Tour de France 2000 - 15 Courchevel Pantani

Tour de Francia 2000 - 15 Briançon-Courchevel, 173.5 km

Galibier (HC-2645) - Hervé
La Madeleine (HC-2000) - Lelli
Courchevel (1-2004) - Pantani

1 Marco Pantani (Ita) Mercatone Uno 5.34.46 (31.09 km/h)
2 José Maria Jimenez (Spa) Banesto 0.41
3 Roberto Heras (Spa) Kelme-Costa Blanca 0.50
4 Lance Armstrong (USA) US Postal Service
5 Daniele Nardello (Ita) Mapei-Quick Step 1.00
6 Santiago Botero (Col) Kelme-Costa Blanca 1.09
7 Massimiliano Lelli (Ita) Cofidis 2.17
8 Fernando Escartin (Spa) Kelme-Costa Blanca 2.21
9 Christophe Moreau (Fra) Festina
10 Richard Virenque (Fra) Team Polti
11 Joseba Beloki (Spa) Festina 2.26
12 Pascal Herve (Fra) Team Polti 2.42
13 Francisco Mancebo (Spa) Banesto 3.16
14 Kurt Van De Wouwer (Bel) Lotto-Adecco 3.20
15 Jan Ullrich (Ger) Team Deutsche Telekom 3.21
16 Leonardo Piepoli (Ita) Banesto 3.36
17 Javier Otxoa (Spa) Kelme-Costa Blanca 3.44
18 Manuel Beltran (Spa) Mapei-Quick Step 4.01
19 Roberto Conti (Ita) Vini Caldirola-Sidermec
20 Geert Verheyen (Bel) Lotto-Adecco 5.11
21 Félix Garcia Casas (Spa) Festina 6.17
22 Daniel Atienza (Spa) Saeco-Valli & Valli 6.37
23 Peter Luttenberger (Aut) O.N.C.E.-Deutsche Bank 7.43
24 David Moncoutie (Fra) Cofidis 8.00
25 Jean Cyril Robin (Fra) Bonjour
26 Roland Meier (Swi) Cofidis
27 Grischa Niermann (Ger) Rabobank 9.01
28 Michaël Boogerd (Ned) Rabobank
29 Marcos Serrano (Spa) O.N.C.E.-Deutsche Bank
30 Bo Hamburger (Den) Memorycard-Jack & Jones 9.52

General after stage 15:

1 Lance Armstrong (USA) US Postal Service 66.38.09
2 Jan Ullrich (Ger) Team Deutsche Telekom 7.26
3 Joseba Beloki (Spa) Festina 7.28
4 Christophe Moreau (Fra) Festina 8.22
5 Roberto Heras (Spa) Kelme-Costa Blanca 8.25
6 Marco Pantani (Ita) Mercatone Uno-Albacom 9.03
7 Richard Virenque (Fra) Team Polti 9.57
8 Santiago Botero (Col) Kelme-Costa Blanca 10.19
9 Fernando Escartin (Spa) Kelme-Costa Blanca 12.27
10 Francisco Mancebo (Spa) Banesto 12.43

"Today on the last climb, I think I made a leap forward; now I'm with the best (riders)," said Marco Pantani, minutes after he blasted up the final kilometers of the 22km to Courchevel. "I've felt good but not great during this Tour; I'm strong but not really sharp." His exultant direttore sportivo Giuseppe Martinelli said after the stage that "today, you have seen the real Pantani 2000."

Clad in his pink jersey and short combo, Pantani was hard to miss today as he picked off riders one after another. "Armstrong asked me to work with him today and I felt good so I did...", said Pantani, explaining why the Italian climber pulled back the last break on his way to victory today.

Maillot Jaune Lance Armstrong (USPS) lost 50" to the flying Pantani, but gained 2'31" over a fighting yet faltering Jan Ullrich (Telekom), who just couldn't follow the pace of the fastest climbers today. He almost lost his 2nd place on GC to the talented 26 year old Joseba Beloki (Festina).

Pascal Herve (Polti) took Souvenir Henri Desgrange.

Commesso was Lelli (Cofidis), Jimenez, Arrietta and Garcia Acosta (Banesto), Otxoa and Vidal (Kelme), Nardello (Mapei). The now polka-dot clad Kelme rider Santi Botero took off from the ever shrinking peloton.

At the base of the climb of courchevel, the lead quintet had a lead of almost 3'00, while a chase group of 5 had exited the peloton. With 20km to race on the first slopes of the Courchevel, the Kelme men up front were looking for another stage win, while the 5 chasers were at 2'14 and the peloton, now led by Telekom's Giuseppe Guerini, was at 3'50" and falling fast.

Up front, Botero attacked with 16km to go and Jimenez and Nardello followed, while Lelli and Otxoa were dropped. These attacks were just too little, too late. Pantani had attacked behind and exploded the remainder of the peloton. Only Maillot Jaune Armstrong cold go with the Italian, while Heras (Kelme) made a huge effort to get up to Lance and Marco.

Pantani attacked Armstrong and Heras (who had caught Botero) and sprinted away in his characteristic style, picking off riders up the climb one by one. At 3km to go, Pantani moved into the lead as he sprinted past Jimenez.

Armstrong powered in just behind Jimenez and Heras. His ride and Ullrich's pace up to Courchevel enabled Lance to further solidify his lead on the Telekom man, who maintained his lead on Beloki by two scant seconds.