Knaven continues Dutch tradition with Tour stage win

Dutchman Servais Knaven parted company with nine breakaway companions to win the 181-km 17th stage of the Tour de France between…

Dutchman Servais Knaven parted company with nine breakaway companions to win the 181-km 17th stage of the Tour de France between Dax and Bordeaux this afternoon.

The Quick Step rider, winner of the Paris-Roubaix classic in 2001, surged 18 km from the finish to continue a long tradition of Dutch winners in the wine capital of France.

The Dutch have now scored 13 Tour stage victories in Bordeaux, but for once, the winner was not a sprinter as Knaven belonged to a group of 10 riders who attacked early on and held a maximum lead of 22 minutes over the main bunch.

Four times champion Lance Armstrong finished in the maingroup, some eight minutes behind Knaven, and retained his overall lead of one minute and seven seconds over German Jan Ullrich.

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Tomorrow's 203.5-km 18th stage takes the bunch from Bordeaux to Saint-Maixent l'Ecole.

Reuters