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STAGE 8 July 11 Lamballe - Quimper (106.881mi/172km)

STAGE 8 July 11 Lamballe - Quimper (106.881mi/172km)

Why no rainbow?

Hilfiker

It starts with an SRM

Thor hammers 'em again

COURSE: Shorter and hillier than the previous day’s stage, but still on the winding roads of Brittany, this one is made for breakaways. Expect to see huge crowds in all the granite-built towns and villages. FAVORITES: With the riders taking a plane after the stage to the rest-day town of Limoges, expect them to race very fast. That could result in a tight sprint finish in the streets of Quimper. With a short finishing straight and bends before that, this one looks ideal for McEwen, Cooke or Nazon. HISTORY: There has been only one stage finish in Quimper. That was in 1991, when Aussie Phil

Armstrong and his colleagues are ready for a rest

Crédit Agricole’s Thor Hushovd found himself celebrating for the second time in a week after winning Sunday's eighth stage of the Tour de France. After claiming the yellow jersey for a day on stage 2, the Norwegian road champion won Sunday’s 168km stage from Lamballe to Quimper with a strong, uphill sprint. Under a torrent of cold Breton rain, Hushovd defeated Luxembourg's Kim Kirchen (Fassa Bortolo) and Germany's Erik Zabel (T-Mobile) in that order. Taking fourth place, but reclaiming the sprinters' green jersey from Australian Stuart O'Grady (Cofidis), was his compatriot Robbie McEwen

INDIVIDUAL RESULTS1. Thor Hushovd (Nor), Crédit Agricole, 3:54:222. Kim Kirchen (Lux), Fassa Bortolo, 00:003. Erik Zabel (G), T-Mobile, 00:004. Robbie Mc Ewen (Aus), Lotto-Domo, 00:005. KlÖden Andréas (G), T-Mobile, 00:006. Tom Boonen (B), Quick Step-Davitamon, 00:007. Laurent Brochard (F), Ag2R Prevoyance, 00:008. Stuart O'Grady (Aus), Cofidis, 00:009. Oscar Pereiro Sio (Sp), Phonak, 00:0010. Danilo Hondo (G), Gerolsteiner, 00:00 11. David Etxebarria (Sp), Euskaltel-Euskadi, 00:0012. Allan Davis (Aus), Liberty-Seguras, 00:0013. Michele Scarponi (I), Domina Vacanze, 00:0014. Sergio

C.A. did much of the chase work. This time, it paid

Tyler Hamilton, suffering from back pains after a crash on Friday, says he is relieved to be taking a day's rest before the Tour de France battle starts in earnest this week. The American, who finished fourth last year behind five-time champion Lance Armstrong, despite breaking his collarbone, said on Sunday he was not afraid of suffering. The many crashes during the wet and windy conditions of the first week had made him nervous, however. "Considered all the problems we had in the last couple of days, I'm happy we finished today," the Phonak team leader said at the end of the 168km

The usual escape with - as usual - Jakob Piil in the mix.

The first part of the Tour de France was “close to perfect” for five-time champion Lance Armstrong. The American, seeking an unprecedented sixth title, finished second in the prologue and won Wednesday's team time trial with his U.S. Postal Service-Berry Floor team. And with the exception of the sixth stage, when he suffered cuts and bruises after coming off his bike, Armstrong managed to steer clear of the crashes that marked the first week. "I can't complain," Armstrong said on Sunday before traveling by plane to Limoges in central France. “We're in a good position. We don't have a

Ullrich: Watching and waiting

Green Bay Packer fans smile broadly whenever the snow starts falling during home football games. Their team thrives in those conditions because it’s the environment in which they live and train, but they suffer in the heat during away games in Phoenix, Arizona. Likewise, individual cyclists thrive in different conditions, and the weather can significantly influence their chances of winning. Thus far in the 2004 Tour de France, the weather has been unseasonably cold and rainy. Perhaps not coincidentally, we’ve seen riders from the colder regions of Europe winning stages. Norwegian Thor

COURSE: A year ago, stage 7 was the first day in the Alps,meaning that the sprinters’ chances of stage wins had already been puton hold. This year, the sprinters have at least three more bites of thecherry, including this rolling stage to the northern coast of Brittany. FAVORITES: A breakaway could well succeed, as one did on a similarstage into Brittany two years ago won by Rabobank’s Karsten Kroon. Maybe his teammate Erik Dekker will come though this time or perhaps a Frenchman like AG2R’s Laurent Brochard or La Boulangère’s Didier Rous. HISTORY: There have been eight stage finishes in

The men prepare for their chance on the course

Filippo Pozzato did for his Fassa Bortolo teammates Saturday what their celebrated-yet-absent leader Alessandro Petacchi could not: Win a stage at this year’s Tour de France. With Petacchi back at home nursing injuries from a crash in the fifth stage to Chartres, Pozzato's stage 7 victory gave the Fassas much cause for needed cheer going into week two of the Tour "I didn't think it would be my day, but I was hoping to win the stage. After Alessandro left the race yesterday it kind of gave us the freedom to go out there and do our own thing," explained Pozzato, who joins prologue winner

Pozzatto pulls off a last-minute win in his debut at the Tour

INDIVIDUAL RESULTS1. Filippo Pozzato (I), Fassa Bortolo, 4:31:342. Iker Flores (Sp), Euskaltel-Euskadi, 00:003. Francisco Mancebo (Sp), Illes Balears-Banesto, 00:004. Laurent Brochard (F), Ag2R Prevoyance, 00:105. Hinault Sébastien (F), Crédit Agricole, 00:106. Michele Scarponi (I), Domina Vacanze, 00:107. Paolo Bettini (I), Quick Step-Davitamon, 00:108. Thor Hushovd (Nor), Crédit Agricole, 00:109. Scott Sunderland (Aus), Alessio-Bianchi, 00:1010. Stuart O'Grady (Aus), Cofidis, 00:10 11. Erik Zabel (G), T-Mobile, 00:1012. Tom Boonen (B), Quick Step-Davitamon, 00:1013. Robbie Mc Ewen (Aus),

CSC split the peloton with a vigorous pursuit

The young Italian Filippo Pozzato (Fassa Bortolo) scored a great win in the 204.5km stage 7 from Chateaubriant to St-Brieuc. He rode hard, but more importantly, he rode smart, applying his energy just when it was necessary. The race was thrown into a bit of disarray when the peloton was split in two with 45km to go. While all of the general-classification leaders were at the front when the split happened, it probably had an unsettling effect on the riders left behind. The group finally came back together on the outskirts of St-Brieuc. That was a perfect setup for the final attacks,

Voeckler finished 10 seconds back in the pack with the overall contenders

After a major fall in the final kilometer of yesterday’s stage, the peloton may have finally worked out their nervousness. In place of the crashes, speed and organization were the order of the day. Even a period of rain and heavy crosswinds didn’t wreak havoc with the field, despite the CSC team’s best efforts. Bjarne Riis’ CSC team suffered a few setbacks in the first week of the 2004 Tour de France, including flat tires and several crashes in the Stage 4 team time trial, so it’s not surprising they took the race into their hands when the rain started falling and the peloton turned into a

Dekker and Marichal off the front

Greetings from the rain-drenched Tour de France. I don’t think we saw a single drop of water throughout all of last year’s Tour, but 2004 is shaping up to be a battle against Mother Nature, among other things. Well, so much for that old theory that the first half of the Tour is always boring. The first week has been full of all kinds of action. Unfortunately, all of the excitement has been more about things outside of the riders' control than the race itself, although one could argue weather is a major part of the Tour every year. Last year’s heat wave was no treat. So far this year, it’s

Postal joined in the fun, too

Lance Armstrong believes Tour de France organizers could do more to calm nervous riders and avoid spills that could ruin his bid for a record sixth straight victory. For a second straight day, the five-time defending champion offered unsolicited pointers for Tour officials, suggesting that a time trial be held in the often-tense first week to thin the number of race favorites. Sending riders out one by one against the clock would leave just the fastest with a realistic chance of winning the three-week Tour. Laggards would fall by the wayside, reducing the field of contenders. That, in

Waiting for another day at the office

The Mail Bag is a Monday-Wednesday-Friday feature on VeloNews.com, but will appear daily during the Tour. If you have a comment, an opinion or observation regarding anything you have seen in cycling, in VeloNews magazine or on VeloNews.com, write to WebLetters@InsideInc.com. Please include your full name and home town. Letters may be edited for length and clarity.What goes around, comes aroundEditor:Recent letter writers have expressed confusion and/or disapproval regarding Iban Mayo and company finding themselves left behind in Tuesday's stage following a crash, while on Thursday U.S. Postal

If Joan Rivers was a bike racer, would she give Lance's black socks a big thumb's down?

Simoni eager for rest daySaeco’s Gilberto Simoni says Monday’s first rest day of the Tour de France cannot come quick enough for him. The 32-year-old Italian, a two-time winner of the Giro d’Italia, was hanging on by a thread on Saturday as the seventh stage raced over 204.5km from Chateaubriant to Saint Brieuc. At one point, Simoni was close to calling it quits as he held onto his team manager's car, complaining that his head was spinning and he felt terrible. Radio Tour even reported that he had abandoned. However, after persuasion by team manager Giuseppe Martinelli, Simoni continued

Magnus Opus: A big split, an interesting finish and a looming sense of dread

It really does pay to pay attention. That’s easy to say, but over the course of a five, six- or seven-hour stage you can let your attention lapse and miss something important. Fortunately, I was keeping an eye on things as we headed toward the coast of the English Channel today.

Get your Phonak Jersey at VeloGear.com!

NEW YORK, NY. - The Junior PCT Grand Prix, the second race on the Jr. PCT Grand Prix series will be kicking off the day’s festivities at the 2004 BMC Software New York City CyclingChampionship on August 1,in Lower Manhattan.  Approximately 50 juniorcyclists will compete in the 20-mile race for a cash prize on the challenging,Lower Manhattan course.The juniors will have to maneuver the tight 1.2 mile dog bone-shapedcourse beginning and ending at the intersection of Wall and Water Streets.For registration information please contact Ron Ruggiero, AncillaryEvent Coordinator, 215-546-3273 or email

STAGE 7 July 10 Châteaubriant - Saint-Brieuc (129.251mi/208km)

STAGE 7 July 10 Châteaubriant - Saint-Brieuc (129.251mi/208km)

STAGE 7 July 10 Châteaubriant - Saint-Brieuc (129.251mi/208km)

Pozzato takes the stage

The women's field lines up for the evening crit

I wish I didn’t know as much as I do about road rash. I wish I didn’t still have scars on my hips, knees, arms, and back from the innumerable falls that came with being a professional cyclist. Unfortunately, I know all too well what it’s like to leave a lot of skin on the roads of France, Italy, Belgium, the United States, etc. If you choose to be a cyclist, at any level of the sport, you have to be prepared to sacrifice some skin, and you have to know how to care for your wounds. There were already a lot of riders sporting bandages at the start of Stage 6 this afternoon, and many more will

One step at a time. One day at a time. I know that my “legs” and whether I have them or not has been a recurring theme here this Tour. I tell ya, it’s a big deal coming to the Tour de France feeling like death warmed over and it’s an even bigger deal when you start feeling good. And I feel pretty good all of a sudden. Yesterday’s long break certainly gave me a confidence boost, but today I felt ready to do it again and did my best to get in an early break. As it turned out there were a lot of attacks and the one that finally stuck included my teammate Alessandro Bertolini. Actually, we

The Mail Bag is a Monday-Wednesday-Friday feature on VeloNews.com, but will appear daily during the Tour. If you have a comment, an opinion or observation regarding anything you have seen in cycling, in VeloNews magazine or on VeloNews.com, write to WebLetters@InsideInc.com. Please include your full name and home town. Letters may be edited for length and clarity.Who needs cable with Live Updates?Editor:Aha! I knew I was on to something when I canceled my cable two months ago! (see Thursday's mailbag, "Enough about OLN, already.") I'm saving $55 per month and loving every new bike-bit minute

STAGE 6 July 09 Bonneval - Angers (118.066mi/190km)

STAGE 6 July 09 Bonneval - Angers (118.066mi/190km)

STAGE 6 July 09 Bonneval - Angers (118.066mi/190km)

Boonen survives the carnage to win

Armstrong took an early digger

Hamilton, meanwhile, got caught up in the final spill

Boonen stays ahead of the carnage to claim his first Tour stage win

COURSE: This is a flat course that uses some of the roadsof Paris-Tours, with a run along the Loire Valley at the end. If there’sno wind, this stage could see a 50 kph average speed. FAVORITES: With this stage marking the end of the first week of racing, the teammates of the top sprinters will be starting to get tired, while others will have dropped out because of crashes. In other words, some of the “other” sprinters like Olaf Pollack or Jean-Patrick Nazon might get their chance in Angers. HISTORY: Angers has seen 14 stage finishes, but none since 1979.That year, Dutchman Jan Raas

An early break that did not stay away

Top Italian sprinters Alessandro Petacchi and Mario Cipollini have both pulled out of the Tour de France with injuries. Petacchi, the world’s No. 1, injured his shoulder when he crashed in Thursday's fifth stage. The Fassa Bortolo team leader, who won four stages in the flat sections in last year's Tour, had a disappointing start and failed to challenge in the first three big sprints. He won nine stages in the Giro d'Italia in May but was lying 83rd, 13 minutes off the pace, when he called it a day. The 37-year-old Cipollini had been struggling with a leg infection from a crash in the

Voeckler looks as though he feels the weight of that jersey

Quick Step’s Tom Boonen avoided a dramatic last-minute pile-up in the peloton before going on to claim a deserved victory on the sixth stage of the Tour de France Angers on Friday. Thomas Voeckler, of the La Boulangere team, retained the race leader's yellow jersey after the 196km ride Bonneval and here. Boonen, 23, claimed his first ever stage win on the race on the back of a blistering season so far which has seen him win a number of prestigious one-day victories and stages. But it was the frightening realities of the high-speeds at the world’s biggest bicycle race that took center stage

The thrill of victory

INDIVIDUAL RESULTS1. Tom Boonen (B), Quick Step-Davitamon, 4:33:412. Stuart O'Grady (Aus), Cofidis, 00:003. Erik Zabel (G), T-Mobile, 00:004. Danilo Hondo (G), Gerolsteiner, 00:005. Baden Cooke (Aus), FDJeux.com, 00:006. Sergio Marinangeli (I), Domina Vacanze, 00:007. Pineau Jérôme (F), Brioches La Boulangere, 00:008. Julian Dean (NZl), Crédit Agricole, 00:009. Janeck Tombak (Est), Cofidis, 00:0010. Samuel Dumoulin (F), Ag2R Prevoyance, 00:00 11. Filippo Pozzato (I), Fassa Bortolo, 00:0012. Karsten Kroon (Nl), Rabobank, 00:0013. Massimiliano Mori (I), Domina Vacanze, 00:0014. Massimo Giunti

Voeckler chats with 'the voice of the Tour,' Daniel Mangeas

Looking at the weather as Stage 5 was about to begin this afternoon, I almost felt sorry for the small group of riders I knew would inevitably strike out on their own for the day’s long breakaway. Working in a break for the majority of a stage is hard enough, but doing it in driving rain and a terrible headwind is absolutely miserable. Of course, a Tour stage win and the prospect of taking Lance Armstrong’s yellow jersey, which he was more than happy to put up for grabs, are strong motivators. Sure enough, a five-man breakaway left the field behind before the 20th kilometer and never looked

Armstrong finishes after the last crash.

There are thousands of tactical opportunities that present themselves over the course of a single stage at the Tour. Most of them never result in any major advantage and for the most part we simply forget about them. Every once in a while, though, someone takes advantage of a turn of events and almost changes the outcome of a stage. For that, I have to commend the Fassa Bortolo rider Jaun Antonio Flecha for his great attempt in the closing kilometers of stage six, the 196km race from Bonneval to Angers on Wednesday. Early in the stage, six riders moved to establish a lead and built it up

Bruckner and Bessette in the start house

Five-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong has bowed out of this year’s Olympics in Athens according to a team spokesman. The announcement comes just two days after the 2000 bronze medalist was named to the five-rider team that will compete in Greece. Armstrong, who is currently racing at the Tour, said he wanted to spend the month of August with his three children. Meanwhile, USA Cycling athletics director Steve Johnson said his organization has a short list of possible replacements that includes Floyd Landis, Chris Horner, Levi Leipheimer and Freddy Rodriguez, and that a decision

Rabobank and other teams use a variation of the same tool to measure fit

Sorry for the delay in getting this update to you. Last night was pretty emotional for our team. In fact, the last couple of days have really put everyone to the test. And I don't just mean us, I mean everybody in the race. Tuesday's stage from Waterloo to Wasquehal didn't make any liars out of those who predicted carnage by the conclusion of the day. I don't know if I've ever ridden in a peloton as aggro’ as the one that headed into the first section of pavé. The fight for position started 40km in advance of the cobblestones, which meant we were going all out for nearly an hour before we

Tour de Tech: It's all about fit

The Mail Bag is a Monday-Wednesday-Friday feature on VeloNews.com, but will appear daily during the Tour. If you have a comment, an opinion or observation regarding anything you have seen in cycling, in VeloNews magazine or on VeloNews.com, write to WebLetters@InsideInc.com. Please include your full name and home town. Letters may be edited for length and clarity.Noval’s doing a fine jobEditor:I was sorry to read Holly Whitney's note about Ben Noval not being the right man for the job. Did she notice his work today? I wish people would stop second-guessing the wisdom and experience of both

Muñoz, sets up cleats

STAGE 5 July 08 Amiens - Chartres (121.173mi/195km)

Thorburn sticks it to the women's peloton again

STAGE 5 July 08 Amiens - Chartres (121.173mi/195km)

Creed drives the break of four riders, including Louder (left), towards the top of McKenzie Pass

André Leducq wins in 1932.

Vogels drove the break for the better part of an hour

The break drives along well ahead of the peloton...

Wherry called the race 'probably the most negative bike race he’d ever been in'