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Julich had a close call, but Paris-Nice turned out to be a great ride for the American.

CSC was dominant again this year, taking the overall, the points and the team titles.

Valverde was aggressive all day.

Gustov and Moncoutié

Voigt gets to work...

Contador and Vinokourov were swept up at the finish.

Bobby Julich (Team CSC) advanced one day closer to the most important victory of his career after safely negotiating Saturday’s potentially dangerous 184km, six-climb stage into Cannes. Big Dutchman Joost Posthuma (Rabobank) took an impressive solo victory after dropping the remnants of the winning break on the day’s final climb at the Col du Tanneron with 20km to go. Julich, meanwhile, rode inside the protective cocoon of Bjarne Riis’s big red machine and enjoyed a relatively easy sunny ride through France’s stunning Var region. Jens Voigt muscled up the Cat. 2 Tanneron to reel in some

Bobby Julich was beaming in the yellow jersey at Saturday morning’s sign-in protocol before the start of the penultimate stage at Paris-Nice. The sun was shining, and with Julich holding a 19-second lead over Constantino Zaballa (Saunier Duval) and 20 seconds on Alejandro Valverde (Illes Balears), things were looking very bright indeed. “My legs are feeling good. I think if the weather stays good, I will be able to keep the jersey to Nice,” Julich said. “Today’s stage is more challenging than what happens on Sunday. I know the roads perfectly there, so I am confident.” There was some talk

World road champion Oscar Freire (Rabobank) claimed his third victory in as many days on Saturday, winning the fourth stage of Tirreno-Adriatico in Servigliano, Italy. Germany's Danilo Hondo (Gerolsteiner) finished second in the 160km stage, with Italian Fabrizio Guidi (Phonak) in third. "I didn't go out to win this stage especially," said Freire. "I wasn't even that well positioned for the final sprint. I had to make a special effort to get back to the front." Italian sprinter Alessandro Petacchi (Fassa Bortolo), winner of stage 1, found the going tough once more on Saturday.

Julich retains the overall lead going into Sunday's finale

Posthuma crosses with plenty of time to celebrate

Dessel leads the break

Voight muscles up the Tanneron in defense of Julich's jersey

On the run

Danielson and Rodriguez

Julich hopes to stand here one more time - on Sunday

CSC en garde

Finally, a real race to the sun

Posthuma time trials to the finish

After a couple of days of technical bobbles, VeloNews.com's LIVE COVERAGE of Paris-Nice is back in time for the decisive fifth stage of the Race to the Sun, a tough 172.5km ride from Rognes to the top of Mt. Faron. To follow the action as it happens, simply CLICK HERE and stay with us to the finish to see just how this tough Category 1 climb shakes up the overall standings at this opening event of the UCI ProTour.

Bobby Julich is a few hours away from realizing a career-long dream of taking the yellow jersey at Paris-Nice. Friday’s 172.5km fifth stage ends atop the twisting, 5.5km climb at Mont Faron, and Julich could grab the maillot jaune with a strong ride. “I would be lying if I wasn’t thinking of that. I know I have good legs,” said Julich who started the day 20 seconds back. “The steeper, punchier climbs aren’t really my forte, but it’s nice to have that 28 seconds to the other guys and that’s going to help out a lot.” The 33-year-old American moved into third overall after working himself

It was a showery day in much of western Europe on September 5, 1965. It was particularly wet in Spain’s Basque Country, where the men’s pro road race was being held at the UCI world championships on a 19km circuit at Lasarte, in the hills south of San Sebastian. A few hundred miles to the north, in another maritime region, Brittany, France, I was racing in a two-day stage race. That humid Sunday, our schedule was a time trial followed by the concluding circuit road race. The two protagonists in that amateur race were future French ace Cyrille Guimard and an English colleague on my French

World road champion Oscar Freire (Rabobank) claimed his second victory in as many days after winning the third stage of Tirreno-Adriatico Friday. The 29-year-old Spanish sprinter had to dig deep after he struck a protruding railing in the final kilometer and had to fight his way out of the bunch before winning the sprint at the finish line. Frenchman Laurent Brochard (Bouygues Telecom) had launched a brave sprint for the finish with 500 meters to go in the 228km race from Tivoli to Torricella Sicura, but the unstoppable Freire caught the 1997 world road race champion, who eventually

Bobby Julich went to bed last night joking to Team CSC roommate Jens Voigt about their prospects of snagging the maillot jaune in Friday’s 172.5km climbing stage up Mont Faron at Paris-Nice. “I said, ‘If one of us doesn’t come home today with the yellow jersey, we’re both sleeping on the floor,’” said the 33-year-old Julich. They’ll both get a very good sleep thanks to Julich, who surged into the leader’s jersey after holding off late attacks by Spanish rivals Alejandro Valverde (Illes Balears) and Constantine Zaballa (Saunier Duval) on the upper reaches of Mont Faron. Julich started the

With the hint of spring in the air and the Buyer’s Guide long gone, I figured last week was the ideal time to follow up on an invitation to visit custom shoe builder D2 in Eagle, Colorado, about 20 miles east of Vail. Don Lamson and Dan Kurtanich (D2, get it?) have been working together the past three years to provide cyclists what they call “the finest cycling footwear money can buy.” You may recognize Lamson’s name. He has more than 20 years in the custom-shoe business, including time spent with Lampson Design and Doni. His business partner and old skiing buddy Kurtanich returned to

Matt DeCanio’s admission that he used testosterone and recombinant human erythropoietin (r-EPO) in 2003 brought him a two-year suspension, but thanks to a seven-month deferment he could return to racing in November of this year, the United States Anti-Doping Agency announced Friday in Colorado Springs, Colorado. “In accordance with UCI rules, DeCanio’s two-year suspension began on June 12, 2004, the date of his admission,” the agency said in a press release. “He received a deferment of seven months of the two-year suspension, as permitted by the UCI rules in effect at the time, and is

Lance Armstrong could be forced to skip his first major one-day race of the season following his early departure from Paris-Nice due to a fever, according to his Discovery team boss, Johan Bruyneel. Bruyneel told Belgian newspaper La Derniere Heure that Armstrong's participation in the April 3 Tour of Flanders was at least compromised. "Lance's program is sure to change. We will have to just wait and see when he is ready to compete again. His participation in the Tour of Flanders is compromised, but nothing is certain." Armstrong, 33, pulled out of Paris-Nice, the first race of the

The Mailbag is a regular feature on VeloNews.com. 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.Slap at bracelet ‘fashionistas’ was uncharitableEditor:Katie Sanborn's characterization of people who wear the Livestrong bracelets as "fashionistas [who are] all twitterpated about Lance and Sheryl" (see Monday's Mailbag: “Losing OLN would be sad, but losing VN.com . . . “) is

Mr. Tom in the rainbow jersey

Julich in yellow

Simoni celebrates the stage win

The $525 Pro Elite version features Kevlar sailcloth reinforcement along the upper for increased support while sprinting or climbing

The $475 Best Fit option features these hand-molded carbon soles

Jalabert leads the escape

Verbrugghe caught up in a spot of bother

Fassa at the front

On Mont Faron

The winds of change blew through Paris-Nice in Thursday’s weather-shortened fourth stage as the peloton traded winter for the mistral. Lance Armstrong packed it in as cold and snow forced organizers to shorten the third stage in a row, but the peloton was back in shorts after the race moved into warmer climes of the Rhone valley. Fabian Cancellara (Fassa Bortolo) put down a Herculean sprint to beat veteran Jaan Kirsipuu (Credit Agricole) against a strong headwind into Montélimar while Bobby Julich (CSC) surged into contention after sneaking into the winning break late in the 101km

Oscar Freire (Rabobank) won the second stage of the Tirreno-Adriatico race in Tivoli, Italy, on Thursday. The three-time world road race champion also takes the overall lead in the race which ends on Sunday. "I didn't have many ambitions at the start of the stage but I changed my mind during the race," Freire said. Freire, 29, held off compatriot Angel Vicioso and Laurent Brochard of France in a sprint finish over a largely flat course ending in Tivoli, 30 kilometers north of Rome. Friday will see the riders tackling a 228-kilometer stage from Tivoli to Torricella Sicura.

Jens Voigt on the attack

Boonen's looses the jersey

As the race moves south, riders can expect an improvement in the weather

Discovery's Tom Danielson

Windy is better than cold for some

A new race leader... for how long?

There are two intense competitions going on this week as the ProTour debuts at Paris-Nice. First, there’s the “Race to the Sun” which inaugurated the 27-race ProTour series with much fanfare Sunday in Paris. Then there’s the real dogfight going on behind closed doors, with the UCI and the teams squaring off against the grand tours, leaving the future of the ProTour hanging in the balance. The center of the ProTour conflict is a power struggle over which entities will wield control of cycling into the next decade. Contrary to the PR spin this weekend, it seems everyone had a beef at the

In what was great weather to go skiing in central France on Wednesday, the Paris-Nice bicycle stage doggedly pushed on despite frigid temperatures and snowy roads that forced organizers to shorten a stage for the second straight day. With snow piled four-feet deep alongside the road, race organizers had no choice but to cut the stage from 174km to 118km and eliminate the highest, snow-covered reaches of the course. Despite an early breakaway that included Floyd Landis (Phonak) and defending champion Jörg Jaksche (Liberty Seguros), the sprinters once again drove it home. Vicente Reynes (Illes

Alessandro Petacchi (Fassa Bortolo) won Wednesday’s opener of Tirreno-Adriatico to take the bragging rights in the race stacked with sprinter talent. The win gives Petacchi a big boost following his upset loss to a resurgent Mario Cipollini (Liquigas-Bianchi) in the pair’s first duel of the season in the Giro di Lucca on Monday. Fassa Bortolo was back to its dominating self, executing the perfect train to deliver Petacchi to the line unchallenged in the 160km stage in Civitavecchia. Bernhard Eisel (FDJeux.com) finished second while Australian champion Robbie McEwen (Davitamon-Lotto) took

Today (March 9, 2005) the Navigators Insurance Cycling Team could finally race again afterall the bad weather in the last few days. It was only a Belgian Kermesin Wanzele, 177km, 17 laps of 11km, but all the riders were very nervousto race.The field of 200 riders took off at an unbelievable speed of over 40.The Chocolate Jacques team had 16 riders at the start and decided to gofrom the gun.The result of this fast start after the first lap left 50 riders inthe first group (including Navigators' Mark Walters and Hilton Clarke)and 45sec down a second group of 60 riders that included

THIERS, France (AP)Lance Armstrong is picking his country to finish second in the race for the 2012 Olympics. The Texan endorsed Paris instead of New York when asked Wednesday which city should win the highly competitive bid for the Summer Games. "To be fair, I think that Paris deserves the Olympics,'' Armstrong said in an interview with The Associated Press. ``I think they were arguably the best candidate in 2008 but for different reasons Paris didn't win, and they went to Beijing.'' The six-time Tour de France champion acknowledged he was torn over the decision, and

Lance Armstrong has dropped out of Paris-Nice, reportedly suffering from a sore throat and fever. "Lance woke up this morning with a sore throat and with the cold weather, he began to feel worse throughout the day," Discovery Channel director Johan Bruyneel said. "By the time we got back to the hotel, he was running a fever and we thought it best that he should withdraw and go home," he added. Armstrong had ridden an undistinguished race, finishing 99th on Wednesday’s stage, the second consecutive stage of the so-called "Race to the Sun" to be shortened in response to wintry temperatures

First Score - Reynes gets his first win in the elite ranks

Rodriguez finished third Wednesday

Voigt goes on the attack.

CSC gives chase.

Landis leads an escape attempt

Jaksche on the run

Is it July yet?

Armstrong on Wednesday

Belgium's Tom Boonen, of the Quick Step team, on Tuesday won the second stage of the Paris-Nice cycling race, reduced to 45km between Aigueperse and Thiers in central France because of snow. The 24-year-old, who had also won the first stage, earned the leader's jersey because of the bonus points he picked up. The Belgian rider finished several lengths ahead of Norway's Kurt-Asle Arvesen and Ukrainian Yaroslav Popovych. While Boonen said it had been a good try out for the Milan-San Remo classic later this month he added that taking the overall lead did not put him in pole

Marketing ploy?Dear Lennard,Shimano's website lists the Dura Ace 7800 hubset as being only 10-speedcompatible, but the Ultegra 6600 hubs are listed as both 9- and 10-speedcompatible. Is there actually a difference or is this "10-speed only" designation a marketing ploy?RobertDear Robert,The Dura-Ace hub has an aluminum 10-speed freehub body, while the Ultegrahub has a steel 9-speed freehub body. The 10-speed freehub body has a largerouter diameter and deeper splines. The deeper splines are more resistantto damage to the freehub body’s spline ribs due to torque on the cogs forcingthe

Oh Mexico… I finally finished my base up and got a few days of rest before I had to leave for the Vuelta Sonora Arizona road race. This road race was unlike any I had ever done before and probably will ever do again. Like any trip with a bunch of people you barely know going to a race you’ve never done before you have to take it with a grain of salt. This was no exception. I cut my Monday golf game short to make it home in time to catch a ride to Phoenix in a big van full of my new teammates for the week. The only people I knew on the team were Tulous, Jake and Pate and Tulous wasn’t even

Cycling’s homecoming gameImagine for a minute that you’re headed to the famed Notre Dame Stadium.It’s game day, time for a little flag football and tailgating before youhead inside to watch the Fighting Irish do battle. Now imagine if insteadof football being your passion, you are a cyclist. Where is your NotreDame Stadium? What’s the game of choice at your tailgate party?Well, for anyone who has been involved in cycling for the last 15 years,the answer is simple: Monterey, California, is home to the big game, andthe activity choices are endless — as long as they involve two wheels.The event

Boonen repeats

2005 Sea Otter Guide now on-line

The Mailbag is a regular feature on VeloNews.com. 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.OLN can blame itself for small cycling audienceEditor:Quote from letters:"OLN is under no obligation to cover cycling at all. None of the other networks cover cycling because it is a money-losing proposition. If more people watched, things would be different." That argument is a load of

Tom Boonen (Quick Step) won stage 1 of Paris-Nice on Monday, sprinting to victory ahead of a peloton that had been cracked into thirds by a pair of crashes in the final kilometers. Chilly weather, with temperatures barely above freezing, greeted the Race to the Sun as the peloton set off on the 186.5km stage, a relatively flat affair from the Parisian suburb of Etampes south to Chabris, with only the very small Category 3 Cote de Graviers at 10km to stretch the legs. American Fred Rodriguez (Davitamon) took the first intermediate sprint at 42km, edging Rabobank's Erik Dekker and

The Austin-Bergstron airport is a lonely spot to spend a Sunday night. The place is completely vacant – save for a lone security guard and a guy washing the floors – and any form of caffeinated sustenance is either locked up behind a closed café door or held within the glowing beastly machine that won’t take my #@$%ing dollar bill. Reassuringly, a soothing voice continually reminds me that “any bags left unattended will be subject to search and could be destroyed,” despite the fact that there is nary a soul to either abandon – or destroy – pieces of potentially hazardous luggage. The

Boonen keeps the rubber side down and takes the win

Armstrong

Dekker moved into yellow on Monday

I promise. I won't. Really.

The feedzone.

Maybe a better alternative...

Come back and see us some time.

Jens Voigt (CSC) ripped the short, 4km prologue Sunday to win the Paris-Nice opener and earned the distinction of being the first winner on cycling’s new ProTour while six-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong played it safe 27 seconds slower. Voigt was the hottest thing going on a sunny, but cold day in the Parisian suburb of Issy-les-Moulineaux to kick off the season-long ProTour series with the 63rd Paris-Nice. The concise course featured a short punchy climb to start and some tight corners, but it was the on-form Voigt who delivered the winning ride of 5 minutes, 15 seconds. Tour

Liberty Seguros stamped its authority on the final stage of the Vueltaa Murcia in southern Spain. Aussie sprinter Allan Davis won his second stage in three days whileKoldo Gil wrapped up the overall title after finishing strong in Saturday’sclimbing stage at Collado Bermejo. Despite some early attempts at breakaways, the sprinter teams controlledthe pace to set up the bunch. Davis held off Danilo Hondo (Gerolsteiner),a winner of the first two stages, to snag his second victory on the season. Gil, 27, confirmed his status as one of Spain’s rising stars. He heldoff Damiano Cunego