TOUR DE FRANCE : Indurain Takes Control in Mountains

SERRE-CHEVALIER, France â€”  On the eve of the first mountain stage of the Tour de France, Claudio Chiappucci of Italy said: “I’m going to really go for it.â€�

But in the wake of yet another impressive ride by Miguel Indurain of Spain, Chiappucci and fellow Italian Gianni Bugno had a tough day.

In a performance that will no doubt elevate his stature, Indurain virtually eliminated his main challengers from contention Wednesday at the Tour’s halfway point.

Tony Rominger of Switzerland won the 127-mile 10th stage in 5 hours 28 minutes 52 seconds, with Alvaro Mejia of Colombia second and Indurain third in the same time.

The trio set a blistering pace over the course between Villard-de-Land and Serre-Chevalier that crossed three passes above 4,900 feet. Averaging 22 m.p.h., they finished 40 minutes ahead of the fastest anticipated schedule.

The results were substantial for Indurain because Chiappucci and Bugno have been his chief rivals since 1991. Indurain won the last two Tours, and the Italians finished among the top three each time.

Chiappucci’s and Bugno’s forte is climbing, and they planned to wear down Indurain during the five mountain stages. But after falling far behind Wednesday, they have little chance of rallying. Bugno, who is ninth, lost 7:42 in the stage. Chiappucci, 16th, lost 8:49.

Alex Zuelle of Switzerland, another potential rival, lost almost seven minutes, and even a bold ride by Indurain’s nearest rival, Eric Breukink of the Netherlands, proved too weak. Breukink, fourth overall, placed sixth in the stage, but lost more than 3 1/2 minutes.

Mejia, who rides for the American Motorola team, is second overall, 3:08 behind Indurain.

“(Miguel is) very strong, incredible,� Rominger said. “It’s not possible to attack him. He always stays on your wheel. You have to be strong to get away and then accelerate before he can come back.�

When Chiappucci and Co. faltered on the steep climbs up the snow-covered peaks, Indurain moved away effortlessly, as if on a training ride.

“Knowing that Bugno and Chiappucci were left behind, it was interesting to force the pace,� Indurain said.

Rominger, who has matured into one of the world’s best riders, led most of the day, but could not shake Indurain. He tried to force the pace with a series of attacks on the final climb over the daunting 8,680-foot Col du Galibier, which included an ascent of 11 miles at an average grade of about 7%.

But Indurain responded each time and took several turns at the front of a five-man group, which included Mejia, Andy Hampsten of Boulder, Colo., and Zenon Jaskula of Poland.

Hampsten fell off the pace at the end of the climb and finished fifth. He moved to sixth overall, 8:06 behind Indurain.

His Motorola teammate, Lance Armstrong of Plano, Tex., lost almost 22 minutes in his first Tour mountain stage. He is 54th overall, 27:01 behind, and might drop out. Armstrong, 21, entered the 2,312-mile Tour as a learning experience and was expected to quit sometime before the July 25 finish in Paris.

He might struggle again if he attempts today’s 11th stage of more than 111 miles to Isola 2000, near the Italian border. It is the Tour’s toughest stage with four major climbs and the race’s highest peak--the 9,193-foot Col de la Bonette.