SISTERON, France, 12 June 2004 — Australian Stuart O’Grady relied on years of sprinting prowess to hold off American George Hincapie and win the fifth stage of the Dauphine Libere race yesterday.
Spaniard Iban Mayo, riding for Euskaltel, retained the overall race lead that he increased after beating American defending champion Lance Armstrong by nearly two minutes on Thursday. O’Grady, who rides for the French Cofidis team, held off US Postal’s Hincapie in a race for the finish line after the two had slipped away from an eight-man group which attacked after just 55km of the 149km stage between Bollene and here.
Australian sprinter Baden Cooke, Fdjeux.com’s holder of the Tour de France green jersey, was part of that group. Given Cooke’s power at the finish line, perhaps it was no surprise when O’Grady and Hincapie attacked at the 100km mark.
They were chased most of the way into the finish by Jerome Pineau, Cooke and Nicolas Jalabert, but managed to hold off their pursuers with O’Grady claiming what is perhaps his most prestigious victory for his new team.
Cyclist Killed in Accident During Tour of Colombia
In Bogota, Colombian cyclist Juan Barrero died yesterday from injuries suffered during an accident while competing in the fifth stage of the Colombia Tour in northwestern Colombia, organizers said.
Barrero, 31, was competing in the stretch between Santa Rosa de Cabal in Risaralda and Jerico in Antioquia province. After the fall, he was rushed to a hospital in Santo Rosa de Cabal, where he died. Two other cyclists were injured in the accident.
