The Official le Tour de France - Go Lance Thread

[Fidel]

Uuuuuuh anyone watching??

Ullrich blows them away !!!

Go Ulle !!!


WOW Ullrich wins by 1.36 mins. Armstrong second and Vinokurov a great third.
Actually starting behind Ullrich was a disadvatage this time for Armstrong. He was probably truly shocked after the second time. From that point on he lost nearly another minute on 15 km.

[u2sarajevo]

Top ten from the Time Trial:

1 131 ULLRICH Jan GER TBI in 58' 32"
2 001 ARMSTRONG Lance USA USP at 01' 36"
3 028 VINOKOUROV Alexandre KAZ TEL at 02' 06"
4 179 ZUBELDIA Haimar ESP EUS at 02' 40"
5 071 HAMILTON Tyler USA CSC at 02' 43"
6 194 PESCHEL Uwe GER GST at 03' 26"
7 061 MILLAR David GBR COF at 03' 55"
8 154 CHAURREAU Inigo ESP A2R at 04' 01"
9 138 PLAZA David ESP TBI at 04' 37"
10 021 BOTERO Santiago COL TEL at 05' 00"

Top ten overall:

1 001 ARMSTRONG Lance USA USP in 50h 16' 45"
2 131 ULLRICH Jan GER TBI at 00' 34"
3 028 VINOKOUROV Alexandre KAZ TEL at 00' 51"
4 071 HAMILTON Tyler USA CSC at 02' 59"
5 179 ZUBELDIA Haimar ESP EUS at 04' 29"
6 171 MAYO Iban ESP EUS at 04' 29"
7 031 MANCEBO Francisco ESP BAN at 05' 01"
8 081 BASSO Ivan ITA FAS at 06' 49"
9 036 MENCHOV Denis RUS BAN at 07' 24"
10 121 MOREAU Christophe FRA C.A at 07' 55"

Lance retains the yellow jersey, but he can't feel good about todays results. Ullrich, his main rival, has moved into 2nd overall - 34 seconds behind Lance. The most disturbing thing is that there is still another Time Trial stage later in the Tour.

Up next, Toulouse to Plateau de Bonascre. This stage has a flat beginning, then two climbs to end the stage. Lance will have to do what he can to increase his lead during the next few stages in the Pyrenees.

[Drbio]

Ullrich must have been a beast today. Wow. Armstrong still holds a decent lead though in his best areas histroically.

[digit]

Armstrong was the the best of the REST...Jan was in his own league, today...actually, it`s pretty good for Ullrich, that Armstrong keeps the yellow jersey, because US Postal need to set the pace...four days in the Pyrenees are coming up...

Go Jan

[Fidel]

All Ullrich has to do now is stay with Armstrong in the Pyrenees. Even if he loses around a minute in the next few days he´ll still have a shot to win the tour, cause the last time trials profile fits hits skills even better then the one today (less curves and very flat). It´s also quite posibble that Ullrich and Vinokurov will work together in the Pyrenees. Also it will be interesting to see what Zubeldia and Mayo do.

I didn´t want to say it before cause it might have sounded like making excuses, but after todays stage it seems that Ullrich really was a bit ill during the Alpes (that´s what he and team Bianchi said). Well I can´t wait for tomorrow. If he can keep up with Armstrong tomorrow Ullrich will win the tour.

[Fidel]

actually, it`s pretty good for Ullrich, that Armstrong keeps the yellow jersey, because US Postal need to set the pace

Totally agree with that. They´ll have to watch Vino and Ulle, plus Hamilton and the Euskatel riders.

[Chicago JK]

Thanks for keeping us up to date guys. I have a bike and a trainer that I use in my house, but don't know the first thing about cycling road races. Thanks for the post.

[Fidel]

Some interesting quotes from espn:

Armstrong:

"I had an incredible crisis. ... I felt like I was pedaling backward,'' a flush-faced Armstrong said. Temperatures in the shade reached 97 and were far worse in the sun.

"Perhaps it was too hot for me,'' Armstrong said. "I don't know. I suffered.''

"It's the thirstiest I've ever been in a time trial, right from the beginning for some odd reason,'' he said.

"It was harder than I anticipated and the heat certainly played a factor," said Armstrong, who finished second, but retained the overall leader's yellow jersey. "It was hard to stay cool and stay hydrated. Immediately my mouth was dry as a desert and I was trying to pace myself."

As he prepares to lead the pack into the treacherous Pyrénées, Armstrong sounded less than confident.
"If the others attack in the Pyrénées, then I'll follow, or I'll try to follow,'' he said.

Overall he doesn´t sound too confident. But maybe he´s just bluffing. We´ll now as soon as tomorrow. If it was some kind of plan to save energy and attack in the Pyrenees he´d have to use that advantage the very next day.



Ullrich:

"From the start I never thought I could win this time trial,'' he said, sweat dripping from his face. "I got my old rhythm back ... I didn't expect this (victory) myself.''

"I have never beaten Armstrong in a time trial in the Tour before, and I did it now, in my comeback year,'' he added

"This is beyond words," said Ullrich, who left his longtime Telekom squad last fall for a new start at Team Bianchi. "After what's happened to me the past few years, what I wanted to do in this Tour is to prove I could come back."

"I don't know what will happen now in the Tour. My goal was to win a goal at this Tour, not to worry about the general classification," Ullrich said. "I came back this year thinking that I could be truly ready to fight for the Tour next year."

Pretty buoyant. But for the first time it seems like he thinks he can win the tour.



Zubeldia:

"This confirms that Lance isn't as strong as the other years," said Spanish rider Haimar Zubeldia, now fifth overall at 4:29 back. "Now this Tour is converted into a real battle. We have to respect Lance because he is a champion, but perhaps someone else can win."

I´ve read somewhere that Armstrong hopes the spanish riders would build some kind of alliance with him against Ullrich and Vinokurov in the Pyrenees. Well that certainly doesn´t sound like it.



Riis:

"Let's wait and see about Lance," said Bjarne Riis, winner of the 1996 Tour and manager of Hamilton's Team CSC. "Maybe he has a plan, maybe he didn't go to his limit today to save something for the mountains."

That´s something I was thinking about too. What speaks aginst it is the fact that Armstrong didn´t lose any time on Ullrich the first 12 km. And Ullrich was very fast from the get go. So at least in the beginning Armstrong was not conserving energy. Also I don´t think you can save much energy by finishing such a difficult time trial second and still winning alot of time on anyone except Ullrich. Seems a bit unrealistic. But maybe Riis has a point here. We´ll know tomorrow as Armstrong would have to use this advantage the very next day.

The next three days will be huge.

GO ULLE !!!

[OutletPass]

Thanks again for the posts and commentary Fidel...well appreciated.

One thing that I've learnedfrom knowing Lance for 15 years is that he loves to "decoy" and play mind games. Wouldn't be surprised if he's playing tactics again right now.

This is not to take one thing from Ullrich...he's riding "out of his mind" right now. Earlier in the tour, I didn't think that Jan had it in him, but this last stage proved me wrong.

But do watch out for Lance, I've seen his "I'm not feeling good act" before....

Go Junior...Ride for 5 !!!!

[u2sarajevo]

Vinokourov made a run in the last 6 kilometers, and Ullrich finished it. Jan finished 7" ahead of Lance as a result.

[u2sarajevo]

Top ten from todays stage:

1 078 SASTRE Carlos ESP CSC in 5h 16' 08"
2 131 ULLRICH Jan GER TBI at 01' 01"
3 179 ZUBELDIA Haimar ESP EUS at 01' 01"
4 001 ARMSTRONG Lance USA USP at 01' 08"
5 028 VINOKOUROV Alexandre KAZ TEL at 01' 18"
6 081 BASSO Ivan ITA FAS at 01' 18"
7 037 MERCADO Juan Miguel ESP BAN at 01' 24"
8 171 MAYO Iban ESP EUS at 01' 59"
9 121 MOREAU Christophe FRA C.A at 02' 32"
10 071 HAMILTON Tyler USA CSC at 02' 32"


Top ten overall after todays stage:

1 001 ARMSTRONG Lance USA USP in 55h 34' 01"
2 131 ULLRICH Jan GER TBI at 00' 15"
3 028 VINOKOUROV Alexandre KAZ TEL at 01' 01"
4 179 ZUBELDIA Haimar ESP EUS at 04' 14"
5 071 HAMILTON Tyler USA CSC at 04' 23"
6 171 MAYO Iban ESP EUS at 05' 20"
7 081 BASSO Ivan ITA FAS at 06' 59"
8 031 MANCEBO Francisco ESP BAN at 06' 59"
9 078 SASTRE Carlos ESP CSC at 08' 47"
10 121 MOREAU Christophe FRA C.A at 09' 19"

A little bit of drama at the end of todays stage, and it cost Lance also. His "cushion" has been depleted to 15 seconds overall to Jan Ullrich. He waited until the final 2 kilometers to make his move, but it had to hurt as far as Lance is concerned.

The drama intensifies tomorrow, the race begins in Saint-Girons and ends in Loudenvielle, but inbetween are 6 big climbs. Lance will be tested more than once, you can bank that.

[Fidel]

Uhm no, Armstrong was not bluffing yesterday.

I thought Ullrich attacked a little bit too late today but still it was an important victory over Armstrong. He now knows that he can beat him in the time trial AND the mountains. Ullrich must be very confident right now. I think he´ll win the tour if nothing unsuspected happens.

Tomorrows stage will be very difficult once again. I wonder how US Postal besides Armstrong will fare. They didn´t look too good today. Beltran was doing his job, but Rubiera who dropped out of the lead group to help Armstrong didn´t really do much. And Heras was totally flat after a few kms of the last mountain. I think Bianchi will try to attack on the 4th or 5th mountain with their helpers tomorrow to get Armstrong isolated. Something to watch will be the weather. The forecast says rain and windy. The rain is not a big problem for Ullrich but he doesn´t like it if it gets too cold. So I hope it´ll stay fairly warm.

All in all Ullrich is in a very good position right now. Just a few sec behind Armstrong and US Postal still has to defend the yellow.

Ullrich will win this tour !
GO ULLE !!!

[u2sarajevo]

Top twelve from todays stage:

1 051 SIMONI Gilberto ITA SAE in 5h 31' 52"
2 201 DUFAUX Laurent SUI ALS at 00' 00"
3 119 VIRENQUE Richard FRA QSD at 00' 00"
4 076 PERON Andrea ITA CSC at 00' 03"
5 182 BENETEAU Walter FRA BLB at 00' 10"
6 028 VINOKOUROV Alexandre KAZ TEL at 00' 41"
7 171 MAYO Iban ESP EUS at 00' 41"
8 169 ZAMPIERI Steve SUI CAL at 00' 41"
9 179 ZUBELDIA Haimar ESP EUS at 01' 24"
10 081 BASSO Ivan ITA FAS at 01' 24"
11 001 ARMSTRONG Lance USA USP at 01' 24"
12 131 ULLRICH Jan GER TBI at 01' 24"

Top ten overall after todays stage:

1 001 ARMSTRONG Lance USA USP in 61h 07' 17"
2 131 ULLRICH Jan GER TBI at 00' 15"
3 028 VINOKOUROV Alexandre KAZ TEL at 00' 18"
4 179 ZUBELDIA Haimar ESP EUS at 04' 16"
5 171 MAYO Iban ESP EUS at 04' 37"
6 081 BASSO Ivan ITA FAS at 07' 01"
7 071 HAMILTON Tyler USA CSC at 07' 32"
8 031 MANCEBO Francisco ESP BAN at 10' 09"
9 121 MOREAU Christophe FRA C.A at 10' 09"
10 078 SASTRE Carlos ESP CSC at 12' 40"


Vinokourov was the overall winner today of the top 3 contenders. He shaved 42 seconds off of Lance's lead. The good things that came out of today were that Lance retained the yellow jersey and Jan worked with Lance most of the day instead of seriously trying to attack him. That should change tomorrow. Coming up Monday is Bagnères-de-Bigorre to Luz-Ardiden, with three big climbs. It is going to be fun, as one of the top three will look to make a mark. Fidel is declaring Ullrich the winner already, hopefully Lance will prove him wrong.

Go Lance!!!!!!!!!!!

[Drbio]

There is no way to declare the winner right now. Both Ullrich and Lance have to be the only favorites though. It will be a great finish.



Viva la Lance!!!

[u2sarajevo]

What a stage. Unbelievable. Mayo attacked Lance, on Lance's counterattack he crashes when running into a spectator. Jan, in a show of class, did not go on the attack and WAITED on Lance. Lance recovered and went back on the attack, and took the stage by 40 seconds.

Top 8 from todays stage:

1 001 ARMSTRONG Lance USA USP in 4h 29' 26"
2 171 MAYO Iban ESP EUS at 00' 40"
3 131 ULLRICH Jan GER TBI at 00' 40"
4 179 ZUBELDIA Haimar ESP EUS at 00' 40"
5 121 MOREAU Christophe FRA C.A at 00' 40"
6 081 BASSO Ivan ITA FAS at 00' 47"
7 071 HAMILTON Tyler USA CSC at 01' 10"
8 028 VINOKOUROV Alexandre KAZ TEL at 02' 07"

Top 8 overall:

1 001 ARMSTRONG Lance USA USP in 65h 36' 23"
2 131 ULLRICH Jan GER TBI at 01' 07"
3 028 VINOKOUROV Alexandre KAZ TEL at 02' 45"
4 179 ZUBELDIA Haimar ESP EUS at 05' 16"
5 171 MAYO Iban ESP EUS at 05' 25"
6 081 BASSO Ivan ITA FAS at 08' 08"
7 071 HAMILTON Tyler USA CSC at 09' 02"
8 121 MOREAU Christophe FRA C.A at 11' 09"

The end result of this stage is an over 1 minute lead on Ullrich. Vinokourov falls to 2 minutes 45 seconds behind the leader. What a day for Lance, tomorrow is a rest day and it is obvious that Lance was going for broke in the last 12 kilometers of this stage, the last stage with a climb at the end.

Tomorrow is a rest day, followed on Wednesday with Stage 16 Pau to Bayonne. This is the last climbing stage, with 2 main climbs in the middle of the stage. Followed by a flat ending.

Go Lance!!!!!!!! [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img][img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img][img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-tongue.gif[/img]

[digit]

VERY CLASSY move by Jan and the other riders to wait for the Yellow Jersey and Mayo...the Tour would have been decided, if Jan didn`t wait for a long long time since Lance was back in the leader`s group...well, I have got a bitter taste in my mouth seeing Mayo and Lance immediately go on attack comming from behind and attacking a slow riding group of riders, who were still waiting for them to come back...no other than Lance is to blame for his crash...

I hope Jan will destroy Armstrong in the time trial...

[OutletPass]

LUZ-ARDIDEN, France -- Lance Armstrong routed his rivals in a dramatic climb in the Tour de France on Monday, recovering from a fall to stamp his authority on the race after two difficult weeks.

Armstrong's win in the misty mountains of the Pyrenees bolstered his chances of equaling Miguel Indurain's record of five straight Tour victories.

Armstrong, slumped over his bike after his ride, crossed the line 40 seconds ahead of Jan Ullrich, whom he left far behind on the punishing ascent.

The stage win was Armstrong's first of this Tour, meaning he retained the overall lead with just five stages left.

Alexandre Vinokourov had been just 18 seconds behind Armstrong. But the Kazak cyclist was left flailing, 2 minutes, 7 seconds back.

Armstrong won after recovering from fall just 2.5 miles into the climb to Luz-Ardiden. He grazed his left elbow and stained his overall leader's yellow jersey. Then he got back on his bike and got back in the race.

"After the fall, I had a big, big rush of adrenaline,'' Armstrong said. He then told himself, "Lance if you want to win the Tour de France, do it today."

Where just days ago Armstrong had appeared haggard and drained, on Monday he looked like the four-time champion of old. His win left Ullrich, the 1997 Tour winner, 55 seconds back overall. Ullrich, grimacing as he neared the finish, started the day just 15 seconds behind.

Vinokourov, his mouth gaping in exhaustion, dropped behind 2:45 overall, essentially reducing the Tour to a duel between Armstrong and Ullrich before the finish in Paris on Sunday.

Armstrong fell after apparently hitting a spectator on the side of the winding ascent. Armstrong said he was partly to blame because he was riding too close to the edge of the road. Spain's Iban Mayo also fell after crashing into Armstrong as he lay on the tarmac.

The drama didn't stop there. A few seconds after getting back on his bike, Armstrong nearly fell again when his right foot slipped out of his pedal.

Armstrong needed to build his lead going into Saturday's time trial, which could prove to be the deciding stage of this centennial Tour.

Ullrich was devastating in the last time trial Friday, taking a 96-second chunk out of Armstrong's overall lead and dealing the Texan a blow that until Monday appeared to have been nearly irreparable.

With just 15 seconds to spare over Ullrich at the start of the day, Armstrong understood the importance of the climb to Luz-Ardiden.

"I knew it was a very big day for me and the Tour de France," he said.

[OutletPass]

Very classy move by Jan...that's the true spirit and etiquette of the Tour GREATS today. Been done before by both of them, so no real surprise.

But he may well have lost the Tour today. I just don't think that Lance loses the final time trial to Jan.

I haven't seen it on my tivo yet...so I'm just going by all of the reports online.

Vino is out, IMO.

Lance rode very strong in taking his first stage win. his first GREAT uphill finishing attack.

Sure sounds like he's back in great physical and mental form. That's my boy !!

Go Junior !!!! Ride for Five !!!!

[u2sarajevo]

Originally posted by: digit
VERY CLASSY move by Jan and the other riders to wait for the Yellow Jersey and Mayo...the Tour would have been decided, if Jan didn`t wait for a long long time since Lance was back in the leader`s group...well, I have got a bitter taste in my mouth seeing Mayo and Lance immediately go on attack comming from behind and attacking a slow riding group of riders, who were still waiting for them to come back...no other than Lance is to blame for his crash...

I hope Jan will destroy Armstrong in the time trial...

You need to remember that Lance has done the same for Jan in past years. Lance was in solid form today, Jan still would have lost the stage had he not waited. He blew by the leader, as if on a mission. You should gargle with some Listerine to get that taste out of your mouth, both Jan and Lance have shown respect for each others mishaps in the past(or are you choosing to forget that?).

As for the time trial, you are correct. I think that will be the deciding day of this tour. Lance did not do well the first time, and hopefully that will not be the same result come Friday.

[dallas_esq]

Is the waiting when someone has a mishap due to 1) strategy, any riding is time gained, no need to attack? 2) avoiding appearance of impropriety, i.e., if an accident happens, maybe you are involved in the causation of this accident, so you aren't really "allowed" to attack at that point, because then people would just go knocking each other off the bikes? Otherwise, why not attack? You can't have "courtesy" in sports. That's just wierd.

[Drbio]

Firstly....Jan was a gentleman and it probably cost him the tour.

I saw the crash where Lance hit a guys elbow. Then his foot came out of his shoe and he nearly fell again. Then, Lance showed why he has won four Tours in a row. He was a beast on the climbs and nobody had anything for him.


Lance has to be extremely favored at this point for a record tying fifth Tour in a row.


Viva la Lance!!!!!

[dude1394]

I was very impressed by Jan's sportsmanship. Very class act. I "guess" it may have cost him the tour, but he would have been reviled I imagine, he's too great an athelete to take it that way. I didn't see lance "blow" by a stalled group of riders however. He caught up to them, rode with them a little bit to match speeds and then took off. It would have been interesting to see what would have happened if he hadn't fell as he was attacking at that moment.

I'm also surprised that someone blames lance for the fall. It looked like someones hat was hanging out. To tell you the truth I'm amazed it doesn't happen a lot more often. Those fans really unnerve me. I keep thinking one of the knuckleheads will trip or something.

Great race however, wonderful...

[Usually Lurkin]

very fun stuff. what a race! Every year I can't believe that after a thousand miles, the riders are just a minute or so apart. I'm sure by then I'd be about a thousand miles behind. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

I don't know enough about bicycle racing, but maybe someone can answer a question:
When a rider waits on a fallen competitor, shouldn't the advantage still be with the rider who waited? That rider presumably rode slowly, or stopped while the fallen rider had to ride faster to catch up. The rider who waits should get a bit of rest. The advantage wouldn't be as great as if the rider who waited had attacked instead, but that rider should still be stronger than the rider who fell and had to play catch up.

[u2sarajevo]

There are no written rules on having to wait when a competitor crashes. It is done as a gesture of respect and somewhat to save "face" for not gaining time on the leader when the leader had fallen. I think Jan did this (he slowed his stride, and looked to see what happened) because Lance did the same thing for him in 2001. And yes, when Lance got back on his bike his adrenaline was pumping so much from the wreck and he utilized that to blow by the rest of the field. The reason the rider would catch up, match speeds would be for positioning purposes, but the end result was racing past the person in front of him. Poor choice of words maybe dude....sorry.

The crowds at the Tour are one of the many things that make this the greatest Sports spectacle.

[dude1394]

The crowds at the Tour are one of the many things that make this the greatest Sports spectacle.

It's wild and crazy, I'll give ya' that. My wife and I just cringe as we watch them go through the throng. I'm just amazed that what happened to lance yesterday doesn't happen more often.

[Usually Lurkin]

Originally posted by: u2sarajevo
The crowds at the Tour are one of the many things that make this the greatest Sports spectacle.

I agree. More sports should share that kind of scene. Can you imagine if basketball were played like that - if getting too close to the sideline meant an increased risk of getting tripped, or getting a forearm to the head. Can you imagine the Mavs on a fastbreak being led by a couple of crazed goons in embarassingly patriotic clown outfits?

Well, maybe the fans would be too much in an indoor arena. Maybe such fandom is better for outdoor sports, for racing. Think there's any way we could get NASCAR to relax it's rules in this area?

[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

[OutletPass]

Lance will win his 5th consecutive tour !

Anyone want to bet !

I'll stick by this with just a few days to go....

[Novice#41]

Originally posted by: OutletPass
Lance will win his 5th consecutive tour !

Anyone want to bet !

I'll stick by this with just a few days to go....

i bet against it... i'm still counting on Jan Ullrich [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]...

[u2sarajevo]

Top ten from todays stage:

1 071 HAMILTON Tyler USA CSC in 4h 59' 41"
2 029 ZABEL Erik GER TEL at 01' 55"
3 217 KRIVTSOV Yuriy UKR DEL at 01' 55"
4 116 PAOLINI Luca ITA QSD at 01' 55"
5 056 GLOMSER Gerrit AUT SAE at 01' 55"
6 043 DE GROOT Bram NED RAB at 01' 55"
7 199 ZBERG Marcus SUI GST at 01' 55"
8 091 CASAR Sandy FRA FDJ at 01' 55"
9 136 GUIDI Fabrizio ITA TBI at 01' 55"
10 127 O'GRADY Stuart AUS C.A at 01' 55"

Top ten overall after todays stage:

1 001 ARMSTRONG Lance USA USP in 70h 37' 59"
2 131 ULLRICH Jan GER TBI at 01' 07"
3 028 VINOKOUROV Alexandre KAZ TEL at 02' 45"
4 179 ZUBELDIA Haimar ESP EUS at 05' 16"
5 171 MAYO Iban ESP EUS at 05' 25"
6 071 HAMILTON Tyler USA CSC at 06' 35"
7 081 BASSO Ivan ITA FAS at 08' 08"
8 121 MOREAU Christophe FRA C.A at 11' 12"
9 031 MANCEBO Francisco ESP BAN at 16' 05"
10 078 SASTRE Carlos ESP CSC at 16' 12"

Tyler Hamilton becomes the 6th American to win a stage at the Tour de France. Lance has retained the yellow, and Jan is still 67 seconds behind him.

Up next, Dax to Bordeaux, 181 kilometers of flat. Pancake flat. If I were a rider in the Tour, I think I would have a hard time leaving Bordeaux. I would stay and finish the wine. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img] But Lance has other plans, like winning the Tour. This stage will be very fast and sprinters will have a hey day. Lance's duty is to keep Jan in check. Of course, he will have to do that until Saturday's time trial.

Go Lance!!!!

[OutletPass]

Lance still leads !!! Tyler Hamilton comes up with a GREAT, GREAT RIDE !!! All the props in the world to Tyler...just remarkable !!!

PS...to Novice....Get ready to pay up !!!


Heroic Hamilton Beats Pain to Win Stage
Wed July 23, 2003 11:15 AM ET


By Francois Thomazeau
BAYONNE, France (Reuters) - Tyler Hamilton will not win this year's Tour de France but will be one of the heroes of the centenary race after taking one of its most difficult stages on Wednesday despite riding with a broken collarbone. The American, a former right-hand man to Tour leader Lance Armstrong, attacked on arguably the most brutal climb this year, the Bagarguy pass, and rode solo for about 62 miles for victory.

The CSC team leader, who had asked the bunch to stop when Armstrong crashed near the end of Monday's stage, finished one minute and 55 seconds clear of the peloton, which included all the Tour leaders. His courageous win in the French Basque country moved him up from seventh to sixth in the overall standings, ahead of Italian Ivan Basso. Armstrong, closing in on a record-equaling fifth Tour victory, still leads German Jan Ullrich by 1:07 and Saturday's time trial now looks like the last threat to his yellow jersey.

The winner for the last four years was quick to pay tribute to the 30-year-old Hamilton. "It's the greatest feat in this year's Tour," said Armstrong, who hugged his former team mate at the finish.
"It was incredible, incredibly difficult. I did not feel so good at the beginning," said Hamilton. "All the credit goes to my team. In the beginning of the stage, the peloton split and I was in the second group.
"Five riders came to bring me back. I dedicate this victory to my team mates."

Hamilton's move on the foggy Bagarguy climb left other Tour contenders motionless. Armstrong's U.S. Postal team mates and Ullrich's Bianchi partners had no reason to respond as the rider from Massachusetts is no threat for final victory. By contrast, the Telekom team of third-placed Alexander Vinokourov and the Euskaltel outfit of Spaniards Iban Mayo and Haimar Zubeldia, who were riding almost on home territory, did launch a chase to save their leaders' overall placings.

But the toll of 18 days of racing in intense heat and the efforts of the most exciting Tour in years proved too much and the bunch could not catch Hamilton. They did limit the damage, however, meaning Vinokourov, Zubeldia and Mayo retain their placings.

EXTREMELY TIRED

Hamilton's feat was all the more exceptional as he had been on the verge of retiring after crashing in the first stage in Meaux. "I really can't believe it. Five days ago, I started to be extremely tired because of all the stress from the fracture and all the pain," he said. "I felt I was starting to lose a little, but last night (team director) Bjarne Riis told us to keep the morale and stay focused.

"We believed in ourselves and we fought hard today," added Hamilton, who scored the 27th stage win by an American in the world's greatest cycle race. Hamilton, who took up cycling after a nasty crash in an Alpine skiing downhill as a youth, has a long history of collarbone fractures and acts of bravery.

He finished second in the Giro d'Italia last year with a similar fracture. The American, who says he was inspired by watching Armstrong fight back from a near-fatal cancer, crowned a fantastic year for his CSC team. Team mates Jakob Piil and Carlos Sastre, who nearly replaced him as team leader because of his injury, also won stages in Marseille and AX-3 Domaines.

Thursday's 112.5-mile 16th stage from Dax to Bordeaux should allow sprinters to make it back into the spotlight.

[Novice#41]

PS...to Novice....Get ready to pay up !!!

i don't think so... in no way !!! 01' 07" isn't that much [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]...

btw - what is the bet we are talking about ? [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-tongue.gif[/img]

who laughs last, laughs best... (or something like this [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img] )


go jan !!! [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

[OutletPass]

Novice...I'll PM you on that bet...let's keep the "stakes" private...<lol>

[u2sarajevo]

Top ten from todays stage:

1 115 KNAVEN Servais NED QSD in 3h 54' 23"
2 163 BOSSONI Paolo ITA CAL at 00' 17"
3 097 MENGIN Christophe FRA FDJ at 00' 17"
4 148 VAN BON Leon NED LOT at 00' 17"
5 053 COMMESSO Salvatore ITA SAE at 00' 17"
6 033 GARCIA ACOSTA Vicente ESP BAN at 00' 17"
7 075 LÜTTENBERGER Peter AUT CSC at 00' 17"
8 062 CLAIN Médéric FRA COF at 00' 17"
9 043 DE GROOT Bram NED RAB at 00' 17"
10 106 PARRA Ivan COL KEL at 01' 55"

Top ten overall after todays stage:

1 001 ARMSTRONG Lance USA USP en 74h 40' 28"
2 131 ULLRICH Jan GER TBI à 01' 07"
3 028 VINOKOUROV Alexandre KAZ TEL à 02' 45"
4 179 ZUBELDIA Haimar ESP EUS à 05' 16"
5 171 MAYO Iban ESP EUS à 05' 25"
6 071 HAMILTON Tyler USA CSC à 06' 35"
7 081 BASSO Ivan ITA FAS à 08' 08"
8 121 MOREAU Christophe FRA C.A à 11' 12"
9 031 MANCEBO Francisco ESP BAN à 16' 05"
10 078 SASTRE Carlos ESP CSC à 16' 12"


Very interesting beginning. A group of sprinters broke away before 1 kilometer was reached, and maintained it the entire race. The main peloton (where Armstrong and Ullrich were) was satisfied with keeping the lead group at a 8-9 minute gap. Very impressive that they could hold the lead for 180km.

Up next, Bordeaux to Saint-Maixent-l'Ecole. Another flat stage. Lance is still in yellow, and waiting for Saturdays time trial when the true outcome of this years tour will be realized. Jan has to feel good about his chances, he certainly cannot be counted out.

Go Lance!!!!

[OutletPass]

All True, u2. this is going to be a hell of a finish, IMO !!! What a great, great tour.

Go Junior !!!! Ride for Five !!!!

[Drbio]

Ullrich will finish runner up again.


Lance is just too determined.

[u2sarajevo]

Top ten from todays stage:

1 035 LASTRAS Pablo ESP BAN in 4h 03' 18"
2 094 DA CRUZ Carlos FRA FDJ at 00' 00"
3 027 NARDELLO Daniele ITA TEL at 00' 00"
4 114 CANADA David ESP QSD at 00' 04"
5 065 LELLI Massimiliano ITA COF at 00' 19"
6 155 FLICKINGER Andy FRA A2R at 00' 19"
7 189 VOECKLER Thomas FRA BLB at 00' 19"
8 055 FORNACIARI Paolo ITA SAE at 00' 19"
9 136 GUIDI Fabrizio ITA TBI at 00' 35"
10 207 MIHOLJEVIC Vladimir CRO ALS at 00' 35"

Top ten overall after todays stage:

1 001 ARMSTRONG Lance USA USP in 79h 07' 49"
2 131 ULLRICH Jan GER TBI at 01' 05"
3 028 VINOKOUROV Alexandre KAZ TEL at 02' 47"
4 179 ZUBELDIA Haimar ESP EUS at 05' 18"
5 171 MAYO Iban ESP EUS at 05' 27"
6 071 HAMILTON Tyler USA CSC at 06' 37"
7 081 BASSO Ivan ITA FAS at 08' 10"
8 121 MOREAU Christophe FRA C.A at 11' 14"
9 031 MANCEBO Francisco ESP BAN at 16' 07"
10 078 SASTRE Carlos ESP CSC at 16' 14"


Armstrong is still in yellow, Jan gained 2 seconds overall today. It is all setup for tomorrows Time Trial. Tomorrow will most likely be the deciding day. The time trial is from Pornic to Nantes, 49kilometers. It is 2 kilometers longer than the last time trial, that Jan gained 1 minute 36 seconds on Lance in. Unless the time difference is close, the last day on Sunday will be mostly pomp and circumstance.

Go Lance!

[Drbio]

At this point, Lance has to be considered a lock. He will not play the same strategy as he did when Ullrich gained so much time. He admitted it as a mistake on his part. I cannot imagine how Ullrich could gain another minute with Lance mentally prepared for the time trial.

[Drbio]

Sounds like Lance is very confident.....




Ullrich trims Armstrong's lead to 65 seconds

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Associated Press


SAINT-MAIXENT-L'ECOLE, France -- Lance Armstrong lost two seconds of his lead over rival Jan Ullrich in the Tour de France's 18th stage Friday, setting up a time-trial showdown for the title.


Ullrich, the 1997 champion and four times the runner-up, trimmed four-time winner Armstrong's overall lead to 65 seconds with two days left in the three-week cycling marathon.


Ullrich earned a 4-second bonus by finishing second in an intermediate sprint midway through Friday's 126.2-mile stage from Bordeaux to this town in west-central France. Armstrong was third in the sprint, picking up 2 bonus seconds.


Pablo Lastras of Spain finished first in the stage at an average speed of 30.962 mph, making it the second-fastest road stage in Tour history.


Armstrong and Ullrich finished in a large pack of riders more than 20 minutes behind Lastras, saving energy for Saturday's crucial race against the clock to Nantes.


With the overall standings so tight, the 2 seconds Ullrich gained Friday could be crucial. At the least, they could give him a morale boost ahead of the time trial.


"It's not important losing 2 seconds. I don't think the Tour will be decided by 2 seconds,'' Armstrong said.


The Tour ends Sunday in Paris with what traditionally has been a ceremonial ride -- but could become a finishing sprint to the title between Armstrong and Ullrich.


Armstrong is trying to join Miguel Indurain (1991-95) as the only riders to win five straight Tours.


Ullrich, the silver medalist in the time trial at the 2000 Olympics, hopes to repeat his impressive defeat of Armstrong by more than 1½ minutes in last week's time trial.


Armstrong, however, was dehydrated during that stage because of a heat wave. He never has lost the closing time trial at the Tour since his first win in 1999 and says he has no intention of doing so this year.


"I'm relaxed,'' the 31-year-old Texan said. "I remain confident because I've raced very well in the last time trial over the last four years.''


His mood has been more buoyant since his dramatic stage victory Monday in the Pyrenees, when he recovered from a fall and powered past Ullrich to build on his overall lead.


"He is confident,'' Armstrong's team director, Johan Bruyneel, said Friday. "He's happy, his morale is good. I think he'll do a good time trial.''


Lastras outsprinted Carlos Da Cruz of France in the last few yards. Daniele Nardello of Italy was third.


"It was a very difficult stage, because it was very fast,'' said Lastras, of the Ibanesto.com team. "I wanted this victory for my mother, who died four months ago.''

[OutletPass]

From the BBC...please remember this is a special Tour...the 100th !!!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Duo set for crucial trial


Armstrong relaxes - but will he be as calm on Saturday?

Profile: Stage 19
Saturday's crucial penultimate stage of the centenary Tour de France is almost certain to decide whether Lance Armstrong or Jan Ullrich will write their name into history. The German trails the four-time winner and reigning champion by one minute five seconds going into the 49km time trial from Pornic to Nantes. The success - or failure - of Ullrich, the 1997 Tour champion, to make inroads into Armstrong's lead will be the decisive moment of this year's event.

The American has the clear advantage, but Ullrich will take heart from his devastating display in the first individual time trial on the Tour's 12th stage. Then he beat Armstrong by 96 seconds and the German would be ecstatic if he were able to repeat that remarkable display. But Armstrong ended that stage suffering from dehydration - a mistake he is unlikely to repeat.

The American has also found the form in the Pyrenees which was lacking in the Alps and he was in bullish mood ahead of Saturday's gripping stage. "I'm relaxed. I remain confident because I've raced very well in the last time trial over the last four years," he said. Ullrich will take heart, however, after snipping a further two seconds off the American's lead during Friday's 18th stage. The two seconds themselves may not prove vital, but could give the German a psychological boost ahead of Sat urday.

The peloton will race in reverse order for the time trial with Ullrich second last to start and Armstrong the last. Throughout Armstrong will be informed by his team chiefs in the car that will shadow him as to whether he is losing ground on his rival as he passes the intermediate checkpoints.

Whoever takes the lead into Sunday's final stage will be a near-certainty to keep hold of it until the final ride down the Champs-Elysees in Paris. But if it comes down to a matter of seconds, doubts are sure to creep in to both riders, increasing the possibility of errors, or even a crash.

The last time the race was this close was in 1989 when Greg LeMond overturned a small deficit at the start of the final day to beat France's Laurent Fignon by eight seconds.

This race may not be as close, but the 100th Tour de France is certainly providing a finale to remember.

--- Amen, this will be a Tour to remember...I wish the best to both Lance and Jan....

But my money's on Junior.

Go Junior !!! Ride for FIVE !!!

[MavKikiNYC]

Live Tour Update

Armstrong leaves in one hour.

Wet course.

David Millar of Great Britain posts fastest time of day (so far) at 54:05, :36 ahead of Bodrogi.

90 riders have completed stage.