Frenchman Laurent Jalabert has won a thrilling head-to-head with Ludo Dierckxens in the fourth stage of the Tour de France. The two men, backed by Francisco Mancebo of Spain, had attacked with 25km left of the ride back into France from Belgium. Mancebo dropped back on the final ascent before Jalabert went on to take the stage win.
Stuart O'Grady of Australia has held on to the yellow jersey but tour favourite Lance Armstrong is still in the frame to complete his hat-trick of victories after finishing in the main bunch of the 215km fourth stage from Huy to Verdun. Tomorrow's stage will be a 67km team trial from Verdun to Bar-le-Duc.
Jalabert's victory completes a remarkable return from a broken back. The CSC Tiscali rider fractured his lumbar vertebrae in February when he fell from a ladder at his house in Geneva. The 32-year-old former world number one only returned to competitive racing in April. "I have won a lot of races in my time but last month I wasn't sure whether I would win another, and some people even told me that. You can't imagine just how happy I am," said Jalabert.
Filed by Greg McKevitt
