BRETTEN, Germany, 9 June 2003 — Australian Michael Rogers seized the lead in the Tour of Germany yesterday by winning an individual time trial marred by a spectacular crash from race favorite Igor Gonzalez de Galdeano.
Spaniard Gonzalez de Galdeano, who started the sixth and penultimate stage in second position overall, was in contention for the lead when he fell.
The ONCE rider, who won the race last year, clipped the metal stand of a barrier lining the road near the end of the day’s 40.7 kms ride against the clock around the southwestern town of Bretten. He sustained cuts and bruises and held his shoulder after standing up, indicating he may have broken his collar bone. Quick Step rider Rogers clocked a winning time of 51 minutes 36.21 seconds and is now ideally placed to win the race, which ends today with a 173.2 kms ride from Bad Duerkheim to Saarbruecken.
German Jan Ullrich, testing his Tour de France credentials with his new Bianchi team, came second in the stage but was one minute 10.80 seconds slower than Rogers. Alexander Vinokourov of Kazakhstan set the third fastest time, 1:13.98 back. Rogers was 1:19 ahead of Portuguese rider Jose Azevedo overall with Vinokourov third, 1:52 behind the leader.
Azevedo, who had captured the lead by winning Saturday’s fifth stage, lost over two minutes on Rogers yesterday and had to be content with seventh place in the time trial.
Today’s relatively undemanding final stage is likely to end with a mass sprint and should bring no major changes to the overall standings.
Ullrich was fifth overall but was not complaining.
“I’m very satisfied,” said the 1997 Tour de France winner. “There’s still time left before the Tour and it’s looking pretty good.”
The Tour was marred by the death of French rider Fabrice Salanson, whose body was found in his hotel room in Dresden shortly before the start of Tuesday’s first stage. He was 23. German state prosecutors said he had died of heart failure and there were no drugs in his body.
