Stage 17: Evian-les-Bains – Lausanne



Lausanne, Switzerland, July 19 2000 – Dutch rider Erik Dekker won his third stage
of this year’s Tour de France, the 155km 17th stage from Evian-les-Bains to Lausanne
today.

American Lance Armstrong retained the overall leader’s yellow jersey and leads German
Jan Ullrich by 5 minutes 37 seconds.

The 30-year-old Dekker, the 1992 Olympic silver medallist, fought off green jersey
wearer Erik Zabel who led the chasing pack of sprinters in a late burst that left
Dekker hanging on by the skin of his teeth.

However, the Dutchman, emulating his compatriot Gerrie Knetemann’s win here the last
time the Tour finished in the Swiss town in 1978, still had time to raise his arms
in celebration before crossing the line to add this win to his previous victories
in the eighth and 11th stages.

The impact of the achievement reduced Dekker to tears on the victor’s podium.

"I can’t believe it," sobbed Dekker. This is something that me and my Rabobank
team could never have dreamt of prior to the Tour. I fooled around a bit with Mario
Aerts (fellow escapee) and then I realised that the sprinters were chasing me down
fast so I gritted my teeth and just held on," he added.

In an extraordinary sight the two leading riders in the race Armstrong and Ullrich
led the peloton in their chase of Dekker and Aerts before Ullrich, riding selflessly
for German Zabel’s bid to win a record fifth green jersey title, waved the sprinters
through.

In stark contrast to Dekker’s joy two stars of the grand Tour bid farewell to this
year’s race as the 1998 winner Marco Pantani retired with dysentery before the stage
while two-time runner-up Alex Zulle of Switzerland quit after 50km.

Veteran Italian Massimiliano Lelli, whose Cofidis team was to lose another rider
when Belgian Chris Peers retired during the day, was out on his own for a while until
joined by a group of eight riders including two of Pantani’s teammmates, and Jens
Heppner of Telekom.

The peloton led by the Telekom team chased down the nine leaders and were almost
upon six of them with 31km to go as a trio consisting of Frenchman Christophe Mengin,
Marco Velo and Lelli but they only held a 49sec advantage with 30km to go.

However, the trio were swept up with 13km to go as they embarked on a circuit of
Lausanne.

Zulle’s retirement left Armstrong’s US Postal team as the only outfit with a full
complement of riders from the 20 teams who started the race.

Results & overall standings

Results:

1. Erik Dekker (HOL/RAB) 155 km in 3 h 24:53.

2. Erik Zabel (Ger/TEL) 00:00.

3. Fred Rodriguez (USA/MAP) 00:00.

4. Francois Simon (Fra/BJT) 00:00.

5. Robbie McEwen (Aus/FAR) 00:00.

6. Mario Aerts (Bel/LOT) 00:00.

7. Massimiliano Mori (Ita/SAE) 00:00.

8. Romans Vainsteins (Lat/VIN) 00:00.

9. Nico Mattan (Bel/COF) 00:00.

10. Christophe Moreau (Fra/FES) 00:00.

11. Markus Zberg (Swi/RAB) 00:00.

12. Emmanuel Magnien (Fra/FDJ) 00:00.

13. Massimo Apollonio (Ita/VIN) 00:00.

14. Andrei Kivilev (Kzk/AG2) 00:00.

15. Manuel Beltran (Spa/MAP) 00:00.

16. Francisco Mancebo (Spa/BAN) 00:00.

17. Daniele Nardello (Ita/MAP) 00:00.

18. Koos Moerenhout (Hol/FAR) 00:00.

19. Jon Odriozola (Spa/BAN) 00:00.

20. David Canada (Spa/ONC) 00:00.

21. Roberto Heras (Spa/KEL) 00:00.

22. Marcello Siboni (Ita/MER) 00:00.

23. Kurt Van de Wouwer (Bel/LOT) 00:00.

24. Frederic Guesdon (Fra/FDJ) 00:00.

25. Michael Boogerd (Hol/RAB) 00:00.

26. Richard Virenque (Fra/PLT) 00:00.

27. Javier Pascual Llorente (Spa/KEL) 00:00.

28. Abraham Olano (Spa/ONC) 00:00.

29. Jan Ullrich (Ger/TEL) 00:00.

30. Xavier Jan (Fra/FDJ) 00:00.

General Classification:

1. Lance Armstrong (USA/USP) 75 h 37:23.

2. Jan Ullrich (Ger/TEL) at 05:37.

3. Joseba Beloki (Spa/FES) 06:38.

4. Roberto Heras (Spa/KEL) 06:43.

5. Richard Virenque (Fra/PLT) 07:36.

6. Christophe Moreau (Fra/FES) 08:22.

7. Santiago Botero (Col/KEL) 10:19.

8. Fernando Escartin (Spa/KEL) 11:35.

9. Francisco Mancebo (Spa/BAN) 13:07.

10. Manuel Beltran (Spa/MAP) 13:08.

11. Pascal Herve (Fra/PLT) 13:50.

12. Daniele Nardello (Ita/MAP) 14:28.

13. Javier Ochoa (Spa/KEL) 15:47.

14. Felix Garcia Casas (Spa/FES) 25:48.

15. Kurt Van de Wouwer (Bel/LOT) 26:30.

16. Roberto Conti (Ita/VIN) 29:22.

17. Michael Boogerd (Hol/RAB) 30:22.

18. Guido Trentin (Ita/VIN) 31:41.

19. Jose Maria Jimenez (Spa/BAN) 34:06.

20. Geert Verheyen (Bel/LOT) 37:17.

21. Alexandre Vinokourov (Kzk/TEL) 40:10.

22. Peter Luttenberger (Aust/ONC) 41:30.

23. Nico Mattan (Bel/COF) 45:27.

24. Grischa Niermann (Ger/RAB) 46:15.

25. Jean-Cyril Robin (Fra/BJT) 49:15.

26. Giuseppe Guerini (Ita/TEL) 51:13.

27. Tyler Hamilton (USA/USP) 53:29.

28. Daniel Atienza (Spa/SAE) 54:13.

29. Mario Aerts (Bel/LOT) 57:29.

30. Massimiliano Lelli (Ita/COF) 1h00:24.

Selected:

50. Bobby Julich (USA/C.A) 1h37:40.

64. David Millar (GBR/COF) 2h09:07.