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Richard Virenque of Quick Step-Davitamon left behind a shaky past - not to mention the rest of the Tour de France peloton - to experience a dream day in the 2003 Tour's first big mountain stage. The Frenchman, disgraced after his role in the Festina scandal at the 1998 Tour, rebounded in Saturday's hot, steamy mountains opener in the French Alps to win the stage, grab the King of the Mountains jersey and take the overall lead. "Something magical happened to me today," said Virenque, who finished 2:29 ahead of Rolf Aldag (Telekom) after a 190km-long break. "I was going for the King of the

With the Tour raging on less than 100km away, it seems fitting that Shimano chose the sleepy salt-mining town of Bex, Switzerland, to hold its official Dura-Ace unveiling. As the Japanese group gets thoroughly put through its paces by the world's fastest racers just over the Swiss border in France, a few journalists are quietly getting the official lowdown on the high-end group. And while many of its technical details are already known, this is the first opportunity for us to ride the next-generation road group. The sleek new Dura-Ace boasts some pretty bold promises. Shimano claims its

As the Tour de France climbs into the Alps for three mountain stages, Marco Pantani – one of the greatest climbers in the history of cycling and winner of the 1998 Tour de France – is back on his bike for the first time since he left a drug and depression clinic. Pantani, who spent the second half of June in the clinic near Venice, looked well as he rode his bike for an hour and half near his home in Cesenatico on Friday. He refused to speak as he headed home from his ride, but La Gazzetta dello Sport suggested he could be training ready to make a return to racing at the Tour of Spain in

Stage 7 Individual Results1. Richard Virenque (F), Quick Step-Davitamon, 6:06:032. Rolf Aldag (G), Telekom, 02:293. Sylvain Chavanel (F), Brioches La Boulangere, 03:454. Michael Rogers (Aus), Quick Step-Davitamon, 04:035. Stefano Garzelli (I), Caldirola, 04:066. Christophe Moreau (F), Credit Agricole, 04:067. Laurent Dufaux (Swi), Alessio, 04:068. David Millar (GB), Cofidis, 04:069. Georg Totschnig (A), Gerolsteiner, 04:0610. Alexandre Vinokourov (Kaz), Telekom, 04:0611. Mikel Astarloza (Sp), Ag2R Prevoyance, 04:0612. Guido Trentin (I), Cofidis, 04:0613. Grischa Niermann (G), Rabobank,

Olympic champion Florian Rousseau failed to qualify for the world track cycling championships when he finished in 11th place in the keirin event at the French trials in Hyeres on Saturday. Rousseau, who won Olympic gold in the keirin event at the 2000 Games in Sydney, Australia, had also missed out on selection for the sprint event when he finished fourth in the trials on Thursday. Only the first three were picked for the championships, which take place in Stuttgart, Germany, from July 30 to August 3. –Copyright 2003/AFP

Saeco team riders were all handed a 200 Swiss francs ($146.3) fine by Tour de France organisers for sporting white jerseys with a publicity slogan instead of their regular red team kits in Saturday's stage to Morzine. The Italian team wanted to use a new carbon-aluminum Cannondale for the mountains that weighs in at 6.6 kilograms, 200 grams lighter than the UCI minimum of 6.8kg. The UCI imposed the minimum standard three years ago for what the governing body says were safety reasons. To protest at the limitation, Saeco riders sported jerseys asking UCI to "legalize my Cannondale." Saeco

Seeing a 40-strong group ride into Morzine with Lance Armstrong at the end of the Tour’s first mountain stage on Saturday was quite a surprise — especially after the Postal team leader’s three Spanish climbers had turned on the screws up the Cat. 1 Col de la Ramaz, 25km from the end. But looking back to the action on the Ramaz, we saw three of Armstrong’s billed rivals — Italian Gilberto Simoni, Colombian Santiago Botero and Spaniard Aitor Gonzales — fall back and concede up to six minutes on the defending champion. It was a shock to see those three struggling while American Tyler Hamilton

What a day the seventh stage into the Alps turned out to be. To finish with my Quickstep-Davitamon teammate Richard Virenque winning the first mountain stage and taking the yellow jersey - and me "passing" my first test in the Alps - it couldn't have been better. Firstly, a few words about Richard. I said the other day he has given me a fair bit of advice and inside knowledge about the mountains. He proved today that his word is good. He told me this morning at breakfast that he was going to go for the stage win. He said he was going to attack on the first kilometer of the first climb,

On the morning of Saturday July 12, had you called up your bike-race bookie (if such a person existed) and told him you wanted some action on the five-rider World Cup podium parlay of downhillers Gary Houseman, Ivan Oulego, Kirt Voreis, Colin Bailey and Stu Thomson, Mr. Bookie would have laughed, then given you some astronomically high odds figuring he’d just made a quick buck. But when it comes to downhill racing, there’s one factor that even the world’s wisest odds makers (or best riders) cannot completely account for — rain. And that’s just what happened on the steep slopes of British

There are all sorts you meet on the route of the Tour de France. People, that is. Many of them you forget as days, weeks and years pass. Others remain etched in your mind. Today, I fear, may be the latter. Had we filled the gas tank of our car earlier, rather than after the emergency light had been flickering for 50km, those fears would not exist. Finding service stations in France is not as easy as it sounds, and even less so on the Tour route. Filling stations are either closed, blocked off by barriers or take French-only credit cards. But we felt lucky today, 85km into stage 7 from Lyon

Four-time stage winner Alessandro Petacchi said he retired from the Tour de France early on Saturday's first mountain stage because he would never have made it to the end of the race. Though the Tour ends in Paris on July 27, the Italian climbed off his bike 45km into the 230km seventh stage to Morzine after being left behind by the main field. "I always said my form wasn't that good for the Tour de France," Petacchi said. "I didn't plan to retire but I was struggling on the very first climb. I knew it would have been impossible to make it to the finish of the stage, and I knew I could

Lance Armstrong warned the rest of the Tour de France Saturday that he was gearing up to win cycling's biggest race for a record-equaling fifth time. The American allowed Frenchman Richard Virenque to take Saturday's first mountain stage at Morzine, along with the yellow jersey, but then said he was setting out to win the race, starting with Sunday's eighth stage climb up L'Alpe d'Huez. "For me, the Tour started today," the U.S. Postal Service leader told reporters. "In the first week of the race you're not riding to win, you're just trying to stay out of trouble and not lose it. Now it's

The yellow-and-red of the Saturn Cycling dynasty remains atop the general classification at the Cascade Cycling Classic, with Tom Danielson and Lyne Bessette all but assured victories heading into Sunday’s final criterium stage after a Friday night criterium and Saturday’s hilly circuit race. The Twilight ZoneA volatile twilight criterium held Friday night in downtown Bend, Oregon, yielded no change in the overall, with Heather Albert (Team Basis) and Chris Horner (Saturn) taking the stage wins. Bessette powered off the front halfway through the women’s 45-minute race, followed by Albert

Winning the Tour de France requires a balance of patience and aggression, and on the first mountain stage today, Lance and U.S. Postal Service chose to remain patient. Armstrong wasn’t the only man waiting to show his true strength. His main rivals, Jan Ullrich and Joseba Beloki rode quietly today as well, but tomorrow each man will be forced to lay his cards on the table. Quickstep’s Richard Virenque was Stage Seven’s main aggressor, attacking early and gaining enough time and mountain points to take both the yellow and polka dot jerseys. Virenque wore the yellow jersey briefly eleven years

Virenque claims the first mountain stage of the '03 Tour

Through the streets of Lyon

U.S. Postal

Jan Ullrich

With the yellow jersey on Pena, chasing duties fell to Postal

Pena spent his last day in yellow

Bettini labors on Virenque's behalf

Peña and Armstrong ride in the group

Far from attacking, Simoni was going backwards

Virenque takes the yellow ... and the polka-dot jersey

Virenque celebrates

Virenque and sons

Protest carries less weight when you're off the back

With the temp. in the 90's riders take all the bottles they can carry

Andrea Marchant waits for an autograph...

and Hincapie finally rewards her

Simoni's new bike

all decked out...

with weights

A little card playing and wine drinking waiting for the stage

Some true Aussie fans

The biggest polka dot jersey ever

American Sandwich? Try the Al Capone or the Jazz Fish

Who?

Houseman earned an unlikely win.

Steve Peat battles the elements.

The crowds were thick in B.C.

Griffiths made it two straight.

Moseley maintained a slim lead in the overall.

There's just no stopping Alessandro Petacchi. Not even a suicidal two-man breakaway in Friday's hot, sweaty stage into Lyon could derail the Petacchi express. Crédit Agricole's Stuart O'Grady and La Boulangére's Anthony Geslin peeled away from the pack, a few kilometers away from the day's first points sprint at 36.5km. They lasted out there for nearly 200km, only to be brought back in the final kilometer of Friday's stage, the second-longest of this Tour. Petacchi said he told his Fassa Bortolo teammates that he was cooked after coming over two categorized climbs in the final 70km and

Stage 6 Individual Results1. Alessandro Petacchi (I), Fassa Bortolo, 5:08:352. Baden Cooke (Aus), FDJeux.com, 00:003. Fabrizio Guidi (I), Bianchi, 00:004. Thor Hushovd (Nor), Credit Agricole, 00:005. Romans Vainsteins (Lat), Caldirola, 00:006. Damien Nazon (F), Brioches La Boulangere, 00:007. Hinault Sébastien (F), Credit Agricole, 00:008. Gerrit Glomser (A), Saeco, 00:009. Yuriy Krivtsov (Ukr), Jean Delatour, 00:0010. Luca Paolini (I), Quick Step-Davitamon, 00:0011. Salvatore Commesso (I), Saeco, 00:0012. Pablo Lastras (Sp), iBanesto.com, 00:0013. Mikel Pradera (Sp), ONCE - Eroski, 00:0014.

Maybe you’re like me and you treated yourself to a hot dog to celebrate the Fourth of July. Heck, maybe you even downed two or three and chased them down with a cold beverage. Chances are, though, you did not wolf down three dozen wieners, and chase them down with another eight-and-a-half. In 12 minutes. That was the final tally for Takeru “The Tsunami” Kobyashi at the Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest, July 4 in Coney Island. The Japanese three-time champion’s 44-and-a-half dogs easily outdistanced second-place Ed “Cookie” Jarvis, who set an American record with 30-and-a-half hot dogs

While Alessandro Petacchi celebrated a tremendous week of sprinting with his fourth stage win of this year's Tour de France on Friday, race favorite Lance Armstrong will be quietly delighted to have reached the foot of the Alps perfectly poised to launch his challenge for a fifth successive victory. Whereas the American is usually lagging behind the other leading contenders before the first mountain stage, he will this time tackle the first big climb with a comfortable lead over his rivals. The Texan took it easy in today’s 143-mile ride from Nevers, finishing a comfortable 39th to remain

Each year, more and more first-timers join the Tour de France press corps. The American invasion began after Greg LeMond started winning the Tour in 1986, and it has accelerated since Lance Armstrong’s first win in 1999. From an Australian viewpoint, the media trickle from down under has become a downpour (or should that be an up-pour?) since riders like Stuart O’Grady, Robbie McEwen, Brad McGee and Baden Cooke began winning stages. One of the most interesting aspects of a Tour is to hear the first impressions of those covering the world’s biggest and most prestigious bike race for the first

Ya know, it’s important to be noticed. Sure, it’s great for everyone, fans included, for riders at the Tour de France to have good equipment. The riders go faster with a higher margin of safety with properly designed equipment. But it doesn’t do the equipment sponsor any good if no one knows whose equipment they are using. And sometimes, it takes someone unfamiliar with the intricacies of the sport to point out the very obvious. A case in point involves the winningest rider in both the Tour and the Giro this year, Fassa Bortolo’s Alessandro Petacchi. Everyone knows that Petacchi won six

We've made it six stages… which is just about five more than I thought I would see last Sunday. We're still taking things day-by-day here at Camp Collar Bone. I had a second set of x-rays taken last night. The good news was there was no further displacement, or injury. The bad news was there was no evidence of any healing. We've chosen to focus on the good news, so I started today's stage from Nevers with the same mindset I've had all week, which has basically been - lets see what we can do. I'm completely amazed with all the attention my situation is getting. I've been riding my bike for a

Lance Armstrong is happy with the way the first week of the Tour de France has gone: A victory in the team time trial and Victor Hugo Peña’s days in the yellow jersey. He is also excited to reach the mountains, as he knows the 2003 Tour de France will be decided on the slopes of the Alps and Pyrénées. Stage 7 will be the first opportunity to see how well the main contenders for the yellow jersey are climbing this year. Lance’s performance in the Dauphine Libéré provided confidence in his climbing form, and he is stronger now than he was then. Jan Ullrich’s abilities in the high mountains

Stage 3 of the Cascade Classic was held Friday morning in Tumalo, Oregon. Just outside of Bend, the 7-mile time trial loop began and ended with a gradual climb, forcing riders out of the saddle immediately. The masters Cat. 3 racers raced first, followed by the pro/1-2 women, who rolled out in 30-second increments. As expected, race leader Lyne Bessette (Saturn), the Canadian national time trial champion, posted the fastest time of the day — 15:31 — a time that would have beat all but three of the masters men. Teammate Jessica Phillips was second in 16:26, followed by Team Basis rider

Mike King said that it only took a few practice runs to figure out his strategy for the World Cup four-cross at Grouse Mountain. With a short, fast course providing the stage for the event on British Columbia's famed North Shore, King knew qualifying would be key. “That was my focus the whole way,” said King of the Friday night event, “and that was the race.” Indeed, after posting the top preliminary time of 23.44, the Haro-Lee Dungarees rider/manager surged through the finals bracket, riding his No. 1 seed all the way to a World Cup win. It was the 34-year-old’s first Cup win of 2003, and

Here we go again. Superweek 2003 is upon us. I recently moved back to Milwaukee (which is Algonquin for "the great land," according to Alice Cooper in one of the “Wayne's World” movies) for the summer, and I'll be covering the event again this year. Superweek, in its 34th year, is the longest running multi-day cycling series in America. This year, it features 17 stages in 17 days for the pros. Here's the 2003 schedule: Friday, July 11: Chicago criterium (Pro/1/2 only), Chicago, IllinoisSaturday, July 12: Otto Grunski Menasha Classic Criterium, Menasha, WisconsinSunday, July 13: Manitowoc

Chris Horner (Saturn) won stage four of the Cascade Cycling Classic, a 60-minute-plus-five-laps criterium held Friday evening on a six-turn course in downtown Bend, Oregon. Horner outsped the bunch to finish in 1:05:31, dogged by Alex Candelario (Prime Alliance) and Jackson Stewart (Ofoto.com-Lombardi), who were awarded the same time – as were the first 81 riders to cross the line. Horner’s teammate Tom Danielson retained the overall lead, 49 seconds up on Jonathan Vaughters (Prime Alliance) and nearly a minute ahead of Chris Wherry (Navigators). In the women’s stage-three crit, Heather

Petacchi didn't think he had it in him ... but he did

Pena grabbing a bite to eat

Stuart O'Grady and Anthony Geslin on a break that came oh so close to making it.

The Posties

Pena leads

O'Grady and Geslin

Stuart O'Grady and Anthony Geslin took off early and nearly made it work

Lotto was among the chasers that took back an 18-minute deficit

At these speeds, le Tour is le blur

Tyler Hamilton will be the subject of an upcoming IMAX film. And they don't use those nice portable mini-cams for that.

Armstrong's new fork

Armstrong's new seat tube

Caldirola FSA carbon crank

Fan signage along the route

Tour helicopter flies low enough to kick up hay out of the fields

George Hincapie checks out a new Mercedes at the start

An Hors Categorie leader overlooks a Cat. 3 climb

Here come the Hurdy-gurdy men.

Simoni's bars and head tube