Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, May 1, 1994 TAG: 9405030073
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: TDP5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RALPH BERRIER JR. STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
However, folks who come to the mall that day expecting to get a look some of at the best-known riders in the world - including Greg LeMond, Lance Armstrong, Raul Alcala and Scott Mercier - battling in a mano-a-mano sprint to the finish will be thoroughly impressed.
The wheat certainly will be sifted from the chaff, and the contenders separated from the pretenders, during Stage 6 of the 1994 Tour DuPont, which shapes up as one of the most important stage of the race.
The longest stage of the tour, Stage 6 is the race's first pure mountain stage. The path winds 138 miles (222 kilometers) through the mountainous terrain between Lynchburg and Blacksburg. Five climbs, including a Category 1 - the toughest classification - ascent to Mountain Lake in Giles County, await the riders, who will have raced an arduous mountain time trial in the Roanoke Valley the previous day.
"I think there's no question that [Stage 6] is going to be a tough stage," said Mike Plant, president of Medalist Sports Inc., organizers of the Tour DuPont. "But the Banner Elk-to-Asheville stage [Stage 8 in North Carolina] will be just as hard because of the fatigue factor. It will be interesting to see who will be the major player at that point."
The major players will be among the first 10 to 15 finishers across the Virginia Tech finish line. The race's overall winner likely will be among them.
"One of those guys will be in a yellow jersey," said Mercier, who likely can be expected to be among the first finishers in Blacksburg.
The Mountain Lake portion of Stage 6 is the race's first Category 1 climb, the toughest rating for mountain racing.
"In context of American racing, [Stage 6] is one of the toughest stages there has been," said John Wilcockson, editor of VeloNews, one of the top cycling magazines.
Need more proof? Just ask Mercier, who earned the King of the Mountain jersey as the best climber during last year's race.
"This is as hard as any climb I've ever done in racing," said Mercier, who rode the Mountain Lake part of Stage 6 in March while on a promotional tour.
Since Mountain Lake is so near the finish line (20 miles) and is immediately followed by a Category 4 climb up Brush Mountain, the pack of riders will be thinned by the time it reaches the finish.
As many as 100 riders could be together heading up Mountain Lake. By the time they reach Virginia Tech, only 10 riders - or as few as three - could be together, making for a spirited sprint.
"There's not enough time to regroup [after Brush Mountain]," Mercier said. "Whoever makes it over the top in front is going to go for the win. . . . A lot of people will be fried even before then."
It could take as long as 45 minutes for all the competitors to cross the finish line.
"More than any other stage of the race, Blacksburg is where you will see the stars cross first," said Steve Brunner, vice president of Medalist Sports.
The stars probably will see a huge crowd. A throng in excess of 15,000 people turned out to see a stage start in Blacksburg last year. Since Stage 6 is expected to finish around 4:30 p.m. and since there are numerous events planned for the evening hours, even more people could show up in Blacksburg this year.
"We've scheduled the stages so that they'll finish later for that very reason," Brunner said. "You can go to a party after the race."
Stage 6 begins at 11 a.m. in Lynchburg. The first 30 miles through Campbell and Bedford counties are relatively hilly, then the riders face a Category 2 climb near the Peaks of Otter.
A steady grade uphill through Botetourt County on Routes 640 and 606 leads to a Category 3 climb up North Mountain at mile 65, followed by a sprint line through New Castle and a Category 2 climb up Johns Creek Mountain around the 80-mile marker.
The next 40 miles consist of a hilly descent, which will allow the pack to regroup heading into Mountain Lake and Brush Mountain, where the best climbers will rise to the top, then race to the finish.
"Only the strongest will survive," Brunner said.
by CNB