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U.S. Postal team wins the fourth stage at Tour de France
Joinville, July 10: Lance Armstrong`s U.S. Postal team won the 69-km Tour de France fourth stage team time trial helping his team mate Victor Hugo Pena to become the first Colombian to lead the Tour de France.
Joinville, July 10: Lance Armstrong's U.S. Postal team won the 69-km Tour de France fourth stage team time trial helping his team mate
Victor Hugo Pena to become the first Colombian to lead the
Tour de France.
The team, skippered by Armstrong, demolished the
opposition on Wednesday (July 9) to win the Tour's fourth
stage from Joinville to Saint Dizier in one hour 18 minutes
and 27 seconds.
All teams were battling with a headwind during the 69-km ride but the U.S. Postal team started slow and finished fast in an impressively tight formation.
The American outfit, who had never won a team time trial before, beat Spanish team ONCE into second place, 30 seconds behind the winners, and Team Bianchi, led by 1997 Tour winner Jan Ullrich of Germany, were third a further 13 seconds back.
Armstrong took a back seat and acted as the perfect team mate to help Pena make history by donning the yellow jersey.
The four-times Tour champion was second in the overall standings, one second behind Pena in a top eight that was made up entirely of U.S Postal riders.
Afterwards Armstrong, who is attempting a record-equalling fifth victory on this Tour, said: "It's a difficult run in windy conditions, a lot of wind from the right and full-on. It is a cycling speciality that is very very difficult".
Pena, who will be 29 on Thursday, succeeded where other famous Colombian riders such as Lucho Herrera or Fabio Parra had failed -- he took the race's yellow jersey.
"I read a newspaper article that said let's go and conquer Europe. And we Colombians are not very patient people," Pena said. "We always thought this process would take another year but it is already happening now, and that reminds me of the great Colombian cyclists of twenty years ago".
In 1983, Colombian riders crossed the Atlantic for the first time to try and conquer Europe. Lucho Herrera was King of the Mountains in 1985, and Fabio Parra was third in 1988 but neither led the Tour.
Everything worked according to plan for the nine U.S. Postal riders, who started slowly over the tricky first 10 kilometres and steadily increased pace to crush their rivals.
Pena, a time-trial specialist who had beaten Armstrong by one second in the prologue, knew he would take the lead if everything went well, and Armstrong pointed at him when they crossed the line all together.
At the end of the stage, the U.S. Postal riders hugged each other and shouted in joy.
The win was also a fine way for Armstrong to show that cycling is not just an individual sport and to thank his team mates for four years of devoted service.
Bureau Report.
All teams were battling with a headwind during the 69-km ride but the U.S. Postal team started slow and finished fast in an impressively tight formation.
The American outfit, who had never won a team time trial before, beat Spanish team ONCE into second place, 30 seconds behind the winners, and Team Bianchi, led by 1997 Tour winner Jan Ullrich of Germany, were third a further 13 seconds back.
Armstrong took a back seat and acted as the perfect team mate to help Pena make history by donning the yellow jersey.
The four-times Tour champion was second in the overall standings, one second behind Pena in a top eight that was made up entirely of U.S Postal riders.
Afterwards Armstrong, who is attempting a record-equalling fifth victory on this Tour, said: "It's a difficult run in windy conditions, a lot of wind from the right and full-on. It is a cycling speciality that is very very difficult".
Pena, who will be 29 on Thursday, succeeded where other famous Colombian riders such as Lucho Herrera or Fabio Parra had failed -- he took the race's yellow jersey.
"I read a newspaper article that said let's go and conquer Europe. And we Colombians are not very patient people," Pena said. "We always thought this process would take another year but it is already happening now, and that reminds me of the great Colombian cyclists of twenty years ago".
In 1983, Colombian riders crossed the Atlantic for the first time to try and conquer Europe. Lucho Herrera was King of the Mountains in 1985, and Fabio Parra was third in 1988 but neither led the Tour.
Everything worked according to plan for the nine U.S. Postal riders, who started slowly over the tricky first 10 kilometres and steadily increased pace to crush their rivals.
Pena, a time-trial specialist who had beaten Armstrong by one second in the prologue, knew he would take the lead if everything went well, and Armstrong pointed at him when they crossed the line all together.
At the end of the stage, the U.S. Postal riders hugged each other and shouted in joy.
The win was also a fine way for Armstrong to show that cycling is not just an individual sport and to thank his team mates for four years of devoted service.
Bureau Report.