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The wait is nearly over. In two more days the 2001 Tour de France will be underway, with the race favorites trying to ride safe until the first big tests in the mountains: L'Alpe d'Huez and the uphill time trial to Chamrousse. Here's a look at how the final-month preparations panned out for the top guns, as well as a look at some faces that will be missing from this year's race. Lance Armstrong (U.S. Postal Service) No crashes, no new media accusations and twin babies on the way (Kristin Armstrong is expecting in December); everything seemed to be going right for the

Putting it all together

On a bright, sunny New Mexico day in early May, David Cathcart stood on the side of the road at the Tour of the Gila criterium. As he watched his riders, split between the chase group and the main field, Cathcart barked orders into his hand-held radio. The Canadian team director switched back and forth fluidly between French and English each time his riders climbed the stiff hill on the back side of the Silver City course. Of course, the language skills come as no surprise, considering the makeup of his Intersports team. Based in Canada, Intersports is home to its fair share of

Peat’s bike, complete with the latest offering from RockShox, will go unused this weekend.

A Tour de France contender can do everything right in training, but unless he balances that schedule with the right amount of racing, his chances of success take a nose-dive. In his first two Tour victory seasons, Lance Armstrong got it just right. In 1999, his last event before the Tour was the low-key Route du Sud, where he won the last stage, a summit finish at Plateau de Beilles. Then, last year he won the time trial stage of his last pre-Tour race, the Dauphiné Libéré, in which he helped teammate Tyler Hamilton take the overall. Both these performances boosted Armstrong’s morale

For Colorado native Jonathan Vaughters, the plan was simple enough leading into this year’s Tour de France: Hang on for the first week and a half of the three-week race, and then see how the legs feel. The first indications would likely come on the 10th stage, from Aix-les-Bains to L’Alpe d’Huez, but the stage that really stuck out in Vaughters’s mind would come the following day. "[The Tour] has an uphill time trial for the first time in five or six years, and I’m just keeping my fingers crossed," he said two-and-a-half weeks before the start of the Tour, from his summer home in Spain. "The

Only four men in the 98-year history of the Tour de France have managed to win the race three times in succession: Frenchmen Louison Bobet and Jacques Anquetil, Belgian Eddy Merckx and Spaniard Miguel Induráin. American Lance Armstrong is now attempting to join those four greats of the past. Of the four, you would have thought that the insatiable Merckx would have had the easiest passage to his three in a row. He had won the Tour in 1969 and 1970 by margins of 17:54 and 12:41. Yet, his 1971 ride was the least glorious of his eventual five Tour victories. After wearing the yellow jersey for

Select Company: A third Tour win would put Armstrong among cycling’s greats.

Lance’s perfect race prep

Best laid plans

Bust a Move: Vaughters plans to stay cool until stage 11, then shoot for the podium with a stage win or two.

In pursuit of the threepeat

In pursuit of the threepeat

Only four men in the 98-year history of the Tour de France have managed to win the race three times in succession: Frenchmen Louison Bobet and Jacques Anquetil, Belgian Eddy Merckx and Spaniard Miguel Induráin. American Lance Armstrong is now attempting to join those four greats of the past. Of the four, you would have thought that the insatiable Merckx would have had the easiest passage to his three in a row. He had won the Tour in 1969 and 1970 by margins of 17:54 and 12:41. Yet, his 1971 ride was the least glorious of his eventual five Tour victories. After wearing the yellow jersey for

She started the year not entirely certain if she wanted to be a mountain-bike racer, a road racer or a research immunologist. By early July, the decision turned out to be an easy one. Amber Neben said that even at the beginning of the 2001 season, she suspected that her "strength may be on the road." It's a good bet, however, that the 26-year-old SoBe-HeadShok rider probably surprised even herself when she jumped into the winning break at the U.S. national road race and finished second to Saturn's Kimberly Bruckner. Add to that her sixth place in the time trial and a stellar

Cat 3 in 2000. Pro contract in 2001. Not a bad year.

There were no major surprises as the U.S. Postal Service team announced its line-up for the upcoming Tour de France. Joining two-time defending champion Lance Armstrong will be three Americans — Tyler Hamilton, George Hincapie and Christian Vande Velde; Spaniards Roberto Heras and Jose Luis Rubiera; Russian Viatcheslav Ekimov; Norwegian Steffen Kjaergaard; and Colombian Victor Hugo Pena. The full text of the team’s announcement follows: U.S. POSTAL SERVICE PRO CYCLING TEAM TOUR DE FRANCE TEAM ANNOUNCED Choosing from what he called were 10 valid candidates, the United States Postal Service

Telekom (Germany)

Fassa Bortolo (Italy)

ONCE - Eroski (Spain)

Rabobank (Netherlands)

Vande Velde's back after missing last year.

Ekimov

Hincapie

VeloNews launches 2001 Tour site

Bobby Julich (USA)Jonathan Vaughters (USA)Stuart O'Grady (Aus)Thor Hushovd (N) Jens Voigt (G)Anthony Morin (F)Sébastien Hinault (F)Frédéric Bessy (F)Christopher Jenner (NZ) Country: FranceIn the peloton since: 1998Sponsor: French bankBudget: $4 millionManager and directeur sportif: Roger LegeayDirecteur sportif: Serge BeucherieAssistant: Michel LaurentTrainer: Denis Roux

AG2R (France)

Santiago Blanco (Sp)Vicente Garcia-Acosta (Sp)Eladio JimZénez (Sp)Francisco Mancebo (Sp)Jon Odriozola (Sp)Javier Pascual Rodriguez (Sp)Leonardo Piepoli (I)Denis Menchov (Rus)Tomasz Brozyna (Pl) Country: SpainIn the peloton since: 1990Sponsor: Spanish banking corporationBudget: $4.5 millionGeneral manager: José Miguel EchavarriDirecteurs sportifs: Eusebio Unzue and José Luis Jaimerena

La Française des Jeux

'That's what I'm talkin' about.' Giove said she likes the harsh downhill courses of the West.

Crédit Agricole (France)

Rock star Steve Peat meets the press.

iBanesto.com (Spain)

U.S. Postal Service (U.S.)

Lampre-Daikin (Italy)

Lotto-Adecco (Belgium)

Euskaltel-Euskadi (Spain)

CSC-Tiscali (Denmark)

Domo -Farm Frites (Belgium)

Mapei-Quick Step (Italy)

Kelme-Costa Blanca (Spain)

Cofidis (France)

BigMat-Auber 93 (France)

Bonjour (France)

Sven Montgomery (Swi)Daniel Schnider (Swi)Bradley McGee (Aus)Jimmy Casper (F)Frédéric Guesdon (F)Christophe Mengin (F)Jacky Durand (F)Nicolas Vogondy (F) Country: FranceIn the peloton since: 1997Sponsor: National lotteryBudget: $3.5 millionManager and directeur sportif: Marc MadiotAssistants: Yvon Madiot, Martial Gayant and Franck Pineau

Jean Delatour (France)

Christophe Moreau (F)Florent Brard (F)Pascal Chanteur (F)Pascal Lino (F)Angel Casero (Sp)Felix Garcia-Casas (Sp)Luis Perez (Sp)Arnaud Pretot (F)Sven Teutenberg (G) Reserve: Carlos Da Cruz (F) Country: FranceIn the peloton since: 1989Sponsor: Manufacturer of watches and chronometersBudget: $3.5 millionEquipment: Specialized bicycles, Campagnolo componentsManager and team director: Juan FernandezDirecteurs sportifs: Yvon Sanquer and Gérard RuéAssistant: Roberto Torres

Florit lived up to her No. 1 plate with her first short-track win.

Florit's win put her in the driver's seat for a repeat series title.

'I'm fast as hell, man.' Carter explains his skills.

'I'm fast as hell, man.' Carter explains his skills.

Festina (France)

Alexander wins Deer Valley cross-country

ARMSTRONG

JULICH

MILLAR

BOOGERD

Hesjedal used the big ring where others couldn't.

Hesjedal attacked early and never looked back.

Alexander said she only went 80 percent in her winning effort.

Leave start at 11:40 a.m.; rolling start at approx. 11:47 a.m. on D.13

Armstrong at the finish

Leave start at 12:40 p.m.; rolling start at approx. 12:44 p.m., on the Avenue de l’Armée de l’Est.

Stage 10Leave start at 10:30 a.m., rolling start at approx. 10:40 on the Avenue de Saint-Simond

Stage 11First rider starts 12 p.m., then every two minutes

Stage 12Leave start at 11:55 a.m.; rolling start on N9 at approx. 12:03 p.m.

Leave start at 10:20 a.m.; rolling start on D.117 at 10:22 a.m.

Leave start at 12:50 p.m.; rolling start on D.935 at 12:56 p.m.

Leave start at 11a.m.; rolling start on D.943 at 11:15 a.m.

First rider starts at 4 p.m.; then riders go at one-minute intervals.

Stage 16Leave start at 11:25 a.m.; rolling start on D.45 at 11:32 a.m.

Start time: 12:40 p.m.; rolling start at approx. 12:55 p.m. on N. 43.

Leave start at 12:30 p.m.; rolling start at 12:40 p.m. on D.44

12:10 p.m.; rolling start at approx.12:15 p.m., Avenue de Saint-Exupéry

First rider starts at approx. 10:45 a.m., with riders going at two-minute intervals; final 20 riders at three minute intervals. Last rider starts at 4 p.m.

12:05 p.m.; rolling start at approx. 12:30 p.m.on N.116

Leave start at 1:40 p.m.; rolling start at approx. 1:44 p.m. on D.97

Leave start at 11:50 a.m.; rolling start at approx. 11:55 a.m. on the Chaussée de Dinan

Leave start at 1 p.m.; rolling start at approx. 1:10 p.m. on Boulevard John Kennedy

First team starts: 2:10 p.m., then every 5 minutes.