News

Virenque had Rogers' company up the final climb

Lance Armstrong loves to win, but he knows it is better to concede some battles in the effort to win the war. When he has a great day, Lance can leave everyone behind with one hard attack, but today wasn’t great and it became clear to him early on in the Alp d’Huez climb that the best strategy was to ride defensively. Lance went into Stage 8 intending to attack on Alp d’Huez and put as much time as possible into his main rivals for the yellow jersey. The US Postal Service set him up perfectly to do just that, setting a blistering pace up the initial slopes of the mountain. Their efforts

Simoni's new ride

The women's final podium: Johnson, Bessette, Albert

This was the one everyone was waiting for. At 219km, the stage from Sallanches to L'alpe D’huez was the fourth longest of this Tour, but it was, by a long stretch, the toughest so far. Of the five climbs, two are among the toughest (and most famous) in the world: the hors categorie 2645-meter Col du Galibier (the highest point of the entire race) and the much-feared 1850-meter L' Alpe d'Huez. To take on a day like this, both riders and their equipment needed to be ready for the seemingly endless climbs as well as heart-stopping descents. Here's a look at some of the equipment the riders

Stage 8 Tour Tech: Gear for the toughest of days

Candelario stays glued to Horner's wheel

A great injustice has occurred on the Tour de France and not a soul has stood up to make a point of it. By doing so now, I’ll probably find out why lips have remained tight. Basically, Tour history has stiffed the person who should be credited with founding the Tour. And it took today’s stage 8 from Sallanches to L’Alpe d’Huez to highlight that omission. As the stage passed the 2654-meter summit of the Galibier after 157km and we began the long descent, looking to the right we saw the massive stone monument dedicated to Henri Desgrange. Known as H.D (pronounced “ash-day” in French) to his

Stage 8 Tour Tech: Gear for the toughest of days

The men's final podium:Wherry, Danielson, Vaughters

What a difference a week makes. Last Sunday night was a pretty low point for me and everyone on the CSC team. But here we are seven days later, reflecting on a day we couldn’t have imagined was possible. It's impossible to explain the range of emotions this team has been through since the start of the Tour. But everyone has rallied around me and my effort to continue. I don't know where I'd be without their support. My being able to stay in this race has been the result of a full and collective effort by all the riders and staff. Everyone has tried to stay as positive as possible.

Dahle was on cruise control all day.

Paulissen survived to grab his first World Cup win.

Stage 8 Tour Tech: Gear for the toughest of days

Attrition.

Four-time stage winner Alessandro Petacchi said he retired from the Tour de France early on Saturday's first mountain stage because he would never have made it to the end of the race. Though the Tour ends in Paris on July 27, the Italian climbed off his bike 45km into the 230km seventh stage to Morzine after being left behind by the main field. "I always said my form wasn't that good for the Tour de France," Petacchi said. "I didn't plan to retire but I was struggling on the very first climb. I knew it would have been impossible to make it to the finish of the stage, and I knew I could

Protest carries less weight when you're off the back

Moseley maintained a slim lead in the overall.

Lance Armstrong warned the rest of the Tour de France Saturday that he was gearing up to win cycling's biggest race for a record-equaling fifth time. The American allowed Frenchman Richard Virenque to take Saturday's first mountain stage at Morzine, along with the yellow jersey, but then said he was setting out to win the race, starting with Sunday's eighth stage climb up L'Alpe d'Huez. "For me, the Tour started today," the U.S. Postal Service leader told reporters. "In the first week of the race you're not riding to win, you're just trying to stay out of trouble and not lose it. Now it's

With the temp. in the 90's riders take all the bottles they can carry

Winning the Tour de France requires a balance of patience and aggression, and on the first mountain stage today, Lance and U.S. Postal Service chose to remain patient. Armstrong wasn’t the only man waiting to show his true strength. His main rivals, Jan Ullrich and Joseba Beloki rode quietly today as well, but tomorrow each man will be forced to lay his cards on the table. Quickstep’s Richard Virenque was Stage Seven’s main aggressor, attacking early and gaining enough time and mountain points to take both the yellow and polka dot jerseys. Virenque wore the yellow jersey briefly eleven years

Andrea Marchant waits for an autograph...

Virenque claims the first mountain stage of the '03 Tour

and Hincapie finally rewards her

Through the streets of Lyon

Simoni's new bike

U.S. Postal

all decked out...

Richard Virenque of Quick Step-Davitamon left behind a shaky past - not to mention the rest of the Tour de France peloton - to experience a dream day in the 2003 Tour's first big mountain stage. The Frenchman, disgraced after his role in the Festina scandal at the 1998 Tour, rebounded in Saturday's hot, steamy mountains opener in the French Alps to win the stage, grab the King of the Mountains jersey and take the overall lead. "Something magical happened to me today," said Virenque, who finished 2:29 ahead of Rolf Aldag (Telekom) after a 190km-long break. "I was going for the King of the

Jan Ullrich

with weights

As the Tour de France climbs into the Alps for three mountain stages, Marco Pantani – one of the greatest climbers in the history of cycling and winner of the 1998 Tour de France – is back on his bike for the first time since he left a drug and depression clinic. Pantani, who spent the second half of June in the clinic near Venice, looked well as he rode his bike for an hour and half near his home in Cesenatico on Friday. He refused to speak as he headed home from his ride, but La Gazzetta dello Sport suggested he could be training ready to make a return to racing at the Tour of Spain in

With the yellow jersey on Pena, chasing duties fell to Postal

A little card playing and wine drinking waiting for the stage

Stage 7 Individual Results1. Richard Virenque (F), Quick Step-Davitamon, 6:06:032. Rolf Aldag (G), Telekom, 02:293. Sylvain Chavanel (F), Brioches La Boulangere, 03:454. Michael Rogers (Aus), Quick Step-Davitamon, 04:035. Stefano Garzelli (I), Caldirola, 04:066. Christophe Moreau (F), Credit Agricole, 04:067. Laurent Dufaux (Swi), Alessio, 04:068. David Millar (GB), Cofidis, 04:069. Georg Totschnig (A), Gerolsteiner, 04:0610. Alexandre Vinokourov (Kaz), Telekom, 04:0611. Mikel Astarloza (Sp), Ag2R Prevoyance, 04:0612. Guido Trentin (I), Cofidis, 04:0613. Grischa Niermann (G), Rabobank,

Pena spent his last day in yellow

Some true Aussie fans

The biggest polka dot jersey ever

Olympic champion Florian Rousseau failed to qualify for the world track cycling championships when he finished in 11th place in the keirin event at the French trials in Hyeres on Saturday. Rousseau, who won Olympic gold in the keirin event at the 2000 Games in Sydney, Australia, had also missed out on selection for the sprint event when he finished fourth in the trials on Thursday. Only the first three were picked for the championships, which take place in Stuttgart, Germany, from July 30 to August 3. –Copyright 2003/AFP

Bettini labors on Virenque's behalf

American Sandwich? Try the Al Capone or the Jazz Fish

Saeco team riders were all handed a 200 Swiss francs ($146.3) fine by Tour de France organisers for sporting white jerseys with a publicity slogan instead of their regular red team kits in Saturday's stage to Morzine. The Italian team wanted to use a new carbon-aluminum Cannondale for the mountains that weighs in at 6.6 kilograms, 200 grams lighter than the UCI minimum of 6.8kg. The UCI imposed the minimum standard three years ago for what the governing body says were safety reasons. To protest at the limitation, Saeco riders sported jerseys asking UCI to "legalize my Cannondale." Saeco

Peña and Armstrong ride in the group

Who?

Seeing a 40-strong group ride into Morzine with Lance Armstrong at the end of the Tour’s first mountain stage on Saturday was quite a surprise — especially after the Postal team leader’s three Spanish climbers had turned on the screws up the Cat. 1 Col de la Ramaz, 25km from the end. But looking back to the action on the Ramaz, we saw three of Armstrong’s billed rivals — Italian Gilberto Simoni, Colombian Santiago Botero and Spaniard Aitor Gonzales — fall back and concede up to six minutes on the defending champion. It was a shock to see those three struggling while American Tyler Hamilton

Far from attacking, Simoni was going backwards

Houseman earned an unlikely win.

Virenque takes the yellow ... and the polka-dot jersey

Steve Peat battles the elements.

What a day the seventh stage into the Alps turned out to be. To finish with my Quickstep-Davitamon teammate Richard Virenque winning the first mountain stage and taking the yellow jersey - and me "passing" my first test in the Alps - it couldn't have been better. Firstly, a few words about Richard. I said the other day he has given me a fair bit of advice and inside knowledge about the mountains. He proved today that his word is good. He told me this morning at breakfast that he was going to go for the stage win. He said he was going to attack on the first kilometer of the first climb,

Virenque celebrates

The crowds were thick in B.C.

There are all sorts you meet on the route of the Tour de France. People, that is. Many of them you forget as days, weeks and years pass. Others remain etched in your mind. Today, I fear, may be the latter. Had we filled the gas tank of our car earlier, rather than after the emergency light had been flickering for 50km, those fears would not exist. Finding service stations in France is not as easy as it sounds, and even less so on the Tour route. Filling stations are either closed, blocked off by barriers or take French-only credit cards. But we felt lucky today, 85km into stage 7 from Lyon

Virenque and sons

Griffiths made it two straight.

Maybe you’re like me and you treated yourself to a hot dog to celebrate the Fourth of July. Heck, maybe you even downed two or three and chased them down with a cold beverage. Chances are, though, you did not wolf down three dozen wieners, and chase them down with another eight-and-a-half. In 12 minutes. That was the final tally for Takeru “The Tsunami” Kobyashi at the Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest, July 4 in Coney Island. The Japanese three-time champion’s 44-and-a-half dogs easily outdistanced second-place Ed “Cookie” Jarvis, who set an American record with 30-and-a-half hot dogs

Lotto was among the chasers that took back an 18-minute deficit

Wherry warms up for the time trial

While Alessandro Petacchi celebrated a tremendous week of sprinting with his fourth stage win of this year's Tour de France on Friday, race favorite Lance Armstrong will be quietly delighted to have reached the foot of the Alps perfectly poised to launch his challenge for a fifth successive victory. Whereas the American is usually lagging behind the other leading contenders before the first mountain stage, he will this time tackle the first big climb with a comfortable lead over his rivals. The Texan took it easy in today’s 143-mile ride from Nevers, finishing a comfortable 39th to remain

At these speeds, le Tour is le blur

Bajadali blasts out onto the course.

Tyler Hamilton will be the subject of an upcoming IMAX film. And they don't use those nice portable mini-cams for that.

It took Danielson a while to find out that he didn't win

Each year, more and more first-timers join the Tour de France press corps. The American invasion began after Greg LeMond started winning the Tour in 1986, and it has accelerated since Lance Armstrong’s first win in 1999. From an Australian viewpoint, the media trickle from down under has become a downpour (or should that be an up-pour?) since riders like Stuart O’Grady, Robbie McEwen, Brad McGee and Baden Cooke began winning stages. One of the most interesting aspects of a Tour is to hear the first impressions of those covering the world’s biggest and most prestigious bike race for the first

Armstrong's new fork

King wins at Grouse.

Armstrong's new seat tube

Carter captured the overall.

We've made it six stages… which is just about five more than I thought I would see last Sunday. We're still taking things day-by-day here at Camp Collar Bone. I had a second set of x-rays taken last night. The good news was there was no further displacement, or injury. The bad news was there was no evidence of any healing. We've chosen to focus on the good news, so I started today's stage from Nevers with the same mindset I've had all week, which has basically been - lets see what we can do. I'm completely amazed with all the attention my situation is getting. I've been riding my bike for a