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The Tour de France is buzzing with excitement and anticipation for what may be the most crucial 47 kilometers of the entire race. Jan Ullrich and Lance Armstrong haven’t faced each other in a long time trial since 2001, but the German’s abilities against the clock are proven and formidable. The most exciting Tour de France in recent memory is about to get downright ferocious. There is a lot riding on the Stage 12 individual time trial. Lance’s lead in the Tour is smaller than usual and he wants to enter the Pyrénées with a more comfortable advantage over his rivals. Ullrich, on the other

When it comes to negative racing, the performances of two French riders alongside me in the winning eight man break really takes the cake. All Carlos Da Cruz (fdjeux.com) and Nicolas Portal (Ag2R) were worried about was marking me. I couldn’t scratch my arse without them bloody getting on my wheel. When you have two guys like them, who ride as if their lives depend on chasing you back, it’s not easy to get away. How they raced today was a disgrace. And what did they gain from it? Fifth and seventh place! I tried to make something of it, right up until the end when Spaniard Juan Antonio

With nine riders still within four minutes of race leader Lance Armstrong, the Texan has never had such a strong challenge to win the Tour. Of these nine, Jan Ullrich, Tyler Hamilton, Alex Vinokourov, Iban Mayo and Haimar Zubeldia all have a chance Friday to stay in close touch, even though stage 12 is Armstrong’s favorite event: the individual time trial. “It’s the most important time trial in the past five years because the GC is so close,” Armstrong said Thursday in Toulouse. “[The time trial] is not easy, nor very hard, with the wind and the heat. It’s a good course.” Armstrong’s

The biggest letdown of the Tour de France so far was today’s first public sighting of the Terminator, Arnold Schwarzenegger, at Narbonne before the start of stage 11. If you’re thinking about backing big Arnie for the governorship of California, here’s some advice I’ll offer for free: Don’t base your vote on what you see on film. Hey, don’t say you wouldn’t think of voting for him. After all, Ronald Reagan didn’t do too badly in public office for all the B-grade acting in his career, did he? First myth to blow about big Arnie though is that he isn’t. Big, that is. Certainly not as big as

Dear VeloNews crew;It seems as if Joseba Beloki's crash was caused in part by the tubular rolling off the rim. Would he have suffered the same kind of crash if he'd been riding a clincher?Jay Dear Jay;You know that question has come up over the past few days and we’ve even had some folks write in and suggest that tubulars should be banned. We weren’t right there on the spot (though that AFP photographer sure was!), but we have watched the film like everyone else and have to conclude from seeing it over and over again that Beloki’s crash probably would have happened, no matter what sort

Tomorrow's TT is going to be the turning point in this year’s Tour de France, folks. We will get to see if the race will continue to be a tight, well-fought battle all through the Pyrénées, or if Lance Armstrong will dominate. The rolling TT on small roads and a typically pesky wind should favor the truly strong riders as opposed to TT riders. Also, this type of parcours will cause time gaps larger than normal, so look for that. Lance doesn't have to win the TT in order to show that he'll blow everyone out of the water in the Pyrénées, but he will have to take big time out of Mayo and the

Another break succeeds

The Arnold meets Lance

Narbonne

2 generations watch the start of the Tour in Narbonne

TV bike and transmitter gets some pre race work

IMAX camera films sign in

Tour merchandise

Hamilton at the start

Lance drops the TV crews that dog his every moment at the start

Juan Flecha shows the emotion of winning a stage

Lance takes up arm wrestling with Arnold

The Posties and Arnold

Lance at the finish line

Flecha's well-timed move

An easy day protecting the jersey

July in France: Heat, bikes and sunflowers

Yesterday was a great day for our team. Jacob Piil spent most of the stage in a break away, and then duked it out in a two man sprint for his first Tour de France stage victory. I'm really happy for him. He had a few tough moments during the first week of the race, but fought back hard, and came up with an incredible result. The team celebrated with a little Champagne at dinner last night. Thankfully today is a rest day. Ten stages into this year's Tour de France, and I'm feeling about ten years older. There are days when cycling can make you feel like an old man. And for me, yesterday

French cycling star Richard Virenque will be focusing on only one thing during the next few days on the Tour de France - winning a record-equaling sixth 'King of the Mountains' polka dot jersey. And the 33-year-old Quick Step rider, who has successfully reintegrated into the peloton after his career was in tatters in the wake of the Festina doping scandal, says he could stick around long enough to set his own Tour de France benchmark. "I'm preparing myself mentally for the Pyrénées and hopefully by the time we reach the mountains again my legs will stand up to the test," said Virenque on

The Lithuanian cycling federation has recommended a six-month ban for former Lampre rider Raimondas Rumsas, who tested positive for EPO during the Giro d’Italia in May, the federation said Tuesday. The federation also proposed to fine the 31-year-old Lithuanian year 2000 Swiss francs (1300 Euros). The Lithuanian federation has not taken a final decision on Rumsas, and has instead consulted the International Cycling Federation (UCI) and sent it Rumsas' explanations for the postive test. If the UCI rejects the Lithuanian federation's proposal, Rumsas's domestic federation will be obliged to

Just back from Bend, Oregon, land of breweries, brushfires and bicycle racing, and after my first outing I’d have to say that the Cascade Classic is a fantastic event. Race promoter Brad Ross ran a race with stunning courses and full community support, and the consensus from racers I spoke with was that Cascade is one of the more under-rated stage races in the U.S. “I’m going to tell all the girls from other teams to come next year,” said women’s overall winner Lyne Bessette (Saturn), who raced at Cascade for the first time, easily beating the 50-rider field. And while Bessette did trounce

Jan Ullrich thinks four-times Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong is in a weaker position at the halfway stage than in previous years and may be vulnerable to attack in the Pyrenees. The German, winner of the Tour in 1997, said there was a chance he could win his first stage of cycling's premier race in five years in the mountains of southwest France. "If I'm on good form and I'm feeling good on the day, then it might be possible," he told reporters at his team's hotel in Lignan-sur-Orb during the first rest day of the Tour on Wednesday. "The Pyrenees this year are tougher than the

While the concept of a rest day in a three-week stage race is very welcome, it is equally dangerous for riders. The body is more than happy to accept the rest, but breaking the routine of racing can cause trouble. Rest Day RoutinesRacing on the day after a rest day can be like starting a car on a cold winter morning. You might be able to get the engine to turn over, but it takes a while for it to run smoothly. For riders, the danger is that they will feel sluggish or heavy on the first stage following the rest day. In order to prevent this situation, it is important for everyone to spend

Overall Standings after 10 stages1. Lance Armstrong (USA), U.S. Postal Service, 45:46:222. Alexandre Vinokourov (Kaz), Telekom, at 00:213. Iban Mayo (Sp), Euskaltel-Euskadi, at 01:024. Francisco Mancebo (Sp), iBanesto.com, at 01:375. Tyler Hamilton (USA), CSC, at 01:526. Jan Ullrich (G), Bianchi, at 02:107. Ivan Basso (I), Fassa Bortolo, at 02:258. Roberto Heras (Sp), U.S. Postal Service, at 02:289. Haimar Zubeldia (Sp), Euskaltel-Euskadi, at 03:2510. Denis Menchov (Rus), iBanesto.com, at 03:4511. Roberto Laiseka (Sp), Euskaltel-Euskadi, at 04:0312. Christophe Moreau (F), Credit Agricole, at

Lance Armstrong enters the second half of the 2003 Tour de France witha real fight on his hands. The four-time champion endured attacks in threepunishing days in the Alps but still emerged with the yellow jersey onhis back.Armstrong enjoyed a quiet rest day on Wednesday, riding for about twohours with his U.S. Postal Service teammates late Wednesday morning nearthe team's hotel in Montpellier. He later lunched with his family and enjoyeda relaxing day away from the race and the media.VeloNews caught up with U.S. Postal's director Johan Bruyneelafter the team's training ride. Here are excerpts

Sitting in the outside terrace of bar called Le Nat, we raised ourglasses of beer and toasted what is a rare feat in Tour de France trip– 36 hours free of relative trouble. Le Nat is in the town of Beziers, in southwest France, just 33km away from the start of Thursday’s stage 12 in Narbonne to Toulouse.As we drank, we shook our heads in disbelief at our good fortune. Thatis, until we realized that Le Nat is not exactly what we thoughtit was. Let’s just say the bar was open, and it was not yet dark, but itwas preparing to provide its clients with other services than just drinks!Our

I broke my collarbone, left side, last Monday. I’ve been off the bike since then. I am going to set my trainer up on Saturday for some indoor spinning. Do you have any ideas on how to make things heal any faster? Any advice would be a great help.Bob Cozzetti. Dear Bob,Since the clavicle ("collarbone") is the most commonly broken bone in the human body, your question is a good one for us to take a look atin detail. It's such a common injury for cyclists that I think we tendto not give it the attention it deserves. Certainly, it has had Tyler Hamilton's attention the past few days.I won't

This is unexpected: Halfway through the Tour de France, Lance Armstrong has yet to put a stranglehold on cycling's showcase race. After 11 days of racing, with 10 to go, the talk among some riders as they headed into Wednesday's well-earned rest day was that the four-time champion is not the dominant force he once was as he goes for a record-equaling fifth successive win. Unusually, the 31-year-old Texan did not shine in the Alps and their monstrous climbs - although he rode well enough to take the overall lead. Another four days loom in the Pyrenees. To win, Armstrong needs to be strong

Jacob's good day

Dinner at the Anderson's

'Princess Emma,' the Low Rider

Antonio and Alexi Cruz

Chris and Erica Horner

Rest Day at the Tour: Bruyneel confident; Hamilton still day-to-day

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One talented, highly motivated, and thoroughly tough SOB

Team CSC's Jakob Piil won Tuesday's hot and steamy stage 10 from Gap to Marseille as the Tour de France left the Alps behind and headed toward the Mediterranean Sea. Once more, Lance Armstrong retained his hold on the yellow jersey, this time staying on dry pavement a day after his already famous "short-cut" on Monday's stage to Gap. It was stinking hot again Tuesday in what's been one of the hottest Tours in recent memory. It was too hot for a sick Stefano Garzelli (Vini Caldirola), the 2003 Giro d'Italia runner-up, who didn't take the start, leaving 171 riders in the 90th Tour as the race

To see how Stage 10 of the Tour unfolded live, just go to our Live Update window and follow the action all the way to the finish.

1. Jakob Piil (Dk), CSC, 219.5km in 5:09:332. Fabio Sacchi (I), Saeco, at 00:003. Bram De Groot (Nl), Rabobank, at 00:494. Damien Nazon (F), Brioches La Boulangere, at 02:075. Rene Haselbacher (A), Gerolsteiner, at 02:076. Philippe Gaumont (F), Cofidis, at 02:077. Serge Baguet (B), Lotto-Domo, at 02:078. Vicente Garcia Acosta (Sp), iBanesto.com, at 02:079. Gutierrez José Enrique (Sp), Kelme-Costa Blanca, at 05:0610. Baden Cooke (Aus), FDJeux.com, at 21:2311. Robbie Mc Ewen (Aus), Lotto-Domo, at 21:2312. Erik Zabel (G), Telekom, at 21:2313. Fred Rodriguez (USA), Caldirola, at 21:2314. Fabrizio

A gasp of horror reverberated through the Tour de France entourage Monday when second-placed Joseba Beloki crashed at top speed on the descent to the finish of stage 9. It was immediately obvious that it was a serious fall, one from which the 29-year-old Spaniard would not get up. Beloki was transported Tuesday by air ambulance to his hometown of Vittoria for surgery at a private hospital, but long months will pass before he is rehabilitated from the broken femur in his right thigh, the complex fracture of his right elbow and his snapped right wrist. For Beloki though, the bitterest pill to

Despite the near total desertion of the Fassa Bortolo squad from the Tour de France, the Italian team still leads the overall list of prize money awarded at the half-way point of the race. Largely on the strength of four stage wins by Alessandro Petacchi, Fassa Bortolo has earned a total of 39,681 Euros thus far in the 2003 Tour.Prize money awarded, as of Stage 101. Fassa Bortolo 39,681 euros2. Quick Step 39,1493. Crédit Agricole 30,8234. fdjeux.com 29,4255. Telekom 27,8086. U.S. Postal - 26,0027. Euskaltel - 21,7368. AG2R - 19,4819. Jean Delatour - 17,24810. ONCE - 13,56511. La Boulangere -

After three long and hot days in the Alps, the peloton was more than happy to let a nine-man breakaway build a massive lead and contest the tenth stage of the 2003 Tour de France. Behind them, the U.S. Postal Service and Euskaltel teams set a controlled tempo on the front of the main field. Even when the pace is not blistering, riding tempo at the front of the Tour de France takes a lot of energy. Staying aerobic is the key to riding tempo on the front of the peloton, and riders who know the task falls in their job descriptions train specifically to handle the demands. The goal is to

If I've learned one thing these past couple of days here at my first visit to the Tour de France is that the race slows for no one. The riders, the Tour support staff and even the attending press are pushed to near-redline limits for three weeks straight. As one day blurs into the next with set-up, competition and subsequent tear-down, the Tour waits for no one–number plate or not. So with four hours of sleep under my belt, I hit the road with John Wilcockson (who's covered the Tour more than 30 times) in our trusty Passat. We were off to the team hotel of CSC so that I could spend the

This is the story about a fella nicknamed “Tracker John.” It’s also a about luck and how the two went hand-in-hand today before the 10th stage of the centennial Tour de France. Tracker John may be getting on, but with 35 Tours under his belt he is as wily as the most cunning of foxes. When he gets one sniff of a scent, he’ll follow the trail to its end. He did this morning, after we stopped on the way to the stage start at the point of yesterday’s stage 9 descent where Joseba Beloki crashed out of the Tour and Armstrong ran off course. Beloki, who sustained a fractured right femur, elbow

Day two of the Whistler Gravity Festival saw France’s Cédric Gracia grab his second victory in as many days, while Great Britain’s Tracy Moseley was the women’s downhill victor. The stage Tuesday was Whistler’s famed A-Line trail, where riders contested a jump littered 4-minute-plus run down from the midway point of the Whistler Village Gondola. After qualifying second behind Aussie Nathan Rennie (Iron Horse-MadCatz), Gracia (Siemens-Cannondale) blasted down the hill in the final to unseat Be One’s Bas De Bever. Gracia and De Bever were the only two riders to go below the 4:11 mark, with

Beloki: Painfully reminiscent...

... of Ocaña in 1971

Lance Armstrong and Baden Cooke await the start

Demonstrators stop the tour mid stage

Demonstrators stop the tour mid stage

Stage 10 Gallery from Reuters

Piil wins

The course winds along the Marseille Harbor

IMAX camera mounted on helicopter

Young fans on the course today