GAN's Frederic Moncassin triumphantly ended a day of cliff-hanging suspense for French fans by snatching the Tour de France's yellow jersey of race leadership. Moncassin's coup came after a tense sprint in Nogent-sur-Oise, won by Telekom's Erik Zabel.
While the 26-year-old Berliner celebrated his third career win at the Tour, Moncassin and his GAN team breathed a huge sigh of relief as their near misses at capturing the yellow jersey during the Tour's first few days finally came to an end. Frustrated by Chris Boardman's two-second defeat at the prologue in s'Hertegenbosch and then Moncassin's failure -- by a single second -- to take the yellow jersey during yesterday's and today's intermediate sprints, their last chance of the day came on the sinuous run-in to Nogent.
On a day of few other incidents, all eyes were on GAN, as stage-one winner Moncassin once again set about snatching the necessary bonuses to gladden French hearts. Another day of strong winds and heavy showers saw the peloton taking things easy until the first sprint at Douai, won by MG's Fabio Baldato, as Moncassin once again failed to score the vital bonuses.
That was the day's action until 32 kilometers from the finish, when GAN's Eddy Seigneur, attacking from a tentative break of six, initiated a telling move with Marco Lietti of MG and Banesto's Jose Luis Arrieta. Seigneur, 44 seconds from the yellow jersey and in his home region of the Oise, rode relentlessly at the front of the break, but predictably enough, the trio was swept up by the fast-moving field just eight kilometers from the finish.
With the Saeco team working hard at the front to serve Italian sprint king Mario Cipollini, winner yesterday in Wasquehal, 27-year-old Moncassin had his work cut out just to enter the final kilometers close to the head of the bunch. As the field entered the final thousand meters, with the Italian star perfectly placed, Moncassin finally wormed his way to the Saeco leader's back wheel. As Cipollini's lieutenants finally fell back one by one, the Italian champion hit the front, with Moncassin and Zabel glued to his slipstream and TVM's Jeroen Blijlevens and points classification leader Jan Svorada battling to stay in contention.
Then, 300 meters from the finish, Zabel jumped away to the right, opening daylight between himself and the ÒLion King.Ó The German, using a 53x11 gear, held on to beat a flagging Cipollini to the line, while Moncassin fought off Svorada to take the vital eight-second bonus for third place and, most important of all, the maillot jaune from ONCE's Alex Zulle.
Stage Three
Wasquehal-Nogent-sur-Oise
1. Erik Zabel (Ger), Telekom 195 km in 5:29:21
2. Mario Cipollini (It), Saeco
3. Frederic Moncassin (Fr),GAN
4. Jan Svorada (Czech), Panaria
5. Jeroen Blijlevens (Hol), TVM all s.t.
Abandons: Enrico Zaina (It), Carrera
General Classification
1. Frederic Moncassin (Fr), GAN 17:09:30
2. Alex Zulle (Switz), ONCE at 0:07
3. Evgeni Berzin (Rus), Gewiss 0:10
4. Abraham Olano (Sp), Mapei 0:14
5. Bjarne Riis (Den), Telekom 0:18
Points: Jan Svorada (Czech), Panaria
Mountains: Jose Luis Arrieta (Sp), Banesto
"I want you to forbid them to use them during the race," he curtly told team managers last night. Fortunately, such strictures don't apply to those harassed journalists clinging to their phones in the chaos of the Tour press room.
NELISSEN PLANS HIS RETURN
Belgian star Wilfried Nelissen, seriously injured in April at spring Classic Ghent-Wevelgem, was visited by Leblanc in the hospital in Ghent yesterday.
The Tour director's visit came shortly before the race passed through the Belgian town on its route to Wasquehal. "We're missing a sprinter at the Tour this year, and I just wanted to see how Wilfried was getting on," said Leblanc. "It's upsetting because it's only two years since I came to see him in Lille hospital, after his terrible crash at Armentieres." Lotto's team leader is determined to return to the Tour next year. "I'll start training again in October if everything goes to plan, with the aim of racing again next spring," he explained.
VIRENQUE EYES THE ALPS
The Festina team's climbing hero Richard Virenque is having a quiet opening week of the Tour but has his sights set on the mountain time trial this coming weekend. King of the Mountains in the 1995 Tour, Virenque has had a new titanium frame specially built for the crucial timed climb to the ski resort at Val d'Isere.
"I've made the final adjustments to the bike, and I'm very happy with it," explained the 26-year-old. "But we'll have to wait and see what's happened in the race when we get to that day."