Cycling: Botero defies logic to claim win

"Cycling isn't a mathematical sport," was Colombian Santiago Botero's explanation of how he could manage to lose more than 15 minutes to stage-winner Richard Virenque on Sunday's ascent of the Mont Ventoux, and then storm to victory on the Tour's next mountain top finish 48 hours later at Les Deux Alpes ski station.

Leaving the illogical nature of such uneven performances to one side, the former economics graduate certainly got his sums right when it came to taking his second stage victory of this year's Tour.

No longer the proficient climber who took the King of the Mountains competition two years ago, Botero none the less made a spot-on calculation of how much energy he would need to make an attack from a leading group of seven riders and reach the line alone nearly two minutes ahead of his nearest pursuer.

However, the theory was one thing, in practice it was painful. Grimacing, his shoulders rocking from side to side, the contrast between the Colombian's climbing style and that of Virenque, who had purred up the mountain slopes two days previously, could hardly have been greater. "I'm not a natural climber," Botero admitted.

Hopes that the Kelme-Costa Blanca rider could succeed in his original aim of a podium place had been raised on stage eight when he became the first rider since 1999 to beat Lance Armstrong in a long time trial in the Tour. Seven stages on, though, Botero had slumped to 18th place overall, more than 18 minutes adrift of the Texan.

"I decided to forget about the overall after the Pyrenees. This stage looked very suitable for me," he explained. True to his word, Botero began attacking almost as soon as the race began winding its way north-east from Provence and into the high Alps. Joined by another six riders, none of whom posed any threat to Armstrong's overall lead, the leading group reached the foot of the last of the day's seven climbs with a nine and a half minute advantage.

The Colombian lurched ahead in response to an attack by Mario Aerts, and despite a counter-attack from Axel Merckx, he proceeded to forge a gap on the six other breakaways.

Sweating heavily and with his head cocked low on one side, Botero looked for all the world like he was attempting to cling on to the back of a peloton rather than gain time on his pursuers. But gain time he did, to the extent that when he reached the final 500 metres, he was able to run through an ample display of victory salutes, including the more unusual one of raising his hands in prayer. "I am very Catholic, and my family and country are as well," he explained.

If Botero's victory yesterday owed a lot to blind faith in his abilities, the tactics used on the final climb by ONCE-Eroski rider Joseba Beloki, currently lying second overall, seemed to have a limited relationship with established cycling wisdom.

The Basque bounded out of the leading peloton in the final kilometre, to which Armstrong, followed by third-placed Raimondas Rumsas, responded. The trio finished together, 14 seconds ahead of Beloki's fourth-placed team-mate Igor Gonzalez de Galdeano. Beloki then claimed he had moved ahead in an attempt to help Gonzalez de Galdeano beat Rumsas. Attempts to help like this one should make for some interesting conversations between the two Basques, who are rooming together during the race.

While ONCE-Eroski's co-leaders seem willing to divide themselves and let Armstrong rule, the rider who prevented Beloki from taking second overall on two consecutive Tours, German Jan Ullrich, learned yesterday he is facing a six-month racing ban for consumption of amphetamines.

This latest setback in Ullrich's career means that after missing this year's Tour because of knee injuries, he will now not be racing until 2003.

RACE DETAILS

15TH STAGE (Vaison-la-Romaine to Les Deux Alpes, 226.5km): 1 S Botero (Col) Kelme 5hr 55min 16sec; 2 M Aerts (Bel) Lotto-Adecco +1min 51sec; 3 A Merckx (Bel) Domo Farm Frites +2:30; 4 E Magnien (Fr) Bonjour +4:22; 5 S Casar (Fr) FDJeux.com +4:28; 6 J-V Garcia-Acosta (Sp) Ibanesto.com +5:15; 7 R Rumsas (Lith) Lampre-Daikin +6:41; 8 J Beloki (Sp) ONCE; 9 L Armstrong (US) US Postal both same time; 10 F Mancebo (Sp) Ibanes+6:47; 12 I Basso (It) Fassa Bortolo; 13 L Leipheimer (US) Rabobank both s/t; 14 J Azevedo (Por) ONC; 16 C Sastre (Sp) CSC-Tiscali both s/t; 17 U Osa (Sp) Ibanesto.com +7:00; 18 D Moncoutie (Fr) Cofidis +7:03; 19 S Goubert (Fr) Jean Delatour; 20 M Lelli (It) Cofidis both s/t. Selected: 97 D Millar (GB) Cofidis +20.59. Abandoned: C Moreau (Fr) Crédit Agricole.

Overall standings: 1 Armstrong 62hr 53min 36sec; 2 Beloki +4min 21sec; 3 Rumsas +6:39; 4 Gonzalez de Galdeano +8:50; 5 Mancebo +10:54; 6 Azevedo +11:11; 7 Botero +11:31; 8 R Heras (Sp) US Postal +11:41; 9 Leipheimer +13:00; 10 Basso +14:02; 11 O Sevilla (Sp) Kelme +14:10; 12 Moncoutie +15:06; 13 R Virenque (Fr) Domo Farm Frites +15:58; 14 Sastre +16:31; 15 Goubert +18:34; 16 A Kivilev (Kaz) Cofidis +19:08; 17 M Boogerd (Neth) Rabobank +19:15; 18 Lelli +19:12; 19 T Hamilton (US) CSC-Tiscali +19:39; 20 B Zberg (Swit) Rabobank +20:27 Selected: 64 Millar +1hr 10min 10sec.

Points standings: 1 R McEwen (Aus) Lotto-Adecco 229pts; 2 Zabel 229; 3 S O'Grady (Aus) Crédit Agricole 170; 4 B Cooke (Aus) FDJeux.com 162; 5 J Svorada (Cz Rep) Lampre-Daikin 129; 6 Armstrong 89.

Mountain standings: 1 L Jalabert (Fr) CSC-Tiscali 173pts; 2 Armstrong 120; 3 Botero 108; 4 Virenque 107; 5 Merckx 107; 6 Beloki 88; 7 Aerts 68.

Team standings: 1 ONCE 140hr 03min 18sec; 2 Ibanesto.com +7min 02sec; 3 US Postal +8:41; 4 Cofidis +11:23; 5 Rabobank +22:35.