Alessandro Petacchi Wins Tour de France 4th Stage
Stage four of the Tour de France has been won by Alessandro Petacchi, who won the first stage, giving the rider his second stage win for the race. He was joined by a large group of other cyclists. This is Petacchi’s first appearance on the Tour in over five years.
This win comes on the first stage that hasn’t been struck by numerous crashes and mechanical difficulties. The 95.3mile trail started in Cambrai, France and finished in the capital. It was pretty simple and flat the whole way.
Julian Dean and Edvald Boasson Hagen finished the stage second and third respectively. Thor Hushovd finished ninth, while Mark Cavendish was left behind to finish twelfth.
Fabian Cancellara finished the stage in 26th, but after being shaken up in stage three by the cobblestones, the general classification standings stayed the same. This means that Cancellara still wears the yellow jersey. After five days, tour favorite to win Alberto Contador is now in ninth place while Bradley Wiggins holds fourteenth.
After having a flat tire in stage three, Lance Armstrong seemed to have a better day until after the race was over. While he was talking to reporters about how he didn’t want to have a third day of bad luck in a row, particularly after having a flat tire the day before, a heckler started yelling that he was a cheater and doper in French.
This came as a surprise since he was greeted with a loud ovation at the beginning of the stage. However, Armstrong has been accused of using drugs since his first championship win in Paris in 1999. The most recent allegation came from a former teammate, who has been stripped of his 2006 Tour de France title.
Current Top 10 Overall Standings
- Fabian Cancellara 18h28′55”
- Geraint Thomas + 00′ 23″
- Cadel Evans + 00′ 39″
- Ryder Hesjedal + 00′ 46″
- Sylvain Chavanel + 01′ 01″
- Andy Schleck + 01′ 09″
- Thor Hushovd + 01′ 19″
- Alexandre Vinokourov + 01′ 31″
- Alberto Contador + 01′ 40″
- Jugen Van Den Broeck + 01′ 42″