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As Paris nears, Tour can't shake scandal
The Dutch team TVM pulled out two days before the finish in Paris. That reduced the field to 14 teams compared to 21 at the start. Just 96 cyclists started the 19th leg, about half the number that began the Tour.
"They are neither physically nor mentally capable of finishing this Tour de France," said Tour director Jean-Marie Leblanc, reading a team statement.
And more legal action came, with the first cyclist placed under formal investigation, one step short of being charged.
They day's stage was won by Magnus Backstedt, the first Swede to win a leg in the history of the Tour. Maarten Den Bakker of the Netherlands was second, followed by Italy's Eddy Mazzolini and France's Pascal Derame.
The standings of the top three didn't change as the riders ended a brief trip into Switzerland for a 151-mile ride to Autun, in Burgundy.
Italy's Marco Pantani leads by a commanding 5 minutes, 42 seconds. He is followed by Bobby Julich of the United States and defending champion Jan Ullrich of Germany.
The drug scandal casts a large shadow on a race that continues to lose riders out of protest or the widening drug investigation.
Six teams have pulled out in anger at police tactics, and one, Festina, was expelled July 17 after its officials admitted to systematic drug use.
More legal action came Friday when authorities placed Italian rider Rodolfo Massi under formal investigation, along with Dr. Nicolas Terrados Cepada of the Spanish team Once.
It was the first time the authorities had taken such action against a rider. Altogether, five people have been placed under formal investigation.
Police treatment of the TVM team Tuesday night sparked the riders' protest the following day, leading to the 17th stage being wiped out.
The TVM riders were taken to the hospital for extensive examinations, including blood, urine and hair tests.
Team masseur Jann Moors, now in custody, will be questioned Friday by an investigating judge in Lille.
Ullrich had harsh words Friday for some of his fellow riders -- and also the French justice system.
"What I'm feeling I can't really describe," Ullrich wrote in a column for the German daily newspaper Bild. "I'm both unbelievably angry and deeply disappointed. A great race has been stolen from all of us.
He said he was angry "at Festina, at the justice (system), and also at pros like (Laurent) Jalabert and Luc Leblanc. They failed at the Tour and now they're stirring up trouble prematurely."
When the drug-plagued Tour staggers into Paris for its not-so-grand finale, Julich hopes to find himself on the podium, in possession of second place.
"Those 14 seconds are very, very important," Julich said of the gap between him and Ullrich after Friday's stage. "I expect a big battle for second."
He entertains no realistic notions of catching Pantani.
"That's a dream," said Julich, who rides for the Cofidis team. "It would be very difficult to overcome that deficit. I'll try, though."
On Friday, most riders weren't talking about the scandal. They were thinking ahead.
The crucial day is Saturday, with a time trial at Le Creusot. In the last time trial of the Tour, Ullrich beat Pantani by 4:21.
"Nothing is won yet," Pantani said. "I need to stay concentrated. One can never be too tranquil because at the last minute you can always have a flat tire."