Tour De France

[hill16]

the 2009 tour de france starts today in monaco,Lance Armstrong is back to try and get his 8th title ,dont know if he is fit enough
Nicholas Roche son of former irish winner Stephen leads the irish interest so best of luck to him and lets hope they can eradicate the drug cheats

http://www.letour.fr/indexus.html

[dee]

stick 40 kilos of mail on the front of the bike and i might get intrested. as a sports its as dull as golf.

[hill16]

says some one who likes cricket would rather watch paint dry c'mon the aussies

[dee]

i also cycle a bike for a living Hill and i do it without drugs. not even worth bothering with. id rather paint than watch that boring crap. soz thats my opion. stick a few cars and lorries into the mix and run the wasters over.

[hill16]

oh well thats an intelligent reply
there is no denying that drugs has ruined the reputation of the sport but they are catching them more and more
every sport has its problems remember Hansie Cronje alot of people would like to take a truck or car to him.

[hill16]

MONACO (AFP) - Switzerland's Olympic time-trial champion Fabian Cancellara won the first stage of the Tour de France on Saturday in a time of 19 minutes 32.14 seconds to claim the yellow jersey.

The 28-year-old showed his class with an impressive performance on the twisting and challenging 15.5km hilly course around the tiny Principality to claim his fourth stage victory on the Tour and was strong on the climb.



Outstanding on the descent, current Tour of Switzerland champion Cancellara wiped 19 seconds off the previous fastest time set by Bradley Wiggins, who eventually finished third with Astana's Alberto Contador second.

"I am quite proud, I put in the maximum possible effort," said the Swiss rider whose Saxo Bank team will now defend the yellow jersey at least until the next big rendezvous, the team time trial over 39km held on the fourth stage.

"I was one of the favourites to win here before the race and I knew if I got things right it would be very difficult for my rivals to beat me.

"That was special motivation.

"I knew to take it easy on the climb, to avoid too much lactic acid in the legs, and then go hard on the flat. It really paid off.

"To be back in the yellow jersey again is a great achievement both for me and my team, I am proud of it.

"Now everyone now knows Cancellara is back and he is stronger.

"We will now defend the jersey until the team time trial."

The new yellow jersey holder also revealed he had been battling depression in April this year.

"I had a few problems in April, things weren't going my way, but it makes me even prouder to know that I am strong in the head too to come back from that," said Cancellara.

The Swiss star also paid tribute to his team's mechanics, but revealed he had personally paid great attention to his bike.

"I take my hat off to the mechanics, they did a great job," he said.

"But I checked every millimetre, every detail of that bike as I knew the small things would make the difference out here."

Having held the yellow jersey for a week in 2007 when he won the London prologue and then the stage three, Cancellara said he knew it was a good omen when he was given the same Number 33 to wear here.

And Cancellara backed compatriot Roger Federer to win the final of Wimbledon against Andy Roddick of the United States on Sunday.

"We might be from a small country, but we have talented sportsmen," he said with a grin.

Seven-times Tour champion Lance Armstrong, who is back after nearly four years in retirement, showed he still has the potential to worry the leaders as he finished 10th in a time of 20min 12sec - 40 seconds behind the winner.

Armstrong's Astana teammate Contador, the 2007 Tour winner, was second and 18 seconds behind the winner to claim the polka-dot jersey while defending champion Carlos Sastre finished one minute and eight seconds off the pace.

Germany's Andreas Kloeden finished fourth in a time of 19 minutes 54 seconds, 22 seconds off the winner's pace, while Australia's Cadel Evans claimed fifth after finishing just a second off the German.

got this from the eurosport site

[hill16]

Agritubel's Brice Feillu won stage seven of the Tour de France in Andorra-Arcalis as Rinaldo Nocentini (Ag2r) rode into the yellow jersey

..Astana's Alberto Contador launched a big attack two kilometres from the finish and dropped his rivals for the overall win, but still fell six seconds short of taking the yellow jersey.

Britain's Bradley Wiggins (Garmin) turned in the best climbing performance of his career to finish level on time with Lance Armstrong (Astana), Cadel Evans (Silence-Lotto) and Andy Schleck (Saxo Bank), 22 seconds down on Contador.

Andy Schleck's team-mate Fabian Cancellara, who had worn the maillot jaune since the opening time-trial, was dropped early on the final climb, and finished more than nine minutes off the pace.

Feillu had escaped right at the start of the mammoth 224 stage as part of a nine-man break, whose lead ballooned to over 14 minutes, as Astana dictated the pace of the peloton behind.

The strength of the Kazakh backed outfit was there for all to see, as they remained at the front of the pack for almost the entirety of the stage, cutting the leaders' advantage to 11 minutes as they went over the other major climb of the day - the first-category Col de Serra-Seca - 97 kilometres from home.

Cancellara was the victim of a puncture that necessitated a hair-raising descent of the Serra-Seca, before he swiftly picked up another puncture in the valley just minutes later.

The gap to the favourites, meanwhile, had plummeted to just six minutes as the peloton approached the foot of the final climb, and Haimar Zubeldia took over at the front for the Astana team.

Further up the road, Aleksandr Kuschynski was dropped along with Jerome Pineau (BBox Bouygues Telecom), as Christophe Kern (Cofidis) tried an attack, before being swiftly chased down by Euskaltel's Egoi Martinez.

With the yellow jersey contenders continuing to keep their powder dry at the head of the peloton, which by now had been whittled down significantly, Feillu could contain his enthusiasm no longer.

He surged clear of his fellow escapees with just over four kilometres remaining, and despite the best efforts of Ag2r duo Nocentini and Christophe Riblon, was not to be caught.

His maiden Tour victory comes just a year after brother and team-mate Romain Feillu took the yellow jersey for a stage.

Further down the mountain, Evans launched a big attack, though was unable to shed his rivals, and it was only in the final two kilometres that it all blew apart, after Contador burst clear with an attack that nobody could follow.

Andy Schleck led the chase as the Spaniard began to put time into his rivals, though further ahead Nocentini managed to cross the line with enough of an advantage to secure the yellow jersey.

Contador finally crossed the line 21 seconds ahead of the Armstrong group to leapfrog his American team-mate in the general classification, while Wiggins, despite his status as a time-trial specialist, managed to cling on gamely to the Armstrong/Schleck group.

Stage eight sees the riders travel 176 kilometres from Andorra-la-Vieille to Saint-Girons, a stage that could again see the yellow jersey change hands.


courtesy of eurosport

[hill16]

Switzerland's Fabian Cancellara rode into the yellow jersey as he won the prologue of the Tour de France in Rotterdam.

HTC-Columbia rider Tony Martin, one of the early starters, had held the lead right throughout the afternoon until world time-trial champion Cancellara (Saxo Bank), the penultimate man to tackle the 9-kilometre course, stopped the clock in exactly 10 minutes to shave 10 seconds off the young German's time.
Britain's David Millar (Garmin Transitions) and Geraint Thomas (Team Sky) turned in excellent performances, finishing third and fifth respectively, either side of American legend Lance Armstrong (Radio Shack), who beat arch-rival Alberto Contador (Astana) by five seconds.
"This victory really gets us going. It shows I'm ready, the team is ready," said Cancellara.
Britain's Bradley Wiggins, fourth overall last year, was one of the main disappointments of the day, finishing 77th, 56 seconds adrift.
"I was happy with how I felt physically and the numbers I put out but I didn't want to chance anything," the Olympic pursuit champion said.
"I said the prologue wasn't the be all and end all for me. I'm just happy I got round in one piece."
Intermittent rain in the Dutch host city provided testing conditions for the riders, though Martin, who had caused a stir by beating Cancellara in the opening time-trial in the Swiss maestro's home tour last month, made it round an increasingly wet course early enough to set an impressive early benchmark.
Wiggins (Team Sky) was not so fortunate, and endured perhaps the worst of the rain as he went off just after Martin, erring on the side of caution through the course's more technical sections to finish an eventual 56 seconds behind Cancellara.
Wiggins' team-mate Thomas, who had been targeting a win in the stage, fared far better, and held second place for some considerable time before Millar squeezed in two seconds ahead of his compatriot.
As the general classification contenders began to roll in, last year's runner-up Andy Schleck (Saxo Bank) stood out as one man dissatisfied with his time, shaking his head as he crossed the line in 11:09, leaving him 47 seconds behind Armstrong and 42 behind Contador, his main rivals for overall victory.
Schleck's team-mate and brother Frank fared marginally better, finishing 57 seconds down on Cancellara, while BMC leader Cadel Evans was a respectable 39 seconds off the pace.
As the afternoon began to draw to a close the rain stopped and the course began to dry, opening the way for last few riders to have a real crack at Martin's time.
Dauphine winner Janez Brajkovic (Radio Shack) came in 13th, with Milram leader Linus Gerdemann an impressive 10th - though the real challenge was always likely to come from the final three of Armstrong, Cancellara and defending champion Contador.
When Cancellara powered through the intermediate checkpoint at the halfway mark six seconds inside Martin's time, the German smiled ruefully in the finish area.
But even as the battle for the stage win went on, another battle was developing between last year's team-mates-cum-enemies Contador and Armstrong, with the Spaniard lagging a single second behind the American at halfway.
The inevitable was confirmed as Cancellara picked up his pace through the final section of the course to depose Martin at the top of the podium, and though Armstrong finished back in fourth, the fact he held his tempo well to finish an eventual five seconds ahead of Contador will no doubt be a source of pleasure.
The time difference is far too small to be meaningful, but it offers evidence in support of Armstrong's pre-race claim that he is indeed in better shape than last year, and could provide a sterner test for the Spaniard over the next three weeks.
Sunday's first stage takes the peloton 223 kilometres from Rotterdam to Brussels, in what could be a chance for Manxman Mark Cavendish (HTC-Columbia) to add to his 10 Tour de France stage wins should victory be decided by a bunch sprint.
Tour prologue results:
Standing - Rider - Team - Time - Gap
1 - CANCELLARA Fabian - TEAM SAXO BANK - 10' 00" -
2 - MARTIN Tony - TEAM HTC - COLUMBIA - 10' 10" - + 00' 10"
3 - MILLAR David - GARMIN - TRANSITIONS - 10' 20" - + 00' 20"
4 - ARMSTRONG Lance - TEAM RADIOSHACK - 10' 22" - + 00' 22"
5 - THOMAS Geraint - SKY PRO CYCLING - 10' 23" - + 00' 23"
6 - CONTADOR Alberto - ASTANA - 10' 27" - + 00' 27"
7 - FARRAR Tyler - GARMIN - TRANSITIONS - 10' 28" - + 00' 28"
8 - LEIPHEIMER Levi - TEAM RADIOSHACK - 10' 28" - + 00' 28"
9 - BOASSON HAGEN Edvald - SKY PRO CYCLING - 10' 32" - + 00' 32"
10 - GERDEMANN Linus - TEAM MILRAM - 10' 35" - + 00' 35"
11 - BOOKWALTER Brent - BMC RACING TEAM - 10' 35" - + 00' 35"
12 - MALORI Adriano - LAMPRE - FARNESE - 10' 35" - + 00' 35"
13 - BRAJKOVIC Janez - TEAM RADIOSHACK - 10' 35" - + 00' 35"
14 - ROGERS Michael - TEAM HTC - COLUMBIA - 10' 35" - + 00' 35"
15 - PLAZA MOLINA Ruben - CAISSE D’EPARGNE - 10' 36" - + 00' 36"
16 - TERPSTRA Niki - TEAM MILRAM - 10' 36" - + 00' 36"
17 - KLÖDEN Andréas - TEAM RADIOSHACK - 10' 36" - + 00' 36"
18 - KIRYIENKA Vasil - CAISSE D’EPARGNE - 10' 38" - + 00' 38"
19 - VINOKOUROV Alexandre - ASTANA - 10' 38" - + 00' 38"
20 - KREUZIGER Roman - LIQUIGAS-DOIMO - 10' 38" - + 00' 38"

[hill16]

Hushovd triumphs as Roche gains ground

The Tour de France peloton endured another bumpy ride as Thor Hushovd emerged victorious on stage three, while Nicolas Roche moved up to 11th in the overall standings.

Seven cobbled sections - some of which feature in the Paris-Roubaix spring classic - totalling 13.2kilometres featured on the 213km third road stage from Wanze in Belgium to Arenberg Porte du Hainaut.

And Hushovd (Cervelo Test Team) emerged victorious as the 97th Tour entered France for the first time, with Team Sky's Geraint Thomas second in the sprint finish on another dramatic day.

The day unfolded at a frenetic pace and was full of incident.

Frank Schleck (Team Saxo Bank) and Tony Martin (HTC-Columbia) were unseated on the first section of pave in France.

Luxembourg rider Frank Schleck was seen in a foetal position in the middle of the road and was forced to retire from the Tour before reaching the mountains.

His brother Andy Schleck (Team Saxo Bank), Thomas (Team Sky) and world champion Cadel Evans (BMC Racing) enhanced their positions in the general classification standings, while overall favourite Alberto Contador (Astana) claimed bragging rights over fierce rival and seven-time winner Lance Armstrong (Team RadioShack).

Team Sky leader Bradley Wiggins finished in a small group ahead of Contador, pulling back some time lost in the opening prologue as he seeks Britain's first podium position in Paris on 25 July.

Swiss Fabian Cancellara finished in the leading group and regained the race leader's yellow jersey from France's Sylvain Chavanel.

Contador finished 1:13 behind the leading group while Armstrong, who punctured, was 2:08 adrift.

In the overall standings, Cancellara now leads Thomas by 23 seconds and Evans by 39.


Ireland's Nicolas Roche had his best day of the Tour so far. Roche rode home 12th, 53 seconds behind stage winner Hushovd. That result puts the Irishman 11th in the overall standings. The AG2R La Mondiale team captain is 1:39 behind yellow jersey wearer Cancellera.

[hill16]

Chavanel wins Tour stage, Roche into top 10



Sylvain Chavanel reclaimed the race leader's yellow jersey with victory on stage seven of the Tour de France.

France's Chavanel (QuickStep) won his second stage of the 97th Tour on the 165.5-kilometre route from Tournus to Station des Rousses.

Fabian Cancellara's capitulation in the mid-mountains handed the maillot jaune away and Chavanel was the man to benefit after attacking at the foot of the day's final climb, the 14km-long second category Lamoura.

Rafael Valls Ferri (Footon-Servetto) was second, 57 seconds behind, with Rabobank's Juan Manuel Garate third, 30 seconds further adrift.





Ireland's Nicolas Roche finished amongst the favourites in 11th position, one minute 47 seconds behind Chavanel and has now moved into the top ten, in eighth position overall, 2min 28sec behind the yellow jersey.

With the finish coming at the end of a plateau, none of the general classification contenders deemed an attack worthwhile, meaning Tour favourite and two-time winner Alberto Contador (Astana), seven-time winner Lance Armstrong (Team RadioShack), Cadel Evans (BMC Racing) and Bradley Wiggins (Team Sky) were among those content to take a watchful approach at the front of the peloton.

Tomorrow's 189km eighth stage from Station des Rousses to Morzine-Avoriaz is sure to be where the race for the yellow jersey explodes for the first time.

Tour de France Stage Seven Result:

1 Sylvain Chavanel (France/Quick-Step) 4:22:52
2 Rafael Valls (Spain/Footon) +57"
3 Juan Manuel Garate (Spain/Rabobank) +1:27"
4 Thomas Voeckler (France/Bbox) +1:40"
5 Mathieu Perget (France/Caisse d'Epargne) same
6 Daniel Moreno (Spain/Omega Pharma) same
7 Pierrick Fedrigo (France/Bbox - Bouygues) +1:47"
8 Ryder Hesjedal (Canada/Garmin) same
9 Ruben Plaza (Spain/Caisse d'Epargne) same
10 Eros Capecchi (Italy/Footon) same
11 Nicolas Roche (Ireland/AG2R) same

Tour de France Overall Standings:

1 Sylvain Chavanel (France/Quick-Step) 33:01:23
2 Cadel Evans (Australia/BMC Racing) +1:25"
3 Ryder Hesjedal (Canada/Garmin) +1:32"
4 Andy Schleck (Luxembourg/Saxo Bank) +1:55"
5 Alexandre Vinokourov (Kazakhstan/Astana) +2:17"
6 Alberto Contador (Spain/Astana) +2:26"
7 Jurgen Van den Broeck (Belgium/Omega) +2:28"
8 Nicolas Roche (Ireland/AG2R) same
9 Johan Vansummeren (Belgium/Garmin) +2:33"
10 Denis Menchov (Russia/Rabobank) +2:35"