1. Laurent Jalabert (Fr, ONCE) 34.28.14 2. Lance Armstrong (USA, M otorola) + 0.43 secs 3. Chris Boardman (GB, GAN) + 0.47 4. Franck Vandenbroucke (Bel, Mapei-GB) + 1.21 5. Laurent Brochard (Fr, Festina) + 1.36 6. Inigo Cuesta (Sp, ONCE) + 2.17 7,. Luc Leblanc (Fr, Team Polti) + 2.18 8. Andrei Tchmil (Rus, Lotto) + 2.48 9. Laurent Madouas (Fr, Motorola) + 3.17 10. Andrea Peron (It, Motorola) + 3.31 11. Rolf Jaermann (Swi, MG-Technogym) + 3.35 12. Mariano Rojas (Sp, ONCE) s.t. 13. Axel Merckx (Bel, Motorola) + 4.15 14. Francesco Cabello (Sp, Kelme-Artiach) + 4.21 15. Marco Saligari 9It, MG-Technogym) + 4.37 16. Didier Rous (Fr, GAN) + 5.04 17. Max Sciandri (GB, Motorola) + 5.20 18. Carlo Bomans (Bel, Mapei-GB) + 5.29 19. Aitor Garmendia (Sp, ONCE) + 6.05 20. Brian Holm (Den, Telekom) + 6.16 21. Boscardin +11.17 22. Goubert +11.28 23. Odriozola +12.52 24. Olano +13.09 25. Virenque +14.19 26. Mentheour +14.28 27. Moncassin +14.36 28. Gianetti +16.16 29. Meinert +16.43 30. Dojwa +17.15 31. Lafis +17.20 32. Gorini +17.39 33. Leysen +17.46 34. Loda +17.59 35. Sierra +20.04 36. Benites +20.25 37. Gines +20.41 38. Gouvenou +20.50 39. Fleischer +20.54 40. Pensec +22.31 41. Totschnig +23.28 42. Farazijn +24.06 43. R. Petito +24.43 44. Chanteur +25.34 45. Kasputis +26.31 46. J. Rodriguez +26.56 47. Pontier +27.06 48. Bugno +27.25 49. Della Santa +28.14 50. Brignoli +28.44 51. Arnould +28.53 52. Molinari +26.53 53. Borghi +30.36 54. Sergeant +32.04 55. Santaromita +33.07 56. Rue +34.35 57. Diaz Zabala +35.00 58. Casagranda +36.01 59. Bourguignon +36.01 60. Leanizbarrutia +36.02 61. Nelissen +37.16 62. Magnien +37.44 63. Capelle +37.46 64. Vasseur +38.33 65. Jonker +38.58 66. Audehm +39.17 67. Hodge +40.52 68. Lance +41.18 69. Wauters +41.27 70. Genty +42.08 71. Sciera +44.17 72. Borgnara +44.31 73. Calcaterra +48.05 74. Yates +49.36 75. Poli +50.08 76. Andersson +50.12 77. De Vries +50.37 78. Guesdon +50.48 79. Hincapie +50.55 80. Sunderland +55.37 81. Guerini +58.01 82. Baldinger +59.39 83. Salmon +61.53 84. Teyssier +1.02.52 85. Mengin +1.03.11 86. Daelman +1.03.44 87. Riis +1.04.23 88. Jan +1.04.53 89. Bourgeot +1.09.32 90. Perona +1.10.05 91. Boussard +1.10.19 92. Delphis +1.10.45 93. Pillon +1.11.37 94. Medan +1.15.16 95. N. Jalabert +1.20.04 96. P. De Clercq +1.20.27 97. Gougot +1.20.43 98. Sanchez +1.20.54 99. Zanette +1.21.50 100. Citterio +1.23.11 101. Locatelli +1.25.22 102. Aus +1.33.12 103. Vidal +1.33.26 104. Masdupuy +1.40.50 105. Cauz +1.41.05 106. Agnolutto +1.44.23 107. Chauviere +1.45.49 108. Bouyer +1.58.55 Points winner: Laurent Jalabert Best climber: Laurent Brochard Best team: Motorola
The peloton, in a show of respect for a distinguished race leader, slowed, and team-mates Herminio Diaz Zabala and Patrick Jonker went back to help him. "I was seeing stars," said Jalabert interviewed after the race finished on Sunday. "When Diaz Zabala came up to me {I was so confused} I spoke to him in French. He saw that I was stunned and said to me 'Stay sitting down, stay sitting down'."
ONCE got Jalabert back to the peloton and he finished the stage fifth. That night, though, he says he found it hard to walk. "When you fall, all your muscles stiffen up. I felt as stiff as if I'd just finished Paris--Roubaix. Had I not crashed I think I could have done better in the [final stage] time trial [3rd at 29 secs to Boardman], maybe even won it." But you were smiling a few hours after the crash; your confidence seemed inexhaustible? "Yes I'm Robocop... I never feel bad {Jalabert imitates a computer-synthesised voice and then starts laughing]."
And what of Milan--San Remo next week? "I haven't got away unscathed from this incident; it's going to change my plans for this week. For the moment I'm really bruised and battered. It's nothing dramatic, but I'm going to rest a bit before before going hard. Monday [March 18] I'll do a couple of hours at an easy pace. I won't be able to prepare as well as last year."
And who are the main rivals for Milan--San Remo? "I think straightaway of Cipollini. When you get 15 riders on a bit of a climb and he's not far away from me, that means he's seriously preparing for the Poggio. There's also Armstrong and and Sciandri. And Fontanelli seems to be going well in Tirreno-Adriatico. The veterans of the crash at Armentieres in '94 seem to be be recovering OK. You need to smash your jaw to succeed [Fontanelli sat dazedly next to Jalabert on the deck at Armetieres, and Nelissen was lying there too..]"
Also in the Paris--Nice Stage 6 crash was Silvio Martinelli (Saeco), with a badly bruised side (he abandoned on stage 7)... and Dirk Baldinger (Telekom) also came down (he finished 82nd ovverall). It was his first big race after recovering from a fractured pelvis -- you'll never forget the accident in which he got that. It was July 18, when Fabio Casartelli was taken from us.
It's a hard road to travel. And that's not the end of the story, I'm afraid. Friday, when Jalabert crashed, the victory bouquet from his stage win at Millau was being laid on the grave of a young cyclist called Sebastian Alavail by the deceased's sister. We won't know what Alavail would have achieved. A young club-mate of Jalabert in the UV Mazamet, he was knocked over by a car while out training on Wednesday.
From Roger from L'Equipe