Ghent, Belgium – Gert Steegmans won the second stage of the Tour de France today with an inspirational victory in his home country, avoiding a late crash that slowed many riders and left them with scrapes and bruises.
Steegmans led a 1-2 Belgian finish in winning a Tour stage for the first time. He covered the 105-mile course on rain-drenched roads from Dunkirk, France, to Ghent in 3 hours, 48 minutes, 22 seconds. Switzerland’s Fabian Cancellara kept the leader’s yellow jersey.
“What an explosion of emotion it was after the finish,” Steegmans said. “It was really important for the team. You could feel this enormous pressure because we’re a Belgian team.” QuickStep teammate Tom Boonen of Belgium was second, followed by Filippo Pozzato of Italy after a sprint among a group of breakaway riders.
“I think it was a perfect picture, the two of us next to each other,” Steegmans said.
Steegmans said the victory could help rebuild spirits at QuickStep, a team under pressure amid speculation about doping.
“There was a big attack from one newspaper on our team,” Steegmans said. “It was a hard time for us – especially when you take a train, people see you as a gang member and not as a team rider.” Cycling’s credibility was sent reeling last year because of doping. Floyd Landis, the 2006 Tour champion, tested positive for synthetic testosterone and is awaiting an arbitration panel’s decision about whether he can retain his title.
Cancellara kept the overall lead for a third straight day despite falling in the crash and injuring his hand with a little more than a mile to go.
Andreas Kloeden of Germany is second, 13 seconds behind Cancellara, and British time trial specialist David Millar is third, 23 seconds back.
The crash that caused a bottleneck for most of the pack.
Steegmans led a group of about 20 riders that was unaffected.
Tomas Vaitkus of Discovery Channel was taken to the hospital for an injured right thumb, team spokesman P.J. Rabice said.
Under course rules, because the crash occurred within 1.8 miles of the finish, all riders in the main pack were awarded the same time as the stage winner.
The three-week race returns to France nearly for good Tuesday, leaving the Belgian town of Waregem for a 147-mile ride to Compiegne, northeast of Paris.
The main contenders typically don’t seek stage victories in the flat early stages that are prone to crashes, preferring to wait for tougher mountain stages to make their move.
Kloeden, Alexandre Vinokourov, Levi Leipheimer, Cadel Evans and Alejandro Valverde are all within 40 seconds of Cancellara, who isn’t expected to keep up in the Alps and Pyrenees.
Boonen, a former world champion with four Tour stage victories, said there were no hard feelings toward Steegmans. Steegmans typically helps Boonen but is not supposed to beat him.
“It’s a situation that exists only once or twice per career, and Gert has already done a lot for me,” said Boonen, who took the green jersey as top sprinter from Monday’s stage winner Robbie McEwen. “When you have the chance to do that, it’s great.”
RESULTS
Second stage
104.7 miles from Dunkirk,
France to Ghent
1. Gert Steegmans, Belgium, Quickstep-Innergetic, 3 hours, 48 minutes, 22 seconds. 2. Tom Boonen, Belgium, Quickstep-Innergetic, same time. 3. Filippo Pozzato, Italy, Liquigas, same time. 4. Robert Hunter, South Africa, Barloworld, same time. 5. Romain Feillu, France, Agritubel, same time.
6. Robbie McEwen, Australia, Predictor-Lotto, same time. 7. Erik Zabel, Germany, Team Milram, same time. 8. Heinrich Haussler, Germany, Gerolsteiner, same time. 9. Oscar Freire, Spain, Rabobank, same time. 10. Sebastien Chavanel, France, Francaise des Jeux, same time.
11. William Bonnet, France, Credit Agricole, same time. 12. Bernhard Eisel, Austria, T-Mobile, same time. 13. Sebastien Hinault, France, Credit Agricole, same time. 14. Philippe Gilbert, Belgium, Francaise des Jeux, same time. 15. Enrico Degano, Italy, Barloworld, same time.
16. Matthieu Ladagnous, France, Francaise des Jeux, same time. 17. Thomas Lovkvist, Sweden, Francaise des Jeux, same time. 18. Steven de Jongh, Netherlands, Quick Step-Innergetic, same time. 19. Marcus Burghardt, Germany, T-Mobile, same time. 20. Murilo Fischer, Brazil, Liquigas, same time.
Also
32. Yaroslav Popovych, Ukraine, Discovery Channel, same time. 50. Vladimir Gusev, Russia, Discovery Channel, same time. 69. Tomas Vaitkus, Lithuania, Discovery Channel, same time.
70. Alberto Contador, Spain, Discovery Channel, same time. 79. Christopher Horner, United States, Predictor-Lotto, same time. 131. Levi Leipheimer, United States, Discovery Channel, same time.
132. Sergio Paulinho, Portugal, Discovery Channel, same time. 143. Egoi Martinez, Spain, Discovery Channal, same time. 150. Christian Vandevelde, United States, Team CSC, same time. 151. George Hincapie, United States, Discovery Channel, same time.
152. Benjamin Noval Gonzalez, Spain, Discovery Channel, same time. 177. David Zabriskie, United States, Team CSC, same time. 188. Fred Rodriguez, United States, Predictor-Lotto, same time.
Overall standings
(After two stages)
1. Fabian Cancellara, Switzerland, Team CSC, 8:36:13. 2. Andreas Kloeden, Germany, Astana, 13 seconds behind. 3. David Millar, Britain, Saunier Duval-Prodir, :21. 4. George Hincapie, United States, Discovery Channel, :23. 5. Bradley Wiggins, Britain, Cofidis, same time.
6. Vladimir Gusev, Russia, Discovery Channel, :25. 7. Tom Boonen, Belgium, Quick Step-Innergetic, :26. 8. Vladimir Karpets, Russia, Discovery Channel, same time. 9. Thor Hushovd, Norway, Credit Agricole, :29. 10. Alexandre Vinokourov, Kazakhstan, Astana, :30.
11. Thomas Dekker, Netherlands, Rabobank, :31. 12. Manuel Quinziato, Italy, Liquigas, :32. 13. Benoit Vaugrenard, France, Francaise des Jeux, same time. 14. Jose Ivan Gutierrez, Spain, Caisse d’Epargne, :33. 15. Andriy Grivko, Ukraine, Team Milram, same time.
16. Mikel Astarloza, Spain, Euskaltel-Euskadi, same time. 17. Filippo Pozzato, Italy, Liquigas, :35. 18. Alberto Contador, Spain, Discovery Channel, same time. 19. Andrey Kashechkin, Kazakhstan, Astana, same time. 20. Cadel Evans, Australia, Predictor-Lotto, :36.
Also
30. Levi Leipheimer, United States, Discovery Channel, :40. 32. Tomas Vaitkus, Lithuania, Discovery Channel, :42. 39. Sergio Paulinho, Portugal, Discovery Channel, :44. 48. Egoi Martinez, Spain, Discovery Channel, :47.
50. Yaroslav Popovych, Ukraine, Discovery Channel, :48. 70. Christopher Horner, United States, Predictor-Lotto, :53. 71. Benjamin Noval Gonzalez, Spain, Discovery Channel, same time.
74. Christian Vandevelde, United States, Team CSC, same time. 130. Fred Rodriguez, United States, Predictor-Lotto, 1:05. 183. David Zabriskie, United States, Team CSC, 2:59.
