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A relaxed Fred Rodriguez talking to a friend before the start.

French TV stations interview Lance about the GC standings before the stage

Tyler Hamilton, looking under the weather at the start, would struggle and finish 13 minutes down.

A group of rabid young fans, in a very small village on the way to Aix-Les-Bains.

Jessica Greico was once one of the best track riders -- and bike handlers -- in the United States. She now does TV work when not going to law school.

Hamilton at the start of today's stage.

Conditions can be tough at Cascade.

All those complaints about a lack of passing possibilities on World Cup dual courses were put to bed for at least a day at World Cup No. 4 in Durango, Colorado. The course, which was designed by former downhill world champion Greg Herbold, had mix of big berms, jumps and even a rock garden. It also provided plenty of exciting wheel-to-wheel racing. Still, when it was all done, the same names that were at the top of the podium a week ago in Canada were there again here in Colorado: Brian Lopes and Leigh Donovan. Lopes (GT-Fox) got his third straight win of 2001 by taking down

Tour de France rider Txema Del Olmo of Spain has been dropped by his team Euskaltel after failing a dope test, sources close to the Spanish outfit confirmed Sunday. The results of the rider's second B-sample are not yet known, but the 28-year-old Del Olmo did not compete in Saturday's seventh stage from Strasbourg to Colmar. Tour officials said before the start of this year's race that any rider who returned a positive sample would be prevented from competing, even before the results of the second test were known. copyright AFP2001

5:35p.m. (local time) The main field has finished around 35 minutes behind the leaders. That is outside the 10-percent time limit, but with 160 riders outside of that limit the Tour can invoke Article 22 of its rule book which states that if the percentage of riders to be eliminated is more than 20 percent of the number of riders who have started the stage, the time limit could be extended by agreement of race officials and organizers of the Tour. 5:35p.m. (local time) The main field has finished around 35 minutes behind the leaders. That is outside the 10-percent time 5:23p.m. (local

After an opening week at the Tour de France during which everyone was on edge, with riders struggling at their limit in the crosswinds every day, something had to give. And it finally did on Sunday. A typical group of headbangers went out on the early breakaway, just as you would expect on a long transitional stage, two days before the first high mountain passes of the Tour. But the end result added yet another twist to this year’s Tour, turning the standings upside down, putting the yellow leader’s jersey back onto the shoulders of Stuart O’Grady, and introducing a possible wild card into

Stage Winner: Erik Dekker (Nl) Rabobank, (F), CSC-Tiscali, 4:59:18----------------------------------Overall Lead: Stuart O'Grady (Aus), Credit Agricole Sprinter: Erik Zabel (G) Deutsche TelekomClimber: Patrice Halgand (F), Jean Delatour Under 25: Jorg Jaksche (G), O.N.C.E. Click below for full results

There are four different colors of Treks you will see U.S. Postal racing on in the Tour. These are two different road bikes and two different time trial bikes. The two road frames you can buy, and there is no difference between them and models sold in bike shops. The two time trial frames are strictly team issue. This use of stock frames is unique at that level of racing. Almost all top riders have frames custom built especially for them, often by a manufacturer other than the one whose name is on the frame. In fact, Trek claims that Lance Armstrong's two Tour victories were the only ones

What do you get when you mix rain, freezing cold temperatures and the Tour de France? One long day and a back ache. I don't know what we did to deserve it, but Mother Nature is sure letting us have it. If I could have a conversation with this woman I'd beg for mercy. Enough with the wind and the rain and the unseasonable temps already. The race is enough of a challenge all by itself. The early part of the day was a bit hectic given that Telekom's Vinokourov was part of the epic break that went up the road at 5 kilometers in. Perhaps the cycling fates were on our side and didn't want us to

Did the fans today witness the stage the blew the Tour apart, or just the first of a day or two of jumbled standings?

After winning the first four races of the season, Specialized’s lock on the women’s World Cup cross country series was finally broken at race No. 5 in Durango, Colorado. Australian Mary Grigson (Subaru-Gary Fisher) slowly pulled away from Barbara Blatter (Specialized) during the second lap of the three-lap, 34.5-kilometer race, and went on to capture her second career World Cup win. Grigson crossed the line in 1:47:45, 1:05 ahead of Blatter, who held on for second. Third place went to Specialized’s Caroline Alexander, while Ruthie Matthes (Trek-Volkswagen) was fourth, followed by Chrissy

For the second week in a row flat tires were the story in the men’s World Cup cross country race, and once again Roland Green was a victim. This time, however, Green had plenty of company, and that helped 20-year-old Julien Absalon get his first career World Cup win, taking race No. 5 in Durango, Colorado. First to go down with tire problems was cross country No. 4 winner, Christoph Sauser (Volvo-Cannondale). A week ago Sauser was handed the win at Grouse Mountain when Green flatted on the last lap. But this time around Sauser barely broke a sweat, flatting twice less than 10 minutes into

Lopes motors past Gracia in the dual semis.

Gracia got by Carter in the men's consolation race.

Dekker had time for a shower and maybe a massage before the peloton arrived.

Aussie colors: Credit Agricole green and Tour de France yellow

It all started innocent enough

...and in back, it was just cold and wet.

While Voight lost the jersey, it's not so bad giving it up to your teammate.

There are no fair weather cycling fans in France. Just a few of the thousands of people who stood in steady rain for hours to glimpse just a few moments of their heroes.

These two Telekom fans are part of the thousands that line the start, begging for autographs.

Just a few of the 16 photo motors that carry photographers through and around the race. Today the Reuters motobike crashed on the wet road, breaking the leg of the driver.

Rain gear was in evidence everywhere today.

O'Grady pushing the break.

Lance (r) and Jose Rubiera take the front of the chase through the corn fields of the Rhein Valley.

Grigson held off Blatter in the climbs, then pulled away on the descents.

Absalon kept Leuchs at bay and passed Evans after he flatted.

Sauser had his lunch a little earlier than anticipated.

Green looked good here, but trouble loomed.

Green was forced to stop for air three times.

The scene at the finish line was reminiscent of last week.

Evans looked to be on his way to victory before the flat-tire bug bit.

Roberto Heras's climbing bike. Note the Selcof seatpost and the Mavic Ksyrium SSC SL wheels.

Heras's climbing bike. Note the oversized 1-3/8' lower headset bearing, with the 1-1/8' upper head cup. The upper cup has wrench flats (Shimano doesn't make threadless headsets), but the threads have been bored out for the threadless steering tube.

The team requested a 120mm magnesium Deda stem for Heras's bike. It takes oversized (31.7mm) handlebars. On the night before L'Alpe d'Huez, the stem was still not installed. Postal riders have been riding standard 25.8mm (usually called 26.0) bars.

Victor Hugo Peña's Superlight climbing bike. The only equipment difference on his bike from the other Postal climbing bikes is the TTP (Tandem Titanium Project) seatpost, rather than the usual Dura-Ace post.

Eleven years after the first world mountain bike championships were held here, big-time mountain biking made a rousing return to Durango, Colorado on Friday evening. Fans young and old lined the downtown streets of the Southwestern tourist town to take in a parade, amateur team relay race, and the pro time trial, all precursors to this weekend’s World Cup event. The time trial was the highlight of the evening, as riders navigated a criterium-like course that included trips through two local businesses: a warehouse-style brew pub, and one of the local bike shops. Many of the top pros chose to

On Friday, the Tour de France riders had a small taste of the climbing that faces them Saturday on the 162.5km (101-mile) stage 7 between Strasbourg and Colmar. The foretaste was the 2,385-foot Col du Donon, a 4 km-long climb in the Vosges mountains that was enough to split the peloton, and leave many of the sprinters behind. All the five climbs that await them Saturday are longer than the Donon, and the riders having trouble will be not only the sprinters but probably men like current yellow jersey Stuart O'Grady of Australia - who has trouble on long climbs. From Strasbourg, stage 7 goes

5:53p.m. (local time) We just finished speaking with John Vande Velde, the father of U.S. Postal Sevice rider Christian Vande Velde. He says that his son has apparently suffered a fractured left arm, contusions on his neck and a possible concussion. Vande Velde was wearing a helmet when he struck a post after missing a turn earlier in the stage. He recovered enough to get back on his bike, but realized his injuries were serious enough to warrant medical attention and then withdrew from the Tour. We'll try to update you as soon as we know more. The senior Vande Velde, just back from the

Stage Winner: Laurent Jalabert (F), CSC-Tiscali, 4:06:04----------------------------------Overall Lead: Jens Voight (G), Credit Agricole Sprinter: Erik Zabel (G) Deutsche TelekomClimber: Patrice Halgand (F), Jean Delatour Under 25: Jorg Jaksche (G), O.N.C.E. Click below for full results

Four people were taken to hospital in Colmar, France Saturday, with one reported to be in a serious condition, after a spectator drove his car into security barriers at the finish line of the Tour de France seventh stage. One woman bystander is in a serious condition after being thrown into the air when struck by the car and is receiving treatment for severe head and leg injuries. Three others - two policemen and a Tour official - were also hospitalised with minor injuries, according to Patrice Clerc, president of the Tour's parent company AOS. "We'll tell you what we know, which is

For the Crédit Agricole team, the biggest player so far this year in the Tour de France, everything is going according to plan. For Laurent Jalabert, it’s almost as if he has no plan, taking everything day-to-day. Both approaches worked just fine on Saturday, as the Frenchman Jalabert won his second stage of this year’s Tour, while Crédit Agricole saw the leader’s yellow jersey change hands within the squad, going from Australian Stuart O’Grady to German Jens Voigt. Jalabert’s win was the second time in his career that he has won a Tour stage on the French national holiday Bastille Day, the

In addition to the teams mentioned yesterday, Kelme is also using wheels with carbon braking surfaces – namely Shimanos with carbon rims. Like Shimano’s aluminum wheels, they have paired spokes with their heads in the side of the rim and nipples at the star-shaped hub. Kelme uses Shimano’s red cork brake pads with them. ADA also makes a rubberized cork pad for carbon rims that are claimed to provide consistent braking on carbon rims, even when wet. Its pad fits in both Shimano and Campagnolo brake-pad holders, but not in Corima pad holders. Telekom has been using ADA pads in the past but

The bands that play, the fans that come, and the riders at the center of it all.

U.S. Postal rider Christian Vande Velde and Fassa Bortolo’s Ivan Basso have been forced out of the Tour de France due to injuries the two young riders suffered in separate accidents during the seventh stage of France’s national tour on Saturday. Vande Velde, a 25-year-old Boulder, Colorado resident suffered a broken left arm, bruises on his neck and shoulder and a possible concussion after missing a turn on the descent of the Category 2. Col d’ Adelspach and striking a metal post. Vande Velde lay on the ground until his team car came to his aid. He then got up and rode for about

On a day when the weather changed more than a runway model in Milan, the rain came at the worst possible time for the world’s top male downhillers at World Cup stop No. 4 at Durango, Colorado. The result was some new faces on the podium and some terrible finishes for the guys who usually get to pop open the champagne bottles. Frenchman Mickael Pascal was the biggest beneficiary. The Be One rider got in his run between a pair of quick moving squalls that rolled in from the west, drenching the ski hill at Durango Mountain Resort. That helped Pascal post the day’s fastest time, 3:37.68. It was

Going into Saturday's stage to Colmar, I didn’t know how I was feeling after all of the hard stages. I stayed at the front not because I was trying to attack, but as a tactic for survival. Again, guys were just attacking from the gun. Finally, on the first climb, it was at full speed, we were flying up that. After a while, though, I was feeling pretty comfortable at the front. When I saw the 1km to go, I kind of shut it down and let a lot of guys go by and rolled down the descent back to the front. I did pretty much the same on all of the climbs. Romans (Vainsteins) tried letting the guys

Kelme: A force in the peloton, a curiosity in the caravan It has had an incredible 20-year run as a cycling team sponsor, but Kelme’s entry in the Tour publicity caravan doesn’t quite live up to the same standards as the team, yet. While most sponsors in the caravan sport a whole fleet of elaborately decorated and rigged-up vehicles, Kelme really is an army of one. The green pick-up truck with the giant soccer shoe on top is kind of a lonely sight each day, looking like someone who sort of got swept away by a parade barreling down Main St. But is it effective? Well, hey, they got their

The time trail included a trip through a local brew pub.

Lopes stood atop the podium in Durango.

The women's podium: (l to r) Grigson, Redden, Haywood, Florit and Brutsaert.

Kelme is racing the road stages on Shimano wheels with carbon rims that have carbon braking surfaces as well

The spoke heads are in the wall of Shimano carbon rims, while the nipples are at the hub, same as with Shimano aluminum wheels.

At the finish in Colmar, after negotiating five steep and winding descents, some of the material of the Shimano cork brake pads on the front of this Rabobank bike seems to have been melted and pushed to the leading edge by the Fir Santara carbon rims

Tour Tech: A bit more on wheel selection

Bobby Julich at the start.

The unseen and forgotten American, Kevin Livingston, looking very fit at the start of today's stage.

The Champion two-piece band, which unfortunately opens each stage with the one and only song they know.

Les Cadets, junior racers that are having the thrill of their lives at the Tour.

French flags, and road painting, encouraged all of the French riders to win on Bastille Day.

One of hundreds of German caravans, or small campers, that have joined the Tour and can be found along the course all through the Alps and Pyrennes.

Jalabert made all of France cheer

The day's big winner has to be Voigt - now six minutes up on Armstrong and Ullrich.

The five who defined the stage.

Postal worked to limited the gap -- and the damage.

Pascal stayed dry on his way to World Cup win No. 1.

Carter, with Tomac looking on, saw 17 riders miss his mark while he sat in the hot seat.

Chausson easily won the women's race.

Giove came up short in front of her hometown crowd.

Olympic champion Miguel Martinez enjoys the sunny part of the day.

Lance Armstrong blitzed a 165-man field in the 11th stage individual time trial up to the ski resort of Chamrousse Wednesday to win his second successive stage on this year's Tour de France. Check VeloNews's Tour de France page for the complete story by VeloNews's Bryan Jew, a post-race analysis from John Wilcockson, stunning race images by Graham Watson, a Tour photo gallery by Casey Gibson and more tech news from Lennard Zinn.

Many of you have asked that we not reveal the winner in the headline or first paragraph of our daily updates, so if you don't want be surprised as you work your way through our now-not-so-live updates click HERE to work up from the bottom and follow the race from the start. For the rest of you today's winner was ... 5:15 p.m. (local time) Stuart O'Grady retains the yellow jersey and Telekom's Erik Zabel continues in his quest for his sixth green jersey. 5:05 p.m. (local time) Kirsipuu! Telekom's Erik Zabel, was looking strong, but ran into traffic. Kirsipuu had a clear shot, while Zabel