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Stage 14: Montélimar to Gap - 180.5km

... as his team monitored the gap.

Fedrigo takes the win

Laurent Jalabert looking thoughtful at the start.

Closing the gap, however, fell to other teams.

Verbrugghe has a broken leg

Lavender...

And the chase almost succeeded.

Another day in yellow.

... lavender....

Eddy Merckx and Rupert Guinness in Montelimar

... everywhere.

Stage Stats: Stage 14 by the numbers

The Tour's 'copter squadron

Another beautiful sight at the Tour. Marketa Navratilova of Cor Vos Photo

Stage Stats: Stage 14 by the numbers

Sculpture in Montelimar

Casey Gibson spots his retirement home.

Course: With a rest day coming up in Gap, followed by the Alps, this gives the lesser known riders one of their last chances of glory. The intricate 180.5km stage through hilly terrain north of Mont Ventoux offers two Cat. 3 climbs in the first half and two Cat. 2s in the second half. The narrow back roads and constant ups-and-downs will make it a hard stage for everyone and encourage breakaways. The last of the climbs, the Sentinelle, is less than 10km from the finish and offers a great chance for a solo rider to stay clear of a small breakaway group. History: Gap has seen the finish of 18

A spectator in Montelimar

Orchards are big business in Provence.

Unless you’re a diehard Bouygues Telecom fan, stage 14 of the 2006 Tour de France won’t be remembered as a day marked by large time gains or big victories. The 180.5km stage from Montélimar, in northern Provence, to Gap, in the foothill of the southern Alps, will go down as a day of crashes, abandons and drama. A spectacular sequence of riders overcooking a right turn at the end of a winding descent with 40km remaining took down half of the day’s six-man breakaway, opening the door for Frenchman Pierrick Fédrigo (Bouygues Telecom) and Salvatore Commesso (Lampre-Fondital) to ride on and

You'll excuse us if we take a pass on this corn

Surface temps were quite high...

1. Pierrick Fedrigo (F), Bouygues Telecom 180.5km in 4:14:23 (42.573kph)2. Salvatore Commesso (I), Lampre, 00:003. Christian Vande Velde (USA), CSC, 00:034. Christophe Moreau (F), Ag2r Prevoyance, 00:075. Georg Totschnig (A), Gerolsteiner, 00:076. Stefano Garzelli (I), Liquigas-Bianchi, 00:077. Michael Boogerd (Nl), Rabobank, 00:078. Cristian Moreni (I), Cofidis, 00:079. George Hincapie (USA), Discovery Channel, 00:0710. Cadel Evans (Aus), Davitamon-Lotto, 00:07 11. Alexandre Botcharov (Rus), Credit Agricole, 00:0712. Christophe Rinero (F), Saunier Duval, 00:0713. Damiano Cunego (I), Lampre,

Didi Senft is now a Tour de France regular

... resulting in expected damage to the tarmac.

Eddy Merckx, the world’s greatest ever cyclist, visited the Tour that he won five time for stage 14. His mission? To watch his son Axel race for Phonak, spend time with Merckx Jr. and his grandchildren on the rest day and to find out for himself who will join the family of our champions. Before stage 14 started at Montelimar on Sunday, Merckx spoke to Rupert Guinness to discuss how he saw the race unfolding VeloNews.co: How has the Tour changed since you raced? Eddy Merckx: Oh … there is a huge difference now, yes. It is a lot more publicized, There are more media. It has become so much

These guys may become fixtures as well

Commesso leads the break...

Some of our VN crew were out of the course today, a little too far ahead of the peloton, but they did get a chance to take in some of the sights along the way.

Well-tended trees

... Popovych leads the chase...

Last year, Rabobank’s Michael Rasmussen electrified the Tour de France with a big stage win and rode with the king of the mountains jersey into Paris. So far this year, the former world mountain bike champion has been quietly finding his way. The skinny Dane worked for team captain Denis Menchov in the Pyrénées and has patiently been scooping up points for the polka-dot jersey. He promises to step back into the limelight in the Alps, but first come Menchov’s hopes in the GC. VeloNews caught up with Rasmussen ahead of Monday’s rest day. Here are excerpts of the interview: VeloNews.com:

The VeloCrew takes a lunch break

and the Tour heads into Gap.

The Tour de France saw two more teams, CSC and Caisse d’Épargne-Illes Balers join Discovery Channel in turning around their problem-stricken 2006 campaigns into face-saving celebrations on Saturday’s stage 13. The 230km stage from Béziers to Montélimar, the longest of the race, was won in a two-up sprint by evergreen German Jens Voigt (CSC) while breakaway companion Oscar Pereiro (Caisse d’Épargne) profited from their half-hour winning margin to take the yellow jersey from American Floyd Landis (Phonak). The outcome, was an incredibly fitting one, coming as it did 24 hours after the

Phonak at the team introduction on Saturday morning.

... and delivers when it counts.

1. Jens Voigt (G), CSC, 230km in 5:24:36 (42.513kph)2. Oscar Pereiro Sio (Sp), Caisse d'Epargne-I.B., 00:003. Sylvain Chavanel (F), Cofidis, 00:404. Manuel Quinziato (I), Liquigas-Bianchi, 00:405. Andriy Grivko (Ukr), Milram, 06:246. Robbie Mc Ewen (Aus), Davitamon-Lotto, 29:577. Bernhard Eisel (A), Francaise des Jeux, 29:578. Tom Boonen (B), Quick Step-Innergetic, 29:579. Carlos Da Cruz (F), Francaise des Jeux, 29:5710. Arnaud Coyot (F), Cofidis, 29:57 11. Marco Velo (I), Milram, 29:5712. Thor Hushovd (Nor), Credit Agricole, 29:5713. Francisco Ventoso (Sp), Saunier Duval, 29:5714. Luca

Floyd looks serious... and a little bored.

Hincapie - like everyone else in the peloton - had a slow day in the saddle.

Victor Hugo Peña had a front-row seat to three of Lance Armstrong’s seven Tour de France victories and now he believes he’s about to witness another with his old U.S. Postal teammate Floyd Landis. Peña rode in support of Armstrong in 2001-03 at U.S. Postal Service and now he’s working to push Landis to his first Tour win. “I believe that Floyd can win this Tour,” Peña told VeloNews before Saturday’s start. “We have to take it day by day and see how things unfold, but the team is motivated to help him win. We believe he can win.” Peña, racing in his fourth Tour, became the first Colombian

Axel had his fans there.

Phonak took it slow and easy.

What a difference a day made for Discovery Channel. The glum faces following Thursday’s setback in the Pyrenees were replaced with smiles following the victory in Stage 12 by Yaroslav Popovych. VeloNews caught up with Discovery Channel assistant sports director Sean Yates to get the lowdown on the aftermath of Thursday’s Pyrenean meltdown. Here are excerpts from the interview: VeloNews.com: What happened Thursday? The team couldn’t put its top riders into the front group, how much of a surprise was that? Sean Yates:We were hoping we’d have two guys in the selection. We were hoping George,

Leipheimer on his way to the sign-in

Gontchar doing something many in the peloton did Saturday.

While you've been enjoying the weekend, firing up the BBQ and maybe downing a brew or three, Casey Gibson was galloping through France alongside le Tour, chronicling the day's action. Here's what he sent back across the pond.

Once the break formed, these guys put on some serious time.

Hot and scenic

If you believe Phonak team director John Lelangue, then the events of Saturday’s 230km stage 13 run from Beziers to Montelimar were all part of the master plan. Lelangue brushed off the notion that letting the yellow jersey go was a gamble, reverting to his now-familiar mantra that the only thing that matters is the final outcome. Lelangue claimed that even before the peloton rolled out for another scalding day in the saddle, his team’s hold on the overall GC was not the No. 1 priority. “It was the strategy already in the morning on the bus,” explained the Phonak boss after team captain

A sky-box at le Tour.

Scenic and hot

WeatherMostly sunny, very hot again, high 35C Stage winnerJens Voigt (CSC), 5h24:36, 42.514kph – The German won his second career Tour stage in trademark panache, attacking in the Tour’s longest stage to win in a breakaway. The five-man breakaway started to dissolve under searing temperatures and counter-attacks late in the stage. Oscar Pereiro (Caisse d’Epargne) chased a long sprint from Voigt, but the German out-muscled him for the win. Race leaderPereiro, 2,498.6km, 59h50:34 – Spain’s Pereiro becomes the seventh rider to hold the yellow jersey, just one man short of the record eight

Gibson makes a point of not repeating the typical TdF sunflower photo and opts for lavender, instead

In the Tour of California, there was a guy with a sign on the side of the road that read “Jens for president.” After today, I would vote for him. He got the job done. Jens’s campaign would consist of free Play Stations for everyone no matter what age and probably a bit of communism, just because its easier. If you haven't guessed by now, Jens won today 30 minutes in front of the peloton. He pummeled himself into a break away, like he does almost every day and then rode 200km with four other guys on the hottest day of the Tour. He deserved the win today like no other. Jens is a bit

Landis took a gamble, expecting to take the jersey back in the Alps.

Saturday’s long, hot and laborious stage 13 across the deep south of France was debilitating for everyone at the Tour de France. And it was no surprise that a small group of riders deep in the general classification successfully conducted a breakaway of more than 200km — even though few expected Floyd Landis and his Phonak team to let the break gain half an hour and hand their former teammate, Oscar Pereiro, the yellow jersey. While Pereiro, stage winner Jens Voigt and their companions averaged a solid 42.5 kph on the rolling course between the Mediterranean and Rhône Valley, the peloton,

A look ahead: GC battle likely in stormy weather on Sunday

Stage 13: Béziers to Montélimar - 230km

Landis may have to store the yellow one for a day or so

A look ahead: GC battle likely in stormy weather on Sunday

Stage 13: Béziers to Montélimar - 230km

Landis wants to wear this into Paris. Who has it before that, doesn't really matter.

Voigt edges Pereiro to take his second-ever Tour stage.

Lelange meets reporters after Phonak handed off the jersey

Trebon on his own

Stage Stats: Stage 13 by the numbers

Gould's visualization pays off

Stage Stats: Stage 13 by the numbers

The new leader of the Tour

Voigt gets the stage; Pereiro gets the jersey

Course: At 230km, this is the longest stage of the race, and together with the likely fast pace and baking hot weather, it could be one of the most grueling, too. It starts at Béziers on the Mediterranean seaboard before cutting across the southeast corner of the Massif Central on winding back roads that are constantly dipping and climbing through the foothills. The critical part of the stage comes with 60km to go, from where the race twists through the spectacular canyons of the Ardèche and Ibie rivers and crests two Cat. 4 climbs before emerging onto the N.102 highway with 25km to go.

Meet The Press: Phonak director John Lelangue explains why losing the jersey is no biggie