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Virenque on the hunt for polka dots

Frenchman Richard Virenque made certain of winning a record seventh polka-dot jersey as best climber on the Tour de France during Thursday’s 17th stage. The 34-year-old Quick Step rider last year equaled the record of six victories held jointly by Spaniard Federico Bahamontes and Belgian Lucien Van Impe. Virenque began the 204.5km stage from Bourg d'Oisans to Le Grand-Bornand with 177 points, ahead of race leader Lance Armstrong (U.S> Postal Service-Berry Floor) with 142 and Italian Ivan Basso (CSC) with 101, and went out on the attack after an hour of racing to take enough points to secure

Postal en masse

Australia's Robbie McEwen survived the last mountain stage of the Tour de France on Thursday to remain the favorite to win the prestigious points competition. The Lotto-Domo rider finished 109th in Le Grand Bornand, more than 35 minutes behind stage winner Lance Armstrong, but with none of his rivals scoring points he kept the green jersey for another day. "On paper it looked as if it would be a really hard day but it turned out fine," he said after the 204.5km stage through the Alps. "I got over the first climb with the main field and then we formed a gruppetto on the Col de la Madeleine

The Glandon

Superior fitness makes a rider more versatile, and Lance Armstrong proved that by winning his third stage in as many days. Including the team time trial, Lance has won five stages of the 2004 Tour de France and he’s won them by being a complete athlete. Some riders are pure climbers, while others see the time trials as their best chance of winning a stage. When you are remarkably fit, however, you can excel in almost any racing situation and find a way to win on top of mountains, in time trials, uphill sprints and flat sprints. Extreme fitness provides benefits beyond power and endurance.

The Madeleine

Okay, I am beat now. It was another hard day. They keep hitting us with these insane stages. Today was perhaps one of the hardest days on paper with some serious climbing and the highest peak of the Tour, the Col de la Madeleine. My watch tells me we did 5000 meters of climbing in 71 km. Kilimanjaro is 5896 meters high so we didn’t do too badly today. As a kid I used to do a loop back home with my Dad that was 70km around. I can remember thinking it was a pretty solid ride back then- today we climbed the same distance. Today is was hot. In the last three weeks we have had all sorts of

One more for the boss

The Mail Bag is a Monday-Wednesday-Friday feature on VeloNews.com, but will appear daily during the Tour. 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, HOMETOWN and STATE, or NATION if you live outside the United States. Letters may be edited for length and clarity.Lance Armstrong, man of the hour?Editor:Six is in the bag, but seven, schmeven! How about the hour record for Lance? What say ye, Big Tex? Dawn WrightCorvallis, Oregon Not a

Stage 17 of the Tour de France saw some great tactics played out in the final kilometers of an extremely hard and hot day in the Alps. The day’s stage finished with a first-category climb followed by a 10km descent to the finish. It was clear that Lance Armstrong wanted his U.S. Postal teammate Floyd Landis, who was pressing the pace for him up the final climb, to win the stage. So over the top of the climb, Landis didn’t so much attack as he just kept the pressure on over the top and rode away. Jan Ullrich jumped across, followed by Armstrong. Once Ullrich caught Landis, he sort of sat up

Great tire, but not for those conditions

STAGE 17 July 22 Bourg d'Oisans - Le Grand Bornand (131.737mi/212km)

Great tire, but not for those conditions

STAGE 17 July 22 Bourg d'Oisans - Le Grand Bornand (131.737mi/212km)

Everyone dealt with the heat in their own way

STAGE 17 July 22 Bourg d'Oisans - Le Grand Bornand (131.737mi/212km)

Armstrong pips Klöden at the line

David Millar, who was sacked this week by the Cofidis team after admitting taking the banned drug EPO and may be stripped of his time-trial world championship as a consequence, could be given a chance to ride for the Italian Amore & Vita team. "I'm willing to help Millar - and the Amore & Vita-Beretta team is ready to take him on - just as I did with Spanish rider Jesus Manzano earlier this year when he confessed to a Spanish newspaper," said team manager Ivano Fanini in Lucca, Italy. "He (Millar) is only 27 and is a talented rider who has won a world title and stages at the Tour de

Basso slipped further behind the race leader on the Alpe

Alpe d’Huez is probably the most famous climb of the Tour de France. Its thirteen kilometers of climbing, 21 switchback turns and steep ramps have showcased the epic battles of the Tour and typically draw the biggest crowds of any stage. This year was exceptional in many respects: we raced up it as a time trial and Lance is on his way to his sixth Tour victory. The crowds were insane from the start of the climb all the way to the top. At times it was scary, as I didn’t really know if I would make it through the crazy screaming fans. By the time we started racing the fans had finished their

One thing about Ullrich ... he never gives up

The Mail Bag is a Monday-Wednesday-Friday feature on VeloNews.com, but will appear daily during the Tour. 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, HOMETOWN and STATE, or NATION if you live outside the United States. Letters may be edited for length and clarity.Meanwhile, regarding the 2005 Tour . . .Editor:So when do we start talking about No. 7? Sig AndersonDes Moines, Iowa After he wins No. 6? – Editor Forget No. 7 – how big will

Somewhere in there is a road

Georges Rajon on the steps of his hotel in L’Alpe d’Huez, alongside Jacques Anquetil.

STAGE 16 July 21 Bourg d'Oisans - L'Alpe d'Huez (TT) (9.321mi/15km)

STAGE 16 July 21 Bourg d'Oisans - L'Alpe d'Huez (TT) (9.321mi/15km)

STAGE 16 July 21 Bourg d'Oisans - L'Alpe d'Huez (TT) (9.321mi/15km)

Friday, July 4, 1952, 10th stage, Lausanne to l’Alpe d’Huez (266 km). The Alpe welcomes its first Tour, and a love affair begins. Fausto Coppi devours the 14km of switchbacks in 45 minutes, 14 seconds.

Armstrong destroyed his rivals on the slopes of L'Alpe d'Huez

STAGE DETAIL: 15.5 km (time trial) KM CLIMBING: 13.8 (average grade: 7.9 %) COURSE: Despite the ballyhoo this stage has created, it’s notthe toughest uphill time trial in Tour history. That honor goes to Mont Ventoux (used in 1958 and 1987), which is 7km longer than the 13.8km of the Alpe d’Huez climb with the same average grade of 7.8 percent. After a flat 1.7km start the Alpe d’Huez climb opens with its steepest pitches. FAVORITES: Armstrong may still be the favorite, but his strongest challenger on the stage may be Iban Mayo, who won the stage to L’Alpe d’Huez last year and

Ullrich took his best shot, but couldn't quite get it done on the Alpe

Although he’s virtually unknown to the public, hotelier Georges Rajon wasinstrumental in the Tour de France’s longstanding relationship with L’Alped’Huez. He is the man credited with bringing the Tour to the famous climb,and he has made significant contributions to the development of this alpineresort, where he still loves to spend his time. But Rajon will tell youit wasn’t his idea to bring the Tour up to L’Alpe d’Huez. “It was an artisan painter from Bourg d’Oisans, Jean Barbaglia, whocame to see André Quintin [another hotelier at L’Alpe d’Huez] andme one day in 1951 and asked, ‘Why don’t

Tour de Tech: Some Questions, Some Answers

Former world sprint cycling champion Sean Eadie was re-nominated to compete for Australia at the Olympics on Wednesday, two days after drugs allegations against him were dismissed. His reinstatement to the Games team is now expected to be a formality. Eadie was cleared by Australia's Court of Arbitration for Sport on Monday night of trying to import banned human growth hormones. He was dropped from the Athens line-up when the drug trafficking claims emerged two weeks ago but has fiercely maintained his innocence since. Eadie was replaced on the proposed cycling team by 22-year-old Ben

Tour de Tech: Some Questions, Some Answers

One of Lance Armstrong's first reactions after a spectacular win in today's stage 16 time trial up l'Alpe d'Huez was to say it should not have been held on the fabled Alpine mountain. Having been targeted for abuse in the Pyrénées, Armstrong again found it a challenge to ride through the mass of humanity that flocked to the switchback slopes of the Alpe. Speaking on French television, he said in French: “There was a lot of emotion ... a lot of public, a lot of fear for me. For me it was not a good idea to have a time trial on l'Alpe d'Huez.” Later, while rating his reception at Plateau de

Phonak is using Easton's Equipe bar

STAGE RESULTS1. Lance Armstrong (USA), U.S. Postal Service, 39:412. Jan Ullrich (G), T-Mobile, 01:013. Andréas KlÖden (G), T-Mobile, 01:414. José Azevedo (P), U.S. Postal Service, 01:455. Santos Gonzalez (Sp), Phonak, 02:116. Giuseppe Guerini (I), T-Mobile, 02:117. Vladimir Karpets (Rus), Illes Balears-Banesto, 02:158. Ivan Basso (I), CSC, 02:239. David Moncoutie (F), Cofidis, 02:2310. Carlos Sastre (Sp), CSC, 02:27 11. Stephane Goubert (F), Ag2R Prevoyance, 02:3312. Michael Rogers (Aus), Quick Step-Davitamon, 02:3413. Gutierrez José Enrique (Sp), Phonak, 03:0414. Oscar Pereiro Sio (Sp),

Another day, another yellow jersey

Storming through the massive crowds that encroached into the road up to the summit of Alp d’Huez, Lance Armstrong won the stage he most coveted and extended his lead in the yellow jersey. While Armstrong is in the position he wanted to be, Ivan Basso – at 3:48 behind the yellow jersey - has a lot to think about tonight. Sitting only 1:15 behind the Italian leader of the CSC team is Andreas Klöden, and Jan Ullrich sits at 7:55, in fourth place. Their proximity puts Basso’s second place position in the general classification in danger. To make matters more desperate for Basso, there is only

Armstrong started slow, then started pouring it on

A day in the spotlight

COURSE: On paper, this doesn’t look like a difficult stage. The highest point is only at 4500 feet elevation, but there are two very serious climbs in the last 60km and a summit finish. The Col de l’Echarasson is 12km at 7.4 percent, the Col de Chalimont 10km at 6 percent, and the final 100km are on narrow, winding roads. FAVORITES: Expect some surprise moves in this rugged terrain that could see the yellow jersey change hands. It’s the sort of stage that Alex Vinokourov or Tyler Hamilton could claim. HISTORY: The most recent of five finishes at Villard-de-Lans, in 1990, saw Erik Breukink

Switchbacks galore!

David Millar has been sacked by his Cofidis team and appears likely to be stripped of his world time-trial title after he confessed to French police Tuesday that he had taken the banned performance enhancer EPO. On a bleak day for Britain's top cyclist, Millar emerged from a courtroom in the Paris suburb of Nanterre after a two-hour grilling to discover that his Cofidis team had decided to wash their hands of him. "The letter sacking David Millar left yesterday," a spokesman for Cofidis confirmed to AFP. In a transcript of an earlier confession to police investigating drug taking by riders

It was an Armstrong kinda day.... It’s 35 years ago to the day that American Neil Armstrong took that small step that became a “giant leap for mankind,” becoming the first person to step on the Moon. And on Tuesday, with his 18th stage win in his Tour de France career, Lance Armstrong also took his own giant leap, moving closer to becoming the first man to win six Tours de France. Victory in the 180.5km stage 15 from Valréas to Villard de Lans, which took the Tour into the Alps, was not really needed for Armstrong to claim the yellow leader's jersey. That’s because the overnight race

Rasmussen and Virenque

STAGE RESULTS1. Lance Armstrong (USA), U.S. Postal Service, 4:40:302. Ivan Basso (I), CSC, 00:003. Jan Ullrich (G), T-Mobile, 00:034. Andréas KlÖden (G), T-Mobile, 00:065. Levi Leipheimer (USA), Rabobank, 00:136. Richard Virenque (F), Quick Step-Davitamon, 00:487. Mickael Rasmussen (Dk), Rabobank, 00:498. Azevedo José (P), U.S. Postal Service, 00:539. Jens Voigt (G), CSC, 01:0410. Carlos Sastre (Sp), CSC, 01:24 11. Laurent Brochard (F), Ag2R Prevoyance, 01:5812. Marius Sabaliauskas (Lit), Saeco, 02:0213. Oscar Pereiro Sio (Sp), Phonak, 02:1014. Christophe Moreau (F), Crédit Agricole,

Ullrich isn't surrendering

Lance Armstrong may have distanced Jan Ullrich in the general classification of the Tour de France, but that will take nothing away from their impending duel on the 16th stage at L’Alpe d'Huez. This year the race organizers have raised the temperatures for race fans who usually line the 21 hairpin bends of the 15km climb by turning the legendary mountain into a time trial. The Alpe has welcomed the Tour 23 times since the race's conception in 1903, and has been won by such cycling luminaries as Fausto Coppi, the Italian who came first in 1952 when it first featured amid a mood of

Landis drives the chase

As Lance Armstrong pulled on his 61st Tour de France yellow jersey in Villard-de-Lans on Tuesday, he was already thinking ahead to Wednesday's time trial up L'Alpe d'Huez. After winning the 15th stage and toppling young Frenchman Thomas Voeckler (Brioches la Boulangere), not many would bet against the five-time Tour champion on one of the Tour's classic climbs. Especially when he’s looking forward to riding it in the maillot jaune. "I’m excited to do it, to be on the Alpe,” said Armstrong, who won in the alpine resort in 2001. “There is something exciting about riding L'Alpe d'Huez in the

It has been a few years since I’ve been racing in the Tour de France and most certainly a few years since I have been in a breakaway at the Tour. Today was a cool experience. The Tour is unlike any other race in that there are spectators all the way along the course and cameramen on motorcycles capturing the expressions of all riders whether in the front or at the back. The helicopters above film every movement of the race as well. In the air at one time there are at least four helicopters buzzing around- a few covering the race with cameras and others ensuring the road is properly closed

Rather than a display of frequent and vicious attacks on the final climbs to the finish of mountain stages, we’re seeing a much more controlled style of racing in the 2004 Tour de France. The leaders set a fast pace on the final climb and then wait until the last 750 meters to really open the throttle and surge for the finish line. Accelerating from an already high climbing pace is very demanding, but something you can prepare for. During Lance Armstrong’s preparations for the Tour de France, we spent time specifically focused on what happens when you approach a mountain summit in a race.

The sad consequence of having too much time on your hands in July

The Mail Bag is a Monday-Wednesday-Friday feature on VeloNews.com, but will appear daily during the Tour. 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, HOMETOWN and STATE, or NATION if you live outside the United States. Letters may be edited for length and clarity.So, these two guys walk into a bar . . .Editor:I just have to share this actual conversation with you. This was overheard by a friend at the bar in a TGI Friday’s where OLN was

Leipheimer was in elite company throughout the day

STAGE 15 July 20 Valréas - Villard-de-Lans (111.231mi/179km)

STAGE 15 July 20 Valréas - Villard-de-Lans (111.231mi/179km)

STAGE 15 July 20 Valréas - Villard-de-Lans (111.231mi/179km)

Armstrong edges Basso for his second stage win and the yellow jersey

The Posties just keep on rollin'

No worries

Tour de France great Bernard Hinault, one of the five riders to win the race five times, said he feels that Germany's 1997 winner Jan Ullrich is heading for oblivion on the race he once dominated. Ullrich, who rides for T-Mobile, is heading for another runner-up place to go with the five he has already after two days of painfully trying to keep up with American five-time winner Lance Armstrong. US Postal leader Armstrong turned up the tempo during two tough days in the Pyrenees, a tempo which Ullrich found hard to match and which left him seven minutes adrift of his rival. Hinault, who in

Loster proved fastest in the women's sprint

Tour de France race leader Thomas Voeckler, of the La Boulangere team, has won his place on France's Olympic team for the men's road race in Athens. Voeckler, who has given the hosts plenty to smile about on the race since taking the yellow jersey over a week ago from Lance Armstrong, is expected to hand it over to the American five-time winner in the near future. The 24-year-old Voeckler only has a 22-second lead on US Postal's team leader ahead of Tuesday's tough 180km stage over seven climbs in mountains south of the Alps. However Voeckler's feisty performances on the race, and

Ivan Basso was the star attraction at Monday’s second and final rest day of the Tour de France as dozens of journalists crammed into a small conference room at the team hotel to learn more about the sensation of the 2004 Tour. Basso has been the only rider strong enough to follow Tour dominator Lance Armstrong and sits third overall, just 1 minute, 17 seconds behind the Texan. “I feel good, I feel strong. Normally, Armstrong goes full-gas, but I stayed with him. I didn’t die,” Basso said. “It’s been a little bit of a surprise, but I knew I had the power before the Tour. I knew of my

When Thomas Voeckler rode into the Tour de France yellow jersey 11 days ago, the 25-year-old Frenchman, with his beaming and infectious smile, brought a breath of fresh air into cycling that the sport has long needed. In an era that reeks of cynicism, commercialism and myriad on- and off-saddle scandals, Voeckler brought back to the Tour (and all those who love it) a much-needed and hefty dose of the romanticism that has drawn so many of us to cycling. Voeckler, 25, has been modest yet understandably appreciative of his spell in the yellow jersey. He knows the Tour is like no other race,

Lance Armstrong may not have won his record sixth yellow jersey yet, but a day before the Tour de France restarts with the mountainous 15th stage, his team manager Johan Bruyneel could not feel better. After just two weeks of racing, Armstrong - in second place at 22sec behind race leader Thomas Voeckler of France - has taken massive steps towards a sixth consecutive yellow jersey, and got rid of three of his main rivals in the process. Jan Ullrich, Germany's 1997 winner, is almost seven minutes adrift of Armstrong while last year's fourth place finisher Tyler Hamilton, formerly of US

The Pyrénées did a lot of damage to the Tour de France peloton and to several riders’ chances of challenging for the yellow jersey. Nevertheless, there are still a lot of very strong men left in the race, and the next major challenge before them is stage 16’s individual time trial up L'Alpe d’Huez. The fabled climb, with its 21 numbered switchbacks, is a very difficult and technically demanding time-trial course. However, since it’s only 15.5km long, and it’s not coming at the end of a long road stage, I don’t expect any of the top riders to gain a big chunk of time. Riding by themselves,

Rest day number two. Man do we need this! We are all taking advantage of the down time. The first course of mountain stages has been hard and everyone needs to take a deep breath before going under for the last week in the Alps. Most people who are still in the race are going to finish at this point, but everyone still needs a rest every now-and-then; the riders, the staff, the mechanics, the directors… maybe even Lance. Sometimes I think that I'd rather just get on with it and finish one day earlier. Then I usually think differently. Our team was lucky enough to be at a golf course for

Basso smiles as he carries his daughter Domitilla before taking the start of Stage 14