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Gusev not fazed by superstition, aims to keep white

published 14 July 2007

By Shane Stokes Stage six of the Tour de France took place on Friday the 13th; as rider 113, Vladmir...

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Vladimir Gusev (Discovery Channel) (Image credit: Gregor Brown)

By Shane Stokes

Stage six of the Tour de France took place on Friday the 13th; as rider 113, Vladmir Guzev was asked by a television crew early on Thursday if he was superstitious about having that number on that date. "No, I was number 13 last year in Paris-Roubaix," he answered. "It means nothing."

Gusev started the day sixth overall, 45 seconds off yellow, and avoided bad luck to finish 37th. Although he dropped a place to seventh overall, he remains in the white jersey of best young rider in the race. It continues the good form he showed in the Tour de Suisse, where he won the queen stage of the race to the top of the Grimselpass.

"I am really happy. It is my first Tour de France, so it is great to have the white jersey," he told Cyclingnews.

"I will try to keep this jersey. It is going to be quite difficult as I need to train more n the mountains [to improve his climbing]. But if I do go well in the mountains then I will also be good in the white jersey competition because I am a specialist in the time trials."