciandri on 22". latest - Only two leaders: Jalabert and Bartoli. Group with Casagrande, Cassarotto and Sorensen are coming. 17h15 - Still 30". Too late for them. 17h13 - Peloton at 34". 17h11 - Still 5 km with leaders Jalabert, Zulle and Bartoli. 17h10 - Counter-attack by Sorensen and Casagrande. 17h07 - Christopher Boardman attacks from peloton very fast. Leaders still at 47" though. 8 km to go. 17h05 - Still 10 km to go. Peloton closing but still at 49". 17h03 - Peloton going fast now. 17h02 - Leaders are working well together. Peloton with Museeuw at 56". 17h00 - Museeuw attacks from front of peloton. Still 50" from the three out in front. Getting too close to finish for him I think. 16h59 - Jalabert attacks, Bartoli follows. Still 15 km to go 16h58 - Zulle attacks; Jalabert on wheel of Bartoli. 16h55 - Zulle again gains 15 meters; but comes back. 16h54 - Zulle back with Bartoli and Jalabert. 16h53 - Bartoli strong; Zulle loses 30 meters; Jalabert is having problem coming back to Bartoli. 16h52 - Leaders start climb Cote du Sart-Tilman (240 meter high/5,3% with part of 9%) My server is working its butt off. It will slow a bit! But it means we are all having fun. No? 16h50 - Still 20 km and peloton on 1'22" 16h49 - Rabobank (with Patrick Jonker) and Mapei leading peloton. 16h45 - Still 25 km to go. 1'10" for the leaders over peleton. 16h44 - Peloton is at 1'10" to the three leaders. 16h42 - Mapei and Rabobank teams are leading peloton. They have to get back into the race. There is still time. 16h41 - Peloton at 40". 16h40 - Museeuw back in peloton. 16h49 - Museeuw on 32". 16h37 - Museeuw will wait for peloton. He is done. 16h35 - Still 3 leaders: Jalabert, Zulle and Bartoli. Museeuw is not catching them. The Finale has started! Because this is my second favourite race I am staying to the end! Late night for me. 16h31 - The peloton has gone; The race is now going very fast. Museeuw has 50 meters to go to get to the other leaders 16h30 - Museeuw is coming back fast! 16h29 - Leaders have 10" on top of Cote de la Redoute 16h25 - Attack on Cote de la Redoute - Zulle. Followed by Pantani, Jalabert, Bartoli. Group of 4. Museeuw and Gianetti are coming up too? 16h27 - Pantani goes out of group. Leaders Zulle, Jalabert and Bartoli Flash from elsewhere: Eddy Bouwmans overall winner of Teleflex Tour. 16h22 - Only 7 seconds for Frattini in Aywaille; 500 meter before the Cote de la Redoute just out of Remouchamps. Very narrow, winding up the hill near the Freeway to Luik - along a narrow road of houses, right up a lane, start climbing, path narrows, swing right up the hill, steep, swing to the left, then very steep, straighten out, then swing left and run sort of parallel to the Freeway which had passed through the east of the village over a huge (high) bridge. That was before you climbed to the top. Now along a narrow path as you go over the top heading north towards Luik. Tough as hell (271 meter high). 16h19 - 15" for Frattini. Peloton hammering at 65 km/h. Mapei is coming to the front of peloton too. 16h17 - Frattini with peloton on 12". 1615 - Attack by Frattini (Batik). Once let him go. 16h11 - Still 50 km to go. Once leads peloton. 16h10 - Peloton complete. 16h06 - Bo Hamburger solo. 16h01 - Peloton complete 16h00 - Climb Cote de la Vecquee (450 meter high/6,4% with part of 8%) 15h58 - Attack in peloton Baldinger, Riis 15h55 - Ravitaillering in La Gleize (food supply point). Group of 7 leaders: including Madouas, Hamburger. Peloton on 16" 15h50 - Leaders 20" on peloton. 15h48 - Still 65 km to go; nobody can remember such a large peloton in a final of LBL. 15h47 - Attack of Etxebarria, Garcia and Coppolillo during descent of Cote du Rosier. 15h45 - Several attacks (b.e. Virenque, Zberg) without result. 15h43 - No leaders away now, peloton complete 15h40 - Start climb Cote du Rosier (500 m high) 15h35 - Brignoli still 20 seconds 15h34 - Group of 8 - 25" in front of peloton 15h31 - Brignoli still 30 seconds 15h29 - 8 riders left peloton: Maarten den Bakker, Etxebarria, Garcia, Coppolillo, Dufaix, Rebellin, Saugrain and Meinert-Nielsen 15h26 - Still 81 km to go 15h25 - On 1 km of the top peloton reach Totschnig 15h17 - Brignoli start climb Cote de la Haute-Lavee (460 m/5,7% with part of 11%). Second Totschnig. Peloton complete in Stavelot; with Museeuw in second part of peloton. 15h15 - Alberto Volti and Puttini in front of peloton. Peloton on 3'30" of Brignoli. 15h10 - Only one leader: Brignoli; Totschnig can't follow him anymore. Peloton on less than 5 minutes 15h09 - Totschnig and Brignoli starts climb Cote de Stockeu (13% with part of 22%) 15h07 - Two leaders: Totschnig and Brignoli 15h05 - Rabo-team (for Sorensen) in front of peloton (with all favourites) 15h01 - Peloton is losing riders. Totschnig on top of Cote d'Aisomont. Brignoli on 50". Moos (Saico) on 4'55". Peloton on 5'10" 14h58 - Brignoli on 1'. Alexander Moos (Saico/Switz) a few hundred meters in front of peloton. 14h55 - After descent: Brignoli on 2'30" and nearly complete peleton on 6'57" (30 riders behind, but they are coming back soon) 14h52 - Peleton on top Cote des Hezalles (7 minutes after Totschnig) 14h48 - Anderson (TVM/Sweden) a few hundred meters in front of peleton. In Trois-Ponts the start of climb Cote des Hezalles (23%) 14h44 - Totschnig, Brignoli on 3'30', peloton on 8'55 14h35 - Big peloton with Sorensen, Le Blanc in the frontline. Winterclothes off; sunny weather starts. 14h27 - Georg Totschnig on Cotes de Wanne (408 meter/8,4% climb; heaviest part 13% at 155kms); number 2 is Ermanno Brignoli on 5'20" and peloton on 12 minutes. First reports that he had been away for 157 kms were slightly inaccurate. Substitute a long way! 14h12 - Once-team leads peloton After the start (wind in the back: north-north-east) it was very cold: 2-3 degrees Celsius and even some snowflakes. So in the second part of the race 'wind op de kop' - that is, the dreaded head-wind, although once they are in the valleys climbing the Cotes they will have some protection. But it can really howl coming over the top onto the plateau. BTW, Flash News from the Teleflex Tour during the last stage in the Eiffel in Germany is that a lot of riders left the course because of the snow.... and over here in OZ it has been 25 degrees C today in mid-Autumn. 14h15 - Start with 6 degrees Celsius; after 147 km (still 115 to go) Georg Totschnig (25/Austria) with peloton at 13 minutes (maximum was 20'15"). Totschnig has been away for 151 kms leaving the peloton after only 6 km. What ambition! 11h00 - it is a dry and cold morning in the Ardennes. 10h15 - Starting time
18h15 Australian Eastern Time (Sunday Evening) |