Road

With a five-minute lead, overall victory virtually assured, and three stage wins in his pocket, there wasn’t much left for Lance Armstrong to race for on Stage 18’s 61km individual time trial from Montluçon to Saint-Armand-Montrond. Except that, there’s always something for Armstrong to race for at the Tour. On Friday, it was about validating his worthiness to lead the Tour de France. As if that were ever in doubt. But in doing so, Armstrong took his game to another level, one that he said he’s never reached before. On a hot, humid day, over undulating forest roads, Armstrong knew from the

Stage Winner Lance Armstrong (USA) U.S. Postal Service, 60.5km in 1:14:16---------------------------------- Overall Lead: Lance Armstrong (USA) U.S. Postal Service Sprinter: Stuart O'Grady (Aus) Credit Agricole Climber: Laurent Jalabert (F) CSC-Tiscali Under 25: Oscar Sevilla (Sp) Kelme-Costa Blanca Click below for full results and overall.

The Tour de France loves to give out second chances. And this year, it seems like they’re everywhere. Of course, there’s Lance Armstrong, who’s living out his second life after his recovery from cancer. But after that, there are plenty of other less monumental examples. Laurent Jalabert, for example, has transformed himself from a perennial July disappointment into a new, aggressive, attacking Tour rider who’s taken two Tour stage wins and the polka dot jersey this year. And on Thursday, the Tour was introduced to Serge Baguet, who really is living out a second career. The Belgian

Saturn dominated the first day of the 2001 Canadian National Road Championships, with Eric Wohlberg and Lyne Bessette winning their respective time trials. The national championships are being held in the town of Dieppe, New Brunswick, on the east coast of Canada. The elite men covered 2 circuits of the 20 kilometer road race course, while the women and espoir men did two loops of a shortened 13 kilometer circuit. Both were rolling, with no major climbs. Conditions were perfect, except for a very strong wind that was in the face of riders as they finished. Bessette's main rival was

In late July in France, there are plenty of pleasant ways to spend a sunny summer afternoon during vacation season. Riding a bicycle for nearly six hours in 90-degree weather is not one of them. But after two-and-a-half weeks, and more than 1600 miles covered, that’s what the riders in the Tour de France face for most of the final week. These are the dog days of the Tour, when many of the weary riders are just looking forward to getting to Paris. Still, even during the dog days, every day presents another chance for glory or disappointment, and Wednesday’s Stage 16 from Castelsarrasin to

Jan Ullrich has done everything he can to lose weight off of his body. He and his mechanics have also gone to extraordinary lengths to take a full kilogram off of the bike he uses in the mountains. The big German also has some particular preferences about his components, and his mechanics and suppliers clearly bend over backward to accommodate them. Ullrich’s climbing frame is a lighter version of his Pinarello Prince. It appears to have standard Prince carbon fork and seatstay wishbone, but the aluminum main tubes have thinner walls, and the down tube is smaller diameter. As his climbing

In today's opening session of the 2001 World Junior Track Championships, USA's Tyler Farrar qualified for the quarterfinal round of the men's 3km individual pursuit. Farrar -- in only his fourth pursuit ride of his career -- clocked a 3:29.701 on the Lehigh Valley Velodrome in Trexlertown, Pennsylvania. Competition runs from July 25 to 29. The morning's fastest time, in hot, muggy conditions, went to defending world junior champion Volodymyr Dyudiya (Ukraine) in 3:27.090. Germany's Christopher Meschenmoser was second (3:27.350) and Dyudiya's countryman, Vitaliy Kondrut next

The Tour de France resumed on Tuesday, following the mountains and Monday’s rest day, and with Lance Armstrong having all but wrapped up the yellow jersey, the race was once again turned over to the opportunists in the peloton. Headbangers. Donkeys. Call them what you want. The breakaway artists were at it again on Stage 15, and Lotto’s Rik Verbrugghe grabbed the stage win after an escape of more than 100 miles. The longest day of the Tour, a 232.5km west-to-east journey from Pau to Lavaur, began on a sour note, as American Jonathan Vaughters (Crédit Agricole) abandoned the race. Vaughters

Stage Winner: Rik Verbrugghe (B) Lotto, 232.5km iin 5:15:21---------------------------------- Overall Lead: Lance Armstrong (USA) U.S. Postal Service Sprinter: Stuart O'Grady (Aus) Credit Agricole Climber: Laurent Jalabert (F) CSC-Tiscali Under 25: Oscar Sevilla (Sp) Kelme-Costa Blanca Click below for full results

Roland Green probably won’t ever forget his back-to-back World Cup flats that likely cost him a pair of cross-country wins, but after the weekend he’s had at Mammoth Mountain in California, the pain has certainly been eased. A day after winning the cross country at NORBA NCS No. 4, Green added to his haul by running away with Saturday’s short track. It’s the second time this year the Canadian Trek-Volkswagen rider has doubled up at an NCS stop, a feat he also accomplished at NORBA No. 2 in Snowshoe, West Virginia. In the women’s race Alison Dunlap was fastest in a hard-fought affair,

Eric Carter and Tai-Lee Muxlo took down all comers on their way to wins in the dual slalom at NORBA NCS No. 4 at Mammoth Mountain in California. It was the 11th slalom victory of Carter’s career. For Muxlo it was her first. Carter (Mongoose-Hyundai) had about as difficult trip to victory as one could have. He barley got by Michael Ronning (Intense) in the first round, then had to take out Fabien Barel (GT), Mick Hannah (Global Racing) and Wade Bootes (Trek-Volkswagen), before facing Brian Lopes (GT-Fox) in the finals. In the finals, though, Carter got a break when Lopes’s front tire washed

Stage Winner: Roberto Laiseka (Euskaltel-Euskadi) – 4:24:30 ---------------------------------- Overall Lead: Lance Armstrong (USA) U.S. Postal Service Sprinter: Stuart O’Grady (Aus) Credit Agricole Climber: Laurent Jalabert (F) CSC Under 25: Oscar Sevilla (Sp), Kelme

At last, the massive mountains of the Alps and Pyrénées are behind the riders of the Tour de France. After a brutal six-day stretch of racing, the riders will have one more rest day on Monday, followed by the final six stages which will take them to the finish in Paris. With 14 stages in the books, American Lance Armstrong leaves the mountains with an almost insurmountable lead in the overall race. Armstrong was the dominant force in the mountains, but on Sunday, the weekend in the Pyrénées concluded with a hugely popular win for Euskaltel-Euskadi rider Roberto Laiseka. Of the three Pyrénéan

After Lance Armstrong found on L’Alpe d’Huez that he wanted a 22 and did not have it, he did something about it for the beyond-category climbs of the Tourmalet and Luz Ardiden today. He once again used a 12-23, but it was not a standard cog distribution. He had an extra two-tooth gap lower down and used one-tooth gaps at the top. The smallest two cogs were titanium on his cassette, while the last seven of his nine cogs were blue aluminum Specialities T.A. on his Mavic Ksyrium SSC SL wheel. The top three cogs were 21-22-23 (so the entire set went 12-13-14-15-17-19-21-22-23). The front inner

Fabien Barel’s breakout season rolled on at NORBA National No. 4 at Mammoth Mountain in California. The 20-year-old Frenchman bombed his way down the loose dirt of the new 1.7-mile "Bullet" downhill, just nipping Global Racing’s Mick Hannah by .92 seconds. Barel (GT) was the only rider to post a sub four-minute time, stopping the clock in 3:59.24. Greg Minnaar (Global Racing), Mickael Pascal (Be One), and John Kirkaldie (Maxxis) completed the podium places. "I tried to go easy at the top because it’s flatter at the bottom and I knew I’d need maximum energy," said Barel, who is leading the

Lance Armstrong has beaten down all of his opponents at the Tour de France in the past five days, and when he finally took over the yellow jersey of race leader on Saturday, the signs were everywhere. He rode away from Jan Ullrich, the grit on the German’s face and the dirt streaking his jersey a fitting symbol of the psychological beating he has taken at Armstrong’s hands. Joseba Beloki rolled across the finish line in utter exhaustion, a string of drool hanging from his chin, after trying to stay with Armstrong on the most difficult day of the race. Santiago Botero bowed his head and buried

Stage Winner: Lance Armstrong - 5:44:22 ---------------------------------- Overall Lead: Lance Armstrong (USA) U.S. Postal Service Sprinter: Stuart O’Grady (Aus) Credit Agricole Climber: Laurent Jalabert (F) CSC Under 25: Oscar Sevilla (Sp), Kelme

On Friday, the Tour de France entered the Pyrénées, for the start of a weekend in the mountains that will most likely decide the final outcome of the Tour de France. After a day to fly from the Alps to the mountains that separate France from Spain, and to recover a little from the two mountain stages in the Alps, the Tour resumed with Kelme-Costa Blanca’s Felix Cardenas scoring the stage victory, but it also saw Lance Armstrong show off a little more of his arsenal as he again took time out of all his rivals. On the course profile, Stage 12 from Perpignan to Ax-Les-Thermes looked like the

Stage Winner: Félix Cardenas (Col) Kelme, 166.5km in 5:03:34 (B) 4:35:47----------------------------------Overall Lead: François Simon (F) BonjourSprinter: Stuart O'Grady (Aus) Credit AgricoleClimber: Laurent Roux (F) Jean DelatourUnder 25: Oscar Sevilla (Sp) Kelme-Costa Blanca Click below for full results

For the second straight year Australian Mary Grigson (Subaru-Gary Fisher) blew away the field in the NORBA NCS cross country at Mammoth Mountain in California. Grigson finished the four-lap, 23.3-mile race around a windy, dusty track in 2:10:43, 1:42 ahead of second-place finisher and teammate, Chrissy Redden. GT’s Alison Dunlap was next across the line, 4:01 behind Grigson. Jimena Florit (RLX Polo Sport) and Ruthie Matthes (Trek-Volkswagen) rounded out the podium places. Friday’s win at the fourth of five NCS stops almost assures Grigson of her second straight NORBA series title because

After two very tough weeks, Roland Green’s string of bad luck came to an end Friday at NORBA National No. 4 at Mammoth Mountain in California. The Canadian Trek-Volkswagen rider took the front during the third of five laps, then pulled away from his pursuers to win the 29.3-mile race in 2:18:05. Countryman Ryder Hesjedal (Subaru-Gary Fisher) was next across the line, 1:16 back of Green. New Zealand’s Kashi Leuchs (Volvo-Cannondale) was third, another :36 back. As Green crossed the finish line he pumped his fist emphatically, then told a gathering of reporters, "The curse is over!" Green’s

For Lance Armstrong, the seemingly inevitable march toward the Tour de France yellow jersey and a third consecutive overall victory continued on Wednesday, as he took the air out of his rivals for the second day in a row in the French Alps. The day after his unstoppable ride on Alpe d’Huez, Armstrong won his second straight stage on Wednesday, this year’s Stage 11 hillclimb time trial from Grenoble to Chamrousse. Attacking the 20km climb up to the ski resort at Chamrousse, Armstrong posted the fastest time checks all day long, beating runner-up Jan Ullrich (Telekom) by a minute at the sunny,

Stage Winner: Lance Armstrong (USA) U.S. Postal Service, in 6:23:47---------------------------------- Overall Lead: François Simon (F), Bonjour Sprinter: Stuart O'Grady (Aus), Crèdit Agricole Climber: Laurant Roux (F) Jean Delatour Under 25: Oscar Sevilla (Sp) Kelme Click below for full results

In each of his two Tour de France victories, Lance Armstrong has performed heroic feats on the first mountaintop finishes of the race, taking complete control of those Tours and forever linking his name with those climbs. Sestrières …. Hautacam …. On Tuesday, Armstrong again launched himself ahead of his biggest rivals, taking a big step toward overall victory, but this time, instead of standing alone, his name goes down with the some of the legends of Tour history. And instead of having complete command of the Tour, he still has a few obstacles to contend with before he can don the leader’s

Stage Winner: Lance Armstrong (USA) U.S. Postal Service, in 6:23:47---------------------------------- Overall Lead: François Simon (F), Bonjour Sprinter: Stuart O'Grady (Aus), Crèdit Agricole Climber: Laurant Roux (F) Jean Delatour Under 25: Oscar Sevilla (Sp) Kelme Click below for full results

Stage Winner: Serguei Ivanov (Rus) Fassa Bortolo, in 3:57:48i;;---------------------------------- Overall Lead: Stuart O'Grady (Aus), Credit Agricole Sprinter: Stuart O'Grady (Aus), Credit Agricole Climber: Patrice Halgand (F), Jean Delatour Under 25: Jorg Jaksche (G), O.N.C.E. Click below for full results

Stage 9 of the 2001 Tour de France saw the 175 remaining riders leave Pontarlier on their way to Aix-Les-Bains on Monday, skirting along the Swiss border and ending up at the foot of the Alps. And weighing on the minds of the riders was the first Alpine stage of this year’s Tour, Tuesday’s brutal day from Aix-Les-Bains to Alpe d’Huez, which includes three of the most difficult climbs of this year’s race, the Col de la Madeleine, the Col du Glandon and Alpe d’Huez. With five consecutive mountain stages to follow, Monday represented the last hope of a stage win for the teams that had missed

Scott Moninger won the five-day, six-stage Columbia River Bank Cascade Classic stage race that wrapped up in Bend, Oregon, Sunday. It was Moninger’s third consecutive win at Cascade, as he and his Mercury-Viatel teammates Chris Wherry and Chris Horner captured four out of the six stage victories as well as the top three general classification spots. The only rider to break the Mercury stranglehold was Navigators’ Chris Baldwin, who took two stage wins himself. In the women's race, the dominator was mountain biker-turned-stage-race-power Amber Neben, now riding for Autotrader.com. Neben

Following the World Cup triple in Durango, Colorado this past weekend the series splits for the last time. The next race is a downhill-dual only affair in Arai, Japan, July 28-29. The cross country riders have a few weeks off before returning to action at the third triple of the year in Leysin, Switzerland, August 4-5. Triples at Kaprun, Austria and Mont-Ste-Anne, Quebec will close out the season. Click on the results icon below to see updated overall standings for all three events.

All those complaints about a lack of passing possibilities on World Cup dual courses were put to bed for at least a day at World Cup No. 4 in Durango, Colorado. The course, which was designed by former downhill world champion Greg Herbold, had mix of big berms, jumps and even a rock garden. It also provided plenty of exciting wheel-to-wheel racing. Still, when it was all done, the same names that were at the top of the podium a week ago in Canada were there again here in Colorado: Brian Lopes and Leigh Donovan. Lopes (GT-Fox) got his third straight win of 2001 by taking down

After an opening week at the Tour de France during which everyone was on edge, with riders struggling at their limit in the crosswinds every day, something had to give. And it finally did on Sunday. A typical group of headbangers went out on the early breakaway, just as you would expect on a long transitional stage, two days before the first high mountain passes of the Tour. But the end result added yet another twist to this year’s Tour, turning the standings upside down, putting the yellow leader’s jersey back onto the shoulders of Stuart O’Grady, and introducing a possible wild card into

Stage Winner: Erik Dekker (Nl) Rabobank, (F), CSC-Tiscali, 4:59:18----------------------------------Overall Lead: Stuart O'Grady (Aus), Credit Agricole Sprinter: Erik Zabel (G) Deutsche TelekomClimber: Patrice Halgand (F), Jean Delatour Under 25: Jorg Jaksche (G), O.N.C.E. Click below for full results

There are four different colors of Treks you will see U.S. Postal racing on in the Tour. These are two different road bikes and two different time trial bikes. The two road frames you can buy, and there is no difference between them and models sold in bike shops. The two time trial frames are strictly team issue. This use of stock frames is unique at that level of racing. Almost all top riders have frames custom built especially for them, often by a manufacturer other than the one whose name is on the frame. In fact, Trek claims that Lance Armstrong's two Tour victories were the only ones

After winning the first four races of the season, Specialized’s lock on the women’s World Cup cross country series was finally broken at race No. 5 in Durango, Colorado. Australian Mary Grigson (Subaru-Gary Fisher) slowly pulled away from Barbara Blatter (Specialized) during the second lap of the three-lap, 34.5-kilometer race, and went on to capture her second career World Cup win. Grigson crossed the line in 1:47:45, 1:05 ahead of Blatter, who held on for second. Third place went to Specialized’s Caroline Alexander, while Ruthie Matthes (Trek-Volkswagen) was fourth, followed by Chrissy

For the second week in a row flat tires were the story in the men’s World Cup cross country race, and once again Roland Green was a victim. This time, however, Green had plenty of company, and that helped 20-year-old Julien Absalon get his first career World Cup win, taking race No. 5 in Durango, Colorado. First to go down with tire problems was cross country No. 4 winner, Christoph Sauser (Volvo-Cannondale). A week ago Sauser was handed the win at Grouse Mountain when Green flatted on the last lap. But this time around Sauser barely broke a sweat, flatting twice less than 10 minutes into

For the Crédit Agricole team, the biggest player so far this year in the Tour de France, everything is going according to plan. For Laurent Jalabert, it’s almost as if he has no plan, taking everything day-to-day. Both approaches worked just fine on Saturday, as the Frenchman Jalabert won his second stage of this year’s Tour, while Crédit Agricole saw the leader’s yellow jersey change hands within the squad, going from Australian Stuart O’Grady to German Jens Voigt. Jalabert’s win was the second time in his career that he has won a Tour stage on the French national holiday Bastille Day, the

In addition to the teams mentioned yesterday, Kelme is also using wheels with carbon braking surfaces – namely Shimanos with carbon rims. Like Shimano’s aluminum wheels, they have paired spokes with their heads in the side of the rim and nipples at the star-shaped hub. Kelme uses Shimano’s red cork brake pads with them. ADA also makes a rubberized cork pad for carbon rims that are claimed to provide consistent braking on carbon rims, even when wet. Its pad fits in both Shimano and Campagnolo brake-pad holders, but not in Corima pad holders. Telekom has been using ADA pads in the past but

On a day when the weather changed more than a runway model in Milan, the rain came at the worst possible time for the world’s top male downhillers at World Cup stop No. 4 at Durango, Colorado. The result was some new faces on the podium and some terrible finishes for the guys who usually get to pop open the champagne bottles. Frenchman Mickael Pascal was the biggest beneficiary. The Be One rider got in his run between a pair of quick moving squalls that rolled in from the west, drenching the ski hill at Durango Mountain Resort. That helped Pascal post the day’s fastest time, 3:37.68. It was

Stage Winner: Laurent Jalabert (F), CSC-Tiscali, 4:06:04----------------------------------Overall Lead: Jens Voight (G), Credit Agricole Sprinter: Erik Zabel (G) Deutsche TelekomClimber: Patrice Halgand (F), Jean Delatour Under 25: Jorg Jaksche (G), O.N.C.E. Click below for full results

Many of you have asked that we not reveal the winner in the headline or first paragraph of our daily updates, so if you don't want be surprised as you work your way through our now-not-so-live updates click HERE to work up from the bottom and follow the race from the start. For the rest of you today's winner was ... 5:15 p.m. (local time) Stuart O'Grady retains the yellow jersey and Telekom's Erik Zabel continues in his quest for his sixth green jersey. 5:05 p.m. (local time) Kirsipuu! Telekom's Erik Zabel, was looking strong, but ran into traffic. Kirsipuu had a clear shot, while Zabel

On Friday, many of the riders at the Tour de France may have been breathing a sigh of relief, comforted in the fact that they had survived a very difficult opening week. For Estonian Jaan Kirsipuu (Ag2R Prevoyance), it was not only physically taxing, but also a mental challenge as well. However, he bounced back on Stage 6 and scored the second Tour de France stage win of his career, on the 211.5km stage from Commercy to Strasbourg. It won’t get any easier for the riders from here on out, but at least now, the Tour may settle down into a more recognizable rhythm. Week one of the Tour was

Stage Winner: Jaan Kirsipuu (Est), Ag2r 4:50:39----------------------------------Overall Lead: Stuart O'Grady (Aus) Credit AgricoleSprinter: Erik Zabel (G) Deutsche TelekomClimber: Patrice Halgand (F), Jean Delatour Under 25: Jorg Jaksche (G), O.N.C.E. Click below for full results

The wheels are arguably the most important part on a bicycle and are thus the source of constant efforts for improvement, and, for a team, to find an edge over, or at least parity with, the other teams. There are a number of physical properties of a wheel that teams have to consider. A gram of rotating weight out at the rim is worth about two grams on the frame, so weight reduction is obviously critical. Wheels are big egg beaters of the air, and any reduction in their aerodynamic friction can pay off, especially when the rider is not sheltered in the peloton. In order that the rider can

It was an emotional day in Fruili at the start and finish of the 11th stage of the Giro d’Italia Femminile. Before the start of the stage Rosalisa La Pomarda -who was third overall and best placed Italian rider - was ejected from the race after UCI blood tests showed she was unfit to race. The other 35 riders tested were all within the limits. The stage finished with yet another head to head battle between the two leaders of the overall classification and a second win for Swiss rider Nicole Brandli. The Edilsavino rider took advantage of mechanical problems which stopped race leader Zinaida

The Columbia River Bank Cascade Cycling Classic kicked off in Bend, Oregon, Wednesday, with Mercury-Viatel’s Chris Wherry netting the win on the 110-mile stage. Wherry’s teammate Mike Sayers finished second, followed by Colorado Cyclist rider Clark Sheehan. Friday’s stage — an uphill time trial — was expected to shake up the G.C., and the race wraps up on Sunday, finishing where things began at the newly renovated Old Mill District in Bend.

Stage Winner: Credit Agricole (F), 1:21:32----------------------------------Overall Lead: Stuart O'Grady (Aus) Credit AgricoleSprinter: Erik Zabel (G) Deutsche TelekomClimber: Patrice Halgand (F)Jean DelatourUnder 25: Jor Jaksche (G) ONCE Click below for full results

Even a brief visit to one of the women’s grand tours in Europe will leave even the most casual observer asking questions about equal treatment. The hotels are cheaper, the press coverage infrequent and the transfers often border on the ridiculous, sometimes up to 200km. But at least one front, this year’s edition of the Giro d’Italia femminile – the “Girodonne” – has achieved a degree of equity: the Italian drug police raided the hotels on Wednesday night. In a move reminiscent of this year’s men’s Giro d’Italia, the Italian anti-drug police, swooped in and searched the rooms and processions

Look time trial bikes, which took a black eye a few years ago with some weak forks, pulled off the ultimate Tour victory – an entire team winning a stage on them. This, the day after Laurent Jalabert notched a win with a Look road bike, and two days after Stuart O’Grady took over the yellow jersey riding yet another. There are more Look bikes in this Tour than any other make, as four teams (Credit Agricole, Kelme, Big MAT and CSC) are riding them. That puts Look ahead of Pinarello, which has three teams (Telekom, iBanesto and Fassa Bortolo), and Colnago, which has two (Rabobank and Mapei).

The USCF Masters National Road Championships got underway July 7 in Spokane, Washington. Nearly 600 men and more than 100 women are expected to compete during the six-day event, which includes age-group road races, criteriums and timer trials. For all the latest results click here.

Stage Winner: Laurent Jalabert (F) CSC-Tiscali, 215km in 5:17:49----------------------------------Overall Lead: Stuart O'Grady (Aus) Credit AgricoleSprinter: Erik Zabel (G) Deutsche TelekomClimber: Patrice Halgand (F) Jean DelatourUnder 25: Florent Brard (F) Festina Click below for full results.

On Wednesday, the Tour de France made its way back into France, after racing through Belgium for three days in the opening week of the race. Along the route from Huy, Belgium, to Verdun, France, was the war memorial in Douaumont, commemorating the two-and-a-half-year battle in World War I, where more than 150,000 French and German soldiers lost their lives. But looking back on Stage 4 of the Tour, it’s the 150km of roads before that monument that will be remembered most after an epic chase and a surprising show of force by the teams of the top contenders for this year’s overall title. On

After two days of chasing time-bonus sprints to try to get his hands on the leader's yellow jersey at the Tour de France, Australia's Stuart O'Grady did it the old-fashioned way on Tuesday -- by finishing in the lead group of stage 3. Meanwhile the race leader at the start of the day, Rabobank's Marc Wauters, fell far behind on the difficult climbs in the Ardennes region of Belgium. At the finish line in Seraing, Telekom's Erik Zabel took his second stage win of the week, thanks to the smooth teamwork of his Telekom team, while O'Grady finished in the pack, but took the race lead by 17

Stage Winner: Erik Zabel (G) Deutsche Telekom in 4:34:32----------------------------------Overall Lead: Stuart O'Grady (Aus) Credit AgricoleSprinter: Erik Zabel (G) Deutsche TelekomClimber: Benoit Salmon (F)AG2RUnder 25: Florent Brard (F) Festina Click below for full results

The Tour de France yellow jersey is one of those prizes that is known and coveted in the sports world for its history and prestige. Like the NHL captain who hoists the Stanley Cup, or the golfer who slides into the green jacket at the Masters, the rider who dons the maillot jaune at the end of the Tour de France has worldwide recognition. Everybody knows that the Postal Service’s Lance Armstrong has pulled that jersey on in Paris each of the past two years, and is one of the favorites to do so again. But in the early stages of the Tour, it’s a whole different breed of rider who chases after

Foreign riders won both the men's and women's races of the second leg of the four-race BMC Software Grand Prix in Arlington, Massachusetts, Sunday. In the end, it was Mercury-Viatel’s Australian Baden Cooke taking the 62-mile men’s race and Canadian Lyne Bessette of Saturn winning the 42-mile women’s race. The women's race kicked off the day, although many of the riders thoughts were anywhere but on the race as they struggled to face the memories of this event last year when Saturn rider Nicole Reinhart was killed in a crash. "Our goal is just to celebrate Nicole's life and get through the

Stage Winner: Marc Wauters (B) 4:35:47----------------------------------Overall Lead: Marc Wauters (B) Sprinter: Jan Kirispuu (Est)Climber: Jacky Durand (F)Under 25: Robert Hunter (RSA) Click below for full results

The story of Stage 1 of this year’s Tour de France seems typical enough for an opening road stage: a slow early pace; a long, eventually unsuccessful breakaway; a mass field sprint; and a stage win by one of the star sprinters of the Tour, Telekom’s Erik Zabel. Routine enough, but the 194.5km stage from Saint-Omer to Boulogne-sur-Mer in the very north of France was anything but an ordinary, flat, sprinters stage. The stage began in the town of Saint-Omer, about 50km inland from the North Sea. Under gray skies and a light drizzle, 188 starters rolled out of town. Lotto-Adecco’s Fabian De

Complete Results from stage 1 of the Tour de France

Flat tires are the worst enemy of any cross-country racer, but the happenings on Sunday at World Cup No. 4 at Grouse Mountain in British Columbia took things to a new level of anguish. For seven of eight laps Roland Green couldn’t have looked any better. The native of nearby Victoria pulled away from his nearest challengers almost immediately after the start, and then built a gap that hung in the 1:20 neighborhood for most of the race. All along the course the buzz was unmistakable. The local boy, who already this year became the first Canadian male to win a World Cup race, was going to make

As of 1:20p.m. (Eastern time - U.S.) The French are celebrating in Dunkirk. They have a new race leader. Festina's Christophe Moreau has turned in a 9:20:59 (52.71kph), giving him the win in this Tour de France prologue U.S. Postal's Lance Armstrong finished in third with a 9:24.64 and Telekom's Jan Ullrich took fourth with 9:27.76. As of 1:08p.m. (Eastern time - U.S.) Defending Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong is on the course. Looking relaxed and confident, the U.S. Postal Service star, smiled, checked his radio earpiece and charged off the line, one minute after Telekom's Jan

The prologue of any three-week tour is unlike any of the other stages. On Saturday, the Tour de France’s 21 teams were cloistered together in the parking lot of the municipal swimming pool in Dunkirk, with riders spending most of their day hanging around the team buses, warming up, shuttling back and forth from team hotels, and smiling for the media. Crowds gather around each team’s area, which is marked off by police tape. And judging by the masses gathered around the U.S. Postal and Telekom camps, there are two overwhelming favorites for this year’s Tour: American Lance Armstrong and German

Complete prologue results

The first day of racing at the World Cup stop in Grouse Mountain proved two things: short downhills are exciting and dual is not. In the downhill it was a pair of French riders, Fabien Barel (GT) and Anne-Caroline Chausson (Volvo-Cannondale), walking away with the winner’s points. For Chausson that meant an even tighter grip on the World Cup overall lead. For Barel that meant overtaking teammate Steve Peat, who missed Saturday’s race after suffering a separated shoulder in a training crash on Thursday. Barel’s win was a slim as can be. The gregarious Frenchman nipped Aussie Chris Kovarik

Jan Ullrich (G)Erik Zabel (G)Udo Bölts (G),Giuseppe Guerini (I)Jens Heppner (G)Andreas Kloden (G)Kevin Livingston (USA)Steffen Wesemann (G)Alex Vinokurov (Kaz) Country: GermanyIn the peloton since: 1991Sponsor: International telecommunications corporationBudget: $7 millionManager: Walter GodefrootDirecteur sportif: Rudy PevenageAssistants: Frans Van Looy and Mario Kummer

On the final day of the Fitchburg Longsjo Classic in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, Saturn’s Lyne Bessette wrapped up her third consecutive overall win a Fitchburg, while the weather once again led to a premature end of the men’s stage, neutralizing the results and leaving Saturn’s Eric Wohlberg as the men’s champion. The final stage of the women’s race came down to a field sprint, with national criterium champion Laura Van Gilder (Verizon) beating out Procter & Gamble’s Joanne Kiesanowski for the downtown criterium win. Just behind came Bessette’s closest challenger, Genevieve Jeanson (RONA),

Francesco Casagrande (I) Fabio Baldato (I) Ivan Basso (I) Wladimir Belli (I) Sergei Ivanov (Rus) Dmitri Konyshev (Rus) Nicola Loda (I) Alessandro Petacchi (I) Country: ItalyIn the peloton since: 2000Sponsor: Cement companyBudget: $4.1 millionManager: Giancarlo FerrettiDirecteurs sportifs: Alberto Volpi and Stefano ZanattaAssistant: Oscar Pirazzini

Joseba Beloki (Sp) Santos Gonzalez (Sp) Igor Gonzalez de Galdeano (Sp) Jörg Jaksche (G) Marcos Serrano (Sp) Carlos Sastre (Sp) Ivan Gutierrez (Sp) Ivan Parra (Col) Rafael Diaz Justo (Sp) Country: SpainIn the peloton since: 1989Sponsor: National lottery run by the society for the blindBudget: $4.1 millionManager: Pablo AntonDirecteur sportif: Manolo SaizAssistants: Santiago Garcia and Sebastian Pozzo

Michael Boogerd (Nl) Erik Dekker (Nl) Bram De Groot (Nl) Steven De Jongh (Nl) Maarten Den Bakker (Nl) Marc Lotz (Nl) Grischa Niermann (G) Geert Verheyen (B) Marc Wauters (B) Country (Netherlands)In the peloton since: 1996Sponsor: Dutch banking corporationBudget: $3.5 millionManager: Jan RaasDirecteur sportif: Theo De RooyAssistants: Adri Van Houwelingen and Joop Zoetemelk

There were no major surprises as the U.S. Postal Service team announced its line-up for the upcoming Tour de France. Joining two-time defending champion Lance Armstrong will be three Americans — Tyler Hamilton, George Hincapie and Christian Vande Velde; Spaniards Roberto Heras and Jose Luis Rubiera; Russian Viatcheslav Ekimov; Norwegian Steffen Kjaergaard; and Colombian Victor Hugo Pena. The full text of the team’s announcement follows: U.S. POSTAL SERVICE PRO CYCLING TEAM TOUR DE FRANCE TEAM ANNOUNCED Choosing from what he called were 10 valid candidates, the United States Postal Service

It's live: VeloNews's exclusive pre-race coverage of our sport's biggest event. There's also a link to this area from every page on the site; look for the red box at the top, left-hand side of the page. Here's what you'll find: Exclusive live minute-by-minute coverage of each stage by VeloNews editors on location in France. Revealing profiles on the top contenders in the race, including a close look at two-time Tour winner Lance Armstrong. Daily diary entries from Americans Tyler Hamilton (Armstrong's right- hand man on the U.S. Postal Service team), Kevin Livingston (Ullrich's right-hand

When Lance Armstrong enters the start house at the prologue of this year’s Tour de France, he’ll not only be the two-time defending champion, but for the first time in his career he will be the UCI’s world No. 1 ranked rider. The UCI issued its latest rankings on Monday, with Armstrong moving into the top spot, ahead of Liquigas’s Davide Rebellin, thanks to Armstrong’s win at the recent Tour of Switzerland. Telekom’s Erik Zabel is third, with Giro d’Italia winner Gilberto Simoni fourth. UCI road rankings(at July 2)1. Lance Armstrong (USA), U.S. Postal Service, 2098pts 2. Davide Rebellin

David Etxebarria (Sp)Unai Etxebarria (Ven)Roberto Laiseka (Sp)Alberto Lopez de Munain (Sp)Haimar Zubeldia (Sp)Iñigo Chaurreau (Sp)Angel Castresana (Sp)Txema Del Olmo (Sp)Iker Flores (Sp) In the peloton since: 1994Sponsors: Euskaltel: telecommunications company; Euskadi: government of the Basque CountryBudget: $2.6 millionManager: Miguel MadariagaDirecteur sportif: Julian GorospeAssistant: Ruben Gorospe

Laurent Jalabert (F)Michael Blaudzun (Dk)Francisco Cerezo (Sp)Marcelino Garcia (Sp)Nicolas Jalabert (F)Jakob Piil (Dk)Nicki Sörensen (Dk)Rolf Sörensen (Dk)Plus: Nicolai Bo Larsen (Dk) or Martin Rittsel (S) Country: DenmarkIn the peloton since: 1998Sponsor: Computer systems companyBudget: $5.5 millionManager: Bjarne RiisDirecteur sportif: Alex PedersenAssistant: Johnny Weltz

Enrico Cassani (I)Servais Knaven (Nl)Axel Merckx (B)Marco Milesi (I)Johan Museeuw (B)Fred Rodriguez (USA)Romans Vainsteins (Lat)Max Van Heeswijk (Nl)Piotr Wadecki (Pl) Reserves: Koos Moerenhout (Nl), Robbie McEwen (Aus), Steve De Wolf (B) Country: BelgiumIn the peloton since: 1986Sponsors: Domo: carpet and vinyl flooring; Farm Frites: producer of French friesBudget: $6 millionManager: Patrick LefévèreDirecteurs sportifs: Hendrik Redant, Marc Sergeant and Fons De Wolf

Saturday’s stage 3 of the Fitchburg-Longsjo Classic in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, saw Saturn hold onto both the men’s and women’s overall leads, while 7UP-Colorado Cyclist’s John Lieswyn and RONA’s Genevieve Jeanson scored the stage wins. In the women’s race, Jeanson attacked early on in the six-lap, 69-mile race, followed by race leader Lyne Bessette (Saturn) and Jane Cosmetics’ Susan Palmer-Komar. On the hot, humid day, the three built up a lead of nearly four minutes, but when Jeanson and Bessette began playing cat-and-mouse, Palmer-Komar took advantage, launching a solo breakaway of her

Michele Bartoli (I)Paolo Bettini (I)Laszlo Bodrogi (Hun)David Cañada (Sp)Stefano Garzelli (I)Daniele Nardello (I)Tom Steels (B)Bart Leysen (B)Stefano Zanini (I) Country: ItalyIn the peloton since: 1993Sponsors: Mapei: Chemical building products; Quick Step: Parquet flooringBudget: $7 millionManager: Alavaro CrespiDirecteurs sportifs: Roberto Damiani, Fabrizio Fabbri, Serge Parsani, Eric Vanderaerden, Jesus Suarez Cueva and Matxin Fernandez Rodriguez

Telekom’s Jan Ullrich was one of the many national champions crowned on Sunday, as he won the German national championship in Bad Duerrheim, Germany, breaking clear to beat teammate Erik Zabel by 10 seconds. Among the other new national champions were Ludovic Capelle (Belgium), Daniele Nardello (Italy), Didier Rous (Bonjour) and Mercury-Viatel’s Jans Koerts.

Oscar Sevilla (Sp)Santiago Botero (Col)Felix Cardenas (Col)Laurent Desbiens (F)Aitor Gonzales (Sp)José Gutierrez (Sp)Javier Pascual Llorente (Sp)Antonio Tauler (Sp)José Vidal (Sp) Country: SpainIn the peloton since: 1980Sponsors: Kelme: sports clothes and shoes; Costa Blanca: Valenciaregion of SpainBudget: $3.5 millionManager: Vicente BeldaDirecteurs sportifs: José Ignacio Labarta and José Luis Laguia

France's Laurent Gané took the match sprint title as the World Track Cup continued Saturday in Pordenone, Italy. Other winners included Belarus's Natalia Markovnitchenko in the women's match sprint and Russia's Olga Slioussareva in the women's pursuit. American Tanya Lindenmuth took fourth place in the match sprint, losing to Oxana Grichina in the bronze-medal match.

Daniel Atienza (Sp)Iñigo Cuesta (Sp)Andrei Kivilev (Kaz)Massimiliano Lelli (I)Guido Trentin (I)Nico Mattan (B)David Millar (GB)David Moncoutié (F)Christophe Rinero (F) Country: FranceIn the peloton since: 1997Sponsor: Telephone credit bankerBudget: $4.8 millionManager: Alain BondueDirecteur sportif: Bernard QuilfenAssistants: Alain Deleoeil and Francis Van LonderseleConsultant: Tony Rominger