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What's inside Postal's new lid

COURSE: This looping course has a 50km section through Frenchterritory before returning to Belgium on rolling terrain. The last 8kmfollow the Meuse River with a finish in downtown Namur. FAVORITES: There is a sharp turn just 200 meters from the finishline, a set-up that favors McEwen or Cooke rather than Petacchi or Cipollini.Being on a Belgian team, Lotto-Domo’s McEwen will be especially anxiousto win. HISTORY: About 45km from the finish, the race passes throughMarennes, Belgium, the birthplace of former Tour winners Firmin Lambot(1919 and 1922) and Léon Scieur (1921). The last of four

McEwen rockets to the front for the victory

Tour de France archivists found themselves blowing dust off the history books and writing a new chapter after Thor Hushovd became the first Norwegian to claim the yellow leader's jersey at the end of Monday's second stage to Namur. In a crash-filled 197km stage that began in Charleroi, Hushovd's second place behind Australian Robbie McEwen (Lotto-Domo) was all he needed to take over leadership in the green-jersey points competition, too. Hushovd (Crédit Agricole), 26, will start Tuesday's third stage from Waterloo to Wasquehal with an eight-second lead over Swiss Fabian Cancellara (Fassa

The obligatory early break

The Mail Bag is a regular feature on VeloNews.com, appearing each Monday, Wednesday and Friday. 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.Contrition only when caughtEditor:Why is it that all of the riders caught doping now want to stop “living the lie” and come clean? Don’t you think it has more to do with getting caught than living a lie? David Millar just couldn’t live with

Fagnini is out of the Tour

Individual Stage Results1. Robbie Mc Ewen (Aus), Lotto-Domo, 4:18:392. Thor Hushovd (Nor), Crédit Agricole, 00:003. Nazon Jean-Patrick (F), Ag2R Prevoyance, 00:004. Danilo Hondo (G), Gerolsteiner, 00:005. Stuart O'Grady (Aus), Cofidis, 00:006. Jaan Kirsipuu (Est), Ag2R Prevoyance, 00:007. Erik Zabel (G), T-Mobile, 00:008. Alessandro Petacchi (I), Fassa Bortolo, 00:009. Gerrit Glomser (A), Saeco, 00:0010. Mario Cipollini (I), Domina Vacanze, 00:00 11. Peter Wrolich (A), Gerolsteiner, 00:0012. Tom Boonen (B), Quick Step-Davitamon, 00:0013. Aart Vierhouten (Nl), Lotto-Domo, 00:0014. Sylvain

Lance, Och' and Miss Sheryl

Sandwiched between the always-nervous first road stage of the Tour and the potentially dangerous third day tomorrow, stage 2 offered the U.S. Postal Service the chance to take it relatively easy. As usual, the team’s instructions were to keep Lance up front and out of trouble, and since that task is going to be a bit more difficult tomorrow, conserving some energy was also an important task for the day. It’s not just the 4km of cobblestones that are a cause for concern in stage 3. The 20km preceding the cobbles are likely to be very fast and combative as riders try to secure positions near

George Hincapie doing his part for the cause.

It was another day at the office for photographer Graham Watson, who sent us these tidbits from his outbox.

Apparently the Marlboro Man took a wrong turn at Cheyenne and ended up in Belgium

I feel like crap. I don’t know why or what is going on, but I feel like crap these days. I sure am not getting my legs to turn the way I want them too and I am struggling quite a bit at the moment. These are supposed to me my kinds of days and, as I said, I am sort of on home turf, but it was all I could do just to stay in the field. If I knew what was wrong with me, I’d be a happy man, because I could do something about it. As it is, I have no idea why I feel like I lack power and struggling on the bike. It’s really tough on my head. I want to get my body to do more, but it just doesn’t

Remember all that talk about weight and lack of fitness a couple months back?

NAMUR - The first few stages of the Tour de France are always kind of tough. They probably look easy on paper compared to the mountain stages of the Pyrénées and the Alps, but don’t let the level terrain fool you. There’s no describing how nerve-wracking the opening stages of the Tour are. For starters, there’s a full field of nearly 200 guys all fired up about being at the year’s biggest race. Add high speeds, rain, a bunch of crashes, spectators in the road, a good hard chase to reel in a break away and the madness that ensues before a field sprint, and you pretty much have the recipe for

Only 3016km to go! This is supposed to be encouraging?!??!

Thor Hushovd of Crédit Agricole overcame great odds on Monday to become a somewhat unlikely leader of the 2004 Tour de France. On Tuesday, he will wear the yellow leader’s jersey because of his fast prologue time trial and the time bonuses he has collected for finishing third and second in stages 1 and 2. One of the things you have to love about the Tour is that it requires you to overcome great odds and unforeseen obstacles. Hushovd and his teammates knew that if he could finish in the top three on Monday, he would take over the race lead. They obviously were working for that during the

SRM founder Ulrich Schoberer with Saeco's Gerrit Glomser.

Italy's Alessandro Petacchi is considered to be the best sprinter in cycling, but the Fassa Bortolo speedster has struggled in the two high-speed finishes so far in this year's Tour de France. Petacchi was only eighth in Sunday's stage 1 to Charleroi behind Jaan Kirsipuu (AG2R) and again in Namur at the end of stage 2, which was won by Robbie McEwen (Lotto-Domo). After 12 months of consistent victories in sprint finishes, including a record nine stage wins in May's Giro d'Italia, he is wondering what has gone wrong. "I can't seem to sprint as I really want to, there's always somebody in

Not for spare tubes. This is an SRM telemetry unit

STAGE 2 July 05 Charleroi - Namur (121.173mi/195km)

The T-Mobile boys got these first

STAGE 2 July 05 Charleroi - Namur (121.173mi/195km)

No flex: Petacchi won't be getting too much wobble in sprints

Tour winners Emile Masson (left) and Firmin Lambot (right).

Punched the time clock and ready for work

Hushovd dons the maillot jaune

Landis leads the Postal train

Kirsipuu takes a narrow victory

It looked like anyone's race in the final dash to the line

Cancellara rode safely to retain the yellow jersey

Hincapie told the press that today's goals were protecting Lance and staying out of trouble

Just getting to the start is trouble enough for the defending champ

COURSE: The first half of the course loops south on mostly valleyroads, with a handful of short hills, not the steep climbs of Liège-Bastogne-Liège. The second half between Huy and Charleroi is on straight, rolling roads where the wind could be a factor. FAVORITES: The straight finish favors Alessandro Petacchi and Mario Cipollini, rather than Zabel, Baden Cooke, Robbie McEwen and Oscar Freire, but watch for Belgian Tom Boonen to make a splash on his Tour debut. HISTORY: The last time the race came to Charleroi, in 1995, Erik Zabel took the first Tour stage win of his career. Unlike that

The scene at the start

The Tour de France peloton did its best to impersonate crash test dummies in today's first stage won by AG2R’s Jaan Kirsipuu, while Fabian Cancellara of Fassa Bortolo just retained the yellow jersey. The 202.5km stage from Liege to Charleroi lived up to apparent Tour tradition that the first day of racing be marred by numerous crashes -- and, often, costly injuries. Little wonder then that American Tour champion Lance Armstrong (U.S. Postal) admitted to being more than a little nervous in a bunch that had to race in cool, wet and often slippery conditions. “I was very nervous because of

And we're off

Euskaltel, whose team leader Iban Mayo is a contender for the Tour de France yellow jersey, have suspended their doctor Jesus Losa following a recent admission by Britain's David Millar that he used EPO. Millar admitted to using the banned blood booster erythropoietin (EPO) last week after police searched his house and found syringes with traces of the drug. The 27-year-old Scot told police he had been given advice by the Euskaltel team doctor Losa. Euskaltel confirmed Sunday that he had been suspended from the Tour while they carry out their own investigation. Euskaltel have already been

Tour de Tech: Going Tubeless at the Tour

Individual Results - Stage 11. Jaan Kirsipuu (Est), Ag2R Prevoyance, 4:40:292. Robbie Mc Ewen (Aus), Lotto-Domo, 00:003. Thor Hushovd (Nor), Crédit Agricole, 00:004. Danilo Hondo (G), Gerolsteiner, 00:005. Nazon Jean-Patrick (F), Ag2R Prevoyance, 00:006. Baden Cooke (Aus), FDJeux.com, 00:007. Arvesen Kurt-Asle (Nor), CSC, 00:008. Alessandro Petacchi (I), Fassa Bortolo, 00:009. Erik Zabel (G), T-Mobile, 00:0010. Allan Davis (Aus), Liberty-Seguras, 00:00 11. Jimmy Engoulvent (F), Cofidis, 00:0012. Jimmy Casper (F), Cofidis, 00:0013. Pineau Jérôme (F), Brioches La Boulangere, 00:0014. Sergio

Tour de Tech: Going Tubeless at the Tour

Tour de France organizers might not be regretting their decision to give the cycling-mad Belgians the chance to see some close-range drama on the race's first stage proper on Sunday. However, some of the 188 riders in this year's 91st edition would probably see things very differently after a nearly calamitous first day over 202.5km of undulating terrain from Liege to Charleroi near the Ardennes. Belgium is the home of cycling's greatest champion, Eddy Merckx, and a number of the world's best-known one-day races are held here. Thus, as an homage to the country, and especially the region

It's merely a flesh wound: Hamilton had a brief tumble

It was a nervous day for the racers, with flats, crashes and rain, and an even busier day for photographer Graham Watson, who sent us these shots from today's action.

By about that much...

Danilo Di Luca has won the Trofeo Matteotti race in central Italy on Sunday, beating Oskar Camenzind and Paolo Bossoni. It was personal revenge for Di Luca ­back in Italy after his undeserved exclusion from the Tour de France and after just missing out in the Italian national championships. The successful day for Team Saeco was completed with the return to racing of Eddy Mazzoleni. He was brought back into the team yesterday after the end of his temporary suspension that followed the start of investigations that also include Danilo Di Luca. “It’s a huge satisfaction for me and for the

Piil and Wauters worked well together... just not well enough.

If there’s one thing you can count on when racing in Belgium, it’s that you’re likely to get rained on. While the roads were dry for a little while this afternoon, it wasn’t long until the peloton was soaked to the skin in cool July rain. Besides staying upright, keeping warm was the most important thing riders needed to remember during Stage 1. Lance and his teammates didn’t pull out the rain jackets because they were afraid of getting a little wet; they wore them to prevent their core temperatures from falling. In a three-week stage race, you never want to burn any more energy than you

Cipo' was in no position to contest the sprint

STAGE 1 July 04 Liège - Charleroi (121.173mi/195km)

Voigt leads the break

STAGE 1 July 04 Liège - Charleroi (121.173mi/195km)

Lunch time

In 1952, Luxemburger Jean Diederich soloed for 120km over the Belgian pavé to win the Roubaix-Namur stage.

Belgian legend Eddy Merckx has added his voice to the debate about Lance Armstrong's bid for an unprecedented sixth yellow jersey in this year's Tour de France, suggesting that no great champions are complete without attempting the world hour record. Throughout cycling history, many of the greats, from Merckx to Francesco Moser, have capped glittering careers by attempting the hour record. Armstrong, who is favored to win an unprecedented sixth Tour and overtake the four other five-time winners - Jacques Anquetil, Merckx, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain - has said that he would one day

Everyone's early fave, McGee, finished one spot behind Gutierrez ...

1. Fabian Cancellara (Swi), Fassa Bortolo, 06:502. Lance Armstrong (USA), U.S. Postal Service, 00:023. Gutierrez José Ivan (Sp), Illes Balears-Banesto, 00:084. Bradley Mc Gee (Aus), FDJeux.com, 00:095. Thor Hushovd (Nor), Crédit Agricole, 00:106. Oscar Pereiro Sio (Sp), Phonak, 00:117. Jens Voigt (G), CSC, 00:118. Christophe Moreau (F), Crédit Agricole, 00:129. Bobby Julich (USA), CSC, 00:1210. George Hincapie (USA), U.S. Postal Service, 00:12 11. Gutierrez José Enrique (Sp), Phonak, 00:1412. Angel Vicioso (Sp), Liberty-Seguras, 00:1513. Levi Leipheimer (USA), Rabobank, 00:1514. Carlos

... while Hushovd was next in line, crossing fifth

Photographer Graham Watson's Tour de France got under way today, too. Here's a sampling of what he saw as the 2004 edition took to the streets in Liége, Belgium.

Armstrong's nemesis, Ullrich, conceded 18 seconds to the Texan ...

Not too bad. I did a pretty normal prologue time trial today. I wasn’t all that lucky with the wind and the weather. If you look at the results, it looks like the guys who went off early turned in better times than even some of the big specialists at the end. The guys going off early had a pretty nice tailwind going out, at least to the turnaround, and then we got off after things shifted a bit and it felt like it was either a headwind or a crosswind. I doubt I got 200 meters of tailwind throughout. Still, I have no complaints. It was a reasonable ride and six kilometers doesn’t exactly

... as did former lieutenant Hamilton

LIÉGE - It feels good to have officially startedthe race. The days leading up to the Tour always seem like such chaos.You never stop moving. There is always somewhere to be and some who needsto speak with you. It’s a hectic pace to be keeping when all you reallywant to do is rest. Three long weeks are ahead, so it’s important to maintaina balance.Our camp gathered a little early on Tuesday morning to do some lastminute previewing of the team time trial course together. It’s always abit of a challenge to figure out the order the guys are going to ride in.So it was good to have the chance to

Strong performances by Hincapie and other Posties brought the squad today's team prize

I don’t know that you could have scripted a better scenario for the opening day of the Tour de France. Lance Armstrong had a very good day, put a little daylight between himself and his main rivals, but was beaten by a young man from Switzerland riding his first Tour de France. He delivered the message that he’s prepared for a hard three weeks, but he and the Postal Service don’t have to work to defend the yellow jersey tomorrow. One good day down, 22 to go. A strong prologue performance by a team leader is important in a long stage race. It has a significant psychological effect on the

PROLOGUE July 03 Liège TT (3.728mi/6km)

PROLOGUE July 03 Liège TT (3.728mi/6km)

Cancellara was confident once McGee fell short

It's a Good bike ... it says so, right on the down tube

Keep on truckin'

It ain't pretty, but it works ... or so Gilberto Simoni hopes

Cancellara takes Tour prologue

COURSE: This completely flat course is more technical than lastyear’s prologue in Paris, featuring two virtual dead-stop turns, a trickysection over cobblestones, and a long curving section that is ridden inboth directions. The whole course is on city streets, except for a shortsection on a highway that runs parallel to the Meuse River. FAVORITES: Expect last year’s prologue winner Brad McGee to befavored, especially with the absence of David Millar, while homeboy RikVerbrugghe will also be vying for the honors. Of the GC contenders, LanceArmstrong will want to make a statement with his

Armstrong blazed the course, taking early time from his rivals

Lance Armstrong was just two seconds shy of winning the Tour de France prologue and taking the yellow jersey on Saturday. But by finishing second to Swiss Tour debutant Fabian Cancellara (Fassa Bortolo) in the 6.1km time trial in Liège, he still dealt a first blow to his main rivals for a sixth overall victory. On a flat, windswept course, Armstrong took 15 seconds and more out of German Jan Ullrich (T-Mobile), American Tyler Hamilton (Phonak) and Spaniard Iban Mayo (Euskaltel-Euskadi). Ullrich surprised everyone by placing only 16th, while Hamilton was 18th, conceding 16 seconds to the

Cancellara was the fastest man in the Tour today

Australian rider Matthew White will not take part in this year's Tour de France after breaking his collarbone in a training accident in Liège on Saturday, his Cofidis team confirmed here Saturday. White, who was previewing the 6.1km prologue course ahead of the start, is believed to have crashed into a rail which was covering some cables. The 30-year-old team support rider, from Sydney, joined Cofidis with the hope of riding the big Tours, and especially the Tour de France after spending two years with Lance Armstrong's U.S. Postal team and getting passed over for the Tour squad. White's