VERDUN, France -- Frenchman Laurent Jalabert
outfoxed Belgian Ludo Dierckxsens in a tight head-to-head
sprint into Verdun on Wednesday to take the 215-kilometer
fourth stage of the Tour de France.
|  | | Laurent Jalabert celebrates while crossing the finish line on Wednesday. |
Stuart O'Grady of Australia finished seven seconds away in
eighth but close enough to keep the race leader's yellow
jersey.
Lance Armstrong, chasing a hat-trick of victories, also
finished in the main bunch back in 30th to lie seventh overall,
27 seconds behind O'Grady.
Just five months ago, Jalabert thought he had been paralyzed
after falling from a ladder while changing a lightbulb in his
Swiss home.
In the end the damage was only to three vertebrae in his
lower back but he has had to put up with considerable pain
throughout his recovery.
Jalabert, the 32-year-old now with the CSC team of Bjarne
Riis, and Lampre rider Dierckxsens were backed by Francisco
Mancebo of Spain as they attacked with 30 kms to go of the ride
back into France from Huy in Belgium.
Mancebo dropped back on the final ascent and Jalabert,
timing his sprint to perfection, edged out his opponent and
kept the closing pack at bay to take his third individual win
in a Tour stage.
Jalabert, who also helped ONCE to victory in a team time
trial last year, punched the air in delight as he crossed the
line.
"I know I'm not a sprinter any more," Jalabert said. "I had
to try to remember how to do it.
"I was at the back of the bunch at the halfway stage but I
worked very hard to come back."
The last time Verdun, scene of one of the bloodiest World
War I battles, hosted a stage finish in the Tour de France was
in 1993, when a promising American by the name of Lance
Armstrong sprinted to his first success in the race.
Since then Armstrong has fought his way back from
life-threatening testicular cancer to win the Tour in 1999 and
2000 and he started this year's race as overwhelming favorite
to go on and complete the hat-trick.
There was never much likelihood of him repeating his stage
win, though, with far more important battles in the Alps and
Pyrenees to come.
As expected, he contented himself with another finish in
the main body of riders and he stayed in strong contention in
the overall standings.
His U.S. Postal team, backed by Joseba Beloki's ONCE
outfit, had work to do on Wednesday, though, to ensure there
would be no surprises in the overall standings.
Nine riders, including the American Bobby Julich and
Dutchman Michael Boogerd, attacked at the 51-km mark and
managed to gain over 10 minutes on the peloton.
U.S. Postal led the chase and eventually all nine were
hauled in, dashing Julich's hopes of taking the yellow jersey.
The surge in pace brought on by that game of cat and mouse
split the peloton into three, as strong crosswinds and spots of
rain made it a long, uncomfortable ride back into France.
Jan Ullrich's Telekom team joined ONCE and U.S. Postal at
the front of the race in preparation for Thursday's team time
trial, over 67 kms from Verdun to Bar-le-Duc.
Around 80 riders finished in the main pack, as the second
group eventually managed to catch up.
Britain's David Millar, who has been beset by bad luck in
his second Tour, soldiered on to finish in another group 18
minutes back to stay in last place in the overall standings.
There are now 185 riders left in the race following the
first big name casualty of the Tour, Francesco Casagrande.
The Italian, one of the pre-race favorites, pulled out
during Wednesday's stage after dropping out of the peloton for
the second successive day.
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ALSO SEE
Jalabert comes up with victory on road to recovery
Tour de France results -- Stage 4
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