The 32-year-old Swiss, riding his sixth Tour, was part of a nine-man breakaway that illuminated an otherwise uneventful stage through the heart of the Massif Central. Attacks came thick and fast at the stage start, and it was TVM’s French climber Laurent Roux who initiated the day’s major break after only nine and a half kilometers, at the summit of the Cote du Pin. Tagging along with the 23-year-old were a select group of old hands — Richard, Motorola’s Flavio Vanzella, Rabobank duo Erik Breukink and Danny Nelissen, Felix Garcia-Casas of Festina, Marco Gualdi of Polti, TVM’s Jesper Skibby and past Tour of Spain winner, and Melchor Mauri of ONCE. With none of the group posing any kind of threat on the overall classification, as Skibby was the closest to Bjarne Riis’ maillot jaune, starting the day at 27:57 behind his fellow Dane, the field was barely interested in rising to the bait.
After 45.5 kilometers, their lead was 0:45, and momentarily Miguel Indurain was dropped as the field crossed the summit of the Col des Nonieres, but the Spaniard caught up on the descent, the peloton slowed its pace and the break swiftly pulled further ahead. Sixty-one kilometers from the finish, their lead had grown to a massive 13 minutes, as the peloton rode on the undulating heavy roads. Inexplicably, Banesto’s Jose Ramon Uriarte, who may yet be sorely needed by his team leader, counter-attacked and found himself in no man’s land, halfway between break and peloton.
Finally, 33 kilometers from the finish, Mapei and Telekom stirred themselves and moved to the front of the field, no doubt to discourage any moves from those with their eyes on the general classification. But it was hardly a thrilling pursuit and at the top of the final climb, the break’s lead was up again, this time at 14:05.
As the nine escapees swept down into the sunny streets of Le Puy, Roux, Breukink, Richard and Mauri all made vain attacks, but with a Tour de France stage at stake, their long-time companions were not about to let them slip away.
Once under the final kilometer kite, Roux, perhaps thinking of Skibby’s finishing strengths, pulled hard at the front while Nelissen and Richard eyed each other warily. Skibby, who failed to finish this year’s Giro d’Italia, did not have the strength in his legs to move to the front of the sprint and quickly found himself chasing Richard, Nelissen and Gualdi. But the Richard, a specialist at winning from small breakaways, was too far ahead and as Skibby overhauled Gualdi, he found the time to sit up straight, thrust his arms skywards and celebrate his third major win of 1996. "A guy like me, someone who really considers themselves to be a climber, doesn’t expect to win sprints ahead of the likes of Skibby and Nelissen," Richard said somewhat disingeniously beyond the line. "I’m thrilled to bits."
Some 15 minutes later, Telekom’s Erik Zabel, now looking very much the part in the green points jersey, easily won the bunch sprint from a weary-looking Frederic Moncassin, while Mapei’s Tony Rominger, who had made a remarkable overnight recovery from yesterday’s fall, managed to raise a smile as he rode through the finish. "At least I didn’t crash today," he said. "Days like that are fine by me, because they give me the chance to recover."
RESULT
1. Pascal Richard (Switz), MG/Technogym 143.5 km in 3:29:19
2. Jesper Skibby (Hol), TVM
3. Marco Gualdi (It), Polti
4. Danny Nelissen (Hol), Rabobank
5. Felix Garcia Casas (Sp), Festina
6. Flavio Vanzella (It), Motorola
7. Erik Breukink (Hol), Rabobank
8. Melchor Mauri (Sp), ONCE
9. Laurent Roux (Holland), TVM all s.t.
10. Erik Zabel (Ger), Telekom and peloton at 15:14
Abandon: Emmanuel Magnien (Fr), Festina
Points classification: Erik Zabel (Ger), Telekom
Mountains classification:, Richard Virenque (Fr), Festina
General Classification:
No change to top ten.