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Jean Delatour's Frederic Finot (L) and Credit Agricole's Lilian Jegou (R) during a nearly 200km breakaway

Finot tries his luck alone

Caught 2.5km from the line, Finot is consoled by his family after the finish

Wilcockson (r) trying to look busy; Guinness (l) thinking of the buffet

A little early morning cafe for fans

Cooke and Nazon react to the sprint finish

The calm before the storm

French road hog

A mannekin celebrates the Tour from a window

The officials have a very nice ride in this fleet of Lancias

Podium staff at the Tour.

Rider supplies at the start from Aquarel

Riis is mobbed by the press as he explains Hamilton will start

All of you want to race here, don't you?

Lotto gives chase

Good morning, and... uhhh watch the shoulder, okay?

Lotto gives chase

Jegou and Finot

Finot goes on his own

Rasa and Jolanta Polikeviciute are laying down the law at the 2003 women’s Giro d'Italia. Their adversaries are surrendering to the twins; the two Lithuanians, along with their countrywoman, Edita Pucinskaite swept the first three positions on the tour’s opening stage and sit comfortably atop general classification. The first stage of the Giro d'Italia started in Grumo Nevano, seen off by a large group of spectators, and it concluded 119 kilometers later in Guardia Sanframondi, in the province of Benevento. Rasa attacked 10 km from the line, on the second ascent from Castelvenere to

Editor's Note: Because the major crash at the end of this stage took place within the final kilometer, all 198 riders in the peloton were awarded the same finishing time. No riders had been dropped by the field prior to reaching site of the crash, about 600 meters from the line.1. Alessandro Petacchi (I), Fassa Bortolo, 3:44:332. Robbie Mc Ewen (Aus), Lotto-Domo, at 00:003. Erik Zabel (G), Telekom, at 00:004. Paolo Bettini (I), Quick Step-Davitamon, at 00:005. Baden Cooke (Aus), FDJeux.com, at 00:006. Thor Hushovd (Nor), Credit Agricole, at 00:007. Oscar Freire (Sp), Rabobank, at 00:008. Luca

This was not a good day at the Tour de France. In fact, it was a downright dark day for Americans competing in the centenary Tour and one that even angered eventual stage winner Alessandro Petacchi, who said a massive pile-up in the closing meters of the 168-kilometer stage from Saint Denis to Meaux was the fault of unthinking organizers. No matter who is at fault, the bottom line is that both Tyler Hamilton and Levi Leipheimer are probably out of the 2003 Tour de France, while four-time defending champion Lance Armstrong and teammate George Hincapie also went down in the field-splitting

Fassa Bortolo's Alessandro Petacchi resumed his winning ways by taking the first stage of the Tour de France Sunday, a 168km ride from the outskirts of Paris to Meaux.Australian Bradley McGee will spend his second night in the Tour de France leader's yellow jersey after the crash-marred first stage Sunday in which compatriot Robbie McEwen came second to take the green points jersey. A crash just inside the final kilometer of the 168km ride from the outskirts of Paris to here looked to have snagged 27-year-old fdjeux.com rider McGee but moments later he crossed the finish line with

The Tour de France can change dramatically in a matter of seconds. Crashes can lead to field splits that cause contenders to lost valuable time to their rivals, or much worse, injuries that send riders home early. Lance Armstrong was very fortunate today in that he avoided being injured in the massive pileup just 600 meters from the Stage 1 finish line. Unfortunately, several other riders were not so lucky. Today’s crash occurred within the final kilometer, and all of the main contenders were either caught up in the tangle or just behind it. Tyler Hamilton came down hard on his left shoulder

Usually, it’s Colorado that finds itself invaded by Texans come summertime. But at the 2003 USCF Junior/Espoir Road National Championships, held over the Fourth of July holiday weekend, it was Colorado on the attack in the Lone Star State – along with young racers from Oregon to Pennsylvania and all points in between. Junior and espoir road races Zak Grabowski (Lafayette, Colorado) claimed the first stars-and-stripes jersey of the weekend by winning the relatively flat 90-mile 17-18 road race on Thursday in Normangee. Despite the sweltering Texas temperatures, Grabowski shot away in the

Some 20 cyclists, including members of the St. Pete Mad Dog Triathlon Club and the St. Petersburg Bicycle Club, were injured Sunday morning when a car plowed into a regular weekly group ride in St. Petersburg, Florida. Witnesses said a man driving a Lincoln Continental westbound on 30th Avenue suddenly crossed the double-yellow line and struck a pack of about 40 eastbound cyclists, according to the St. Petersburg Times. Nine riders were taken to Bayfront Medical Center, four with serious injuries. Four others were taken to Northside Hospital and St. Anthony's Hospital with lesser injuries.

I've got one big hope for tomorrow as the centenary Tour de France (and my first) continues with stage two: That the peloton relaxes a bit. Then again, maybe I'm dreaming. The ground is pretty hard, as the massive crash in today's finish at Meaux showed. If riders keep racing like they did today, I think everyone is going to go down at some point this Tour. Me? I was right in the middle of the spill, at about 30th wheel. I don't know what happened, except one important fact: I didn’t go down.I was just lucky I didn't. I’m still not sure why, but I managed to avoid the worst of it, while

They may speak of the phenomenon that is the Tour de France organization; of how well-oiled an engine the operation is; of how smoothly and coordinated every action is. What they don’t usually talk about are the times on the Tour when one person - given his or her authority for a day (if that) - can throw the whole thing into total disarray. Fortunately, it is usually further down the 3400km road that the frustration of these hiccups test the patience of a Tour suiveur (follower). Unfortunately, that was not the case today, on stage No. 1 to Meaux. The 168km stage had not even officially

While the racing action at the Tour has deservedly taken the headlines, we’ve been keeping one eye peeled for glimpses of the latest in team equipment and what manufacturers hope you'll be riding in the not-too-distant future. Campy confidentialWhile it's certainly not the official unveiling, make sure to keep your eye on Campagnolo-sponsored riders at the Tour this year. Look closely enough, and you might catch a glimpse of Campagnolo's secretive 2004 product line. First off is Campagnolo's new-and-improved carbon Record crankset (a Chorus version will also be available in 2004).

David Millar has blamed his Cofidis team and its manager, Alain Bondue, for the mechanical incident that cost him victory in the Tour de France prologue. Millar, who won the Tour prologue in 2000, looked set to win the Tour's 6.5km opener in Paris on Saturday when his chain came off before the last curve. He reached down and replaced the chain, but the delay cost him - he finished second, just 0.8 second behind Australian Bradley McGee. Team sources said Cofidis riders were using new aerodynamic chain rings that had caused problems in the Tour of Catalunya. Other Cofidis riders, like Luis

Zinaida Stahurskaia (Chirio Forno D’asolo) outsprinted the major contenders on the final climb to San Marco dei Cavoti to win the second stage of the women’s Giro d’Italia on Sunday. Lithuanian Rasa Polikieviciute (Team 2002 Aurora Rsm) remains in the pink jersey despite having given up nine seconds to her closest rival, countrywoman Edita Pucinskaite (Michele Fanini). American Amber Neben (T-Mobile) holds 10th place overall. The attacks were continuous on the 85km stage. All were in vain, though, and the stage concluded with Stahurskaia just barely beating Pucinskaite to the line. "I am

Not the way Hamilton wanted to finish the Tour

George and Lance out on the road

Lance Armstrong of the USA arrives

Lance and Ekimov

Cafe 'Le Reveil Matin' in Montgeron

Passing the Paris's Place de la Republique

Olaf Pollack of Germany carries his bike as he crosses the finish line after the crash

A special tile for every TDF winner around the monument in front of the Le Reveil Martin

Hamilton emerges from medical

Hamilton and concerned Riis leave for hospital

Marc Lotz crosses the finish line after the crash

Riis and Hamilton on their way to the hospital

Petacchi wins, but was not happy about the finish

Commemorating the 1903 Tour with a bike that was old even back then.

The first break of this Tour.

Rabobank's Mark Lotz

McGee still in yellow

Armstrong and Hincapie avoided the worst

On the road to Meaux

Tech talk: Manufacturers love Tour time

Tech talk: Manufacturers love Tour time

Tech talk: Manufacturers love Tour time

Tech talk: Manufacturers love Tour time

Millar looked really good until his chain popped off ...

... was it the chainring, or the lack of a front derailleur?

Riders woke up to absolutely perfect weather for Saturday’s opening prologue. After a few days of unseasonably cool weather and showers, temperatures eased back into summer-like numbers with highs in the upper 70s. There were already fans lining the course early Saturday morning, some five hours before the first rider was scheduled to go off. Big crowds are expected throughout the Tour, more so even in Paris. The prologue course drives right the heart of Paris, starting at the base of the Eiffel Tower, crossing the River Seine, passing the Place du Trocadero, hitting the Place de la

So much for all of those pre-scripted prognostications about the 2003 Tour de France. If Saturday’s surprising and exciting opening prologue is any indication, maybe Lance Armstrong’s comment that “anybody can win the Tour” might prove true. Australian Brad McGee (Fdjeux.com) survived a late-race puncture to take the 2003 Tour’s first yellow jersey by less than a tenth of a second ahead of hard-luck rider David Millar (Cofidis).Full Results Posted Tens of thousands of fans lined the 6.5km course as it started under the Eiffel Tower, hit a short, steep climb after crossing the River Seine

Bold=U.S. RiderItalics=U.S. team1. Bradley Mc Gee (Aus), FDJeux.com, 07:262. David Millar (GB), Cofidis, 00:003. Haimar Zubeldia (Sp), Euskaltel-Euskadi, 00:024. Jan Ullrich (G), Bianchi, 00:025. Pena Victor Hugo (Col), U.S. Postal Service, 00:066. Tyler Hamilton (USA), CSC, 00:067. Lance Armstrong (USA), U.S. Postal Service, 00:078. Joseba Beloki (Sp), ONCE - Eroski, 00:099. Santiago Botero (Col), Telekom, 00:0910. Vjatceslav Ekimov (Rus), U.S. Postal Service, 00:1111. Michael Rich (G), Gerolsteiner, 00:1112. Levi Leipheimer (USA), Rabobank, 00:1113. George Hincapie (USA), U.S. Postal

While following the sporting phenomenon that is the Tour, make sure to keep one thing in mind: It's all one big advertisement. Sure, there's plenty of heated racing drama to be had, but remember, the reason the race exists is to promote the goods and services of a countless number of businesses. And while the majority of us aren't particularly interested in European cement products (Fassa Bortolo) or the French national lottery (fdjeux.com), we can't wait to see the torrent of new bicycle technology unveiled throughout the race. Most manufacturers get awfully tight-lipped about exactly

Only 6.5km long, the course for this time trial through the heart of Paris is in the shape of a squashed question mark. It starts at the foot of the Eiffel Tower, crosses the Seine River to make a short climb around the Chaillot Palace and then drops back to the river at the Place de l’Alma, just across the street from the Crazy Horse nightclub. The course then parallels the river to the Place de la Concorde, crosses the bridge and heads back on the Left Bank before heading south to the finish on the Avenue de la Motte- Picquet — across the Champ de Mars Park from the Eiffel Tower. 7/5/2003

Medical officials at the 90th edition of the Tour de France have declared that all 198 cyclists in the race are “fit to ride,” following hematocrit tests earlier this week, but some experts in the field of doping are not so sure that the results mean much. Since the infamous “Festina scandal” almost brought the Tour to its knees in 1998, cycling has been at the forefront of the fight against doping and tests extensively for the banned endurance-booster erythropoietin (EPO). Officially, the entire Tour peloton started the race clean Saturday after their hematocrit levels, or the volume of

PARIS -- After a long week of getting ready and all of the pre-race hype, the Centennial Tour de France got under way today. There usually comes a point when I'm anxious to get rolling, because, believe it or not, things almost always calm down after the race begins. This will be my seventh Tour de France, which is no small detail with my wife. Seven is her favorite number. She also likes that my race number is 71, which is the year I was born. I wouldn’t be surprised if she high-fived herself when she heard my start time for the prologue was 7 p.m. sharp. I’m waiting for her to remind me

The trouble with a short prologue is that there is no room for error. After the 2003 Tour de France prologue, the top 20 riders are within 13 seconds of the leader, Bradley McGee, and 96 are within 30 seconds. For Lance Armstrong, his tendency to start time trials slowly proved to be his undoing, as he conceded more time in the first half of the prologue than he could retake in the second half. Lance is sitting in seventh place, five seconds behind principal rival Jan Ullrich and one second behind CSC team leader Tyler Hamilton. It is his lowest placing in a Tour de France prologue since

Although this opening stage of 168km around the Paris suburbs will likely be run at lightning speed, it will be a long day. Things begin at 11:40 a.m. outside the Stade de France (where France won soccer’s World Cup in 1998). There follows a formal 20km procession across the city center to Montgeron, where the actual stage will start at 1:15 p.m. outside the Auberge au Réveil- Matin, a small inn from which the original Tour began in 1903. The actual race loops south through the Forest of Fontainebleau, then north and east to the finish in Meaux. Three Cat. 4 climbs punctuate the middle part

This 204.5km route across rolling terrain northeast of Paris ends on similar roads as those raced every March on the opening stage of the Critérium International — which usually ends in a field sprint. After a flat opening alongside the Marne River, most of the action will take place at the time-bonus sprints in Jaulgonne (43km), Avançon (128km) and Amagne (149km), and the Cat. 4 hills at La Charmel (46km) and Longwé (169.5km). 7/7/2003 Start Time: 12:15:00PM7/7/2003 Estimated Finish Time: 5:24:00PM HISTORYThis is the first time a Tour stage has ended in Sedan, but neighboring Charleville

At 167.5km, this is the shortest stage of the opening week. The rolling terrain may encourage attacks, but with a fast, straight run in to St. Dizier, it will almost certainly end in a mass sprint— and perhaps in a Tour road stage record speed to top the 50.355 kph (31.289 mph) set by Mario Cipollini at Blois in 1999. 7/8/2003 Start Time: 1:17:00pm7/8/2003 Estimated Finish Time: 5:22:00pm HISTORYThis is the first time that St. Dizier, a town of 35,000, has been included on the Tour route. Besides the novelty of seeing the world’s biggest bike race, the crowds will be rooting for one of the