News

At these speeds, le Tour is le blur

Bajadali blasts out onto the course.

Tyler Hamilton will be the subject of an upcoming IMAX film. And they don't use those nice portable mini-cams for that.

It took Danielson a while to find out that he didn't win

Each year, more and more first-timers join the Tour de France press corps. The American invasion began after Greg LeMond started winning the Tour in 1986, and it has accelerated since Lance Armstrong’s first win in 1999. From an Australian viewpoint, the media trickle from down under has become a downpour (or should that be an up-pour?) since riders like Stuart O’Grady, Robbie McEwen, Brad McGee and Baden Cooke began winning stages. One of the most interesting aspects of a Tour is to hear the first impressions of those covering the world’s biggest and most prestigious bike race for the first

Armstrong's new fork

King wins at Grouse.

Armstrong's new seat tube

Carter captured the overall.

We've made it six stages… which is just about five more than I thought I would see last Sunday. We're still taking things day-by-day here at Camp Collar Bone. I had a second set of x-rays taken last night. The good news was there was no further displacement, or injury. The bad news was there was no evidence of any healing. We've chosen to focus on the good news, so I started today's stage from Nevers with the same mindset I've had all week, which has basically been - lets see what we can do. I'm completely amazed with all the attention my situation is getting. I've been riding my bike for a

Caldirola FSA carbon crank

Miller was untouchable.

Lance Armstrong is happy with the way the first week of the Tour de France has gone: A victory in the team time trial and Victor Hugo Peña’s days in the yellow jersey. He is also excited to reach the mountains, as he knows the 2003 Tour de France will be decided on the slopes of the Alps and Pyrénées. Stage 7 will be the first opportunity to see how well the main contenders for the yellow jersey are climbing this year. Lance’s performance in the Dauphine Libéré provided confidence in his climbing form, and he is stronger now than he was then. Jan Ullrich’s abilities in the high mountains

Fan signage along the route

Here we go again. Superweek 2003 is upon us. I recently moved back to Milwaukee (which is Algonquin for "the great land," according to Alice Cooper in one of the “Wayne's World” movies) for the summer, and I'll be covering the event again this year. Superweek, in its 34th year, is the longest running multi-day cycling series in America. This year, it features 17 stages in 17 days for the pros. Here's the 2003 schedule: Friday, July 11: Chicago criterium (Pro/1/2 only), Chicago, IllinoisSaturday, July 12: Otto Grunski Menasha Classic Criterium, Menasha, WisconsinSunday, July 13: Manitowoc

Tour helicopter flies low enough to kick up hay out of the fields

Petacchi didn't think he had it in him ... but he did

George Hincapie checks out a new Mercedes at the start

An Hors Categorie leader overlooks a Cat. 3 climb

Pena grabbing a bite to eat

Here come the Hurdy-gurdy men.

Stuart O'Grady and Anthony Geslin on a break that came oh so close to making it.

Simoni's bars and head tube

The peloton chases up McKenzie Pass

Tom Danielson in the driver's seat

With the centennial Tour nearing the end of its opening week, we have amuch better idea of how the race could play out in the big climbing stagesahead.In the driver’s seat, of course, is Lance Armstrong after he led hisU.S. Postal-Berry Floor troops to a stunning victory in Wednesday’s teamtime trial. It was a win that knocked the stuffing out of several of hisopponents, while many others took heart from their own teams’ performanceas they look ahead to the Alps.Though his Colombian teammate Victor Hugo Peña is in the yellowjersey (by one tick of the clock), Armstrong is leader of the virtual

Petacchi completes hat trick in steamy stage

You know when the Tour de France is really hitting its straps when animals begin to take a larger focus in day-to-day life during the three-week 3427km race. Maybe what made me think of animals were the aromas emanating from the floor of the stage 5 press room here in Nevers -- an exhibition hall that holds agricultural shows judging by the stench of cattle pee. If not, one thing is as sure as the sun setting over Nevers after a day that saw temperatures reach 31 Celsius (88 Fahrenheit): this 1000-strong band of centenary Tour media hacks need a wash. But think of it. Look back at every

Despite the horsepower, this one didn't last. (L-R): Vinokourov; Hinault and Bettini

While Allesandro Petacchi is proving he is the dominant sprinter of the 2003 Tour de France, the sprinters’ days are numbered as the race approaches the mountains. Petacchi seems to suffer more than Erik Zabel or Robbie McEwen in big mountains, and the green jersey competition is still most likely to come down to a contest between the Australian and the German. Even Fridays sixth stage will be a struggle for the Italian, as the two Category 3 climbs near the end of the stage may take the snap out of his legs. Stage 6 may not even come down to a sprint. The course is the hilliest of any stage

1 point ahead of Petacchi

The learning curve that is the Tour de France steepens dramatically after tomorrow’s seventh stage - literally and metaphorically – when we hit the mountains of the Alps. A lot of people have been asking how I hope to go. I can see why there are some expectations after I defended my lead at the Route du Sud in the last Pyreneen stage. To be honest, how I hope to go and how I actually do go could be two completely different things. All I have been told after talking to the likes of teammate Richard Virenque is that racing in the long and twisting mountain roads of the Tour is a totally

Champagne breakfast in the village

Hi, Bob, I had a strange thing happen to me the other day. I rode my cruiser bike to a hardware store near my home and locked it to the rack in front of the store. When I returned from shopping inside the store, my cruiser bike was gone. I had used a very thick cable and lock, and there was no sign of the cable or lock, so I pulled on the rack and it lifted off the sidewalk. It would have been simple to slide the cable off the rack and walk away with the bike. My question is whether the store is responsible for the theft of my bike, as they should have secured the rack in a permanent way.

The Cutters are back with a new shark!

Three's a charm

Postal in yellow, and the US and Texas flags are back

Birthday boy still in yellow

Imax 65 MM camera, trained on Tyler.

L'Equipe says Total US finish in TTT

Race fan watches the start

Pena leaves the credit Lyonnais ceremony with a special friend

Alessandro Petacchi didn't really want to come to this year's Tour de France. After winning six stages and holding the maglia rosa at the Giro d'Italia, the big Italian sprinter thought his season was pretty much a wrap. But Fassa Bortolo team brass convinced him to change his mind. Now he's glad they did, because on Thursday Petacchi won his third stage in five days after sprinting into Nevers ahead of Jaan Kirsipuu (Ag2r) to win a steamy fifth stage as the Tour plunged south across the rolling hills of Burgundy and Nièvre. "I came here with the aim of winning a stage," Petacchi said. "I

The Postal train

Pena sprays the press with champagne after ceremony

Stage 5 Individual Results1. Alessandro Petacchi (I), Fassa Bortolo, 4:09:472. Jaan Kirsipuu (Est), Ag2R Prevoyance, 00:003. Baden Cooke (Aus), FDJeux.com, 00:004. Erik Zabel (G), Telekom, 00:005. Robbie Mc Ewen (Aus), Lotto-Domo, 00:006. Luca Paolini (I), Quick Step-Davitamon, 00:007. Thor Hushovd (Nor), Credit Agricole, 00:008. Stuart O'Grady (Aus), Credit Agricole, 00:009. Fred Rodriguez (USA), Caldirola, 00:0010. Jean-Patrick Nazon (F), Jean Delatour, 00:0011. Olaf Pollack (G), Gerolsteiner, 00:0012. Oscar Freire (Sp), Rabobank, 00:0013. Damien Nazon (F), Brioches La Boulangere, 00:0014.

Pena in the yellow jersey...

The biggest yellow jersey so far, in Troyes

Lance Armstrong might be poised to become a Tour de France legend - but the 31-year-old American's personal style has been given a vote of no confidence by a former team member. According to Cedric Vasseur, who wore the Tour de France yellow jersey for five days in 1997 before joining up with Armstrong in 2000 for a brief spell, Armstrong's successful campaign to dominate the world's biggest bike race is simply no fun for those who help him. Now a member of France's top team Cofidis, 32-year-old Vasseur admits he retains some good memories from his time with the tough-talking

leading the pack

Chris Baldwin takes the front of a 14-man break

ONCE bettered all but one

and handlebars

Lance's road bike, front wheel...

and whole bike

Lance Armstrong gathered his fellow U.S. Postal Service teammates inside the team's bus in Joinville before the start of Wednesday's team time trial to discuss the day's matters. Second place wouldn't be good enough for the four-time defending champion. Armstrong wanted one of the few podiums that have eluded him in his four-year Tour dominance. "Every year we get second or third, it's not a good feeling. I don't want to sit at the dinner table tonight and look at each other and be disappointed," Armstrong said, as he was mobbed by journalists at the finish line. "I said, 'Let's just do

Team CSC

Stage Results1. U.S. Postal 1:18:272. ONCE-Eroski 1:18:57, at 0:303. Team Bianchi 1:19:10, at 0:434. Ibanesto.Com 1:19:32, at 1:055. Quick Step-Davitamon 1:19:50, at 1:236. Team Telekom 1:19:57, at 1:307. Caldirola-So.Di 1:19:59, at 1:328. Credit Agricole 1:19:59, at 1:329. Ag2r Prevoyance 1:20:05, at 1:3810. CSC 1:20:12, at 1:4511. Gerolsteiner 1:20:16, at 1:4912. Fassa Bortolo 1:20:20, at 1:5313. Alessio 1:20:32, at 2:05.14. Cofidis 1:20:33, at 2:06.15. Brioches La Boulangere 1:20:57, at 2:30.16. Rabobank 01:21:08, at 2:41.17. Saeco-Macchine Per Caffe 1:21:29, at 3:02.18. Euskaltel-Euskadi

the new nike time trial skin suit

The team time trial always causes a major reshuffling of the overall standings at the Tour de France. This year the U.S. Postal Service was the strongest team on the stage and we now have a better look at who the real contenders for the yellow jersey are going to be. Lance Armstrong likes the team time trial and sees it as an effective way to show everyone the USPS team’s collective strength. George Hincapie is a very happy man tonight because he has wanted to win the Tour team time trial ever since it was reintroduced to the race in 2000. He is well suited to the event and was a member of