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You have to be willing to take risks if you want to achieve anything in cycling, or in life. It’s now clear that Tyler Hamilton was not content to languish in seventh place, 9:02 out of the lead, in the 2003 Tour de France. He proved that when he took the race into his own hands during Stage 16 in an effort to get a stage win and move up in the overall classification. On paper, Hamilton’s attack should have been doomed to failure. While he was not a threat to either Lance Armstrong or Jan Ullrich, it would have been hard to imagine that the Euskaltel Euskadi team would let a great time

Wow!!!!!Dear Tyler;Awesome ride today!!!!Don't give up on getting even higher up the GC. I won't be surprisedif you can pull back Mayo, maybe Zubeldia, maybe even Vino in Saturday'sTT (stranger things have certainly happened in this Tour!). Take it aseasy as possible and stay out of trouble on Thursday and Friday. Don'tgive up thoughts of that final podium! American cycling fans believe inyou, Bjarne and your team believe in you, your wife and dog certainly believein you.The fans over here want to see Lance get #5 now that it's this closeand he's fought so hard, but nothing would be better

Amid the celebration of what was the most athletic stage win in this year’s Tour, Tyler Hamilton took time out to admit that he made a huge mistake early in the day. Just 10km into the stage, as the peloton sped over the day’s first climb, the Cat. 4 Côte des Crêtes, Radio Tour announced that a group of 20 riders had been dropped. Then came the news that No. 71, Hamilton, was in that group. “I made a mistake, a big mistake,” Hamilton said after the stage. “We went over that Category 4 climb and it was a windy, twisty descent. There were a lot of attacks from the front, and the peloton was

If the Col Bargaguy looked steep on television, it was … plus some. I can honestly say I have never ever climbed up a road as steep as that one – let alone race up it like we did in today’s 16th stage. It felt like we were pedaling up one giant wall forever and ever. We all knew it was a steep climb, but we never expected it to be that steep. I think a lot of riders were really caught out by it today. Me included. I have never ridden so hard on the bike. Although, I heard Tyler Hamilton had trained over it and you can see that the time taken doing that paid off today. One thing I have to

It was just one of those days.We caught a good shot of Tyler on the first climb, just as he attacked. Of course, not being on a motorcycle, our next best option after that was to try and get ahead of him and catch him later on route.On the descent, we got a little off-course and ended up on what could best be described as a goat track... much to the amusement of the locals who kept saying, "No voitures," "No voitures,""No voitures." Okay maybe we should have taken them seriously when they said "no cars."Anyway, we drove like hell for 80km to get back ahead of the peloton and had to negotiate

The last image I will have of Nick Gates in the Tour de France was of him wiping his nose and then dropping his head as we drove past him after 22km of today’s 16th stage. As he pedaled with his shoulders stooped through the green forest lining the road up the Cat. 4 Côte des Crêtes, you could tell that he was right on the brink of abandoning. It was the second time the Australian had been dropped in the stage, the first being on an uncategorized rise soon after the start. He managed to get back on the decent, but…. Seeing riders like Gates suffering and facing the daunting challenge of

Well, what a day this turned out to be. With Paris on the horizon and a day off from racing yesterday, I started letting myself feel a little disappointed about this year's Tour. I had really centered my entire season around my objectives for July. With five stages to go, I knew my initial hopes of finishing on the podium by the end of the race were not going to be realized. I was trying to convince myself that seventh overall with my injuries was still respectable. But part of me was having a little trouble justifying all the suffering I had put myself through since the first stage. Last

Ahh, a rest day. I don’t know about you, but I know I needed that break yesterday. The Pyrenean stages have been exhausting, and I haven’t even left home. Actually, that’s not true, as I’ve sandwiched a move between trips to Bend, Oregon, and the upcoming NORBA in Sand Point, Idaho. Between packing boxes, writing race reports and watching the Tour, there’s hardly been time to do other important things, like eat, sleep and shower. I don’t know about you, but it’s good for me that OLN broadcasts its race footage a dozen times a day. Before I go any further, much respect is due to Jan Ullrich

Over the past five years, we have gotten used to writing about American victories in the Tour de France on an American bicycle equipped withAmerican wheels. However, until today, we always meant Armstrong. But the same could now be said about stage 16’s stage winner, Tyler Hamilton, who displayed true American grit in toughing out an amazing solo ride to Bayonne after being dropped in the early going and then catching and dropping the breakaway. Tyler was riding on Zipp wheels and a Cervélo frame, both of which are as North American as pumpkin pie. FramesOver the years, we have heard a

Hamilton makes his move

Zabel is still a points jersey contender

Armstrong had no reason to chase. Vino' did.

Remarkably, the French authorities have yet to arrest our horned-helmet guy for crimes of fashion

Ullrich and Armstrong both seem willing to leave the big showdown until Saturday

Postal could take a break of sorts today

Rogers - This morning... before the war

A Pau resident shows us the importance of bike handling

New UCI officials' uniform?

Our French is kinda weak: Are they calling Virenque a CheeseBurger?

Americans at the Tour: Iowa State!

Americans at the Tour: A long way from Alaska

Americans at the Tour: Sayin' HEY to the homies at Whole Wheel Velo

Americans at the Tour: Captain Saturn

Waiting for the break....

Hey, maybe things really do go better with...

On paper, this final mountain stage doesn’t appear to be as challenging as the other three days in the Pyrénées. There are two Cat. 1 climbs, but the last is 87km from the finish in Bayonne. On the other hand, from where the Col du Soudet begins climbing after 51km until the end of the descent of the Col de Burdincurutcheta 80km later, the riders will be on narrow, tortuous back roads with constant ups and downs. The climbs are steep: The Soudet has 15-percent pitches and an average of 7.5 percent for 14km; the Côte de Larrau averages 10.5 percent for 2.4km; and the Col de Bagargui, 9.2

Jan Ullrich may have received a punishing blow from Lance Armstrong on Monday but the Bianchi team leader took it in stride, saying the Tour de France's 15th stage had not been "too negative." "In the past, when Armstrong did his thing in the mountains, I would lose two minutes,” Ullrich said. “I only lost one minute this time. So that's not too negative." Ullrich, who had upset the four-time Tour winner in the Gaillac to Cap'decouverte time trial last Friday, finished third in Monday’s stage to Luz-Ardiden , 40 seconds behind the American and now trails him by 1:07 overall. "I'm a little

Cofidis team leader David Millar has vowed to continue riding the Tour de France - at least until Bayonne - despite a serious chest cough which has virtually halted his progress in the race. After Tuesday's rest day in Pau, the Tour continues with the 16th stage on Wednesday - a 197.5km ride from Pau to Bayonne over six Pyrénéan climbs, two of which are rated Category 1. Millar had been going well up until stage 13 when he lost over nine minutes on the first Pyrénéan stage from Toulouse to Ax Trois Domaines. However it was on the 14th stage from St Girons to Loudenvielle over six difficult

The contenders for the green jersey will certainly be among the 151 still left on the Tour de France looking forward to Tuesday's rest day. With Aussie Baden Cooke still in the green jersey and compatriot Robbie McEwen still trying to get hold of it, a day of relaxing and some light training will help the two rivals recharge their over-used batteries. "Two days ago I had a fairly bad day. It's not really how difficult the days are supposed to be. It's how you feel - but I did have a few bad days there," Cooke told AFP after the eventful 15th stage won by U.S. Postal’s Lance

Lourdes. If ever a place has been so steeped in Tour de France tradition, but officially visited by the race so few times, it has got to be this Catholic pilgrim city in the Pyrénées. It seems that no matter where the Tour goes, I am forever returning to Lourdes: its centrality in the Pyrénées makes it an ideal and easy-to-get-to place after nearby mountain stages. And when I do, it never seems to change: same drab hotels, same masses of humanity walking in search of blessings, miracles and hope, and same wafting sense of bleakness from the general public mood to the overcast and humid

Although the weather at the Tour has changed from blazing hot to cloudy and humid, the tactics at the race are likely to continue in their aggressive fashion on Wednesday. You can never predict what will happen next. There have had crashes that have eliminated pre-race favorites like Joseba Beloki and Levi Leipheimer, and handicapped another, Tyler Hamilton. And there have been unexpectedly strong performances by Bianchi’s Jan Ullrich, Telekom’s Alex Vinokourov, and the Euskaltel pair Iban Mayo and Haimar Zubeldia. On Wednesday, the two riders from the Basque Country will get a chance for

The Tour de France is an exhausting event for everyone involved. It’s obvious the riders could use a break after racing for two weeks, but this short rest is also important for the journalists, the support crews and the thousands of people who make this three-week traveling circus run smoothly. The brief lull in the action is just the relief everyone needs to make the final push to Paris. Just as on the first rest day, the riders will go out for a two-plus hour ride today to keep their legs fresh and maintain the routines their bodies have become accustomed to. This is even more important

Several sharp-eyed viewers noticed that Lance Armstrong was riding what appeared to be a standard team-issue 5900 Superlight during Monday's stage to Luz-Ardiden. When VeloNews contacted Trek to inquire as to why Armstrong was not riding that nifty new Madone 5.9 and instead riding what appeared to be 2003 technology, spokesman John Riley informed us that Armstrong was actually riding another all-new 2004 Trek bike. The bike on which Armstrong won Monday's tumultuous stage was, in fact, a much-updated 2004 Trek 5900 Superlight. Riley said the new bike takes carbon fiber construction to the

OVERALL STANDINGS after Stage 151. Lance Armstrong (USA), U.S. Postal Service, 65:36:232. Jan Ullrich (G), Bianchi, 01:073. Alexandre Vinokourov (Kaz), Telekom, 02:454. Haimar Zubeldia (Sp), Euskaltel-Euskadi, 05:165. Iban Mayo (Sp), Euskaltel-Euskadi, 05:256. Ivan Basso (I), Fassa Bortolo, 08:087. Tyler Hamilton (USA), CSC, 09:028. Christophe Moreau (F), Credit Agricole, 11:129. Francisco Mancebo (Sp), iBanesto.com, 16:0510. Carlos Sastre (Sp), CSC, 16:1211. Denis Menchov (Rus), iBanesto.com, 17:0912. Georg Totschnig (A), Gerolsteiner, 18:5213. Manuel Beltran (Sp), U.S. Postal Service,

The Tour de France collected its breath Tuesday after a string of spectacular stages through the Pyrénées. One more hard stage remains on tap in the mountains Wednesday before a string of rolling stages winding north toward Nantes and Saturday's time trial clash between Jan Ullrich and Lance Armstrong in the Tour's penultimate stage. Armstrong on the riseThe mood was buoyant at U.S. Postal's team hotel in Pau during Tuesday's rest day. The team went for a 70km training ride and otherwise enjoyed a relaxing day away from the pressures of the Tour. Team spokesman Jogi Mueller said Armstrong

'Well, I tried,' said Ullrich of his attack on the Tourmalet.

Ullrich avoided the crash, but refused to attack

Tour Tech - What was Lance riding?

Aspin, Tourmalet, Luz-Ardiden: This is probably as tough a trio of finishing climbs as the Télégraphe, Galibier, L’Alpe d’Huez combo in the Alps. In the final 78km, there’s almost 43km of climbing totaling 10,000 feet. Luz-Ardiden is not as famous as L’Alpe d’Huez, but it’s almost identical in stats: 13.4km at 7.6 percent compared with the Alpe’s 13.8km at 7.9 percent. 7/21/2003 Start Time: 12:25:00pm7/21/2003 Estimated Finish Time: 5:34:00pm HISTORYLuz-Ardiden has been included only six times in Tour history, but it’s already left its mark, starting in 1985. Bernard Hinault had been in the

The closest race in Tour de France history is close no more. Lance Armstrong shook off a dramatic crash less than 10km from the finish at Luz-Ardiden when his handlebar hooked a fan's bag to win his first stage of the 2003 Tour and widen his grip on the yellow jersey to a more comfortable 1:07 over second-placed Jan Ullrich (Bianchi). The 159.5km stage 15 started with three riders within 18 seconds of each other, the closest-ever margin at this stage of the Tour, but it ended with Armstrong padding his lead. Ullrich took third on the stage, while Alex Vinokourov (Telekom) faltered after

Individual Results, Stage 151. Lance Armstrong (USA), U.S. Postal Service, 4:29:262. Iban Mayo (Sp), Euskaltel-Euskadi, 00:403. Jan Ullrich (G), Bianchi, 00:404. Haimar Zubeldia (Sp), Euskaltel-Euskadi, 00:405. Christophe Moreau (F), Credit Agricole, 00:436. Ivan Basso (I), Fassa Bortolo, 00:477. Tyler Hamilton (USA), CSC, 01:108. Alexandre Vinokourov (Kaz), Telekom, 02:079. Rubiera José Luis (Sp), U.S. Postal Service, 02:4510. Sylvain Chavanel (F), Brioches La Boulangere, 02:4711. Carlos Sastre (Sp), CSC, 03:1212. Denis Menchov (Rus), iBanesto.com, 03:1213. Roberto Laiseka (Sp),

To see how Stage 15 of the Tour unfolded live, just go to our Live Update window and follow the action all the way to the finish.

Alexander Vinokourov saw his Tour de France chances severely dented when he finished more than two minutes behind dfending champion Lance Armstrong in the 15th stage on Monday. The Kazakh lies third overall, 2:45 behind Armstrong, but he has vowed to keep fighting and wished his former Telekom team chief Jan Ullrich good luck. "The last climb was very hard," he said of the 13.5 km ride from the foot of the mountain to Luz-Ardiden. "But it was even worse on the Tourmalet," added Vinokourov, who was dropped on the way to the renowned Pyrénées summit, the penultimate climb of the day.

The Schlitz Park Criterium, right in the heart of Milwaukee, has turned out to be one of the best spectator events in the Superweek series. Tons of people gather on the climb with their coolers to watch the pros suffer. The climb itself isn't too bad – it's just that you have to do it 90 times. The race features some pretty gargantuan primes and a lucrative KOH competition. A large early break got away that included some heavy hitters – Johnny Lieswyn (7UP-Maxxis), Sven Teutenberg (Bianchi), Gordon McCauley (Schroeder Iron), Paul Martin (Gomart-West Virginia), etc. Somehow, after taking a

Well, whatever happens between here and the Tour de France finish in Paris on Sunday, I know for sure that I won’t go home empty handed. It has been a successful Tour for the Quickstep-Davitamon team. As of today, we have managed to win the most prize money of any team: 48,597 Euros. That has come from virtually securing the King of the Mountains title for Richard Virenque who has also won one stage in the Alps and hauling Paolo Bettini into third place in the same competition. To top it off, I’ve got a new nickname now, thanks to Richard. He calls me “Scooter” because he reckons I’m like

Now that’s more like it. Today I saw the Lance Armstrong I’ve been hoping would show up at the Tour de France: the guy with fire in his eyes and the determination of ten men. His teammates, his managers and I had done everything we could over the past few days to fire him up, but it took an actual jolt to the system to stoke the fire in Lance’s belly. When I saw Lance hit the ground on Luz Ardiden, time stood still. It’s been a rough Tour, full of strange incidents and near misses, each of which Lance found a way to compensate for. Crashing while launching an attack on the final summit

The anticipated carnage began as soon as the stage 15 rolled out from Bagnères-de-Bigorre, just as the race rose up steeply for 1.5km to the aptly named Haute de la Côte. Virtually the first thing we heard in our car on Radio Tour — besides “top, départ donné,” to signal the official start — were the numbers of three riders “en difficulté” and that the speeding peloton was in one long line, indicating a very fast start to the day. The stage was barely a little over an hour old — 1:13 p.m. to be precise — when the first abandon was announced. That was number 52, Italian Leonardo Bertagnolli

Sure, we've all looked at every square millimeter of Lance Armstrong's Trek by now, but what is his main rival riding at this Tour? Jan Ullrich's Bianchi EV3 is based on the production model EV3 that is available in shops, but as you might guess, it differs slightly from its commercial counterpart. Jan Ullrich’s EV3 features an oversized downtube and somewhat more-swaging on the toptube and seattube for improved aerodynamics. Custom built, Ullrich’s EV3 sports a 56.5cm seattube with a 58cm toptube. A CNC-machined headtube houses an FSA integrated headset, while the forged bottom bracket

My apologies for the lag in getting an update out. I've been a little tapped the last few nights. This feels like the fifth week of the Tour de France for me, not the third. Most GC riders spend the first week of the race laying low, conserving energy. But I feel like I've been on the rivet since the get-go. Adrenaline and disbelief probably got me through the first ten stages of the race. But all the effort to keep going has taken its toll. And as a result the Pyrénées have been a bigger challenge than I would have liked. Today's stage started out with a two-kilometer climb from the gun.

Vinokourov was left to chase on his own.

Vino' after arriving at Luz-Ardiden

Reuters Stage 15 Gallery

... Armstrong and Mayo recover...