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President George W. Bush predicted Friday that he would win the November presidential election and that fellow Texan Lance Armstrong would pedal to a historic sixth victory in the Tour de France. "He's going to win, and I'm going to win. There's no need to worry about either race anymore," Bush told reporters after watching the race aboard Air Force One en route to Tampa, Florida. White House spokesman Scott McClellan told reporters that Bush, who fell out sharply with France in the run-up to the war in Iraq, has been avidly watching the storied bicycling race. "He has been trying to

Whom do you suppose these two are backing in this year's race?

Tour de France organizers have threatened to pull out of next year's revolutionary new Pro Tour in a doping row with the UCI. The 2005 Tour is set to form a key part of a new grand-prix style cycling calendar running from March to October and comprising 28 races. But a rift has developed after the UCI refused to exclude two more riders from this year's Tour. Tour chief Jean-Marie Leblanc wanted them thrown out as part of a zero-tolerance policy for anyone caught up in doping probes. Leblanc said he had received information from San Remo's prosecutor's office that Czech rider Pavel

Hamilton struggled today, too

Photographer Casey Gibson was one of our eyes in the sky as the Tour de France raced toward its first mountaintop finish. Here's a sampling of what he saw.

Julich picked his wheel and cruised into the finish

We’ve been talking for weeks about the relative strengths of the teams contesting the 2004 Tour de France, but when it comes right down to it, there’s a point when the team leader has to step up and deliver the goods. When that time arrived during Stage 12, some men rose to the occasion and others faded dramatically. Lance Armstrong has been looking forward to the stages to LaMongie and Plateau de Beille for a long time. He has been victorious before on these climbs, he knows them well, and he knows how to exploit their slopes to his advantage. Prior to the stage, the US Postal Service

The stage came down to two men.

The surroundings were familiar to Bobby Julich as he entered the Pyrénées Friday during the 12th stage of the 2004 Tour de France: the chaotic sea of orange shirts, the deafening tunnel of Basque fans cheering, and the high peaks above. The first major mountain test of the 2004 Tour de France was a one-two Pyrénées punch of Category 1 climbs — the Col d’Aspin and the mountaintop finish at La Mongie. The last time Julich was here in 2002, the scene looked about the same. But for the 32-year-old American, now riding for the CSC team in support of Italian star Ivan Basso, everything was

Voeckler holds on...

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 and home town. Letters may be edited for length and clarity.Is the fix on?Velo,Regarding George’sprediction of the race(s) outcome I wonder if is going to have theSupreme Court fix the tour too. Bill WilliamsDavis, California Compare and contrastEditors,We are fortunate indeed to stand

O'Grady's favorite part of the Tour

Everyone is wondering when something important will happen.Sam Abtwriting in the July 15 edition of The New York Times Not to contradict Sam Abt, who has forgotten more about the Tour de France than I will ever know, but plenty of important stuff has happened during this year’s Tour. True, most of what’s happened has had little to do with who will roll down the Champs-Élysées wearing a stylish yellow jersey and a big white grin come July 25. But then you can’t have everything, not even in the Tour. For starters, it’s moderately important that the stage layout sucks. Front-loading the Tour

Sastre goes for it

Sometimes the riders dictate the tactics on the course; other times, the course decides the tactics. In today’s 197km stage from Castelsarrasin to La Mongie, the peloton headed into the Pyrénées, racing over the Col d’Aspin and finishing with the famous Col du Tourmalet. It was the first real test of fitness, a race of man against man, and man against gravity. The peloton rolled along until it approached the fury of a rainstorm and the looming mountains ahead. Little attacks here and there meant nothing in what everyone knew would be a decisive stage, a day on which the field would shatter,

Rasmussen and Martinez

STAGE 12 July 16 Castelsarrasin - La Mongie (123.659mi/199km)

STAGE 12 July 16 Castelsarrasin - La Mongie (123.659mi/199km)

STAGE 11 July 15 Saint-Flour - Figeac (101.91 mi/164km)

But there's other stuff going on that you don't see every day, like Virenque winning a cow

STAGE 11 July 15 Saint-Flour - Figeac (101.91 mi/164km)

And Lance's No. 1 fan, who turns up roadside at every Tour

STAGE 11 July 15 Saint-Flour - Figeac (101.91 mi/164km)

Moncoutie takes one in his home region

LeMond and Armstrong at the 2003 Tour presentation. This is not really the warmest relationship in cycling.

COURSE: Not a long stage, but the course is constantly climbingand descending. The climbs to Montsalvy (with 64km to go) and Bagnac (16kmfrom the finish) should see plenty of action, both in the likely breakawayand the group containing the race leader. FAVORITES: With large time gaps created by the previous stage,there will be many riders willing to attack. It will difficult for theleader’s team to control all of them, so the finish could hold surprises.The likely protagonists are Paolo Bettini, Jens Voigt and Brad McGee. HISTORY: The town of Figeac is seeing a stage finish for thefirst

Tour de Tech: It's all about the routing

French fans suffering from Bastille Day hangovers at the Tour de France Thursday were given the ideal salve when local rider David Moncoutié won the 164km stage 11 from St. Flour to Figeac to give France back-to-back stage victories following Richard Virenque's first place at St. Flour on Wednesday. It was also his Cofidis team's second stage win at the Tour and provided cause for added celebration for thousands of his local fans. While born in Paris, Moncoutié is from Brenetoux in the Lot region into which the Tour passed and finished Thursday. The stage was testing for all, with the heat,

Tour de Tech: It's all about the routing

Lance Armstrong expressed his disappointment on Thursday after he once again came under criticism from triple Tour de France winner Greg LeMond. "Greg LeMond was my idol as I grew up in cycling because he was a great champion and did great things on the bike," said Armstrong, who is aiming for a record sixth title in the world's premier cycling race. "Many of his performances were so incredible, especially his remarkable return to form and win at the '89 Tour. I'm disappointed and dismayed that for the past four years Greg has continued to question my performances and character."

Tour de Tech: It's all about the routing

STAGE RESULTS1. David Moncoutie (F), Cofidis, 3:54:582. Juan Antonio Flecha (Sp), Fassa Bortolo, 02:153. Egoi Martinez (Sp), Euskaltel-Euskadi, 02:174. Thor Hushovd (Nor), Crédit Agricole, 05:585. Erik Zabel (G), T-Mobile, 05:586. Robbie Mc Ewen (Aus), Lotto-Domo, 05:587. Paolo Bettini (I), Quick Step-Davitamon, 05:588. Danilo Hondo (G), Gerolsteiner, 05:589. Lance Armstrong (USA), U.S. Postal Service, 05:5810. Stuart O'Grady (Aus), Cofidis, 05:58 11. Georg Totschnig (A), Gerolsteiner, 05:5812. Scott Sunderland (Aus), Alessio-Bianchi, 05:5813. Jan Ullrich (G), T-Mobile, 05:5814. Thomas

Tour de Tech: It's all about the routing

Lance Armstrong has accused French reporters of trying to rummage through his hotel room, hunting evidence of doping. The U.S. Postal Service-Berry Floor leader, who is bidding for a record sixth straight Tour de France title, said a French television crew attempted to get access to his room after he left to race in the 102-mile stage from Saint-Flour to Figeac in central France. “Just this morning, after we left, a TV crew from France 3 was going to the hotel, the reception, to the owner, asking for our room, trying to get in our room,” Armstrong said. He called such behavior

Tour de Tech: It's all about the routing

An Italian court has set an October trial date for 10 cyclists and two masseurs involved in a vast doping investigation that disrupted the 2001 Giro d'Italia. The San Remo court had set an October 27 start date for the trial, Italian news agency ANSA said late on Wednesday. The 12 include Italian rider Stefano Zanini (Quick Step) and Czech Pavel Padrnos (U.S. Postal Service-Berry Floor), both taking part in the Tour de France. The riders are all accused of having used drugs and doping substances and having had performance-enhancing treatments. The charges followed a wave of police

Tour de Tech: It's all about the routing

Ace shooter Casey Gibson is keeping his eyes peeled and his lenses at the ready during the 2004 Tour de France. Here's a sampling of what he saw during stage 11.

Martinez leads Flecha and Moncoutie

Tuesday and Wednesday at the Tour de France brought two early breakaways with two riders and remarkably different results. On Tuesday’s 160-kilometer stage from Saint-Léonard-de-Noblat to Guéret, Inigo Landaluze (Euskaltel) and Filippo Simeoni (Domina Vacanze got away at the 6 kilometer mark and quickly built up a lead that at one point was 10 minutes with just 60 kilometers to go. But the peloton knows when to start working the escapees are going to be caught. Sometimes no one is willing to work or the peloton – even with radios and GPS devices – misjudges the strength and speed of the

Moncoutie attacks on the roads of his home region

While I was surprised it David Moncoutie dispatched his breakaway companions as quickly as he did, his counterattack of an initial move by Juan Antonio Flecha was a textbook example of how to escape and win from a breakaway. The counterattack is the guerrilla warfare of the cycling world; your goal is to use your opponent’s offensive efforts against him. When Flecha launched an attack, Euskaltel rider Egoi Martinez immediately chased him down. Of the three men in the breakaway, Flecha and Martinez had just put forth hard efforts, but Moncoutie was still fresh. Just as Martinez caught up with

Another tough day at the office for Voeckler and his Boulangere team

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 and home town. Letters may be edited for length and clarity.LeMond out of line and unfairEditor:Greg LeMond’s comments in public are out of line, and show a lack of fairness, maturity and good judgment. Absent direct and reliable proof to the contrary, all athletes, including Lance Armstrong,

Armstrong jumped at the end, finishing ninth

I’m disappointed. It’s not like I started today thinking about dropping out of the Tour de France. It just turned out that way. My back started really bothering me after the start. I could never get comfortable on the bike and it was even hard to grip my handlebars there at times. I just couldn’t get any power out. I would try and try and try and there was just nothing. I felt like I had about half the power I did yesterday. I tried smaller gears, bigger gears and nothing. It was one of those days when I could neither spin nor turn gears. The stage itself kicked off with the usual charge

Sure, there's a ton of racing going on ... like Moncoutie winning a stage in the 'hood

INDIVIDUAL RESULTS1. Richard Virenque (F), Quick Step-Davitamon, 6:00:242. KlÖden Andréas (G), T-Mobile, 05:193. Erik Zabel (G), T-Mobile, 05:194. Francisco Mancebo (Sp), Illes Balears-Banesto, 05:195. Thomas Voeckler (F), Brioches La Boulangere, 05:196. Lance Armstrong (USA), U.S. Postal Service, 05:197. Georg Totschnig (A), Gerolsteiner, 05:198. Kim Kirchen (Lux), Fassa Bortolo, 05:199. Michele Scarponi (I), Domina Vacanze, 05:1910. Pietro Caucchioli (I), Alessio-Bianchi, 05:19 11. Iban Mayo (Sp), Euskaltel-Euskadi, 05:1912. Mickael Rasmussen (Dk), Rabobank, 05:1913. Ivan Basso (I), CSC,

Virenque guts it out on the Tour's longest stage

Frenchman Richard Virenque said Wednesday he is not about to give up what has been a profoundly controversial career as long as his legs, and his team, are fully behind him. The 34-year-old, who was the principal culprit in the Festina doping affair, which rocked cycling and the Tour de France in 1998, took a step towards claiming a record seventh polka-dot jersey by winning the tough 10th stage of the Tour de France held over 237km between Limoges and Saint Flour. It was Virenque's seventh stage victory overall on the race - all have been won in the mountains - and comes on the 10th

Voeckler

Italian rider Stefano Casagranda is set to sue the organizers of the Tour de France, accusing them of depriving him of his right to work when they threw him out of the race earlier this week. The 31-year-old told Gazzetta dello Sport that he would be meeting with his lawyer over the next few days to build his case against the organizers, who ejected him and Slovenian cyclist Martin Hvastija on Monday because they are implicated in a doping case in Italy. "The organizers deprived me of my right to work," the Saeco cyclist, who was a lowly 155th when he was expelled, told the newspaper. Tour

American Tyler Hamilton has suffered a major emotional blow on the Tour de France after discovering that his dog Tugboat was suffering from cancer and would have to be put down. "My best friend, my dog, I've had him for nine years - he has cancer really bad, and we have to put him down to rest," Hamilton told reporters after Wednesday's 10th stage of the Tour de France. "For me he was like a child. I've had many great years with him," added the Phonak team leader, who has been followed on the Tour by his wife and dog in recent years. "Just my dog and my wife and I, it's kind of a

Virenque and Voeckler tops at Tour on Bastille Day

Australian sprinter Robbie McEwen battled the pain of tendinitis in his left knee and the many climbs on the longest stage of the 2004 Tour de France on Wednesday to maintain his lead in the points classification. The Lotto-Domo rider, injured in a crash on Friday but strong enough to win Tuesday's stage, said the 237km slog to St Flour had tested his stamina and willpower. McEwen trailed in 164th, over 25 minutes behind 10th stage winner Richard Virenque (Quick Step). "This was the hardest day of the Tour for me and I'm glad it's over," he said after almost six-and-a-half hours of racing

Leipheimer added to U.S. Olympic squad

It has been said that wearing the yellow jersey can give a rider an extra gear, and Thomas Voeckler is definitely taking advantage of it. Instead of being satisfied with merely finishing with the lead group and preserving his overall lead, the young French champion sprinted to fifth place in Stage 10, because that’s how the leader of the Tour de France should race. Right beside Voeckler in the rush to the line was Lance Armstrong, and his decision to stay at the front in the final 850 meters gained him another seven seconds over Tyler Hamilton, Roberto Heras, Levi Leipheimer, and Bobby

My responsibilities have changed. We’re in the mountains, so my job has changed from trying to win a stage to slipping down into “suffer mode,” grind it through and make sure I don’t miss the time cut. These are the days that my director gives me something of a free hand. The other guys have responsibilities themselves, of course. The big job is to do as much as possible to protect and help Pietro Caucchioli and Andrea Noe'. It was a much tougher day than I had feared. The first days into the mountains are always a struggle for me. It takes time for my legs to get used to the stiff

With Lance Armstrong declining his spot on the U.S. Olympic road team, USA Cycling on Wednesday officially nominated Levi Leipheimer as Armstrong’s replacement on the five-man team, joining George Hincapie, Bobby Julich, Tyler Hamilton and Jason McCartney. Leipheimer’s nomination was primarily based on USA Cycling’s automatic selection criteria, which gives a nomination to any rider that places top-five in a UCI hors-categorie stage race, the highest UCI stage-race ranking outside of a grand tour. Leipheimer placed fifth at the Tour of the Basque Country in April, but was initially passed

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 and home town. Letters may be edited for length and clarity.Bon voyage, TugboatEditor:I heard the very sad news this morning that Tyler Hamilton's dog Tugboat would be put to sleep. I think everyone who has lost a beloved pet knows exactly how bad Tyler must be feeling right now. This is no

USA Cycling has delayed making a formal announcement naming the 2004 U.S. Olympic mountain-bike team pending the official release of the latest UCI rankings, the national governing body said on Tuesday. Asked when the announcement might be expected, USAC communications manager Andy Lee replied: “I have no estimate. It is dependent upon the publication of UCI rankings, which were supposed to be out on Monday. We were told by the UCI they would be done by the end of the day yesterday, and they weren't, so all I can tell you is an announcement will be made following the publication of new UCI

STAGE 10 Limoges - Saint-Flour (147.272mi/237km)

STAGE 10 Limoges - Saint-Flour (147.272mi/237km)

STAGE 10 Limoges - Saint-Flour (147.272mi/237km)

It was a happy Bastille Day for the housewives' favorite

COURSE: This is not only the Tour’s longest stage but also the first with major climbs. The route through the Massif Central has amixture of wide, straight highways and narrow, twisting back roads, withthe hardest part at the end. The spectacular Pas de Peyrol climb has 15-percent pitches, and is followedby two more steep uphills before a fast, technical finale into St. Flour. FAVORITES: This is Bastille Day, so expect French names likeSylvain Chavanel among the breakaways, along with men like Michael Boogerdand Santiago Botero. Armstrong’s Postal troops might have a hard time tryingto keep

Merckx and Virenque work a two-man break

Richard Virenque gave French cycling fans all they could have dreamed for to mark their national holiday, Bastille Day, by winning the 237km stage 10 from Limoges to Saint Flour. The win moved him up to fourth place overall and gave him the lead in the King of the Mountains competition -- his primary goal at this year's Tour de France. Furthermore, on this Bastille Day, French could also celebrate another day with a Frenchman in the yellow jersey, as young Thomas Voeckler (Brioches La Boulangere) finished among the overall favorites, more than five minutes behind the day’s lone victor,

Voeckler's team protects the yellow jersey for another day

STAGE 9 July 13 Saint-Léonard-de-Noblat - Guéret (99.424mi/160km)

STAGE 9 July 13 Saint-Léonard-de-Noblat - Guéret (99.424mi/160km)

McEwen is concerned about the climbing to come with a bum knee

Tour de Tech: Specialized's Full-on Carbon

COURSE: It’s only 50km from St. Léonard to Guéretas the crow flies, but this stage loops south and east before heading towardthe finish on rolling roads that should favor a breakaway. FAVORITES: After a day of rest, expect the more aggressive ridersto come out fighting. But the sprinters know that this is their last chanceto snag a win before the climbing stages, so don’t be surprised if the sprinters' teams try to keep any escapes in check. McEwen? O'Grady? Hondo? HISTORY: The Tour has never come to Guéret before, butthe region has some cycling history. St. Léonard is the hometownof

Tour de Tech: Specialized's Full-on Carbon

Australian Robbie McEwen became the first double stage winner of this year's Tour de France with his victory in the ninth stage - the last chance for the sprinters to win before the race enters the mountains on Wednesday. In one of the tightest finishes so far, McEwen (Lotto-Domo) beat Norway's Thor Hushovd (Crédit Agricole) and Australian Stuart O'Grady (Cofidis) in 3:32:55 to take the 160.5km stage from Saint Leonard de Noblet to Gueret. “I'm happy I've won two bunch sprints,” McEwen said. “I probably had a chance at another couple, but you can't win every day. “After today I feel like I

Cipo's bike featured a bit of extra carbon