Photographers line up at the finish line for the last image of the day. The gray buildings on the right house communication and timing equipment, and are moved every day.
Roadside fans.
5:33 p.m. [local time] After a final breakaway attempt by Francois Simon -- the man who had been in the yellow jersey -- Erik Zabel won the field sprint as the peloton finished more than 25 minutes behind stage winner Jens Voigt. Zabel, however, only gained a point in the race for the green jersey, since Stuart O'Grady finished right on Zabel's wheel. The Australian still leads Zabel by 12 points in the green points jersey competition. Stay tuned for complete results and a post-stage wrap up story later this morning. 5:08 p.m. [local time] Alexandre Bocharov (Ag2R-Prevoyance) has edged out
In late July in France, there are plenty of pleasant ways to spend a sunny summer afternoon during vacation season. Riding a bicycle for nearly six hours in 90-degree weather is not one of them. But after two-and-a-half weeks, and more than 1600 miles covered, that’s what the riders in the Tour de France face for most of the final week. These are the dog days of the Tour, when many of the weary riders are just looking forward to getting to Paris. Still, even during the dog days, every day presents another chance for glory or disappointment, and Wednesday’s Stage 16 from Castelsarrasin to
A funny thing happens on your way through the Tour de France. You get tired of eating. I'm thinking this is the ultimate sign of fatigue. Because, generally, I like to eat. And considering the team has it's own chef -- it's not about the quality of our daily cuisine. It's the mass quantities of calories we have to put down each day that gets tiring. It's ironic actually, because throughout the season we have to be so maniacal about what we put into our bodies. And here, by the third week, it's kind of an anything-goes atmosphere. We spent the day in the cockpit of the peloton, as we raced
Jan Ullrich has done everything he can to lose weight off of his body. He and his mechanics have also gone to extraordinary lengths to take a full kilogram off of the bike he uses in the mountains. The big German also has some particular preferences about his components, and his mechanics and suppliers clearly bend over backward to accommodate them. Ullrich’s climbing frame is a lighter version of his Pinarello Prince. It appears to have standard Prince carbon fork and seatstay wishbone, but the aluminum main tubes have thinner walls, and the down tube is smaller diameter. As his climbing
In today's opening session of the 2001 World Junior Track Championships, USA's Tyler Farrar qualified for the quarterfinal round of the men's 3km individual pursuit. Farrar -- in only his fourth pursuit ride of his career -- clocked a 3:29.701 on the Lehigh Valley Velodrome in Trexlertown, Pennsylvania. Competition runs from July 25 to 29. The morning's fastest time, in hot, muggy conditions, went to defending world junior champion Volodymyr Dyudiya (Ukraine) in 3:27.090. Germany's Christopher Meschenmoser was second (3:27.350) and Dyudiya's countryman, Vitaliy Kondrut next
Both Tuesday (stage 15, Pau-Lavaur, 232.5km) and Wednesday (stage 16, Castelsarrasin-Sarran, 227.5km) were really hard from the start because they were both just up and down the whole way. Yesterday, there were only 2 or 3 climbs that were categorized (ed. note, there were four), but there were at least 10 or 12 climbs that should have been. I got away in one group, but Botero was in there, so ONCE chased it down. Another we were in, Gonzalez Galdeano was also there, and it got chased right down, too. You have to watch out with those breaks, because guys high on GC. try to slip in unnoticed.
McGee (front) and Voight (wearing hat, obscured by McGee) were the only riders to survive an early seven-up break.
Zabel (l) and O'Grady going at it for the final sprinters points of the stage.
Postal cowboys: Riding herd on the peloton.
A shot of Hamilton earlier in the week, with his family in the Pyrénées.
Ullrich's frame has smaller-diameter, thinner-walled tubing than his normal bike. The whole thing is claimed to be a kilogram lighter than his normal bike.
Campagnolo's new angled-bolt seat binder. This unit is intended to stop carbon-fiber seatposts from sliding down in aluminum frames as they are prone to do.
Ullrich uses a superlight bottom bracket and crank bolt on his climbing bike, along with 177.5mm Campagnolo cranks.
Ullrich's -- or his mechanic's! -- front climbing wheel with a Tune hub and all-carbon rim.
Ullrich prefers the shape of the 8-speed Campy Record ErgoPower lever bodies and the light weight of the 10-speed carbon lever blades so he gets both. The left lever body has no shifter guts or cable; The down tube shifter saves 100 grams.
Contrast the cockpit of this Telekom team spare bike with Ullrich's. Note the rounded shape of the ErgoPower 10-speed Record levers compared with Ullrich's.
The leather cover-wrapping job on Ullrich's Lightness carbon saddle is a little crude.
The base of his 'Lightness Handmade' climbing saddle is solid carbon fiber with carbon-fiber rails reinforced with aluminum.
4:48 p.m.(local time) The main peloton has finish 15:04 behind stage winner Rik Verbrugghe. Stay tuned for a look at the Tour's overall standings and stage results. 4:31 p.m.(local time) Verbrugghe held on to Pinotti's wheel until the 300meter mark and sprinted in for the win. The chasing 23 finished in sight of and just a few seconds behind the two leaders. 4:30 p.m.(local time) With 1km to go the two have less than 10 seconds -- Verbrugghe is behind Pinotti. 4:29 p.m.(local time) With less than 3km to go, Verbrugghe and Pinotti are on the gradual descent to Lavour. The have 15 seconds on
The Tour de France resumed on Tuesday, following the mountains and Monday’s rest day, and with Lance Armstrong having all but wrapped up the yellow jersey, the race was once again turned over to the opportunists in the peloton. Headbangers. Donkeys. Call them what you want. The breakaway artists were at it again on Stage 15, and Lotto’s Rik Verbrugghe grabbed the stage win after an escape of more than 100 miles. The longest day of the Tour, a 232.5km west-to-east journey from Pau to Lavaur, began on a sour note, as American Jonathan Vaughters (Crédit Agricole) abandoned the race. Vaughters
Three Tours. Two crashes. One wasp sting. No finishes. That is Jonathan Vaughters’s depressing Tour de France track record after withdrew from the 2001 Tour de France on Tuesday. But even more depressing, or frustrating to Vaughters, was that his dream of finishing was ended as much by an arbitrary UCI regulation as it was by his allergic reaction to that wasp sting. Vaughters was stung just above the right eye during a team training ride on Monday. When he got back to the Crédit Agricole hotel in Pau, the team took him to a local hospital for treatment. There, just to be perfectly clear on
Stage Winner: Rik Verbrugghe (B) Lotto, 232.5km iin 5:15:21---------------------------------- Overall Lead: Lance Armstrong (USA) U.S. Postal Service Sprinter: Stuart O'Grady (Aus) Credit Agricole Climber: Laurent Jalabert (F) CSC-Tiscali Under 25: Oscar Sevilla (Sp) Kelme-Costa Blanca Click below for full results
Images from July 15. Working, riding and watching the Tour.
If anyone thought that this last week of the tour was going to be a gentle promenade toward Paris, think again. Tuesday’s stage from Pau to Lavaur gave a hint of what to expect on Wednesday, with a 25-man break averaging more than 44 kph on a marathon 232.5km stage littered with short, back-breaking hills. And the first, hillier half of the stage was conducted in almost perfect conditions: no wind, overcast skies and temperatures in the mid-60s. By the finish in the little town of Lavaur, the clouds had gone and the temperatures risen to the low 80s. On Wednesday, there will be hot
The sunflowers are out and signal the switch to warm weather
With no big GC threats in the break, the big guns could relax
If this guy didn't have bad luck, he would have no luck at all. Jonathan Vaughters suffered a wasp sting on the rest day. This is after the swelling had gone down a little.
Lance's bodyguard-assistant Thierry tries to keep up as Lance rides back to the team bus.
Former race leader Francois Simon is still very popular with the fans.
The Pyrenees/TDF sculpture, found off Autoroute A64, is an unbelievable 50 feet tall.
Lance's biggest fan, who despite his paralysis, still makes it to several stages each year to cheer him on.
Bobke and Chris Carmicheal check the morning papers for the latest accusations
Missionaries for Lance. These Later Day Saints missionaries took time off to watch the start.
Former Postie Steve Vermaut enjoys a little time with the family beforetoday's start.
Scenes from the slopes near Luz Ardiden. And why it's time for a well-earned rest day.
Lance Armstrong defended his relationship with Italian sports doctor Michele Ferrari, who suspected of doping, during a press conference in Pau, France, during the July 23 rest day at the Tour. Armstrong also called for testing on growth hormones to become a priority of scientists working in the anti-doping field. The Texan was adamant that if Ferrari -- who is set to stand trial in Italy in September for sports fraud and administering dangerous substances -- was not convicted, he would continue working with him. "Absolutely," Armstrong told AFP. Ferrari was investigated by Italian
Selected images from the mountains of France.
On Monday’s rest day at the Tour de France, race leader Lance Armstrong held a mid-race press conference at the press room at the Palais Beaumont in Pau, France. While the standard questions regarding the Tour thus far and Armstrong’s plans for the future were put forward, the one-hour meeting with the press eventually turned to the issue of doping, and also to Armstrong’s relationship with the controversial Italian trainer, Michele Ferrari. Despite the aggressive line of questioning, Armstrong maintained a cool exterior in defending his association with Ferrari, and vigorously reminded the
Well this is the first rest day I can remember in a long time where we actually got to rest. Our team has been at the same hotel for the past two nights and the start is right down town from us tomorrow. Believe me when I say a few nights stay in one spot is a rarity at the Tour. I practically feel like I live here in Pau. We went for a training ride at about 10:30 this morning to preview a bit of tomorrow's course. The profile is pretty grim. Don't believe people when they say the hardest stages are behind us -- because the next two days are going to be tough. There are no mountain top
You have to transport those funky vehicles in the publicity caravan somehow! Who would want drive them on those long transfers?
The faithful have to come up a day in advance to get a camping spot at a mountaintop finish in the Tour.
Another view down from Luz Ardiden on a perfect, cloudless day for a bike race.
Roberto Laiseka may have gotten up 13km of these switchbacks in only 37 minutes, but don't kid yourself. There are a lot of them, and they are tough!
The view from Luz Ardiden is not lost on the fans.
Oh, those Telekom fans. They are everywhere, especially on the tops of the mountains where Jan Ullrich almost reigns supreme.
The drivers of the TV trucks have had to get their rigs up tortuous roads for five stages in a row -- plus a long day of driving during the first 'rest day.' They are tired and can be found sleeping anywhere these days.
This jack-knifed water truck stopped early traffic on all of the final switchbacks to Luz Ardiden. At the parking lot a car was in the way, so a five of us lifted and moved the car. The driver displayed impressive skill by not crushing it.
The Team Mapei's dinner table awaits in Pau. And then the riders get to kick back on a rest day without a long transfer.
Tyler Hamilton greets his family at the start in Tarbes.
The swarm of photographers descends on the three jerseys at the start line.
You've never seen a traffic jam until you have seen a Tour traffic jam. Leaving the finish of stage 13, it took 2-1/2 hours to creep 10 kilometers.
One of the seven helicopters associated with the Tour lands at the St-Lary-Soulan ski area. The helicopter coordinator crouches in the dust.
Hamilton's wife and family (from Sunday's stage).
Roland Green probably won’t ever forget his back-to-back World Cup flats that likely cost him a pair of cross-country wins, but after the weekend he’s had at Mammoth Mountain in California, the pain has certainly been eased. A day after winning the cross country at NORBA NCS No. 4, Green added to his haul by running away with Saturday’s short track. It’s the second time this year the Canadian Trek-Volkswagen rider has doubled up at an NCS stop, a feat he also accomplished at NORBA No. 2 in Snowshoe, West Virginia. In the women’s race Alison Dunlap was fastest in a hard-fought affair,
Eric Carter and Tai-Lee Muxlo took down all comers on their way to wins in the dual slalom at NORBA NCS No. 4 at Mammoth Mountain in California. It was the 11th slalom victory of Carter’s career. For Muxlo it was her first. Carter (Mongoose-Hyundai) had about as difficult trip to victory as one could have. He barley got by Michael Ronning (Intense) in the first round, then had to take out Fabien Barel (GT), Mick Hannah (Global Racing) and Wade Bootes (Trek-Volkswagen), before facing Brian Lopes (GT-Fox) in the finals. In the finals, though, Carter got a break when Lopes’s front tire washed
6:37 p.m. local timeQuite a few of you have asked that we not reveal the winner in the headline or first paragraph, so if you don't want be surprised as you work your way through our now-not-so-live updates click HERE to work up from the bottom and follow the race from the start. For the rest of you today's winner was ... 5:25 p.m. (local time) Kivilev, the man who began the day in second overall, has finished at 2:27. This might be a good time to glance at the results and standings as of the end of yesterday’s stage. 5:22 p.m. (local time) Laiseka -- the only remaining member of the
By taking the yellow jersey with another superlative stage win on Saturday, Lance Armstrong has done the hardest part of winning a third consecutive Tour de France. As expected, his only true opposition is Jan Ullrich, now 5:13 behind the American. When asked last night what is still possible, Ullrich threw up his arms and said, "I will try stuff, and my team will try stuff, but Lance is even stronger than he's been the past two years. I don't know what we can do." Then, referring to Sunday's stage 14, the last day in the mountains, Ullrich said, "Tomorrow is another very tough stage and
Tour de France chief Jean-Marie Leblanc on Sunday scotched American hopes of a race stage being held in the United States, saying the Tour had more pressing priorities. Speaking prior to the 14th stage of this year's 88th Tour, Leblanc told AFP: "It's a project that's been talked about for about 10 years, though not recently, so it's always been lingering in the background. "But I think that now is not the perfect time. Since we're in the period following the Festina (doping) affair (1998) our aim is to re-establish the sporting credibility of the Tour and to continue our battle against
Stage Winner: Roberto Laiseka (Euskaltel-Euskadi) – 4:24:30 ---------------------------------- Overall Lead: Lance Armstrong (USA) U.S. Postal Service Sprinter: Stuart O’Grady (Aus) Credit Agricole Climber: Laurent Jalabert (F) CSC Under 25: Oscar Sevilla (Sp), Kelme
At last, the massive mountains of the Alps and Pyrénées are behind the riders of the Tour de France. After a brutal six-day stretch of racing, the riders will have one more rest day on Monday, followed by the final six stages which will take them to the finish in Paris. With 14 stages in the books, American Lance Armstrong leaves the mountains with an almost insurmountable lead in the overall race. Armstrong was the dominant force in the mountains, but on Sunday, the weekend in the Pyrénées concluded with a hugely popular win for Euskaltel-Euskadi rider Roberto Laiseka. Of the three Pyrénéan
After Lance Armstrong found on L’Alpe d’Huez that he wanted a 22 and did not have it, he did something about it for the beyond-category climbs of the Tourmalet and Luz Ardiden today. He once again used a 12-23, but it was not a standard cog distribution. He had an extra two-tooth gap lower down and used one-tooth gaps at the top. The smallest two cogs were titanium on his cassette, while the last seven of his nine cogs were blue aluminum Specialities T.A. on his Mavic Ksyrium SSC SL wheel. The top three cogs were 21-22-23 (so the entire set went 12-13-14-15-17-19-21-22-23). The front inner
The press gauntlet, the front-row presentation, and the winding road to the finish (and Jumbotron) at Luz-Ardiden.
SAINT-LARY-SOULAN: (Sorry about the delay with yesterday's journal folks, I couldn't get online!) I don't know that I've ridden a lot of stages more difficult than today. When we came to preview the course in May we realized this day was probably going to be one of the most critical of the Tour de France. There was no mercy - just up and down and back up again. Good bike karma has not been on my side much at this edition of the Tour de France. For the third time in this year's race my bike had mechanical issues. For the second time, the derailer on my climbing broke. There's nothing
Fabien Barel’s breakout season rolled on at NORBA National No. 4 at Mammoth Mountain in California. The 20-year-old Frenchman bombed his way down the loose dirt of the new 1.7-mile "Bullet" downhill, just nipping Global Racing’s Mick Hannah by .92 seconds. Barel (GT) was the only rider to post a sub four-minute time, stopping the clock in 3:59.24. Greg Minnaar (Global Racing), Mickael Pascal (Be One), and John Kirkaldie (Maxxis) completed the podium places. "I tried to go easy at the top because it’s flatter at the bottom and I knew I’d need maximum energy," said Barel, who is leading the
Green simply powered away from the field.
Dunlap got her second short track win of 2001.
Hesjedal took the front at the start, but soon crashed out.
Green gets his second win of the weekend.
Muxlo finally got her first win.
Carter took out all of the game's heavy hitters.
A Basque racing in the Pyrenees. That's cycling's equivalent to the home-court advantage for Laiseka.
Armstrong's aluminum T.A. cogset had a 21-22-23 on top. Even with a sparking clean chain and cogs in the morning, they still pick up this much grime during a seven-hour stage in perfect weather conditions.
Lance's climbing bike is tuned everywhere to eliminate excess weight. The large cylindrical-head titanium caliper pivot bolt replaced the standard domed-head pivot bolt. Bolts everywhere on the bike have been changed to minimize weight.
Roberto Heras was awesome today on this bike. Better yet, he, like his teammates, has eyelets on his dropouts and could have mounted a rack and packed a lunch!
Photogs stake out the start line, waiting for Lance to show up in his new yellow jersey.