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French customs stopped and searched a car from the Astana cycling team at a tollgate near Toulouse on Tuesday. Astana, which is financed by the Kazakh government, had withdrawn from the Tour de France earlier on Tuesday after the revelation that their lead rider, Alexander Vinokourov, had been found to be blood doping. Police later turned up at their hotel and raided their premises and team bus, leaving with several black bags. Vinokourov had already left by the back door of the hotel. Toulouse general prosecutor Paul Michel told AFP that a team car had been stopped just before 2100 GMT

Perhaps Alberto Contador is just too young and too green to realize precisely what he is on the cusp of achieving if he can drop Michael Rasmussen for good on the slopes of the Aubisque. At just 24, he’s already being hailed as cycling’s next Lance Armstrong (or Miguel Indurain, in the Spanish press). Contador hopes to live up to the pedigree in Wednesday’s decisive climbing stage culminating on the HC steeps of the Aubisque. “I have nothing to lose,” Contador said during Tuesday’s rest day, the Tour’s second. “I will risk all to attack Rasmussen and try to win the Tour,” he

The following story first appeared on VeloNews.com in connection withthe Tyler Hamilton blood doping case in September of 2004. On Tuesday,Astana's Alexander Vinokourov joined Hamilton and Santiago Perez as theonly riders ever to test positive for homolgous blood doping using a testdeveloped by Australian researchers at Scienceand Industry Against Blood-doping. - Editor How times change. Just last week, EPO was the talk of the town. Now you can’t open the sports page without reading something about transfusion blood doping. Sport doping is going old school. Out with the new, in with the

French police officers departed the team hotel of the disgraced Astana team in Pau late Tuesday carrying a number of bags and cases, but refused to make any comment. More than a dozen police officers had arrived at the hotel following the news of Alexander Vinokourov's positive test for blood doping, which has led to the team bowing out of the race at the organizers' request. The Astana team, the team's bus, and several team vehicles were still at the hotel. Some of the riders and team staff were also present. Police had initially arrived carrying a number of sports bags. It is

Police collect trash from Astana's hotel in Pau.

Klöden watches the press. The press watches Klöden.

On my way to the press room in Pau today I decided to take a quiet country road rather than the highway. I stopped to fill up with diesel. It’s cheaper than unleaded gas but a tank still cost $68. After paying I noticed a small local newspaper in the gas station’s rack. The front page headline read: “Le Tour en péril?” That question was going through my head on reaching this rest-day press room, which is set up in the Palais Beaumont, an elegant pastel-painted palace with a terrace looking out toward the high peaks of the Pyrenées. The moment I arrived, a press conference that featured race

Levi Leipheimer is closer than ever to realizing his lifetime goal of reaching the Tour de France podium, but the Discovery Channel captain said Tuesday he’s prepared to sacrifice those dreams to help Spanish climbing sensation Alberto Contador win the maillot jaune. With Contador and race leader Michael Rasmussen expected to duke it out for the yellow jersey in Wednesday’s decisive climbing stage across the Pyrénées, Leipheimer said he will put the team’s interests ahead of his own. “If there’s a chance to win the Tour with Alberto, we have to make some sacrifices,” Leipheimer said during

Astana team manager Marc Biver said he had confidence in the blood doping test which has snared his star rider Alexander Vinokourov and caused a scandal at the Tour de France. Biver was speaking only hours after being told that 33-year-old team leader Vinokorov, the winner of two stages on this year's race, had tested positive for homologous blood doping. If a test on his 'B' sample also tests positive, it means that Vinokourov has injected red blood cells from a compatible donor to enhance his performance. "We can't condemn Alexandre until we know there has been a clear

The German T-Mobile team will learn on Sunday if the cellular phone company will withdraw its sponsorship, a spokesman announced on Tuesday. "We will consider things and make a decision at the end of this year's Tour de France," said T-Mobile communications director Christian Frommert, whose company has a contract to sponsor the team until 2010. It has been a difficult year for T-Mobile which terminated the contract of 1997 Tour de France winner Jan Ullrich in July 2006 after he was linked to the Spanish Operación Puerto doping investigation. That firing led to a complete overhaul of

The Italian Cycling Federation (FCI) on Tuesday cleared Alessandro Petacchi of doping at this year's Giro d'Italia. The 33-year-old Italian sprinter escaped punishment despite being charged with the offense by the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) on July 4. CONI had recommended to the FCI that Petacchi be banned from cycling for 12 months. "It's one of the most beautiful victories of my life," said a jubilant Petacchi, who earned the points jersey and five stage victories in this year's Giro. "I wouldn't wish for anyone to suffer in the way I have because it was the

Double stage victor Alexandre Vinokourov (Astana)learned Tuesday that he had tested positive for homologous blood doping following his victory in last Saturday's stage 13 individual time trial. Vinokourov and his Astana team have reportedly withdrawn from the Tour. The 33-year-old had lost all chance of winning the Tour with a dismal performance in Sunday's 14th stage but then bounced back to take Monday's 15th stage in the Pyrenees. Vinokourov, whose performance in Monday's stage was feted in the French press with headlines such as the 'Courage of 'Vino'',

For the past four years, Californian Kathy Pruitt has traveled to the USA Cycling national mountain-bike championships as the odds-on favorite to bring home the jersey in the women’s downhill. And from 2004-06, the 2000 junior world champion saw her chances crash and burn —literally. In both 2004 and ’05, Pruitt flew off her bike and landed on her head while speeding down the rocky, dry course at Mammoth Mountain, California. Marla Streb and then Melissa Buhl were the primary benefactors — Pruitt finished second both years.

Tour de France director Christian Prudhomme and Amaury Sports Organisation president Patrice Clerc held a hastily assembled press conference in Pau Tuesday in reaction to the news that Astana’s Alexander Vinokourov had tested positive for homologous blood doping. Clerc began the press conference by explaining that he had spoken with Astana general manager Marc Biver by phone earlier Tuesday, and requested that Biver and the Astana team leave the race. Biver accepted the request without hesitation, Clerc said. Clerc was asked if the news of Vinokourov’s positive, combined with the cloud of

Rasmussen waves off reporters' question on Tuesday

Vinokourov tested positive for homologous blood doping after his time trial win on Saturday

Pruitt finally has her title

The women's DH podium

The pros hit the slalom course at twilight

Men's dual slalom champion Chris Herndon

Prudhomme and Clerc discussing a problem they'd thought they'd put behind them.

Barring catastrophe on the bike or unforeseen events off it, the 2007 Tour de France has become a two-man race with five stages to go. The combatants are yellow-jersey holder Michael Rasmussen and rising star Alberto Contador, who for the second day in a row waged an epic battle on the steep slopes of the Pyrénées.

Saunier Duval's David Millar has hit out at Tour de France leader Michael Rasmussen, claiming in Monday's edition of L'Equipe that he had ruined the race. Scotland's time trial specialist, who came 20th in Saturday's race against the clock, said Rasmussen's failure to give notice to cycling authorities of his whereabouts for out-of-competition testing had spoiled things for the whole peloton. During the last week it emerged that the Danish Cycling Union (DCU) decided in June not to select Rasmussen for September's world cycling championships and the Olympic

French custom agents searched at least four team buses Monday in surprise inspections as the Tour de France wobbles into its final week with yellow jersey Michael Rasmussen dogged by doping allegations. Uniformed French officials waved over team buses as they rolled through a toll station along the A-64 highway, southwest of Toulouse. The team vehicles were driving an off-race route to the finish of stage 15. VeloNews saw buses from Team CSC, Astana, Rabobank and Discovery Channel being searched by French authorities. Bus drivers were told to open compartments, panel doors and other storage

Results - Stage 15 (Foix Loudenvielle - Le Louron)1. Alexandre Vinokourov (Kz), ASTANA, 5:34:282. Kim Kirchen (Lux), T-MOBILE TEAM, 0:513. Haimar Zubeldia (Sp), EUSKALTEL - EUSKADI, 0:514. Cobo Acebo Juan Jose (Sp), SAUNIER DUVAL - PRODIR, 0:585. Manuel Juan Manuel (Sp), QUICK STEP - INNERGETIC, 2:146. David Arroyo (Sp), CAISSE D’EPARGNE, 3:237. Bernhard Kohl (A), GEROLSTEINER, 4:258. Christian Vandevelde (USA), TEAM CSC, 4:259. Ludovic Turpin (F), AG2R PREVOYANCE, 5:1610. Alberto Contador (Sp), DISCOVERY CHANNEL TEAM, 5:31 11. Michael Rasmussen (Dk), RABOBANK, 5:3112. George Hincapie

Switzerland's supreme court on Monday gave authorities the green light to hand over details of Jan Ullrich's Swiss bank accounts to German magistrates examining doping-related offenses. The Federal Tribunal rejected an appeal by the 1997 Tour de France winner against the judicial assistance from Switzerland, where Ullrich was resident and licensed with the Swiss cycling federation. Ullrich retired in February having been sacked by Team T-Mobile last year when he was linked to the Spanish Operación Puerto doping investigation, which has also engulfed several other riders since May

Saunier Duval rider David Millar has hit out at Tour de France leader Michael Rasmussen, claiming in Monday's L'Equipe newspaper that the Dane had ruined the race. Scotland's time-trial specialist, who came 20th in Saturday's race against the clock, said Rasmussen's failure to give notice to cycling authorities of his whereabouts for out-of-competition testing had spoiled things for the whole peloton. During the last week it emerged that the Danish Cycling Union (DCU) decided in June not to select Rasmussen for September's world cycling championships and the Olympic

Michael Rasmussen is fending off tremendous pressure both on and off the bike as the Tour de France leader pushed one day closer to overall victory after surviving Monday’s five-climb march across the Pyrénées. The Dane fought off searing attacks from Spanish climbing sensation Alberto Contador over the Col de Peyresourde to maintain his lead of 2:23 on the maillot jaune going into Tuesday’s rest day. That was the easy part of his day that also saw the Rabobank team bus searched at a toll station by French customs officials. Dogged by allegations and innuendo, Rasmussen is trying to stay

Weather: Unsettled weather, overcast, with gusting winds and heavy fog on the summits, sunny in valleys, brisk winds Stage winner: How many times can Alexander Vinokourov come back in one Tour de France? Vino crashed on stage 5, and lost time in the Alps only to win the stage 13 time trial. The Kazakh appeared to be reborn, then faltered mightily on stage 14, losing almost 30 minutes and suffering a second crash due to an errant spectator. Looking to again salvage his Tour, Vinokourov initiated the day’s main breakaway, and whittled it down through repeated attacks until he cracked his

Though Predictor-Lotto’s Cadel Evans still sits third on the general classification heading into Tuesday’s rest day, the Aussie lost another 56 seconds to race leaders Michael Rasmussen and Alberto Contador on Monday’s stage 15 and is beginning to show signs of cracking. For Evans, the emotional strain of watching his hope to win the Tour slide into a desperate attempt to preserve a podium position landed him in tears following Sunday’s stage and left him expressing doubt after Rasmussen and Contador again rode away from him on Monday’s climb over the Col de Peyresourde.

Another big day in the mountains and race leader Michael Rasmussen and his nearest rival, Alberto Contador, put more time on their challengers. Still the big story of the day was the resurgence of the man who was nearly left for dead on the roads of stage 14. Once again, Alexander Vinokourov came back from a bad day and took a big victory in Loudenville. Our man Casey Gibson was there to record it all.

Vino' claims his second stage of the 2007 Tour

The team bus of yellow jersey Michael Rasmussen gets the once over

The Astana bus was the most thoroughly searched of the four

Contador and Rasmussen duke it out

Contador launched attack after attack

The action saw other favorites, like Leipheimer, fall further behind

The Landaluze break

All alone in yellow

Vino' and the boys

Vino', Cobo and Kirchen

Vande Velde

Rabobank at work

Vino' on the run

Tschopp on the march

Astana was a bit testy this morning at the start. Actually, Ivanov was fixing his glasses here, and was screwing around when I took his photo.

The weights under Mayo's seat....

...and the bike upon which they are perched

Boogerd answers yet more questions about the guy in yellow.

Gendarmarie were out in force today, and the Republican Guard, in fact.

The ever persistent Vinokourov about to launch another attack.

Rasmussen on the climb.

Txurruka gets a lift on the climb.

Evans all out on the descent from the Col de Porte

Hincapie in the front group, looking at yet another switchback.

Chavanel hurting on the Bales climb.

The top of the Port de Bales

The sorting out continued at the Tour de France on Sunday as Alberto Contador and Michael Rasmussen emerged as the race’s most serious contenders, finishing one-two atop the Plateau de Beille at the end of a dramatic 197km stage from Mazamet. On the Tour’s first foray into the Pyrénées, it was Discovery’s Contador, the leader in the best young rider competition, who proved the only man capable of staying with race leader Rasmussen of Rabobank.

COURSE: Not a mountaintop finish, but this stage features five difficult Pyrenean climbs, including one new to the Tour, the frightening hors categorie Port de Balès. This is a very narrow, twisting 19km uphill, with the last 10km having an average grade of almost 10 percent and a maximum pitch of 14 percent. It precedes the 10.5km climb of the Col de Peyresourde just before the last, fast downhill to the finish. HISTORY: Two stages of the Tour have terminated at Loudenvielle. In 1997, Frenchman Laurent Brochard escaped from anelite group on the descent into Val Louron to finish 14 seconds

Results - Stage 14 (Mazamet Plateau-de-Beille)1. Alberto Contador (Sp), DISCOVERY CHANNEL TEAM, 5:25:482. Michael Rasmussen (Dk), RABOBANK, s.t.3. Soler Hernandez Juan Mauricio (Col), BARLOWORLD, 0:374. Levi Leipheimer (USA), DISCOVERY CHANNEL TEAM, 0:405. Carlos Sastre (Sp), TEAM CSC, 0:536. Andréas KlÖden (G), ASTANA, 1:527. Cadel Evans (Aus), PREDICTOR - LOTTO, 1:528. Antonio Colom (Sp), ASTANA, 2:239. Andrey Kashechkin (Kz), ASTANA, 2:2310. Yaroslav Popovych (Ukr), DISCOVERY CHANNEL TEAM, 3:06 11. Michael Boogerd (Nl), RABOBANK, 3:0612. Mikel Astarloza (Sp), EUSKALTEL - EUSKADI, 3:0613.

After nine days at 2000 meters or more above sea level and 1343 kilometers, Selle Italia's Gabriele Massaglia has emerged triumphant in this year's Tour of Qinghai Lake by a single second. The final stage in Xining proved a formality for Discovery's Allan Davis, who took an unprecedented fifth stage victory and was the best sprinter by a country mile, winning the classification by a massive 16-point margin. It was a calculated win by the 36-year-old Massaglia, whose 13-year professional career includes a stage win at the 1997 Giro d'Italia, overall victory at the 1998 Tour de

Suspended T-Mobile rider Patrik Sinkewitz left hospital this weekend, his lawyer said on Sunday. The 26-year-old was informed last Wednesday that abnormal levels of the hormone testosterone had been found in his blood sample, taken on June 8, and the cyclist has since asked that his B sample be tested. The result is not expected to be known until Monday at the earliest. Sinkewitz suffered serious head, shoulder and knee injuries after colliding with a spectator just after finishing last Sunday's stage of the Tour de France in Tignes and was hospitalized in Hamburg. The German, who has

Weather: Partly cloudy throughout most of the stage, with temperatures in the 70s in the flats and cooler on the summits, moderate winds on the summit. Stage winner: Alberto Contador (Discovery Channel) confirmed his status as Spain’s next big star with his first Tour stage win of his career. Contador and Michael Rasmussen (Rabobank) traded jabs on the HC Plateau de Beille and he darted ahead of the maillot jaune in the final 200m to take the victory. Juan Mauricio Soler (Barloworld) came through third at 37 seconds back with Levi Leipheimer (Discovery Channel) fourth at 40 seconds. Contador

Michael Rasmussen's continued presence on the Tour de France, in the wake of revelations that he has missed several random doping controls in the past two years, is starting to grate with some teams. Rasmussen reinforced his grip on the race lead with another commanding climbing performance on the first of three days in the Pyrenees on Sunday. However for some, his march towards victory is an affront. "I'm angry," said Cofidis team manager Eric Boyer. Française des Jeux team manager Marc Madiot added: "I've gone past being angry. I just don't want to talk about it anymore.

Michael Rasmussen may be leading the Tour de France, but he’s not winning any friends in either the peloton or the court of public opinion. Rasmussen has fallen out of favor with fans, team managers and race officials after claiming he made an "administrative error" — by missing two random UCI doping controls — on March 24, 2006, and June 28, 2007. It later emerged that Rasmussen had also been warned twice by Denmark's anti-doping agency. And on Friday VeloNews.com reported on allegations by a former amateur mountain-bike racer that in 2002 Rasmussen attempted to trick him into bringing

Alexander Vinokourov was already laboring in the gruppetto Sunday after losing all hope of winning the 2007 Tour de France when he suffered one more insult on what was an already demoralizing day. Vinokourov – who vaulted back into contention following Saturday’s stunning time trial victory in Albi - fell badly on his already-injured left knee after an overzealous fan’s flag became entangled in Astana teammate Serguei Ivanov’s wheel on the upper reaches of the Plateau de Beille climb, dumping them both to the tarmac. “Because of the stupidity of a spectator, who put something in the wheel

It was a wild day in the Tour de France on Sunday, with all the spectacle a shooter could desire — one yellow chicken chasing another, a battalion of Basques, and a car cover made entirely of old musette bags. Our man Casey Gibson was there and brought it all back home to you.

The atmosphere at our T-Mobile team camp in Badenweiler, Germany took a serious dive as we learned of Patrik Sinkewitz’s positive drug test. Like one of those moments that get etched in the memory for life, I will likely not forget where I was when I found out. I hope that in a few weeks the consequences of this test will not be as drastic as we fear and that the memory will fade. We were out on a ride, having just finished up an interval, when Jan Shafferath, our director who was following in the car behind stopped us, to tell us the news. It was also being announced across the country on

Discovery Channel’s stage 14 winner Alberto Contador was standing on thepodium atop Plateau de Beille before the gruppetto had crossed the finishline. Cadel Evans had already broken down into tears as he explained whyhe had exploded in the final kilometers of the climb, and race leader MichaelRasmussen was denying that adeal had been made between he and Contador to trade the stage win foradded time on stronger time-trialist GC contenders such as Evans and AndreasKlöden.Sunday’s stage 14, from French hero Laurent Jalabert’s home villageof Mazamet to the hors-catégorie summit finish at Plateau

Ryan Trebon (Kona-Les Gets) and Mary McConneloug (Seven-Kenda) each emerged victorious in Sunday’s short-track cross-country race, the final event of the 2007 USA Cycling national mountain-bike championships held at Mount Snow resort in Vermont. For McConneloug, the win was the second victory of the 2007 championship event — the Fairfax, California, native won Friday’s cross-country race ahead of Georgia Gould (Luna) and Willow Koerber (Subaru-Gary Fisher). The short-track victory came as a surprise for the Californian, who spends most of her season living and racing in Europe and rarely

Stage 15- Foix to Loudenvielle (196km)

Stage 15- Foix to Loudenvielle (196km)

Contador outsprints the race leader

Davis gets the stage

Massaglia gets the overall

Vino's Tour is over

But Contador's is just beginning

Gorge-ous, no?

The break

Millar driving the chase