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Four minutes, but little more. Nonetheless, the break lasted for nearly 150km.

Course: After heading out for 12km to the Atlantic coast, the course parallels the seashore for the next 93km, passing through yachting towns like Les Sables-d’Olonne. On leaving Aiguillon-sur- Mer, the final 75km returns inland, often on narrow, twisting back roads, dipping in and out of low valleys. Crashes are a high risk on the run-in to the town of Les Essarts (population: 5100), where there is a short finishing straight. History: A stage has never finished at Les Essarts. When the Vendée region last hosted the opening stages six years ago, a similar stage finished in Challans, where

Another day in yellow

The Dave Zabriskie Show came to the Tour de France on Sunday, momentarily diverting the cameras away from Lance Armstrong and the other big stars in the Tour’s stage 2. And the European media, getting their first taste of Dave Z’s quirky sense of humor, didn’t know quite what to make of it — especially when he dead-panned to French television on how his first day went in the yellow jersey. “How did I spend it? Racing bikes,” said the 26-year-old CSC rider said with a sardonic smile. Zabriskie enjoyed the view from the front of the peloton during most of Sunday’s 181.5km stage across

Boonen wants the points jersey this year.

Dave Zabriskie didn’t quite know what to make of all the fuss. Sure, he became just the third American to wear the yellow jersey in Tour de France history and he beat six-time Tour champ Lance Armstrong to do it, but after all, it’s just a bike race. “I got a massage, had dinner, read a little, then went to sleep,” was how Zabriskie described his first evening in yellow. “Yeah, we had a little champagne.” Sunday morning, Zabriskie got the full yellow-jersey treatment, with dozens of photographers and reporters waiting outside the team bus. Team CSC riders huddled inside the bus for

Zabriskie fields questions from the press.

Stage 2 Results1. Tom Boonen (B), Quickstep, 3:51:312. Thor Hushovd (Nor), Credit Agricole, 00:003. Robbie Mc Ewen (Aus), Davitamon-Lotto, 00:004. Stuart O’Grady (Aus), Cofidis, 00:005. Luciano Pagliarini (BRA), Liquigas-Bianchi, 00:006. Juan Antonio Flecha (Sp), Fassa Bortolo, 00:007. Peter Wrolich (A), Gerolsteiner, 00:008. Pineau Jérôme (F), Bouygues Telecom, 00:009. Baden Cooke (Aus), Francaise des Jeux, 00:0010. Allan Davis (Aus), Liberty Seguros, 00:00 11. Manuel Quinziato (I), Saunier Duval, 00:0012. Robert Hunter (RSA), Phonak, 00:0013. Inaki Isasi (Sp), Euskaltel-Euskadi, 00:0014.

CSC tooks its leadership duties seriously

Whether your preference is for Tom Boonen's legs or a podium girl's smile, our man Casey Gibson was on the job in France on Sunday, collecting images of the 2005 Tour. Here's what he sent home.

Armstrong had the points jersey on Sunday.

Tom Boonen may have won this Tour’s first ferocious sprint on Sunday, but don’t expect the tall Belgian to continue winning stages this week in the manner perfected by Mario Cipollini in the 1990s and Alessandro Petacchi in more recent years. That’s because Boonen won the stage into Les Essarts despite not having an organized lead-out train. The team that did its best to set up a strong paceline on the run-in was Baden Cooke’s Française des Jeux squad; but the French team’s efforts fell far short of guiding Cooke into a winning position. The twisting run-in and a sharp left turn into a

LivingStrong in the Vendée

Good things take a long time comingSix years after Matt White was first denied his chance to ride in the Tour de France, the Australian finally made it to the start line of the world's biggest bike race - and he’s done so in one piece. For once White didn't crash. Neither was he left off the team. Nor was his team excluded from the three-week race. In fact, White finished stage one - a 19km time trial from Fromentine to Noirmoutier in 101st place at 2:32 behind American winner, David Zabriskie (CSC). He finished Sunday by placing 153rd in the Tour’s second stage, the 181km leg

The chase was steady, but not frantic

So, here we are again. The Tour kicked off yesterday with what would normally be a perfect time-trial course for a guy like me: a pan-flat, straight shot to the finish line. But it takes me a few days to “find my legs” in a big tour, and I had what you could only call a day that wasn’t all that bad, but wasn’t all that great either. It’s difficult for me, usually, the first few days. You spend so much time getting ready, training like mad, and then you have a couple of days that throw you off a bit, with travel, medical controls, the presentation and all. It’s tough to get back into the

Zabriskie had plenty of support around him

Boonen celebrates

Boonen blows 'em away . . .

Crunching the numbers

. . . and here's what he did the job with

Why is Voeckler smiling? The polka-dot jersey may have something to do with it . . .

Zabriskie dons the first yellow jersey of the 2005 Tour

Photo Files - TDF05

Vinokourov may be T-Mobile's leader, after all.

Photo Files - TDF05

Landis expanded the U.S. presence in the top 10, crossing sixth

Photo Files - TDF05

Course: Starting from the ferry port at Fromentine, this opening time trial has a few twists and turns in the first 2km, then heads up a curving concrete bridge to the course high point 114 feet above the narrow strait between the mainland and the island of Noirmoutier. The next 11km is on a flat divided highway before a few final curves and turns into Noirmoutier town. History: The last time there was a comparable start to the Tour was at Futuroscope in 2000, when the traditional 8km-or-shorter prologue was replaced by a rolling 16.5km TT. That time, a youthful David Millar surprised Lance

Hincapie rides into fourth place

Viaduc de Millau

Back in 1965, the renowned French film director Louis Malle made a superb documentary on the Tour de France, titled “Pour un Maillot Jaune” (“For a Yellow Jersey”). There was no commentary to the film. Malle used the sounds and sights of the Tour, and inserted a dramatic soundtrack that switched between total silence and haunting, throbbing techno music. It was not a story of the race. The race told its own story, and produced a totally unexpected winner, an Italian who was a last-minute replacement and riding his first Tour. His name: Felice Gimondi. Forty years later, there could again be

Horner finished more than two minutes off of Zabriskie's pace

Foto file

Leipheimer

Noirmoutier, France, July 2 (AFP) - Bradley McGee might be engaged in his own battle to boost his overall performance on the Tour de France but that has not stopped him tipping Michael Rogers to become the first Australian winner of the yellow jersey in Paris. McGee, who won the prologue at the 2003 Tour for his Francaise des Jeux team, has spent the last few campaigns in July helping teammate Baden Cooke in the bunch sprints. But after a long, hard 10 months year of climbing in the mountains in a bid to better prepare himself for this year's race, the 29-year-old New South Wales rider

By blasting away his main overall rivals in the stage 1 time trial Saturday, Discovery Channel's Lance Armstrong wiped away any lingering suspicion that he has come to the Tour de France short on form. Now, his goal of taking a seventh consecutive title already looks a lot closer. He may have finished two seconds shy of winning the 19km race against the clock from Fromentine to Noirmoutier-en-I'Ile, but losing the stage to former teammate David Zabriskie of CSC was no disgrace. The 26-year-old from Salt Lake City completed his ride in a blistering 20:51. That's an average speed

Is Ullrich seeing this Tour ride away from him, too?

Fred Rodriguez will be Robbie McEwen’s top lead-out man in the hunt for stage wins in the mass sprints, and that’s just fine by him. “Fast Freddy” believes his chances will come in what’s his fifth Tour de France start. “I’ll be mostly working for Robbie,” Rodriguez told VeloNews. “I think in the second half of the Tour there will be some chances for me, on the courses that are a little more selective, when maybe some of the bigger guys will have some trouble getting through.” The Californian said working for other sprinters is something he’s used to. In his 2000 Tour debut with Mapei, he

T-Mobile has another serious threat in Vinokourov

Stage 1 - results1. David Zabriskie (USA), CSC, 19km in 20:51 (54.676kph)2. Lance Armstrong (USA), Discovery Channel, at 00:023. Alexandre Vinokourov (Kaz), T-Mobile, at 00:534. George Hincapie (USA), Discovery Channel, at 00:575. Laszlo Bodrogi (Hun), Credit Agricole, at 00:596. Floyd Landis (USA), Phonak, at 1:027. Fabian Cancellara (Swi), Fassa Bortolo, at 1:028. Jens Voigt (G), CSC, at 1:049. Vladimir Karpets (Rus), Illes Balears, at 1:0510. Igor Gonzalez Galdeano (Sp), Liberty Seguros, at 1:06 11. Bobby Julich (USA), CSC, at 1:0712. Jan Ullrich (G), T-Mobile, at 1:0813. Jose Enrique

The Lampre-Caffita bikes sport a third brake lever, like Zabriskie's

In his interview with L’Equipe at the end of last year, Walter Godefroot acknowleged that he “had been forced to think commercially” in holding onto Jan Ullrich as a captain, even though Andreas Klöden was clearly the stronger man. Ullrich is the marketing front of the T-Mobile corporation, the most popular German cyclist ever. So despite the fact that Klöden was second in last year’s Tour and that Alexandre Vinokourov was having a superb spring campaign, Ullrich has been relentlessly sold to the German public as Lance Armstrong’s main challenger and the undisputed number one at T-Mobile. It

Um, now, about that wheel fairing . . .

Keepers of statistics will love this one. In trouncing his main GC opponents at the opening 19km time trial of the Tour on Saturday, Lance Armstrong raced at precisely 54.545 kph. Sound familiar? Well, yes. When Greg LeMond rode his famous 24.5km time trial between Versailles and Paris at the 1989 Tour, to overcome a 50-second deficit on Laurent Fignon, he raced at precisely 54.545 kph. What’s even more important for Armstrong is that, while conceding the stage win to former teammate Dave Zabriskie by two seconds, he defeated third-place Alexandre Vinokourov by 51 seconds, Floyd Landis by

A little detail on that brake lever.

Hello,Well, I had planned to start this Tour with a good result early on, and frankly, as I rode the time trial today, I felt pretty good … until I was caught and passed by Lance. That is not a particularly good feeling, especially on the first stage. I really can’t explain it. Maybe it did have something to do with the crash I had the other day. I did lose some blood, but really, I don’t believe that is the cause. I didn’t feel too bad at all this morning and I felt pretty optimistic about the stage and the Tour in general. Then Lance came flying past me, finishing just two seconds off of

PROF6

Zabriskie en route to victory

Prof7

Photo Files - TDF05

Didi by

Armstrong overhauls Ullrich

Tourmalet

Yellow-jersey contender Ivan Basso is not new to the idea of hoping to win the Tour de France, and the Italian affirmed here Friday he is ready to give Lance Armstrong a run for his money. Basso, who has already won the race's white jersey for the best-placed rider age 25 years or under, was the only rider to really threaten Armstrong in the Pyrenees last year. The 28-year-old Italian won a stage at La Mongie ahead of Armstrong, who relegated the classy CSC rider to second place a day later. Basso's efforts left him with a respectable third-place finish on the Champs Elysées last

Horner finally gets to the big show, and seems happy to be there

Reigning champion Lance Armstrong will begin his bid for a seventh consecutive Tour de France crown on Saturday when he starts last off the ramp for the opening stage, a 19km time trial through western France. For a course profile, click here Armstrong, who begins his race at 18:48 local time (16:48 GMT), is among the favorites to pull on the race's yellow jersey along with Italian Ivan Basso, Germany's Jan Ullrich and Colombia's Santiago Botero. Organizers have made the opening stage more difficult, compared to the traditional prologues of around 6-8km in recent years, by

Rodriguez, sans stars-and-stripes this year

Few people in cycling have been to the Tour de France as often as T-Mobile director Walter Godefroot. This year he will accompany the Tour for the 32nd and final time - Godefroot is resigning from team management at the end of this year, to be replaced by former sprinter Olaf Ludwig. In an interview with the Munich-based Sueddeutsche Zeitung yesterday, Godefroot was unusually candid about the dynamics within the team, renewing his criticism of T-Mobile star Jan Ullrich, discussing his strained relationship with team co-founder Rudy Pevenage, and outlining T-Mobile’s strategy to defeat Lance

The wise-cracking Zabriskie takes his sense of humor to a whole new level

Levi Leipheimer huddled against the cold wind coming off the Atlantic Ocean at a Gerolsteiner team presentation Friday afternoon. He wouldn’t shake hands with journalists who came for an interview. With Leipheimer starting the Tour in his best condition ever, there’s no jinxing the form now. Sitting on a beach with the Pont de Noirmoutier towering overhead -- the same bridge he and the 188 other starting riders will tackle in Saturday’s 19km time trial from Fromentine to Noirmoutier-en-l’Ile – a leaner, meaner Leipheimer quietly puts himself among the top-line contenders. “Yes, I am more

Dave Zabriskie was gobbling down French sweets at an alarming rate Friday afternoon as journalists gathered around the tall, slender Utahan to learn more about this American making his Tour de France debut. “I feel stupendously happy. There’s a lot of free candy in the press room,” Zabriskie said with a wry smile. “Who doesn’t like free candy?” The world’s press is about to get the “Zabriskie treatment,” a mixture of humor, sarcasm and insight that keeps the hacks in stitches. How’s the motivation for the team? “Super motivated – the Prozac is being passed around nightly.” Are you

The riders of the 2005 Tour de France were on display Friday during a parade for the fans and the traditional team introductions. Our man Casey Gibson was on hand with his bag of cameras - here are a few of the postcards he sent home.

A critic savaged this year's Tour de France Guide

Just when you thought TV couldn't get any worse, we have Roll in the raw

'Hell on Wheels' rolls into Boulder tonight

Armstrong and Simeoni carry their dispute into stage 18 of the 2004 Tour

Basso and Riis before the start of the 2005 Tour

Leipheimer and the Gerolsteiner guys recon the stage-1 route

The parade leaders - future yellow jerseys?

The defending champ, riding in his final Tour

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Faithful lieutenant Hincapie

So here we are - the Tour de France starts Saturday. It’s almost hard to believe that after all the hype and buildup the race is actually set to begin. All the racers, team staff, officials, work crews, media and fans have been looking forward to this for months, and the start day is finally around the corner. I know we at VeloNews worked hard on our Tour de France guide, even if some of our readers’ pets don’t appreciate our efforts. Anyhow, buckle up, I think it’s going to be a good one this year. With the exception of the unforgettable 2003 Tour, it seems as though for the past five

Perennial rival Ullrich, sporting a bandage after a training mishap

With a little bit of luck, T-Mobile will arrive at the 2005 Tour withits full weaponry in place and finely honed. The German powerhouse hopesto wage a three-front war on Lance Armstrong, spearheaded by perennialTour contender Jan Ullrich and buttressed by a resurgent Andreas Klödenand the ever-combative Alexander Vinokourov. And if all goes accordingto plan, T-Mobile hopes its time to bring down Armstrong may have finallycome. “I’ve been trying for a long time to prove that there is strength innumbers, but I’ve never been able to get everything to come together,”says T-Mobile team manger

The latest Photo Gallery in our continuing photo contest has now been posted for your viewing pleasure. Last Week's WinnerWe’ve awarded a copy of Graham Watson’s "Landscapes of Cycling." to Bill Parsons for "Bug Eyes," a shot that perfectly captures that "Oh $#@&!!!!" moment of realization that something is going on behind you. Thank you and congratulations Bill. We'll be sending you a copy of Graham Watson's "Landscapesof Cycling. This Week's ContestThe announcement of a winner also signals the start of a New Contest, so go ahead and take a look at the Gallery from this

Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong said he isn’t quite ready to decide on his post-cycling career path until after he finishes this year’s race and takes “a few years to just relax and really evaluate what I want to do with my life.” Armstrong held a pre-Tour press conference in Challans, France. Thursday, two days before the start of what he has promised will be his final professional race. Armstrong will saddle up on Saturday hoping that the "tough" 19km time trial from Fromentine to Noirmoutier will begin a successful final trek around the country which has been his home every July