MONTLUCON, France -- Belgian cyclist Serge Baguet
described his victory in the 17th stage of the Tour de France
on Thursday as the remarkable climax of his comeback to
professional cycling, a sport he left in disgust only a few
years ago to work as a manual laborer and drink beer.
The 31-year-old Lotto rider said he had tears in his eyes
when he crossed the finish line of Thursday's 120.5-mile leg
from Brive-la-Gaillarde to Montlucon, having outsprinted Jakob
Piil of Denmark and a tired Massimiliano Lelli of Italy.
It was a far cry from when he left professional cycling at
the age of 27 amid mental and physical exhaustion, choosing
instead to work for his father-in-law as a roof tiler.
Baguet, who is riding in his third Tour, said he abandoned
the sport in part because he could not handle the psychological
pressure of not always being the best.
"When I was 15 and cycling as a junior, I was winning
almost every race in Belgium.... But as a pro I couldn't stand
it," the Belgian told reporters after the race, noting that in
his first six years as a professional he won only nine races.
The rider quit the sport and proceeded to put on an extra
10 kilograms by "drinking a lot of beer" until friends
persuaded him to rejoin at the age of 30.
"After three years, I started riding on Sundays with some
friends who were professionals. They told me I was racing
pretty well and that I should come back to the sport.
"But I couldn't work and train at the same time as an
amateur, so I made a lot of phone calls to teams and came back
as a pro," he said.
Baguet was one of 16 riders who escaped from the main pack
shortly after the stage began, and one of three who
successfully avoided being caught by the peloton in the final
stretch.
The Belgian said he had exchanged harsh words with Lelli
about five kilometers from the finish line after the Italian
cyclist refused to do his part in the three-man breakaway,
choosing instead to ride in the slipstream of Baguet and Piil.
"I told Lelli that it was stupid for him to try to win a
stage by not doing any work, that people would think very
little of him," he said, noting that he feared the Italian
because of his speed.
"It became clear toward the end that he was dead -- he
couldn't go any faster," he said.
Baguet added that now that he is back in the sport, he is
not yet ready to leave.
"Now I know I can win big races, so I'm going to try to
stay in for another five or six years," he said.
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ALSO SEE
Baguet wins stage; Armstrong keeps lead
Thursday's Tour de France results
Tour de France: Day-by-day
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