Tour de France : Pedersen Comes Out of the Pack to Win 10th Stage

PONTARLIER, France — Jorgen Pedersen became the second Dane to grab the spotlight in this year’s Tour de France, winning the race’s 10th stage Monday between Epinal and Pontarlier in 5 hours, 6 minutes and 27 seconds.

He nosed out John Lammerts of the Netherlands in the final sprint of the 127-mile course. Two seconds behind were Inaki Gaston of Spain and Dominique Arnaud of France, in third and fourth places.

Bernard Hinault, the four-time champion Frenchman, held on to the overall lead, arriving just over a minute behind Pedersen. Hinault had taken over the lead Saturday from La Vie Claire teammate Kim Andersen of Denmark, who had led for four days in a row. The race moved southward toward the Swiss border under a hot sun that beat on the 163 riders who started in the morning.

It was the 11th day of the 2,500-mile race around France that continues until July 21 with a grand finish up the Avenue des Champs Elysees in Paris.

At the start Monday, Hinault moved into the lead and set the pace over a hilly course. Pedersen held on in the middle of the pack before charging into the top four on the final climb to Pontarlier.

The Tour continues today with the 121-mile 11th stage into the Alps and into Switzerland--the only one to leave French territory.