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The Mailbag is a regular feature on VeloNews.com. 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 and home town. Letters may be edited for length and clarity.Good for George!Editor:I met George Hincapie in 1998 at Interbike in Las Vegas, while I was working for Vetta. On that day, Greg LeMond was a couple of booths away signing autographs with a massive crowd, but George was sitting alone in (I believe) the Sinclair booth. I told him then

Casper's win surprised many... including Casper.

We’ll never forget that the pre-race favorites Jan Ullrich and Ivan Basso left Strasbourg in public disgrace and private disgust the day before the 93rd Tour de France began. But their departure, and that of the other 11 athletes barred from the race, will begin to be a distant memory when the remaining 176 riders leave their Strasbourg hotels Monday morning and head to the stage 2 start in Obernai. In other words, the Tour is finally getting on the open road, to begin its three-week counterclockwise loop around France. But first stop on the trip is Luxembourg’s second-largest city,

Casper gets the green jersey, too.

Stage 1: Strasbourg - Stasbourg - 184.5km

Hushovd's day started like this . . .

Stage 1: Strasbourg - Stasbourg - 184.5km

. . . and ended like this

Casper prevails in an insane sprint(Hushovd's arm is already bleeding in this photo)

Popovych peeks out of the bus at a nearly spectator-free start

Course: After a parade-style ride from the start outside Strasbourg’s 1000-year-old cathedral, the racing begins on the western edge of the city. The riders then make a counterclockwise loop around the quaint Alsatian towns and vineyards, cross the Rhine River into Germany and then head back across the river for the finish on part of the previous day’s prologue course. The day’s only categorized climb, a Cat. 4, is in the foothills of the Vosges mountains. History: The last time a road stage finished in Strasbourg, in 2001, the 211km stage 6 from Commercy was won by Estonian sprinter Jaan

The front of the Ionos

The finish was another sort of spectacle altogether

In the absence of his friend and longtime Tour de France team leader Lance Armstrong, George Hincapie proved on Sunday that he has no problems taking things into his own hands. In the first road stage of the 2006 Tour, the Discovery Channel rider made a crafty move at an intermediate sprint spot to grab a small time bonus and launch himself into the race lead to become just the fourth American to wear the yellow jersey in Tour history. Stage 1, a mostly flat 184.5km loop that started and finished in the city of Strasbourg, was billed as a sprinters’ affair and that’s how it turned out as the

A rear view

The break

A year after finishing the Tour de France in the sprinters’ green jersey, Thor Hushovd will start the opening road stage of the 2006 rendition in yellow. The burly Norwegian earned initial possession of the maillot jaune Saturday, taking victory in the 7.1km prologue that kicked off this year’s race in Strasbourg. On a steamy day in the Alsace region of eastern France, Hushovd (Crédit Agricole) blistered the flat, lollipop shaped course, posting a finish time of 8:17. That was just enough to eclipse American George Hincapie, the last of 176 riders to start the 93rd Tour de France. Hincapie

Prologue: Strasbourg 7.1km

... and what they hope to see at the finish.

Warming up

1. Thor Hushovd (Nor), Credit Agricole, 8:172. George Hincapie (USA), Discovery Channel, 8:173. David Zabriskie (USA), CSC, 8:214. Sebastian Lang (G), Gerolsteiner, 8:215. Alejandro Valverde (Sp), Caisse d'Epargne-I.B., 8:216. O’grady Stuart (Aus), CSC, 8:217. Michael Rogers (Aus), T-Mobile, 8:238. Paolo Savoldelli (I), Discovery Channel, 8:259. Floyd Landis (USA), Phonak, 8:2610. Vladimir Karpets (Rus), Caisse d'Epargne-I.B., 8:27 11. Serhiy Honchar (Ukr), T-Mobile, 8:2712. Tom Boonen (B), Quick Step-Innergetic, 8:2813. Manuel Quinziato (I), Liquigas-Bianchi, 8:2914. Cadel Evans

Prologue: Strasbourg 7.1km

Chris Horner warms up...

Really warming up

Friday’s "cleansing" of the Tour de France continued to resonate as the reduced peloton of 176 riders lined up for Saturday’s opening prologue. The doping controversy continued to broil below the surface following the unprecedented expulsion of pre-race favorites Jan Ullrich (T-Mobile), Ivan Basso (CSC), Francisco Mancebo (Ag2r) and the entire Astaná-Würth team. The riders were taken out of the Tour just 24 hours before Saturday’s start after excerpts from some 500 pages of court and police documents of Spain’s ongoing doping investigation were presented to UCI and Tour officials late

Hushovd wins the prologue

... and on the course.

A few final adjustments

Discovery team director Johan Bruyneel discusses the rider ejections and how it will effect his teams strategy during the morning of the prologue. Click Here to watch video.

Did Landis miss a win?

Christian Vande Velde

Same here

VelonNews correspondents Jason Sumner and Andy Hood discuss the ejection of Jan Ullrich Ivan Basso and others, and its effects on the race. Click Here to watch video.

Christian Vande Velde earlier this week

Levi Leipheimer

Evans heads out on a scouting mission

Police were surprised when they raided the Madrid apartment of Spanishdoctor Eufemiano Fuentes on May 23 to find a cornucopia of products ranging from human growth hormones, testosterone patches, EPO and insulin.In one apartment, 96 pouches of frozen blood and 20 pouches of frozen plasma were found, while in another office, an additional 89 pouches of frozen blood and 19 pouches of frozen plasma were among the haul.Among centrifuges and other medical apparatus to extract and transfuse blood, members of the doping squad of Spain’s Guardia Civil found were more than 100 different products.The

Evans races to 14th in the prologue

Landis trying to make up for that late start

Meet the press

The Mailbag is a regular feature on VeloNews.com. 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 and home town. Letters may be edited for length and clarity.Don’t elevate scandal over sportEditor:This is a terrible, terrible tragedy. Please, don't make it worse by allowing this tragedy to be the focus of your 2006 Tour de France coverage. There are still fierce competitors and heroes in this year’s Tour who aren't part of this

Hamilton with Sevilla at the 2004 team presentation

Hincapie came so close.

That's a lot of Bianchis

One day after he was forced out of the Tour de France because of a doping scandal, Giro d’Italia winner Ivan Basso said he was "not well" but "serene inside." The Team CSC rider complained in a television interview that he had not been formally notified of any investigation into suspected doping. "Surely, I am not well, that's clear," the Italian cyclist said. "I'm not well because, as of today, I have not been formally notified. But inside I am serene. And that is the most important thing." Basso and T-Mobile’s Jan Ullrich, two of the favorites to win this year’s Tour, were among

McQuaid seeks harsh penalties.

Discovery's Jose Azevedo

Phonak's time machines

Out of the gates of hell, but out of the gates nonetheless. The last few days have been crazy, waking up every morning not knowing what the day will bring. It has been hard to keep our focus and stay above the haze of doubt and unknown. The journalists have been doing their jobs and just like anything, some do theirs better than others. I have so many questions and so much frustration that I don't even know where to begin, to the point of when I ran into George, a person in whom I have always confided, neither of us had a thing to say to each other. But the looks said it all; we

O'Grady channeled his anger into a fine prologue ride

Julich may have an unexpected role on CSC this Tour.

Hincapie's TT bike

Cadel Evans has become one of the riders capable of challenging for the Tour de France crown following the expulsion of several contenders implicated in the Spanish doping inquiry called Operación Puerto. He spoke to Rupert Guinness before placing 14th in Saturday's prologue time trial, just 13 seconds behind winner Thor Hushovd. — Editor VeloNews: There will be a number of riders won’t be here ... Ivan Basso, Jan Ullrich, Francisco Mancebo, Alexandre Vinokourov. How will that change the completion of the race? Cadel Evans: Now there won’t be three teams who would try to control the

Oh so close: Hincapie finishes 0.73 seconds behind Hushovd

Zabriskie says he loves timed events more than any others.

And the new Trek Madone

The head of cycling's governing body says that Tyler Hamilton could be facing a lifetime ban if links to an alleged blood doping ring in Spain are confirmed. Others, including 1997 Tour de France winner Jan Ullrich (T-Mobile), 2006 Giro d’Italia champion Ivan Basso (CSC) and T-Mobile's Oscar Sevilla could face four-year bans before returning to cycling’s 20-team ProTour league. UCI President Pat McQuaid told VeloNews that if police evidence linking Hamilton to Spanish doctor Eufemiano Fuentes is proven, the 2004 Olympic time trial champion will be banned for life. “With the evidence

Zabriskie rounds out the top three.

The devil you say

Michael Rogers's TT bike

[Watch Video]

Millar marks his return to the peloton

Even the clock comes with advertising

Rujano in his new kit

One day after CSC’s team leader Ivan Basso was barred from competing in this year’s Tour de France over allegations of his alleged involvement with the Spanish doping scandal Operación Puerto, his teammates were left picking up the pieces. In the 24 hours before the prologue in Strasbourg, the world’s No. 1 ranked team went from its focused mission of overall victory for Basso to wondering who might lead the team over the next three weeks. "It’s been very difficult for our team — for our supporters, for everybody," said Australian CSC rider Stuart O’Grady, who was able to channel his

Savoldelli rides to an 8th place finish at 8:25

Name that car

The remaining CSC boys prepare for the day's work

[Watch Video]

The turn out is as big as ever...

Weigh that bike

Ready to roll

Course The panhandle-shaped 7.1km prologue course is in the eastern part of Strasbourg, a kilometer from the ancient heart of the city with its spired cathedral and picturesque canals. The start and finish are close to the race headquarters in the Palais de la Musique et des Congrès. After a short section of divided highway, the circuit takes a clockwise direction around a 5km loop that passes old ramparts and modern buildings of the European Parliament. The course is completely flat on wide, tree-lined city streets. History The Tour de France last started in Strasbourg in 1953, some 14

With scandals, ejections and legal battles brewing on the sidelines, it's sometimes hard to remember that the Tour de France actually involves guys riding bikes and trying to do so faster than the guys around him. Our guy Casey Gibson remembered and went out on the streets of Strasbourg, France, on Saturday to catch a glimpse of the opening round of what could actually turn into one of the most closely fought Tours in years.

... with an occasional reminder of other things now and then.

Here comes the caravan

The German press showed little sympathy for former Tour de France champion Jan Ullrich Saturday, a day after he was suspended from this year's race for alleged connections to a Spanish doping doctor. Ullrich, the 1997 winner, and fellow favorite Ivan Basso of Italy were among 13 riders thrown off the Tour by their respective teams after appearing on a list of 58 cyclists implicated in a blood-doping network. "The lies of sporting life," was the title of Berliner Zeitung which continued to applaud the battle against drug cheats. "Finally some good news. The suspension of Ullrich and Co,

Jason Sumner didn't settle for simply whipping up a stage report today — he also sent along plenty of photos to accompany our live coverage of the prologue. Look for Jason's stuff throughout the Tour.

What riders see at the start...

Horner's seen it all before