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Donovan picked up the first dual win of her career.

The rock-star ride

Armstrong

The Telekom compound

Casagrande

Moreau

Beloki (center)

The wait is over. the 2001 Tour de France starts in just one day, with the race favorites trying to ride safe until the first big tests in the mountains: L'Alpe d'Huez and the uphill time trial to Chamrousse. Here's a look at how the final-month preparations panned out for the top guns, as well as a look at some faces that will be missing from this year's race. Lance Armstrong (U.S. Postal Service) No crashes, no new media accusations and twin babies on the way (Kristin Armstrong is expecting in December); everything seemed to be going right for the Postal Service boss as he headed toward

Just two days before the start of the 2001 Tour de France, two-time defending champion Lance Armstrong (U.S. Postal Service) met the media at the start in Dunkirk, on the northern tip of France, along the North Sea. In his press conference on Thursday, the American assessed his competition, as well as his own form, while stating that he’ll be starting this year’s race with "the strongest team I’ve come to the Tour with." On the heels of his overall victory at the Tour of Switzerland last week, Armstrong said he was pleased with his form coming into the Tour de France, and was confident that

Just two days before the start of the 2001 Tour de France, two-time defending champion Lance Armstrong (U.S. Postal Service) met the media at the start in Dunkirk, on the northern tip of France, along the North Sea. In his press conference on Thursday, the American assessed his competition, as well as his own form, while stating that he’ll be starting this year’s race with "the strongest team I’ve come to the Tour with." On the heels of his overall victory at the Tour of Switzerland last week, Armstrong said he was pleased with his form coming into the Tour de France, and was confident that

Hello Tdf Fans: The days are long, the weather is warm, the riders are fit, and the excitement is in the air. Yes, it’s time again for the Tour de France. It just really hit me when I arrived in France last night that there are only two days remaining before the start of the Tour. On the one hand, I’ve been anxiously awaiting its arrival for some time, and on the other, I can’t believe it is already here. June and July are my favorite racing months of the year. I always seem to overcome the slight drag weighing on my overall fitness that seems to hang around for a fair share of the spring.

Quick, name the only team to place three riders in the top 21 of the men’s cross country at NORBA national No. 1. Here’s a hint: It’s not Trek-Volkswagen, Subaru-Gary Fisher, Giant, GT, RLX Polo Sport or any of the other big-time teams you’re probably thinking of. The answer is Café de Costa Rica, the squad of mountain men from Central America. Before you start thinking "fluke," consider this: The guys from Costa Rica also placed two riders in the top 25 in the short track — including one on the podium — and had four riders in the top 15 at the Iron Horse cross-country. So who are these guys

Start times for the prologue of the 2001 Tour de France, an 8.2km course in Dunkirk, France.Individual competitors will start at one-minute intervals, with 2000 Tour winner Lance Armstrong scheduled to start last. (All times U.S. Eastern Daylight Time). 10:00: Talabardon 10:01: Knaven 10:02: Durand 10:03: Bertogliati 10:04: Chavanel 10:05: Vidal 10:06: Trastour 10:07: Blaudzun 10:08: Botcharov 10:09: Del Olmo 10:10: Hushovd 10:11: Odriozola 10:12: Leysen 10:13: Atienza 10:14: Van Hyfte 10:15: De Groot 10:16: Pozzi 10:17: Perez 10:18: S.

The race officially starts tomorrow, but Tour hype can happen any time of year. It builds, of course, to the team presentations the day before the opening stage. Riders face a host of requirements in the week leading up to the start: medical exams, team meetings, swarming fans, and those pesky people wearing the press credentials.

The World Cup mountain-biking circus makes its return to North America Saturday, as the world’s best gravity riders take on the steep vertical of Grouse Mountain just outside Vancouver, British Columbia. Action commences at 11 a.m. PST with the downhill semifinals. The downhill finals follow at 2 p.m., then it’s the dual finals at 6 p.m. The downhill course, which was designed by North Vancouver native and Ford-Devinci rider Andrew Shandro, is short by World Cup standards at just 1.5 kilometers, but that doesn’t mean it will be an easy ride. Already the twisty, tree-lined track has claimed

Armstrong

Casagrande

Beloki

Moreau

Julich

Final Countdown

Armstrong at Thursday's press conference

Armstrong

Armstrong at Thursday's press conference

Armstrong

Moving up: The Costa Ricans have shown they can compete with the top teams.

Freddie's diary: Reminders of the Tour

Armstrong

Ullrich

Vaughters

Hamilton (front) and Hincapie

Armstrong faces the pack

Party crasher? Wordin's Mercury-Viatel team hoped for a Tour invite -- but had to settle for spectating for 2001.

The bottom end of the downhill opens up to reveal a panoramic view of the city below.

Shandro looks for the winning line.

Downhillers walk the course, looking for the fastest way to the bottom.

Disgraced French cyclist Richard Virenque has inked a deal to ride for the Belgian Domo team when his doping ban ends next month, his agent told the French wire service AFP on Thursday. The Swiss Cycling Federation (FSC) suspended the five-time Tour de France King of the Mountains for nine months last December after he had admitted to taking performance-enhancing drugs. The former Festina rider, who is currently without a team and has not competed for 10 months, will be free to race again in mid-August, in time to compete in the Tour of Spain and finish out the season with Domo. "The

With the countdown to the Tour de France officially on, we are all thinking about one thing: a three-peat. It suddenly feels as though the spring season has flown by and the big show is about to start. This is usually the time of year when I ask myself, "Man, weren’t we just in Paris?" As I write this, Tiger Woods is battling to capture the U.S. Open and his fifth consecutive major. Seeing a champion like Tiger nine strokes behind heading into the final round reminds us all that there are no sure things in sport. Even unprecedented favorites sometimes face challenges. When it comes down to

Oscar Freire (Mapei-Quick Step) The former world champion has had a tough time with back and knee problems over the past two years. He looked to be back on form after a stage win at the Tour of Germany in May, but a viral infection had him in the hospital by mid-June, and his team announced that he would be a no-show at the Tour. Floyd Landis, Chris Horner and Chris Wherry (Mercury-Viatel) Along with depriving contenders like Pavel Tonkov and Chann McRae and potential stage winners Gord Fraser, Jans Koerts and Fabrizio Guidi of a spot in the Tour, the non-selection of Mercury also deprived

For Colorado native Jonathan Vaughters, the plan was simple enough leading into this year’s Tour de France: Hang on for the first week and a half of the three-week race, and then see how the legs feel. The first indications would likely come on the 10th stage, from Aix-les-Bains to L’Alpe d’Huez, but the stage that really stuck out in Vaughters’s mind would come the following day. "[The Tour] has an uphill time trial for the first time in five or six years, and I’m just keeping my fingers crossed," he said two-and-a-half weeks before the start of the Tour, from his summer home in Spain. "The

With the countdown to the Tour de France officially on, we are all thinking about one thing: a three-peat. It suddenly feels as though the spring season has flown by and the big show is about to start. This is usually the time of year when I ask myself, "Man, weren’t we just in Paris?" As I write this, Tiger Woods is battling to capture the U.S. Open and his fifth consecutive major. Seeing a champion like Tiger nine strokes behind heading into the final round reminds us all that there are no sure things in sport. Even unprecedented favorites sometimes face challenges. When it comes down to

The wait is nearly over. In two more days the 2001 Tour de France will be underway, with the race favorites trying to ride safe until the first big tests in the mountains: L'Alpe d'Huez and the uphill time trial to Chamrousse. Here's a look at how the final-month preparations panned out for the top guns, as well as a look at some faces that will be missing from this year's race. Lance Armstrong (U.S. Postal Service) No crashes, no new media accusations and twin babies on the way (Kristin Armstrong is expecting in December); everything seemed to be going right for the

On a bright, sunny New Mexico day in early May, David Cathcart stood on the side of the road at the Tour of the Gila criterium. As he watched his riders, split between the chase group and the main field, Cathcart barked orders into his hand-held radio. The Canadian team director switched back and forth fluidly between French and English each time his riders climbed the stiff hill on the back side of the Silver City course. Of course, the language skills come as no surprise, considering the makeup of his Intersports team. Based in Canada, Intersports is home to its fair share of

Right about now Steve Peat may be wondering if he really wants the UCI’s No. 1 downhill ranking. For the second time in his career Peat has been taken down by injury following an ascent to the No. 1 spot. This time Peat separated his shoulder during a practice run at Grouse Mountain on Thursday. The resort is 20 minutes outside Vancouver, British Columbia, and is the site of his weekend’s World Cup stop. According to fellow GT downhiller Katja Repo, Peat’s hand came off his bars heading into one of the course’s wooded sections, and he was tossed off his bike and into a tree. The injury will

Inspiration Tyler looks to champions like Tiger Woods and Ray Bourque for his.

Bust a Move: Vaughters plans to stay cool until stage 11, then shoot for the podium with a stage win or two.

Inspiration: Tyler looks to champions like Tiger Woods and Ray Bourque for his.

Armstrong

Ullrich

Casagrande

Beloki

Moreau

Julich

A champion needs more than strength

Best laid plans

Final Countdown

A champion needs more than strength

Rising Stock: The Canadian-based Intersports team was up to No. 3 in NRC standings heading into June.

Putting it all together

Peat’s bike, complete with the latest offering from RockShox, will go unused this weekend.

The ride to the top of Grouse Mountain involves a 10-minute trip on the Skyride and breathtaking views in every direction.

Only four men in the 98-year history of the Tour de France have managed to win the race three times in succession: Frenchmen Louison Bobet and Jacques Anquetil, Belgian Eddy Merckx and Spaniard Miguel Induráin. American Lance Armstrong is now attempting to join those four greats of the past. Of the four, you would have thought that the insatiable Merckx would have had the easiest passage to his three in a row. He had won the Tour in 1969 and 1970 by margins of 17:54 and 12:41. Yet, his 1971 ride was the least glorious of his eventual five Tour victories. After wearing the yellow jersey for

A Tour de France contender can do everything right in training, but unless he balances that schedule with the right amount of racing, his chances of success take a nose-dive. In his first two Tour victory seasons, Lance Armstrong got it just right. In 1999, his last event before the Tour was the low-key Route du Sud, where he won the last stage, a summit finish at Plateau de Beilles. Then, last year he won the time trial stage of his last pre-Tour race, the Dauphiné Libéré, in which he helped teammate Tyler Hamilton take the overall. Both these performances boosted Armstrong’s morale

For Colorado native Jonathan Vaughters, the plan was simple enough leading into this year’s Tour de France: Hang on for the first week and a half of the three-week race, and then see how the legs feel. The first indications would likely come on the 10th stage, from Aix-les-Bains to L’Alpe d’Huez, but the stage that really stuck out in Vaughters’s mind would come the following day. "[The Tour] has an uphill time trial for the first time in five or six years, and I’m just keeping my fingers crossed," he said two-and-a-half weeks before the start of the Tour, from his summer home in Spain. "The

Only four men in the 98-year history of the Tour de France have managed to win the race three times in succession: Frenchmen Louison Bobet and Jacques Anquetil, Belgian Eddy Merckx and Spaniard Miguel Induráin. American Lance Armstrong is now attempting to join those four greats of the past. Of the four, you would have thought that the insatiable Merckx would have had the easiest passage to his three in a row. He had won the Tour in 1969 and 1970 by margins of 17:54 and 12:41. Yet, his 1971 ride was the least glorious of his eventual five Tour victories. After wearing the yellow jersey for

Select Company: A third Tour win would put Armstrong among cycling’s greats.

Lance’s perfect race prep

Best laid plans

Bust a Move: Vaughters plans to stay cool until stage 11, then shoot for the podium with a stage win or two.

In pursuit of the threepeat

In pursuit of the threepeat

She started the year not entirely certain if she wanted to be a mountain-bike racer, a road racer or a research immunologist. By early July, the decision turned out to be an easy one. Amber Neben said that even at the beginning of the 2001 season, she suspected that her "strength may be on the road." It's a good bet, however, that the 26-year-old SoBe-HeadShok rider probably surprised even herself when she jumped into the winning break at the U.S. national road race and finished second to Saturn's Kimberly Bruckner. Add to that her sixth place in the time trial and a stellar

Cat 3 in 2000. Pro contract in 2001. Not a bad year.

Jan Ullrich (G)Erik Zabel (G)Udo Bölts (G),Giuseppe Guerini (I)Jens Heppner (G)Andreas Kloden (G)Kevin Livingston (USA)Steffen Wesemann (G)Alex Vinokurov (Kaz) Country: GermanyIn the peloton since: 1991Sponsor: International telecommunications corporationBudget: $7 millionManager: Walter GodefrootDirecteur sportif: Rudy PevenageAssistants: Frans Van Looy and Mario Kummer

Francesco Casagrande (I) Fabio Baldato (I) Ivan Basso (I) Wladimir Belli (I) Sergei Ivanov (Rus) Dmitri Konyshev (Rus) Nicola Loda (I) Alessandro Petacchi (I) Country: ItalyIn the peloton since: 2000Sponsor: Cement companyBudget: $4.1 millionManager: Giancarlo FerrettiDirecteurs sportifs: Alberto Volpi and Stefano ZanattaAssistant: Oscar Pirazzini

Joseba Beloki (Sp) Santos Gonzalez (Sp) Igor Gonzalez de Galdeano (Sp) Jörg Jaksche (G) Marcos Serrano (Sp) Carlos Sastre (Sp) Ivan Gutierrez (Sp) Ivan Parra (Col) Rafael Diaz Justo (Sp) Country: SpainIn the peloton since: 1989Sponsor: National lottery run by the society for the blindBudget: $4.1 millionManager: Pablo AntonDirecteur sportif: Manolo SaizAssistants: Santiago Garcia and Sebastian Pozzo

Michael Boogerd (Nl) Erik Dekker (Nl) Bram De Groot (Nl) Steven De Jongh (Nl) Maarten Den Bakker (Nl) Marc Lotz (Nl) Grischa Niermann (G) Geert Verheyen (B) Marc Wauters (B) Country (Netherlands)In the peloton since: 1996Sponsor: Dutch banking corporationBudget: $3.5 millionManager: Jan RaasDirecteur sportif: Theo De RooyAssistants: Adri Van Houwelingen and Joop Zoetemelk

On the final day of the Fitchburg Longsjo Classic in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, Saturn’s Lyne Bessette wrapped up her third consecutive overall win a Fitchburg, while the weather once again led to a premature end of the men’s stage, neutralizing the results and leaving Saturn’s Eric Wohlberg as the men’s champion. The final stage of the women’s race came down to a field sprint, with national criterium champion Laura Van Gilder (Verizon) beating out Procter & Gamble’s Joanne Kiesanowski for the downtown criterium win. Just behind came Bessette’s closest challenger, Genevieve Jeanson (RONA),

There were no major surprises as the U.S. Postal Service team announced its line-up for the upcoming Tour de France. Joining two-time defending champion Lance Armstrong will be three Americans — Tyler Hamilton, George Hincapie and Christian Vande Velde; Spaniards Roberto Heras and Jose Luis Rubiera; Russian Viatcheslav Ekimov; Norwegian Steffen Kjaergaard; and Colombian Victor Hugo Pena. The full text of the team’s announcement follows: U.S. POSTAL SERVICE PRO CYCLING TEAM TOUR DE FRANCE TEAM ANNOUNCED Choosing from what he called were 10 valid candidates, the United States Postal Service

There were no major surprises as the U.S. Postal Service team announced its line-up for the upcoming Tour de France. Joining two-time defending champion Lance Armstrong will be three Americans — Tyler Hamilton, George Hincapie and Christian Vande Velde; Spaniards Roberto Heras and Jose Luis Rubiera; Russian Viatcheslav Ekimov; Norwegian Steffen Kjaergaard; and Colombian Victor Hugo Pena. The full text of the team’s announcement follows: U.S. POSTAL SERVICE PRO CYCLING TEAM TOUR DE FRANCE TEAM ANNOUNCED Choosing from what he called were 10 valid candidates, the United States Postal Service