TOUR DE FRANCE : Breukink Quits, Removing Obstacle for LeMond

ST. HERBLAIN, France —  Erik Breukink and his PDM teammates ended their pursuit of a Tour de France championship Tuesday, pulling out of the race because a bacterial infection has afflicted most of the team’s riders.

Breukink, 27, withdrew before the start of the 11th stage and returned to the Netherlands to recuperate. The Dutch rider, who finished third last year, was expected to be Greg LeMond’s toughest challenger in this year’s race.

He was in third place, 1 minute 13 seconds behind LeMond, when he quit. LeMond, from Wayzata, Minn., retained the overall lead as the race reached its midway point.

Today is a rest day at Pau in southwest France.

The PDM team was hit hard by the bacterial infection, according to French medical personnel. Five PDM riders could not continue Monday, and Breukink had a 100-degree fever. He and his remaining teammates--Sean Kelly of Ireland, Raul Alcala of Mexico and Joseph Van Aert of the Netherlands--quit Tuesday.

“It’s an infection due to the drinks in the bottles and maybe some food,” PDM Director Jan Gisbers said. “But I’m relieved to know that it’s a bacterial disease, because you can cure it easier than if it would have been a virus.”

Gerard Porte, the Tour’s chief medical officer, said four PDM riders still showed effects of the illness.

“They are tired and their heartbeat is accelerating,” Porte said. “They have a fever.”

Gisbers said the PDM team will try to recover in time for the World Cycling Championships at Stuttgart, Germany, in August. They may race next week in Belgium and Spain.

LeMond, leading Soviet sprinter Djamolidine Abdoujaparov by 51 seconds, said he was shocked by what happened.

“It’s going to be mentally hard for Breukink, because he was going well,” LeMond said.

LeMond said Breukink told him he was frustrated by the circumstances leading to his departure.

“He said he felt ill, and in two days’ time we were going into the mountains,” LeMond told a French news agency. “I’m not a doctor, but I know everyone can have health problems during a race--it’s already happened to me.”

LeMond, 30, finished 22nd in the 154-mile 11th stage, which was won by France’s Charly Mottet.

Abdoujaparov shaved 18 seconds off LeMond’s lead by placing well in special bonus sprints during the stage. But LeMond has said he expects to gain two minutes on the Soviet rider on the difficult climbs in the Pyrenees Thursday.

Spain’s Miguel Indurain, who is third, 2:17 behind LeMond, is considered the only real threat to LeMond’s chances of winning his fourth Tour and third in a row.

Today, the teams will regroup, plotting their strategies for the first Pyrenees stage, a 122-mile course of climbing from Pau to Jaca, Spain.

LeMond said he will monitor the Bannesto team because of its great climbers, Indurainand 1988 Tour de France winner Pedro Delgado of Spain, who is in eighth place, 4:30behind.