comscore Riblon's victory in stage 14 gives France reason to cheer | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
Every act of aloha counts. Click here to DONATE to the MAUI RELIEF Fund.
Sports

Riblon’s victory in stage 14 gives France reason to cheer

Honolulu Star-Advertiser logo
Unlimited access to premium stories for as low as $12.95 /mo.
Get It Now
  • ASSOCIATED PRESS
    Christophe Riblon of France crossed the finish line yesterday to win the 14th stage of the Tour de France.

AX-3 DOMAINES, France » With the Pyrenees all too ready to punish riders, overall leader Andy Schleck and defending champion Alberto Contador sized each other up, matching wits and pedal strokes in a high-altitude waiting game at the Tour de France.

Yesterday’s victory belonged to Christophe Riblon, a relatively unknown Frenchman who won a stage in cycling’s showcase race for the first time.

Riblon, who rides for AG2R, was spurred by a French crowd that has had little to celebrate at the Tour in recent years.

"Yesterday … if you’d asked me about today, I wouldn’t have bet one euro on me," he said. "It’s different now, of course. What I have done today is very important, for me and my team."

Schleck leads Contador, his closest rival, by 31 seconds. Both arrived with the same time, more than a minute behind Riblon. They lost a few seconds to the next closest contenders, Samuel Sanchez of Spain and Denis Menchov of Russia, but were not unhappy.

"I couldn’t pass him; I had to stay in his wheel," said Schleck of Luxembourg. "I have often enough made the mistake where he attacked and dropped me because I passed him. I learn from my mistakes. But it will be a totally different scenario tomorrow."

Contador said sticking together benefited both riders. They could both make sure other contenders didn’t get too far ahead. Sanchez is 2:31 back in third, with Menchov fourth at 2:44.

"It was a complicated day to get away from the other, so we agreed to catch the group," Contador said.

Schleck and the Spaniard have three more days in the mountains to try to get a jump on the other. That’s particularly important for Schleck, who knows his slender lead is unlikely to be enough in the time trial Saturday.

The 29-year-old Riblon, who combines road cycling with a career on the track, was content to luxuriate in yesterday’s result — the best of his career.

"I’ve been a professional for 5 1/2 years and I’ve been waiting for this for 5 1/2 years," he said.

Lance Armstrong finished more than 15 minutes behind Riblon. The seven-time champion has acknowledged he has no chance of victory.

 

Comments have been disabled for this story...

Click here to view ongoing news coverage of the Maui wildfires. Sign up for our free e-newsletter to get the latest news delivered to your inbox. Download the Honolulu Star-Advertiser mobile app to stay on top of breaking news coverage.

Be the first to know
Get web push notifications from Star-Advertiser when the next breaking story happens — it's FREE! You just need a supported web browser.
Subscribe for this feature

Scroll Up