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U.S. Postal cycling team officials vigorously defended the team’s star rider Lance Armstrong over links to drug-tainted Italian sports doctor Michele Ferrari before the start of the Tour de France’s first stage proper in St. Omer on Sunday. Armstrong was quoted by Italian press on Saturday as saying he had sought the help of Ferrari - who has been charged with dope offences - with a view to an attempt on Chris Boardman's world hour record. The revelation was picked up by French media on Sunday, leaving U.S. Postal team officials to field questions as Armstrong gears up for his bid for a

Blatter tackles the tough finishing climb up Grouse Mountain.

The story of Stage 1 of this year’s Tour de France seems typical enough for an opening road stage: a slow early pace; a long, eventually unsuccessful breakaway; a mass field sprint; and a stage win by one of the star sprinters of the Tour, Telekom’s Erik Zabel. Routine enough, but the 194.5km stage from Saint-Omer to Boulogne-sur-Mer in the very north of France was anything but an ordinary, flat, sprinters stage. The stage began in the town of Saint-Omer, about 50km inland from the North Sea. Under gray skies and a light drizzle, 188 starters rolled out of town. Lotto-Adecco’s Fabian De

The agony of defeat shows on Green’s face.

The man in Yellow gets attention, but so do those in bandages. Scenes from Stage 1, start to finish.

Sauser was steady all day and took advantage of opportunity.

Defending Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong has issued a written statement acknowledging that he has been working with Michele Ferrari, but denying suggestions that he has sought illegal help from the Italian physician. Armstrong’s statement came in response to articles that appeared Saturday and Sunday in several European papers, including a lengthy piece in the Sunday Times of London questioning the Tour champion’s commitment to racing in a drug-free environment. Several newspapers in Italy reported on Saturday that Armstrong has recently visited and worked with Ferrari. The

Green looked exceptionally strong all day.

Defending Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong has issued a written statement acknowledging that he has been working with Michele Ferrari, but denying suggestions that he has sought illegal help from the Italian physician. Armstrong’s statement came in response to articles that appeared Saturday and Sunday in several European papers, including a lengthy piece in the Sunday Times of London questioning the Tour champion’s commitment to racing in a drug-free environment. Several newspapers in Italy reported on Saturday that Armstrong has recently visited and worked with Ferrari. The

Redden moved up to second when her teammate flatted.

US Postal Service1. Lance Armstrong (USA) 2. Roberto Heras (Sp) 3. Viatjeslav Ekimov (Rus) 4. Tyler Hamilton (USA) 5. George Hincapie (USA) 6. Steffen Kjaergaard (Nor) 7. Victor Hugo Peña (Col) 8. Jose Luis Rubiera (Sp) 9. Christian Vandevelde (USA) Telekom11. Jan Ullrich (G) 12. Udo Bölts (G) 13. Giuseppe Guerini (I) 14. Jens Heppner (G) 15. Andreas Klöden (G) 16. Kevin Livingston (USA) 17. Alexandre Vinokourov (Kaz) 18. Steffen Wesemann (G) 19. Erik Zabel (G) ONCE 21. Joseba Beloki (Sp) 22. Santos González (Sp) 23. Alvaro González de Galdeano (Sp) 24. Igor González de Galdeano (Sp) 25.

Donovan picked up the first dual win of her career.

Tour de France: ready to roll

The rock-star ride

Tour de France: ready to roll

Armstrong

Armstrong was relaxed and confident.

The Telekom compound

The offending post.

Casagrande

Armstrong was relaxed and confident.

Moreau

Postal's Vande Velde

Beloki (center)

Rain? Lingering drug allegations? It doesn't matter to these folks!

Postal's Heras

Heavy rain blew in from the English Channel overnight, and the 189 starters in Saturday’s prologue will likely have a damp opening to this 88th Tour de France. A wet course for the 8.2km prologue will certainly put caution at the top of everyone’s mind, particularly race favorite Lance Armstrong, who will be happy to concede a few seconds of overall time in exchange for a safe ride. The Dunkirk course has one short stretch of cobblestones, on a chicane outside the medieval-style city hall, just 1.6km into the race. There’s another chicane as the course turns onto the seafront for the final

Lawyers probably won't allow this model at September's InterBike in Las Vegas.

Heavy rain blew in from the English Channel overnight, and the 189 starters in Saturday’s prologue will likely have a damp opening to this 88th Tour de France. A wet course for the 8.2km prologue will certainly put caution at the top of everyone’s mind, particularly race favorite Lance Armstrong, who will be happy to concede a few seconds of overall time in exchange for a safe ride. The Dunkirk course has one short stretch of cobblestones, on a chicane outside the medieval-style city hall, just 1.6km into the race. There’s another chicane as the course turns onto the seafront for the final

Postal's brain trust

The prologue of any three-week tour is unlike any of the other stages. On Saturday, the Tour de France’s 21 teams were cloistered together in the parking lot of the municipal swimming pool in Dunkirk, with riders spending most of their day hanging around the team buses, warming up, shuttling back and forth from team hotels, and smiling for the media. Crowds gather around each team’s area, which is marked off by police tape. And judging by the masses gathered around the U.S. Postal and Telekom camps, there are two overwhelming favorites for this year’s Tour: American Lance Armstrong and German

Getting ready for the team cars

Getting underway at the Tour de France is always a nerve-wracking ordeal. Having to arrive early for health exams and the team presentation means we all spend the final days leading up the start cooped up in our hotel rooms. And although this probably forces us to rest like we should, it also leaves us with lots of time to consider the job ahead. And with this being my fifth start, I know all too well the pressure and the pain that lies ahead. But every challenge worth facing starts off a bit daunting I guess - so I'm hoping the contemplation is a good sign. The team presentation was a

Barel on his way to the win.

Despite heavy rains overnight, riders had basically dry roads for the 8.2km prologue on July 7 in Dunkirk. No matter the weather, the fans turned out in force.

Chausson won her third straight downhill of 2001.

If Mario Cipollini were riding this Tour de France -- as he and his Saeco team should have been -- he would be rubbing his hands with glee right now. He would have done well in Saturday’s prologue, as it was just the type of time trial he likes: enough turns to make use of his turn of speed, and long straightaways where a big rider like him could churn a big gear with great effect. Indeed, going into Sunday’s second stage, the Lion King would have been within a few seconds of race leader Christophe Moreau, and ready to take over the yellow jersey with a 20-second stage-win bonus. Cipollini

Huge crowds showed up at Grouse to take in the downhill.

Lance Armstrong and Roberto Heras arrived on scene in a special Postal team car, rear windows tinted black, and the two stars were quickly ushered out, past the crowds, and into the Postal team bus parked at the prologue start in Dunkirk. A classic, rock-star arrival. Meanwhile, just a few meters away, Fassa Bortolo’s former world No. 1 rider, Francesco Casagrande, would later warm up for the race practically unnoticed, just one young fan poised against the Italian outfit’s taped-off team area. That was all just part of the curious scene in front of the Piscine Municipale Paul Asseman, the

Lopes pulls away from Carter in the dual finals.

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.

Armstrong

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

Ullrich

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.

Vaughters

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.

Hamilton (front) and Hincapie

Armstrong

Armstrong faces the pack

Casagrande

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

Beloki

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

Moreau

Shandro looks for the winning line.

Julich

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

Final Countdown

Armstrong at Thursday's press conference

Armstrong

Armstrong at Thursday's press conference

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

Armstrong

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

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

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

Freddie's diary: Reminders of the Tour

Ullrich

Casagrande

Beloki

Moreau

Julich

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

A champion needs more than strength

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

Best laid plans

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

Final Countdown

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