The Tour de France for the Rest of Us

I've moved this blog to a different address...come on over

2007-06-14T05:35:00.000-07:00

"TdF05" is a dated address. What was I thinking when I typed in that URL a few years ago? Anyway, I've simply moved "The Tour de France for the Rest of Us" to the following address:

http://tdf-bikehiker.blogspot.com

I hope you'll come on over and engage this year's Tour...

John Hay, Jr.
Indianapolis, Indiana
http://bikehiker.blogspot.com

OH MY...WHERE DO WE BEGIN...

2007-06-13T18:33:00.000-07:00

I don't know about you, but...

I got so fed up with allegations and revelations and accusations and misstatements and misrepresentations and fresh admissions and old denials last autumn that I left this blog project alone. I wasn't sure I would return to it this spring, the time when all cycling enthusiasts begin to think about...you know, the Tour de France.

Yeah, I thought about the Tour throughout spring. I read Cyclingnews.com every few days or so. And just kept sighing and wincing and getting disgusted through all the continuing allegations, revelations, etc. I now wonder when, or if, the Tour de France and professional cycling will recover from these past twelve months?

But I recently decided to give my blog and the Tour de France another go. I'm one who would rather see something beautiful that is badly wounded through to healing and hope than dismiss it and walk away. As far gone as professional road racing seems to be right now, there is some hope and there are some clean cyclists and programs (they say!).

Two caveats:

(1) I distrust the Tour de France organizers, the anti-doping organizations, the labs who serve at their bidding, and the French press that has its own self-serving agendas. ASO has taken the approach of "guilty until proven innocent" and "guilty by association or suspicion" and has alienated lots of folks. The anti-doping organizations pass questionable methods and imprecise science off as infallible truth. Some labs have acted unethically and bungled simple projects. And the French sports press, well, read it for yourself.

(2) I distrust the riders and their team directors. I don't think all are doping or cheating in other ways, but at this point you have to keep perspective: some of those who've been proclaiming their innocence for years have, in fact, been lying.

So, with this I mind for the sake of keeping reality somewhere on the horizon, I'll reengage the Tour de France. I do so with hope at heart. It may take years for the integrity and luster of the Tour de France and professional cycling to be restored...so let the restoration begin.

Photo: American David Zabriskie rides the time trial at the Dauphine Libre

DID HE DOPE? WE MAY NEVER KNOW

2006-08-03T19:50:00.000-07:00

As an avid fan of the Tour de France and a supporter of the American project to place highly competitive cyclists in this European-dominated sport, I am really struggling with the whole Landis scenario.

SEARCH FOR EXPLANATIONS. I guess I've been vacillating between denial and exasperation for two weeks, all the while really hoping a plausible explanation can be found for Landis' high--and apparently at least partially externally introduced--levels of testosterone found in his blood sample taken at the end of Stage 17.

TWO REASONS WHY I THINK HE DIDN'T DOPE. Here's one reason why I don't think Landis doped: It would have been plain crazy for him to have doped and then ridden hard to win Stage 17--his comeback stage--knowing that every stage winner and Yellow Jersey wearer would tested. Would he--or anybody else--actually think they could get away with that? No way. No stealth drug or doping protocol is that good. Another reason: someone who intentionally doped would have had a thought-out justification and prepared plausible response to charges of doping. Landis was as taken aback and befuddled as anyone else.

WHAT ABOUT HIS OTHER BLOOD SAMPLES? Has Landis' blood samples from his days in the Yellow Jersey been tested and revealed to be high for testosterone, too? If they aren't out of bounds, then why was that blood sample different? Or, if they are all high, what is the basis of that consistent high? There are still more questions than answers for conclusive and condemning actions.

IT WILL BE A WHILE. I am not hopeful about the UCI testing on his B sample that will be in the news on Saturday. It is likely to be the same as his A sample. It will take an independent endocrinology test, to be conducted a bit later, to prove beyond reasonable doubt the actual, discernible sources of his elevated testosterone that day.

WHEN THE ACCUSERS AREN'T STRAIGHT. Remember: It took nearly a year for Lance Armstrong to be cleared after last year's annual round of accusations. And that inquiry found WADA's laboratory process to have been not only inaccurate and tainted, but biased and unethical.

NO EASY ANSWERS. So, there are no easy answers...even after the apparent answers are given. Behind the conclusions are questions. Such is the terrain of professional--and some amateur--sports these days. I guess the days of not second-guessing a championship performance may be gone...or at least in serious jeopardy.

WAS LANDIS JUICED?

2006-07-27T16:06:00.000-07:00

You can track the breaking information about 2007 Tour de France winner Floyd Landis' positive test (A sample) for high levels of testosterone at www.Cyclingnews.com. News of the positive test is shaking the professional sport...again.

A PROCESS FOR GETTING AT THE TRUTH. Landis is denying he used a testosterone patch for recovery. He has requested testing of his B sample. If it proves positive, he can have an endocrinological test performed to see whether or not there is or were natual causes for the high levels of testosterone in the blood sample taken immediately following his Stage 17 win--the day he made up over 8 minutes on his rivals and set up his eventual Tour victory.

IT MAKES NO SENSE. It makes no sense for Landis to have flagrantly used testosterone as a recovery after his Stage 16 debacle. Every rider knows he will be blood tested if he wins a stage and that the Yellow Jersey wearer is always tested. According to the www.cyclingnews.com stories, there are a range of possible valid explanations for elevated levels of testosterone.

THE WAY IT MUST BE. I'm hopeful Landis will eventually be cleared through good medical testing and analysis, and through a rigorous process. Given the present environment of professional and amateur sports, that's the way it must be. For all the indignities and second-guessing it causes, it is critical that a level playing field be secured. When we herald a new champion, we want to be sure we have an authentic champion, not a dope-hyped cheater on our hands. Landis is to be presumed innocent until proven guilty. If he is ultimately proven innocent, let us celebrate the triumph. If he is ultimately proven beyond reasonable doubt to have cheated, then let the exposure runs its course and instruct us all.

THE NEW AMERICAN IN PARIS

2006-07-23T13:25:00.000-07:00

He's been there before. He's been on the Champs Elysees as a member of the championship team before. But now Floyd Landis is in Paris in the manner which every cyclist dreams. He's there as the winner of the Tour de France, the wearer of the 21st and final Maillot Jaune.

It's been a long, hard-fought battle out on the roads--across the fields, over the mountains, in the time trials, through 23 days and over 2,000 miles. Out of 189 entered into the greatest race, one achieves the best overall time. And this year, this time, it's an American from San Diego. Congratulations, Floyd. Well done.

I'm not sure how many people in America or around the world thought the next winner of the Tour de France would be an American. When Lance Armstrong retired, the crown was up for grabs. It was anyone's dream. Landis had faith in himself and, even after falling overwhelmingly behind in Stage 16, willed himself back into the lead and on to the top of the podium.

STAGE 19: LANDIS RETAKES YELLOW JERSEY

2006-07-22T08:49:00.000-07:00

THE NEXT AMERICAN IN PARIS? American Floyd Landis did what he set out to do, overcoming overwhelming obstacles along the way. He's now in possession of the coveted Maillot Jaune--the Yellow Jersey--as race leader of the Tour de France as the peloton prepares to make its last leg, a largely ceremonial jaunt into Paris on Sunday.

THIRD TIME'S A CHARM? He'd worn the Yellow Jersey twice earlier in the race. He'd given it up voluntarily the first time to Oscar Pereiro, considered a non-contender who rode himself into contention on a long breakaway. Landis had regained the race leadership on the fabled L'Alpe d'Huez. But the next day he lost it again--most thought permanently--when he fell behind eight minutes to his rivals on the last mountain climb. The next day, the last day in the Alps, Landis went for broke, pulled out all the stops, astounded the critics, confounded his rivals, broke away and rode himself to within 30 seconds of Pereiro's race-leading time.

TIME TRIAL DRAMA. It all came down to this second to last stage--the pentultimate stage--and his ability to finish the 57 kilometer individual time trial far enough ahead of Oscar Pereiro, Carlos Sastre, and Andreas Kloden to overcome a 30-second deficit to Pereiro. Sastre rode poorly. Pereiro did extremely well, finishing the stage in fourth place. But Landis rode faster than Pereiro; he finished one-minute, 29-seconds ahead of Pereiro. Landis' third-place finish in this stage put him into the race lead, with a 59-second lead over Pereiro and a one-minute, 29-second lead over Andreas Kloden. Congratulations to Landis for an incredible comeback!

ALL BUT OVER. Unless riders and teams break all the rules for the final stage--Stage 20--tomorrow, Landis should be the next American to win the Tour de France. I wouldn't put it past some rider or team to, like Landis did, go for broke in Stage 20, but it is not likely. What is likely is that Floyd Landis will roll onto the Champs Elysees as only the fourth American in over 90 years of this storied international competition to win the Tour de France. It will be the first time Americans have won it back to back. It will be quite a celebration in Paris tomorrow!

SIMPLICITY AND ACHIEVEMENT

2006-07-21T06:50:00.000-07:00

ARLENE LANDIS WATCHES HER SON. This photo by Carolyn Kaster (AP) is, to me, the most incredible image related to this year's Tour de France.

SIMPLICITY AND TECHNOLOGY. The Landis family of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania is conservative Mennonite. Living in simplicity and community, they choose not to possess or routinely use an automobile or TV. Arlene Landis, mother of Tour de France contender Floyd Landis, walks to a neighbor's house to watch her son ride the greatest cycling race in the world (below).

ENDEARING BONDS. In this photo (above) she not only watches OLN's coverage of the Tour de France, but holds up a phone to the TV, perhaps for a friend or relative to hear of her son's internationally-respected effort. I just love this contrast of cultures and endearing bonds of family!

FREE TO LEAVE. News sources report that Floyd Landis left his cloistered community after graduation from high school. Leaving such communities is always a free and considered choice for Mennonite and Amish youth, not an act of rebellion (as some in the news media are trying to cast Landis' departure). Landis loved riding throughout his youth. After leaving his community, Landis has made San Diego his home. From that base he become a nationally-prominant mountain bike competitor before switching to road racing and becoming part of Lance Armstrong's Tour de France-winning team.

STAGE 17: RESURRECTION! REDEMPTION!

2006-07-20T06:59:00.000-07:00

PARDON THE SPIRITUAL LANGUAGE. It's a resurrection! It's redemption! Okay, maybe it's over the top to put what happened in today's stage of the Tour de France in such spiritually-charged terms.

HE WAS DEAD AND IS ALIVE. Let's just say that after yesterday's disasterous Stage 16 finish, American Floyd Landis' realistic possibilities for winning the Tour were dead. But after his long break-kneck breakaway over the last of the French Alps in today's stage, Landis' hopes for wearing the Yellow Jersey in Paris on Sunday are definitely alive.

HE WAS WRITTEN OFF AND IS REDEEMED. Yesterday, folks were writing Landis off as a pretender instead of a contender. Today, he found redemption in the eyes of the toughest of cycling and sports critics. Experts are calling today's comeback the greatest in cycling history. It was truly inspiring to follow.

CHARGING FROM 11th to 3rd PLACE. On this, the last mountain stage in the Alps, Landis used his Phonak teammates to set a blistering pace on the first climb then broke away from the pack for an inspired and inspiring solo flight. He made a heroic effort to stay clear of his rivals to the very end, using his championship mountain bike experience at climbing and descending to his advantage. He became the 10th American to win a stage of the Tour de France. More importantly, he finished with a time good enough--five minutes, forty-one seconds ahead of second-place finisher Carlos Sastre--to put him back into 3rd place overall. Landis is now just 30 seconds behind the Yellow Jersey of Oscar Pereiro and 17 seconds behind Carlos Sastre.

WHAT IT COMES DOWN TO. Everything now hinges on Saturday's individual time trial. Between Landis, Pereiro, and Sastre, Landis has clearly superior ability in time trials. He was over one minute and thirty seconds better than all the current contenders in Stage 7, the first individual time trial of this edition of the Tour de France. He must be considered a favorite to win or finish ahead of his rivals in the 2nd individual time trial stage coming up on Saturday.

IT AIN'T OVER. In recent years, the Tour has been Lance Armstrong’s to lose. But this edition of the Tour de France is anyone’s to win. And so far it has been an unpredictable free-for-all. The Yellow Jersey seems like a hot potato nobody can hold on to for very long. The current leader, Oscar Pereiro, was over 30 minutes behind Landis after the Pyrenees mountains; now he leads. Landis was down and out, it was said; but then he fought back. Go figure! Anything can happen before Paris on Sunday. Tune in. Hang on. It ain’t over…

STAGE 16: FLOYD GOES SOUTH

2006-07-19T12:59:00.000-07:00

I'm sure Floyd Landis would love to rewrite the last 45 minutes of Stage 16 of the Tour de France. He appeared to be doing fine...until... Within the last 15 kilometers of the finish and on the last of four major mountain climbs, the American could not kick when his rivals kicked. His legs simply had nothing more to give; it was as if his whole body shuttered and nearly shut down. While his rivals powered to the top and bypassed him in the standings (he went from first place to eleventh, just like that), Landis struggled to finish over 10 minutes behind stage winner Mickael Rasmussen. Rasmussen also took--and will keep--the Polka-dot Jersey as King of the Mountains.

CAN LANDIS RECOVER? Bad day at the office for Landis. Will he assess his losses and try to regroup for a comeback? What happens when one cracks on a big mountain stage like that? Can they recover? Can they recover for the next mountain stage? Does it take the heart out of them? I don't know. We'll certainly see on Thursday's Stage 17--the last mountain stage of the Tour de France.

LEIPHEIMER WATCH. Levi Leipheimer again attacked valiantly on the next to the last mountain. His effort succeeded in moving him up one place--from ninth to eighth. But one place today, one place tomorrow, one place the next day... Who knows?

YELLOW IS UP FOR GRABS. Is this a crazy Tour or what? The Yellow Jersey is like a hot potato this year. While it will be less interesting to Americans not having Landis in contention for a Yellow Jersey (10 points for the person who can show me how he can ride himself back into legitimate contention for a podium finish), it is no less dramatic than ever before. We all knew the Tour de France after Armstrong's retirement would be a crap shoot. Landis was making it look too easy. Well, we're looking at a field of no less than 8 contenders who can win this thing. Stay tuned.

CADENCE MATTERS. I noticed that Landis' cadence has been a slow grind all along, similar to that of Ullrich. It is quite different than Armstrong's fast-pedaling cadence for the mountains, where he would effectively leave his rivals in his dust. Chris Carmichael has repeatedly preached the important difference in energy supply and recovery for these two kinds of pedaling. Was this an issue?

STAGE 15: LUXEMBOURGER WINS L'ALPE D'HUEZ

2006-07-18T10:38:00.000-07:00

TINY COUNTRY, BIG STAGE. Franck Schleck of tiny Luxembourg won on cycling’s biggest stage--the fabled L’Alpe d’Huez. Schleck parlayed his participation in a day-long 25-man breakaway group into victory, out-kicking Italian star Damiano Cunego to the finish line atop the long, steep mountain of 21 switchbacks.

AND THE CONTENDERS… A minute behind Schleck and Cunego were the leading contenders for the Tour de France--Floyd Landis and Andreas Kloden, followed by Carlos Sastre and Levi Leipheimer. A minute later were more contenders--all losing time to Landis but not too severely--Denis Menchov, Michael Rasmussen, Oscar Pereiro, Cadel Evans, Michael Rogers, Cyril Dessel, and Haimar Zubeldia.

LANDIS BACK IN YELLOW. Landis finished over one minute and forty seconds ahead of Spaniard Oscar Pereiro, so the American with Mennonite roots is back in the Yellow Jersey by 10 seconds. Landis did not launch any attacks, he did not put the hammer down, he simply rode with his fellow contenders until all but one--Andreas Kloden--fell behind.

LEIPHEIMER IMPRESSES…AGAIN. American Levi Leipheimer finished 1:10 after Landis and his solid mountain climbing has moved him up to 9th place for the overall lead. Of the leading contenders, only Landis, Kloden, and Sastre finished ahead of Leipheimer today. The Montanan is clearly making a challenge to stand on the podium for first, second, or third place in Paris. I hope he remains steady in the mountains over the next two days. Oh, if he could just take that individual time trial back!

A HUMAN ZOO ON THE MOUNTAIN. L’Alpe d’Huez is a zoo of over 300,000 fans lining the steep road for the last 9 kilometers of the stage. Crowds are within arms length of the riders on both sides, cheering, waving, running, yelling. The riders truly run a dangerous but invigorating gauntlet of (often drunken) humanity. There is nothing quite like it in cycling or in any sport.

WHO’S GOT THE POWER? Heroic efforts on L’Alpe d’Huez are one thing; having power left for solid climbs or attacks over the next two Alpine stages is another matter. The question is: how much energy did the leading contenders expend during Stage 15’s two HC mountains? And how much do they have in reserve to unleash on “highest categories” Galbier and Croix-de-Fer (along with several Cat 1 &2 climbs) on Wednesday and on Joux-Plane (along with several Cat 1 & 2 climbs) on Thursday?

REST DAY 2: THE ALPS LOOM

2006-07-17T08:20:00.000-07:00

IN THE SHADOW OF THE MOUNTAIN. After a Prologue and 14 stages, including several punishing days in the Pyrenees, the 156 cyclists remaining in this year's Tour de France take their second break. It's really the last chance to consume energy, get sleep, mend wounds, and steel themselves before a trilogy of stages that will test the mettle of every team and rider.

LEGEND THAT HAUNTS & EXALTS. The Tour rests in Gap, a gateway to the Alps mountain range. Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday contains a plethora of "HC" - "highest category" or "beyond categorization" - mountain climbs. Tuesday's ride includes L'Alpe-d'Huez - a mountain made legendary by past Tour de France feats. This mountain both haunts and exalts. It is not the highest peak, just the one most fabled. A rider has died on this mountain. The crowds are incredible on it. Tour wins have been decided here. Whoever crests this monster first, whether or not he wins the Tour, will have ridden himself into the respect and affection of Tour fans worldwide.

TOP 15. Here are the top 15 placements in the Tour after 14 stages:
1 Oscar Pereiro (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears @ 64.05.04
2 Floyd Landis (USA) Phonak @ 1.29
3 Cyril Dessel (Fra) AG2R-Prevoyance @ 1.37
4 Denis Menchov (Rus) Rabobank @ 2.30
5 Cadel Evans (Aus) Davitamon-Lotto @ 2.46
6 Carlos Sastre (Spa) Team CSC @ 3.21
7 Andreas Kloden (Ger) T-Mobile @ 3.58
8 Michael Rogers (Aus) T-Mobile @ 4.51
9 Juan Miguel Mercado (Spa) Agritubel @ 5.02
10 Christophe Moreau (Fra) AG2R-Prevoyance @ 5.13
11 Yaroslav Popovych (Ukr) Discovery Channel @ 5.44
12 Marcus Fothen (Ger) Gerolsteiner @ 5.46
13 Haimar Zubeldia (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi @ 5.55
14 Patrik Sinkewitz (Ger) T-Mobile @ 7.07
15 Levi Leipheimer (USA) Gerolsteiner @ 7.08

REALISTIC CHANCES? Of these 15 top places, it's hard to limit even those who are seven minutes down. Levi Leipheimer nearly won the hardest mountain in the Pyreness and appears to be back on his game. T-Mobile riders seem to have the strongest team, but they were nowhere to be found at the end of the biggest mountain stage so far. Big minutes can be gained or lost quickly on HC climbs and stage-ending mountain-top finishes like L'Alpe-d-Huez. One attack at this point can catapult a rider to the top; one failure to respond to an attack can take a would-be contender out of contention.

NO HEROICS...YET. Heroic is a relative term. Every one of these riders is doing something heroic everyday that they stay in the saddle. But in terms of Tour de France heroics, we have not yet seen the kind of put-the-hammer-down climbs or blister-the-competition time trials that Lance Armstrong gave the Tour. We keep waiting for a rider to make a definitive move. But, in reality, these riders are making their moves and playing their hands very carefully. None have yet been able to dominate. Landis may, after a few more stages. Or, Australian Cadel Evans, currently in 5th, has yet to show his outstanding abilities. Heroics, if they are to come, will come in the next three days. Watch closely.

STAGE 14: FEDRIGO, FEDRIGO, FEDRIGO

2006-07-16T16:31:00.000-07:00

Pierrick Fedrigo must have the coolest name in France. Certainly it's rolling off the lips of millions of Francophones today, as the 27-year old native worked an escape to his best advantage to win Stage 14 of the Tour de France.

The 2005 French national champion, Fedrigo out-dueled fellow-escapee Salvatore Commesso for stage honors. Both were only three seconds ahead of hard-charging American Christian VandeVelde. The leading group of the fractured peloton was not far behind; all the leading contenders for the overall race title were present and accounted for.

STAGE 13: YELLOW JERSEY CHANGE...AGAIN

2006-07-15T16:59:00.000-07:00

GOING, GOING, GONE. Rarely does a breakaway stay away to the finish line. The peloton chases it down and swallows it. Hardly ever does a breakaway stay away all the way to the end....and finish nearly 30 minutes ahead of the peloton. Hardly ever...until today. A five-man group put the hammer down and the peloton leadership never felt it necessary to chase them down, even reduce their time gap. None of the escapees are real contenders for the Tour win, but one--Oscar Pereiro Soi--more than wiped out his 28-minute, 50-second deficit to Floyd Landis. With his 2nd-place finish just behind stage winner Jens Voigt, Pereiro moved into 1-minute, 29-second lead over Landis.

FROM 46th to 1st PLACE IN DAY. A Spaniard riding for the CAISSE D'EPARGNE-ILLES BALEARS team, Pereiro started today's stage in 46th place. He will start Sunday's Stage 14 in first place and will wear the coveted Maillot Jaune. Unless there is a huge breakaway in Stage 14--and nothing can be counted out in this unpredictable Tour--he can keep it through Monday's rest day and wear it for Tuesday's first Alp mountain challenge. Pereiro lost nearly 22 minutes to Landis in Thursday'sHerculeann mountain stage up to the Pla-de-beret. He isn't likely to hang on it after that day. But, for now, let all Spain bask in the glory!

YELLOW ON SEVEN RIDERS...SO FAR. This is the seventh change in the Yellow Jersey in 13 stages. It's been on the back of Thor Hushovd (Norway), George Hincapie (USA), Tom Boonen (Belgium), Serhiy Honchar (Ukraine), Cyril Dessel (France), Floyd Landis (USA), and now, Pereiro (Spain).

NO GC SHAKE-UPS. Since the peloton finished together, they all maintain the same rankings and same time differences between each other. The only difference is that they all move down one place as Pereiro takes first place. Landis, commenting on why he and his team decided to let the Yellow Jersey go, indicated that none of today's breakaway group were a threat for the Tour win, and that the Phonak team--along with all the teams and riders--were quite tired and anticipating energy resources needed for critical upcoming mountain stages.

STAGE RESULTS. Today's stage, a full 230 kilometers (that's 142.9 miles, folks), was the longest stage of this year's tour. It was also the hottest, so far. Full results of Stage 13 (and all previous stages) by Cyclingnews. This gives you a rundown on overall rankings in each jersey category, too.

HEIGHT, WEIGHT, DISTANCE. Use this link for quick and easy conversions back and forth between metric and British/American measurements during the tour. 1 kilometer is .6214 miles. 1 mile is 1.609 kilometers. Floyd Landis weighs 68 kilograms...or 150 pounds. He is 1.78 meters tall...or 5.89 feet. The average speed of the fourth hour of today's stage was 40.2 km/h...or 25 mph (try riding 25 mph for as long as you can...these guys are good!). The temperature at the top of one of today's category 4 climbs soared to 42 degrees celsius...or 107 degrees Fahrenheit. During my planned 2,000-mile (3219-kilometer) bicycle ride in India in January 2007, we plan to cover an average of 100 kilmeters (a "metric century" or 62 miles) each day in temperatures between 30-35 degrees celsius. So, how hot will it be for our daily rides?

GREAT TOUR PHOTOS. Scroll easily through lots of pages of really great Tour photography at Yahoo!

VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS OF THE STAGE: OLN provides free video highlights and commentary wrap-ups of each stage by Bob Roll and Al Trautwig. A different set of excellent video highlights are at www.velonews.com (click on "latest video").

LISTEN TO THE NEXT STAGE LIVE. http://www.cyclingfans.com/ provides a link to Eurosport's live audio coverage of the Tour. Audio coverage usually begins at 7 AM each day. Limited Internet TV viewing is also accessible at this site.

STAGE 12: DISCOVERY CHANNEL GETS A WIN

2006-07-14T09:59:00.000-07:00

CAN YOU SAY "YAROSLAV?" The Disco boys missed out on the glory on Thursday's mountain spectacular, watching their Yellow Jersey hopes fade, but found something still to brag about at the end of Stage 12. Discovery Channel had riders in several big breakaways, including American George Hincapie in an early break that garnered him more than a few mountain climbing points. But, ultimately, it was Yaroslav Popovich who got clear with a small group in the last half of the race. The Ukranian then attacked his fellow escapees in the last 3 kilometers to take the stage victory over four minutes ahead of the peloton.

STAGE NOTES

POPOVICH RIDES INTO 10TH PLACE. Popovich's escape and finish ahead of the peloton moves him into the top ten for the General Classification or overall race leadership. He's 4:15 behind the race leader.

LANDIS STILL LEADS. American Floyd Landis wears the Yellow Jersey again after this stage. he arrived at the finish line with the peloton, along with all his rivals and they all--as usual--receive the same time. It is feasible for Landis to wear the Maillot Jaune all the way to Paris.

WHAT'S AHEAD. Saturday's Stage 13 and Sunday's Stage 14 cover relatively mild terrain. After the second rest day on Monday, the riders will face a triology of fierce mountain stages in the Alps. Any further shake-up in the race lead will take place on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday. Friday is a "transitional" flat stage--one for the sprinters to charge to the line. Saturday's Stage 19 is a 56k individual time trial. If the Yellow Jersey is still close, this could determine the race winner. Remember, Landis placed second in the first individual time trial and the man who won it is out of the GC contention. If Landis is wearing yellow going into this stage, he'll come out the solid winner. If he's not wearing yellow at it's begining, he could be wearing it 56k later. Sunday, July 23, is a final drive to Paris, another one for the sprinters.

STAGE RESULTS. Full results of Stage 12 (and all previous stages) by Cyclingnews. This gives you a rundown on overall rankings in each jersey category, too.

GREAT TOUR PHOTOS. Scroll easily through lots of pages of really great Tour photography at Yahoo!

VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS OF THE STAGE: OLN provides free video highlights and commentary wrap-ups of each stage by Bob Roll and Al Trautwig.

LISTEN TO THE NEXT STAGE LIVE. http://www.cyclingfans.com/ provides a link to Eurosport's live audio coverage of the Tour. Audio coverage usually begins at 6 or 7 AM each day. Limited Internet TV viewing is also accessible at this site.

STAGE 11: LANDIS INTO YELLOW

2006-07-13T09:34:00.000-07:00

TOUGHEST STAGE...SO FAR. Four category 1 mountains and one "beyond categorization" mountain ripped the peloton apart and created some real separation of times in the race. Unbelievable punishment. More than a few riders, including Iban Mayo, quit the race in these Pyrenean peaks. At the end of the day, a group of no more than 17 were together for the final climb into a Spanish mountain resort. By the end of the climb only three remained together--Russian Denis Menchov and Americans Levi Leipheimer and Floyd Landis.

UNFLAPPABLE FLOYD. Menchov crossed the finish line a few feet ahead of a well-recovered Leipheimer and the ever-so-steady Landis. Attack after attack challenged the core group of leading climbers. But when the dust settled, Landis found himself in the Yellow Jersey, just eight seconds ahead of yesterday's breakaway Frenchman, Cyril Dessel. Congratulations to Landis! He did not attack, he did not buckle, he did not bend; he rode steadily with the leaders to the very end...and rode right into the race lead.

STAGE NOTES:

SECOND AMERICAN IN YELLOW THIS YEAR. Floyd Landis is the second American to wear the Maillot Jaune this year; George Hincapie wore after Stage 1. Unfortunately, George bonked the next to the last mountain today and was not among the race leaders.

DISCOVERY CHANNEL FADING? Jose Azevedo was the only Discovery Channel team member who stayed in the leading group. Azevedo finished 15th, four minutes behind Menchov. Yaroslav Popovich finished 26th, 6:25 behind the stage winner. Azevedo is now 18th overall; Popovich is 22nd in the General Classification. Hincapie is back in 40th place, more than 23 minutes down. Maybe Discovery Channel is having the same problem that T-Mobile had last year--not cooperating together to put one rider on the podium.

HOW ABOUT LEIPHEIMER! We now know that Leipheimer had diarrhea the night before the Individual Time Trial, in which he finished over six minutes behind the leaders. We now know that he is fully recovered and fully capable of continuing to contend for a podium finish. After today's second-place finish, Leipheimer sits in 13th place, 5 minutes and 39 seconds behind Landis. Can he resume his climbing prowess in next week's Alpine stages? I hope so!

GREAT TOUR PHOTOS. Scroll easily through lots of pages of really great Tour photography at Yahoo!

STAGE RESULTS. Full results of Stage 11 (and all previous stages) by Cyclingnews.

VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS OF THE STAGE: OLN provides free video highlights and commentary wrap-ups of each stage by Bob Roll and Al Trautwig.

LISTEN TO THE TOUR LIVE. http://www.cyclingfans.com/ provides a link to Eurosport's live audio coverage of the Tour. Limited Internet TV viewing is also accessible at this site.

STAGE 10: FRENCH GLORY

2006-07-12T15:59:00.000-07:00

DESSEL MAKES HIS MARK ON THE TOUR. Cyril Dessel was the rider who put the first emphatic stamp on the Tour de France as it headed into the mountains. A Frenchman, Dessel worked with a small breakaway group for most of the stage, claimed the most mountain climbing points, then attacked the breakaway group with Juan Mercado and built up and maintained a lead of more than 9 minutes over the Peloton. Dessel finished the stage a few centimeters behind the Spaniard Mercado. Though Mercado won the stage, Dessel claimed both the Polka-dot Jersey for leading in mountain climbing points and the Yellow Jersey for the overall race lead. A Frenchman leads the Tour de France by over 3 minutes on the first mountain stage! Viva la France!

GREAT TOUR PHOTOS. Scroll easily through lots of pages of really great Tour photography at Yahoo!

STAGE RESULTS. Full results of Stage 10 (and all previous stages) by Cyclingnews.

VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS OF THE STAGE: OLN provides free video highlights and commentary wrap-ups of each stage by Bob Roll and Al Trautwig.

LISTEN TO THE TOUR LIVE. www.cyclingfans.com provides a link to Eurosport's live audio coverage of the Tour.

STAGE 9: LULL BEFORE THE STORM

2006-07-11T14:06:00.000-07:00

CHARGE TO THE BASE OF THE MOUNTAINS. It was 170 kilometers of flatland--the perfect set-up for a bunch sprint finish. Chasing a mild breakaway, the peloton charged harder than some of the Yellow Jersey candidates would have liked. With two heart-breaking mountain stages looming on Wednesday and Thursday, the contenders might have preferred taking it slower. But challengers must be challenged, and so they were. The three were readily caught within the last 10 k and a ferocious bunch sprint ensued. Outcome: Oscar Freire barely edged Robbie McEwen. Once again, Tom Boonen was beaten; he finished fourth.

STAGE NOTES:

FREIRE'S SECOND STAGE WIN. This is Oscar Freire's second stage win of this year's Tour. Freire gained points on Tom Boonen, but is still in third place for the sprinting contest.

REAL RACE BEGINS TOMORROW. The Yellow Jersey standings remain the same. They could be shaken up tomorrow. In any case, the real race begins tomorrow. It's been years since there's been this much suspense about the outcome of the Tour de France. There are simply no foregone conclusions in the General Classification.

McEWEN IN CONTROL. McEwen increased his points lead over Boonen for the Green Jersey. Maybe this is one conclusion that can begin to be drawn: the Aussie is in charge of the sprint competition. It's his to lose.

FAST PACE. The pace of the peloton averaged over 47 kilometers per hour for this stage. Try that sometime...not for four hours, but for five minutes.

FIRST REST DAY

2006-07-10T06:44:00.000-07:00

AFTER NINE DAYS. It's been nine days since the 2006 Tour de France started with a Prologue in Stausbourg, Germany. The 170+ riders have made their way up through Luxembourg and into the Netherlands. They've passed through Belgium and charged westward across the north of France. It's been a week that featured the sprinters. Yes, a few small categorized climbs have been crossed--but these are ant hills compared to what the cyclists will face in the next two weeks in the heights of the Pyrenees and Alps.

REST DAY REFLECTIONS. After a rather surprizing Individual Time Trial on Saturday followed by another flat stage on Sunday, it's time for a rest. Today's rest day offers a brief respite and you can imagine the riders are thinking both about the week past and the weeks ahead. A few things I'm thinking about regarding the Tour thus far:

1. The list of contenders for the Yellow Jersey in Paris is narrower than it was a week ago...but not by much. No less than 31 riders are within 4 minutes of the current leader (who is no mountain climber!). Even riders who did not fare well in the Individual Time Trial can, with a mountain-climbing breakaway, recoup their losses. Four minutes can disappear in the mountains very quickly for an opportunistic and aggressive rider. Come on, Levi Leipheimer! Take a risk! Go for it!

2. American Floyd Landis is in second place and has the opportunity to take--and keep--the Maillot Jaune in the mountains this week. Will Landis make his move on Wednesday and Thursday in the Pyrenees?

3. American David Zabriskie is in ninth place and could move into podium contention in the mountains, too.

4. Look out for Andreas Kloden of T-Mobile. The German has proven himself in the mountains in past Tours and he's well-placed at the moment.

5. I hope Robbie McEwen continues to make hay in the remaining available flat stages and bunch sprint finishes. There's a great opportunity on Tuesday's flat stage. The Australian is in the Green Jersey and only a miraculous recovery/resurgence by Tom Boonen will challenge him.

6. I hope George Hincapie recovers his heart from his mediocre ride in the ITT. I want to cheer for George and Floyd. I'm pulling for a friendly American duel in the Alps. But, George, you've got to shake off Saturday. You can do it!

Photo: The ever-present "El Diablo" encourages the riders during Sunday's Stage 8. Didi hasn't missed a Tour de France stage in many years; he's a roadside fixture. This year he's been sporting soccer balls on his horns and the banners of France and Italy on his pitchfork--in honor of the World Cup match on Sunday.

STAGE 8: WHEN A BREAKAWAY WORKS

2006-07-09T10:40:00.000-07:00

Breakaways most often don't work. Usually the poor souls who worked hard to get to the finish line ahead of the peloton get swallowed up within a few kilometers or meters from glory...and are forgotten. Usually, you pay little attention to the escapees. Then, there are days when it works. When it comes together. When the peloton misjudges what it will take to reel in the escapees. When these guys actually win.

And, today, it was a Frenchman, to boot. Congratulations to Sylvain Calzati, who broke away from a small group that broke away from the bigger breakaway group! A stage win for a Frenchman in the Tour de France is always special. And this was Calzati's first TdF stage win. Sorry France didn't have a World Cup victory to go with Calzati's stage win...

STAGE NOTES:

AUSSIE BEATS BELGIAN...AGAIN. After Calzati crossed the line, and after the two remaining escapees finished 2:05 later, the first sprinter to charge across the line (a mere 6 seconds later) was...you guessed it--Robbie McEwen. Tom Boonen, now out of yellow and vying only for the Green Jersey, was ninth. The fourth-place finish gives McEwen a commanding lead in the sprint points and keeps well in the Green Jersey. From the sound of his quoted comments after the stage, Boonen is thoroughly frustrated with his inability to win these end-of-the-stage sprints at this point in the Tour.

AMERICAN HELPS HIMSELF. David Zabriskie was part of the big breakaway group and claiming intermediate sprint points and mountain climbing points gave him enough bonus seconds to move him from tenth to ninth place in the General Classification (battle for the Yellow Jersey). As Lance Armstrong wrote..."every second counts."

GREAT TOUR PHOTOS. Scroll easily through lots of pages of really great Tour photography at Yahoo!

STAGE RESULTS. Full results of Stage 8 (and all previous stages) by Cyclingnews.

VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS OF THE STAGE: OLN provides free video highlights and commentary wrap-ups of each stage by Bob Roll and Al Trautwig.

STAGE 7: SERGUEI WHAT? HUH? WHO?

2006-07-08T10:20:00.000-07:00

If you watched, listened, or tracked it online, the Individual Time Trial was full of suprises.

Surprise...Serguei Gonchar of Ukraine won the ITT and now wears the Maillot Jaune. I did not recongize his name as a contender for this stage win, but those who know cycling well were less surprised. Gonchar is a former world time trial champion. Now the Urkrainian not only has a stage win, but the Yellow Jersey on his back for the time being.

Surprise...Floyd Landis is no fluke, no also-ran, no mere former Lance Armstrong teammate, no joke. His second-place finish in this stage confirms his intentions and capability to win this year's Tour de France.

Surprise...George Hincapie was 24th. George!? Come on, man. Help us here!

Surprise...Levi Leipheimer came in over six minutes down. His hopes for standing on the podium in Paris are in jeopardy. It will take a very surprising stage, which Levi is not known for, to get back in contention. Levi is a good climber, so he's not completely out of it. But this is not what he expected, certainly.

Surprise...T-Mobile riders showed themselves to be monsters in the time trial. Three in the top ten places. But which of them is the team leader?

STAGE NOTES:

BYE BYE, BOBBY. Bobby Julich crashed out today. The American once finished third in the Tour de France and was riding in strong support for his team this year. He's out with a broken wrist in a fall during the Individual Time Trial. Keep coming back, Bobby!

NO DOMINATORS. The ITT today demonstrated, if anything, that no one is dominating. It may also prove the Lemond and Armstrong strategy true: the balance of solid time trialing, mountain climbing, and team strategy will be needed to make the podium.

STAGE 6: McEWEN GETS 3rd STAGE WIN IN 7 DAYS

2006-07-07T18:50:00.000-07:00

AUSTRALIAN THREEPEAT. Right now, no sprinter and no sprint team is able to keep Australian Robbie McEwen at bay. Even with American lead-out man Fred Rodriguez having crashed out, McEwen is getting great drafts from Geert Steegemans. That, and he's simply the fastest to the finish line out of an elite corps of sprinters. Thus far, he's won three of the five sprint finishes in the Tour de France. One gets the feeling that McEwen isn't finished. Tomorrow, fellow sprinter Tom Boonen will more than likely lose his grip on the Yellow Jersey. He'll be hungry for the Green Jersey. But it's going to take a miracle to pry the Green Jersey from the tenacious McEwen.

GREAT TOUR PHOTOS. Scroll easily through lots of pages of really great Tour photography at Yahoo!

STAGE RESULTS. Full results of Stage 6 (and all previous stages) by Cyclingnews.

VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS OF THE STAGE: OLN provides free video highlights and commentary wrap-ups of each stage by Bob Roll.

A MOMENT OF TRUTH: Saturday's Stage 7 is an Individual Time Trial of over 70 kilometers. Experts anticipate this to be one of the initial "separators" in the Tour de France. It will likely separate the real contenders for the championship from those who just don't have the full array of skills and discipline to be the champ. Time trial was one hallmark of Greg Lemond and Lance Armstrong in their victories. Excellence in mountain climbing was another hallmark of these champions. We'll see how the likes of Floyd Landis, George Hincapie, Levi Leipheimer, David Zabriskie, Michael Rogers, Cadel Evans and the T-Mobile boys stand after tomorrow's stage.

STAGE 5: ANOTHER ONE FOR THE SPRINTERS

2006-07-06T18:20:00.000-07:00

ART OF THE BUNCH SPRINT. Amazing, isn't it, that after over 200 kilometers of hard pedaling elite corps of riders can organize themselves into slip-streaming "trains," pour on the power, and charge hard to the finish line within inches of each other. Stage 5 was a classic display of the art of the bunch sprint. Victory is measured in inches, not bike lengths. To the winner goes the glory; to the rest, frustration. That's the life of a sprinter. Today it was Spaniard Oscar Freire's turn to out-sprint Tom Boonen (second place but still wearing the Yellow Jersey).

STAGE NOTES:

FREIRE'S WIN. This was Oscar Freire's second time to win a stage during a Tour de France; he won a Tour stage several years ago. Freire is a top sprinter and has been in the mix of all the sprint finishes in this year's Tour.

ESCAPE AND CHASE. The peloton let two "escapees" get over 10 minutes ahead of it before picking up the pace to chase the two would-be stage winners down. The two riders were caught within about five kilometeres of the finish line. That's when the sprinters started jockeying for position and organizing for an explosive charge in the last kilometer.

THE ART OF THE ESCAPE. Just as sprinting is an art, so is an escape. Riders who dare to escape off the front of the peloton in hopes of making a solo or small group dash to the end of the stage are called "escapees." The team leaders in the peloton usually will not let just any rider escape; only riders who are no real threat to alter the leadership of the race or challenge the jersies are permitted to launch an escape. Even at that, most escapes are chased down by the peloton before the end of the stage. Sprinters like to claim the big sprint points at the finish line, so they goad the peloton into a chase. That's what happened today.

GREAT TOUR PHOTOS. Scroll easily through lots of pages of really great Tour photography at Yahoo!

STAGE RESULTS. Full results of Stage 5 (and all previous stages) by Cyclingnews.

VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS OF THE STAGE: OLN provides free video highlights and commentary wrap-ups of each stage by Bob Roll.

LOOKING TOWARD SATURDAY. Stage 6 will be another flat stage with a bunch sprint finish likely. Stage 7 on Saturday, however, will be an Individual Time Trial. Stage 7 will begin the initial separation of contenders from the rest. American Floyd Landis, for instance, has vowed to try to win this stage. I'm sure he's not alone. But it signals the importance those who are looking to be wearing Yellow in Paris are placing on Saturday's ITT.

STAGE 4: SECOND WIN FOR McEWEN

2006-07-05T14:22:00.000-07:00

A KANGAROO LEAPS AHEAD. Australian Robbie McEwen got his second Tour de France stage victory of the year, winning the stage-ending bunch sprint three bike lengths ahead of his rivals. This is the second time McEwen, dubbed "pocket rocket Robbie," has beaten world sprint champ and current Yellow Jersey wearer Tom Boonen across the finish line. I bet Boonen is getting steamed about this. He'll have another chance to best the Aussie in Stage 5 on Thursday, which is another stage set up for a sprint finish.

STAGE NOTES:

STAYING YELLOW. This the first day the Yellow Jersey has not changed hands, er, backs. Tom Boonen keeps it...for now.

AMERICANS BIDING TIME. No significant change in the overall standings; Americans George Hincapie (down 5 seconds) is in third and Floyd Landis (down seven seconds) is in ninth--well situated. Levi Leipheimer is well within stiking distance.

GREEN, TOO. McEwen is wearing the Green Jersey (Maillot Vert) as the sprint points leader for the second day in a row.

GREAT TOUR PHOTOS. Scroll easily through lots of pages of really great Tour photography at Yahoo!

STAGE RESULTS. Full results of Stage 4 (and all previous stages) by Cyclingnews.

VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS OF THE STAGE: OLN provides free video highlights and commentary wrap-ups of each stage by Bob Roll.

STAGE 3: FOUR DAYS, FOUR LEAD CHANGES

2006-07-04T11:54:00.000-07:00

BELGIAN TOM BOONEN IN YELLOW...FOR NOW. Tom Boonen didn't win the stage, but finished far enough ahead of Thor Hushovd (a few seconds) to take the overall race lead at day's end. This is the fourth lead change in four days of the Tour de France! With the top ten riders within 30 seconds of each other at this point, the lead could potentially change every day for a week.

STAGE NOTES:

Stage Notes just puts a little perspective and brief post-stage reflection on each day:

BELGIAN YELLOW. Tom Boonen is Belgian...and he will start Wednesday's Stage 4 in yellow in his home country. That's cool. It's the world sprint champ's first Yellow Jersey in the Tour de France.

GERMAN STAGE WINNER. The stage was won by Matthais Kessler (in the AFP/Getty photo by Sebastien Berda) of Germany. After the peloton chased down five day-long escapees in the last few kilometers, Kessler charged ahead on the last climb and flew down the steep 50 meters ahead of the pack. Instead of the expected bunch-sprint finish, Kessler crossed the line alone for his first stage win of the Tour de France.

DISCOVERY AND AMERICANS. American George Hincapie is now in third place, just 5 seconds behind Boonen. His Discovery Channel teammate Paolo Salvodelli is just 15 seconds down. American Floyd Landis is currently in 7th place, just 16 seconds down. American David Zabriske is 23 seconds down in 15th position.

RODRIGUEZ OUT. American Fred Rodriguez had a bad fall in this stage and was taken by ambulance to the hospital. He's out of the race. Best wishes for a full recovery.

RACE FAVORITE OUT. The race also lost a top contender in a crash. Alejandro Valverde broke a collarbone on a downhill crash in the last quarter of the stage. Experts had givenValverde a nod as a favorite to win this year's Tour after Ivan Basso, Jan Ullrich, and Francisco Mancebo were withdrawn by association and implication (not by confession or conviction) in the Operacion Puerta affair. Now Valverde is gone, too.

STAGE 2: McEWEN AT THE LINE

2006-07-03T11:17:00.000-07:00

AUSSIE EDGES BOONEN & HUSHOVD. Monday's Stage 2 marathon--over 228 km of racing--ended as most flat stages end: with a bunch sprint featuring the best of the best sprinters forcing their way at the line. This round goes to Australian Robbie McEwen. He nosed out reigning world sprint champ Tom Boonen and Prologue winner Thor Hushovd. Hushovd claims McEwen drifted maliciously into him, but race officials did not agree. McEwen dons the Green Jersey...for now.

A few notes:

Thor Hushovd will wear the Yellow Jersey again, having gained points in an intermediate sprint and at the finish line. He's up a few seconds on George Hincapie.
Expect the Yellow Jersey to shift from one leader to another quite a few times during this Tour. There are no dominant riders. That's not to say the riders are not great, it's just that the greatness is well spread. This should make for a gut-wrenching ordeal all the way to Paris.
Stage 2 was the second longest stage of this year's classic. Imagine riding 142 miles at high speed in searing heat and still having enough energy at the end to muster a competitive sprint to the line.
Robbie has previously won Tour de France stages in vicious sprints at the line and had the win disqualified because of his over-aggressive pushes, nudges, leans, elbows, etc. No one epitomizes combatitivity in a bunch sprint like this foul-mouthed Aussie.
Check out great photos of this bunch sprint finish at Yahoo and Cyclingnews. Photo credit: Sebastien Berda/AFP/Getty Photos @ Yahoo.

PHOTO JOURNALISTS @ TdF

2006-07-02T19:15:00.000-07:00

This photo by Javier Soriano captures the peloton as it lumbers toward the start of Stage 1 in Strasbourg, Germany on Sunday. Photos by excellent photographers like Sirotti, Graham Watson, and hundreds of other photo journalists serve to fill the eyes and fuel the passion and mystery that is the Tour de France. I try to give credit whenever possible. If you've tried your hand at capturing the right shot, you can appreciate what these folks can do.

AN AMERICAN LEADS IN GERMANY AFTER STAGE 1

2006-07-02T12:45:00.000-07:00

HINCAPIE IN YELLOW ALREADY. It didn't take long for an American to grab the lead of the Tour de France, did it? Big George Hincapie was just .73 seconds behind Thor Hushovd (what a name!) after Saturday's brief Prologue. He gained a few bonus points (translating into a precious few seconds of time) in an intermediate sprint during Sunday's flat stage to edge ahead Hushovd in the General Classification. He will wear the Yellow Jersey, the Maillot Jaune (in French), what the American riders affectionatly call the "mellow Johnny," during Stage 2.

A BIT OF PERSPECTIVE. To keep some things in basic perspective...

George Hincapie leads the Discovery Channel Team. He is the only American to have been on the team as a supporting rider during each of Lance Armstrong's seven consecutive Tour de France victories.
Hincapie has won at least one stage of the Tour de France in the past. He has won numerous prestigous races in Europe over the past several years. Hincapie certainly has the potential to win the Tour de France, but he has always been in the service of Armstrong. So, it is not known if, having others to serve him, whether or not he can catapult his abilities into a Tour victory.
Hincapie did not win Stage 1 on Sunday; but he now has the best overall time...and it is the rider with the best overall time at the end of each stage who wears the Yellow Jersey of the race leader.
Frenchman Jimmy Casper one Stage 1 on Sunday, nosing out Australian Robbie McEwen at the line. Casper will wear the Green Jersey of the best sprinter (or points leader) during Stage 2.
Another American was wearing the Maillot Jaune after Stage 1 last year; do you know who it was? Hint: He is on the Discovery Channel team and is close behind Hincapie in overall time.

FIVE CONTESTS WITHIN THE TOUR. There are five "contests" within the Tour de France:

Overall Leader - the "general classification" contest for the best overall time for the Yellow Jersey. This is what Lance Armstrong won seven straight times.
Sprints - the contest for the best sprinter for the Green Jersey; during each stage there are usually several "intermediate sprints" for points and usually there is a sprint at the finish line for more points. Sprinters like Tom Boonen and Robbie McEwen usually dominate the headlines during the Tour's relatively "flat" stages during the first week.
Climbing - the contest for the best mountain climbers for the Polka-dot Jersey (Maillot Pois); there are points up for grabs for each mountain pass difficult enough to be categorized.
Best Young Rider - riders under age 25 view for the White Jersey.
Team - the team with the lowest collective time.
Combativity - There is also a contest for the most combative rider, though no jersey goes with this.

LOOKING FORWARD. Don't expect things to be calm during the first week of the Tour de France. The Yellow Jersey may change hands several times. Sprinters will charge to the intermediate lines and finish lines in huge bunch sprints that sometimes cause huge crashes. The Tour usually loses some good riders due to serious injuries during the first week. The goal of Discovery Channel team will be to (a) not lose any riders and (b) not lose any significant time to rival contenders for the Yellow Jersey. This race is a three-week drama and the first week traditionally is for the sprint specialists - their quick acceleration abilities are a thing to behold. But the "real race" will begin in the mountain stages of weeks two and three.

YELLOW: GOOD AND BAD. For those who are flipping channels between the World Cup games and the Tour de France: a yellow card in World Cup is bad; the Yellow Jersey in the Tour de France is very good. Interesting to have Germany and France in the World Cup semi-finals while the Tour de France wheels through Germany and France. The time for the Prologue in Straussburg, Germany, was adjusted in order for fans to be able to watch both on TV. You might call the Tour de France the "World Cup of cycling.

DOPERS CONVENTION. I think there should be a special Tour de Cheat for those who choose to cheat at their sport. Bring together all the banned riders and let them shoot up, use EPO, have blood transfusions galore, use exotic and risky drug protocols, and work with shadowy physicians. Put them all on a level playing field and let them go at it. Have a race just for cheaters. Have a baseball game just for dopers. See who shows up. None would. That's the nature of cheating and the sin of cheaters -- they don't want to compete, or can't compete -- on a level playing field within a legal and fair range of permissible advantages.

TOUR EVE CATASTROPHE

2006-06-30T04:11:00.000-07:00

Jan Ullrich is out.

Ivan Basso is out.

Francisco Mancebo is out.

Joseba Beloki is out.

Though he is personally innocent, Alexandre Vinokourov's team is out.

Before the day is over, Tour de France organizers expect 15-22 riders to be out of the race one day before it starts.

All are implicated in a sophisticated stealth doping regimen prescribed by Spanish physician Eufemiano Fuentes. The evidence in the Spanish police investigation "Operacion Puerta" is just now available to cycling team leaders. Allegations that have been reported in the press and via rumors is now confirmed. And teams are dutifully suspending implicated riders.

The scandal is unprecedented and incredibly damaging. It is tragic. It is sad. It is disgusting. It is unnerving. Ullrich's ex-trainer Peter Becker calls it correctly: "It is a catastrophe."

Suspending riders on strong evidence of doping is necessary. Giving them a fair hearing and letting justice be done is also necessary. Claims and written statements of innocence must be met with unequivocal evidence of wrong-doing. Words and deeds must be verified...now more than ever.

CYCLING'S A LITTLE NUTS RIGHT NOW

2006-06-26T18:29:00.000-07:00

- A Spanish inquisition (Operacion Puerta) into alleged use of banned performance-enhancing drugs is currently underway. Apparently, 58 professional cyclists are named in the inquiry. Those named (though not convicted) will likely not be permitted to ride in the Tour de France.

- Lance Armstrong, recently cleared of allegations of taking EPO in his first Tour de France win and fresh off winning a multi-million dollar lawsuit that further exonerates him, launches a campaign to oust World Anti-Doping Authority (WADA) director Dick Pound.

- Simultaneously, leaked court testimony from that same lawsuit indicates that Armstrong's former teammate Frankie Andreu and his wife alleged Armstrong admitted to using banned substances prior to his chemotherapy for cancer. Armstrong's doctor denies any such responses from him.

- And, on another front, three-time winner Greg Lemond alleges that Armstrong personally threatened him, trying to get him to shut up about whatever he knew or thought he knew about the use of banned substances.

And that's just cycling news within the past seven days!

Okay, so the professional cycling world is a little nuts right now...

What's new?

Part of this is exploitative French media hype leading up to the Tour de France. Part of this is a legitimate attempt to cleanse the sport of cheating. And part of this is inexcusable and destructive personal vindictiveness. Collectively, it is disastrous for the sport.

No professional sport can survive this kind of turmoil for very long. And professional cycling, just gaining a foothold in the minds and hearts of an increasing number of Americans, is at risk of disappearing entirely from the radar screen of legitimate competitive sport.

Americans, in particular, won't endure scandal in sport for very long. They seem to have a short fuse, especially, for French tabloid journalism and European honchos who take selective and low aim at American competitors. Those who continue to cheat or rake muck are putting much at risk. It's time to stop the game.

2006 TdF COUNTDOWN

2006-06-25T17:59:00.000-07:00

Question: When does the 2006 Tour de France begin?

Answer #1: Not soon enough!

Answer #2: What?!

Answer #3: Saturday, July 1st...just a few days from now.

UNADULTERATED ENTHUSIASM. Excuse me if I get a bit weird over the next few weeks. July is the one month out of the year that I express unadulterated enthusiasm, caring less about who scoffs, rolls their eyes, criticizes, dismisses, or makes fun of me. I go in for the Tour de France like some folks go in for the World Cup or NASCAR or the World Series. This 2,000+ mile race from July 1 to July 23 grabs my heart and I follow it ever so closely.

POST-ARMSTRONG FREE-FOR-ALL. Even without the phenomenal American cancer survivor Lance Armstrong riding the TdF, I am anticipating the thrill of this year's spectacular race, one stage (day) at a time. Every Tour develops different dynamics and race leadership can change dramatically. Without one dominant rider now, there are about ten world-class cyclists--including three Americans--who can take the lead or stand atop the podium in France. It could be a free-for-all.

FOR THE REST OF US. Contrary to what you read elsewhere, understanding and following the Tour de France is not difficult. My Tour de France updates and commentary are intended to spare readers of insider cycling verbiage, that's why I call it "The Tour de France for the Rest of Us." Feel free to check here daily for easy-to-understand Tour information and updates, links and comments, reviews and projections.

FAVORITES AMONG MANY CONTENDERS. There are many contenders who could win this year's Tour de France. A contender is one who has a record of recent wins or high placements, a strong team, and a balance of abilities in time trialing, mountain climbing, and aggressiveness. My favorite to win? Ivan Basso. This Italian finished second to Armstrong in last year's Tour. He was the only rider to consistently stay with Armstrong last year. He has proven himself strong in spring racing, winning the Giro d'Italia going away. He is supported by a solid team. Basso is a mountain climbing specialist, but he is just above average in time trials. A total of 116 kilometers of individual time trials may be too much for him against the power of Ullrich.

Other possible winners:

Jan Ullrich, the only previous Tour winner in this year's race; Jan is reported to be in great shape, highly motivated, and is riding with a great T-Mobile team. He is an individual time trial monster.
Alexandre Vinokourov, the ever-aggressive Khazak (if his team is permitted to start the race).
Floyd Landis, the former Armstrong teammate and American waiting in the wings.
Levi Leipheimer, the Montanan who will bide his time on the flats and make his moves in the mountains.
Cadel Evans, the Aussies' great hope.
And, as a long shot, big George Hincapie, the ever-faithful and always capable Armstrong lieutenant; question: who will lead the multi-talented Discovery Channel team? Hincapie? Paolo Salvodelli? Yaroslav Popovich? Tom Danielson?

ARMSTRONG CLEARED

2006-06-02T06:09:00.000-07:00

For anyone who cares about professional cycling or who has followed the story of accusations of doping by Lance Armstrong in the 1999 Tour de France (the first of seven consecutive wins for the American), news today that an independent investigator has cleared Armstrong is important information. Read the full story online at USA Today.

SENSATIONAL ACCUSATIONS REFUTED. Armstrong was implicated in using performance enhancing EPO by French newspaper L'Equipe shortly after he won his seventh Tour de France championship last July. The newspaper claimed to have matched Armstrong's rider identification number to tests performed retroactively on blood samples he gave during the 1999 TdF and frozen since 1999. Today's 132-page report condemns the lab that did the faulty tests, the anti-coping body WADA that commissioned them, and those who conspired to attempt to discredit Armstrong.

LUSTER RESTORED? The report, commissioned by the UCI, effectively clears Armstrong and restores the luster to his unprecedented feat. After L'Equipe made its sensationalized accusations last summer, the head of the Tour de France, Jean Marie LeBlanc, bought into the newspaper's analysis and publicly cast a shadow of doubt on Armstrong's contributions to the Tour. Whether or not LeBlanc and the French press who tried to discredit Armstrong will recant remains to be seen--don't count on it. I am sure they will insist the report sidestepped issues.

PERSONAL RESPONSE. Me? I am relieved. I hope the cycling community and cancer community will be reassured by this report that Lance is the real deal, not a drug-enhanced cheater. It is good to know, also, that resolution can--and has--come to this issue that has lingered for nearly a year. Not sure the cycling community will see this as a done deal, but it is a step in the direction of closure.

USA CYCLING: FRENCH TESTS "PREPOSTEROUS"

2005-08-26T18:41:00.000-07:00

STRONG WORD FOR A SET-UP. The governing body for United States professional cycling, USA Cycling, is denouncing the assertions by French newspaper L'Equipe that Lance Armstrong used performance-enhancing EPO in his 1999 Tour de France win. "Preposterous is a strong word, but it is warranted in this case," said Gerard Bisceglia, chief executive officer of USA Cycling. Read the AP story by Jim Vertuno.

COMPLETELY WITHOUT CREDIBILITY. Quoting from Vertuno's article: "'Lance Armstrong is one of the most tested athletes in the history of sport and he has come up clean every single time,' Bisceglia said. 'This kind of years-ago testing of a single sample with new technology is completely without credibility. What's worse is that Lance cannot defend himself because there is no mechanism for final resolution,' he added. Although Armstrong has not said if he'll pursue legal action, Bisceglia said USA Cycling will support him in whatever way he chooses to 'denounce these accusations.'"

ON NEW ALLEGATIONS OF LANCE ARMSTRONG DOPING

2005-08-26T18:36:00.000-07:00

REVEALING WHAT'S HIDDEN. I've been following this story that broke on Wednesday very closely, reading multiple media outlets and monitoring Lance Armstrong's own responses. Amid my initial shock at the "news" and disgust for the manner in which L'Equipe has pursued him, I've been thinking of what the Bible says: "There is nothing hidden that will not be revealed." L'Equipe calls Armstrong a liar; Armstrong labels L'Equipe cheap tabloid journalism. Someday we may know something nearer the truth. I'll have a lot more to say about this developing story than I will now post, but here's the way I see it right now...

SUCKER PUNCH. Since 1999, the French sports daily tabloid L'Equipe has reported and/or fomented every possible story from every non-credible source in its long-standing accusation that the unlikely American has used banned performance enhancing drugs to aid his wins in the Tour de France. Up to now, none of L'Equipe's negative innuendos or unfounded accusations have stuck on Armstrong. The day after Armstrong won the 2005 Tour de France, L'Equipe effectively said "good riddance." But it appears their resentment of an American champion in Paris hasn't died down. Working with a French lab to test 1999 urine samples for EPO, this latest shot is L'Equipe's swan song...or sucker punch.

BAD SCIENCE, QUESTIONABLE ETHICS? From what I am reading, both from Armstrong's rebuttals and from the main World Anti-Doping Authority's lab director, it appears that all kinds of confidential and ethical protocols have been breached, the possibility of tainted samples is relatively high, and the science used on the testing is in question. Even at that, the fact that only 6 of 17 urine samples Armstrong gave Tour officials in 1999 have apparently tested positive for a substance that takes 3-4 weeks to disappear from one's blood calls the testing science into question.

RESPONDING TO A WITCH HUNT. This is a witch hunt and a smear job, at best. Still, Armstrong, amid his strident denials of ever having used performance enhancing drugs and seven years of negative drug tests, is on the hot seat. If he wants to leave his reputation in the hands of those who desire to discredit him, he can do just as he is doing--counterattack the attackers and try to win a public opinion battle. If he does that, a question of credibility will likely always hang over his head for many people. He will be the American who won an unprecedented 7 consecutive Tours de France. But there will be an asterisk attached to his name (like that of Major League Baseball players who, despite denials, appear to have used steroids) unless he pursues the accusations legally and with utmost professionalism.

ONE MORE MOUNTAIN TO CLIMB. Armstrong may be in an unwinable quandary. Bad science may be justified in court. If samples were tainted, a detective may never prove it or trace down the culprits. Those who have breached ethical standards may never be discredited or reprimanded. At the end of a long court battle Armstrong may have spent much to gain little. But the fact that he is willing to climb this one last mountain, to go through this post-race time trial--that will count in the hearts and minds of many of us who have admired, supported, and cheered madly as he has competed and won on the open roads.

AN EXTRAORDINARY AMERICAN

2005-08-06T14:33:00.000-07:00

LANCE ARMSTRONG RETRO. For those interested in a concise but well-written review of the life and career of Lance Armstrong, follow this link provided by Cyclingnews.com. Here's how the story begins:

"NO REGRETS." "The fourth oldest Tour de France winner at 33 years and 10 months, Armstrong said in his final Tour de France press conference, 'It's nice to finish your career on a high note. As a sportsman, I wanted to go out on top. I have absolutely no regrets. I've had an unbelievable career. I've been blessed to ride 14 years as a professional...I've been blessed with financial rewards that I never thought would be possible. There's no reason to continue. I don't need more. It's time for a new face...(I have) no regrets.'"

2005-08-03T08:56:00.000-07:00

ARMSTRONG ON LETTERMAN. David Letterman presented Tour de France champ Lance Armstrong a bicycle handlebar basket during The Late Show interview Monday night. A few years ago, Dave presented Lance with a saddle-shaped bead seat pad (like the ones used by NY taxi cab drivers). With the addition of the basket, Lance joked that he might be equipped to come back for an eighth attempt at the Tour. The video clip of the exchange is accessible at http://www.cbs.com/latenight/lateshow/ .

2005-07-25T12:22:00.000-07:00

FAREWELL, PARIS. His seventh consecutive Tour de France trophy in his hand and his three children by his former wife Kristin by his side, Lance Armstrong waves farewell to Paris from the podium on the Champs Elysees. This is, to me, the most powerful image of this year's TdF.

AT WHAT PRICE? I contemplate this photo and I mean no irreverence or disrespect in the following query. I wonder, at what price does one pursue personal goals and "success beyond success" that put primary relationships and family at risk? Will these children look upon all this fame and glory and someday ask themselves, "Was this the cause of our broken family? If so, was it worth it?"

LOOKING FORWARD. For good or ill, what's done is done. Let the best choices now be made and grace abound. Lance says he is now ready to devote himself to being an available and more ordinary dad in Austin, Texas. Welcome to the club, Lance. Photo credit: AP Photo/Bernard Papon accessed at Yahoo!

10 to Watch for TdF 2006

2005-07-24T17:32:00.000-07:00

AN IMPERFECT INSPIRATION. I am sorry to see the Lance Armstrong era end, but glad it ended so well. I want the podium scene in Paris to linger long in my mind's eye. I wish Lance the best for his future. Lance is imperfect; he is, admittedly, flawed (as extended and extensive public scrutiny has revealed). He is also an inspiration--to me and to many. I am convinced his biggest challenges in life--greater than overcoming cancer and greater than winning the Tour de France seven times--lie ahead of him.

WHO NEXT YEAR? But even as the sun sets on Paris and the 2005 Tour de France, I begin to wonder who will emerge as next year's champion? Here's my earliest possible "short list" of riders I will be paying close attention to throughout the rest of the year that is not consumed by the Tour:

1. IVAN BASSO. Best young rider in 2003, third last year, second this year. He's the total package. This son of Italy may well ascend the next step of the Paris podium 365 days from now.

2. JAN ULLRICH. As Jean Valjean tells the one who would condemn him: "There's power in me yet; my race is not yet run." Ullrich won the Tour de France in 1997 at the age of 23. The German was heir apparent to the Miguel Indurain legacy. This was to be his era, but there was this unforeseen interruption named Lance Armstrong. Ullrich is no mere "also ran." This man is a proud champion. He will be motivated to win the Tour at least one more time before he, like Armstrong, retires.

3. ALEXANDRE VINOKOUROV. Winner of two 2005 TdF stages, a past podium finisher, constant attacker in the mountains, solid time trialist, resilient, persistent, tenacious. Vino, the current Kazakstan cycling champion, will be creating Tour de France fireworks for several years to come. But how will the pursuer lead?

4. LEVI LEIPHEIMER. This American hopeful rides consistently well in all formats, leads the German-based Gerolstiner team, and finished 6th this year. Just once I'd like to see something explosive from Leipheimer. That's not his style, but if Leipheimer is to make the podium in Paris, it seems to me that he is going to have to break out and breakthrough a barrier is now before him.

5. FLOYD LANDIS. This was Landis' first year out from under the thumb of Lance Armstrong and the American rode well, placing 9th overall. He's a great climber and a better time trialist. I don't know whether or not he is a motivating and inspirational team leader. He should be moving up toward a podium finish over the next two years. Maybe Armstrong's apparent insults about him could be grist for the edge to win. I hope so.

6. DAVID ZABRISKIE. He proved he's a great time trialist, like Lance. We didn't get to see Zabriski in the mountains, as he crashed spectacularly in the stage 4 team time trial and had to retire with injuries a few days later. If Zabriskie can avoid injury, he's an up-and-coming American to watch for.

7. ALEJANDRO VALVERDE. After watching the way Valverde all but effortlessly seemed to match LA on the climb to Corchevel, I thought he would be on the podium this year. But he crashed and had to retire from the race. This Spaniard reminds some experts of Miguel Indurain. He may be the next thing.

8. DAMIANO CUNEGO. This young Italian ruled the Giro d'Italia in 2004, overshadowing his team leader Gilberto Simoni. He was injured in this year's Giro and suffered mononucleosis afterward, so he was not at the Tour de France. If he's in the mix next year, he's got the right stuff to win it.

9. CADEL EVANS. Let's put an Aussie in the mix. Evans impressed me in this year's Tour. On the basis of an attack and breakway in a mountain stage, he climbed to an 8th-place finish in Paris today. He's shown prowess in the mountains and he has an attacking capability. He does relatively well in time trials, but he is not currently his team leader. It seems to me that somebody needs to invest in this opportunistic and excellent talent and cultivate a Tour de France champion. Johann, are you listening?

10. PICK ONE: SAVOLDELLI, HINCAPIE, POPOVYCH, OR DANIELSON. These four are all Discovery Channel potential team leaders in the post-Lance era. All are capabale of podium finishes:

Italian Paolo Savoldelli won this year's Giro d'Italia (and one previously) and a stage in this TdF.
American George Hincapie has paid his dues and proven himself, trialing well and winning the hardest mountain stage of this year's tour.
Russian Yaroslav Popovych won the best young rider's jersey in this year's tour and was recruited by Discovery Channel as its future.
American Tom Danielson did not ride this year's TdF due to injury, but he won the toughest race on this side of the pond--the Tour de Georgia--and should be cultivated as a Tour contender.

AMERICANS IN THE TOUR. Hmmm... I can't believe all the great riders I've left out of the top ten to watch for '06. Obviously, my list leans toward Americans (that's just my hopeful prejudice, I guess). An aside: I think the Tour de France needs to have a growing contingent of Americans, not just as Tour contenders, but as a domestiques. Until and unless American riders are willing to pay their dues in the peloton, it seems to me that European team leaders will be unwilling to put them forward as team leaders. Tyler Hamilton and Levi Leipheimer have shown their ability to lead European-based teams. But both of these guys have proven themselves as faithful and capable domestiques. It doesn't seem to be part of the American cyclist psyche to just serve as a domestique, however; the Americans tend to want to prove themselves in the peloton quickly and then expect to move into leadership.

2005-07-24T17:30:00.000-07:00

THREE TO REMEMBER. On the 2005 Tour de France podium, left to right: Ivan Basso (2nd), Lance Armstrong (1st) , Jan Ullrich (3rd). There was not an epic struggle for Tour leadership as there has been in the past, particularly between Armstrong and Ullrich. But Basso and Ullrich did their best to unseat Armstrong in the mountains. In the end, they all end up with something more valuable than a tour victory: profound respect for each other and from all their sport.

Ride Home: a Poem

2005-07-24T17:26:00.000-07:00

FROM BEGINNING TO END. As the 2004 Tour de France wound through its final stages, I penned the following poem in reflection of the three-week event. I updated it to reflect this year's stage dynamics. Again this year the epic captured and held my imagination from beginning to end. There were more stories to tell than came through the popular media--and more than I could share in “My Annual Amateurish Tour de France Updates” e-journal or at "The TdF for the Rest of Us" blog. I’m a little sad that it’s all ending again; even with the exultant outcome, but not sure my anticipation could be strung out much beyond this. Hope you enjoyed the Tour. Write if you want to talk about it.

Tour de France
rolls toward Paris
battle scarred
road warriors glide
home

Thru cold rain
slipping, sliding
the best fall
some wounded go
home

Sprinters fly
thru flat stages
glory shines
on but one back
home

Heights emerge
and climbers surge
digging deep
up the steeps toward
home

Escapees
blindly tempt fate
breakaways
get caught before
home

Discos pace
the peloton
few keep up
and Lance leads them
home

Trial time
Saint-Etienne
crowds loom large
to see Lance charge
home

Seven wins
unrivaled feat
draws closer
as Armstrong rides
home

Champion
maillot jaune
legend lives
now Lance can come
home

TdF Stage 21

2005-07-24T16:31:00.000-07:00

VINO WINS MY "GUTS" AWARD. How fitting: After attacking at every possible opportunity in the mountains and on the flats (who knows, maybe even in the evenings and in his sleep!), Alexandre Vinokourov left the sprinters gasping on the Champs Elysees as he charged to the line in front of Paris' roaring throngs. Is this a sign of things to come?

HE SPENT HIMSELF. Vino, always an aggressive rider, won my respect during this edition of the Tour de France for his readiness to repeatedly attack the best of the best on the hardest days in the toughest conditions. He earns my first Annual "Guts" Award. He was willing to attack when no one else would. He shook things up in the mountains, taking Lance Armstrong to the limit. While I am sure every rider who crosses the finish line in Paris has given himself extensively, it appears to me that the Kazakh has literally spent himself to the very end. Vinokourov, who will leave T-Mobile at the end of this season to be leader of his own team, should be a top contender in the 2006 Tour, one of a handful of riders who will have the dubious honor of being the first post-Armstrong era TdF champ.

WRAP-UP IN PROCESS. I am working on a Tour de France wrap-up; coming soon. I am never quite ready for the TdF to be over when it's over. I guess that comes with the mania of the event. And this is a double-whammy. It's also the end of the Lance Armstrong era. Many questions and conjectures to come...

2005-07-24T16:18:00.000-07:00

VICTORY LAPS. For the seventh consecutive year, Lance Armstrong rides into Paris after 20 days and over 2000 miles with a lock on the yellow jersey. When the margin of lead is significant (and Armstrong's lead over his rivals is quite significant), the 21st stage of the Tour de France is more formality than a day for attacking and jockeying for podium positions. The peloton arrives in Paris and enters the Champs Elysees together. After one lap, the sprinters take over and settle the last points available. For Armstrong, however, it must have been a bittersweet ride: he rides the circuits of Paris as the reigning champ...but for the very last time. Photo credit: Peter Dejong/AP accessed at Yahoo!

TdF Stage 20

2005-07-23T15:30:00.000-07:00

RASMUSSEN FAILS. So much was at stake in this individual time trial. Tour organizers must be congratulating themselves for their planning genius. They hoped that placing a 55-kilometer race against the clock would shake up the standings at the midnight hour. It worked. Michael Rasmussen, in second or third place throughout the Tour, crashed twice and limped to the finish line crestfallen; he will finish the Tour in 7th place overall. My heart goes out to Rasmussen. Watching him crash and have to change bikes three times after 19 stages of tenacious leadership effort... I can't imagine how low he must be feeling this evening. He deserves to be remembered as more than a tragic footnote in Tour history.

JAN SAILS. Conversely, Jan Ullrich, who crashed on last year's second individual time trial, stayed very focused. The German powered his way into third place overall with a flawless time trial performance, one worthy of a true champion. Jan, who placed second in the stage, will stand on the podium in Paris with Lance one more time. It will be a fitting end to a long-standing rivalry. Let's see, how many times have Ullrich and Armstrong stood on the podium together?

ARMSTRONG HAILS. But the day belonged to rider who began his unlikely and mind-boggling climb to the pinnacle of cycling with an individual time trial victory in the Prologue of 1999. Lance Armstrong churned his way to one last Tour stage victory, padded his lead, and left no doubt about his power among his fellow competitors. Incredible! He will go out the way he came in--with competitors and fans shaking their heads, wondering, "What was that?! Who was that?!" Meet--and say "so long"--to a Texan named Lance Armstrong.

2005-07-23T15:20:00.000-07:00

RASMUSSEN'S NIGHTMARE. If ever a professional cyclist had a bad day at the office, Michael Rasmussen had it in stage 20's individual time trial. 2 crashes. 4 bikes. Slipping from 3rd place to 7th place overall. Tough day, indeed. The only consolation for the Dane: he will wear the polka-dot jersey in Paris; even after a humiliating day, no one performed better in the mountains than he.

TdF Stage 19

2005-07-22T15:15:00.000-07:00

GUERINI TAKES SOME OF THE SPOILS. I don't know about you, but the "transfer stages" from the last mountains to the individual time trial and arrival in Paris are really hard for me to watch. The riders come out of the mountain stages with the race all but settled. Whatever spoils are left or whatever remains unsettled will be dealt with in the time trial--the test of truth. Transfer stages like stage 19, unfortunaely for stage winner Giuseppe Guerini, just get lost in the calculating and anticipation.

"TURBO" STILL WORKS FOR THE 35-YEAR OLD. These stages seem to be a set-up for what's left. If one was hoping for fireworks--and I think we all really like fireworks--one would be disappointed. Alas, this is the nature of the Tour de France. But spoils ARE spoils. Guerini won a Tour stage at L'Alpe d'Huez six years ago. Today the Italian perfectly timed an attack on his breakaway companions near the end of the stage. A T-Mobile teammate of Ullrich, Vinokourov, and Kloden, Guerini's win is significant because he is 35 years old; that's old enough to be called "uncle" on the Tour. But he proved that his nickname--"Turbo"--still applies.

TdF Stage 18

2005-07-21T11:11:00.000-07:00

LIBERTY RIDER WINS A YAWNER. On hot, muggy day and with most of the spoils of the race divied up, the contestants of the Tour de France completed a rather uneventful 189 km jaunt from Albi to Mende. A 10-rider breakaway group got well clear of the peloton and out of this group a Spanish rider from the Liberty-Seguros team, Marcos Serano, attacked his breakaway compatriots and won stage 18.

ULLRICH CLOSING IN ON RASMUSSEN. Of particular note in the stage: Jan Ullrich was able to pick up a little time from current General Classification third-place rider Michael Rasmussen. Ullrich, currently in fourth place, is now just 2'12" behind Rasmussen. This is pointing toward a very interesting individual time trial on Saturday. Ullrich is a former time trial world champion and he could very well ride himself into third place--possibly second place--with a great TT. Rasmussen and current second-place holder Ivan Basso have questionable capabilities in time trialing. Basso was 2oth (-1'26" behind) and Rasmussen was 174th (-3'14" behind) in the stage 1 individual time trial.

JUST ONE MORE STAGE, LANCE. Whatever happens with changes in the top ten on Saturday's stage-20 individual time trial, I am looking for Lance Armstrong to best them all and win his only stage of this year's tour and his last stage in any Tour de France.

TdF Stage 17: Discovery Channel Again!

2005-07-20T15:37:00.000-07:00

PAOLO SAVOLDELLI MAKES IT THREE FOR DISCOVERY. It took seven years for the first Lance Armstrong team member to win a stage of the Tour de France. It took just two days for the second teammate to win a stage. Discovery Channel's Paolo Savoldelli, a two-time winner of the prestigious Giro d'Italia, led an early breakway group over the line of the Tour's longest stage (over 234 kilometers). Savoldelli's group of 17 finished over 22 minutes ahead of the peloton and the maillot jaune. But even with that gap there were few changes in the top ten: Alexandre Vinokourov moved up to 7th place by gaining 20 seconds over Cadel Evans (8th) and Floyd Landis (9th). No change in the jersies: Lance maintains his 2'46" GC lead over second-place Ivan Basso; Michael Rasmussen clings to the polka-dot mountains jersey; Thor Hushovd still wears green; and Discovery Channel's Yaroslav Popovych wear's the white youth maillot.

TdF Stage 16: Credit to Cadel

2005-07-19T11:42:00.000-07:00

CADEL EVANS MOVES FROM 11th to 7th. He's a Tour rookie, but Australian Cadel Evans is also a veteran cyclist who has now made his mark on the Tour de France. Evans created a breakaway group early in today's Stage 16, led them over the final "beyond categorization" mountain of this year's Tour, and worked hard all the way to the end of the stage.

HE'S NO "WHEEL SUCKER." Though his three remaining fellow escapees (can you say "wheel suckers?") did not do their fair share of the work in the final 30 kilometers of the stage, they outsprinted the weary warrior at the finish line to try to grab glory and Euros. But we all know that the credit goes to Cadel, who finished fourth in the stage. He moved up from 11th to 7th place in the overall standings. His hard work moved him ahead of heavy hitters Floyd Landis, Andreas Kloden, Alexandre Vinokourov, and Christophe Moreau. Evans is a Davitamon-Lotto teammate of fellow Aussie Robbie McEwen. Congratulations, Cadel!

2005-07-19T10:40:00.000-07:00

TO CADEL EVANS GOES THE CREDIT. This Aussie was the first to top Col d'Aubisque (HC) and put in the hard work to the end of Stage 16 before 3 wheel suckers sprinted past him at the line. No matter; we know who deserves the credit today. Evans moved himself from 11th to 7th in the overall (GC) standings. Not bad for a Tour rookie from down under.

What's Ahead in Week 3

2005-07-18T13:14:00.000-07:00

SIX STAGES LEFT TO DECIDE THE JERSIES. Fifteen stages down; six to go. Today (Monday) is the second rest day, time for each serious contender for the resepctive jersies to assess their predicaments.

The polka-dot jersey seems to be sticking with Mickael Rasmussen of Denmark; he's built and guarded his mountain climbing points, as well as kept in the hunt for a third-place finish. Rasmussen, believing he will indeed be crowned "King of the Mountains," has for the last thre stages donned polka-dot shorts and helmet to match his maillot.

The white jersey is on the back of Discovery Channel's Yaroslav Popovych and the Russian youth is likely to keep it, given his team's dominance.

The green jersey, worn by Thor Hushovd since Tom Boonen crashed out of the race, is the least secure; I look for Robbie McEwen to try to steal it on the streets of Paris. The sprinters will have a heyday on Wednesday and Sunday.

As for the yellow jersey, Lance Armstrong maintains more than a 2-minute lead over Ivan Basso...and the opportunities to cut into the Texan's lead in the mountains are all but over. Basso has tried his best to shake Lance. T-Mobile's mountain-climbing triumvirate--Jan Ullrich, Alexandre Vinokourov, Andreas Kloden--has thrown all its ammo at him. But Lance hasn't given an inch. It is surely disheartening as it begins to dawn on valiant maillot jaune hopefuls that their time to shine will be next year.

COUNTDOWN TO PARIS. Let's countdown the days to the finale:

Tuesday is the last major mountain stage; expect one last barrage of attacks from would-be podium aspirants looking to salvage their pride and team leadership on the last "beyond categorization" climb of this year's Tour. Show us something, Levi Leipheimer! Out of the saddle, Floyd Landis!

Wednesday is a flat stage; one for the sprinters to pick up green jersey points. Look for a bunch sprint finish. Is a fourth Robbie McEwen stage win possible?

Thursday and Friday are diverse and rolling--more sprint points will be available, along with some smaller mountain climbing challenges.

Saturday is the second individual time trial. Jan Ullrich will try to unseat Mickael Rasmussen for third place in the GC with a mighty time trial. But Lance gives nothing away. He has ruled the individual time trials of the Tour in recent years. This could be Lance's only outright stage win of his last Tour de France.

Sunday the Tour rides into Paris. Unless something very unusual happens between now and then, it looks like it will be nothing more than a victory lap for Lance, but an all-out sprint-fest to settle who wins the Green Jersey. I'm pulling for the rebellious and irreverant rascal from down under.

EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED. I'm convinced the fireworks aren't over. It's looking like Lance, but it's far from finished. Anything can happen. And if you've been following the TdF daily, you're aware that the unexpected is to be expected. Tomorrow morning, I will post my "What if..." scenarios that could still put one of six GC/Yellow Jersey contenders on the podium in Paris.

TdF Stage 15: By George!

2005-07-18T05:50:00.000-07:00

AMERICAN HEIR APPARENT? This was the most anticipated stage of the race, with five Category 1 climbs before a "Beyond Category" finish. This was to be the heartbreaker or champion-maker. So it was. But the drama was different than expected. While Lance concentrated on marking his rivals--Ivan Basso and Jan Ullrich--his teammate, big George Hincapie found himself in 14-man escape group that gained over 12 minutes ahead of the main peloton. He remained at the front on climb after climb, even as the breakaway group dwindled on the punishing climbs. It dwindled to two: Hincapie and Oscar Pereiro (Phonak). But at the finish line there was only one: Hincapie won his first Tour stage on the hardest stage and sparked rumors that he may be the "heir apparent" to next year's Discovery Channel leadership. Armstrong finished with Basso, who again has proven the only rider who can match him in the Pyrenees.

2005-07-17T14:00:00.000-07:00

CAN'T BELIEVE I DID THAT! American George Hincapie can't quite believe he's won the hardest stage of the Tour de France. Hincapie became the first teammate of Lance Armstrong to win a TdF stage since Lance started fielding a team in 1999. Hincapie has been the only rider to be with Lance on all 6 (and maybe 7?) TdF wins. "Big George" was also a member of the Motorolo team, along with Lance, when their team leader and 1992 Olympic road racing champion Fabio Casartelli died in a crash on this stage of the Tour ten years ago. The peloton passed the site of his death, now marked with a monument, during the stage. Photo credit: Roberto Bettini at cyclingnews.com.

TdF Stage 14: Lead Grows...at What Cost?

2005-07-16T19:32:00.000-07:00

AUSTRIAN ESCAPES TO WIN. Of 15 escapees, Austrian Georg Totschnig was the only survivor at the end of a day-long breakaway that took the world's leading cyclists up two of the Pyrenees' toughest climbs. Totschnig, 34 years old and riding for the German-based Gerolsteiner team, finished nearly a minute ahead of a hard-charging Lance Armstrong, Ivan Basso, Jan Ullrich and a very select group trying to stay in time-touch with Armstrong.

LANCE BETTERS T-MOBILE'S ATTACKS. The pace the T-Mobile team set on the lower slopes of Port de Pailheres was blistering. It left the Discovery Channel boys behind and Lance was fending for himself...again. Lance matched Ullrich, Vinokourov, and Kloden for a while. Then he kicked into high gear, shedding Vino and Kloden, and, in the final kilometer, Ullrich. Again, it was only the Italian Basso who stayed with Lance to the Pyrenees peak Ax-3 Domaines.

EXHAUSTED...AND FACING THE TOUGHEST STAGE TOMORROW. Armstrong looked and sounded exhausted after today's game of wits and will played out on the steepest climbs of the tour thus far. The only problem is, the riders are facing the most difficult stage of the Tour de France on Sunday. Stage 15 is the penultimate stage, with four Cat 1 climbs before a beyond category finish. Attrition on Sunday may be severe. Armstrong ended today with a larger lead over all his rivals. But one bad climb, one lapse, one bonk...and the 2-5 minute lead he has over the likes of Basso, Leipheimer, Landis, and Ullrich will evaporate...quickly.

2005-07-16T19:14:00.000-07:00

ASCENT TO Ax-3 DOMAINES. Forget the 120 miles and "beyond category" mountain you've already traversed. Focus only on the 7.7 miles ahead--all uphill at over 8% grade--riding among the fiercest competitors in your sport. Worry about tomorrow's stage later. Keep one eye on the wheel ahead of you...and one on the road, ever ascending, up ahead.

TdF Stage 13: McEwen's Hat Trick

2005-07-15T13:37:00.000-07:00

AUSTRALIAN DOES IT AGAIN. Who’d have thought after being relegated (stripped of points and given the lowest place in the peloton finish for the day) for apparent head butting in stage 3, Robbie McEwen would recover to win three stages in this year’s Tour de France? The Australian is demonstrating that, if he is not the best sprinter in the world, he certainly is the best sprinter in this year’s Tour. McEwen’s win pulls him to within striking distance of Thor Hushovd in the Green Jersey competition. Tom Boonen, who won two stages and was wearing the Maillot Vert, dropped out of the race due to injuries sustained in a stage 11 crash.

TdF Stage 12: Bastille Triumph

2005-07-14T09:19:00.000-07:00

MONCOUTIE SHINES ON QUATORZE JUILLET. David Moncoutie led a group of escapees across the finish line of Stage 12 on his French national holiday--the way it should be! Viva la France!

LOOKING AHEAD. Here are a few Stage 12 observations and notes about the days ahead:

1. There were no significant changes in the top twenty standings, or in any of the jersey competitions. Sandy Casar of France is the only rider to make a big improvement in his position; his participation in the breakaway group catapulted him into the top twenty. Otherwise, it was a routine day at the office (that is if your office is the Alpine foothills of France).

2. Manuel Beltran of the Discovery Channel team is out of the race after a crash on the first climb of the stage. How serious a blow is this to Lance Armstrong as the tour heads into the Pyrennes on Saturday?

3. Italian Ivan Basso is in fourth place overall, less than 3 minutes behind Armstrong. Last year, Basso proved to be the only rider able to stay with Lance on the steep slopes of the Pyennees. Basso has continued to say that the race will be won or lost in the Pyrenees--a region in which he is quite successful at climbing. I look for Basso to close the gap on Armstrong this weekend...also possibly Spaniard Alejandro Valverde.

4. Write Friday off as a flat transfer stage. Albeit, I wish Robbie McEwen the best for winning the Stage 13 and picking up valuable Green Jersey points. With previous poins leader Tom Boonen gone, the Maillot Vert competition is not so far out of the Aussie's reach.

5. But Stage 14 on Saturday looks to me like a real challenge for all climbers. Whereas the Alps are long climbs, the Pyrenees are steep. Choose your poison. Port de Pailheres rises to 2100 meters at an 8% grade after 170 km of riding. Talk about going vertical when you've already been pedaling for three hours! And after Pailheres (HC), there's a mountain finish at Ax-3 Domaines (Cat 1).

6. Stage 15 seems to me to be the decisive day in this year's Tour de France. Frankly, I wonder how many riders will still be in the Tour at the end of Sunday? Those who do not drop out on one of the first four Cat 1, 7.9% gradient climbs, or spend themselves on the last HC spire, may well likely finish so far behind the stage winner that they will be automatically eliminated. All contenders should be saying their prayers for this stage. If they are saving anything, it will be either unleashed or spent on these climbs. This is the day to attack. This is the stage to lay it all on the line. If Armstrong can be beat, this day will show it. If he survives with the Yellow Jersey on Sunday, start carving his name in the trophy. If...if.

"I Ride" by Edwin Markham

2005-07-13T14:29:00.000-07:00

WHAT DID HE HAVE IN MIND? I do not know what Edwin Markham had in mind when he penned this poem. Apparently he rides a horse. But in my mind’s eye I see 189 cyclists virtually sailing the countrysides, forests, meadows, and mountains of France in July. I see the misty hills of West Virginia I pedaled as a youth. I think also of recent bicycle rides through Indiana, my adopted home. What do you see?

I ride on the mountain tops, I ride;
I have found my life and am satisfied.
Onward I ride in the blowing oats,
Checking the field-lark's rippling notes --
Lightly I sweep
From steep to steep:
Over my head through the branches high
Come glimpses of a rushing sky;
The tall oats brush my horse's flanks;
Wild poppies crowd on the sunny banks;
A bee booms out of the scented grass;
A jay laughs with me as I pass.

I ride on the hills, I forgive, I forget
Life's hoard of regret --
All the terror and pain
Of the chafing chain.
Grind on, O cities, grind:
I leave you a blur behind.
I am lifted elate -- the skies expand:
Here the world's heaped gold is a pile of sand.
Let them weary and work in their narrow walls:
I ride with the voices of waterfalls!

I swing on as one in a dream --
I swing Down the airy hollows, I shout, I sing!
The world is gone like an empty word:
My body's a bough in the wind, my heart a bird!

2005-07-13T13:18:00.000-07:00

CLASSIC ALPS. A Devich-taken photo at a hairpin turn reveals the glimpse of the glory of an Alpine stage of the Tour de France. This is from Stage 11 on the climb to Mt. Galibier, the highest peak the Tour will pass this year.

TdF Stage 11: Vino Rebounds

2005-07-13T12:03:00.000-07:00

VENOKOUROV RECOVERS, WINS STAGE. He may have collapsed on the climb to Corchevel, but Alexandre Vinokourov led the way up the highest climb in this year's Tour de France--the Col de Galibier--and finished Stage 11 a full 1'15" ahead of a chasing group that included Lance Armstrong and other contenders. With this effort, Vino demonstrated he not only has the capacity to continue to climb well, but has not necessarily given up his hopes for a top three finish in Paris on July 24.

DEFENSIVE DISPLAY. I was hoping for more fireworks on this day that included a Cat 1 and two HC mountains. But Discovery Channel controlled the peloton, rode defensively, and contained most attacks. Discovery Channel's power is demonstrated in the fact that they had 5 riders in the chasing group at the end of the stage. I suppose we can count on the "Disco Boys" to do more of the same in the stages ahead. I think the fireworks are over...for a few days. But wait until Sunday.

A few notes from Stage 11:

Christophe Moreau moved into third place overall. Good to have a Frenchman in the mix for the podium in Paris. France is long overdue for a Yellow Jersey champion.

Colombian Santiago Botero moved into 6th place.

Vinokourov erased 1'15" from his deficit to Armstrong and moved up from 16th to 12th. He still has a lot of time to make up if he is to be on the podium in Paris.

Mickael Rasmussen continues to hold a solid lead in the mountains competition; he may well wear the Maillot Pois into Paris.

Tom Boonen keeps the Maillot Vert...even though he crashed again and is more banged up.

Alejandro Valverde, yesterday's stage winner, keeps the White Jersey of best young rider; he also keeps pace in 5th place.

2005-07-13T11:07:00.000-07:00

ARMSTRONG IN THE ALPS. The Yellow Jersey, surrounded by his Discovery Channel teammates, climbs the winding roads to the top of Mt. Galibier in today's Stage 11. This shot by Javier Solano of AFP hints at the grandeur of the Alpine stages of the Tour de France. Read my daily updates on the TdF at "The TdF for the Rest of Us" - .

Stage 10: Alpine Attrition

2005-07-12T10:07:00.000-07:00

THE "DISCO BOYS" ARE BACK. Well, the first major stage in the Alps--with two major Cat 1 climbs--literally blew up the peloton. Doubts about Discovery Channel's ability should be squelched; the team worked together to set a torid pace on the climb up to Courchevel's mountain-top finish. The "Disco Boys'" (is that a new Liggettism, i.e., a coined phrase or turn of words by OLN-TV announcer Phil Liggett?) pace left suffering and heart-broken contenders in their wake as they charged up the mountain.

LIKE A MACHINE. Each Discovery Channel team member took a turn at leading the peloton and, when spent, peeled off to let another team member take a turn at the lead. Finally, Yaroslav Popovych peeled off, launching his captain toward the peak. Lance Armstrong led three unshakable hangers-on into Corchevel--Mickael Rasmussen, Alejandro Valverde, and Francisco Mancebo. Valverde was the only one who could match Lance today; the Spaniard nosed ahead of the American at the line for the stage win.

KING OF THE HILL. Armstrong left no doubt today who is king of the hill. At times it seemed he was toying with his rivals. In the end, none were able to stay with him. The main contenders for the Tour de France championship could only try to limit their losses. Here's where the top 25 in the General Classification stood before Stage 10 and after the stage:

B = GC position before Stage 10
A = GC position after Stage 10 (with time behind Armstrong after Stage 10)
B A
1 72 Jens Voigt (Ger) CSC -29'23"
2 4 Christophe Moreau (Fra) Credit Agricole -2'42"
3 1 Lance Armstrong (USA) Discovery Channel
4 2 Michael Rasmussen (Den) Rabobank -38"
5 16 Alexandre Vinokourov (Kaz) T-Mobile -6'32"
6 17 Bobby Julich (USA) CSC -6'37"
7 3 Ivan Basso (Ita) Team CSC -2’40"
8 8 Jan Ullrich (Ger) T-Mobile -4’02"
9 18 Carlos Sastre (Spa) Team CSC -6'37"
10 32 George Hincapie (USA) Discovery Channel -12'15"
11 9 Andreas Klöden (Ger) T-Mobile -4’16"
12 10 Floyd Landis (USA) Phonak Hearing Systems -4’16"
13 23 Vladimir Karpets (Rus) Illes Balears -9'03"
14 14 Yaroslav Popovych (Ukr) Discovery Channel -6'25"
15 11 Santiago Botero (Col) Phonak -5'20"
16 6 Levi Leipheimer (USA) Gerolsteiner -3’58"
17 37 Jose Azevedo (Por) Discovery Channel -13'03"
18 21 Joseba Beloki (Spa) Liberty Seguros-Würth -8'31"
19 28 Oscar Pereiro Sio (Spa) Phonak -10'35"
20 51 Jose Enrique Gutierrez (Spa) Phonak -19'41"
21 36 Roberto Heras (Spa) Liberty Seguros-Würth -12'59
22 52 Dario Frigo (Ita) Fassa Bortolo -20'32"
23 12 Jörg Jaksche (Ger) Liberty Seguros-Würth -5'33"
24 5 Alejandro Valverde (Spa) Illes Balear -3’16"
25 13 Cadel Evans (Aus) Davitamon-Lotto -5'55"
27 7 Francisco Mancebo (Spain) Illes Balears -4’00"

A few notes in the wake of Stage 10:

Alejandro Valverde moved from 24th to 5th with his winning performance in Stage 10. He is a highly-acclaimed Spanish rookie; he now wears the White Jersey of the best young competitor. His ability to match Armstrong pedal for pedal to the top today demonstrated his abilities. Can he match Lance again...and again? Teammate Francisco Mancebo also catapulted himself from 27th to 7th position with his effort.

Mickael Rasmussen of Denmark finished in the lead group and consolidated his grip on the Polka-dot Jersey. Now, he might also be looking to finish at least third in the GC in Paris.

Ivan Basso did the best at limiting his losses today; in fact, he moved into third place, 2'40" behind Armstrong. In the mountains, that's not much time to make up and Basso has proven to be the only who who can hang with Lance in the Pyrennes.

Jan Ullrich and Andreas Kloden survived, distantly, but fell to over 4 minutes behind Armstrong. Their outspoken and once-hopeful teammate, Alexandre Vinokourov, faded from contention with his collapse on the drive up to Courchevel; he is now 6'32" behind Armstrong. The idea that this "trio" could isolate and assault Armstrong on the mountains has not yet worked. Operative word: "yet."

Americans Levi Leipheimer and Floyd Landis kept their podium hopes alive. They are in the top 10 and remain within a 4'30" striking distance of the lead. It is relatively safe to say the competitors who are over 4'30" behind the leader at this point are not likely still in contention to win the Tour de France.

There's a whole lot of mountain climbing to do. Tuesday's Stage 11 takes the contestants over two "HC"--"beyond categorization"--mountains, with the Galibier being the highest peak in the Tour. One mediocre day for Armstrong, one great day for any contender within striking distance, and the complexion of the 92nd Tour de France changes. Anything can happen. Stay tuned.

Rest Day - Lull Before the Storm

2005-07-11T08:29:00.000-07:00

WHAT TO WATCH FOR THIS WEEK. It is the first Rest Day in the Tour de France. It's time to assess the progress of this epic of sport that buoys the month of July. Nine stages have been raced. The pace is the fastest in Tour history. The hardest and most exciting days in the mountains are just ahead. Already the Grand Boucle has taken some unexpected twists and turns. Here's what to watch for in the coming week.

ALPINE MOUNTAIN STAGES. Tuesday and Wednesday include four of the highest mountain passes the Tour de France serves up. Cyclists confront two long Alpine climbs on Tuesday. Col Cormet-de-Roselend rises 1967 meters (6453 feet) over 20.7 km of roads at an average 6% grade; Col de Corcheval rises 1730 m (5676 ft) over 22.2 km of roads at an average 6.2% grade. On Wednesday, the riders face the Madeleine and Galibier--two "beyond categorization" mountains--as climbs that will surely leave most riders suffering and may well serve up the eventual Tour winner. Thursday is another mountain stage, though not nearly as challenging as Tuesday and Wednesday.

INTO THE PYRENNES. Friday is a flat stage--a breather--taking the riders from the Alps to the area of the Pyrenees. Saturday is another heartbreaker: Pailheres (HC) and AX-3-Domaines Cat 1) are steep--gradients on each average more than 8%. Sunday: Perhaps the most difficult stage of this year's Tour--four Cat 1 climbs and then an HC finish. Shall I go on?

YOU AIN'T SEEN NOTHIN' YET. Suffice it to say, before the next rest day on Monday, July 18, the best cyclists in the world will have tested themselves against perhaps the most grueling series of mountains the Tour organizers have ever put together. Some will not survive. Others will barely hang on. Unknowns may thrive. Well-knowns may suffer. Mettle will be tested. Heroes will emerge. Others will fade. You ain't seen nothin' yet.

TdF Stage 9: Armstrong Yields Yellow...for Now.

2005-07-10T12:47:00.000-07:00

"AU REVOIR" TO THE YELLOW JERSEY. Lance Armstrong and the Discovery Channel team worked well together all day to control the pace of the peloton after permitting a few escapees to gun for a moment of glory. Mickael Rasmussen of Denmark brokeaway near the start and stayed clear all day to win the stage; he solidified his hold on the Polka-dot Jersey. Armstrong yielded the Yellow Jersey to German Jens Voigt and a a handful of seconds to Frenchman Christophe Moreau; the Texan is in now in third place...and in the catbird's seat.

LULL BEFORE THE STORM. Monday is a rest day. In this case it may well be the lull before the storm. What follows are 10 days of intense climbing in both the Alps and Pyrenees.

Holding Back or Moving Forward?

2005-07-10T12:26:00.000-07:00

YIELDING THE MAILLOT JAUNE. On the surface it would seem that Lance Armstrong fell behind today. He finished over two minutes behind Jens Voigt, who finished third in today's mountain stage. Voigt, the German on team CSC had been in second place; he took over the Yellow Jersey as race leader. Is Lance struggling? Is Discovery Channel letting the race slip away?

A CALCULATED RISK. Vehemently, no--to both questions. Armstrong and the Discovery Channel team permitted the breakaways of Mickael Rasmussen, Christophe Moreau, and Jens Voigt, then controlled the pace of the peloton as the escapees finished ahead of the pack. The team calculated that Voigt, though a top-flight rider, is not strong enough to lead through the upcoming Alps and Pyrenees mountains. They also removed the pressure of defending the yellow jersey as team. Not having to defend it will give them some "rest" in the peloton. They will also be able to plot their best way to recapture without the pressure of being the target of every team and attacker.

TdF Stage 8: Discovery's Disappearing Act

2005-07-09T11:37:00.000-07:00

PHOTO FINISH; WEENING NIPS KLODEN. In what may be the closest sprint finish in a Tour de France stage,24-year old Pieter Weening of the Netherlands nipped Andreas Kloden of Germany by .0002 seconds to win Stage 8. Notes from this first mountain stage:

This was the longest stage--231.5 km (143.8 miles)--so far; the longest, Stage 17, occurs on July 20; it's a 239.5 km (148.8 miles) mountain monster.

The average speed today was nearly 46 km/h. The Tour is being ridden at a record-setting pace. Is the pace is wearing riders out prematurely? Are they saving anything for the real race in the Alps and Pyrenees?

Lance Armstrong finished in a group of 32 leading contenders 27 seconds behind Weening and Kloden; he maintains a 1-minute lead over his closest rival.

However...none of his Discovery Channel teammates were in the "group of 32" who dropped the rest of the peloton on the Cat 2 slopes of the Col de la Schlucht (remember, there are two higher categories of difficulty for the mountains the riders will face). Armstrong was isolated on the mountain climb. Some experts are expressing concern for Discovery Channel's ability to adequately guard their captain. While Discovery Channel teammates dropped back, the CSC and T-Mobile squads were well represented and worked together on the climb.

On the other hand, it must be observed that Team Discovery worked hard at the head of the peloton all day; they did their job, sacrificing themselves so that Armstrong could maintain a substantial lead on what could have been a day of substantial loss of time.

Stage 8 shook up the top ten in the standings. Jens Voigt, with a 4-second bonus for finishing 4th place in the stage, moved into second place overall, just 1' behind Armstrong. No other top-ten riders gained time, but they moved up as all Discovery Team riders but George Hincapie (now 8th overall) fell out of the top ten.

Andreas Kloden's effort moved him from 24th to 9th place overall; the German who placed 2nd in last year's TdF is 1'50" behind Armstrong.

Looking at the "Group of 32" who finished with Armstrong included most pre-Tour contenders: Jan Ullrich, Alexandre Vinokourov, Ivan Basso, Roberto Heras, Joseba Beloki, Iban Mayo, Floyd Landis... The cream is rising to the top as the mountains begin.

Top 20 after Stage 8

2005-07-09T00:22:00.000-07:00

LOOKING FAMILIAR. Most those expected to contend for the Tour de France win are within minutes of leader Lance Armstrong after the first mountain stage. Here are the top 20; a few observations follow:

1 Lance Armstrong (USA) Discovery Channel 28.06.17
2 Jens Voigt (Ger) Team CSC -1.00
3 Alexandre Vinokourov (Kaz) T-Mobile Team -1.02
4 Bobby Julich (USA) Team CSC -1.07
5 Ivan Basso (Ita) Team CSC -1.26
6 Jan Ullrich (Ger) T-Mobile Team -1.36
7 Carlos Sastre (Spa) Team CSC -1.36
8 George Hincapie (USA) Discovery Channel -1.47
9 Andreas Klöden (Ger) T-Mobile Team -1.50
10 Floyd Landis (USA) Phonak Hearing Systems -1.50
11 Vladimir Karpets (Rus) Illes Balears-Caisse d'Epargne -2.13
12 Yaroslav Popovych (Ukr) Discovery Channel -2.14
13 Santiago Botero (Col) Phonak Hearing Systems -2.18
14 Levi Leipheimer (USA) Gerolsteiner -2.31
15 Jose Azevedo (Por) Discovery Channel -2.35
16 Joseba Beloki (Spa) Liberty Seguros-Würth -2.43
17 Christophe Moreau (Fra) Credit Agricole -2.48
18 Oscar Pereiro Sio (Spa) Phonak Hearing Systems -2.54
19 Jose Enrique Gutierrez (Spa) Phonak Hearing Systems -2.58
20 Roberto Heras (Spa) Liberty Seguros-Würth -2.58

A FEW OBSERVATIONS:

All top 20 riders are within 3 minutes of the lead after 8 stages; this is very small heading into mountain stages.
There are four Americans in the top 10; five in the top 15.
Even with the time losses in Stage 8, there are still 4 Discovery Channel riders in the top 20.
There also 4 riders in the top 20 for CSC and Phonak.
There are 4 riders in the top 10 for CSC; 3 for CSC in the top 5.
There are 3 riders in the top 10 for T-Mobile.
The presence of teammates Joseba Beloki and Roberto Heras in the top 20 is significant.
Not in the top 20, but moving up significantly: Iban Mayo (Spain), Chris Horner (USA), Stephano Garzelli (Italy), Jorg Jackshe (Germany), and Bradley McGee (Australia).

Tdf Stage 7: Aussie Wins Again

2005-07-08T17:42:00.000-07:00

33-YEARS OLD...AND NO SLOWING DOWN. He did it again. Robbie McEwen, aging sprinter that he is, proved he still has the legs over his younger sprinting rivals. McEwen adds Stage 7 to his Stage 5 win thus far in year's Tour de France. The outspoken Aussie continues to bounce back after a demoralizing disqualification for apparent head-butting at the finish line in Stage 3. Today, McEwen simply out-powered the world's other elite sprinters to the finish line on German soil after 228 km of riding. They'll be a waltzing Matilda down under tonight! I add McEwen as a nominee for my "TdF 'Guts' Awards."

CAPTURING AN ESCAPED GERMAN. The day featured Fabian Wegman, a German riding for the German-based Gerolsteiner squad, escaping from the clutches of the peloton on the first climb of the day. Wegmann went on a 140 km solo breakaway, building up over an eight-minute advantage and crossing into the motherland before being reeled in. The peloton caught Wegmann with 28 km to go, but his effort was not without reward: being the first rider over several small climbs, he gained enough points to wear the polka-dot jersey as the current "King of the Mountains."

ARMSTRONG 53rd AND STILL WINNING--GO FIGURE. Every day my 12-year old son, Sam, asks me who's winning the Tour de France. He's anxious to know how well Lance Armstrong does each day. He's disappointed when I tell him that Lance finished a stage in 32nd or 53rd place. "You mean he's not winning?" he protests. "No, he's winning," I try to explain, "He's winning right now by staying safe in the pack. He, along with every other rider in the peloton who finishes in the pack attached to the first cyclists across the finish line, receives the same time as the stage winner." In the relatively flat stages, he ends the day with the same advantage over his main rivals as he started. He doesn't even hav to win a stage to win the Tour de France; he just has to have the best time of all other riders.

THINK OF THE TdF AS A "SERIES." This likely computes, but it doesn't satisfy typical American tastes for winning at sports. That's why most Americans are a bit confounded about following the Tour de France. We are used to one-day events and high scores. There's a winner at the end of the day. It would help if we would see the TdF as a "series" of 21 different games. The racer with the best overall score from all the "games" (stages) on July 24th wins. Like the Nextel Cup Series in NASCAR. Does this help? Or mislead?

The War Within Lance

2005-07-07T10:51:00.000-07:00

LANCE'S WAR. I've watched and listened to author Daniel Coyle interviews a few times now; I also read the book review in Sports Illustrated. Though I have not yet purchased or read Coyle's recently-published Lance Armstrong's War, I've read numerous other books by or about him. Coyle's comments seem to be fairly consistent with my impression as a reader and outside observer over the years.

ENIGMA WITH A CHIP ON HIS SHOULDER. Even with my considerable admiration for Armstrong, "enigma" seems to be a good word to describe Lance. He is a fierce competitor with a chip on his shoulder...maybe that is one edge he possesses in this field of intense competition. It shapes the nature of his approach to the tour. He doesn't sound like a nice guy to try to get close to, but at the same time he is obviously gracious and generous in other ways.

FATHER FIGURES. Armstrong grew up essentially fatherless. The father figures he had were lacking, at best. One husband of his mother was a fundamentalist Christian who made the family go to church and was strict...then committed adultery. I suppose that effectively innoculated him against the possibility of considering authentic Christian faith in his foreseeable future. I imagine the father thing figures significantly as essential fuel for Lance's continuing "war."

TOUGH MINDSET. Lance's mind and heart seem to be fully focused on himself and on the only things that he sees have served him well through it all (so far): ruthless self-determination, unquestioning loyalty of select friends, tight control over all variables, nothing but the best resources, intimidation of his rivals, the power of suffering, self-doubt, anger, and (last but not least) public adulation for his efforts.

LOOKING FORWARD. These behaviors and priorities may have served him well to this point. But as of July 24, win or lose the Tour, Armstrong's post-TdF life begins. In my eyes and the public's eyes, he will be an admired cycling champion for life, considered one of the greatest athletes of his generation. But I sense that the behaviors and priorities that he thinks have garnered him 6 (maybe 7) Tour de France championships will not likely continue to serve him well in life post-TdF. Maybe cancer isn't the biggest battle he will face in life.

Mengin's escape & fall

2005-07-07T09:59:00.000-07:00

AFTER THE FALL. In this AP Photo by Pierre Lablatiniere, Christophe Mengin receives medical attention after crashing in the final turn on wet pavement in the final kilometer of today's stage. Mengin survived a breakaway that lasted over 150 kilometers; he didn't survive the last km or last turn. A valiant effort by Mengin. He's a candidate, along with David Zabriskie, for my TdF "Guts" Awards, to be awarded to 10 riders on July 24th.

TdF Stage 6

2005-07-07T08:39:00.000-07:00

LORENZO BERNUCCI SURVIVES TO FINISH FIRST. On the rain-drenched streets of Nancy, the last kilometer of a 199 km stage turned into carnage as the day-long escapee Christophe Mengin crashed in front of a pursuing peloton. Mengin's crash had a domino effect, as many riders went down or were hindered at the finish. One surprised Italian, Lorenzo Bernucci, crossed the finish line first. Does that make it a win? You decide.

MENGIN'S EFFORT...AND FALL. The fiesty French rider broke away from the peloton early in the stage and was joined by three other riders in his escape. His group built a lead of over 8 minutes on the peloton. Mengin managed to stay clear of the peloton after the other three were gobbled up by it. Though being chased by a group led by Alexandre Vinokourov, he was still ahead by a matter of seconds within the last kilometer...when he crashed in a turn on wet pavement. Most of the hard-charging sprinters crashed into him; Vino was hindered but continued while Bernucci was unhindered--he crossed the line unchallenged.

CHANGES IN THE GC. The extent of injuries to riders who went down on the wet pavement at the end of Stage 6 is not yet known. Armstrong remains in the Yellow Jersey, though Vinokourvo, with his attack near the finish, cut into Armstrong's lead by 16 seconds. Vino's effort also moved him up the standings from 7th to 3rd. He is now 1'05" behind Lance. David Zabriskie's wounds from his Stage 4 crash are telling now; he struggled today, losing three more minutes to the race leader. I hope he recovers enough to stay in the race and perhaps contend for the second individual time trial in two weeks.

An Australian in Montargis

2005-07-06T13:35:00.000-07:00

McEWEN WILL NOT BE DENIED. Twice earlier denied at the line and penalized for a perceived infraction on Monday, today sprint gladiator Robbie McEwen beat the best to win Stage 5 of the Tour de France. The Aussie was clocked at over 39 mph at the uphill finish line. They'll be a waltzing Matilda down under tonight! Photo credit: Fotoreporter Sirroti on cyclingnews.com.

TdF Stage 5

2005-07-06T08:19:00.000-07:00

AUSSIE ROBBIE McEWEN GETS HIS STAGE WIN. He is the defending Green Jersey (sprinting) champion of the Tour de France. He was supposed to be the top contender for this year's Maillot Vert. He was supposed to have won a stage sooner. But he got caught behind another rider at the line in Stage 2. And he was penalized for apparently head-butting fellow Australian Stuart O'Grady at the finish line in Stage 3 (McEwen contends O'Grady was holding him back with his elbow). But today there was no denying Robbie McEwen a stage victory. He nosed ahead of Green Jersey wearer Tom Boonen for the win. Radar clocked McEwen at 63 km/h at the line--traveling slightly uphill! That's over 39 miles per hour, folks (and after over 113 miles of riding at over 25 mph)! Try riding 39 mph on a flat surface sometime. My fastest--albeit wind-assisted--speed on a flat surface: 32 mph.

LOOK OUT FOR GEORGE TOMORROW! There is no change in the General Classification (overall race leadership) standings. Lance Armstrong still wears the Yellow Jersey. Tomorrow is another flat stage. Watch for American George Hincapie to try a breakway either tomorrow or Friday (Friday's stage may be more suited for big George); the Discovery Channel team leadership has reportedly given him the green light to try to capture the Yellow Jersey for a few days...his reward for seven years of hard work in service to Lance Armstrong.

ZABRISKIE UPDATE. American David Zabriskie, who crashed spectacularly--however else you describe or define it! (see earlier comments)--almost within site of the finish line line in Tuesday's Team Time Trial, was declared fit to ride today; he has bruised ribs and his skinned up badly, but no broken bones or internal injuries. He finished today's stage in the peloton and maintains his position in 9th place, 1'26" behind Armstrong. I am remembering that Tyler Hamilton broke a collarbone in the early stages of the '03 Tour and came back to win one stage on a breakaway and finish just off the podium in Paris. Might Zabriskie survive the next week or so and shine again in the second individual time trial?

In the Aftermath of Stage 4

2005-07-05T12:40:00.000-07:00

TOP TEN...FOR NOW. After Stage 4, the ten cyclists with the best overall times are:

Lance Armstrong (USA - Discovery Channel)
George Hincapie (USA - Discovery Channel) - 55"
Jens Voigt (Germany - CSC) - 1’04"
Bobby Julich (USA - CSC) - 1’07"
Jose Luis Rubiera (Spain - Discovery Channel) - 1’14"
Yaroslav Popovych (Ukraine - Discovery Channel) -1'16"
Alexandre Vinokourov (Khazakstan - T-Mobile) -1'21"
Benjamin Noval (Spain - Discovery Channel) - 1'26"
David Zabriskie (USA - CSC) - 1'26"
Ivan Basso (Spain - CSC) - 1'26"

WHERE DOES THIS LEAVE OTHER CONTENDERS? With each rider accepting the overall time of his team in the Team Time Trial, several of the pre-tour "top contenders" have lost some pretty significant time to Armstrong. Above, you see those who remain within 90 seconds of the champ--Vinokourov, Voigt, Basso (Note: Even though Zabriskie and Julich are faring well, they not considered contenders to win the Tour; they are riding in support of team leader Ivan Basso). Here are the placements and times behind Armstrong of other contenders.

14. Jan Ullrich (Germany - T-Mobile) -1'36"
18. Igor Gonzalez Galdeano (Spain - Euskaltel-Euskadi) - 1'44"
20. Floyd Landis (USA - Phonak) - 1'50"
27. Santiago Botero (Colombia - Phonak) - 2'18"
28. Andreas Kloden (Germany - T-Mobile) - 2'29"
29. Fabian Cancellara (Switzerland - Fassa Bortolo) - 2'30"
30. Levi Leipheimer (USA - Gerolsteiner) - 2'31"
31. Joseba Beloki (Spain - Liberty Seguros) - 2'43"
36. Roberto Heras (Spain - Liberty Seguros) - 2'58"

CAN THEY MAKE UP THIS TIME? Good question. Two or three minutes can be recovered...but not until the mountain stages that come on Saturday and Sunday. The current standings will likely remain the same until the weekend as the next three stages are relatively flat--a paradise for sprinters, none of whom are contenders for the overall victory.

DO THEY HAVE THE RIGHT COMBINATION? Remember, a top contender to win the Tour de France must have a combination of excellence in time trialing, mountain climbing, and team strategy and support. He must also take advantage of rival setbacks and plan on at least one "break out" day--a day in which he takes a risk and out-distances or out-climbs his rivals. The best Armstrong's rivals can do is to (1) plan on out-climbing Armstong in the mountains and (2) to hope he has at least one bad day out of 21.

HANG ON...ARMSTRONG HAS NOT WON. None of the riders listed above is conceding the Tour victory to Armstrong. And no one in America should walk away from the coverage in the assumption that Lance has it in the bag. It ain't over til it's over. There are nearly 1800 miles of competition over some of the most challenging mountain passes in the world ahead of these guys. Anything is possible.

An inexplicable fall?

2005-07-05T12:30:00.000-07:00

ZABRISKIE AFTER THE FALL. This AFP photo shows a CSC manager helping American David Zabriskie back on a new bike after an initially inexplicable crash within 1200 meters of the stage finish earlier today. Teammates and witnesses say he accidentally clipped the wheel of a teammate and tumbled into barricades. Whatever the cause, with the fall, Zabriskie loses the Yellow Jersey, finds himself in 9th place, and 1'26" behind the new Tour de France leader--Lance Armstrong. The extent of Zabriskie's injuries are not yet known; it is uncertain if he will or will not line up for Stage 5 tomorrow. Before the fall, Zabriskie was leading his CSC team on a pace that was slightly faster than Discovery Channel. After his fall, they lost the 67.5 km team time trial by only 2 seconds. Tough day at the office, don't you think?

TdF Stage 4

2005-07-05T08:53:00.000-07:00

DRAMATIC TTT WIN FOR DISCOVERY, ARMSTRONG

TWO SECONDS. It took a crash within the final 1,200 meters of the stage by Tour de France leader American David Zabriskie to slow down the lightening-fast CSC team just enough to hand the Team Time Trial victory to Discovery Channel. The margin of victory for Lance Armstrong's team? Two seconds. Now I begin to understand the importance of the title of his book with Sally Jenkins: Every Second Counts.

HEADED TOWARD VICTORY, BUT... Do you get this? The Yellow Jersey wearer is leading his team to the best time at every time check along the 67.5 kilometer course. CSC and Zabriskie are 2 seconds better than Discovery Channel at the last time check. They're on course to win the stage...and if they win the stage, Zabriskie keeps and extends his lead over Armstrong. It's just a matter of time...

JUST A BOBBLE. But then Zabriskie--incredibly, unbelievably--clips a barricade and crashes almost within sight of the finish line. The CSC team doesn't stop; they pedal on, leaving Zabriskie behind. They merely bobble...but that bobble costs them the stage win and Zabriskie the Yellow Jersey.

DISCOVERY ESCAPES WITH THE STAGE WIN. Discovery Channel can be said to have "escaped" with the stage win. CSC yielded it to them. But a win is a win. And with the win, the Discovery Channel team has set the fastest average speed for a team time trial in Tour de France history. The nine riders finished the 67.5km course in one hour, 10 minutes and 39 seconds. Their average speed was 57.31km/h.

ARMSTRONG IN YELLOW. The win also gives Armstrong the overall lead in the Tour de France. He likes yellow. Tomorrow will be the 67th day he has worn this color--the color of cycling leadership--in the race. Only three Americans have worn the Maillot Jaune: Armstrong, three-time winner Greg LeMond...and David Zabriskie.

TdF Stage 3

2005-07-04T21:18:00.000-07:00

ROUND 2 ALSO GOES TO BOONEN! A second day of a relatively flat and long ride east across the northern plains of France yielded another bunch sprint at the finish line. The peloton chased down three riders who attacked and escaped the group at the 28 km mark--but not until the last kilometer! Then it was a heyday for the world's elite sprint specialists--what Paul Sherwen of OLN TV calls today's Gladiators. Round 2 of the sprint finishes was won--for the second day in a row--by Tom Boonen of Belgium.

THE GREEN JERSEY. For his efforts Boonen wears the Green Jersey (maillot vert) as the points leader for the sprints that are sprinkled throught each stage...and at the finish line. Australian sprint specialist Robbie McEwen has some ground to make up if he is to be wearing the Green Jersey in Paris.

WHERE THE LEADERS STAND. Since he finished in the main peloton with the stage winners, American David Zabriskie continues to wear the Yellow Jersey of the overall race leader (also called the General Classification leader, or GC leader). Lance Armstrong also maintained his position in second place in the GC, just 2 seconds behind Zabriskie.

TOMORROW...LANCE LOVES YA, TOMORROW. Tuesday, July 5th, is a special stage. It is the only Team Time Trial of the Tour de France. Each team of nine riders measure their best time in a 64-kilometer team effort against the other teams. This is similar to the individual time trial in that each team is racing only agains the clock. Every team member must work hard and work together to achieve the best possible time. At the finish line, all riders receive their team's time--whether it was slow or fast--and that factors into their over all--or General Classification--time. A great rider on a slower team will lose time; a fast team can help their team leader move up in the race standings. The Discovery Channel team of Lance Armstrong is one of the fastest teams, from top to bottom. Lance could be wearing the Yellow Jersey by the end of the day tomorrow.

TdF Stage 2

2005-07-03T21:03:00.000-07:00

TOM BOONEN SPRINTS TO WIN. Stages 2 and 3 take the riders across the northern flatlands of France. These stages are set up for sprint specialists to shine. Typically, after pedaling as a group for over 100 miles, a handful of sprinters will blast to the front and try to out-pedal each other across the finish line. Today, Belgian Tom Boonen outdueled Aussie Robbie McEwen across the line. At stake for the sprinters is claim to the Green Jersey, which is worn by the best sprinter in the race. Round 1 goes to Boonen, but I imagine McEwen will wear the Maillot Vert in Paris.

STAGE 2 NOTES:

1. The Maillot Jaune (overall race leader's Yellow Jersey) is still worn by American David Zabriskie; Armstrong is safely in second, 2 seconds behind Z.

2. Frenchman Thomas Voekler, who won the hearts of the French when he spent ten days in the Maillot Jaune in last year's Tour, now wears the Polka-dot Jersey as the best climber. Voekler, 25 years old, was in a breakway in Stage 2 and led the escapees over the two small "mountains" of the stage to grab the first climber's points.

3. When a group of riders cross the finish line in a group, they all receive the same time.

TdF Stage 1

2005-07-02T20:52:00.000-07:00

ARMSTRONG HUMBLES ULLRICH. Stage 1 of the Tour de France, a 19 km time trial, was high drama. First, American David Zabriskie burned up the course at nearly 34 mph to throw down the gauntlet to the other 188 riders, each starting at one-minute intervals. No one else came close...except Lance Armstrong.

The last rider out of the gatehouse and riding like a madman, Armstrong dramatically caught his one-minute man and rival Jan Ullrich, passed him with 3 kilometers to go, and crossed the finish line just two seconds short of Zabriskie's record-setting time.

Armstrong's performance accomplished several things:

1. It served notice to everyone that he is not riding his sunset tour as a "has been"; he is out to win. Clearly, Armstrong's preparation for the Tour de France has been on-target.

2. He put his main rival, German Jan Ullrich, in a tough place regarding morale and motivation. Ullrich may have been suffering from a crash a day earlier, but he will have to redouble his efforts early in the mountain stages if he is to contend. Some are saying that team leadership will pass to Alexandre Vinokourov, who placed 3rd in Stage 1 (51 seconds behind Armstrong; Ullirch is a little over one minute behind the Texan).

3. In this opening volley, he gained nearly a minute or more over all the top rivals. It's a "catch me if you can" situation for the likes of Ivan Basso, Levi Leipheimer, Floyd Landis, Ullich, and Vinokourov.

ZABRISKIE NOTE: Zabriskie's time was the fastest average time for any stage in Tour de France history. He takes over that honor from another American--Greg LeMond, who won the Tour three times in the 1980's. Zabriskie has now won a time trial stage in each of the Grand Tours (Spain, Italy, & France) within a year. He will likely be tagged "the next American champion," an up-and-coming contender, a racer to be reckoned with. Zabriskie rode for US Postal Service last year, but was not included in the 2004 TdF squad; he now rides for the Danish CSC team, which includes American veteran and past TdF podium stander Bobby Jullich.

Race Eve Preview

2005-07-01T20:46:00.000-07:00

PART 1: MY, HOW ONE YEAR CHANGES THINGS...

Since the end of the 2004 Tour de France, there's been quite a change in the cast of top contenders. Consider the following changes that impact the 2005 Tour de France:

1. Tyler Hamilton - After abandoning last year's Tour de France with injuries suffered in a crash on a cobblestone stage, American Tyler Hamilton went on to win a gold medal in the Athens Olympics. A month later, he was suspended for suspicion of having had a performance-enhancing blood transfusion. He has appealed his two-year suspension and his case is pending.

2. Gilberto Simoni - Simoni has, at various times, looked to be a possible challenge to Armstrong. But Simoni surprised the cycling world last week, announcing that he is too tired from his May effort in the Giro d'Italia to contend for the Tour de France. In addition, his Italian teammate and fast-rising star Damiano Cunego will not be able to contend-he has mononucleosis.

3. Mario Cippolini - The flamboyant Lion King has never been a contender for the TdF championship, but the sprinter does hold the record for winning the most stages of the Tour. Time takes its toll. Aging and having lost his edge, Super Mario parked his bike after a few poor showings this spring. In addition, Alessandro Pettachi, heir apparent to Cippolini's sprinting reign, is not riding this year's Tour de France.

5. Joseba Beloki - One of the Tour's most memorable moments of the past decade saw Joseba Beloki crash on a downhill in right in front of Armstrong in 2003. Beloki, who broke his leg in that fall, will ride this year's tour, but he has not yet returned to prime form. Beloki has been on the podium in Paris three times.

6. Good-bye US Postal Service; Hello Discovery Channel - You won't see the US Postal Service blue, red, and white uniforms this year. USPS ended its sponsorship of Armstrong's efforts after six years. The new sponsor is Discovery Channel and the team colors are blue-trimmed white. Armstrong and company still ride Trek bikes and sport Nike gear. Professional cycling, like all other professional sports, depends on strong commercial sponsorships.

PART 2: ...AND SOME THINGS DON'T CHANGE

Despite glaring absences of some top contenders and a new look to Armstrong's squadron, some things haven' t changed for the 2005 Tour de France. Such as:

Jan Ullrich - The 1997 winner of the Tour de France is also the man who has finished second in the Tour no less than five times. Jan Ullrich, 31, is said to be in better shape than in the past, he is motivated to defeat his nemesis...and this is his last chance. Ullrich, as strong as he is, has always been a full step behind Armstrong.

Alexandre Vinokourov - A T-Mobile teammate of Ullrich, Vinokourov may be in better shape to catch Armstrong than Ullrich. While the 31-year old Kazakh is committed to support Ullrich, if Ullrich slips at all, Vino will take over the pursuit of the championship. Vino finished ahead of Armstrong in the recent Daphine Libere, the last warm-up to the Tour de France. Also watch for another T-Mobile member to contend - Andreas Kloden finished second in the Tour last year. The T-Mobile trio - Ullrich, Vinokourov, and Kloden - together could do the most damage to Armstrong and Discovery Channel.

Ivan Basso - This rising 27-year old Italian star finished third in last year's tour and gave Armstrong the best competition in the mountain stages. He's had a great spring, winning a handful of stages in the Giro d'Italia. I look for Basso, riding for Denmark-based CSC, to be the strongest competition for Armstrong IF he and his team can perform well in the time trial stages.

Iban Mayo and Inigo Landeluz - Spanish/Basque teammates riding for Euskaltel-Euskadi, Mayo and Landeluz are both strong mountain climbers. Landeluz won the Dauphine Libere three weeks ago (Armstrong placed fourth). Mayo shadowed Armstrong for most of the 2003 Tour de France, but, like Hamilton, was injured on the cobblestones last year.

Floyd Landis and Santiago Botero - After riding in support of Armstrong for six years, American Floyd Landis became the team leader of the Swiss-based Phonak team after Tyler Hamilton was sacked. Landis has performed very well this spring. With Colombian teammate and super-climber Santigo Botero, Landis and the Phonak team could mount a significant challenge to Armstrong and Discovery Channel.

Levi Leipheimer - This American and former Armstrong teammate is as strong a contender as Basso. Leading the German-based Gerolsteiner team, Leipheimer is primed to win the Tour de France. The Montana native finished second in the Dauphine Libere. The issue is: will Armstrong dare let a fellow American--Leipheimer, Landis, or anyone else--steal his sunsetting glory? The sheer will and heart of the Texan will eclipse their best efforts. Maybe next year these Americans will continue the tradition.

Roberto Heras - One more contender needs to be mentioned. Spaniard Roberto Heras, who has repeatedly won the Tour of Italy and is a Spanish legend, may surprise all. As a teammate of Armstrong, he led the Champ up many a mountain in the past, but as a leader of his own team, Liberty Seguros, Heras has had mediocre results. Maybe he's coming into his own in time to challenge for the top of the podium.

A Telling Graphic

2005-07-01T17:19:00.000-07:00

THIS POSTER ROCKS. Event posters sometimes capture the essence of their subject. This one does it for the Tour de France like none prior. This year, in particular, the Tour de France will likely be won in the Alps and Pyranees mountains. Great graphic!

Top Ten Reasons to Follow the TdF

2005-06-30T20:44:00.000-07:00

10. Cancer survivor Lance Armstrong may win his seventh consecutive Tour de France championship in the last race of his storied professional cycling career.

9. See first-hand proof that not ALL Americans are despised by the French (and vice versa).

8. Get a good look at the range of commercial sponsorships and creative advertising. See how many brands and sponsors you recognize...along with names you know nothing about.

7. Follow the duel between German Jan Ullrich and American Lance Armstrong down to the wire--one last time. Ullrich won the Tour in 1997 and has finished second four times since.

6. See if Americans Levi Leipheimer or Floyd Landis--both former teammates of Armstrong--can pull an upset over Armstrong and Ullrich.

5. Count how many sprint-to-the wire stage finishes are won by Australian Robbie McEwen. Watching these flying sprint finishes after a day of wearying racing is awesome. The Green Jersey is at stake.

4. Watch for "il diablo" on the roadside in every stage. It's a large man dressed up like the devil with a pitch fork; he's at most major European cycling events--and present at every stage of the Tour. Look for other weird characters, too.

3. Track the impact other Americans are making in this predominantly European event. In addition to Leipheimer, Landis, and Armstrong, there's big George Hincapie (riding shotgun with Lance for the seventh time), Bobby Jullich (CSC, 3rd place in 1998), Fred Rodriguez (Davitamon-Lotto), Guido Trenti (Quick Step; apparently an Italian American!), Chris Horner (Suanier-Duval), and David Zabriskie (CSC).

2. Drink in the grandeur of the Pyrenees and Alps--with the bonus of mountaintop finishes lined with thousands of cycling fans cheering every rider on his way to the peak.

1. 189 world-class athletes pushed to the limit for 2,000 miles on 2 wheels over 21 days of high drama through some of the most breathtaking terrain in the world. The Tour de France is a rolling feast in an otherwise uneventful month.

It all starts Saturday, July 2nd. Link to live coverage and learn more via the right sidebar menu.

Welcome to the Tour de France...for the Rest of Us

2005-06-29T16:42:00.000-07:00

CUT THE TECNO-BABBLE. Most Tour de France websites and blogs are full of insider techno-babble. You're an outsider looking in, wondering when and where you were supposed to learn this stuff and treated as if you were stupid if you didn't know it anyway.

ENJOY THE RIDE. As an outsider who has been smitten by the Tour de France, I've been publishing "My Amateurish Tour de France Updates" for five years during the race as a way to (1) vent/share my passion for the Tour, and (2) to help some of my friends enjoy the ride without feeling left out. So, If I get too technical for you, I've missed my point. Feel free to make comments. Share the joy!