Stage 3

Stage 3 - Anvers to Seraing 07.10.01 Sprinting Kings Share The Spoils On the day the Tour worked its way across Belgium, from Flanders through to the up-and-down terrain of the famed Ardennes climbs, it was two of the fiercest sprinting combatants who shared the rewards. Erik Zabel, the winner of the green jersey classification for the past five years, claimed the stage by beating most of the favorites for the overall title in an uphill rush. He jumped from behind a solid Telekom train at the last second to take his tally of Tour stage wins to 10 (and two from the three road stages of this year’s race). While Stuart O’Grady – the runner-up to Zabel’s green dominance in both 1998 and 1999 – kept his wits, finished 31st in the stage and, in so doing, inherited the ‘maillot jaune’ of race leader. The yellow prize today was the perfect remedy for sickening feeling he experienced after missing out on the yellow prize he thought would be his after finishing fifth yesterday. “It was really hard to take emotionally,” said the Australian Credit Agricole rider about ending the second stage 12-seconds behind the Belgian winner, Marc Wauters. “I crossed the line (in Antwerp) thinking I had the jersey, but then the organizers told me ‘no’. That hurt! “I thought I had it yesterday,” continued O’Grady’s synopsis of the second stage. “Not knowing that Wauters was so dangerous in the overall was a mistake… a severe lack of communication from the team. Hopefully it can get a bit better from here on in. And indeed it did! Today was a total contrast to the finish in Antwerp. Instead of O’Grady’s team leading into the closing kilometers, it was an all pink head of the peloton as the entire Telekom team set the tempo. Instead of being a batch of opportunistic riders relishing the festivities of the Tour’s visit to Belgium, the finish today was packed with overall contenders. Instead of fighting to win the sprint, O’Grady stayed nestled in the pack. And, in the end, it was the work of the second stage which paid dividends. O’Grady’s task today was to stay ahead of Wauters by at least 12 seconds. That the reigning race leader cracked during the three crucial climbs may have upset the host nation today, but that he finished further over six-and-a-half minutes behind in 152nd means that Australian fans will be celebrating when they wake to hear the news. The Aussie rider who answers to any number of nicknames – from ‘The Freckle’ to the ‘Gingerprince’, because of his complexion – has experienced the joy of the yellow jersey before, but that was in the somber Tour of 1998. He lost his lead during the time trial in Correze – and there were other things to talk about back then. This year, with his ambitions focused firmly on the overall prize of the green jersey, the yellow glow offers a motivating distraction. Zabel’s win was another story all together. After being part of the pink train which appeared to be leading Jan Ullrich toward his seventh stage success, Zabel won in the manner we've grown used to... by appearing in the wind only when it's time to surge across the line in time for the salute. That it resembled a sprint finish was only because the majority of the contenders for the overall title were battling for the win at the steep, rising finish. With Ullrich, Lance Armstrong, Joseba Beloki, Christophe Moreau and the 2000 Giro d'Italia winner Stefano Garzelli in the scrum of stars at the finish, today was a definite sign of things to come when the Tour reaches the real rising roads. For now, however, it’s a day when the kings of the sprint share the spoils.