Bettini has given his victory salute with the four staying clear of the peloton by about 40 meters!

16.28 Rous Goes For The Win

Rous is leading out the sprint for the line.

16.27 11" Lead In Final Kilometer

The four are still clear. They have 11" with only about 500 meters to go...

16.27 1km To Go

The leading four have been away since the 38km to go mark. They are now in the final kilometer and the impetus has gone out of the chasing peloton. They four leader might just hold off the sprinters' teams chase.

16.26 Lead 17"

With less than 2km to go, the lead is now 17".

16.25 Four Regroup

The attack by Bettini is void. The four leaders are all together with 2km to go.

16.25 Bettini & Verheyen Alone

Bettini has been joined by Verheyen at the front fo the stage...

16.25 Leaders In Final 3km

The four escapees have just 3km to race; their lead is 20". Bettini has gone off the front in a last-minute effort.

16.24 4km To Go

There are now just 4km to go. The lead of the four up front is just 20".

16.23 29" Lead Now

The four are just 29" clear of the hard-chasing peloton. There are 4km to race to the finish in Dax.

16.22 Lead Down to 34": 5km to go

The four are now just 34" ahead of the sprint-team-led peloton with 5km to go.

16.21 Sprint Teams Keen For A Regrouping

The sprinters' teams of Telekom (for Zabel), Farm Frites (for McEwen), Festina (for Wust) are now dominating the head of the peloton. Their deficit to the leading four is now 45".

16.20 Lead Dropping Quickly Now

The four are now 48" clear of the peloton now. There are numerous teams involved in the pursuit of the four leaders. Telekom has joined the chase in numbers.

16.19 Lead Under 1 Minute Again

The Bettini/Vidal/Verheyen/Rous group has a lead of 55" now.

16.17 10km For Peloton

The peloton has passed under the 10km to go banner 1'05" behind the four leaders.

16.16 Guerini Also Chasing For Telekom

Giuseppe Guerini is now doing a turn at the front of the chase for the Telekom team.

16.16 Mapei Present In Case Bettini's Group is Caught

The Mapei team of Steels are now near the front of the peloton. They have Bettini in the break, but the lead of Bettini's group is now dropping.

16.15 Polti Joining The Chase In Numbers Now

The chasing peloton is now dominated by Festina and Polti riders. The Festinas are chasing for Wust, while Polti is keen to give their quick, Jeroen Blijlevens a crack at a stage win before the mountain stages...

16.13 Lead Now 1'10"

The fall has interupted the chase of the peloton. The leading four now have an advantage of 1'10".

15.45 All Fallen Riders Racing Again

The fallen riders are now back on their bikes and chasing the peloton.

16.12 Fall

There is another fall in the peloton. The riders involved include Tyler Hamilton and Borgheressi.

16.11 Lead Back Up Over A Minute

The cooperation of the four leaders has helped push their advantage to 1'01".

16.10 Four Leaders Sharing The Workload

The four leaders - Bettini, Verheyen, Vidal and Rous - are all taking turns at the front of the stage. Their lead is still a reasonable one of 55".

16.08 16km To Go: 51" Lead

The leading four are now 16km from the finish in Dax. Their lead is now 51".

16.06 Festina Train Joined By A Farm Frites & Polti

One Farm Frites rider, Polti rider & an AG2R rider in their pursuit of the four leaders. The current deficit of their chase is 55".

16.54 Nazon Off The Back of Bunch

Jean-Patrick (FDJ) has dropped off the back of the fast-chasing peloton. The bunch is still 1'00" behind the leaders.

16.03 Lead Still 1'00"

The four leaders are maintaining their advantage. The Bettini group is still 1'00" with 20km to go.

15.45 Lead Up To One Minute

The Bettini/Rous/Vidal/Verheyen group have pushed their advantage to 1'00".

15.57 25km To Go

The three leaders have passed under the 25km to go banner. They have a lead of 57" on the Festina-led peloton.

15.56 52" Lead Now

The four leaders continue to push their advantage. The latest time check is 52".

15.45 Lead Continues To Grow

There is one Farm Frites rider joining the Festina chase of the four escapees. The four lead by 48".

15.45 40" Lead Now

The group of Bettini, Verheyen, Rous and Vidal is now 40" clear of the peloton.

15.51 31km To Go

The four leaders have passed the 150km mark. There are now 31km left to race in the ninth stage. The latest time check has Bettini's quartet 32" clear of the peloton.

15.45 Four Lead By 12"

16H49 - 25" Lead For Four Riders Festina continue to lead the peloton. Their deficit is now 25" to the leading four riders. 15.45 Four Lead By 12"

16H47 - 20" Advantage For Bettini's Group The Bettini/Vidal/Verheyen/Rous group is now 20" clear of the peloton. 15.45 Four Lead By 12"

The four leaders are 12" clear of the peloton.

15.44 Four Clear

The three riders who took the climbing points have escaped the peloton. They are Bettini, Rous and Verheyen. They have been joined by Jose Vidal (Kelme).

15.44 Dekker Keeps His Spotted Jersey

Erik Dekker will keep his polka-dot jersey despite not claiming any points today. He leads Bettini by 29 points to 28.

15.43 Climbing Results

The results of the Cote de Montaut (143km) are: 1. Paolo Bettini (Mapei) 5pts 2. Didier Rous (Bonjour) 3pts 3. Geert Verheyen (Lotto) 1pt.

15.42 Bettini Shows His Colors

Nearing the summit, Mapei's Bettini (2nd in the climbing competition) has come to the front of the peloton.

15.40 Peloton On Climb

The only climbing points today are a fourth-category rise to the Cote de Montaut. The Festina-led peloton is now approaching the summit. There is no sign of the spotted jersey of the current King of the Mountains, Erik Dekker.

15.35 Peloton All Together

The break has been caught. The peloton is all together at the 138km mark.

15.35 Marichal & Serrano Join Lead

There are four riders at the head of the race. Blaudzun, Beloki, Marichal & Serrano... The peloton is moments away from catching them all.

15.34 Beloki Waiting For Blaudzun

Beloki has been joined by Blaudzun. They lead the peloton by about 100 meters.

15.33 Blaudzun Alone In Pursuit of Beloki

Memory Card's Michael Blaudzun is now clear of the peloton and is in pursuit of the stage leader, Beloki.

15.32 Yellow Jersey Active At Head of Peloton

The front of the peloton is frantic in their chase of Beloki. The Festina rider is 10" clear with numerous riders looking keen to counter-attack. Involved in the action is the yellow jersey of Alberto Elli.

15.31 Beloki Goes Solo

Joseba Beloki of the Festina team has attacked the peloton. We're awaiting a time check.

15.30 The Results of Saint-Sever Sprint

The results of the 3rd intermediate sprint are: 1. Christophe Moreau (Festina) 6pts 2. Jacky Durand (Lotto) 4pts 3. Marc Wauters (Rabobank) 2pts Durand was chased by the Festina team.

15.27 Durand Attacks Before Sprint

Jacky Durand has attacked to spoil the sprint party of Wust and Zabel.

15.27 Third Sprint Due Soon

The third and final intermediate sprint today - at Saint-Sever (132.5km) - is being approached by the riders. There is 1km to go.

15.26 Wust Has Pink Shadow Today

Everywhere Marcel Wust (Festina) goes today, he is being shadowed by the pink jersey of Telekom's Erik Zabel. The two are well clear of any other green-jersey challengers. Wust leads Zabel by 142pts to 137.

15.23 Battle of The Quicks Likely To Resume Today

The Festina team is continuing to control the front of the peloton. With the mountain stages beginning tomorrow, the team of the green jersey, Wust, is keen to ensure one more bunch sprint stage before the climbers of the race begin their dancing.

15.21 Peloton All Together

After the capture of Backstedt's break and the fall, the peloton is now all back together again.

15.21 Everyone's Okay After Fall

The riders involved in the fall are now all back on their bikes. The only problems appear to be mechanical ones. One Polti and one Lotto rider had to get new bikes after the fall at 126km.

15.19 Three-Man Break Over

Just as the fall happened, the three-man escape was caught by the Festina team's chase.

15.19 Fall At 126km

Just as the fall happened, the three-man escape was caught by the Festina team's chase.

15.19 Fall At 126km

The riders at the head of the peloton have caught the three-man break, but the riders involved in the fall are now waiting for replacement bikes.

15.18 Fall

There has been a fall in the peloton... There are Polti and Lotto riders involved.

15.15 Lead Now Only 15"

After reaching a maximum advantage of 35", the leading trio are now just 15" clear of the Festina-led peloton.

15.15 Trio Moments From Capture

The three-man escape of Backstedt, Verbrugghe and Van Heeswijk is now only about 150 meters ahead of the peloton.

15.15 Backstedt's New Mission

Magnus Backstedt was originally in the Credit Agricole Tour team to ensure a strong lead-out for their man chasing the green jersey prize, Stuart O'Grady. With O'Grady out of the Tour courtesy of a broken collarbone, Backstedt has turned from lead-out man to opportunist.

15.11 Less Than 60km To Race

The leaders now have 59km to race to the finish of the stage. They have a lead of 28".

15.09 35" Lead Now

The Festina team has eased off the tempo of their chase of the three leaders. Their current deficit is 35".

15.05 Average For Third Hour

The average speed for the 3rd hour is 45.6kph. The total average for the first three hours is 37.45kph.

15.01 Lead Dropping Because of Festina Chase

The latest time check has the three leaders, van Heeswijk, Backstedt and Verbrugghe, 22" ahead of the peloton.

14.58 Lead Down To 30"

The latest time check has the three leaders 30" ahead of the Festina-led peloton.

14.56 All Nine Festina's Driving The Chase

There are now eight blue & yellow jersey leading the green jersey of sprint-competition leader, Marcel Wust, at the front of the peloton. Pascal Lino is currently setting the pace of the chase 38" behind the stage leaders.

14.53 Festina Team Chasing

The blue & yellow train of Marcel Wust's Festina team is dominating the head of the peloton. They are 34" behind the three stage leaders.

14.52 Backstedt The Heaviest Rider In The Tour

One of the riders at the front of the stage, Magnus Backstedt, tipped the scales at 92.5kg at the pre-Tour medical. The big Swede is the heaviest rider in the Tour.

14.48 Lead Now 38"

The latest time check has the 3 leaders ahead by 38".

14.47 Backstedt A Former Stage Winner

One of the riders at the front of the stage, Magnus Backstedt (Credit Agricole), already has a Tour stage win to his name. He won the 19th stage of the 1998 Tour in Autun.

14.46 31" With 80km To Race

The 3 leaders are in the town of Villeneuve-de-Marsan, 80km from the finish. Their lead is 31 seconds on the Festina-led peloton.

14.44 Festina Lead The Peloton

The Festina team of the green jersey, Marcel Wust, is now leading the chase. They are are 28" behind the three leaders, van Heeswijk, Verbrugghe and Backstedt.

14.43 Lotto Were Determined To Break Up The Peloton

There were numerous attacks from the Lotto team before the successful break which is now up the road got clear. The break now includes the Belgian team's representative, Rik Verbrugghe and they lead by 20".

14.41 Three Riders Clear

Magnus Backstedt (CA), Rik Verbrugghe (Lotto) and Max van Heeswijk (Mapei) have escaped the peloton. Their lead is 15".

14.36 All Together Again

The two escapees have been caught. Marical and Mengin had a lead of 10", but the peloton is now all back together again.

14.35 Lotto Rider Scampers Clear

After a slight regrouping another Lotto rider, Thierry Marichal, has attacked the head of the peloton. He is being joined by a Francaise des Jeux rider, Christophe Mengin. Their lead is only a tender one now. Their advantage is about 100 meters.

14.33 Rapid Pace At Head of Peloton

Lotto riders are trying their best to escape the grip of the fast-moving peloton. None have yet been able to get clear.

14.31 Banestos Just Up Front For Feed

The Banesto team car was at the very end of the feedzone, thus the reason for the blue & white colors at the front of the peloton recently. They now have their muset bags and are filling their pockets with food as they drift back through the bunch.

14.30 Banesto Driving The Peloton

There are four Banesto riders setting a strong tempo at the front of the peloton. There are 90km left in today's stage.

14.28 Peloton All Together Again

Mattan, Blaudzun & Beneteau have been caught by the peloton. The bunch is all together as it passes the feedzone.

14.27 Notre-Dame-des-Cyclistes

The peloton is now passing the 'Notre-Dame-des-Cycliste' at the 84.5km mark. The church is the place where the funeral ceremony for 1973 Tour de France, Luis Ocana was held.

14.22 Break Caught

The rest of the 18-rider break has been caught by the peloton. The three leaders are now Mattan (Cofidis), Beneteau (Bonjour) and Blaudzun (MCJ).

14.22 Mattan Attacks Again

Nico Mattan has attacked his fellow escapees. The Cofidis rider is now at the front of the race alone. He is being folowed by one of the Bonjour riders and one other...

14.22 Lead Now 23"

The 18 riders are now 23" clear of the peloton.

14.20 Correction

Third place at the Parleboscq sprint (68km) was Emmanuel Magnien (La Francaise des Jeux). Not Gilles Maignan (AG2R) as previously reported.

14.16 Lead Grows To 34"

The 18 riders are now 34" clear of the peloton.

14.16 The 18 Riders Names...

The 18 at the front of the race are: Livingston (USP), Garcia-Acosta (Ban), Tauler (Kel), Extebarria (Onc), Elli, Heppner & Zabel (Tel), Velo (Mer), Padrnos (Sae) Hernandez (Fes), Mattan (Cof), Magnien (FDJ), Blaudzun (MCJ), Hinault (CA), Appolinio (Vin) Beneteau & Simon (Bonjour).

14.14 Lead Still 30"

The 18 riders at the front of the race are still 30" clear of the Rabobank-led peloton.

14.10 30" At 74km

The 18 riders have a lead of 30" at the 74km mark. They began their attack at 64km. 15H10 - Rabobank Lead The Chase The Rabobank of yesterday's winner, Erik Dekker, is at the front of the chasing peloton.

14.09 29" Lead For 18

The group at the front of the race - which includes both Erik Zabel and Alberto Elli (Telekom) - is working hard to increase their advanage. The latest time check has them 29" clear of the peloton.

14.07 At 71km The 18 Are 20" Clear

The Elli/Zabel group lead by 20" at the 71km mark.

14.06 18 Lead By 23"

The Elli/Zabel group of 18 riders is 23" clear of a Rabobank-led peloton.

14.05 Second Hour Average Speed

The average speed for the second hour of racing was 36.5kph. The total for the first two hours was 33.35kph.

14.04 The Sprint Points At Parleboscq

At the second sprint, at 68km the results are: 1. Erik Zabel (Telekom) 6pts 2. Massimo Apollinio (Vini Caldirola) 4pts 3. Gilles Maignen (AG2R) 2pts. The 18 riders lead by 34".

14.03 The 18 Escapees

The 18 riders up front are: Elli, Zabel & Heppner (Telekom), Livingston (US Postal), Garcia-Acosta & Tauler (Banesto), Beltran (Mapei), Extebarria (ONCE), Velo (Mercatone Uno), Padrnos (Saeco), Hernandez (Festina), Mattan (Lotto), Magnien (AG2R), Blaudzun (MCJ), Hinault (CA), Apollinio (Vin), Beneteau and Simon (Bonjour)

13.58 18 Riders 8" Clear

The group of 18 - including the yellow jersey - has a lead of eight seconds. (We await the other names.)

13.56 18 Riders Break Free At 64km

There has been an attack at the 64km mark. There are 18 riders involved including the yellow jersey of Alberto Elli (Telekom).

13.53 Next Sprint Due At 68km

The second of three intermediate sprints is due at Parleboscq (68km). The peloton is currently all together.

13.51 Three Riders Caught at 60km

The peloton is all together again. Extebarria, Heppner and Morin were caught at the 60km mark.

13.44 Three Riders Break Free Again

Extebarria (ONCE), Heppner & Morin (CA) have broken free again... We await a time check.

13.41 Break Over at 54km

The 19 riders who broke free at 43km have been caught by the peloton at the 54th kilometer.

13.41 Saeco, FDJ & Mercatone Uno Lead The Chase

The 19 rider break is now only 10" ahead of the peloton which is being led by the Mercatone Uno, FDJ and Saeco teams.

13.40 15" Lead For 19

The 19-rider escape hasn't gained much of an advantage. The latest check has the group of Wust & Zabel only 15" clear.

13.36 50km Raced

The 19 leaders are 23" clear after seven kilometers on the attack. They are at the 50km mark.

13.35 25" At 49km

The 19 leaders are 25" clear at the 49km mark.

13.33 Escape Could Succeed With Both Wust & Zabel Present

One of the main battles today is for the lead in the green jersey. The two riders who are currently battling for the sprinting prize, Marcel Wust and Erik Zabel, are currently involved in the escape group of 19 riders. Their lead is now 24".

13.31 The 19 Escapees...

The 19 riders are: Hamilton & Vasseur (USP), Arrietta, Odriozola (Banesto), Pascual Llorente (Kelme), Nardello (Mapei), Den Bakker (Rabobank), Extebarria & Gutierrez (ONCE), Heppner & Zabel (Telekom), Kasputis (AG2R), Hernandez & Wust (Festina), Lelli (Cofidis), Durand (Lotto), Langella & Morin (CA) & Simon (Bonjour).

13.27 Four More Scamper Clear

The attack of 15 riders has now been joined by four others... We await the names of the riders involved.

13.26 An Attack ...At Last

At the 42nd kilometer 15 riders have attacked the peloton. The names will follow shortly... if the escape attempt succeeds.

13.24 20 Minutes Behind Slowest Scheduled Time

With the riders in the 42nd kilometer today, they are currently about 20 minutes behind the slowest predicted time for today's ninth stage.

13.21 All Together At 40km

The riders are passed the 40km mark of the ninth stage. The peloton is still all together with 141km still to race.

13.18 Snow Forecast For Tomorrow's Stage...

The first mountain stage of the 2000 Tour tomorrow - en-route to Hautacam in the Pyrenees - could offer interesting conditions for the race. The forecast today is for snow falls at the summit of the 1,520 meter concluding climb.

13.13 O'Grady Out Of Hospital Today

After his fall in stage six, Australia's Stuart O'Grady will leave the hospital in Brodeaux this evening. He went there to have his broken collarbone operated on. The proceedure was done to expidite his recovery with his main objective now is the Sydney Olympics.

13.07 No Action To Report

The peloton is taking it easy early in today's stage. The bunch is all together at the 35km mark.

13.00 First Hour Average Speed

The average speed for the first hour of racing today is 19kph slower than at the same stage of yesterday's race. Today, the average for the first hour is 30.3kph.

12.52 Llorente's Attack Over

After reaching a maximum advantage of just 10", Pascual Llorente is now back in the peloton.

12.51 Pascual Llorente Attacks At 25km

Kelme's Javier Pascual Llorente has attacked at the 25km mark. His lead is currently 10".

12.48 Results of the Nerac Sprint

The results of the first sprint today, at Nerac (23.5km) are: 1. Marcel Wust (Festina) 6pts 2. Jaan Kirsipuu (AG2R) 4pts 3. Robbie McEwen (Farm Frites) 2pts Telekom led the peloton's rush to the line.

12.45 Current Standings In Green Jersey Competition

With the first intermediate sprint due soon, there is a chance that the lead of the green jersey competition could change today. The current leader is Marcel Wust (Festina) who has 142pts five ahead of Telekom's Erik Zabel who has 137pts. Tom Steels is currently 3rd with 100pts.

12.43 20km Raced At An Easy Pace

The riders have passed the 20km mark after about 44 minutes of racing.

12.40 Three Teams With Seven Riders

The three teams which had one rider banned from starting this year's Tour because of high hematocrit levels - Farm Frites, Vini Caldirola and Polti - now have seven of their original nine starters. The latter withdrawals are Rafael Mateos (PLT) Filippo Casagrande (VIN) & Jans Koerts (FAR).

12.36 First Sprint Due At 23.5km

The Nerac sprint at the 23.5km mark is the first of three intermediate sprints today. The riders are currently riding the 18th kilometer.

12.35 17km Of Racing...

The peloton is all together at the 17km mark of today's 181km stage.

12.33 Attacks Amount To Nothing... Yet

At 16km, the attacks which began at the 13km mark were all reeled in. The peloton is now all back together.

12.29 Several Surges Now

After Johansen's short-lived break, the peloton has sprung into action. There have been several attacks at the 13km mark. We're waiting on the names of the riders involved.

12.28 First Attack

The first attack of the ninth stage has come from Allan Johansen of the Memory Card at the 12th kilometer. The peloton reacted swiftly and the Danish rider is already back in the bunch.

12.25 No Attacks Yet

The peloton is still all together. Today's stage is a complete contrast to the attacking first hour of stage eight which set a rapid average speed at over 49kph.

12.16 Peloton Still All Together

At the 11km mark, there has been no attacks in the peloton. The bunch is still all together after 17 minutes of racing.

12.15 Dax Hometown of 1959 World Champion, Darrigade

Andre Darrigade, the 1959 world road champion - and winner of 22 Tour de France stages (from 14 starts) in the 1950s & 60s is from Dax. These days Darrigade, who still lives in Dax, owns a newsagent with his son.

12.09 Third Tour Finish In Dax Today

In the 87-year history of the Tour, the town which is hosting today's finish, Dax, has previously been witness to two stage finishes. They were in 1951 and '58. The respective victors of these stages were Van Est (Neth) and Van Geneugden (Bel).

12.05 Calm Start Compared to Yesterday

There haven't been any attacks early in the ninth stage. The peloton is all together after 2km of racing, providing a stark contrast to the attack by yesterday's winner, Erik Dekker, at the zero kilometer mark.

12.01 Racing In Stage Nine

The 171 riders began racing in the ninth stage of the 2000 Tour de France at 11.59am.

12.00 171 Riders Still In The Tour de France

There were no overnight withdrawals so the total tally of riders at the start today - after the mid-stage abandonments of Filippo Casagrande and Christophe Faudot and Jans Koerts' failure to meet the time-limit yesterday - is now 171.

11.58 Three Intermediate Sprints & One Small Climb Today

The ninth stage features three intermediate sprints. They are in the towns of Nerac (23.5km), Parleboscq (68km) and Saint-Sever (132.5km). There is just one small, category-four climb; the Cote de Montaut at the 143rd kilometer.

11.54 One Rider Outside The Time Limit Yesterday

Jans Koerts of the Farm Frites team finished yesterday's eighth stage outside the time limit. He will be one of the riders who won't start today's stage. Two others withdrew from the Tour during stage eight. They were Filippo Casagrande (Vini Caldirola) & Christophe Faudot (Bonjour).

11.50 A 4km Neutral Zone

There is a four kilometer neutral zone before the riders reach the start-proper on the outskirts of Agen. The riders are currently in the neutral section of today's 181km stage.

11.49 The Weather Today

The forecast maximum temperatures for today's ninth stage are 23 degrees (C) in the air and a maximum of 27 degrees (C) on the road.

11.01 Stage Nine Scheduled To Start At 11.50am

The ninth stage of the Tour de France is due to begin at 11.50am. The 181km stage moves south from Agen, in the Lot-et-Garonne region, to Dax in the Landes region.