Italy’s Baldato Sets Pace

Italy’s Fabio Baldato won the first stage of his first Tour de France with a long, uphill power sprint that left Laurent Jalabert of France and Djamolidine Abdoujaparov of Uzbekistan gasping in his wake.

Jacky Durand barely held on to the overall lead, with two other little-known Frenchmen within 2 seconds of first place. “I had to fight up to the finish line,” Durand said.

Swiss contender Tony Rominger finished sixth, while Miguel Indurain, seeking a fifth consecutive overall victory, was 12th, crossing the line in the leading group. The Spaniard remained a halfminute behind Durand in the standings.