Tour de France : Rooks Wins 12th Stage; Delgado Overall Leader

L'ALPE D'HUEZ, France — Steven Rooks of the Netherlands survived a tortuous leg that included three mountain climbs to win Thursday’s 12th stage of the Tour de France cycling race, while Pedro Delgado of Spain donned the leader’s yellow jersey.

Rooks pulled away from three others in the final 1 1/2 miles, finishing the 141-mile leg in 6 hours 55 minutes 44 seconds.

Rooks’ countryman, Gert-Jan Theunisse, was second in the stage, 17 seconds back. Delgado, who was third, took the overall lead from Canada’s Steve Bauer, who fell 25 seconds behind after finishing seventh in the stage.

Andrew Hampsten, the top American, finished 10th and also is 10th overall, 6:26 out.

Two-time Tour de France winner Laurent Fignon of France dropped out of the race before Thursday’s leg. He slid to 91st place after a mediocre start and announced earlier this week that he is suffering from tapeworm.

Today, the men face a time trial from Grenoble to Villard-de-Lans, a 24-mile leg. The race continues on a 2,036-mile circuit around France on its way to a July 24 conclusion in Paris.

Jeannie Longo of France held her lead in the women’s Tour de France by winning the fourth stage in a sprint finish. The defending champion took the 52-mile leg from Morzine to Albertville in 2 hours 11 minutes 48 seconds. Longo leads runner-up Maria Canins of Italy by 19 seconds.