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Course: This third alpine stage bypasses the area’s big climbs— Izoard, Vars and Allos — and instead sticks to the valleys and foothills.The (mild) sting in the tail comes when the race reaches Digne-les-Bains,where the riders do a 40km loop, the first half up and over the narrowCat. 2 Col du Corobin, the last half on a rolling main road back into town. History: Digne was a regular stage town in the 1930s and ’40s,but the Tour hasn’t returned here since 1969 when Merckx outsprinted breakcompanion Felice Gimondi over a course that included Vars and Allos. Favorites: With the GC hierarchy

The day's big break

A barricade of Subarus

With 11 stages down and 10 to go, the French have yet to win a stage of this 92nd Tour de France. The home fans have had to be satisfied by some aggressive-riding awards by the likes of Laurent Brochard, Christophe Mengin and Thomas Voeckler, and the overall challenge of Christophe Moreau (who moved up to third overall on Wednesday). But what they really want is a stage win. With almost 100 riders now more than an hour behind race leader Lance Armstrong, there is a good chance for riders out of the overall picture to make successful bids for a stage victory. And the French will be trying

With Boonen out, Hushovd is in green

David Moncoutié gave the French something to cheer about on Bastille Day while Lance Armstrong kept a low profile on the Tour de France’s hilly 187km stage on Thursday. Moncoutié tore away from a 13-strong break late on the day’s second to last climb to score the first French win of the 2005 Tour while Armstrong coasted and roasted through a hot day as the Tour rolled south from the Alps into sunny Provence. “It was a stage for a bold man, not for the best man in the Tour,” said Moncoutié, who also won a stage last year. “I was not the best rider in the Tour, but the strongest in the break.

Moncoutié wins one for the home crowd

Stage 12 Results1. David Moncoutie (F), Cofidis, 4:20:062. Sandy Casar (F), Francaise des Jeux, 00:573. Angel Vicioso (Sp), Liberty Seguros, 00:574. Patrice Halgand (F), Credit Agricole, 00:575. Jose Luis Arrieta (Sp), Illes Balears, 00:576. Franco Pellizotti (I), Liquigas-Bianchi, 00:577. Axel Merckx (B), Davitamon-Lotto, 00:578. Juan Manuel Garate (Sp), Saunier Duval, 00:579. Thor Hushovd (Nor), Credit Agricole, 03:1510. Stuart O’Grady (Aus), Cofidis, 03:15 11. Massimo Giunti (I), Fassa Bortolo, 03:1512. Stephan Schreck (G), T-Mobile, 03:1813. Giovanni Lombardi (I), CSC, 03:2114. Robbie

Was your ride today this pretty?

Joseba Beloki - Facing his demons two years onIt was two years ago today that Joseba Beloki suffered that horrible high-speed crash on the descent of the Col de la Rochette, just as the 2003 Tour de France exited the Alps. Images of that fall, on the day’s last switchback, as he and Lance Armstrong were chasing Alexandre Vinokourov into Gap, sit in the minds of everyone who witnessed it. Beloki, who is back racing the Tour for the first time since then, says the scars of what was his most frightening moment on the bike are still very fresh in his mind. In an interview with the French sports

Armstrong and Hincapie will find themselves a man short in the Pyrenees

Taking on a monster like Wednesday's killer Alpine stage from Courchevel to Briançon takes commitment from rider and fan alike. Our man Casey Gibson was out today, capturing images of both.

... gets real team support on the way up the Galibier.

Former mountain biker Michael Rasmussen is continuing to light up the Tour de France summits with his determined defense of the polka-dot jersey he pulled on a few days ago. Rasmussen, who rides for the Dutch Rabobank team - which is based in one of the flattest countries in the world - only took up road racing a few years ago, having had his fill with mountain biking. His spectacular stage win on Sunday, when he went off on a 169km breakaway to win the stage, already fulfilled one of the ambitions of the 31-year-old from Copenhagen. And after two tough days in the Alps, which saw Lance

This guy hauled this all the way up the Galibier. Maybe his helmet will give you a clue as to his mental state.

Hello,Sorry for the delay. It's been a busy few days here. By now, you know that Tuesday did change things in this Tour, but Wednesday showed that we haven't given up, though. Tuesday morning started out pretty well. The team was motivated and ready to go. As a team we were motivated and ready to attack the yellow jersey. I was not feeling any serious effects from that crash last Sunday. As expected, I had a tiny bit of pain when breathing deeply, but I didn't feel particularly weakened by it, either. I really felt I was holding my own on the climb to Courchevel when Lance went

Is that the peloton down there?

Discovery leads the chase

In his first Tour (1969), Merckx controlled the climbing tempo on the Galibier…

The hard road ahead.

… just as Induráin did in 1993.

Beat the clock: Voigt charges to beat the time cut. He didn't make it.

Stage 11 - Courchevel to Briançon >173km

Horner gets into the early break

Stage 11 - Courchevel to Briançon >173km

Vino' proves the worth of a valiant attack

Vino' scores one for T-Mobile

Vino' on his own

At 8677 feet in elevation, the Col du Galibier is the ceiling of the 2005 Tour de France. This formidable mountain pass, which has been climbed more often than any other in Tour history, gives the race some grandiose Alpine scenery, and at times it takes a merciless toll. The Galibier is often the Tour’s summit — only the rare climb up the Col de l’Iseran (9087 feet) and the three trips up the Col de la Bonette-Restefond (9193 feet) have taken Tour competitors higher. The fabled Galibier’s indisputable reign was heightened in 1979 — quite literally — when the climb grew an impressive 292

Vino' got into an early break

Armstrong dons yet another of those pretty yellow shirts

Course: Mountain stages don't get much tougher than this one, with 12,600 feet of climbing in 173km. Pitching out of a deep, wooded valley to a high alpine meadows, the Madeleine softens up the field with 25.4km of uphill work. The 12km Télégraphe rears up the steep side of a ravine in tight switchbacks. And the 17.5km Galibier reserves its toughest stretch for the 5km preceding its bleak peak. The closing 40km descent is too fast to allow for much regrouping. History: The last time a Tour stage crossed the Galibier from its tougher northern approach and ended in Briançon or a nearby

That break boiled down to a two-man tussle with Botero

Valverde paid a visit to the race doc early on

You just knew Alexandre Vinokourov (T-Mobile) would attack on a Tour de France stage like Wednesday's Alpine monster from Courchevel to Briançon. And if he went on the attack, Wednesday’s was just the type of stage Vino’ was destined to win. “We can't say that we were surprised,” said race leader Lance Armstrong after he kept his 38-second margin over Dane Michael Rasmussen (Rabobank). “Whenever somebody is in a breakaway all day long, it's always impressive. Like the other day, with Rasmussen, an all-day effort is never easy.” Still, to see how the ever-popular Kazakh national

Discovery protected Armstrong's lead

Italian Tour de France rider Dario Frigo was charged on Wednesday after customs officers found banned drugs in his wife's car. His wife, who was stopped on the motorway on Tuesday with what was understood to be about 10 doses of the endurance-boosting drug EPO (erythropoietin), was also facing a charge in connection with a customs offense. Later Wednesday, the couple were charged with "helping and assisting in the use of doping products, contraband and importing" by a judge in Albertville. They were released on bail. Frigo, 31, is banned from taking part in the sport while the inquiry

Armstrong on the Galibier

1. Alexandre Vinokourov (Kaz), T-Mobile2. Santiago Botero (Col), Phonak, 00:003. Christophe Moreau (F), Credit Agricole, 01:154. Bobby Julich (USA), CSC, 01:155. Eddy Mazzoleni (I), Lampre, 01:156. Lance Armstrong (USA), Discovery Channel, 01:157. Cadel Evans (Aus), Davitamon-Lotto, 01:158. Levi Leipheimer (USA), Gerolsteiner, 01:159. Mickael Rasmussen (Dk), Rabobank, 01:1510. Georg Totschnig (A), Gerolsteiner, 01:15 11. Alejandro Valverde (Sp), Illes Balears, 01:1512. Yaroslav Popovych (Ukr), Discovery Channel, 01:1513. Ivan Basso (I), CSC, 01:1514. Michael Rogers (Aus), Quickstep, 01:1515.

Please, someone - preferably a gendarme - start messin' with Texas

Just a day after he lost the yellow jersey to Lance Armstrong, CSC’s Jens Voigt will not get the chance to continue on the Tour de France after he arrived outside the permitted time limit following the 11th stage in to Briançon on Wednesday. Voigt, who wore the yellow jersey on Tuesday after taking the race lead on Sunday, suffered badly in his first day in the race lead on Tuesday which coincided with the first of three days in the Alps. Voigt could hardly walk after Tuesday's 10th stage from Grenoble to Courchevel. And the big German suffered again on the 11th stage, held over 173km

The Madeline

Here’s what the main players said after Wednesday’s 173km 11th stage. Lance Armstrong, Discovery Channel(sixth at 1:15, first overall) On Vinokourov’s breakaway Whenever somebody is in a breakaway all day long, it’s always impressive. Like the other day, with Rasmussen, an all day effort is never easy. Vino wasn’t the main concern today. We can’t chase down everybody with five, six minutes. We have to prioritize, and he’s not on our list of priorities, so we let him out there, kept the team together, and controlled the tempo. We knew [Vinokourov] would attack today. We can’t say that we

The littlest Lance fan...

Valverde celebrates

Welcome to LanceLand

Valverde nicks Armstrong at the line

Room with a view

Hammer time

A little Bocce Ball to pass the time

Course: After a long transfer and rest day in Grenoble, therace heads into the Alps with the usual excitement and expectation swirlingthrough the peloton. With almost 100km of flat roads preceding the firstof two Cat. 1 climbs (the picturesque Cormetde-Roselend), there will beplenty of time to contemplate the task ahead, particularly the long (22km)haul to the 6561-foot summit finish at Courchevel. History: Only two Tour stages have finished at Courchevel. In1997, Richard Virenque was “gifted” the win by race leader Ullrich at theend of a difficult day that saw Virenque’s Festina team attack

Ullrich crosses the line more than two minutes later

Horner held his own on the climb to Courchevel

Lance Armstrong might be getting older, but he’s still strong enough to put some serious hurt on the world’s best climbers when the Tour de France is on the line. The 33-year-old Texan surged back into the yellow jersey on Tuesday’s decisive climbing stage across the French Alps to Courchevel. And while he couldn’t drop everyone — Michael Rasmussen, Alejandro Valverde and Francisco Mancebo rode his vapors — he opened up important time gaps on just about everyone else. “I tried to get rid of those guys, but maybe it’s not like the old days when you make one attack and you ride them off to

Discovery on the job

At the start in Grenoble, Moreau was still the great French hope. The climb to Courchevel put an end to his yellow jersey hopes, for now.

Australian cyclist Mark French has had a two-year ban for doping overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), the international body said Tuesday. Australian Olympic Committee officials said the ruling also meant a lifetime ban on competing at the Olympics had been lifted and that French would be eligible for a place at the 2008 Beijing Games. A three-man CAS panel found there was no evidence that drug vials found in a bucket in French's room at the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) in Adelaide contained the banned substance glucocorticosteroid. While there was equine

Armstrong gives Popo the word

Ullrich had Klöden for company, but not where either man wanted to be.

1. Alejandro Valverde (Sp), Illes Balears 192.5km in 4:50:35 (36.65kph)2. Lance Armstrong (USA), Discovery Channel, s.t.3. Mickael Rasmussen (Dk), Rabobank, 00:094. Francisco Mancebo (Sp), Illes Balears, 00:095. Ivan Basso (I), CSC, 01:026. Levi Leipheimer (USA), Gerolsteiner, 01:157. Eddy Mazzoleni (I), Lampre, 02:148. Cadel Evans (Aus), Davitamon-Lotto, 02:149. Andréas Klöden (G), T-Mobile, 02:1410. Andrey Kashechkin (Kaz), Credit Agricole, 02:1411. Floyd Landis (USA), Phonak, 02:1412. Leonardo Piepoli (I), Saunier Duval, 02:1413. Jan Ullrich (G), T-Mobile, 02:1414. Jorg Jaksche (G),

Vino' cracked on the second climb

Liberty's custom-painted Record levers

Cadel`s secret inspirationBesides the comic book character TinTin being Australian climber Cadel Evans' biggest inspiration, top-10 Tour de France contender has another force pushing him. It is a blue wristband from his Italian girlfriend Chiara who is a classical pianist. “She gave it to me to make my more aggressive on the bike,” Evans(Davitamon-Lotto) told VeloNews. “She said I needed to be more aggressive and every time I see it to think about that.” The band, which he received on the rest day at Grenoble, seems to be working. Evans, riding his first Tour de France, was eighth at

Voight kisses the jersey goodbye

Another angle

Spanish sensation Alejandro Valverde confirmed his recent promise as a future Tour de France contender with a well-deserved victory on the 10th stage of the race Tuesday in Courchevel. Valverde (Illes Balears) held off champion Lance Armstrong (Discovery Channel) in a two-man race for the line of the summit finish last graced by the wheels of the late champion Marco Pantani, who won here in 2000, the last time the alpine ski station featured as a summit finish on the Tour. Valverde has been hailed as possibly the next Spanish winner of the world's toughest race. In his native country -

Lance back in command

The team's BH bike

Saturday’s stage from Pforzheim to Gerardmer had been so heartening for T-Mobile. It looked like a demonstration of how to unsettle Lance Armstrong and promised an exciting battle in the Alps. After six years, it seemed, a team had finally been formed that could dethrone the Texan, and understood exactly what it takes. On the slopes of the ski station of Courchevel in the Savoy Alps, however, T-Mobile’s hopes were shattered. Jan Ullrich and Andreas Klöden lost two minutes and 17 seconds on the Discovery Channel captain and the day’s winner, Alejandro Valverde. Alexandre Vinokourov lost five

Allez, Allez, Cadel!

The Tour de France blew apart on Tuesday as defending champion Lance Armstrong left a whole list of "Tour favorites" struggling on the climb to Courchevel. Photographer Casey Gibson was there to capture moments both big and small, starting with hos own favorite of the day, a shot of two young Frenchmen who rode to their bikes to the start in Grenoble on Tuesday morning, hoping to see their heroes. Crowds being what they are, the two couldn't get within 300 of the sign in. Indeed, the two were at least 200 meters from anything of interest... until the Discovery team bus pulled up and

Valverde leads the select group

Competitive Cyclist has teamed up with Peloton Project member Andrew Clarke of Greeneville, TN to raise $25,000 for the Lance Armstrong Foundation. As part of this fund raising effort, Clarke will hold a raffle for a variety of high-end roadie accessories. He will limit the raffle to 100 entries, and each raffle ticket will cost $100 -- every penny of which goes directly to the LAF and is tax-deductible. Participants in the raffle will have a one in ten chance of winning prizes whose total value exceeds $5,800. The grand prize of the raffle is a SRM Professional Dura-Ace 10-Speed Powermeter

Valverde impressed the champ with his tenacity

Lance Armstrong knows better than anyone that the Tour de France ends in Paris, and not after just the first mountain stage. That’s particularly true this year because the second half of the 92nd Tour, starting with Wednesday’s stage 11, is more challenging than ever. Mountain stages don’t get much tougher than Wednesday’s, which features 12,600 feet of climbing in just 173km (108 miles). After an initial 30km descent from the start in Courchevel, the uphill work begins with the 25.4km haul up the Col de la Madeleine. This classic alpine climb pitches steeply (up to 10 percent) out of a

Ullrich is now the team leader - but is there a team to lead?

Well looking back there were some good parts of the day. There was that one downhill part and… well, the rest of it wasn’t too much fun. Basically our job for the first 100k was to keep Pellizotti, Garzelli and Cioni out of the wind and after see if they could do something if they had the legs. Obviously with Lance doing what he did today, there were a lot of guys who found out they didn’t have the legs… Garzelli didn’t do too badly, finishing like three, three-and-a-half minutes down. It wasn’t brilliant but still pretty quite good. It was a strange day. I mean here everyone was talking

Bike fans...

Stage 10 - Grenoble to Courchevel >192.5KM