FadeTheButcher
07-06-2004, 08:11 AM
http://www.emedia.com.my/Current_News/NST/AfpNews/040705193612.xdir0uo4.txt/indexb_html
Sprinter Thor Hushovd made history when he became the first Norwegian to pull on the Tour de France yellow jersey after finishing the 197km second stage between Charleroi and Namur behind Robbie McEwen of Australia.
Hushovd, who has had a blistering season so far winning several legs of the French Cup, took the jersey from prologue winner Fabian Cancellara after starting the stage only four seconds behind the young Swiss time-trial specialist in the general classification.
The 26-year-old Hushovd, from Grimstad in Norway, admitted he had just fulfilled a childhood dream.
"It's been a dream of mine to wear the yellow jersey for a long time, for the past 15 years," said the stockily-built sprinter, who finished third behind McEwen on Sunday's opening stage and put down a great time in the opening prologue where he finished only 10secs behind Cancellara.
"Ever since the prologue I knew I could win the yellow jersey. Yesterday I was close, I was fighting for the bonus sprints but Cancellara managed to hold on. But today I finally did it."
Hushovd's second place finish was all the more impressive after he was forced to change his bike around 20km from the finish because of a mechanical problem.
And the Norwegian admitted that his priority is a stage win having come fifth, third and second in the first three days of the Tour.
He leads Cancellara by eight seconds with McEwen, who is eventually set to battle Hushovd and a host of other sprinters for the points green jersey, in third place at 17secs adrift.
Five-time winner Lance Armstrong is fourth at 18sec while his main rival, Germany's 1997 Tour winner Jan Ullrich, is 17th at 33secs behind Hushovd ahead of Tuesday potentially troublesome stage from Waterloo to Wasquehal.
McEwen, who claimed his earliest stage win on the race compared to previous years, was delighted at having staked his claim for success so soon.
But he was quick to dedicate his victory to a recently deceased former team-mate who was being buried Monday.
The 32-year-old from Brisbane, who has lived in Belgium for several years and speaks fluent Flemish, said he had been thinking about 28-year-old Steve Vermaut who died suddenly from a heart attack on June 30.
"I want to dedicate this win to an ex team-mate of mine, Steve Vermaut, who was being buried today," said McEwen, who also had a special mention for his Lotto teammate Nick Gates, forced out of the race on Sunday with a knee injury.
On what was one the cleanest bunch sprints on the early stages of the Tour - where usually everyone wants a piece of the action up front - McEwen played his ace card at the perfect time, with, he admitted, a little bit of pre-race savvy giving him the edge.
"A few weeks before the Tour one of the team managers went to see the stages to check out a few of the finishes and I got the team boss to fax through the details," said McEwen.
After pulling on the green jersey, which he is wearing because points classification leader Hushovd is in the yellow jersey, McEwen was duly congratulated by the king of the Belgians, Albert II, on the podium and admitted, in perfect Flemish: "I feel very Belgian today".
After the race, he was back to being Australian and admitted he had no fear of sprinter Alessandro Petacchi and his Fassa Bortolo team's 'train' hwich helps lead him out for the final sprint to the finish line.
"What Alessandro decides to do is completely up to him," he told AFP.
"But everybody knows that to form a train is not easy, especially on the Tour where you've got teams that are ready to jump all over the top of you if they see any sign of slowing down.
"I guess that the Tour sprints are something that suit me because we're not a team that lines up a train. Because it's quite a strong field it gives me more options coming into the sprint to go from one wheel to another and still end up in front.
"But even today I was in maybe tenth or 12th position on the last corner and that's where I started my sprint. When you feel good, you just do everything right."
The stage, held in dry conditions, was brought to life by a six-man breakaway which built up a maximum lead of five minutes before being caught shortly before the finish.
Italian Paolo Bettini, the Quick Step rider who is the reigning World Cup champion, finished the stage assured of the polka dot jersey for the race's best climber after claiming a maximum of points on the first sprint.
The stage was kicked into life by Bettini, the little Italian seemingly content at wearing some kind of jersey, which he has admitted he might soon have to hand over to teammate Richard Virenque.
Sprinter Thor Hushovd made history when he became the first Norwegian to pull on the Tour de France yellow jersey after finishing the 197km second stage between Charleroi and Namur behind Robbie McEwen of Australia.
Hushovd, who has had a blistering season so far winning several legs of the French Cup, took the jersey from prologue winner Fabian Cancellara after starting the stage only four seconds behind the young Swiss time-trial specialist in the general classification.
The 26-year-old Hushovd, from Grimstad in Norway, admitted he had just fulfilled a childhood dream.
"It's been a dream of mine to wear the yellow jersey for a long time, for the past 15 years," said the stockily-built sprinter, who finished third behind McEwen on Sunday's opening stage and put down a great time in the opening prologue where he finished only 10secs behind Cancellara.
"Ever since the prologue I knew I could win the yellow jersey. Yesterday I was close, I was fighting for the bonus sprints but Cancellara managed to hold on. But today I finally did it."
Hushovd's second place finish was all the more impressive after he was forced to change his bike around 20km from the finish because of a mechanical problem.
And the Norwegian admitted that his priority is a stage win having come fifth, third and second in the first three days of the Tour.
He leads Cancellara by eight seconds with McEwen, who is eventually set to battle Hushovd and a host of other sprinters for the points green jersey, in third place at 17secs adrift.
Five-time winner Lance Armstrong is fourth at 18sec while his main rival, Germany's 1997 Tour winner Jan Ullrich, is 17th at 33secs behind Hushovd ahead of Tuesday potentially troublesome stage from Waterloo to Wasquehal.
McEwen, who claimed his earliest stage win on the race compared to previous years, was delighted at having staked his claim for success so soon.
But he was quick to dedicate his victory to a recently deceased former team-mate who was being buried Monday.
The 32-year-old from Brisbane, who has lived in Belgium for several years and speaks fluent Flemish, said he had been thinking about 28-year-old Steve Vermaut who died suddenly from a heart attack on June 30.
"I want to dedicate this win to an ex team-mate of mine, Steve Vermaut, who was being buried today," said McEwen, who also had a special mention for his Lotto teammate Nick Gates, forced out of the race on Sunday with a knee injury.
On what was one the cleanest bunch sprints on the early stages of the Tour - where usually everyone wants a piece of the action up front - McEwen played his ace card at the perfect time, with, he admitted, a little bit of pre-race savvy giving him the edge.
"A few weeks before the Tour one of the team managers went to see the stages to check out a few of the finishes and I got the team boss to fax through the details," said McEwen.
After pulling on the green jersey, which he is wearing because points classification leader Hushovd is in the yellow jersey, McEwen was duly congratulated by the king of the Belgians, Albert II, on the podium and admitted, in perfect Flemish: "I feel very Belgian today".
After the race, he was back to being Australian and admitted he had no fear of sprinter Alessandro Petacchi and his Fassa Bortolo team's 'train' hwich helps lead him out for the final sprint to the finish line.
"What Alessandro decides to do is completely up to him," he told AFP.
"But everybody knows that to form a train is not easy, especially on the Tour where you've got teams that are ready to jump all over the top of you if they see any sign of slowing down.
"I guess that the Tour sprints are something that suit me because we're not a team that lines up a train. Because it's quite a strong field it gives me more options coming into the sprint to go from one wheel to another and still end up in front.
"But even today I was in maybe tenth or 12th position on the last corner and that's where I started my sprint. When you feel good, you just do everything right."
The stage, held in dry conditions, was brought to life by a six-man breakaway which built up a maximum lead of five minutes before being caught shortly before the finish.
Italian Paolo Bettini, the Quick Step rider who is the reigning World Cup champion, finished the stage assured of the polka dot jersey for the race's best climber after claiming a maximum of points on the first sprint.
The stage was kicked into life by Bettini, the little Italian seemingly content at wearing some kind of jersey, which he has admitted he might soon have to hand over to teammate Richard Virenque.