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The scenery was gorgeous, if you had time to look

The course traveled up the Cheakamus Canyon.

A classic day of B.C. riding.

The final base camp.

The rule now hinges on the angle of the extension and the rider’s arm. Sastre is okay.

Vande Velde and his “bike shop” bars.

Leipheimer’s bike on Thursday — illegal.

Pre-prologue rule 'clarification' sends mechanics scrambling

Gusev’s bike had yet to be changed and was still illegal, as Discovery mechanics interpreted the rule.

The UCI’s bike schematics that supposedly help clarify the TT position problems.

CSC director Bjarne Riis announced on Thursday he will not be present to follow his riders during this year's Tour. In May the 43-year-old Dane admitted to doping during his career, notably during his 1996 Tour de France victory. He was subsequently stripped of the title last month by Tour officials. Riis took the decision to sit out the Tour following criticism by former German CSC rider Jorg Jaksche during an interview with German newspaper Der Spiegel. Jaksche told Der Spiegel he used performance enhancing drugs during his spell with the CSC team in 2004 and that the Danish

While the days leading up to Saturday’s prologue and start of the Tour de France is a time for the racers to go for easy spins and top off their stores of energy with nice meals and daily naps, its truly crunch time for their staff — especially those responsible for the bikes. We caught up with Gerolsteiner mechanic Rajen Murugayan, while he was loading one of the team’s sprinter vans with time-trial bikes for a pre-prologue reconnaissance session, and got a special tour of the team’s gear. MORE IMAGES BELOW The Tour de France is cycling’s biggest show so naturally it’s a perfect time to

Perhaps no team enters the Tour de France with as much potential in the race’s four jersey competitions as the Netherlands’ Rabobank squad. With defending two-time King of the Mountains Michael Rasmussen, Russian GC contender Denis Menchov, Spanish sprint star Óscar Freire Gómez and the emerging 22-year-old Thomas Dekker, the team brings riders capable of winning each of the race’s esteemed competitions. Winning more than one jersey is unlikely for Rabobank, however. Menchov, who finished sixth last year, doesn’t top anyone’s list of GC favorites, and at the team’s pre-race medical check

In his 13th year as a professional, Ag2r-Prevoyance rider Christophe Moreau said Thursday he thinks he can do something he’s never done at the Tour de France — finish on the podium. Though he’s no stranger to the Tour’s top 10 (he was fourth in 2000, and has twice finished eighth), Moreau has never reached the final podium in Paris. But after dominating the Dauphiné Libéré in June, and more recently winning the French national championship, the 36-year-old Moreau has reason to think this year might be different. In the 12 times he has arrived to the start of the Tour, it’s the most serene

Alessandro Petacchi, charged with doping by the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI), will learn his fate on July 24. The 33-year-old sprinter will be handed his punishment by the disciplinary commission of the Italian Cycling Federation (FCI). CONI's anti-doping prosecutor Ettore Torri, who charged Petacchi with doping on Wednesday, has requested the FCI ban him from cycling for a year. Petacchi, who had been provisionally suspended by his Milram team last week, has been replaced by Ukrainian Andriy Grivko for the Tour de France, which gets underway in London on Saturday. Petacchi tested

It’s easy for forget that SRAM’s Force group has never been used in the Tour de France. The company had such a strong entry into the road market, and ProTour competition, it’s easy to assume that it’s old hat for the brand. But come Saturday, even if it’s overlooked, SRAM will achieve the final milestone in its coming-of-age party on the road — starting the sports biggest event, the Tour de France. “SRAM Force is in its first Tour,” said Michael Zellmann, SRAM’s road PR manager. “This is a big deal for the Force [group]. I just want to remind people that Force did well in the Giro and we

If Alexandre Vinokourov expected an easy ride during Thursday’s press conference, he was in for something of a shock. The Tour’s red-hot favorite bristled under repeated questions from testy journalists who queried him about his relationship with Dr. Michele Ferrari, the infamous prepatori who helped Lance Armstrong win seven straight Tour de France victories. “I started to work with (Ferrari) in 2005. He’s my physical trainer. I have worked hard. I have done nothing banned,” a defensive Vinokourov said. “I only work with him in training programs. I work with the team doctors with questions

A determined and confident Levi Leipheimer confronts the start of the 2007 Tour de France with new motivation after rejoining the American team Discovery Channel following a five-year run with foreign teams. Leipheimer, 33, lines up Saturday in London as the top American hope for the final podium when the Tour ends July 29 in Paris. “I think I am coming into this Tour a little fresher and a little off my best form. Last year, I was too good too early,” Leipheimer told the assembled media Thursday evening. “This year, I’ve tried to push that back because the end of the Tour this year is so

A year ago, Quick Step-Innergetic’s Tom Boonen came to the Tour de France with both the rainbow jersey and heavy expectations on his shoulders. The two-time winner of the Tour of Flanders and reigning world champion came to the Tour with four stage wins to his name and was expected to add to his tally while contesting for the green points jersey. Instead, Boonen did neither, leaving the Tour after stage 15, having worn the yellow jersey for four days. Asked about his main objective for this year’s Tour at a pre-race press conference on Thursday, Boonen played it coy, initially saying, “My

Trek-Volkswagen’s Jeff Schalk summed up the feelings of nearly every rider who took the start line for stage 5 of the B.C. Bike Race: The Pacific Traverse with this simple assessment of the 58-kilometer fun ride from Sechelt to the Langdale Ferry Terminal on British Columbia’s Sunshine Coast. “It was honestly one of the first times I’ve totally forgotten about the race and just enjoyed the ride,” said Schalk, who along with teammate Chris Eatough won their fifth straight stage and maintained a commanding lead in the overall standings ahead of the Rocky Mountain duo of Andreas Hestler and

Markus Fothem’s new bike, the Specialized Tarmac SL2.

The large headtube hides the different sized headset bearings.

Shimano’s prototype carbon crank.

A close look at Shimano’s prototype crank reveals and aluminum spider.

Before, Specialized’s 2006-7 Transition.

After, Specialized’s 2008 Transition.

A pile o’ time-trial wheels.

Before, plenty of work.

After, and ready to go.

Freire is plagued by an old problem.

Rasmussen is ready to climb

Dekker is here for the experience.

Rasmussen took the climber's jersey at the '06 Tour after his win at La Toussuire

Moreau rode brilliantly to take the Ventoux stage at this year's Dauphiné.

Secret agent man. Zellmann is playing this release for everything he can.

The new Red shifter displaying eight degrees of lever adjustment. In this example, the shift lever is adjusted inwards and the brake lever is left out.

That small pin below the hood is responsible for the shift lever reach.

This small screw adjusts the brake lever reach.

This prototype lever displays the refined DoubleTap mechanism.

The back of the new Red cassette prototype.

The front of the Red cassette prototype.

Vinokourov had a tough press conference on Thursday

Leipheimer says he's ready

Both men say that Astana poses a big challenge

Bruyneel would like to get back to winning the Tour.

Boonen is more relaxed - and a little more humble - going into this year's Tour.

It was such a nice day, some even forgot it was a bike race...

...well, at least until the climbing started.

Many options

Trevor Linden

A beautiful day in British Columbia and leader's still maintain grip on overall

Longtime race director Jean-Marie Leblanc has finally retired, leaving Christian Prudhomme in charge of the Tour de France. The 2007 edition starts in London on Saturday, and with no clear favorite, it is shaping up to be one of the most open races in years. Lance Armstrong, who won seven straight Tours beginning in 1999, has retired. Last year's winner, Floyd Landis, is still under the cloud of doping accusations. Other big names, such as Ivan Basso, have fallen afoul of the crackdown on drugs in the sport. But Prudhomme insists that other stars will emerge to take their

Alessandro Petacchi lost his spot on Milram’s Tour de France team on Wednesday after being charged with doping by the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI), according to Agence France Presse. CONI's anti-doping prosecutor, Ettore Torri, asked the Italian cycling federation (FCI) to ban the 33-year-old sprinter for one year following a "non-negative" doping test after the third of his five stage wins at the Giro d'Italia. The urine sample Petacchi gave at Pinerolo on May 23 showed an unusually high level of salbutamol, a substance primarily used to treat asthma. “We signed the ProTour

Dr. Eufemiano Fuentes – the controversial doctor at the center of the Operación Puerto doping scandal – made his first public appearance since the alleged doping ring was uncovered last May in Spain. Fuentes refused to answer journalists’ queries as he left a conference at the University of King Juan Carlos in Aranjuez on Wednesday. “I support protecting athletes’ health, and the professional life of an athlete is 10 to 12 years, and after that, they have the rest of their lives to live, and doping can go against your health,” Fuentes said after participating in a conference titled,

Tour de France hopeful Andreas Klöden said Wednesday that he was weary of trying to clear his name as other members of his Astana team are suspected of doping. "I have nothing to confess," Klöden told German daily Die Welt. "You have to believe me when I say that I have never done anything illegal." On Wednesday, Klöden signed the UCI’s anti-doping pledge, but admitted that he wasn’t happpy about it. "I didn't have a choice in order to compete in the Tour de France ... but I felt violated by this procedure. I no longer enjoy competing in the Tour de France. It's like a suspended

Alessandro Petacchi lost his spot on Milram’s Tour de France team on Wednesday after being charged with doping by the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI), according to Agence France Presse. CONI's anti-doping prosecutor, Ettore Torri, asked the Italian cycling federation (FCI) to ban the 33-year-old sprinter for one year following a "non-negative" doping test after the third of his five stage wins at the Giro d'Italia. The urine sample Petacchi gave at Pinerolo on May 23 showed an unusually high level of salbutamol, a substance primarily used to treat asthma. “We signed the ProTour

With yet another day at the B.C. Bike Race being dominated by the Trek-Volkswagen duo of Chris Eatough and Jeff Schalk, we opted for a photo gallery to tell the story of stage 4’s 58.5km ride from Earl’s Cove to Sechelt on British Columbia’s Sunshine Coast. After finishing stage 3 with a thrill ride down the technical trails outside Cumberland, stage 4 kicked off at dawn Wednesday with the entire B.C. Bike Race entourage loading up for the short drive from Cumberland to the BC Ferries terminal at Little River. From there it was an 1:20 ride to Powell River, then a quick bus transfer to the

Coloradans Shonny Vanlandingham and Jay Henry claimed the 2007 USA Cycling marathon cross-country national titles by winning the Firecracker 50 race in Breckenridge, Colorado, on Thursday. Both took their first-ever marathon titles by finishing first over the two 25-mile laps that included a total of 10,800 feet of vertical gain and multiple trips above 11,000 feet altitude. In its seventh year, the Firecracker 50 celebrated its largest-ever field of 710 riders. As per usual, the race kicked off at 11:00 a.m. sharp, and riders enjoyed a neutral start in downtown Breckenridge as the first

Prudhomme continues the tradition of former journalists running the world's biggest bike race.

Petacchi, shown winning his second of five stages in this year's Giro

Petacchi, shown winning his second of five stages in this year's Giro

Drying out from Stage 3

Schalk limbers up aboard the ferry

La Ruta's Manuel Prado

Heading for the docks

Off the boat and onto the bikes

The race start at Earl's Cove

Gumby is going for a ride

Schalk leads going into the final feed

Hestler drives the chase through the forest

Another scenic: This time, it's mainland British Columbia

Home sweet home: race founder Dean Payne and his beloved Seventies-era motorhome

And now, how the other half lives: Hestler and his VW van

The parade start is really part of the local 4th of July parade.

Henry celebrates his national title.

Mr. and Mrs Henry

Vanlandingham has her eye on the Olympics... and a few other challenges

Rabobank will see a passing of the baton as Michael Boogerd, the major Dutch rider of his generation, starts his final Tour de France while emerging star Thomas Dekker makes his Tour debut. Boogerd will be starting his 12th consecutive Tour that will also be his last. The 36-year-old will retire at the end of the 2007 season. A winner of two Tour stages and twice in the top 10, Boogerd dreams of one more glory ride before hanging up the cleats this year. “In other years, I started strongly and felt weaker while nearing the end of the race. Right now, I am not feeling that well because of a

Rabobank will see a passing of the baton as Michael Boogerd, the major Dutch rider of his generation, starts his final Tour de France while emerging star Thomas Dekker makes his Tour debut. Boogerd will be starting his 12th consecutive Tour that will also be his last. The 36-year-old will retire at the end of the 2007 season. A winner of two Tour stages and twice in the top 10, Boogerd dreams of one more glory ride before hanging up the cleats this year. “In other years, I started strongly and felt weaker while nearing the end of the race. Right now, I am not feeling that well because of a

Giro d'Italia winner Danilo Di Luca (Liquigas) and Astana’s Eddy Mazzoleni, who were due to be interviewed by anti-doping investgators this week, had their hearings postponed on Tuesday. The two cyclists are to be quizzed by Ettore Torri, the anti-doping prosecutor of the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI), over their alleged relationship with a doctor suspected of supplying them with doping products. Doctor Carlo Santuccione is under investigation for allegedly trafficking banned substances to several top Italian sportsmen, including former world champion pole vaulter Giuseppe