Few would have predicted what came next, as 10 days of torrential rain, high winds, and blizzards reduced the Tour to a survival test -- a test that Miguel Indurain failed. But it was a test that Bjarne Riis was best equipped to deal with, and his stoic cool held him in good stead as his main rivals -- Berzin, Leblanc, Rominger and Indurain -- fizzed and popped with little real effect. Behind him came the vanguard of future Tour talent, with the likes of Jan Ullrich, Peter Luttenberger, Manuel Fernandez Gines, and Abraham Olano confirming their talents and offering plenty of potential excitement for the future.
They, perhaps more than Berzin, Laurent Jalabert, or Chris Boardman represent the post-millenium face of the European scene. As many champions show signs of fading, among them Tony Rominger and, even more surprisingly, Miguel Indurain, the changing of the guard is definitely underway. Whether at 32, this year's refreshingly open and confident champion will be part of that future remains to be seen.
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