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The course for this 69km team time trial is similar to last year’s between Épernay and Château-Thierry, with an early climb followed by undulating roads and a fast, flat finish. 7/9/2003 Start Time: 2:00:00pm7/9/2003 Estimated Finish Time: 5:08:00pm HISTORYTeam time trials were first seen at the Tour 76 years ago, but they were far different from today’s specialized affairs. In fact, all of the flat stages at the 1927 Tour were team time trials, some as long as 360km. The reason was that race organizer Henri Desgrange was unhappy with the slow pace and predictable finishes of the flatter

The race is only 48 hours away from the Alps, and this stage and the following one to Lyon see increasingly hilly terrain. Only a couple of the climbs on this 196km stage have categories, but this is by no means a simple “flat” stage. 7/10/2003 Start Time: 12:35:00pm7/10/2003 Estimated Finish Time: 5:30:00pm HISTORYWhile the Tour men of 2003 will have raced 811.5km (the prologue and five stages) to reach Nevers, the 60 pioneers of the first Tour came through Nevers only halfway through their opening stage of 467km from Paris to Lyon. In 1903, Nevers was one of the race control points where

At 230km, this is the longest stage yet, and with the first Cat. 3 climb of the race (71km from the finish) it is also the hilliest of the opening week. Students of the Tour will note that halfway through the stage, the riders will pass through the village of Le Guidon (the French word for handlebar), the birthplace of two-time Tour winner Bernard Thévenet. 7/11/2003 Start Time: 11:45:00am7/11/2003 Estimated Finish Time: 5:30:00pm HISTORYIn memorializing the Tour of a century ago, the race organizers based the course around the original six stage towns, but only this stage into Lyon bears

At 230.5km, this is the longest stage of the 2003 Tour, and includes four climbs that have never been used. The toughest is the Col de la Ramaz, which tops out at 1619 meters (5311 feet), 22km from the finish in Morzine. More than 14km long and averaging almost 7 percent, the Ramaz is a significant obstacle. By coming so late in the long day, and being followed by a steep descent, a 4km climb to Les Gets and another downhill, it will give a first indication of who will be challenging for the yellow jersey. 7/12/2003 Start Time: 11:10:00am7/12/2003 Estimated Finish Time:

This long stage across the plains and hills of Provence should have a spectacular conclusion. After racing downhill into the sprawling port city of Marseille, the race heads to the Vieux Port, the old dockside quarter, and then makes a 13km circuit around the city streets. 7/15/2003 Start Time: 11:46:00am7/15/2003 Estimated Finish Time: 5:16:00pm HISTORYLooking at the mostly downhill profile of this stage, one is reminded of the dramatic 1971 stage from the ski resort of Orcières-Merlette (just above Gap) to Marseille. Two-time defending champion Eddy Merckx had suffered one of his worst

Judging by the results of Saturday’s prologue time trial, this centennial Tour de France is going to be full of surprises. And a race of surprises is a race of excitement. That should be the case on Sunday, when half-a-dozen sprinters have a great chance of taking over the yellow jersey from prologue winner Brad McGee. With time bonuses of 20, 12 and eight seconds at the Stage 1 finish in Meaux, and six, four and two seconds on offer at the day’s three intermediate sprints, the stage winner could pick up a minimum of 20 seconds and a maximum of 38 seconds. The chief candidates to take the

There is nothing like a media scrum on the first day of the Tour de France, especially when you find yourself at the epicenter and face-to-face interviewing the day’s winner. But after waiting for the best of the day for the prologue to start, that’s where I was within a minute of Australian Brad McGee taking out the 6.5km “race of truth” in Paris. As soon as McGee dismounted, he lay on the cobblestones. He then sat up to find himself surrounded by a phalanx of probing microphones and television cameras. The first push’n shove, press of the flesh and huff’n puff of the centenary had been

The Tour de France is the biggest race in the world. Everyone knows that. But today, as it celebrated the start of its centenary edition, I really found out first-hand how big it is. First off, there’s organization and the number of people. Although when you’re racing, you can’t really hear them. I saw them, but inside myself I was in a zone. The number of media here is another thing altogether. In the days leading up to the start there are so many interviews, so many questions. It all takes a bit out of you. It is clear to anyone who races the Tour how winning a stage can change your

The prologue to a major stage race always seems to be watched with more interest than all but the most difficult mountain stages. No one knows who will be riding well until this first little test gives its hints. But how accurate are these hints as to the form of a rider when it comes to pursuing the overall title? And how can we use the prologue as a crytstal ball to see what's to come? Well, despite all the talk of a prologue just being a little warm-up, and not really meaning much for a three-week tour, I think it's an excellent indicator of overall form. No, I don't think Brad McGee will

Trek's Madone is named for a steep French climb

CicloSport's limited-edition USPS HAC 4

The Orbea team edition ...

... and the one you can buy.

Still the favorite

Millar: So close and yet....

Hincapie really is feeling better.

Hamilton was top American

Zubeldia set an early standard

Ullrich showed he's back

Can you think of a better place to start a Tour de France?

Leipheimer took 12th, at 11 seconds

Jan is back... and riding green

Cervelo went all out for the Tour

Jean Delatour... ready to ride

CSC is sporting new Zipps for the occasion

Hubba, hubba, hubba: Gold and carbon... bike jewelry at its best

Postal's cockpit

2004 Dura-Ace

There are 10

Speed is of the essence

The VeloNews staff carries out its own quiet protest at the Tour de France (L-R - Andrew Hood, John Wilcockson and Rupert Guinness)

Jan Ullrich is looking fit and determined in what's a comeback Tour de France for the 1997 champion. After a dark 2002, when he suffered two knee surgeries and tested positive for the party drug ecstasy, Ullrich is back with modest aspirations for Saturday's start of the Tour. "I'll do my best in this Tour. It will be even a surprise for me because I don't know where my form truly is," Ullrich said in a press conference Friday. "I would be happy with a stage victory. I don't know what to expect for the overall standings." It was nearly a year ago to the day that Ullrich faced the world's

The 1998 Tour de France winner, Marco Pantani, has returned home after spending two weeks in a clinic specializing in nervous disorders, drug addiction and alcoholism. Romano Cenni, owner of Pantani's Mercatone Uno team, said he was delighted by the progress made by the cyclist, who left the Villa Parco dei Tigli private hospital near Padova on Thursday night. "They told me that he had left, that he was well and that he could soon start training on the bike. It seems to me like marvelous news," Cenni told the Gazzetta dello Sport. "They informed me that he has made great progress. He has

Even though I’ve been to the Tour de France many times over the years, there’s more excitement around the start this year than ever before. The 100th anniversary of the Tour, with the prologue in Paris, is bringing cycling fans and the sport’s past luminaries out in droves. For Lance Armstrong, however, it is important to stay focused on the task at hand: starting the 2003 Tour de France with a powerful statement of his intention to win again. On the first day of the Tour, riders only race for 6.5km, but they are among the most important kilometers in the entire race. The prologue is the

Tour de France chief Jean-Marie Leblanc admitted Friday that organizers of this year's race had been duped into reaching agreement with Batasuna, the banned political wing of the armed Basque separatist group ETA, to allow the 16th stage between Pau and Bayonne in southwestern France to be conducted bilingually. The annoucement by Batasuna earlier in the day that they had agreed a deal for the stage to be in both French and Euskara, the language of the Basque people, led to a storm of protest. "We were conned, tricked," claimed Leblanc on the eve of the start of the centenary Tour. "I've

Lance Armstrong is the odds-on favorite to take a fifth Tour de France, but he’s not expected to win Saturday’s opening time trial. He did win the prologue last year and in 1999, but both of those stages were on hilly courses that suited the Texan’s power-based strengths. That won’t be the case in Paris, where most of the 6.5km course is on long, straight, flat city streets. The only hill is just half-a-kilometer long, and comes right at the start. Armstrong will be trying to win, of course. He knows that even more than being a race between specialists, the prologue is a battle of prestige

When the gang at Team Saeco sends out a press release, it’s not just a piece of puff pastry – there’s usually some real meat for anyone hungry for news about the squad. And the following question-and-answer session with team leader Gilberto Simoni shows that the Spaniards aren’t the only ones talking a good game at this year’s Tour. – Editor Q: The Tour has been defined as more than just a sporting event and even more than a show. It has been defined as a mental state. Do you agree? Do you feel it in that way? A: Some riders have much more experience of the Tour than I have, but I agree

The Tour de France really begins the night before the prologue with the opening ceremonies. Tonight's was held in front of the Hotel de Ville in Paris.

McGee

Jan Ullrich has his eyes on L'Alpe d'Huez this year.

Franco-American unity at the Hotel de Ville.

Big crowds welcome Tour 2003

Kelme

Levi Leipheimer

Tyler Hamilton

Tyler 2

1996 Tour winner Bjarne Riis

The odds-on favorite

Fred Rodriguez

Johan Bruyneel and Lance

Jean-Marie Lebanc and Bernard Hinault

Hi Bob;I have been working in a bicycle shop for the last three years. Lastweek my manager walked up and said it was my last day. He gave no explanation,no written reason.Don’t they have to give me warnings before terminating me?Thanks in advanceTim SPortland, ORTim;When in doubt, go to an expert. In this case, I consulted with Oregonemployment lawyer, Liz Farrell, an excellent attorney (and pretty goodex-wife!). Her response follows:Oregon is what is called an "at-will employment" state (versus a "cause"state). At-will employment means that your employer may take whatever adverseemployment

Australian Michael Rogers is psyching himself up for a dramatic debut on the Tour de France with plans to go all out and win the first yellow jersey of the race's centenary edition. The 23-year-old who hails from Canberra has hit a rich vein of form on the European cycling calendar over the past few months winning the Tour of Belgium, the Tour of Germany and last week's Route du Sud. As well as his obvious skills as a time trialing force, it was Rogers' crushing time trial win on the penultimate stage of the latter race that propelled him forward as a major favorite for Saturday's 6.5km

I know this isn’t a big secret, but if you like riding mountain bikes but have never done so in Crested Butte you really are missing out. I say this after spending three days down there this past weekend, when I had a chance to sample some of the trails and check out the new home of the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame. The MTB Hall had been homeless for the past two years, but thanks to an influx of cash and the generosity of the people who run the local Heritage Museum, it has moved into the back of the remodeled Tony’s Conoco (also home of the Heritage Museum). And while a spot in the back of

Four-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong was the man of the hour in Paris on Thursday when he gave his annual pre-Tour press conference. Just minutes after his pre-race health checkup, Armstrong walked before 200 members of the world’s press. Flanked by body guards and members of his entourage, photographers were snapping pictures of the arrival of cycling’s king. Armstrong looked and sounded confident. “I can’t think of a better way to spend July,” he quipped. Despite coming in as the undisputed king of cycling, the 31-year-old said it’s wrong to call the Tour a one-man race. He

For those of you keeping track of the Tour de France at work, we’re giving you another window to hide when the boss walks in. Beginning with Saturday’s prologue time trial in Paris, VeloNews.com, in cooperation with AFP and Art Movies Inc., will be offering an Interactive FlashVersion of Tour coverage to supplement our exsisting coverage of the Tour de France. Rest assured, that the graphics and bells and whistles are in addition to VeloNews.com's already strong coverage. We'll begin every day with live reports from the road by John Wilcockson, Andrew Hood and Rupert Guinness. As soon as

test

Rogers at the Tour of Germany

Hall inductees pose in front of Tony's.

Don Cook at the grand re-opening.

Don Cook scaled a pine tree to snap the group-ride shot.

Wildflowers everywhere.

Ready to rumble, Armstrong on his way to meet the press

Armstrong gets in a quiet training ride on Thursday

Rodriguez says he is starting this Tour healthier than his last two.

Tanned...

rested...

...and ready.

Clean car, fresh stickers

“I can’t think of a better way to spend July,” quips Armstrong.