Posted at 6:25 a.m., Thursday, July 19, 2007
Cycling: Hunter wins stage; Rasmussen leads overall
Associated Press
MONTPELLIER, France — Robert Hunter of South Africa won today's 11th stage of the Tour de France, while Michael Rasmussen of Denmark retained the overall leader's yellow jersey.Hunter sprinted at the end of the 113.4-mile route from Marseille to Montpellier under a hot sun to record the first-ever stage victory by a South African.
"I'm really happy. I have no words to describe what I'm feeling right now," Hunter said. "I've done the Tour de France six times, and I'm the first South African ever to ride in it."
Hunter won in 3 hours, 47 minutes, 50 seconds, outpacing second-place Fabian Cancellara of Switzerland and Murilo Fischer of Brazil in third. The main pack of riders finished in the same time.
Hunter's Barloworld team has won a second stage in its Tour debut after Juan Mauricio Soler of Colombia took the ninth stage on Tuesday.
Rasmussen retained his lead over his main rivals for the yellow jersey. He is 2:35 ahead of second-place Alejandro Valverde and 2:39 in front of Iban Mayo in third.
The day's biggest loser in the overall race was Christophe Moreau of France, who conceded crucial minutes against Rasmussen. Moreau entered the stage in sixth place, 3:18 off the leader's pace.
The Tour was dealt a blow on Wednesday after Germany's cycling federation said Patrik Sinkewitz, who dropped out of the race after a crash last weekend, had tested positive for high levels of testosterone in a surprise doping test conducted during a training run last month.
