TOUR DE FRANCE : Theft Doesn’t Deter LeMond

In the Tour de France, expect the unexpected.

On a day that was supposed to be without incident, Greg LeMond got a surprising jolt before the start of the 130.8-mile third stage, which ended in Dijon, France.

LeMond’s new carbon-fiber bicycle that has gained much attention was stolen sometime Sunday night. All the competitors’ bicycles were locked together in a storage room, but the chain had been cut by the time mechanics retrieved the bikes Monday morning. Only LeMond’s bike was missing.

LeMond, who is trying to become the first since Eddy Merckx in 1971 to win three consecutive Tours, had two carbon spares made before the race began Saturday. After losing his bike, however, LeMond’s father, Bob, called Carbonframes, Inc., in San Francisco to order three more, said Craig Calfee, the company’s president.

LeMond also has access to bikes made of titanium, but said he prefers the carbon frames.

The burglary did not affect the overall standings as LeMond remained 10 seconds behind Denmark’s Rolf Sorensen, who held the yellow jersey for the second consecutive day. Erik Breukink of the Netherlands is third, 12 seconds back.

On a hot and humid day, the long stage was uneventful. Etienne de Wilde of Belgium led a large group to the finish, winning the stage in 5 hours 15 minutes 11 seconds. He was followed by Jean-Paul Popel of the Netherlands and Olaf Ludwig of Germany in the same time.

The next four stages are expected to be similar to Monday’s. The stages are point-to-point courses held over relatively flat countryside of northeastern and northwestern France. Riders will attempt breakaways, but LeMond and Breukink, along with their Z and PDM teammates, will try to stop anyone from seizing control.

About 70 minutes into Monday’s stage, Jesper Skibby of Denmark, Pello Ruiz-Cabestany of Spain and Sammie Moreels of Belgium attacked and gained a 45-second lead. But they were caught with four miles to go.

“It was very fast at the end,” LeMond said. “We started going hard about 70 kilometers to go, and with 80 kilometers to go, there were a lot of attacks. I followed a lot of them, just trying to control the race a little.”

But in the last two miles, Gianni Bugno of Italy attacked for a mile before he was caught by the peleton , or main group of riders. De Wilde then made a move and held on to win.

“What a surprise,” said De Wilde, who won a stage in the 1989 Tour. “I said before I came on the Tour I was here to win a stage, but I didn’t expect it to be this one or so soon. Even at 50 meters from the line I didn’t believe I was going to do it, it’s just fantastic.”

Today’s 177-mile stage from Dijon to Reims is expected to be cooler, and without much change in the overall standings. But luck is a factor.

Even LeMond knows that, particularly after getting stuck behind a crash near Monday’s sprint finish.

“I almost went down with that,” he said. “You always want to be in front in these flat stages, it’s very dangerous in the back.”