Results

Key Moments

Wolf winner, Jaja third

Local rider, Jean-Noël Wolf won the “Legend’s Stage” that saw the 3000 participants ride from Strasbourg to the summit of Ballon d’Alsace. Wolf won from Michel Snel and Laurent Jalabert. Forty years after the break away win of Lucien Aimar on the roads of the 1967 Tour de France, Wolf has written is name in the history books in this first edition of this new event, a mini version of the Tour de France stage. Another local rider, Christine Seiller Muller won the ladies division.

At 7 am, Strasbourg awoke
In the cool of the morning, the Avenue de Europe had the allure of an anthill for the start of the first edition of the “Legend’s Stage”. The tension and excitement was palpable among the 3000 participants. A stage placed under the best of auspices thanks to ideal weather conditions. The start was given at precisely 7am and some ten minutes were needed for every rider to set off on the assault of the Alsace giant.

From 30 to 13 to 4
The challenge in Strasbourg was neutralised and the field then ran at a constant pace starting from Entzheim. From the Col du Kreuzweg, the group of race favourites was steadily reduced to a mere 30 riders. The Col de Fouchy further reduced the number of leaders and only 13.remained. On the downhill run toward the Munster Valley, Laurent Jalabert attacked and pulled out to a 700 metre lead from the rest of the leaders but he was caught at the base of the Col de Platzerwasel. On the climb, there were just four riders in the lead group: Michel Snel, Laurent Marcon, Laurent Jalabert and Jean-Noël Wolf.

Clever as a Wolf
Michel Snel managed to put daylight between himself and the three other leaders but was caught in the streets of Crêtes. The four accomplices arrived to the base of the Ballon d’Alsace. During the climb Michel Marcon was the first to be dropped, and then it was the turn of Laurent Jalabert to run out of steam halfway up the climb. Michel Snel put in a final attack and looked to have done enough for the win. With the race nearly sewn up, Snel blew up two kilometres from the finish line. In the final 20 metres he was overtaken by Jean-Noël Wolf (6h43min50sec). Michel Snel (6h44min19sec) finished runner-up just ahead of Laurent Jalabert (6h54min38sec). Laurent Marcon was fourth.

The best of the thirty
Decidedly the local female riders were unbeatable on home soil. Christine Seiller Muller was the fastest rider in the female division and finished 71^st overall. Already a stage winner on the 1998 Tour de France, between Grenoble and Les Deux Alpes, Seiller Muller has written her name in the record books in the first running of the “Legend’s Stage”.