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A cycling team at the Tour de France is a small autonomous universe thatserves as a lifeline to its nine riders. Its rigorous structure enablesthe riders to race worry-free. Each team’s amenities, however, dependson the budget. AG2R Prévoyance is a typical UCI ProTour team. Here,AG2R manager Vincent Lavenu lays out the organizational structure of hissquad’s operation.PERSONNELTour de France organizers handle hotel arrangements for 23 individualsper participating team. Other than that, each manager is free to put togethera staff that will ensure everything runs well for the team (for

Davitamon-Lotto

Team Manager: Theo de Rooy51. Denis Menchov (Rus)52. Michael Boogerd (Nl)53. Bram De Groot (Nl)54. Erik Dekker (Nl)55. Juan Antonio Flecha (Sp)56. Oscar Freire (Sp)57. Joost Posthuma (Nl)58. Mickael Rasmussen (Dk)59. Pieter Weening (Nl) Sponsor: Dutch bank2006 budget: $12.5 millionYear current sponsor started: 1996Former title sponsors: WordPerfect (1993-95), Buckler (1990-92),Super-Confex (1987-89), Kwantum (1984-86)Past Tours (as Rabobank): 11th participation, 14 stagewins, 1 King of the Mountains (Rasmussen, 2005)Trivia: Michael Rasmussen, last year’s King of the Mountains,finished

Phonak

Team Manager: Marc Sergeant61. Cadel Evans (Aus)062. Mario Aerts (B)063. Christophe Brandt (B)64. Christopher Horner (USA)65. Robbie Mc Ewen (Aus)66. Fred Rodriguez (USA)67. Gert Steegmans (B)68. Wim Vansevenant (B)69. Johan Vansummeren (B) Sponsors: Pharmaceutical group and Belgian national lottery2006 budget: $7.5 millionYear current sponsor started: 2005Former title sponsor: Lotto (1985-2004)Past Tours (as Davitamon-Lotto): Second participation,3 stage winsTrivia: Robbie McEwen leads the team with career victories,having topped the 90-win mark this year. But his veteran teammates areno

Phonak

Editor's Note: Michael Barry, pro cyclist with the DiscoveryChannel Cycling Team and author of Insidethe Postal Bus: My Ride with Lance Armstrong and the U.S. Postal CyclingTeam, analyzes the team’s chances for the 2006 Tour de Franceand how the Discovery Channel team dynamic has changed going into thisfirst Tour of the post-Lance era.In 2005, Lance Armstrong retired from the sport the moment he crossedthe finish line on the Champs-Elysées in yellow. It was his seventhconsecutive victory, a record that will likely not be broken for decades.He retired from our sport as the maître; with his

Alexandre Vinokourov defied organizers of the Tour de France Wednesday by flying into Strasbourg with his Astaná-Würth team determined to start the race. The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) is slated to rule on Friday on whether the team can participate after Tour organizers demanded they withdraw because of former manager Manolo Saiz's implication in a Spanish blood-doping probe. "There is no evidence against our team," said Vinokourov, tipped as a potential winner of the 93rd Tour, which starts with a prologue in Strasbourg on Saturday. "The press just comes up with suspicions,

Tour de France riders have been warned by cycling's world governing body that they will be thrown out of the race if they are involved in the Spanish doping scandal. Union Cycliste Internationale president Pat McQuaid has written to all ProTour teams suggesting they ask their riders competing in the Tour de France, which begins Saturday, to provide a written statement saying they are not involved in the affair, known as "Operación Puerto." "If a false statement is given,” McQuaid said, “they would immediately leave the team and pay a large fine and those riders who refuse to give a

Tour de France riders have been warned by cycling's world governing body that they will be thrown out of the race if they are involved in the Spanish doping scandal. Union Cycliste Internationale president Pat McQuaid has written to all ProTour teams suggesting they ask their riders competing in the Tour de France, which begins Saturday, to provide a written statement saying they are not involved in the affair, known as "Operación Puerto." "If a false statement is given,” McQuaid said, “they would immediately leave the team and pay a large fine and those riders who refuse to give a

Ullrich will be allowed to start the Tour

Wednesday's EuroFile: Ullrich gets green light; Astaná-Würth still red

Ullrich will be allowed to start the Tour. Will Vino be there?

Ullrich cleared to race; Astaná-Würth will try to ride

Pre-race favorite Jan Ullrich got the green light to start the Tour de France because accusations linking him to a growing Spanish doping inquiry were deemed too weak to keep the 1997 champ out of the race, officials said. “For the Tour de France, for now, there is no problem with Ullrich,” Tour spokesman Philippe Sudres told The Associated Press, who added the Tour would reconsider if more evidence becomes available. “He has not been formally identified.” Tour officials notified T-Mobile representatives that allegations made against Ullrich and teammate Oscar Sevilla in a series of damning

He did it at Romandie. Can he do it in France?

Strasbourg, France, (AFP) - The Australian presence at this year's 93rd Tour de France could be almost halved in comparison to last year's record participation of 10 riders. And while the numbers are dwindling, so too are their roles. While Cadel Evans is to lead the Davitamon team's bid in the race's general classification, Michael Rogers will be helping T-Mobile's 1997 winner Jan Ullrich claim an elusive second yellow jersey after years of runner-up places. Other Aussies could also be playing support roles in the July 1-23 epic. Adelaider Stuart O'Grady, who spent

A View From the Bus: Michael Barry adds a chapter

Strasbourg, France, (AFP) - Australian Cadel Evans is being urgedby his growing band of fans to build on his impressive top-ten finish fromhis Tour de France debut when he saddles up for this year's race here Saturday. However the 29-year-old, who last year single-handedly revived Australianyellow jersey hopes after years of waiting for a new Phil Anderson, remainscautious over his chances. "I'd like to do better than my eighth place finish last year - thisyear with (Lance) Armstrong not racing it's going to be a bit different,"said Evans shortly after his recent victory in the

Vinokourov just wants to ride

Editor's Note: Michael Barry, pro cyclist with the DiscoveryChannel Cycling Team and author of Insidethe Postal Bus: My Ride with Lance Armstrong and the U.S. Postal CyclingTeam, analyzes the team’s chances for the 2006 Tour de Franceand how the Discovery Channel team dynamic has changed going into thisfirst Tour of the post-Lance era.In 2005, Lance Armstrong retired from the sport the moment he crossedthe finish line on the Champs-Elysées in yellow. It was his seventhconsecutive victory, a record that will likely not be broken for decades.He retired from our sport as the maître; with his

Vinokourov just wants to ride

Alexandre Vinokourov defied organizers of the Tour de France Wednesday by flying into Strasbourg with his Astaná-Würth team determined to start the race. The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) is slated to rule on Friday on whether the team can participate after Tour organizers demanded they withdraw because of former manager Manolo Saiz's implication in a Spanish blood-doping probe. "There is no evidence against our team," said Vinokourov, tipped as a potential winner of the 93rd Tour, which starts with a prologue in Strasbourg on Saturday. "The press just comes up with suspicions,

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.Clean cyclists should condemn cheatersEditor:I have no qualms with Lance Armstrong being pissed about the documents alleging that he doped being leaked to L'Equipe. If Lance has indeed been "clean" throughout his career, then such a libel deserves correcting, perhaps even similar

Madrid, Spain (AP) -- The head of Spain's cycling federation said he had "suspicions" for years about the doctors and team officials caught up in a sweeping doping scandal that has rocked the sport ahead of the Tour de France. Fugencio Sanchez added that the allegations were one of the "greatest crises" in the country's sporting history. "We've had doubts. We had heard comments," Sanchez told The Associated Press. "I always thought that this day had to come in order to clear up those doubts." Manolo Saiz, the former Liberty Seguros team director, and four others were

Final Overall Standings - 2005 Tour de France1. Lance Armstrong (USA), Discovery Channel2. Ivan Basso (I), CSC, 04:403. Jan Ullrich (G), T-Mobile, 06:214. Francisco Mancebo (Sp), Illes Balears, 09:595. Alexandre Vinokourov (Kaz), T-Mobile, 11:016. Levi Leipheimer (USA), Gerolsteiner, 11:217. Mickael Rasmussen (Dk), Rabobank, 11:338. Cadel Evans (Aus), Davitamon-Lotto, 11:559. Floyd Landis (USA), Phonak, 12:4410. Oscar Pereiro Sio (Sp), Phonak, 16:04 11. Christophe Moreau (F), Credit Agricole, 16:2612. Yaroslav Popovych (Ukr), Discovery Channel, 19:0213. Eddy Mazzoleni (I), Lampre, 21:0614.

Team CSC

Team CSC

T-Mobile

T-Mobile

Ag2r

Ag2r

Gerolsteiner

Tour de France officials and representatives from Astaná-Würth are both taking their cases to the Court of Arbitration in Sport following Monday’s request by Tour organizer ASO to kick the scandal-stained Astaná-Würth out of Saturday’s start of the 2006 Tour. Tour officials sent faxes to Astaná-Würth as well as to the UCI and representatives of the professional teams association Monday after indicating the the Spanish team – formerly Liberty Seguros-Würth – was no longer welcome for the 93rd Tour, set to start Saturday with a prologue in Strasbourg. The decision was precipitated by a string

Gerolsteiner

Discovery ChannelTeam Manager: Johann Bruyneel1. José Azevedo (P)2. Viatceslav Ekimov (Rus)3. George Hincapie (USA)4. Egoi Martinez (Sp)5. Benjamin Noval Gonzalez (Sp)6. Pavel Padrnos (Cz)7. Yaroslav Popovych (Ukr)8. Rubiera José Luis (Sp)9. Paolo Savoldelli (I) Sponsor: Owner/operator of multiple television channels2006 budget: $10 millionYear current sponsor started: 2005Former title sponsors: U.S. Postal Service (1996-2004), Montgomery-Bell (1995), Subaru-Montgomery (1991-94)Past Tours (as Discovery and Postal): 10th participation, 25 stage wins, 7 overall wins (Armstrong, 1999-2005), 1

Team Manager: Bjarne RiisTeam Manager: Bjarne RiisIvan Basso (I)11. Bobby Julich (USA)12. Giovanni Lombardi (I)13. Stuart O’Grady (Aus)14. Carlos Sastre (Sp)15. Frank Schleck (Lux)16. Christian Vande Velde (USA)17. Jens Voigt (G)18. David Zabriskie (USA) Sponsor: Computer services company2006 budget:$8.8 millionYear current sponsor started: 2001Former title sponsors: Memorycard (2000), Acceptcard (1998-99)Past Tours (as CSC ): Sixth participation, 7 stage wins,2 King of the Mountains (Jalabert, 2001-2002), 1 team classification (2003)Trivia: The team members have 11 stage wins, but that’s

Suspended Phonak rider Tyler Hamilton may to keep the gold medal he won in the individual time trial at the Athens Olympics after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on Tuesday dismissed an appeal filed by the Russian Olympic Committee on behalf of silver medalist Viatcheslav Ekimov. Hamilton won the time-trial event in Athens but failed a blood-doping test. Hamilton’s B sample – needed to confirm the positive – was destroyed after laboratory staff froze it, making it impossible to test the red blood cells in the sample. That led the Russian Olympic Committee to appeal to the

Team Manager: Olaf LudwigJan Ullrich (G)21. Andréas Klöden (G)22. Giuseppe Guerini (I)23. Serhiy Honchar (Ukr)24. Matthias Kessler (G)25. Eddy Mazzoleni (I)26. Michael Rogers (Aus)27. Patrik Sinkewitz (G)Oscar Sevilla (Sp) Sponsor: Mobile phone division of telecommunications company2006 budget: $18.9 millionYear current sponsor started: 2004Former title sponsors: Deutsche Telekom (1991-2003), Stuttgart (1989-90) Past Tours (as T-Mobile and Telekom): 15th participation, 27 stage wins, 2 overall wins (Riis, 1996; Ullrich, 1997), 6 green jerseys (Zabel, 1996-2001), 3 white jerseys (Ullrich,

Team Manager: Vincent LavenuFrancisco Mancebo (Sp)31. Christophe Moreau (F)32. Luis Jose Luis (Sp)33. Mikel Astarloza (Sp)34. Sylvain Calzati (F)35. Cyril Dessel (F)36. Samuel Dumoulin (F)37. Simon Gerrans (Aus)38. Stephane Goubert (F) Sponsor: Mutual insurance company2006 budget: $9.2 millionYear current sponsor started: 2000Former title sponsors: Casino (1996-90), Chazal (1992-95)Past Tours (as AG 2R): Seventh participation, 5 stage winsTrivia: Chrisophe Moreau, with 20 career wins, is one of two riders to have won a stage. The other, Jean-Patrick Nazon, has two stage wins and 21 career

Team Manager: Hans Michael Holczer41. Levi Leipheimer (USA)042. Marcus Fothen (G)43. David Kopp (G)44. Sebastian Lang (G)45. Ronny Scholz (G)46. Georg Totschnig (A)47. Fabian Wegmann (G)48. Peter Wrolich (A)49. Beat Zberg (Swi) Sponsor: Mineral water bottler2006 budget: $8.7 millionYear current sponsor started: 1998Former title sponsors: NonePast Tours: Fourth participation, 1 stage winTrivia: René Haselbacher, at 190 pounds, is the heaviest UCI ProTour rider who might ride in the Tour. Georg Totschnig has scored the team’s only Tour stage win. Levi Leipheimer finished sixth last year, and

Discovery Channel

Discovery Channel

Hamilton, overcome by emotion at the 2004 Olympics, was found positive for blood-doping at the 2004 Vuelta.

A fax sent to Haven Parchinski

Monday's El País

The Hamilton story

Racer 4142's racing schedule

Racer 4142's medical log

Will Vino' be there?

The 93rd edition of the Tour de France begins Saturday July 1 in Strasbourg. Here is the list of the winners of the past 92 editions of what most say is the greatest bicycle race in the world. 1903 Maurice Garin (F) 1904 Henri Cornet (F) 1905 Louis Trousselier (F) 1906 René Pottier (F) 1907 Lucien Petit-Breton (F) 1908 Lucien Petit-Breton (F) 1909 Fran?ois Faber (Lux) 1910 Octave Lapize (F) 1911 Gustave Garrigou (F) 1912 Odile Defraye (B) 1913 Philippe Thys (B) 1914 Philippe Thys (B) 1919 Firmin Lambot (B) 1920 Philippe Thys (B) 1921 Léon Scieur (B) 1922 Firmin Lambot (B) 1923 Henri

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.Frankie should write a bookEditor:Every time you turn on the news, another cyclist is getting caught for doping. Yet the only guy who can beat all of them is as pure as the snow atop Mt. Everest? As reported by Alan Abrahamson of the Los Angeles Times, Frankie and Betsy Andreu were

Just as he is nearing the end of a two-year suspension for blood-doping, American Tyler Hamilton is back in the news after a Spanish newspaper charged Monday that he had worked with Spanish doctor Eufemiano Fuentes between 2002 and 2004. In Monday’s edition of El País, the paper cited secret police and court documents alleging that Hamilton not only engaged in banned blood transfusion practices, but also used EPO, anabolic steroids, human growth hormones and IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factor 1) during his collaboration with Fuentes. Fuentes was among five people detained on May 23 as part

Lance Armstrong denied Monday that he threatened three-time Tour de France champion Greg LeMond, calling the allegation "ridiculous." "Greg is just not in check with reality," Armstrong said Monday from New York City. "It's ridiculous. Greg is obsessed with foiling my career. I'm apoplectic when I read stuff like that." LeMond was the first American to win the Tour de France with victories in 1986 and 1989-90. Armstrong came back from life-threatening testicular cancer that had spread to his lungs and brain to win seven in a row, from 1999 to 2005, before retiring last year. LeMond

El Pais says Ullrich may be linked to Spain's doping scandal

Spanish daily El Páis dropped a bombshell in its Sunday edition, reporting that 58 cyclists — among whom are said to be 15 riders from the Astaná-Würth team and others who competed in last month’s Giro d’Italia — are named in police and court documents as part of the "Operación Puerto" doping investigation in Spain. The story did not name the riders, but described court documents – which still have not been publicly released – purporting to outline a "criminal network" said to be organized and administered by five people accused of involvement in the distribution of banned substances, such

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Rodriguez celebrates as he takes third behind McEwen in Stage 13 of last year's Tour

The newspaper recounts Saiz's testimony before a Spanish judge

Prémont is overjoyed to win on home turf

The Specialized boys work it at the front

Hincapie has been riding his TT bike several days a week

Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong issued the following statement in response to allegations outlined in articles slated to appear this weekend in Le Monde and L’Equipe.Statement from Lance ArmstrongI recently won a major arbitration, defeating allegations of performance enhancing drugs, after a three week trial. Several accusations made the subject of prior rumors were fully and finally considered by an impartial panel which heard many witnesses under oath. After years of litigation and three weeks of trial, and “ having considered the evidence and testimony” the panel ordered the

L'Equipe magazine

Two French magazine stories slated for distribution this weekend charge that seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong allegedly admitted taking banned doping products after being diagnosed with cancer. The stories are based on evidence given under oath to a court in Dallas in late 2005 and early 2006. The charges appear in Saturday's edition of the French daily Le Monde and in this weekend's edition of L'Equipe magazine.

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Landis at this year's Tour de Georgia (VN photo contest winner)

Ariadne Delon Scott to Lead Green Team at SpecializedJune 16, 2006 – Morgan Hill, CA - Ariadne Delon Scott, on boardwith Specialized in a variety of important roles for the past 7-years,has been promoted to take on a new role, Director of Advocacy and the Environmentfor the company. As part of her new position, Scott will take on the developmentand implementation of Specialized’s global green action plan and integrateit into the company’s culture, environment, products, marketing and communication.“At Specialized we know that we have a duty to preserve and protectour precious planet and

Press Release: Ariadne Delon Scott to Lead Green Team at Specialized

VeloPress Publishes Heart Rate Monitor Training Book for CyclistsBoulder, CO, June 20, 2006 — VeloPress is pleased to announcethe release of HeartZones Cycling: The Avid Cyclist’s Guide to Riding Faster and Fartherby top heart rate training coaches Sally Edwards and Sally Reed. Edwardspioneered the use of heart rate monitors for training in the 1980s, andher new book helps cyclists build a personal training plan using state-of-the-artheart rate training techniques. Heart Zones Cycling takes the provenadvantages of training with a heart rate monitor one step further. Cyclists can improve

Our latest reader-submitted Photo Gallery is now up for your viewing pleasure. Of course, a new gallery also means the naming of the winner of ourmost recent contest. Take the time to wander through that gallery and see if you agree or disagree with our choice of winner. We enjoyed Claire Milto’s “Pre-race warm-up,” as it captured that quiet, reflective moment before competition begins. That rider, whoever he might be, is getting his head together as much as he is getting his heart started for the day’s race. Nice work, Claire! Drop us a note at Rosters@InsideInc.com to work out the

Imagine for a moment that Lance Armstrong didn’t ride the 2005 Tour de France. And then imagine what happens on the first big stage in the Pyrénées. Approaching the foot of the giant Port de Pailhères climb, Jan Ullrich’s T-Mobile team makes a strong acceleration (just as it did last year). Thepeloton is splintered into several groups. Two-thirds the way up the 15km, 8-percent grade climb, only three riders are left alongside Ullrich: Ivan Basso, Floyd Landis and Levi Leipheimer. Other contenders like Francisco Mancebo, Alexander Vinokourov, Cadel Evans and Michael Rasmussen are left behind.

VeloPress Publishes Heart Rate Monitor Training Book

Pre-race warm-up

Gerhard Gulewicz wanted to pack it in early Tuesday outside of Athens, Ohio. Desperate to keep him riding, his crew asked Tinker Juarez to stop to encourage their rider to continue. It worked!