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You are in: Special Events: 2000: Tour de France |
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Sunday, 23 July, 2000, 14:43 GMT 15:43 UK
Tour winners and losers
Armstrong celebrates the result of his hard work
BBC Sport Online's guide to the men who starred and those who flopped during the Millennium Tour de France.
Winners:Lance Armstrong What can you say about the American cancer survivor? In 1999 he was dominant, but the critics complained that it was a weakened field, shorn of the talents of Jan Ullrich and Marco Pantani. But this year he beat them all - comprehensively. And even if he had not recovered from a near-death experience he would still deserve a place in cycling's hall of fame. Credit too to Armstrong's US Postal team, who proved the French media doubters comprehensively wrong by proving their strength and being the only team to finish intact. Erik Zabel Mario Cipolini was absent injured, and then Tom Steels, Marcel Wust and Stuart O'Grady all pulled out before the Tour's halfway point.
He also got the stage win he deserved, after a three-year wait. And everyone in the peloton was delighted because it proved that nice guys do win. Santiago Botero and Kelme Columbia's second King of the Mountains emulated the feat of Luis Herrera, who took the polka dot jersey twice in the 1980s.
The Kelme team were sensational in the mountains, and would have been sorely missed had they not received their wild card invitation to the party. The young Spaniards Spain has stage winner Javier Otxoa, third-placed Joseba Beloki and best young rider Francisco Mancebo. Such a haul was superb for a country where the more established homegrown and adopted riders were such a disappointment. Their triumph represented the wind of change blowing through the sport. David Millar The 23-year-old Briton was the first yellow jersey of the race, and the youngest finisher at the end in Paris.
Whisper it quietly British fans, but he could be the Tour de France contender you have been waiting for. Rabobank and Erik Dekker
Dekker must know all about waiting for buses. After six Tours without a stage win, this emotional hero took three in just over a week.
LosersSeven teams failed to win a stage but three that that did enjoy brief success posessed team leaders who flopped in style. These are the men who would prefer to forget Tour 2000. ONCE, Laurent Jalabert and Abraham Olano OK, they won the team time trial - handing Jalabert a brief spell in yellow - but after that what happened to Spain's superteam?
And from a starting number of nine, four finishers is a disaster for a squad which prides itself on dominant, organised tactics. Expect the chequebook to come out. Some of the successful younger Spaniards such as Beloki, Mancebo and Otxoa could be on the winter shopping list. Alex Zulle Last year's runner-up had a nightmare, even without one of his trademark crashes.
Only Mancebo's white jersey saved Banesto's race, with low-budget Spanish outfit Kelme taking the team award ahead of this big money squad. But then ONCE and Banesto are the Barcelona and Real Madrid of Spanish cycling - and neither of them won the Primera Liga in 2000. So Kelme must be the Deportivo La Coruna of the sport. Frank Vandenbroucke The Belgian star quit the Tour, officially because of a physical injury. However a complete lack of results this season has not helped his bad boy image, and nor have the reports of this supposed elite athlete smoking cigarettes in the team hotel. The best advice for "VDB" is probably for him to seek the help of a psychologist as well as an inevitable change of team in the winter.
Good and badJan Ullrich The German's early season lack of training and racing cost him dear during the first two weeks. But strong performances in the final days left him the only man to remotely challenge Armstrong's victory, and gave him runners-up spot on two stages as well as in the overall. But he can do better, and must if he is to repeat his 1997 Tour win. Marco Pantani The rebirth of the Italian came at Courcheval with a mountain-top win from the top drawer.
But his 13-minute time loss into Morzine and subsequent disappearance left a few people scratching their heads. His next aim is the Olympics, which will provide the Italians with a real reason to get behind their famous squadra. Richard Virenque The Frenchman did not win his basic Tour target, the polka dot jersey, but he did take a stage with characteristic verve. He is almost certain to never realise his dream of winning the Tour, but after the dark days of 1998 the French are just glad he is still around.
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See also:
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