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The Mail Bag is a Monday-Wednesday-Friday feature on VeloNews.com, but will appear daily during the Tour. If you have a comment, an opinion or observation regarding anything you have seen in cycling, in VeloNews magazine or on VeloNews.com, write to WebLetters@InsideInc.com. Please include your FULL NAME, HOMETOWN and STATE, or NATION if you live outside the United States. Letters may be edited for length and clarity.The code of OmertaEditors,Has the “Blue Train” turned into the “Blue Wall of Silence?” Armstrong should not be making "zip the lips" signals in the pelotonregarding Simeoni. If

Armstrong was not going to allow Simeoni to go anywhere unchallenged

Looking at the route of the 2004 Tour de France last fall, team directors and riders knew Stage 18 would be the last chance for opportunists to take a stage win. Covering small mountains and situated between the final big Alpine stage and the last individual time trial, today’s stage was tailor-made for a breakaway. Once the composition of the breakaway was finalized, the six-man group rode away to fight for the stage win. Back in the peloton, there wasn’t much incentive to chase or race aggressively. T-Mobile wasn’t going to be able to attack and isolate Ivan Basso to gain time on him

Armstrong was not welcome in the break, but he wasn't leaving until Simeoni did.

At a meeting in Salzburg, Austria, Friday the management committee of the UCI gave final approval to an agreement committing the organization to sign anti-doping protocols created by the World Anti-doping Authority nearly four years ago. On the eve of the 2004 Olympics in Athens, the UCI becomes the last international governing body to sign the rules. The committee’s failure to sign would have prevented cycling events from taking place in Athens this year. UCI president Hein Verbruggen has expressed concern on several occasions that cycling would be treated unequally because of its

Armstrong awaits the peloton after snuffing Simeoni's plans

STAGE 18 July 23 Annemasse - Lons-le-Saunier (103.152mi/166km)

Carl Decker's homemade time trial helmet

STAGE 18 July 23 Annemasse - Lons-le-Saunier (103.152mi/166km)

Armstrong had the firepower to back up any threats

STAGE 18 July 23 Annemasse - Lons-le-Saunier (103.152mi/166km)

Mercado wins

Tour de Tech: Questions about Clothing, Giants and that little bag

Phil Zajicek

Tour de Tech: Questions about Clothing, Giants and that little bag

Jonas Carney

Tour de Tech: Questions about Clothing, Giants and that little bag

Tim Johnson and Lyne Bessette

Tour de Tech: Questions about Clothing, Giants and that little bag

Simeoni has a dig - and Armstrong was having none of it

COURSE: This stage has five climbs but none are particularly steep;the Col de la Faucille, which overlooks Lake Geneva, is the longest, butcomes before halfway. The small Nogna hill and fast descent to the finish offer some chances for a late break. FAVORITES: The sprinters that have survived three difficult daysin the Alps will covet this stage. If someone like Bettini fails in a latemove, the field sprint will favor the talents of a Cooke or Zabel. HISTORY: Two stages have finished at Lons-le-Saunier. In 1937, the fifth stage was held in three parts: a 175km road race from Belfort

We'd like to have been able to listen in on that chat

Armstrong pips Klöden at the line

Tugboat and Tyler

Tugboat demonstrates the art of 'lazy-dog fetch'

Phonak and other teams have opted for the red Corima cork pads

COURSE: This is statistically the hardest day of the Tour with 16,827feet of climbing over five mountain passes in 205km. The 25km haul up theGlandon, followed by the 20km of the steeper Madeleine, will soften thingsup before three difficult climbs in the last 70km. There are 13-percentslopes on the narrow Col de la Forclaz above Lake Annecy, while the Croix-Frysummit is just 13km from the line. FAVORITES: A breakaway by men lower down the standings is likelyin the early kilometers and could gain enough time to stay clear all theway. Perhaps Carlos Sastre or Juan Mercado will win the

Haselbacher after the crash. You can see the offending bike, and its broken bar, leaning against the barrier on the upper left of the photo and enlarged below.

Lance Armstrong was in familiar territory Thursday, once again standing atop the winner’s podium, following the 17th stage of the Tour de France, a brutally difficult race from Bourg d'Oisans to Le Grand Bornand. But after outsprinting German Andreas Klöden (T-Mobile) in the final meters of the 204.5km stage, Armstrong said “the man of the day” was really his U.S. Postal Service teammate Floyd Landis. “He was again ... the man of the day,” said Armstrong, whose win in the final of three stages in the Alps was his third consecutive individual stage win and fourth for the Tour. But Armstrong

Tour de Tech: Product failures at critical moments

STAGE RESULTS1. Lance Armstrong (USA), U.S. Postal Service, 6:11:522. Andréas KlÖden (G), T-Mobile, 00:003. Jan Ullrich (G), T-Mobile, 00:014. Ivan Basso (I), CSC, 00:015. Floyd Landis (USA), U.S. Postal Service, 00:136. Axel Merckx (B), Lotto-Domo, 01:017. Levi Leipheimer (USA), Rabobank, 01:018. Carlos Sastre (Sp), CSC, 01:029. Mickael Rasmussen (Dk), Rabobank, 01:0210. Georg Totschnig (A), Gerolsteiner, 01:02 11. Azevedo José (P), U.S. Postal Service, 01:0212. Vladimir Karpets (Rus), Illes Balears-Banesto, 02:0013. Oscar Pereiro Sio (Sp), Phonak, 02:0514. Giuseppe Guerini (I), T-Mobile,

Virenque on the hunt for polka dots

Frenchman Richard Virenque made certain of winning a record seventh polka-dot jersey as best climber on the Tour de France during Thursday’s 17th stage. The 34-year-old Quick Step rider last year equaled the record of six victories held jointly by Spaniard Federico Bahamontes and Belgian Lucien Van Impe. Virenque began the 204.5km stage from Bourg d'Oisans to Le Grand-Bornand with 177 points, ahead of race leader Lance Armstrong (U.S> Postal Service-Berry Floor) with 142 and Italian Ivan Basso (CSC) with 101, and went out on the attack after an hour of racing to take enough points to secure

Postal en masse

Australia's Robbie McEwen survived the last mountain stage of the Tour de France on Thursday to remain the favorite to win the prestigious points competition. The Lotto-Domo rider finished 109th in Le Grand Bornand, more than 35 minutes behind stage winner Lance Armstrong, but with none of his rivals scoring points he kept the green jersey for another day. "On paper it looked as if it would be a really hard day but it turned out fine," he said after the 204.5km stage through the Alps. "I got over the first climb with the main field and then we formed a gruppetto on the Col de la Madeleine

The Glandon

Superior fitness makes a rider more versatile, and Lance Armstrong proved that by winning his third stage in as many days. Including the team time trial, Lance has won five stages of the 2004 Tour de France and he’s won them by being a complete athlete. Some riders are pure climbers, while others see the time trials as their best chance of winning a stage. When you are remarkably fit, however, you can excel in almost any racing situation and find a way to win on top of mountains, in time trials, uphill sprints and flat sprints. Extreme fitness provides benefits beyond power and endurance.

The Madeleine

Okay, I am beat now. It was another hard day. They keep hitting us with these insane stages. Today was perhaps one of the hardest days on paper with some serious climbing and the highest peak of the Tour, the Col de la Madeleine. My watch tells me we did 5000 meters of climbing in 71 km. Kilimanjaro is 5896 meters high so we didn’t do too badly today. As a kid I used to do a loop back home with my Dad that was 70km around. I can remember thinking it was a pretty solid ride back then- today we climbed the same distance. Today is was hot. In the last three weeks we have had all sorts of

One more for the boss

The Mail Bag is a Monday-Wednesday-Friday feature on VeloNews.com, but will appear daily during the Tour. If you have a comment, an opinion or observation regarding anything you have seen in cycling, in VeloNews magazine or on VeloNews.com, write to WebLetters@InsideInc.com. Please include your FULL NAME, HOMETOWN and STATE, or NATION if you live outside the United States. Letters may be edited for length and clarity.Lance Armstrong, man of the hour?Editor:Six is in the bag, but seven, schmeven! How about the hour record for Lance? What say ye, Big Tex? Dawn WrightCorvallis, Oregon Not a

Stage 17 of the Tour de France saw some great tactics played out in the final kilometers of an extremely hard and hot day in the Alps. The day’s stage finished with a first-category climb followed by a 10km descent to the finish. It was clear that Lance Armstrong wanted his U.S. Postal teammate Floyd Landis, who was pressing the pace for him up the final climb, to win the stage. So over the top of the climb, Landis didn’t so much attack as he just kept the pressure on over the top and rode away. Jan Ullrich jumped across, followed by Armstrong. Once Ullrich caught Landis, he sort of sat up

Great tire, but not for those conditions

STAGE 17 July 22 Bourg d'Oisans - Le Grand Bornand (131.737mi/212km)

Great tire, but not for those conditions

STAGE 17 July 22 Bourg d'Oisans - Le Grand Bornand (131.737mi/212km)

Everyone dealt with the heat in their own way

STAGE 17 July 22 Bourg d'Oisans - Le Grand Bornand (131.737mi/212km)

Storming through the massive crowds that encroached into the road up to the summit of Alp d’Huez, Lance Armstrong won the stage he most coveted and extended his lead in the yellow jersey. While Armstrong is in the position he wanted to be, Ivan Basso – at 3:48 behind the yellow jersey - has a lot to think about tonight. Sitting only 1:15 behind the Italian leader of the CSC team is Andreas Klöden, and Jan Ullrich sits at 7:55, in fourth place. Their proximity puts Basso’s second place position in the general classification in danger. To make matters more desperate for Basso, there is only

Armstrong started slow, then started pouring it on

David Millar, who was sacked this week by the Cofidis team after admitting taking the banned drug EPO and may be stripped of his time-trial world championship as a consequence, could be given a chance to ride for the Italian Amore & Vita team. "I'm willing to help Millar - and the Amore & Vita-Beretta team is ready to take him on - just as I did with Spanish rider Jesus Manzano earlier this year when he confessed to a Spanish newspaper," said team manager Ivano Fanini in Lucca, Italy. "He (Millar) is only 27 and is a talented rider who has won a world title and stages at the Tour de

Basso slipped further behind the race leader on the Alpe

Alpe d’Huez is probably the most famous climb of the Tour de France. Its thirteen kilometers of climbing, 21 switchback turns and steep ramps have showcased the epic battles of the Tour and typically draw the biggest crowds of any stage. This year was exceptional in many respects: we raced up it as a time trial and Lance is on his way to his sixth Tour victory. The crowds were insane from the start of the climb all the way to the top. At times it was scary, as I didn’t really know if I would make it through the crazy screaming fans. By the time we started racing the fans had finished their

One thing about Ullrich ... he never gives up

The Mail Bag is a Monday-Wednesday-Friday feature on VeloNews.com, but will appear daily during the Tour. If you have a comment, an opinion or observation regarding anything you have seen in cycling, in VeloNews magazine or on VeloNews.com, write to WebLetters@InsideInc.com. Please include your FULL NAME, HOMETOWN and STATE, or NATION if you live outside the United States. Letters may be edited for length and clarity.Meanwhile, regarding the 2005 Tour . . .Editor:So when do we start talking about No. 7? Sig AndersonDes Moines, Iowa After he wins No. 6? – Editor Forget No. 7 – how big will

Somewhere in there is a road

Georges Rajon on the steps of his hotel in L’Alpe d’Huez, alongside Jacques Anquetil.

STAGE 16 July 21 Bourg d'Oisans - L'Alpe d'Huez (TT) (9.321mi/15km)

STAGE 16 July 21 Bourg d'Oisans - L'Alpe d'Huez (TT) (9.321mi/15km)

STAGE 16 July 21 Bourg d'Oisans - L'Alpe d'Huez (TT) (9.321mi/15km)

Friday, July 4, 1952, 10th stage, Lausanne to l’Alpe d’Huez (266 km). The Alpe welcomes its first Tour, and a love affair begins. Fausto Coppi devours the 14km of switchbacks in 45 minutes, 14 seconds.

Armstrong destroyed his rivals on the slopes of L'Alpe d'Huez

STAGE DETAIL: 15.5 km (time trial) KM CLIMBING: 13.8 (average grade: 7.9 %) COURSE: Despite the ballyhoo this stage has created, it’s notthe toughest uphill time trial in Tour history. That honor goes to Mont Ventoux (used in 1958 and 1987), which is 7km longer than the 13.8km of the Alpe d’Huez climb with the same average grade of 7.8 percent. After a flat 1.7km start the Alpe d’Huez climb opens with its steepest pitches. FAVORITES: Armstrong may still be the favorite, but his strongest challenger on the stage may be Iban Mayo, who won the stage to L’Alpe d’Huez last year and

Ullrich took his best shot, but couldn't quite get it done on the Alpe

Although he’s virtually unknown to the public, hotelier Georges Rajon wasinstrumental in the Tour de France’s longstanding relationship with L’Alped’Huez. He is the man credited with bringing the Tour to the famous climb,and he has made significant contributions to the development of this alpineresort, where he still loves to spend his time. But Rajon will tell youit wasn’t his idea to bring the Tour up to L’Alpe d’Huez. “It was an artisan painter from Bourg d’Oisans, Jean Barbaglia, whocame to see André Quintin [another hotelier at L’Alpe d’Huez] andme one day in 1951 and asked, ‘Why don’t

Tour de Tech: Some Questions, Some Answers

Former world sprint cycling champion Sean Eadie was re-nominated to compete for Australia at the Olympics on Wednesday, two days after drugs allegations against him were dismissed. His reinstatement to the Games team is now expected to be a formality. Eadie was cleared by Australia's Court of Arbitration for Sport on Monday night of trying to import banned human growth hormones. He was dropped from the Athens line-up when the drug trafficking claims emerged two weeks ago but has fiercely maintained his innocence since. Eadie was replaced on the proposed cycling team by 22-year-old Ben

Tour de Tech: Some Questions, Some Answers

One of Lance Armstrong's first reactions after a spectacular win in today's stage 16 time trial up l'Alpe d'Huez was to say it should not have been held on the fabled Alpine mountain. Having been targeted for abuse in the Pyrénées, Armstrong again found it a challenge to ride through the mass of humanity that flocked to the switchback slopes of the Alpe. Speaking on French television, he said in French: “There was a lot of emotion ... a lot of public, a lot of fear for me. For me it was not a good idea to have a time trial on l'Alpe d'Huez.” Later, while rating his reception at Plateau de

Phonak is using Easton's Equipe bar

STAGE RESULTS1. Lance Armstrong (USA), U.S. Postal Service, 39:412. Jan Ullrich (G), T-Mobile, 01:013. Andréas KlÖden (G), T-Mobile, 01:414. José Azevedo (P), U.S. Postal Service, 01:455. Santos Gonzalez (Sp), Phonak, 02:116. Giuseppe Guerini (I), T-Mobile, 02:117. Vladimir Karpets (Rus), Illes Balears-Banesto, 02:158. Ivan Basso (I), CSC, 02:239. David Moncoutie (F), Cofidis, 02:2310. Carlos Sastre (Sp), CSC, 02:27 11. Stephane Goubert (F), Ag2R Prevoyance, 02:3312. Michael Rogers (Aus), Quick Step-Davitamon, 02:3413. Gutierrez José Enrique (Sp), Phonak, 03:0414. Oscar Pereiro Sio (Sp),

Another day, another yellow jersey

No worries

A day in the spotlight

COURSE: On paper, this doesn’t look like a difficult stage. The highest point is only at 4500 feet elevation, but there are two very serious climbs in the last 60km and a summit finish. The Col de l’Echarasson is 12km at 7.4 percent, the Col de Chalimont 10km at 6 percent, and the final 100km are on narrow, winding roads. FAVORITES: Expect some surprise moves in this rugged terrain that could see the yellow jersey change hands. It’s the sort of stage that Alex Vinokourov or Tyler Hamilton could claim. HISTORY: The most recent of five finishes at Villard-de-Lans, in 1990, saw Erik Breukink

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