Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, May 2, 1993 TAG: 9305020022
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: CHRIS BACHELDER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
The Tour DuPont?
OK, perhaps the 5-year-old cycling stage race has not climbed up alongside America's most celebrated sporting events, but some folks think it's on the way.
Steve Brunner, media director for the race, is among those who think Americans are catching on to what the rest of the globe apparently already knows - the Tour DuPont is worth a look.
An estimated 76 million people in 93 countries will watch daily television coverage of the 1993 event, which begins Thursday in Wilmington, Del., and - 11 stages and 1,085 miles later - ends May 16 in Greensboro, N.C.
"Having been involved with it for four years, I see it moving to the next level this year, to the big leagues of American sports," said Brunner, the vice president of Medalist Sports, the Richmond company that organizes the race. "And that's ironic, because it has already taken off on the international level.
"It's starting to grow to something like a Kentucky Derby atmosphere, where the parties for the event are as big as the event, and that's good. It's transcending the bounds of just a cycling race."
Blacksburg, the Stage 9 starting site, is one route city that will contribute to the Tour DuPont's festive air. On May 14, starting at 11:30 a.m. on the Virginia Tech Mall, racers will make a loop around the campus and town and then take off on a grueling 151-mile trek to Beech Mountain, N.C.
In conjunction with Stage 9, an area of downtown Blacksburg will be closed off from 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. for sidewalk sales and live music. There also will be a community walk immediately after the start, said Mike Matzuk, the co-chairman of the town's Tour DuPont Local Organizing Committee.
"We've had tons of calls," said Matzuk, general manager of East Coasters Cycling & Fitness. "There's a lot of interest. This is as big as U.S. cycling gets. It's an international event, and it's coming right here to Blacksburg."
Stage 8, which begins in Lynchburg on May 13, will end at The Homestead resort in Hot Springs. Riders will travel by automobile to Blacksburg for the start of Stage 9.
The area stages are among the most mountainous of the race, and Stage 9 has been designated the "death march."
John Loehner, a first-year pro for first-year U.S. team Saturn, said he gets nervous just glancing at Stage 9 profile.
"If that stage was just a one-day race, it would be extremely tough," Loehner said in a news conference last month in Roanoke. "But this is after eight days.
"I don't think there will be much strategy there. It's basically, who can go? Who has it in their legs?"
Last year, American Greg LeMond took the lead in Virginia's mountains and held on for his first Tour DuPont victory and the first by an American.
But LeMond will not repeat. The Minnesotan is in Europe directing all his training toward cycling's main event, the Tour de France, which he has won three times.
LeMond's absence opens up the field. Possible favorites include 35-year-old Australian Phil Anderson, who won three stages and finished sixth last year; three-time runner-up Atle Kvalsvoll of Norway; Mexico's Raul Alcala, the 1990 winner; and 21-year-old Texan Lance Armstrong, 12th in the 1992 Tour DuPont and 14th in last year's Olympics.
An estimated 17 teams, including four amateur, from eight countries will compete. Each team has seven members, most of whom sacrifice their personal performances, through various tactics, for the good of the team leader. The team leader is the strongest rider, the one whose talents best suit the goals of the team.
Many teams do not have a leader with a realistic chance of winning the overall race, but there are plenty of other opportunities within the event for competition, cash and exposure. Teams assess their strengths before the race and plan accordingly.
Teams with a particularly strong sprinter or climber may try to work the race for a stage win. Stage wins pay $1,500 each, and the daily podium ceremonies make team sponsors happy.
Because most stages are so hotly contested, it is entirely possible for a rider to win the Tour DuPont (along with $40,000 and a new Saturn car) while never winning a stage. It takes a consistent, versatile and rugged cyclist to compete for the overall trophy.
Riders also compete for specialty points and award jerseys, which mark the races within the race. Besides the coveted yellow jersey, worn by the overall leader, other jerseys are awarded to the top sprinter, the top mountain climber, the most aggressive racer and the best young racer (23 and under).
An overall team championship, based on each team's top five riders, carries a $10,000 award. The mountain and sprint champions earn $5,000 each.
This is the fifth year of the event. The race began in 1989 as the Tour de Trump, with financial backing from millionaire Donald Trump. Chemical giant DuPont, which has its headquarters in Wilmington, Del., took over sponsorship in 1991.
According to U.S. cycling lore, the original starting point for America's top stage race was an Indianapolis pancake house. Michael Plant, Tour DuPont director and Medalist Sports president, and Billy Packer - yes, that Billy Packer, the TV basketball analyst - reportedly sketched out the plans on the back of a napkin in 1987.
After a rocky start, the Tour DuPont appears to be taking off as competitive cycling slowly takes hold in the United States. Media coverage is extensive, and race officials estimate that two million spectators will line the race route.
"This is really a transition year for the Tour DuPont," Brunner said. "I think people will look at it and say, `Wow, this has arrived.' "
by CNB