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89th Tour de France - Grand Tour
France, July 6-28, 2002
Main page Stage profile & start times Start List Results
Stage 9 - Monday July 15, 2002: Lanester - Lorient ITT, 52 km
Complete Live Report
Start time: 10:00 CEST
Estimated finish time: 17:15 CEST
9:15 CEST
Welcome to Cyclingnews' live coverage of the Stage 9 Lanester to Lorient individual
time trial. The race today is 52 kilometres long, with the first 22 riders starting
at 1 minute intervals, the next 131 riders at 2 minute intervals, and the rest
at 3 minute intervals (check the start
times for more detail). The first half of the parcours is undulating and
technical, although there are no major climbs to be overcome.
Interestingly, the organisers have not changed the start order (it goes on GC in reverse order). Thus the last seven starters will all be ONCE riders. Lance Armstrong will start eighth last.
Favourites for today include Armstrong, Igor Gonzalez de Galdeano (ONCE), Tyler Hamilton (CSC-Tiscali), Levi Leipheimer (Rabobank), Santiago Botero (Kelme), Joseba Beloki (ONCE), Dario Frigo (Tacconi), David Millar (Cofidis), Bobby Julich (Telekom), Raimondas Rumsas (Lampre) and Serguei Gontchar (Fassa Bortolo). Brad McGee (FDJeux.com) and Laszlo Bodrogi (Mapei) are also chances to break the top 10.
Weather report: Today is the best day of the Tour so far. Temperatures in the mid to high 20's. Wind is a light breeze from the NNE. It's an off shore breeze that will pick up as the afternoon goes on, meaning that there will be a tailwind in the last stretch.
10:15 CEST
The first rider to start today was the big Norwegian Thor Hushovd, who is currently
last on the general classification after losing 20 minutes on stage 2 due to
leg cramps. However he bounced back the next day to lead out Stuart O'Grady
in the bunch sprint. He's by no means a favourite for this time trial, but he
certainly won't finish last.
Speaking of O'Grady, "The Freckle" hasn't had an easy road to travel this year. His operation obviously took a lot out of him and the troubles with the heart palpitations and the bad luck the team has experienced so far have made it virtually impossible to keep his sights set on the Green Jersey.
"At the start of the Tour I had a bit of hope that I would be able to wear it again; but that thought has left my mind completely now. If I can win a stage my Tour will be successful already. It goes better and better as days pass though."
Stuart finished twice 6th, once 8th and twice in 10th position last week.
10:30 CEST
Hushovd has set the fastest first time check, strangely enough. He went through
Reden (km 19.5) in 26'53. The rider behind him, Ag2r's Christophe Oriol could
only manage 29'01, so he's clearly taking today's time trial at a training pace.
10:43 CEST
Emmanuel Magnien (Bonjour) has bettered Hushovd's time at the 19.5 km mark,
clocking 26'40. Bram de Groot (Rabobank) went through in 26'49, while Hushovd
was 26'53. The slowest check so far is Euskaltel's Gorka Gonzalez, who did 29'03
(40.27 km/h)
10:55 CEST
Christophe Moreau (CA) has started, rather earlier than he hoped but a couple
of crashes have left him at 132nd on GC, 10'23 down. A good time trial will
move him up a few places, and who knows, he may even recover to ride well in
the mountains and pick up a top 10?
Best time at the 35 km check is Thor Hushovd, who rode through in 45'49.
11:05 CEST
Emmanuel Magnien (Bonjour) has gone quicker than Hushovd at 35 km, lowering
the bar to 45'23. He is followed by Eddy Seigneur (Delatour) at 13 seconds,
with Hushovd in third at 26 seconds.
At 46 km, Hushovd went through in 59'51, so he's on course for quite a respectable time today.
11:13 CEST
Hushovd finishes in 1'07.13 (46.41 km/h), but he will be passed soon by Magnien.
Meanwhile, at the first time check, Jacky Durand (FDJ) has gone through in 26'17,
that's 23 seconds quicker than Magnien. Marzio Bruseghin (iBanesto.com) is even
quicker, clocking 26'15 for the 19.5 km.
11:20 CEST
Durand is 34 seconds quicker than Magnien at 35 km, and is on course for a solid
time. Erik Dekker (remember him from yesterday?) has passed Hushovd's time at
46 km, when he went through in 59'39. But Magnien was quicker again in 59'07.
There's going to be some fast times set later on in the day, that's for sure.
11:25 CEST
Dekker finishes in 1'07.02 - not too bad and a sure sign that he's coming back
to his best. His fighting ride yesterday, where it was clear he was the weakest
of the seven riders in the break, showed that he has lost none of his persistence
and "never say die" attitude. Look out for him in the late season
classics!
Magnien surpasses Dekker with a time of 1'06.34, followed by Seigneur at 3 seconds and then Dekker. But Durand, who is 44 seconds up on Magnien at km 46, will go faster than these three.
ONCE's Mikel Predera, who punctured in the team time trial and is thus not very high up on GC, went through 19.5 km in 25'56, the best so far.
11:35 CEST
Durand finishes the 52 km in 1'05.37 (47.54 km/h). That puts him 57 seconds
ahead of Magnien and 1'01 in front of Seigneur. The winning time today could
be as low as 1'01.00, judging by the times so far.
Pradera is still on track to beat Durand, going through 35 km in 44'42, quicker than both Bruseghin and Durand.
11:45 CEST
Hans De Clercq (Lotto) is the 64th rider to start the Stage 9 time trial from
Lanester to Lorien. De Clercq's normal role in this Tour is to help Robbie McEwen
win sprints, by riding tempo to ensure that no breaks stay away and positioning
McEwen near the front in the final kilometres. Yesterday the Lotto team decided
not to help chase down the break, even though McEwen had good legs. He said
in Het Nieuwsblad today:
"With Aart Vierhouten and Verbrugghe out, it was time to change tactics. Kirsipuu will be gone soon too. Then we only have Telekom and Lotto interested in a mass-sprint, but I will be saving my team. It might sound like I'm a braggart but it is a fact that I am the fastest man in this Tour. Last year Zabel had a hard time keeping Stuart O'Grady from the Green, but this fight will be even harder. In the final sprint I hardly feel my pedals. I want the Green Jersey already this Wednesday."
"It is no surprise to me that Bradley won on Sunday. We definitely are the four best Australian riders, myself, McGee, O'Grady and Baden. I knew that McGee had his mind set on Avranches and the Cooke would play it perfectly by making the gap. It is neither a coincidence that we are all riders who have been brought up on the track, and we master speed and sprints. Us Australians, we are adventurers, men who will do anything for their job."
11:59 CEST
Durand has hung on to keep the fastest time, as both Bruseghin and Pradera came
up short in the final kilometres. The top three are now Durand in 1'05.37, followed
by Bruseghin (iBanesto) at 9 seconds, and Pradera (ONCE) at 13 seconds.
12:13 CEST
Rolf Aldag (Telekom) rolls out of the starting gate, meaning that there are
now 78 riders on the course. The riders are starting at 2 minute intervals at
the moment, with the last 30 to start at 3 minute intervals. Race organisers
believe that there will be no problems in having seven ONCE riders on the parcours
following each other (and before that five CSC -Tiscali riders and four US Postal
riders). However, it must be a nightmare for Manolo Saiz (ONCE manager) to decide
who to follow in the team car. Presumably Beloki and Igor Gonzalez are the men
he will yell at through the loud speaker.
US Postal's Victor Hugo Peña has set the best time at the 35 km mark of 44'25, bettering Pradera's time by 17 seconds. The Colombian is an excellent tester against the clock, and won a time trial stage of the Giro d'Italia.
12:26 CEST
48 riders have now finished the time trial, with the best time so far being
Jacky Durand's 1.05.37. Second best is still Marzio Bruseghin (iBanesto) at
0.09, followed by Pradera (ONCE) at 0.13, Magnien (Bonjour) at 0.57, and Seigneur
(Delatour) at 1.01.
Ludo Dierckxsens is making a run at Durand's time, having gone through 46 km in 58'28. Obviously having a great last half.
12:32 CEST
Some (possible) transfer news: Robert Hunter (Mapei) has been offered a two
year contract for Rabobank, although a large part of the Mapei team will continue
in the form of Quick Step. The 25 year old South African is a sprinter/time
trial specialist, and is currently out on the time trial course.
Victor Hugo Peña is racing towards the best time of the day, having gone through 46 km in 57'36. It seems as though a fast start is not the best tactic - depending on how the legs feel of course. Dierckxsens finishes in 1'05.47, which will give him the fourth best time once Peña finishes.
12:42 CEST
Victor Hugo Peña (US Postal) has smashed Durand's time with a brisk 1'04.52
(48.09 km/h). That's going to be valuable for his teammates later on, who will
know how to pace themselves over the course. Durand now moves to second at 44
seconds, followed by Bruseghin at 53 seconds.
Antonio Tauler (Kelme) has gone through 19.5 km in 26'01, second best time today after Pradera. Credit Agricole's Anthony Morin is also on track for a good time, as he is 29 seconds behind Pena at 46 km.
12:53 CEST
63 riders have finished and 98 riders have started, the last being Mapei's Gerhard
Trampusch. The leader board sees Colombian Victor Hugo Peña on top with a 1'04.52,
followed by Anthony Morin (CA) at 24 seconds, and Jacky Durand at 44 seconds.
Toni Tauler has gone through 35 km in 44'08, the quickest of the day. And Mapei's Laszlo Bodrogi, who finished 10th in the prologue, has passed 19.5 km in a blistering time of 25'19. He is hoping for another top 10 ride today.
13:05 CEST
Kelme's Antonio Tauler has set the new best time, having passed the 46 km mark
(Larmor-Plage) in a time of 57'22. He finishes with 1'04.32, 20 seconds quicker
than Peña.
13:16 CEST
Laszlo Bodrogi is on track for a sub 1'03.00, if he can keep up this pace. He
has gone through 35 km in an excellent time of 42'49, averaging 49 km/h at that
point. That's 1'19 quicker than Tauler was...
13:23 CEST
Bodrogi goes through 46 km in 55'52, now 1'30 in front of Tauler. The Hungarian
TT champ is on course for another good time trial performance.
114 riders are now on the course. A pair to watch shortly will be Brad McGee (FDJ.com), starting at 13:43 and aiming for a top 10. Right behind him is yesterday's attack monster Raivis Belohvosciks (Lampre), who is normally a good time trialist but yesterday's efforts may have taken it out of him. We'll see.
13:32 CEST
Ouch. Mapei's Laszlo Bodrogi has demolished Tauler's time by 1'49, finishing
the 52 km in 1'02.43, and average speed of 49.75 km/h! Tauler is now second,
with Pena third at 2'09, Morin fourth at 2'34 and early leader Durand fifth
at 2'53.
13:43 CEST
Dario Frigo (Tacconi) is now under way, and has gone through 19.5 km in 25'32,
just thirteen seconds slower than Laszlo Bodrogi's benchmark of 25'19. Frigo
has to have a big ride today, to make up for a disastrous team time trial and
hopefully ride better in the mountains.
A weather update from out on the parcours, where there are a lot of people out enjoying the sunshine. The first two thirds of the parcours is in the countyside and is pretty flat. The wind is from the NNE and it's an off shore breeze. There is a light headwind at first, but this is negligible because the start is in the town. The it's out into the countryside, where there is a light crosswind from the right hand side. Finally the riders hit the beach front, with a 10 km/h tailwind from their left quarter. This will pick up in the afternoon.
13:53 CEST
No-one looks like beating Bodrogi's time just yet, but Haimar Zubeldia (Euskaltel)
should finish in around 1'05.00. He's Euskaltel's sole GC rider, and lies 87th
on GC at 4'42. However, he'll be hoping to make some of that up in the mountains
and in this time trial.
13:58 CEST
Zubeldia finishes in 1'05.08, fourth fastest so far behind Bodrogi, Tauler,
and Pena. At 35 km, Dario Frigo is in second place, 46 seconds behind Bodrogi.
14:08 CEST
101 riders have now finished, as Kelme's Oscar Sevilla rolls out of the start
gate. He is the 136th rider to start, so there are now less than 50 to go.
Hungarian time trial champion Laszlo Bodrogi has set the benchmark for today, finishing the 52 km course in 1'02.43. He is looking good for at least a top 10 finish, possibly a top 5.
14:15 CEST
Frigo is through 46 km in 56'46, still the second fastest rider today and on
target for a top 20. Brad McGee has gone through 19.5 km in 25'49, which is
third best behind Bodrogi and Frigo.
14:23 CEST
Marc Wauters (Rabobank) has started off quite well too, just 6 seconds slower
than Bodrogi at 19.5 km.
Meanwhile, Bodrogi's teammate Pedro Horillo has finished in 1'05.03, 5th best time today.
14:28 CEST
Rabobank's Levi Leipheimer is about to start. He is hoping to ride at his best,
and if that means a top 10 finish then so be it.
Raivis Belohvosciks (Lampre) is past 35 kilometres, but has not set any records yet. Bradley McGee goes through 35 km in 44'08, fifth best time. Telekom's Bobby Julich follows him in 44'28, 9th best time.
14:34 CEST
Oscar Sevilla (Kelme) looks to be struggling today, riding in a big gear, very
much on the front of the saddle, without an aerodynamic helmet.
Sandy Casar (FDJ) finishes in 1'05.49, 12th best time.
Richard Virenque (Domo) starts with a clear aim to ride fast today.
14:37 CEST
Raimondas Rumsas (Lampre Daikin) gets ready to start. We spoke to his team director
Brent Copeland this morning: "I've never seen Rumsas so concentrated as
he is today. Pietro [Algeri] and I will be happy if he was in the top 10, but
Rumsas is convinced that he can make the podium. After his fifth place in the
Vuelta last year we know he can do well in a grand tour, but the Tour is something
else. He got second in the Bizikleta Vasca by 6 seconds, but I saw the ONCE
guys getting pulled up to him behind the motorbike..."
Marc Wauters (Rabobank) comes through 35 km in 43'41, third best time so far.
14:45 CEST
Virenque gets a a big boost from the crowd as he rides over the hilly early
part of the parcours. A lot of people are out to cheer on the riders today.
Laurent Dufaux (Alessio) has not done himself any favours today, losing four minutes to Bodrogi as he finishes in 1'06.45.
Andrei Kivilev (4th in the Tour last year) is on his way, chasing Santiago Botero (Kelme) who is one of the big favourites for today.
Brad McGee finishes in 1'05.02, a respectable time that is 5th best so far. Not good enough for an eventual top 10 though.
14:50 CEST
Raivis Belohvosciks (Lampre) is quicker than McGee, finishing in 1'04.39.
The riders are starting at three minute intervals now.
14:53 CEST
Sevilla catches his two minute man Franck Renier just before 35 km, so he can't
be going too badly. Marc Wauters has gone through 46 km in the third best time,
behind Bodrogi and Frigo.
Francisco Mancebo (iBanesto) is about start.
14:56 CEST
Leipheimer goes through 19.5 km in 26'05, 13th best time.
Lance Armstrong, who starts at 15:49, is warming up with the rest of the Postal camp, as well as Luke and Kristin Armstrong.
Rumsas has caught and passed his two minute man, Cedric Vasseur - it took him just 20 minutes.
Wauters finishes in 1'04.26, a good time and 3rd best behind Bodrogi and Frigo.
15:02 CEST
Marc Wauters might be Rabobank's best rider today, as Boogerd goes through 35
km in 33rd place, and Leipheimer has had a slow start.
David Moncoutie (Cofidis) is about to set off. He doesn't bother with an aero helmet, but contents himself with the cheaper option of a reversed cap.
As predicted earlier, Rumsas is on a mission: He has knocked 27 seconds off Bodrogi's time at 19.5 km.
15:10 CEST
Santi Botero (Kelme) is motoring his way up towards his two minute man, who
is none other than Marco Velo, a multiple Italian time trial champion. Velo
tries and fails to get on Botero's wheel, as the Colombian goes through 19.5
km in 24'42, 10 seconds quicker than Rumsas.
Menchov is through 35 km in 44'30, 16th quickest behind Bodrogi.
15:13 CEST
Leipheimer goes past 35 km in 44'11, an improvement on his first check as he
is now in 10th.
Oscar Sevilla is giving it everything but he will lose a bit of time to the specialists today. He crosses in 1'05.16, 10th fastest.
David Millar (Cofidis) has just started.
15:19 CEST
Botero is powering along nicely, taking a drink and throwing away his water
bottle. He has a good position, very narrow and low over the bars with a smooth
pedalling action.
Stuart O'Grady finishes in 1'05.58.
Viatcheslav Ekimov (USPS) has just left the starting ramp. What can the Olympic champion do?
Richard Virenque has caught Benoit Joachim before 35 km. But his time of 45'19 is only good enough for 35th so far.
15:21 CEST
Raimondas Rumsas is still going flat out, passing 35 km in 42'31, 18 seconds
better than Bodrogi.
Botero is bettering him: 42'16, another 15 seconds faster than Rumsas. Bodrogi, the early leader, has slipped back to third.
15:27 CEST
Beat Zberg, a good all round rider, has finished in 1'04.41, 6th best time.
Floyd Landis (USPS) starts. He will be followed by Nicki Sørensen (CSC), Roberto Heras (USPS) and Laurent Jalabert (CSC).
Leipheimer is past 46 km in 57'42, 8th best. Andrei Kivilev passes 35 km in 46'04 - he's already lost 4 minutes to Botero.
15:33 CEST
Leipheimer's finishing time is 1'04.53, slower than his teammates Wauters and
Zberg, but still good enough for 8th place.
Roberto Heras has started at seemingly a training pace. He has a heavily bandaged left leg still, as a result of his collision with Lance Armstrong the other day.
Rumsas goes past 46 km in 55'47, just 5 seconds faster than Bodrogi who had a great finish.
15:36 CEST
Laurent Jalabert (CSC) is about to start. He can improve his GC place today
if he rides like he did in the prologue (2nd).
Lance Armstrong has 12 minutes to go until his start, and is still warming up on the home trainer.
Michael Boogerd, who finished just under 1'07.00 was quoted on Dutch TV: "It was tough, I'm nearly dead, went very deep and gave everything I have. I can't go faster. The last 5 km was very bad with the wind. I hope to keep it between the 5 and 5.5 minutes behind the winner."
15:39 CEST
Botero has caught Vasseur (4 minutes) and has 5 km to go. He crossed the 46
km point in 55'19, 28 seconds faster than Rumsas.
Rumsas finishes just behind Virenque and Joachim, catching them in the final kilometre. His time is just above Bodrogi's: 1:02:43.75.
Gontchar has knocked two seconds off Botero's time at 19.5 km. But as we've seen, there's a penalty for going out too hard on this course.
15:44 CEST
Botero's finishing time is the best today: 1'02.18 (50.08 km/h). A superbly
consistent ride that will be hard to beat. Bodrogi has still ridden the quickest
over the latter part of the parcours.
Tyler Hamilton (CSC) rolls off the starting ramp.
15:49 CEST
Lance Armstrong looks relaxed but focused as he starts. The Tour will not be
won in this time trial, but he wants to make as much time up as possible on
Igor Gonzalez. He rolls off the start ramp and sprints around the first corner.
David Millar has gone through 19.5 km in 25.06, fourth fastest today. His teammate Andrei Kivilev finishes in 1'07.40 - not good enough to win the Tour, but his time will come in the mountains.
15:55 CEST
Jose Azevedo (ONCE) starts as David Millar goes past 35 km in 42'38, 3rd best
time.
Gontchar is past 35 km in 42'18, losing some time to Botero.
Leipheimer's team manager Theo de Rooij: "I think we didn't do too bad. Maybe Leipheimer expected more, but I saw the parcours and it's a little too flat for Levi. He is light, less than 70 kg and then with that wind... Up till now I'm satisfied, of course we have to make the balance later today, but I don't think we have too much damage."
16:00 CEST
Francisco Mancebo (iBanesto) finishes in 1'04.59 - a very good ride for this
climber, and 11th best on the leaderboard at the moment.
Abraham Olano (ONCE) is on his way. Just three more riders to start.
Ekimov passes 35 km in 43'35, 6th best at that point and a great start.
16:04 CEST
Jalabert is currently sitting in 9th place on the road, at 53 seconds. He has
a lot of work to do to get onto the podium.
ONCE's Jorg Jackshe has started - just Beloki and Igor Gonzalez to come.
Armstrong is in his rhythm, pedalling at 110rpm or thereabouts. He gets out of the saddle on one of the early climbs.
16:10 CEST
Igor Gonzalez de Galdeano starts, the last man off. He looks a little nervous
as he adjusts his yellow aero helmet (to go with the yellow skinsuit and yellow
show covers).
Zabel finishes in 1'09.30. 122nd. Moncoutie is better, finishing in 1'06.55
Floyd Landis comes past 35km in 43'56, 10th best. That's a good ride so far by him.
Tyler Hamilton has gone past 19.5 km in 5th place, 34 seconds slower than Gontchar.
16:14 CEST
Gontchar still has the best time at 19.5 km, as Armstrong goes through in 24'46,
3rd best.
Ivan Basso finishes in 1'05.01. He is followed by Millar at 1'03.08, 4th best.
16:17 CEST
Gontchar motors down the finishing straight but won't beat Botero. He clocks
1.02.36, under Bodrogi's time which gives him second place provisionally.
Jalabert is past 35 km in 43'44, 9th fastest.
16:23 CEST
Here's Ekimov finishing, and the Russian has not done a bad time at all. He
clocks 1'03.59, which at the moment gives him 7th.
Jalabert has a flat (we note he is still riding Hamilton's bike, or one similar) and gets a bike change.
16:25 CEST
Armstrong is approaching the second time check at 35 km. He is still pedalling
quickly and smoothly. He hits 70 km/h on a short descent.
Laurent Jalabert is back to full speed again, but he is looking at a top 15 time at best today.
16:28 CEST
Hamilton passes 35 km in 43'03, 6th best today and around 45 seconds slower
than Botero.
Igor Gonzalez is riding quite smoothly too, but in a much bigger gear than Armstrong.
16:31 CEST
Armstrong has caught up a lot of time on Hamilton at 35 km, crossing in 42.16.77,
a few 100ths of a second slower than Botero. This is going to be a close finish.
Landis finishes in 1'04.39, 10th best so far. Beloki is 8th fastest at the first time check.
16:35 CEST
Gonzalez de Galdeano is 1 second quicker than Armstrong at the first check,
setting 24'45. Beloki crossed in 25'19, which was the same as Bodrogi who is
currently in second place in the final standings.
16:37 CEST
Armstrong is flying along past the beach front, as Igor Gonzalez follows some
21 minutes behind. The Basque is looking very smooth, pedalling a big gear (54x12)
but fast.
Jalabert has 2 km to go.
16:43 CEST
Jalabert rides down the final kilometre to the cheers of the crowds, and finishes
in a time of 1'05.51. 33rd place - he lost his rhythm completely after changing
bikes, as he was in 9th place then.
Some of the ONCE riders have Mavic neutral spares cars behind them, as it's impossible for ONCE to have cars behind all of their riders given their start time proximity. But riders like Olano and Nozal won't have the benefits of a director sportif yelling at them, and clearly it shows. Both are between 25th and 40th at the 35 km point.
Armstrong is still five seconds behind Botero (who had a great finish) at 46 km.
16:47 CEST
Andrea Peron finishes in 1'03.52, 7th fastest.
16:50 CEST
His teammate Hamilton is home too in 1'04.14. Amstrong is close behind him.
Armstrong sprints into the final kilometre. He finishes in 1'02.29. Botero is still the fastest.
16:52 CEST
Further back down the course, Igor Gonzalez de Galdeano is crossing the 35 km
mark, and does so in 42'23, 4th quickest but there's not much in it. All depends
on his final half - he looks to be suffering though.
16:56 CEST
Beloki is not having a great ride, passing 35 km in 43'19 (9th best). And can
Igor Gonzalez hold onto his effective 34 second lead over Armstrong? He has
lost 7 seconds already at 35 km.
This will be the first time trial that Armstrong has lost since he starting winning the Tour in 1999. In the past he has crushed riders like Jan Ullrich by a minute or two. It will make the race in the mountains between ONCE, Kelme and USPS, very interesting.
16:59 CEST
Azevedo finishes in 1'04.54, 18th place.
Nozal looks as through he's blown a gasket, as he finishes in 1'05.47. Obviously the work of the last few days has taken its toll.
17:04 CEST
Beloki is 1'25 behind Botero at time check 2 (km 46). That puts him in 7th place
provisionally.
Igor is fourth at 17 seconds at km 46.
Olano finishes in 1'05.22.
17:06 CEST
It looks as though Botero has won the time trial, and Igor Gonzalez will keep
the yellow. It's been a fantastic battle today from Lanaster to Lorient, with
no-one giving an inch.
Beloki is in the final 2 kilometres .
17:10 CEST
Jaksche finishes in 1'05.14. Beloki follows in 1'03.56, and Igor Gonzalez in
1.02'37 (4th). He keeps yellow as Botero wins the 9th stage.
Top four: Botero, Armstrong, Gontchar and Gonzalez de Galdeano. Beloki finished 10th.
The general classification will change, with Igor Gonzalez still holding the top position but Armstrong moving up to second place at 26 seconds.
Results
1 Santiago Botero (Col) Kelme-Costa Blanca 1.02.18 (50.08 km/h) 2 Lance Armstrong (USA) US Postal Service 0.11 3 Serguei Gontchar (Ukr) Fassa Bortolo 0.18 4 Igor Gonzalez de Galdeano (Spa) ONCE-Eroski 0.19 5 Laszlo Bodrogi (Hun) Mapei-Quick Step 0.25 6 Raimondas Rumsas (Ltu) Lampre Daikin 7 David Millar (GBr) Cofidis 0.50 8 Dario Frigo (Ita) Tacconi Sport 1.34 9 Andrea Peron (Ita) CSC-Tiscali 10 Joseba Beloki (Spa) ONCE-Eroski 1.38 General classification after stage 9 1 Igor Gonzalez de Galdeano (Spa) ONCE-Eroski 33.21.23 2 Lance Armstrong (USA) US Postal Service 0.26 3 Joseba Beloki (Spa) ONCE-Eroski 1.23 4 Serguei Gontchar (Ukr) Fassa Bortolo 1.35 5 Santiago Botero (Col) Kelme-Costa Blanca 1.55 6 Andrea Peron (Ita) CSC-Tiscali 2.08 7 David Millar (GBr) Cofidis 2.11 8 Raimondas Rumsas (Ltu) Lampre Daikin 2.22 9 Tyler Hamilton (USA) CSC-Tiscali 2.30 10 José Azevedo (Por) ONCE-Eroski 2.45
