Spaniard wins 16th stage as Armstrong nears Tour title

Jul 19, 2005, 16:01 GMT

Spaniard Oscar Pereiro Sio of Phonak Hearing Systems celebrates on the podium after winning the sixteenth stage of the 2005 Tour de France cycling race, Tuesday 19 July 2005 in Pau. The 180,5km sixteenth stage of the 92nd Tour de France led the cyclists from Mourenx to Pau. EPA/OLIVIER HOSLET

Pau, France - Spaniard Oscar Pereiro Sio won the 16th stage of the 2005 Tour de France on Tuesday as American Lance Armstrong continued to roll towards his seventh consecutive championship.

The 27-year-old Pereiro covered the 180.5 kilometres from Moulenx to Pau in 4 hours 38:40 minutes, and beat countryman Xabier Zandio in a sprint to the finish to register his first-ever Tour stage victory.

Armstrong finished with the main pack, 3:24 minutes behind the winner and continues to lead Italian Ivan Basso by 2:46 minutes in the overall standings, with Mickael Rasmussen of Denmark 3:09 adrift.

It appears now that only illness or injury can prevent the 33-year-old Armstrong from winning his seventh Tour title and thereby closing out his racing career on a triumphant note.

Pereiro's victory came after his bitter disappointment in Sunday's 15th stage, when he was beaten by Armstrong's Discovery Channel team-mate George Hincapie in this year's most difficult and most prestigious stage.

"This win is a just reward after all my work on this Tour," Pereiro told France 2 television. "I attacked every day."

He admitted he was upset when Hincapie beat him to the finish line on Sunday, but that this was now past. "I'm very happy now," he said.

The stage was the last of three runs in the Pyrenees Mountains and presented the last serious climbs of this year's Tour, including the Aubisque Pass, an ascent of 16.5 kilometres at an average grade of 7.2 per cent that is rated beyond category, or the most difficult.

On the descent from the Aubisque Pass, a group of four riders, that included Pereiro, formed a lead breakaway group and managed to maintain a substantial advantage for the remaining 50 kilometres to the finish in Pau.

The stage was marred by a bizarre incident, when Kazakh rider Andrey Kashechkin was struck in the face by a spectator. According to Roger Legeay, the director of his Credit Agricole team, Kashechkin was hit by a fist.

"He was bleeding from the nose," Legeay told France 2 television. "We'll see later if he'll need an X-ray."

Kaschechkin received treatment from a Tour doctor and managed to finish the stage despite experiencing discomfort.

Wednesday's 17th stage will be the longest of this year's race, 239.5 kilometres from Pau to Revel. The Tour de France ends July 24 in Paris.