37 posts tagged “pro cycling”
Rasmussen takes it all
Rasmussen takes it all (AFP Photo)
Denmark's Michael Rasmussen strode towards a third consecutive King of the Mountains title after claiming victory on the Tour de France's eighth stage to pull on the leader's yellow jersey.
The Rabobank rider finished the 165km run from Le Grand-Bornand to the first summit finish of the race Sunday with the same classic display of climbing that has won him the race's polka dot jersey for the past two years.
On the second of three days in the Alps the race sprang into life on the day's climb to the first summit finish, on which yellow jersey favourites Alexandre Vinokourov and Andreas Klöden lost more time to their rivals. The Astana team pair, riding with injuries picked up on Thursday's fifth stage, could do little when French champion Christophe Moreau launched the first of a series of attacks late on the 18km climb to the summit finish.
They eventually finished over four minutes behind Rasmussen, and pre-race favourite Vinokourov lost nearly a minute and a half to a handful of his more credible rivals.
Rasmussen took over what should be temporary possession of the yellow jersey from German race debutant Linus Gerdemann, who battled hard over the day's six climbs but missed out by less than a minute. Rasmussen now leads the 24-year-old T-Mobile rider by 43secs in the general classification going into Monday's first rest day, but the skinny Dane said he has no aims of keeping it all the way to Paris.
"There's still two weeks of racing left, and 110km of time trialling - and I think I've showed in the past it's not exactly my speciality," said Rasmussen, who now has three stage wins on the race. The Dane famously crashed a number of times in the race's second time trial in 2005.
Rasmussen started his attack on the Cormet de Roselend after 81km with a small group of riders, and he left his only remaining companion, Antonio Colom of Astana, 18km from the summit of the final climb.
In the end Rasmussen came over the finish with a lead of 2min 47sec on Spaniard Iban Mayo, of Saunier Duval, with Alejandro Valverde finishing 01sec ahead of a handful of fellow yellow jersey contenders, including Christophe Moreau, Cadel Evans and Andrey Kashechkin.
Rasmussen didn't celebrate at the finish, and later admitted: "I knew it would be pretty tight for the yellow jersey, that's why I didn't celebrate today. We can do that tonight. It was just a matter of taking as much time out of my competitors as possible."
Some of the more credible yellow jersey contenders meanwhile will be nursing their wounds.
Vinokourov, who struggled in the final kilometres of the day's sixth and last climb as Moreau launched attack after attack, finally came in 19th at 4:29 behind Rasmussen. More importantly, the Kazakh lost over a minute to Alejandro Valverde, Cadel Evans and Moreau and is now 5min 23sec behind the overall leader.
A defiant Vinokourov, riding his third consecutive day with over 30 stitches in deep cuts on his knees following a crash, says his Tour is far from over. "If I had lost five minutes today, it would have been over," he said.
Evans said it had been one of the most dramatic days of racing his career. "I've never seen the GC (general classification) riders attacking each other so much. When there's no one to ride (with), trust me, it's not easy."
Evans, who finished fifth overall last year, is one of the few remaining Australians on the race. Michael Rogers, of Gerdemann's T-Mobile team, was in the virtual race lead when he crashed out of the race while travelling in excess of 60km/h on the descent of the Cormet de Roselend. He later abandoned with injuries to his right hand, shoulder and knee.
Half an hour earlier compatriot Stuart O'Grady, of the CSC team, was taken to hospital after he also crashed on the descent of the Cormet de Roselend climb.
A third Australian, Robbie McEwen of Evans' Predictor-Lotto team, failed to finish within the time limits.
© AFP 2007
Also see: stage 8 live report.
Results
1 Michael Rasmussen (Den ¦ Rabobank) 04:49:40
2 Iban Mayo (Spa ¦ Saunier Duval - Prodir) 00:02:47
3 Alejandro Valverde (Spa ¦ Caisse D'Epargne) 00:03:12
4 Christophe Moreau (Fra ¦ Ag2R Prevoyance) 00:03:13
5 Frank Schleck (Lux ¦ Team CSC) 00:03:13
6 Cadel Evans (Aus ¦ Predictor - Lotto) 00:03:13
7 Andrey Kashechkin (Kaz ¦ Astana) 00:03:13
8 Alberto Contador (Spa ¦ Discovery Channel Team) 00:03:31
9 Denis Menchov (Rus ¦ Rabobank) 00:03:35
10 Carlos Sastre (Spa ¦ Team CSC) 00:03:35
11 Haimar Zubeldia (Spa ¦ Euskaltel - Euskadi) 00:03:59
12 Levi Leipheimer (USA ¦ Discovery Channel Team) 00:03:59
13 Juan Jose Cobo Acebo (Spa ¦ Saunier Duval - Prodir) 00:03:59
14 Manuel Beltran (Spa ¦ Liquigas) 00:04:13
15 Oscar Pereiro Sio (Spa ¦ Caisse D'Epargne) 00:04:13
16 Juan Manuel Garate (Spa ¦ Quick Step - Innergetic) 00:04:29
17 David Arroyo (Spa ¦ Caisse D'Epargne) 00:04:29
18 Andréas Klöden (Ger ¦ Astana) 00:04:29
19 Alexandre Vinokourov (Kaz ¦ Astana) 00:04:29
20 Linus Gerdemann (Ger ¦ T-Mobile Team) 00:05:05
21 Tadej Valjavec (Slo ¦ Lampre-Fondital) 00:05:05
22 Kim Kirchen (Lux ¦ T-Mobile Team) 00:05:10
23 Mikel Astarloza (Spa ¦ Euskaltel - Euskadi) 00:05:41
24 Jens Voigt (Ger ¦ Team CSC) 00:05:47
25 Kanstantsin Siutsou (Blr ¦ Barloworld) 00:05:47
26 Michael Boogerd (Ned ¦ Rabobank) 00:06:32
27 Christopher Horner (USA ¦ Predictor - Lotto) 00:06:32
28 Vladimir Karpets (Rus ¦ Caisse D'Epargne) 00:06:39
29 Yaroslav Popovych (Ukr ¦ Discovery Channel Team) 00:07:40
30 Amets Txurruka (Spa ¦ Euskaltel - Euskadi) 00:08:23
31 Sylvain Chavanel (Fra ¦ Cofidis Credit Par Telephone) 00:08:23
32 Alexandre Botcharov (Rus ¦ Credit Agricole) 00:08:23
33 Juan Mauricio Soler Hernandez (Col ¦ Barloworld 00:08:48
34 Christian Knees (Ger ¦ Team Milram) 00:09:44
35 Vladimir Gusev (Rus ¦ Discovery Channel Team) 00:09:44
36 Markus Fothen (Ger ¦ Gerolsteiner) 00:09:44
37 Bram Tankink (Ned ¦ Quick Step - Innergetic) 00:12:45
38 Christian Vandevelde (USA ¦ Team CSC) 00:12:45
39 José Ivan Gutierrez (Spa ¦ Caisse D'Epargne) 00:12:45
40 Ludovic Turpin (Fra ¦ Ag2R Prevoyance) 00:12:45
41 Simon Gerrans (Aus ¦ Ag2R Prevoyance) 00:13:12
42 Kjell Carlström (Fin ¦ Liquigas) 00:14:13
43 Fabian Wegmann (Ger ¦ Gerolsteiner) 00:14:13
44 Christophe Le Mevel (Fra ¦ Credit Agricole) 00:14:13
45 Patxi Vila Errandonea (Spa ¦ Lampre-Fondital) 00:15:16
46 Thomas Voeckler (Fra ¦ Bouygues Telecom) 00:15:33
47 Paolo Savoldelli (Ita ¦ Astana) 00:17:26
48 Antonio Colom (Spa ¦ Astana) 00:17:26
49 Axel Merckx (Bel ¦ T-Mobile Team) 00:17:26
50 George Hincapie (USA ¦ Discovery Channel Team) 00:17:26
51 Carlos Barredo (Spa ¦ Quick Step - Innergetic) 00:17:26
52 Cristian Moreni (Ita ¦ Cofidis Credit Par Telephone) 00:18:06
53 Serguei Ivanov (Rus ¦ Astana) 00:19:17
54 Mario Aerts (Bel ¦ Predictor - Lotto) 00:19:17
55 Thomas Dekker (Ned ¦ Rabobank) 00:19:17
56 Kurt-Asle Arvesen (Nor ¦ Team CSC) 00:19:17
57 Erik Zabel (Ger ¦ Team Milram) 00:19:17
58 Johan Van Summeren (Bel ¦ Predictor - Lotto) 00:19:17
59 Cédric Vasseur (Fra ¦ Quick Step - Innergetic) 00:19:17
60 Maxim Iglinskiy (Kaz ¦ Astana) 00:19:17
61 Sylvain Calzati (Fra ¦ Ag2R Prevoyance) 00:19:17
62 Stephane Goubert (Fra ¦ Ag2R Prevoyance) 00:19:17
63 Jérôme Pineau (Fra ¦ Bouygues Telecom) 00:19:17
64 Grischa Niermann (Ger ¦ Rabobank) 00:19:17
65 Gorka Verdugo (Spa ¦ Euskaltel - Euskadi) 00:19:17
66 Inigo Cuesta (Spa ¦ Team CSC) 00:19:17
67 Gregory Rast (Swi ¦ Astana) 00:19:17
68 Patrik Sinkewitz (Ger ¦ T-Mobile Team) 00:19:17
69 Inigo Landaluze (Spa ¦ Euskaltel - Euskadi) 00:19:17
70 Sergio Paulinho (Por ¦ Discovery Channel Team) 00:20:05
71 Francisco Ventoso (Spa ¦ Saunier Duval - Prodir) 00:20:05
72 Dmitriy Fofonov (Kaz ¦ Credit Agricole) 00:22:03
73 Dario Cioni (Ita ¦ Predictor - Lotto) 00:22:59
74 Bernhard Kohl (Aut ¦ Gerolsteiner) 00:24:18
75 Ronny Scholz (Ger ¦ Gerolsteiner) 00:24:18
76 Thomas Lövkvist (Swe ¦ Francaise Des Jeux) 00:29:11
77 Martin Elmiger (Swi ¦ Ag2R Prevoyance) 00:29:11
78 Matthieu Sprick (Fra ¦ Bouygues Telecom) 00:29:11
79 Juan Miguel Mercado (Spa ¦ Agritubel) 00:29:11
80 Ruben Perez (Spa ¦ Euskaltel - Euskadi) 00:29:11
81 Jose Luis Arrieta (Spa ¦ Ag2R Prevoyance) 00:29:11
82 Patrice Halgand (Fra ¦ Credit Agricole) 00:29:11
83 John Gadret (Fra ¦ Ag2R Prevoyance) 00:29:11
84 Iker Camano (Spa ¦ Saunier Duval - Prodir) 00:29:11
85 Michael Albasini (Swi ¦ Liquigas) 00:29:11
86 Daniele Bennati (Ita ¦ Lampre-Fondital) 00:29:11
87 Frederik Willems (Bel ¦ Liquigas) 00:29:11
88 Murilo Antonio Fischer (Bra ¦ Liquigas) 00:29:11
89 Freddy Bichot (Fra ¦ Agritubel) 00:29:11
90 Alessandro Ballan (Ita ¦ Lampre-Fondital) 00:33:45
91 Fabian Cancellara (Swi ¦ Team CSC) 00:33:45
92 Daniel Navarro (Spa ¦ Astana) 00:33:45
93 Philippe Gilbert (Bel ¦ Francaise Des Jeux) 00:33:45
94 Stefan Schumacher (Ger ¦ Gerolsteiner) 00:33:45
95 Egoi Martinez (Spa ¦ Discovery Channel Team) 00:33:45
96 Francisco Perez Sanchez (Spa ¦ Caisse D'Epargne) 00:33:45
97 Stef Clement (Ned ¦ Bouygues Telecom) 00:33:45
98 Jorge Azanza (Spa ¦ Euskaltel - Euskadi) 00:33:45
99 Pierrick Fedrigo (Fra ¦ Bouygues Telecom) 00:33:45
100 Laurent Lefevre (Fra ¦ Bouygues Telecom) 00:33:45
101 Benoît Vaugrenard (Fra ¦ Francaise Des Jeux) 00:33:45
102 Nicolas Vogondy (Fra ¦ Agritubel) 00:33:45
103 Gianpaolo Cheula (Ita ¦ Barloworld) 00:33:45
104 Daniele Righi (Ita ¦ Lampre-Fondital) 00:33:45
105 Félix Cardenas (Col ¦ Barloworld) 00:36:49
106 Filippo Pozzato (Ita ¦ Liquigas) 00:39:07
107 Aleksandr Kuschynski (Blr ¦ Liquigas) 00:39:07
108 Matteo Tosatto (Ita ¦ Quick Step - Innergetic) 00:39:07
109 Robert Hunter (RSA ¦ Barloworld) 00:39:07
110 Steven De Jongh (Ned ¦ Quick Step - Innergetic) 00:39:07
111 Manuel Quinziato (Ita ¦ Liquigas) 00:39:07
112 Matthieu Ladagnous (Fra ¦ Francaise Des Jeux) 00:39:07
113 Alessandro Cortinovis (Ita ¦ Team Milram) 00:39:07
114 Tom Boonen (Bel ¦ Quick Step - Innergetic) 00:39:07
115 Claudio Corioni (Ita ¦ Lampre-Fondital) 00:39:07
116 Cyril Dessel (Fra ¦ Ag2R Prevoyance) 00:39:07
117 Alberto Ongarato (Ita ¦ Team Milram) 00:39:07
118 Ralf Grabsch (Ger ¦ Team Milram) 00:39:07
119 Bert Grabsch (Ger ¦ T-Mobile Team) 00:39:07
120 Marzio Bruseghin (Ita ¦ Lampre-Fondital) 00:39:07
121 Andriy Grivko (Ukr ¦ Team Milram) 00:39:07
122 Marcel Sieberg (Ger ¦ Team Milram) 00:39:07
123 Wim Vansevenant (Bel ¦ Predictor - Lotto) 00:39:07
124 Staf Scheirlinckx (Bel ¦ Cofidis Credit Par Telephone) 00:39:07
125 Sébastien Rosseler (Bel ¦ Quick Step - Innergetic) 00:39:07
126 Anthony Geslin (Fra ¦ Bouygues Telecom) 00:39:07
127 Mickaël Delage (Fra ¦ Francaise Des Jeux) 00:39:07
128 Paolo Bossoni (Ita ¦ Lampre-Fondital) 00:39:07
129 Leif Hoste (Bel ¦ Predictor - Lotto) 00:39:07
130 David Millar (GBr ¦ Saunier Duval - Prodir) 00:39:07
131 David Canada (Spa ¦ Saunier Duval - Prodir) 00:39:07
132 Christophe Rinero (Fra ¦ Saunier Duval - Prodir) 00:39:07
133 Benjamin Noval Gonzalez (Spa ¦ Discovery Channel Team) 00:39:07
134 Nicolas Portal (Fra ¦ Caisse D'Epargne) 00:39:07
135 Benoit Salmon (Fra ¦ Agritubel) 00:39:07
136 Alexander Efimkin (Rus ¦ Barloworld) 00:39:07
137 Lilian Jegou (Fra ¦ Francaise Des Jeux) 00:39:07
138 Sébastien Hinault (Fra ¦ Credit Agricole) 00:39:07
139 Anthony Charteau (Fra ¦ Credit Agricole) 00:39:07
140 Robert Förster (Ger ¦ Gerolsteiner) 00:39:07
141 Gert Steegmans (Bel ¦ Quick Step - Innergetic) 00:39:07
142 Igor Anton (Spa ¦ Euskaltel - Euskadi) 00:39:07
143 Inaki Isasi (Spa ¦ Euskaltel - Euskadi) 00:39:07
144 Bradley Wiggins (GBr ¦ Cofidis Credit Par Telephone) 00:39:07
145 William Bonnet (Fra ¦ Credit Agricole) 00:39:07
146 Johann Tschopp (Swi ¦ Bouygues Telecom) 00:39:07
147 Enrico Poitschke (Ger ¦ Team Milram) 00:39:07
148 Paolo Longo Borghini (Ita ¦ Barloworld) 00:39:07
149 Nicolas Jalabert (Fra ¦ Agritubel) 00:39:07
150 Peter Wrolich (Aut ¦ Gerolsteiner) 00:39:07
151 Pieter Weening (Ned ¦ Rabobank) 00:39:07
152 Heinrich Haussler (Ger ¦ Gerolsteiner) 00:39:07
153 Sven Krauss (Ger ¦ Gerolsteiner) 00:39:07
154 Moises Duenas Nevado (Spa ¦ Agritubel) 00:39:07
155 David De La Fuente (Spa ¦ Saunier Duval - Prodir) 00:39:07
156 Stéphane Augé (Fra ¦ Cofidis Credit Par Telephone) 00:39:07
157 Xavier Florencio (Spa ¦ Bouygues Telecom) 00:39:07
158 Rik Verbrugghe (Bel ¦ Cofidis Credit Par Telephone) 00:39:07
159 Thomas Geraint (GBr ¦ Barloworld) 00:39:07
160 Sandy Casar (Fra ¦ Francaise Des Jeux) 00:39:07
161 Thor Hushovd (Nor ¦ Credit Agricole) 00:39:07
162 Bernhard Eisel (Aut ¦ T-Mobile Team) 00:39:07
163 Julian Dean (NZl ¦ Credit Agricole) 00:39:07
164 Bram De Groot (Ned ¦ Rabobank) 00:39:07
165 Nick Nuyens (Bel ¦ Cofidis Credit Par Telephone) 00:39:07
166 David Zabriskie (USA ¦ Team CSC) 00:39:07
167 Juan Antonio Flecha (Spa ¦ Rabobank) 00:39:07
168 Fred Rodriguez (USA ¦ Predictor - Lotto) 00:39:07
169 Marcus Burghardt (Ger ¦ T-Mobile Team) 00:39:07
170 Vicente Garcia Acosta (Spa ¦ Caisse D'Epargne) 00:39:07
171 Sébastien Chavanel (Fra ¦ Francaise Des Jeux) 00:39:07
172 Charles Wegelius (GBr ¦ Liquigas) 00:39:07
General classification after stage 8
1 Michael Rasmussen (Den ¦ Rabobank) 39:37:42
2 Linus Gerdemann (Ger ¦ T-Mobile Team) 00:00:43
3 Iban Mayo (Spa ¦ Saunier Duval - Prodir) 00:02:39
4 Alejandro Valverde (Spa ¦ Caisse D'Epargne) 00:02:51
5 Andrey Kashechkin (Kaz ¦ Astana) 00:02:52
6 Cadel Evans (Aus ¦ Predictor - Lotto) 00:02:53
7 Christophe Moreau (Fra ¦ Ag2R Prevoyance) 00:03:06
8 Alberto Contador (Spa ¦ Discovery Channel Team) 00:03:10
9 Frank Schleck (Lux ¦ Team CSC) 00:03:14
10 Denis Menchov (Rus ¦ Rabobank) 00:03:19
11 Carlos Sastre (Spa ¦ Team CSC) 00:03:35
12 Andréas Klöden (Ger ¦ Astana) 00:03:46
13 Levi Leipheimer (USA ¦ Discovery Channel Team) 00:03:53
14 Oscar Pereiro Sio (Spa ¦ Caisse D'Epargne) 00:03:54
15 Haimar Zubeldia (Spa ¦ Euskaltel - Euskadi) 00:04:00
16 Manuel Beltran (Spa ¦ Liquigas) 00:04:19
17 Juan Manuel Garate (Spa ¦ Quick Step - Innergetic) 00:04:22
18 David Arroyo (Spa ¦ Caisse D'Epargne) 00:04:51
19 Kim Kirchen (Lux ¦ T-Mobile Team) 00:05:02
20 Tadej Valjavec (Slo ¦ Lampre-Fondital) 00:05:03
21 Mikel Astarloza (Spa ¦ Euskaltel - Euskadi) 00:05:14
22 Alexandre Vinokourov (Kaz ¦ Astana) 00:05:23
23 Vladimir Karpets (Rus ¦ Caisse D'Epargne) 00:06:09
24 Kanstantsin Siutsou (Blr ¦ Barloworld) 00:06:18
25 Christopher Horner (USA ¦ Predictor - Lotto) 00:06:29
26 Michael Boogerd (Ned ¦ Rabobank) 00:06:38
27 Juan Mauricio Soler Hernandez (Col ¦ Barloworld 00:07:31
28 Yaroslav Popovych (Ukr ¦ Discovery Channel Team) 00:07:32
29 Alexandre Botcharov (Rus ¦ Credit Agricole) 00:08:33
30 Juan Jose Cobo Acebo (Spa ¦ Saunier Duval - Prodir) 00:08:51
Cycling: British rider will start Tour in familiar territory
5:00AM Saturday July 07, 2007
London - The Tour de France drags its competitors through every kind of agony for three weeks but British cyclist Bradley Wiggins is not allowing himself to think beyond the first nine minutes.
That is about how long it will take to cover the 8.5km prologue through the centre of London tomorrow when time trial and track specialist Wiggins seeks to give his hometown crowd a spectacular introduction to the sport's ultimate event.
Wiggins goes into the race, his second Tour, among the favourites to win the prologue on roads he knows better than anyone else in the field.
"It's going through Hyde Park, where I started cycling as a kid, and I never imagined I'd be riding the prologue of the Tour de France down the Serpentine one day," Wiggins said.
He has won four Olympic medals, including gold in the 4000m pursuit in Athens in 2004, and a clutch of world championship medals, but says nothing can compare with the first day of the Tour.
"The wall of sound every rider gets around the course is just unexplainable: you can't hear yourself breathing, you can't hear the encouragement from your team car which is only 20 metres behind you."
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Wiggins, 27, is in top form, having won the prologue at last month's prestigious Dauphine Libere, and with London's course similarly straightforward, everything is in place for a dream day for British cycling.
- Reuters
Britain's David Millar has jumped to the defence of Italian rival Alessandro Petacchi, who was axed from the Tour de France after testing positive for salbutamol.
Petacchi returned the "non negative test" during the recent Giro D'Italia and has been provisionally suspended by his team Milram and charged with doping by the Italian Olympic Committee.
Milram general manager Gerry van Gerwen said: "We've signed the ProTour's ethical code and by virtue of this code a rider suspected of resorting to doping cannot compete in a race."
Petacchi is a registered asthmatic and has a certificate which allows for restricted use of salbutamol, a substance primarily fond in asthma medication.
Petacchi argued that any overuse was an oversight but he is facing a possible one-year ban.
Millar's Saunier Duval team-mate Leonardo Piepoli has also been suspended after testing positive for salbutamol during the Giro.
And Millar, who is back competing after serving a two-year ban for using EPO, insisted both men were "undeservedly being punished".
Millar said: "Piepoli is a rider I have a huge amount of respect for and trust as a cyclist. He is going through an horrific time at the moment and I think it is very sad what he and Petacchi are having to experience.
"It seems very strange. That control is such an odd one.
"There is no way Piepoli would have injected salbutamol or used it to dope to cheat.
"It is ironic that a guy who I have got a lot of respect for - he is a grande monseur - is getting punished when there are many of guys out there aren't getting and they deserve to be."
Millar insists he will always give the benefit of the doubt to athletes but he has not made a habit of defending suspected cheats since his return to action.
Cycling's credibility has gone through the floor after the scandals of the last 14 months and, given his past, Millar feels a responsibility to try and mend the sport.
This year's Tour de France is without a defending champion for the first time in its 104-year history as Floyd Landis battles to convince the world he is not a dope cheat.
Landis tested positive for abnormal levels of testosterone after winning last year's Tour. He has appealed to the American anti-doping body, who could make a ruling on Friday.
As a result of the scandals, cycling's governing body UCI has insisted upon every rider signing an anti-doping declaration and they cannot compete in the Tour without doing so.
The document begins with a declaration that the rider has not been involved in any past doping and demands they pledge a year's salary in the event of returning a positive test in the future.
The introduction of the charter met with stiff opposition from many teams. CSC and Quickstep waited until today as a show of opposition and were the last teams to sign up.
A spokesman from CSC explained: "The fight against doping takes more than just signing a piece of paper. It takes action. It needs a change in culture.
"That is what we want to see, not all the riders being taken hostage by some media stunt.
"There will always be cheaters. If people seriously want to cheat they will take the risk. They will try to find the hole in the system so we must make the system better."
Millar understands the opposition but accepts extreme measures are necessary if cycling is to escape the shadow of doping.
"It's unfortunate that we've had to get to that point where we're signing contracts that even a first year law student would say 'don't ever go near'.
"But we have no choice. It's a show of will and unity.
"I don't think any of us can escape the doping problems that go on in cycling.
"We have to look to the future but we can't move into the future without dealing with the past and we have a pretty serious past we have to face up to.
"It is only now that people are admitting to things they got up to. Not a day goes by when I don't think about the bigger picture.
"All of us have a responsibility, especially my generation, to make sure the young cyclists coming through don't have to deal with our baggage because I don't think that is fair to them."
| Stage | Type | Date | Start and Finish | Distance | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P. | Individual time-trial | Saturday 7th, July | Londres Londres |
7,9 km |  |
| 1. | Plain | Sunday 8th, July | LondresCanterbury |
203 km | |
| 2. | Plain | Monday 9th, July | DunkerqueGand |
168,5 km | |
| 3. | Plain | Tuesday 10th, July | WaregemCompiègne |
236,5 km | |
| 4. | Plain | Wednesday 11th, July | Villers-CotterêtsJoigny |
193 km | |
| 5. | Medium mountains | Thursday 12th, July | ChablisAutun |
182,5 km | |
| 6. | Plain | Friday 13th, July | Semur-en-AuxoisBourg-en-Bresse |
199,5 km | |
| 7. | High mountains | Saturday 14th, July | Bourg-en-BresseLe Grand-Bornand |
197,5 km | |
| 8. | High mountains | Sunday 15th, July | Le Grand-BornandTignes |
165 km | |
| Rest day | Monday 16th, July | Tignes | |||
| 9. | High mountains | Tuesday 17th, July | Val d'IsèreBriançon |
159,5 km | |
| 10. | Plain | Wednesday 18th, July | TallardMarseille |
229,5 km | |
| 11. | Plain | Thursday 19th, July | MarseilleMontpellier |
182,5 km | |
| 12. | Medium mountains | Friday 20th, July | MontpellierCastres |
178,5 km | |
| 13. | Individual time-trial | Saturday 21st, July | AlbiAlbi |
54 km | |
| 14. | High mountains | Sunday 22nd, July | MazametPlateau de Beille |
197 km | |
| 15. | High mountains | Monday 23rd, July | FoixLoudenvielle-Le Louron |
196 km | |
| Rest day | Tuesday 24th, July | Pau | |||
| 16. | High mountains | Wednesday 25th, July | OrthezGourette-Col d'Aubisque |
218,5 km | |
| 17. | Plain | Thursday 26th, July | PauCastelsarrasin |
188,5 km | |
| 18. | Plain | Friday 27th, July | CahorsAngoulême |
211 km | |
| 19. | Individual time-trial | Saturday 28th, July | CognacAngoulême |
55,5 km | |
| 20. | Plain | Sunday 29th, July | MarcoussisParis Champs-Élysées |
146 km | |
The opening ceremony
© A.S.O.
The permanence and press center
The Permanence will be at ExCeL, London’s premier exhibition and convention centre.
It is located next to London City Airport and is served by two stations, Custom House and Prince Regent station.
The opening ceremony
On Friday 6th July 2007 the teams will be presented in Trafalgar Square, the very centre of London.
At the south side of the square is a plaque that marks the point that all distances to London are measured from.
In the square is Nelson’s Column, on top of which stands a statue of Lord Nelson, surrounded by fountains and four bronze lions.
The National Gallery stands on the north side of the square. The square was transformed into a pedestrian only area in front of the National Gallery in 2003 and now welcomes thousands of Londoners and visitors every day.
It is a focal point for celebrations to mark events, such as New Year’s Eve and English victories in the 2003 Rugby World Cup and 2005 “Ashes” cricket tournament.
The prologue
On Saturday 7th July 2007, starting on Whitehall, in front of Trafalgar Square, the riders will race past Downing Street towards Parliament Square on an 8 km course.
Turning at the Houses of Parliament, the route goes along Victoria Street, past Westminster Abbey and in front of Buckingham Palace.
After the Palace the riders will pass through the middle of Wellington Arch, before looping through London’s most famous park, Hyde Park.
Finally the riders will pass back around Hyde Park Corner and along Constitution Hill, before ending on The Mall with Buckingham Palace as a backdrop.
Stage 1
On 8th July 2007 the Tour will take in some of Britain’s most picturesque and historic towns. The route starts on The Mall, runs through Admiralty Arch and then proceeds alongside the Thames down to the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben. The riders will cross The Thames before riding past the London Eye and looping back to take in St Paul’s Cathedral and the Tower of London. The riders will pass over Tower Bridge, through Bermondsey and Deptford to Greenwich where they will cross the Greenwich Meridian Line, where all time zones are measured from. The route then passes through Woolwich, Abbey Wood and Erith, before leaving London for Dartford in Kent.
The route then goes through Gravesend and on to Medway, dominated by Rochester Castle and Cathedral. Passing on through Maidstone the route will take the riders to Tonbridge and then on to Royal Tunbridge Wells. The route winds through the beautiful Kent countryside, through the picturesque town of Tenterden and past Ashford to a potentially nail biting finish in Canterbury.
Getting to London
London is well served by excellent transport links from the rest of Europe and further afield.
London has five airports – Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Luton Airport and London City Airport. Long-haul travellers will usually land at either Heathrow or Gatwick. Many low-cost airlines operate from Stansted or Luton while London City offers convenient flights to Paris and is located 4 kms from ExCeL for the Permanence.
London has many rail stations. The Eurostar terminal is at Waterloo and other major stations include Victoria and King’s Cross. The main station for coach arrivals from Europe is Victoria Coach Station (close to Victoria train station).
By car, London is well served with motorways and major roads, while access from mainland Europe is both by ferry and via the Channel Tunnel.
The Tour in U.K.
It was in 1974, after a start from Brest, that the Tour de France first travelled from Brittany to England, with a circuit stage in Plymouth. It aroused interest and praise from the critics, but no more.
However, twenty years later, when the Tour crossed the Channel (via the Tunnel) to visit England for the second time, it was an immense public success on the roads leading from Dover to Brighton, and then in Portsmouth.
From a sporting point of view Bill Burl and Charles Holland were the first British riders to attempt the Tour de France in 1937, but it wasn’t until the first British team took part in the 1955 race that a British rider made it to the finish in Paris. Of the ten members of that 1955 team two men, Tony Hoar and Brian Robinson, managed to finish the race, while their team mates fell foul of saddle sores, broken bones and a plague of punctures.
Brian Robinson from the 1955 team went on to complete a further 6 Tour de France races, winning 2 stages in 1957 and 1956. Tom Simpson followed Robinson into riding in the Tour and rode 7 times. Barry Hoban rode an impressive 12 Tours between 1964 and 1978, winning 8 stages over this time. Michaël Wright competed in 8 over the same period and won 3 stages.
In the late 70s and early 80s, Paul Scherwen participated seven times in the Tour de France and Graham Jones five times. Robert Millar was present at the start eleven times between 1983 and 1993, winning three stage victories, along with the Best Climber classification in 1984. As for Max Sciandri, he took part in seven editions of the Tour in the 1990s and won one stage victory.
In 1994, Chris Boardman broke a record by winning the prologue in Lille at a staggering average speed of 55,152 Km/h. The “yellow shirt” was worn by Sean Yates that same year.
British riders have won 23 stages in total and the first to wear the Yellow Jersey was Tom Simpson in 1962. He was also ranked sixth in the overall final classification that year. David Millar was the last British rider to wear the Yellow Jersey, in 2000. That same year, during the time trial at the Start of the Tour from the Futuroscope, he won the first of his three stage victories on the Tour.
Saunier Duval-Prodir announce Tour riders
Daily Peloton | Tour de France: Saunier Duval/Prodir Squad Announced
Saunier Duval/Prodir is chasing stage wins at this year's Tour, as they've chosen an experienced squad with an eye on the mountains.
- Suanier Duval/Prodir 2007 Tour roster:
- Iker Camano (Spain)
- Juan José Cobo (Spain)
- David de la Fuente (Spain)
- José Angel Gomez Marchante (Spain)
- Ruben Lobato (Spain)
- Iban Mayo (Spain)
- David Millar (Scotland, UK)
- Christophe Rinero (France)
- Francisco Ventoso (Spain)
Reserves are David Cañada, Angel Gomez, and Jesus del Nero.
Mayo won Stage 8 up Alpe d'Huez in the 2003 Tour and Stage 19 of this year's Giro d'Italia. David de la Fuente was the most combative rider of last year's Tour, after long attacks on Stage 2 and Stage 11. Rinero took the King of the Mountains in the 1998 Tour.
The cyclysm is moving to our own site Thecyclysm.com is the new site coming in July.
Here is the TV listings for VS televison for the Tour De france from London, England live on July 7.
Tour de France TV Schedule
Eastern Daylight Time
| Prologue: Saturday, July 7, 2007 London 8:30am to 1:30pm: LIVE Prologue 4:00pm to 6:00pm: Race Action Replay 8:00pm to 11:00pm: Expanded Primetime Coverage 12:00am to 3:00am: Race Action Replay |
Stage 11: Thursday, July 19, 2007 |
| Stage 1: Sunday, July 8, 2007 London to Canterbury 7:30am to 10:30am: LIVE Daily Coverage 10:30am to 1:30pm: Race Action Replay 4:00pm to 6:00pm: Race Action Replay 8:00pm to 11:00pm: Expanded Primetime Coverage 12:00am to 3:00am: Race Action Replay |
Stage 12: Friday, July 20, 2007 Montpellier to Castres 8:30am to 11:30am: LIVE Daily Coverage 12:00pm to 2:00pm: Race Action Replay 2:30pm to 4:30pm: Race Action Replay 5:00pm to 7:00pm: Race Action Replay 8:00pm to 11:00pm: Expanded Primetime Coverage 12:00am to 3:00am: Race Action Replay |
| Stage 2: Monday, July 9, 2007 Dunkerque to Gand 8:30am to 11:30am: LIVE Daily Coverage 12:00pm to 2:00pm: Race Action Replay 2:30pm to 4:30pm: Race Action Replay 5:00pm to 7:00pm: Race Action Replay 8:00pm to 11:00pm: Expanded Primetime Coverage 12:00am to 3:00am: Race Action Replay |
Stage 13: Saturday, July 21, 2007 Albi to Albi 8:00am to 11:30am: LIVE Daily Coverage 12:00pm to 2:00pm: Race Action Replay 2:30pm to 4:30pm: Race Action Replay 5:00pm to 7:00pm: Race Action Replay 8:00pm to 11:00pm: Expanded Primetime Coverage 12:00am to 3:00am: Race Action Replay |
| Stage 3: Tuesday, July 10, 2007 Waregem to Compiegne 8:30am to 11:30am: LIVE Daily Coverage 12:00pm to 2:00pm: Race Action Replay 2:30pm to 4:30pm: Race Action Replay 5:00pm to 7:00pm: Race Action Replay 8:00pm to 11:00pm: Expanded Primetime Coverage 12:00am to 3:00am: Race Action Replay |
Stage 14: Sunday, July 22, 2007 Mazamet to Plateau-de-Beille 8:00am to 11:30am: LIVE Daily Coverage 8:00pm to 11:00pm: Expanded Primetime Coverage 12:00am to 3:00am: Race Action Replay |
| Stage 4: Wednesday, July 11, 2007 Villers to Cotterets 8:30am to 11:30am: LIVE Daily Coverage 12:00pm to 2:00pm: Race Action Replay 2:30pm to 4:30pm: Race Action Replay 5:00pm to 7:00pm: Race Action Replay 8:00pm to 11:00pm: Expanded Primetime Coverage 12:00am to 3:00am: Race Action Replay |
Stage 15: Monday, July 23, 2007 Foix to Loudenville - Le Louron 7:30am to 11:30am: LIVE Daily Coverage 12:00pm to 2:00pm: Race Action Replay 2:30pm to 4:30pm: Race Action Replay 5:00pm to 7:00pm: Race Action Replay 8:00pm to 11:00pm: Expanded Primetime Coverage 12:00am to 3:00am: Race Action Replay |
| Stage 5: Thursday, July 12, 2007 Chablis to Autun 8:30am to 11:30am: LIVE Daily Coverage 12:00pm to 2:00pm: Race Action Replay 2:30pm to 4:30pm: Race Action Replay 5:00pm to 7:00pm: Race Action Replay 8:00pm to 11:00pm: Expanded Primetime Coverage 12:00am to 3:00am: Race Action Replay |
Rest Day: Tuesday, July 24, 2007 Foix to Loudenville - Le Louron 8:30am to 11:30am: Re-air of Stage 15 Coverage 12:00pm to 2:00pm: Re-air of Stage 15 Coverage 2:30pm to 4:30pm: Re-air of Stage 15 Coverage 5:00pm to 7:00pm: Re-air of Stage 15 Coverage 8:00pm to 10:30pm: Tour Recap Special 12:00am to 2:30am: Tour Recap Special |
| Stage 6: Friday, July 13, 2007 Semur-en-Auxois to Bourg-en-Bresse 8:30am to 11:30am: LIVE Daily Coverage 12:00pm to 2:00pm: Race Action Replay 2:30pm to 4:30pm: Race Action Replay 5:00pm to 7:00pm: Race Action Replay 8:00pm to 11:00pm: Expanded Primetime Coverage 12:00am to 3:00am: Race Action Replay |
Stage 16: Wednesday, July 25, 2007 Orthez to Gourette - Col d'Aubisque 6:30am to 11:30am: LIVE Daily Coverage 12:00pm to 2:00pm: Race Action Replay 2:30pm to 4:30pm: Race Action Replay 5:00pm to 7:00pm: Race Action Replay 8:00pm to 11:00pm: Expanded Primetime Coverage 12:00am to 3:00am: Race Action Replay |
| Stage 7: Saturday, July 14, 2007 Bourg-en-Bresse to Le-Grand-Bornard 7:30am to 11:30am: LIVE Daily Coverage 12:00pm to 2:00pm: Race Action Replay 2:30pm to 4:30pm: Race Action Replay 5:00pm to 7:00pm: Race Action Replay 8:00pm to 11:00pm: Expanded Primetime Coverage 12:00am to 3:00am: Race Action Replay |
Stage 17: Thursday, July 26, 2007 Pau to Castelsarrasin 8:30am to 11:30am: LIVE Daily Coverage 12:00pm to 2:00pm: Race Action Replay 2:30pm to 4:30pm: Race Action Replay 5:00pm to 7:00pm: Race Action Replay 8:00pm to 11:00pm: Expanded Primetime Coverage 12:00am to 3:00am: Race Action Replay |
| Stage 8: Sunday, July 15, 2007 Le-Grand-Bornard to Tignes 7:00am to 11:30am: LIVE Daily Coverage 8:00pm to 11:00pm: Expanded Primetime Coverage 12:00am to 3:00am: Race Action Replay |
Stage 18: Friday, July 27, 2007 Cahors to Angouleme 8:30am to 11:30am: LIVE Daily Coverage 12:00pm to 2:00pm: Race Action Replay 2:30pm to 4:30pm: Race Action Replay 5:00pm to 7:00pm: Race Action Replay 8:00pm to 11:00pm: Expanded Primetime Coverage 12:00am to 3:00am: Race Action Replay |
| Rest Day: Monday, July 16, 2007 Le-Grand-Bornard to Tignes 8:30am to 11:30am: Re-air of Stage 8 Race Coverage 12:00pm to 2:00pm: Re-air of Stage 8 Race Coverage 2:30pm to 4:30pm: Re-air of Stage 8 Race Coverage 5:00pm to 7:00pm: Re-air of Stage 8 Race Coverage 8:00pm to 10:30pm: Tour Recap Special 12:00am to 2:30am: Tour Recap Special |
Stage 19: Saturday, July 28, 2007 Cognac to Angouleme 8:00am to 11:30am: LIVE Daily Coverage 12:00pm to 2:00pm: Race Action Replay 2:30pm to 4:30pm: Race Action Replay 5:00pm to 7:00pm: Race Action Replay 8:00pm to 11:00pm: Expanded Primetime Coverage 12:00am to 3:00am: Race Action Replay |
| Stage 9: Tuesday, July 17, 2007 Val-d'Isere to Briancon 7:30am to 11:30am: LIVE Daily Coverage 12:00pm to 2:00pm: Race Action Replay 2:30pm to 4:30pm: Race Action Replay 5:00pm to 7:00pm: Race Action Replay 8:00pm to 11:00pm: Expanded Primetime Coverage 12:00am to 3:00am: Race Action Replay |
Stage 20: Sunday, July 29, 2007 Antony-Parc De Sceaux to Paris Champs-Elysees 7:30am to 12:00pm: LIVE Daily Coverage 8:00pm to 11:00pm: Expanded Primetime Coverage 12:00am to 3:00am: Race Action Replay |
| Stage 10: Wednesday, July 18, 2007 Tallard to Marseille 8:30am to 11:30am: LIVE Daily Coverage 12:00pm to 2:00pm: Race Action Replay 2:30pm to 4:30pm: Race Action Replay 5:00pm to 7:00pm: Race Action Replay 8:00pm to 11:00pm: Expanded Primetime Coverage 12:00am to 3:00am: Race Action Replay |
Click here for complete VERSUS TV listings.
Di Luca heads to beach
Danilo Di Luca is packing his bags and heading on vacation.
The recently crowned Giro d'Italia champion says the Tour de France won't be part of his summer plans.
"I am going on vacation. I won't race the Tour," Di Luca said after winning his first Giro on Sunday. "I also won Liège-Bastogne-Liège and I've been racing at a high level for a long time. I need a break. I will skip the Tour and prepare for the world championships."
Di Luca, 31, said his next major goal will be the 2007 world championships in Germany. Last year, Di Luca raced and won a stage at the Vuelta a España ahead of the Salzburg world's. So far he hasn't indicated whether he'd race the Spanish tour or not.
Other Giro protagonists have different plans for July. Fourth-place finisher Gilberto Simoni (Saunier Duval-Prodir) will not be starting the Tour, either. Neither will be surprise runner-up Andy Schleck (CSC) while Damiano Cunego (Lampre-Fondital) has entirely ruled out a Tour start, though he's indicated he'll likely skip the French race this year but target the 2008 Tour as his main goal for the season.
Third-place finisher Eddy Mazzoleni (Astana) will return to his role as gregario for team captains Alexandre Vinokourov and Andreas Klöden. Paolo Savoldelli, winner of the final time trial, is also Tour-bound to help the Astana captains. Iban Mayo, winner of stage 19, enters the Tour as Saunier Duval's top GC hope.
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