Jul 20, 2006, 16:16 GMT
Morzine, France - American Floyd Landis staged an extraordinary fightback in the 2006 Tour de France as he won Thursday's 17th stage of the race and revived his chances for the championship.
US Floyd Landis (Phonak Hearing Systems team) reacts as he wins the seventeenth stage of the Tour de France 2006 in Morzine, France, Thursday 20 July 2006. The seventeenth stage led the riders over 200,5 kilometers from Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne to Morzine. EPA/FRANCK ROBICHON
After losing more than eight minutes to his rivals - and apparently all hopes for a Tour title - on the final climb of Wednesday's 16th stage, the 30-year-old Landis overwhelmed his rivals Thursday in an impressive show of cycling power.
He now stands third overall, only 30 seconds behind the leader, Oscar Pereiro Sio of Spain. At the start of Thursday's stage, he trailed Pereiro by more than 8 minutes.
Another Spaniard, Carlos Sastre is now second, 12 seconds behind.
The Tour title will in all probability be decided in Saturday's penultimate stage, a 57-kilometre individual time trial, an event at which Landis excels.
In the first time trial of the Tour, on July 8, Landis finished second, more than one minute ahead of Pereiro and Sastre.
In what resembled an individual time trial covering some 140 kilometres and five mountain ascents, Landis left the main pack behind on the first climb of the day, stretching his lead to more than nine minutes at one point.
Although the lead shrank to five minutes, Landis powered ahead again on the day's final climb, an ascent of 11.7 kilometres at an average slope of 8.5 per cent and rated beyond category in difficulty.
It was a performance in stark contrast to his collapse on Wednesday, when he seemed to run out of gas with 10 kilometres to go.
Landis's time for the 200.5-kilometre course from Saint Jean de Maurienne to Morzine was 5 hours 23 minutes 36 seconds, an average speed of 37.18 kph.
Sastre finished second, 5 minutes 42 seconds behind Landis, with Frenchman Christophe Moreau third, 5 minutes 58 seconds adrift.
Pereiro, who rides for the Caisse d'Epargne team, seemed resigned to having lost the championship, despite still being in the lead.
'I will ride calmly in the time trial because my conscience is clear, since I did all I could,' he said. 'It is very good for the team to have the yellow jersey.'
The sporting director of Sastre's Team CSC, Bjarne Riis, also seemed resigned to a Landis victory.
'He is the big favourite now,' he said. 'This is obvious.'
The Tour de France ends Sunday in Paris.
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