NEIL Stephens - known as ''Mr 100%'' - achieved the biggest win of his career when he won the seventeenth stage of the tour in Colmar yesterday.
The Australian - who earned his nickname because he is considered a model professional - surged clear from a 13-strong group 3km from the finish and was never caught. ''I've been chasing a win all year and I've finally got one in the biggest race in the world,'' he said.
Stephens - the first Australian to triumph in the Tour since Phil Anderson 12 years ago - swung his arms as if he was rocking a baby when he crossed the finish line and afterwards dedicated his win to his daughter. He is riding his sixth Tour and can usually be seen at the front of the peloton, setting the pace for his Festina team-mates, Richard Virenque, the King of the Mountains, and Laurent Brochard, who had claimed earlier wins for Festina.
Swiss champion Oskar Camenzind beat former Olympic track champion Viacheslav Ekimov, of Russia, in the sprint for second place. German Jan Ullrich, tucked into the peloton as a shower revived memories of his fall in the Midi Libre last year, kept the leader's yellow jersey.
The pack finished four minutes behind the lead group, who had broken away after 68km of the 218km stage. Thousands of Germans, from Ullrich's home village of Merdingen just across the frontier in the Black Forest, watched the action.
Ullrich has another four days to avoid an accident before becoming the first German to win the Tour. Placings in the seventeenth stage over 218.5 kms from Fribourg yesterday:
1, Neil Stephens (Australia) Festina, four hours 54 minutes and 38 seconds; 2, Oscar Camenzind (Switzerland) Mapei, three secs behind; 3, Vyacheslav Ekimov (Russia) U.S. Postal; 4, Laurent Roux (France) TVM; 5, Erik Dekker (Netherlands) Rabobank; 6, Javier Pascual (Spain) Kelme; 7, Bobby Julich (US) Cofidis; 8, Sergei Outschakov (Ukraine) Polti; 9, Peter Farazijn (Belgium) Lotto; 10, Christophe Mengin (France) La Francaise des Jeux.
Overall standings after 17 stages:
1, Jan Ullrich (Germany) Telekom 86 hours 27 minutes and 46 seconds; 2, Richard Virenque (France) Festina 6:22 behind; 3, Marco Pantani (Italy) Mercatone Uno 10:13; 4, Fernando Escartin (Spain) Kelme 16:05; 5, Abraham Olano (Spain) Banesto 16:40; 6, Francesco Casagrande (Italy) Saeco 17:14; 7, Bjarne Riis (Denmark) Telekom 18:07; 8, Jose Jimenez (Spain) Banesto 23:42; 9, Roberto Conti (Italy) Mercatone Uno 28:20; 10, Laurent Dufaux (Switzerland) Festina 29:46.
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