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Popular German rider Jens Voigt (Saxo Bank) was involved in a high-speed crash midway down the twisting Col du Petit-Saint-Bernard in Tuesday's 159km 16th stage at the Tour de France, but team officials say that his injuries are not life-threatening.

In a statement issued late Tuesday evening, the team said the 37-year-old German is alert, but will remain hospitalized for observation.

"An examination at the University hospital in Grenoble this evening has initially given positive reports on Jens Voigt's health after the nasty crash during today's stage of Tour

Lance Armstrong said on Tuesday he would definitely ride in next year's race, a reliable source told AFP. Armstrong plans to announce a new sponsor on Thursday, although he refused to say if it would replace his present team Astana. However, his close friend and mentor Johan Bruyneel announced earlier on Tuesday that he is set to quit as Astana's team manager, and rumors are rife that he is ready to start up a new team with Armstrong the likely leader.

With two alpine stages done and the most difficult one coming up on Wednesday, the 96th Tour de France is fast revealing its harshest features. The double St. Bernard stage Tuesday saw longtime race leader Rinaldo Nocentini (AG2R-La Mondiale) and former white jersey Tony Martin (Columbia-HTC) fall out of the top 10, while Cadel Evans (Silence-Lotto) had his worst day ever at the Tour and dropped to 17th overall, 7:23 behind yellow jersey Alberto Contador.

Bradley Wiggins' laid-back approach to challenging for the Tour de France yellow jersey paid off again Tuesday when he came through the tough 16th stage in the Alps unscathed. Wiggins, who rides for the American team Garmin-Slipstream, has been impressing rivals and fans alike by remaining in contention for the race's yellow jersey despite only recently showing his potential as a serious racer on major tours.

Time is running out for the Schleck brothers and their quest to finish on the podium in Paris. The Saxo Bank riders realize that overall victory is difficult, but they believe that if they can dislodge the likes of Lance Armstrong and Bradley Wiggins, they still could be getting kisses from the podium girls when the Tour ends July 26 in Paris. They tried with everything they had in Tuesday’s two-climb stage across the heart of the Alps.

Pedro Delgado knows a thing or two about winning the Tour de France. The Spanish climber won the 1988 and helped herald the golden age with Spanish cycling capped by the five-year reign by Miguel Indurain in the early 1990s. Delgado, who works as a race commentator for Spanish TVE, says Alberto Contador could spark Spain’s second golden era. On the Tour’s second rest day on MondayVeloNews caught up with Delgado, 49, to hear his views on Contador and how the 2009 Tour is shaping up. Here’s what he had to say:

The Johan Bruyneel era at the Astana team will conclude at the end of this season. Bruyneel confirmed to Belgian television Sporza that he will stop running the Kazakhstan-backed team at the conclusion of the 2009 season, citing a breakdown over the expected return of Kazakh rider Alexander Vinokourov. “Astana is a closed chapter for me,” Bruyneel told Sporza.

A truck belonging to the Astana team was searched for three hours on Tuesday by police, it was confirmed. The truck, containing spare bikes, equipment and food, was making its way from the start of the 16th stage at Martigny, Switzerland to the finish line at Bourg St. Maurice, France. It was stopped at the Swiss-France border near the Swiss village of Le Chatelard and searched by police, but nothing was found, confirmed Astana spokesman Philippe Maertens. "They were very thorough and opened every suitcase, every container and found nothing," he told AFP.

Mikel Astarloza (Euskaltel-Euskadi) used a daring last-minute break to win the 16th stage of the 2009 Tour de France, a short, tough ride from Martigny in Switzerland, to Bourg-Saint-Maurice in France. The Spaniard claimed his first Tour stage victory by attacking a four-man break in the final 2km, just as it was about to be joined by a second four-man group, and held his advantage to win by just six seconds ahead of Sandy Casar (Française des Jeux) with Pierrick Fedrigo (Bbox Bouygues Telecom) third.

The 2009 men’s podium at Mountain Bike Nationals at SolVista Resort in Granby, Colorado, looked like this: First place: Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski, Gary Fisher SuperFly 29er; Second place: Adam Craig, Giant Anthem X Advanced full suspension; Third: Sam Schultz, Gary Fisher SuperFly 29er; Fourth: Jeremiah Bishop, Cannondale Scalpel full suspension; Fifth: Jay Henry, Gary Fisher SuperFly 29er.

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Less Badger!

The German Focus brand is far from a household name in the United States. But with new products, a growing range of models, and now a U.S. sales office, the brand hopes to make an impression on this side of the pond. In their effort to gain recognition, Focus is off to a good start as the official bicycle sponsor of Team Milram. The German brand is (rightly) very proud of the fact that the Milram team is registered in Germany, populated with 17 German pros, and uses a range of German products, including the Focus Izalco bicycle, Lightweight wheels, and Continental tires.

Alberto Contador looked relaxed and at ease on the Tour de France’s second rest day, largely because he was. With his stage victory atop Verbier on Sunday, Contador not only claimed the yellow jersey but he also gave him enough GC cushion that he can breathe a little easier going into the Tour’s final week. With Lance Armstrong publicly declaring his support for Contador, the Spanish climber is now hoping that the Astana team will rally behind him and carry him to victory in Paris.