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| July 18, 2008 | Friday | Rajab 14, 1429 |
Arvesen wins 11th stage as Evans retains lead: Tour de France
FOIX (France), July 17: Kurt-Asle Arvesen of Norway, riding for CSC, won the 11th stage of the Tour de France here on Wednesday, 167.5km of racing between Lannemezan and here, crossing the line in three hours 58 minutes 13 seconds in a sprint finish.
Australian Cadel Evans retained the leader’s yellow jersey after Arvesen edged out Swiss rider Martin Elmiger and Alessandro Ballan of Italy as the 33-year-old gave his team their first triumph of this year’s edition.
Evans, riding for Silence, came in with the peloton some 15 minutes behind the leading group but that was enough to stay on top of the pile while Arvesen, junior world champion in 1997, scored his first stage win in the event, having previously netted two Giro stages in Italy.
Held in searing temperatures, the final day of racing in the Pyrenees featured only one major climb – and that provided Frenchman Amael Moinard with the springboard he needed to launch an attack.
He was part of a small group of riders that had pulled away from the peloton, containing all the big favourites, in the early stages and that went on to build a lead of 15 minutes.
However, when 2006 Tour winner Oscar Pereiro escaped the peloton on the climb over the category one-rated climb over the Col du Portel, the CSC team of overall second Frank Schleck soon took over and decided to launch a chase.
Their efforts, however, had little effect and in the end the battle was fought in front of them as seven riders who had earlier been with Moinard tried to close the gap to the Cofidis rider.
On his own, and racing into a headwind, Moinard was facing a mammoth task in keeping his pursuers at bay.
By the time Moinard had reached the flag signalling 20km to race, the chasing pack had closed his gap to around a minute.
Arvesen then saw off his fellow escapees in the final dash for the finish as Evans preserved his 1sec advantage over Frank Schleck.
Results of 11th stage:
1. Kurt-Asle Arvesen (Norway/Team CSC) three hours 58 minutes 13 seconds; 2. Martin Elmiger (Switzerland/AG2R) same time; 3. Alessandro Ballan (Italy/Lampre); 4. Koos Moerenhout (Netherlands/Rabobank) +2 seconds; 5. Alexandre Botcharov (Russia/Credit Agricole) +11 seconds; 6. Pierrick Fedrigo (France/Bouygues Telecom) +14 seconds; 7. Filippo Pozzato (Italy/Liquigas) +14 seconds; 8. Benoit Vaugrenard (France/Francaise des Jeux) +14 seconds; 9. Fabian Wegmann (Germany/Gerolsteiner) +14 seconds; 10. Marco Velo (Italy/Milram) +14 seconds; 11. Dmitriy Fofonov (Kazakhstan/Credit Agricole) +14 seconds; 12. Amael Moinard (France/Cofidis) +29 seconds; 13. Thor Hushovd (Norway/Credit Agricole) +14:51 seconds; 14. Erik Zabel (Germany/Milram) +14.51 seconds; 15. Leonardo Duque (Colombia/Cofidis) +14.51 seconds; 16. Oscar Freire (Spain/Rabobank) +14.51 seconds; 17. Kim Kirchen (Luxembourg/Columbia) +14.51 seconds; 18. Xavier Florencio (Spain/Bouygues Telecom) +14.51 seconds; 19. Christian Vande Velde (US/Garmin-Chipotle) +14.51 seconds; 20. Juan Antonio Flecha (Spain/Rabobank) +14.51 seconds; 21. Yaroslav Popovych (Ukraine/Silence-Lotto) +14.51 seconds; 22. Arnaud Gerard
(France/Francaise des Jeux ) +14.51 seconds; 23. Daniele Righi (Italy/Lampre) +14.51 seconds; 24. William Bonnet (France/Credit Agricole) +14.51 seconds; 25. Frederik Willems (Belgium/Liquigas) +14.51 seconds; 26. George Hincapie (US/Columbia) +14.51 seconds; 27. Cadel Evans (Australia/Silence-Lotto) +14.51 seconds; 28. Frank Schleck (Luxembourg/Team CSC) +14.51 seconds; 29. Denis Menchov (Russia/Rabobank) +14.51 seconds; 30. Andy Schleck (Luxembourg/Team CSC) +14.51 seconds.—Agencies
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