Sérgio Paulinho wins stage 10 of Tour de France
Sérgio Paulinho, of Team Radio Shack, has won the 10th stage of the Tour de France at Gap on Bastille Day.
The Portuguese rider attacked Belorussian Vasil Kiryienka towards the end of the stage, and when it looked like Paulinho was looking comfortable for the stage win, Kiryienka came back at him and nearly snatched the win. A photo-finish decided the outcome after a great sprint by the two riders. The peloton were over 13 minutes behind.
Paulinho becomes the first rider from Portugal to win an individual stage of the Tour for 21 years since Acácio da Silva.
Andy Schleck, of Team Saxo Bank, will still hold the yellow jersey as he has a 41 second lead over last year’s Tour winner Alberto Contador. Norway’s Thor Hushovd maintains the green jersey, eight points ahead of Alessandro Petacchi on his Lampre-Farnese Vini.
Stage 10 was a distance of 179 kilometres beginning at Chambéry, situated between the lake and the mountains. The riders arrived at Gap, boasting a population of 40,000.
Meanwhile seven-time Tour champion Lance Armstrong has said he is happy to co-operate with the federal authorities over possible fraud and doping charges, coming off the back of former Tour winner Floyd Landis’ claims that Armstrong had used performance-enhancing drugs. Landis was stripped of his 2006 title after he admitted to doping offences.
Armstrong has dismissed Landis’ allegations, and doesn’t want the investigations to turn out to be a “witch-hunt” against him.
“As long as we have a legitimate and credible and fair investigation I will be happy to co-operate but I'm not going to participate in any kind of witch-hunt,” he said.
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