Joigny, France – Fabian Cancellara says he knows his days in the Tour de France’s yellow jersey are numbered as the race heads toward the Alps.
The Swiss time-trial ace kept the prized race leader’s shirt after today’s fourth stage, a mostly flat 119.9-mile ride from Villers-Cotterets to Joigny won by Thor Hushovd of Norway.
No rider has threatened Cancellara’s lead since he won Saturday’s prologue and extended his margin with a daring win in stage three Tuesday, but others are stronger climbers.
“For me, when I get into the mountains, it’s sure that it’s finished,” Cancellara said of his run as the leader.
Hushovd, who won the green jersey awarded to the Tour’s best sprinter in 2005, overcame stomach pain to earn his fifth Tour stage win with a final sprint, finishing ahead of South Africa’s Robert Hunter in second and Oscar Freire of Spain in third.
“Everything took place superbly well,” said Hushovd, who took first in 4 hours, 37 minutes, 47 seconds. “I’m too happy.
“I was sure my form wasn’t too bad.” The Norwegian climbed from ninth to second place and gained bonus points for the victory that put him 29 seconds back of Cancellara. Andreas Kloeden of Germany, who was runner-up to Lance Armstrong in 2004, is third, 33 seconds behind.
Riders break out of the flats on Thursday with a 113.4-mile trek from the Burgundy town of Chablis to Autun featuring eight medium-grade climbs.
“Someone’s really going to have some guts to go for it tomorrow,” said Cancellara’s CSC teammate Christian Vandevelde of the U.S. “People are going to be biding their time thinking about (the Alps).” In the Alpine stages of the three-week race, overall favorites could try to make their move and chisel out precious minutes on their rivals. Few can be ruled out yet: 160 riders are within two minutes of Cancellara.
Kazakhstan’s Alexandre Vinokourov is widely seen as the top contender, though Kloeden, U.S. rider Levi Leipheimer, Australia’s Cadel Evans, Russian Denis Menchov and Spaniards Alejandro Valverde and Oscar Pereiro are all strong possibilities.
Two riders dropped out after crashing early in Wednesday’s stage. Xavier Zandio of Spain broke his right collarbone and France’s Remy di Gregorio broke his right elbow.
A total of four riders have pulled out, leaving 185 riders left.
The Tour, in its 94th edition, is taking place as cycling has suffered huge blows over the last year because of doping allegations involving some of the sport’s biggest names.
Would-be title contenders like Italy’s Ivan Basso and American Tyler Hamilton have been forced to sit out over doping probes, and few experts believe that the peloton – or rider pack – is fully clean.
The 2006 champion, Floyd Landis, is also out, and awaiting an arbitration panel’s verdict whether he can keep the title after testing positive for synthetic testosterone in Stage 17 last year.
The International Cycling Union, or UCI, has publicly sought to crack down.
All Tour racers signed a new UCI anti-doping charter in time for Saturday’s start, saying they are not involved in doping and promising to submit DNA samples to authorities for a vast probe called Operation Puerto, which erupted in May 2006. Cyclists also had to agree to pay a year’s salary on top of a two-year ban if caught doping.
The UCI this week said it wants team managers and staff to sign a similar pledge by Aug. 1 – three days after the Tour ends.
RESULTS
At Joigny, France
Fourth stage
119.9 miles from Villers-Cotterets to Joigny
1. Thor Hushovd, Norway, Credit Agricole, 4 hours, 37 minutes, 47 seconds; 2. Robert Hunter, South Africa, Barloworld, same time; 3. Oscar Freire, Spain, Rabobank, same time; 4. Erik Zabel, Germany, Team Milram, same time; 5. Danilo Napolitano, Italy, Lampre-Fondital, same time.
6. Gert Steegmans, Belgium, Quick Step-Innergetic, same time; 7. Robert Foerster, Germany, Gerolsteiner, same time; 8. Tom Boonen, Belgium, Quick Step-Innergetic, same time; 9. Sebastien Chavanel, France, Francaise des Jeux, same time; 10. Mark Cavendish, Britain, T-Mobile, same time.
11. Marcus Burghardt, Germany, T-Mobile, same time; 12. Ruben Perez, Spain, Euskaltel-Euskadi, same time; 13. Martin Elmiger, Switzerland, AG2R Prevoyance, same time; 14. Sven Krauss, Germany, Gerolsteiner, same time; 15. Murilo Fischer, Brazil, Liquigas, same time.
16. Robbie McEwen, Australia, Predictor-Lotto, same time; 17. Julian Dean, New Zealand, Credit Agricole, same time; 18. Francisco Ventoso, Spain, Saunier Duval-Prodir, same time; 19. Aleksandr Kuschynski, Belarus, Liquigas, same time; 20. Inaki Isasi, Spain, Euskaltel-Euskadi, same time.
Also
23. Fred Rodriguez, United States, Predictor-Lotto, same time; 32. George Hincapie, United States, Discovery Channel, same time; 36. Vladimir Gusev, Russia, Discovery Channel, same time; 46. Yaroslav Popovych, Ukraine, Discovery Channel, same time; 47. Fabian Cancellara, Switzerland, Team CSC, same time.
77. Alberto Contador, Spain, Discovery Channel, same time; 90. Benjamin Noval Gonzalez, Spain, Discovery Channel, same time; 101. Levi Leipheimer, United States, Discovery Channel, same time; 102. Egoi Martinez, Spain, Discovery Channal, same time; 109. Christopher Horner, United States, Predictor-Lotto, same time; 144. Sergio Paulinho, Portugal, Discovery Channel, same time; 177. Christian Vandevelde, United States, Team CSC, 2:41 behind; 182. David Zabriskie, United States, Team CSC, 2:45.
Overall standings (After four stages)
1. Fabian Cancellara, Switzerland, Team CSC, 19:49:55; 2. Thor Hushovd, Norway, Credit Agricole, 29 seconds behind; 3. Andreas Kloeden, Germany, Astana, :33; 4. David Millar, Britain, Saunier Duval-Prodir, :41; 5. George Hincapie, United States, Discovery Channel, :43.
6. Bradley Wiggins, Britain, Cofidis, same time; 7. Sylvain Chavanel, France, Cofidis, :44; 8. Vladimir Gusev, Russia, Discovery Channel, :45; 9. Tom Boonen, Belgium, Quick Step-Innergetic, :46; 10. Vladimir Karpets, Russia, Discovery Channel, same time.
11. Mikel Astarloza, Spain, Euskaltel-Euskadi, :49; 12. Alexandre Vinokourov, Kazakhstan, Astana, :50; 13. Thomas Dekker, Netherlands, Rabobank, :51; 14. Manuel Quinziato, Italy, Liquigas, :52; 15. Benoit Vaugrenard, France, Francaise des Jeux, same time.
16. Jose Ivan Gutierrez, Spain, Caisse d’Epargne, :53; 17. Andriy Grivko, Ukraine, Team Milram, same time; 18. Filippo Pozzato, Italy, Liquigas, :55; 19. Alberto Contador, Spain, Discovery Channel, same time; 20. Andrey Kashechkin, Kazakhstan, Astana, same time.
Also
34. Levi Leipheimer, United States, Discovery Channel, 1:00; 41. Sergio Paulinho, Portugal, Discovery Channel, 1:04; 51. Egoi Martinez, Spain, Discovery Channel, 1:07; 53. Yaroslav Popovych, Ukraine, Discovery Channel, 1:08; 70. Christopher Horner, United States, Predictor-Lotto, 1:13.
71. Benjamin Noval Gonzalez, Spain, Discovery Channel, same time; 119. Fred Rodriguez, United States, Predictor-Lotto, 1:25; 172. Christian Vandevelde, United States, Team CSC, 3:54; 183. David Zabriskie, United States, Team CSC, 7:09.
