By Andreas Zellmer Jul 15, 2006, 16:55 GMT
Montelimar - Jens Voigt of Germany won Saturday's 13th stage of the 2006 Tour de France, the longest ride of this year's race, as American Floyd Landis gave up the race leader's yellow jersey.
German Jens Voigt (Team CSC) rides during the thirteenth stage of the Tour de France 2006 between Beziers and Montelimar, France, Saturday 15 July 2006. The thirteenth stage leads the riders over 230 kilometers. EPA/OLIVER WEIKEN
Voigt, 34, who is with the Danish Team CSC, was part of a five-man group of riders that broke away from the peloton, or main pack, at the 21-kilometre mark of the 230-kilometre course from Beziers to Montelimar, and opened up a lead of nearly 30 minutes.
The German proved fastest in the sprint to the finish, beating Spain's Oscar Pereiro Sio by the length of a bicycle, to take his second-ever Tour stage victory. His time was 5 hours 24 minutes 36 seconds, an average speed of 42.51 kph.
But there was consolation for Pereiro Sio because he was able to take over the Tour lead from Landis because the American's Phonak team refused to give chase to the breakaway group.
Phonak general manager John Lelangue told French television that they did not regard the 28-year-old Spaniard as a threat for the title and did not want to tire out their riders in temperatures that exceeded 40 degrees Celsius on Saturday.
Landis finished with the main pack, 29:57 minutes adrift of the winner, and now ranks second, 1:29 seconds behind Pereiro Sio. Frenchman Cyril Dessel is another 8 seconds behind, in third place.
'I didn't expect to take the yellow jersey,' a beaming Pereiro Sio said. 'This is great for the team and its morale.'
Team CSC had a difficult beginning to the Tour, with the exclusion of its leader and Tour favourite, Ivan Basso of Italy, because of doping allegations. Then they were deprived of American Bobby Julich when he crashed and broke his wrist during the seventh stage.
Voigt, who has a reputation as a courageous and tireless rider, was delighted with his stage victory.
'You can't imagine how happy I am,' he said. 'This is perhaps the happiest day of my life.'
He said he had tried to join other breakaway groups in earlier stages, 'but they did not work out.'
He added: 'I put everything I had into this. Happily, I succeeded.'
Sunday's 14th stage brings the Tour into the Alps. The 180.5-kilometre course from Montelimar to Gap includes four climbs of moderate difficulty, a little taste of what awaits the riders when the serious climbing begins on Tuesday.
The Tour de France ends on July 23 in Paris.
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