News

Contador's ride at the ready

Weather: Warm, sunny skies, highs in upper 80s, head-crosswinds Stage winner: Sandy Casar (FDJeux) attacked a four-man breakaway with just under 3km to go only to be reeled in by three chasers. He remained in the lead postion and accelerated off the front on the rising finish to snag France’s second stage-win of this Tour. Casar shook off a fall early in the stage when a dog ran into the peloton and the victory took the sting off losing into Marseille by inches. Race leader: Alberto Contador (Discovery Channel) enjoyed his first full day in the yellow jersey, but second-place rider Cadel

Pierrick Fedrigo tries to start the first break, and checks to see if he has any takers.

The 94th Tour de France is coming down to the wire with three candidates – Alberto Contador, Cadel Evans and Levi Leipheimer – within striking distance of the maillot jaune. VeloNews gauged the key players on who they thought would win and why. Here’s a sampling: Alberto Contador (Discovery Channel), 1st“I know that tomorrow is a day that can change your life forever. I also know that it will be the most difficult day of my life. The public was nice with me today. I felt a warm reception along the roads and it was an honor to ride in the yellow jersey today. I have to take advantage of this

Axel Merckx and Michael Boogerd lead the break that stuck.

Tour de France director Christian Prudhomme wants to stop working with the UCI on next year's race, a German daily will report on Saturday. "One should not make the Tour de France organizers responsible for everything," said Prudhomme in an explosive interview with German daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung. "Just like in every sport, there is an international organization in cycling, but despite all the respect it warrants, it does nothing. The UCI never really wanted this Tour to be clean, but next year, there could potentially be a clean Tour.” When asked if he could break with UCI and its

Disco in the lead, with Lotto keeping a close eye on things.

UCI chief Pat McQuaid has dismissed as "complete false" a report that cycling could be axed from the Olympic Games. A senior European International Olympic Committee member told AFP on Wednesday, speaking under anonymity, that the troubled sport risks being ejected from the Games because of the consistent spate of drug scandals. However, UCI chief McQuaid said Friday that was not on the IOC’s agenda. "That is completely false and is not on the agenda," McQuaid told France 2 television. "The IOC supports cycling, as it does all federations who are trying to fight agaginst doping. The system

Boonen early in the stage, on what looks like a very small bike. He can make it go fast, however.

Wounded, but willing to keep riding, Sandy Casar's ride on Stage 18 was almost like the Tour itself. Friday's ride from Cahors to Angoulême featured a four-man break that stayed well ahead of a peloton thinking more about Saturday's time trial than chasing down a group of escapees. Our many Casey Gibson was there.

In the Hunt for points, Hunter congratulates Boonen on the field sprint.

Stage 18 - Cahors to Angoulême - (211km)

Contador starts his daily fashion show. First his team kit...

Stage 18 - Cahors to Angoulême - (211km)

... then the white for best young rider...

Casar takes a tumble, then takes the stage

... and then the yellow one.

JKH thinks North American mountain bikers are racing clean

And all are happy.

The Tour de France set out here on Thursday for the 17th stage rocked by the doping scandal that has ousted yet another rider: yellow jersey leader Michael Rasmussen. Rasmussen was kicked out of the race by his Dutch team Rabobank late on Wednesday for lying about where he was last month - he had said he was in Mexico when in fact he was in Italy. There had also been revelations that he had missed four random, out-of-competition dope tests over the past 18 months. Despite the devastation, Rabobank informed Tour organizers before the start of Thursday's stage that it planned to let its

Tour 2007: Updated Teams and Riders

Tour 2007: Updated Teams and Riders

Elmiger and Bennati

Discovery is suddenly in the lead.

“The Tour is dead,” commented the French daily Liberation and the German paper Bild on Thursday after the dramatic dropping of yellow jersey Michael Rasmussen from the Tour de France late on Wednesday. For much of the European press, Rasmussen's withdrawal by his Rabobank team – followed by his sacking Thursday - was the death knell for the world's greatest cycling race and posed enormous questions about the future of the sport itself. The only bright spot for the organizers was that while television audiences sharply declined in Germany — the two public broadcasters took it off the

Tour 2007: Updated Teams and Riders

Tour 2007: Updated Teams and Riders

Bennati gets it

And the team's new leader.

Michael Rasmussen has reacted angrily to being kicked out of the Tour de France and sacked by his team after allegedly lying about his whereabouts during a missed random dope test. Rabobank dramatically split with Rasmussen after the Danish rider had consolidated his race lead with victory in Wednesday's 16th stage. The Dutch team justified its action by saying Rasmussen had lied when he said he'd been in Mexico rather than Italy for one of the four dope tests he failed to show up for in the past 18 months. But, in an interview with Danish newspaper B.T. Rasmussen questioned his

Tour 2007: Updated Teams and Riders

Tour 2007: Updated Teams and Riders

And there's a new man in yellow

Contador, on his way to his first yellow jersey, and his firt press conference as Tour leader.

Rabobank has issued a statement regarding the withdrawal and sacking of Michael Rasmussen, and has announced that it has conducted an additional doping control on its remaining team members. The text of the statement appears in its entirety below. — Editor Rabobank is shocked and disappointed of the fact that Michael Rasmussen gave false information in regards to his whereabouts. Apparently he did not stay at the address that he reported to the UCI and he did not send the report in a timely manner. UCI has issued a rightful warning to Rasmussen for this delayed provision of information. As

Tour 2007: Updated Teams and Riders

Tour 2007: Updated Teams and Riders

Blick keeps the Z-man looking sharp

Results - Stage 17 (Pau - Castelsarrasin)1. Daniele Bennati (I), LAMPRE-FONDITAL, 4:14:042. Markus Fothen (G), GEROLSTEINER, 4:14:043. Martin Elmiger (Swi), AG2R PREVOYANCE, 4:14:044. Jens Voigt (G), TEAM CSC, 4:14:045. David Millar (GB), SAUNIER DUVAL - PRODIR, at 02:41 6. Matteo Tosatto (I), QUICK STEP - INNERGETIC, at 02:43 7. Manuel Quinziato (I), LIQUIGAS, at 03:20 8. Daniele Righi (I), LAMPRE-FONDITAL, at 03:20 9. Tom Boonen (B), QUICK STEP - INNERGETIC, at 09:37 10. Sébastien Chavanel (F), FRANCAISE DES JEUX, at 09:37 11. Robert Hunter (RSA), BARLOWORLD, at 09:37 12. Robert FÖrster

Tour 2007: Updated Teams and Riders

Tour 2007: Updated Teams and Riders

Big George and his splatter-specs

Australia's Cadel Evans suggested Thursday he has always harbored doubts over the sporadic performances of Denmark's Michael Rasmussen, who was thrown out of the Tour de France by his Rabobank team on Wednesday. After a week of suspicion over four missed random doping controls, his Dutch outfit finally cracked after learning that Rasmussen had been in Italy in June, and not in Mexico as he had claimed. Rabobank first threw the Dane out of the race, then sacked him on Thursday. In the wake of Rasmussen's exit, Discovery Channel's 24-year-old Spanish climber Alberto Contador,

Tour 2007: Updated Teams and Riders

Stage 17 - Pau to Castelsarrasin (188.5km)

Got to win a stage to score a set of these

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) on Thursday upped the stakes in the Tour de France's battle to save its damaged credibility by calling for a high-level summit to discuss the doping crisis. WADA president Dick Pound admitted he was concerned by developments in the Tour this week, which have seen yellow jersey Michael Rasmussen axed from the race and long-time favorite Alexander Vinokourov fail a test for blood doping. Now, WADA has offered to convene a high-level summit of all parties involved in cycling to have an in-depth discussion on how to deal with the problem of doping in the

Tour 2007: Updated Teams and Riders

Stage 17 - Pau to Castelsarrasin (188.5km)

McEwen's special look

Disgraced Cofidis rider Cristian Moreni of Italy was released from police custody on Thursday after being detained since Wednesday, the Pau county prosecutor announced on Thursday. Moreni was arrested in the southwestern French town of Pau for questioning after the Italian failed a doping control on July 19, which subsequently led to the rider and his team withdrawing from the Tour de France. His team sacked him on Thursday. "Moreni has been released as from 1530 local time," said Erick Maurel, "The first wave of hearings is over." The Italian rider, who declined a second analysis after

Tour 2007: Updated Teams and Riders

Shark feed! Nothing like a good doping scandal to get journalists away from the buffet.

British sport bosses want to bring the Tour de France back to London despite the doping scandals that have tarnished the event. The Tour has been plunged into chaos this week as race leader Michael Rasmussen was fired by his Rabobank team and thrown out of the race. The Danish rider's exit came hot on the heels of positive drug tests for Alexander Vinokourov and Cristian Moreni. But UK Sport, the government agency which spent 500,000 pounds to stage the opening stage in the English capital this month, are still keen to host the Tour again. The Grand Depart was watched by four million

Tour 2007: Updated Teams and Riders

Bennati takes the stage

Boonen answers questions ad nauseum at the stage.

Germany's Jens Voigt led the criticism of the drug-laden cheats who have plunged this year's Tour de France into new depths of the on-going doping crisis. CSC’s Voigt, who claimed his first-ever stage win here in 2001, finished last of a four-man breakaway after a long, hard 188.5km race from Pau to Castelsarrasin on Thursday as the peloton finally waved goodbye to the Pyrenees. The doping issues that have clouded this year's race, and led to the exclusion of former race leader Michael Rasmussen, as well as two entire teams, have hit the image of the Tour and the sport

Tour 2007: Updated Teams and Riders

A spectator holds a French newspaper headlined 'The Tour's death' before the start of the 17th stage between Pau and Castelsarrasin

Checking out the news in the village this morning.

Scandals, positives, arrests and ejections... and despite it all, the Tour rolls on. Our man Casey Gibson was there to record it from the media scrum at the start in Pau to the finish in Castelsarrasin.

Tour 2007: Updated Teams and Riders

Contador appears pensive as he dons the leader's jersey

Van Summeren signs an autograph for a dedicated fan. They are still here.

In the chaotic hours before the start of the 2006 Tour de France, officials from the UCI and the Tour de France were frantically scouring a cryptic 36-page facsimile sent by Spain’s Guardia Civil that summarized evidence of one of Europe’s largest and most elaborate blood doping rings. Officials received the fax on Thursday -- just 36 hours before some 189 riders would start the opening prologue in Strausbourg -- and were under the gun to match a series of veiled, soon-to-be-famous codenames to the Tour peloton. The summary document – written in Spanish – included the most explosive and

Tour 2007: Updated Teams and Riders

Menzies takes it — or does he?

The peloton with its caravan heads out of Pau.

Yesterday was a long day. It started out with a half-assed protest by the French. They only protested within their respective teams and didn't inform us as to what they were doing or just what it was they were protesting. I agree about taking a stand but taking a stand without unity is a waste of time and, from my point of view, embarrassing. They were quick to throw stones and then at the end of the day they had a positive case of their own in Cristian Moreni. Just great! So we got back to the hotel and it was swarming with police because we were staying in the same hotel as

Tour 2007: Updated Teams and Riders

The escape

The break early in the race, puts their heads down for the first steep climb.

“Why did the Chicken cross the road?” questions filtered through the Tour de France press room Thursday following the news that former race leader Michael Rasmussen, whose nickname is “Chicken,” was sent home by his Rabobank team management for lying about his whereabouts prior to the Tour. Popular answers included “To go to Italy” and “Because he was an hour ahead of the peloton.” But the reality is that Rasmussen was sent home from the Tour de France because he was exposed as a liar on the sport’s biggest stage. Lying is nothing new in professional sports. Every athlete who has ever

Tour 2007: Updated Teams and Riders

Millar and Righi, front and center

One of the always enthusiastic fans that are the heart of the Tour.

Ag2rChristophe Moreau (F)Cyril Dessel (F)(DNF - Stage 15)John Gadret (F)José Luis Arrieta (Sp)Stéphane Goubert (F)Martin Elmiger (Swi)Ludovic Turpin (F)Sylvain Calzati (F)(DNF - Stage 11)Simon Gerrans (Aus) AgritubelFreddy Bichot (F)Moise Dueñas (Sp)Romain Feillu (F) (Withdrawal Stage 8)Eduardo Gonzálo (Sp)(Crash - Stage 1)Cedric Hervé (F) (Time Cut - Stage 8)Nicolas Jalabert (F)Juan Miguel Mercado (Sp)Benoit Salmon (F)Nicolas Vogondy (F) Astana-(The entire team withdrew from the Tour following news of Vinokourov's positve doping test)Antonio Colom (Sp)Maxim Iglinskiy (Kz)Serguei Ivanov

Weather: Warm, highs in low 90s, moderate tail, crosswinds Stage winner: Daniele Bennati (Lampre-Fondital) marked late attacks from Jens Voigt to win a four-up sprint ahead of Markus Fothen (Gerolsteiner). Bennati overcame pain from a stage 2 crash to sneak into the day’s eight-man break. It’s his first career Tour stage and the second by an Italian in this year’s Tour. Race leader: Alberto Contador (Discovery Channel) took the yellow jersey following the controversial ejection of overnight leader Michael Rasmussen by his Rabobank team. Contador didn’t wear the maillot jaune during the