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On every road stage of this 2006 Tour de France, it has been relatively easy for the sprinters’ teams to control the race. One reason is because there was no team trial this year and so no major time gaps have developed in the general classification, which means that in every early break there is generally someone, time-wise, who is not far from the yellow jersey. For example, on Thursday, several riders near the top of the GC rankings went with the early eight-man break. Despite several kilometers of flat-out effort (almost 46km were raced in the opening hour on far-from-flat terrain), the

Quick Step leads the chase

Stage 5: Beauvais to Caen 225km

Even the yellow jersey lends a hand

Stage 5: Beauvais to Caen 225km

New crops frame the peloton

Julich on the bridge

Freire catches the favorites napping

The final sprint

The yellow jersey is not a bad consolation prize

Freire celebrates

Schröder and Dumoulin spent a long day off the front...

Landis is biding his time

... and Boonen's Quick Step team spent a long day chasing

1. Robbie Mc Ewen (Aus), Davitamon-Lotto2. Isaac Galvez (Sp), Caisse d'Epargne-I.B., 00:003. Oscar Freire (Sp), Rabobank, 00:004. Thor Hushovd (Nor), Credit Agricole relegated4. Tom Boonen (B), Quick Step-Innergetic, 00:005. David Kopp (G), Gerolsteiner, 00:006. Daniele Bennati (I), Lampre, 00:007. Francisco Ventoso (Sp), Saunier Duval, 00:008. Michael Albasini (Swi), Liquigas-Bianchi, 00:009. Bernhard Eisel (A), Francaise des Jeux, 00:0010. Jimmy Casper (F), Cofidis, 00:00 11. Michael Rogers (Aus), T-Mobile, 00:0012. Anthony Geslin (F), Bouygues Telecom, 00:0013. George Hincapie (USA),

The Disco's head to the start

Defending Tour de France points champion Thor Hushovd (Crédit Agricole)was relegated from his fourth-place finish in Stage 4 of the Tour de France Wednesday after officials ruled him guilty of irregular sprinting.Hushovd, who wore the yellow jersey after winning the race prologue and again two days later, was ruled to have blocked Austrian sprinter Bernhard Eisel as both riders raced to the finish line in a bunch sprint.Robbie McEwen, of Davitamon, won the sprint well ahead of his rivals to claim his second stage of the race and tenth of his career, allowing him to reclaim the race's

Hincapie ready for a day at the office, too.

Following the latest round of reports intimating possible links between CSC’s Ivan Basso and the Spanish doping ring called Operación Puerto, team doctor Joost De Maeseneer addressed the press at the Tour de France stage 4 start in Huy. While Maeseneer maintained he never saw anything that indicated Basso may have been involved in illicit activities, he conceded that there’s no way he and the team’s other two doctors can keep an eye on all the riders all the time. Maeseneer also said there is no reason for Basso or anyone else to seek services outside the confines of the team. "If Stuart

The day's break

From the morning sign-in at the start to the podium at the finish, Casey Gibson covers it all. Here's what he saw between the lines today.

Fans are still enthusiastic, and today's crowds were very large. Big day for hay bales too.

Weather sunny, very warm again, brisk crosswinds Stage winner Robbie McEwen (Davitamon-Lotto), 4:59:50, 41.423kph – McEwen earned his second win in three days to make it an even Tour 10 on his career. Second-place Isaac Galvez (Caisse d’Epargne) shook up a late crash to finish second, but was no match for McEwen’s top-end speed. Thor Hushovd (Credit Agricole) was relegated for dangerous sprinting. Race leader Tom Boonen (Quick Step-Innergetic), 19:52:13, 42.445kph – The world champion could only muster a disappointing fifth in the sprint, but he retained his one-second lead to Michael

Landis and crew stayed near the front.

Five-time Tour de France winner Eddy Merckx likes American Floyd Landis' chances to win this year's race. Merckx says Landis seems to be in top form after wins this year so far at the Tour of California, the Tour de Georgia and Paris-Nice. "He's in very good shape, he has a very good team," said Eddy Merckx, stepping out of the team bus before Wednesday's fourth stage. "I think he could win the Tour." Merckx may not be totally impartial, though, since his son Axel, is a Phonak teammate of Landis. Besides Landis, Merckx said he also likes American Levi Leipheimer,

Boonen wants a stage win...

Stage 4: Huy to Saint Quentin - 207km

... but McEwen wins another

Stage 4: Huy to Saint Quentin - 207km

... and the world champion has to settle for another yellow jersey.

McEwen claims his 10th career Tour stage win

The fans are happy to get a look at whomever makes the podium

Boonen had hoped for a stage win, but keeps the jersey

VeloNews ventures into video...

Martinez is just one of Bruyneel's many options at this Tour

... but these guys don't seem too concerned.

Quick Step had a lot of responsibilities on Wednesday

CSC doctor Joost De Maeseneer

Robbie the Rocket does it again

Stage 4 by the numbers

Boonen stays in yellow

Stage 4 by the numbers

Course: This stage, which starts in the Belgian city of Huy on the right bank of the Meuse River at the foot of the infamous Mur de Huy, brings the Tour back to France. It traces some of the roads of the Mur’s classic, the Flèche Wallonne, climbing a couple of Ardennes hills in the opening 60km; but then it heads southeast on a flat-to-rolling route, mainly on wide, straight roads till it reaches the French border. The final two hours will be hectic, first on 80km of twisting, undulating back road through the countryside of Picardy, until the race reaches a straight, hilly highway inside 15km

Crédit Agricole on the front

Tour doctor Gerard Porte assists Dean after he hit the deck in the finale

It was a double-digit day for Robbie McEwen on stage 4 of the Tour de France. He uncorked a perfectly timed sprint with 200 meters to go in St. Quentin, France, to score his 10th career Tour de France stage victory in dominating fashion. The 34-year-old Australian they call "the pocket rocket" shot away in a tough, uphill sprint through a sweeping left turn to beat Spanish sprinter Isaac Galvez (Caisse d’Épargne-Illes Balears) by two bike lengths, while an exasperated Tom Boonen (Quick Step-Innergetic) came through in fifth shaking his head in frustration but retaining the maillot jaune. "I

McEwen gets ready for a day in the saddle

Belgium

From start-line caravan to finish-line chaos, Casey Gibson covers it all. Here's what he saw between the lines today.

On the road

At this point in the 2005 Tour de France, Tom Boonen had already given his Quick Step team a couple of stage wins and taken the green jersey. Twelve months later, he again leads the points competition and he starts Wednesday’s stage 4 in Huy, Belgium, wearing the yellow jersey of race leader — but without winning any of the opening stages. The world champion would like to change that win-less record as soon as possible. But, first, let’s see what has kept Boonen from adding to his list of 17 season victories. After coming an excellent 12th in Saturday’s prologue, the tall Belgian was the

Doing the day's voice over

Stage 3: Esch-sur-Alzette to Valkenburg - 216.5km

Kessler wins

Stage 3: Esch-sur-Alzette to Valkenburg - 216.5km

and has reason to celebrate after Monday's heartbreaker

A tough route that covered some Classic terrain

and his T-Mobile teammate, Rogers, leads the field in.

If at first you don't succeed: Kessler wins by 50 meters after missing a win by that same margin on Monday

Fourth-placed Boonen gets the jersey

Arrieta: The most aggressive

Valverde knew the truth the moment he stood up

Stage Stats: Stage 3

Rodriguez and Dekker

Stage Stats: Stage 3

Arrieta tried to hold off the field but fell victim to the Cauberg

World Champion gets a new jersey for Wednesday's stage

Kessler's win was that much sweeter after Monday

Course: This is another long stage (216.5km), which starts in Luxembourg,passes through Belgium and finishes in the Netherlands. The first halfof the course is mainly on straight, wide highways, while the second half,from where it joins the Liège-Bastogne-Liège classic routeat Vielsalm (107km), is mostly on winding, often narrow, back roads. Withsix climbs in the last 90km — starting with L-B-L’s Haute-Levéeand ending with the Amstel Gold Race’s Cauberg 2km from the finish — thepeloton is almost certain to be split by attacks. History: An almost identical finish to a stage came in 1992,the

Voigt says he expects an early break to succeed one of these days

The cycling gods were both generous and horribly cruel in dealing out their judgments on the Tour de France peloton in Tuesday’s stage 3 from Esch-sur-Alzette to Valkenburg. Generous to those like stage winner Matthias Kessler (T-Mobile) and Belgian world champion Tom Boonen (Quick Step-Innergetic), whose fourth place and time bonuses earned him the overall lead. Fittingly, Boonen’s feat has come in time for him to wear the yellow jersey in Wednesday’s stage through his home country before the Tour re-enters France. “[Wearing the yellow jersey in Belgium] is something that might happen once

Rodriguez and Dekker are both out of the Tour

Boonen wears yellow into Belgium tomorrow

1. Matthias Kessler (G), T-Mobile2. Michael Rogers (Aus), T-Mobile, 00:053. Daniele Bennati (I), Lampre, 00:054. Tom Boonen (B), Quick Step-Innergetic, 00:055. Erik Zabel (G), Milram, 00:056. Luca Paolini (I), Liquigas-Bianchi, 00:057. Oscar Freire (Sp), Rabobank, 00:058. Eddy Mazzoleni (I), T-Mobile, 00:059. Georg Totschnig (A), Gerolsteiner, 00:0510. Fabian Wegmann (G), Gerolsteiner, 00:05 11. Alexandre Botcharov (Rus), Credit Agricole, 00:0512. Mirko Celestino (I), Milram, 00:0513. Rubiera José Luis (Sp), Discovery Channel, 00:0514. Cadel Evans (Aus), Davitamon-Lotto, 00:0515. George

Voigt at the start: He had plans for a busy day

He's got the jersey. Now he wants a stage.

Weathersunny, very warm again, light windStage winnerMatthias Kessler (T-Mobile), 4h57:54, 43.605kph – The 27-year-oldGerman earned back some pride for his tarnished team to win in a bold attackon the Cauberg. He held off a late charge to win his first Tour stage withteammate Michael Rogers coming through second.Race leaderTom Boonen (Quick Step-Innergetic), 14h52:23, 42.788kph – TornadoTom finished fourth at five seconds back to slip into the maillot jaunefor the first time of his career. Three-time world time trial championRogers is just one second behind the world road champion. Overnight

Good luck... and don't dope.