Tour de France 2011

Armstrong gets random dope test, summons

www.cyclingnews.com | French government random dope control tests one rider: Lance Armstrong

Six time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong submitted blood and urine samples to the French Ministry of Youth and Sport Friday afternoon, as the “random” selection apparently selected the defending champion.

Tim Maloney at cyclingnews.com quotes unnamed sources that the test today was Armstrong's sixth out-of-competition drug check this season.

Meanwhile, Armstrong has been summoned to appear in Paris next year in a defamation proceeding brought by Filippo Simeoni when Armstrong called Simeoni an "absolute liar." Armstrong was defending longtime adviser Dr. Michele Ferrari, who Simeoni claimed had provided him with and taught him how to use performance-enhancing drugs.

Ferrari was convicted in October 2004 of sports fraud and illegally acting as a pharmacist, but acquitted on charges he distributed doping products. At least officially, Armstrong ended his relationship with Ferrari after the trial; I say officially because Dan Coyle has reported that Ferrari was spotted in Girona in March.

Armstrong also appeared in March before an Italian magistrate considering investigating whether Armstrong tried to get Simeoni removed from the Domina Vacanze team.

Bertogliati replacing Cuesta

L'EQUIPE.FR | Bertogliati remplace Cuesta (in French) | Weak Google translation

L'Equipe reports that Saunier Duval-Prodir will be replacing Spain's Inigo Cuesta with Switzerland's Rubens Bertogliati on their Tour de France squad. Bertogliati won the Tour prologue in 2002, which put him in the maillot jaune for two days.

I haven't seen any specifics on Cuesta's malady; I'll keep looking.

McGee: Stage 1 “plays into my hands”

BBC SPORT | McGee bids to upstage Armstrong

Bradley McGee thinks he's going to be wearing yellow Saturday night.

"With my track experience, the route plays into my hands better than anyone's," McGee told BBC Sport.

"I'll be backing myself over anyone, Armstrong included, to be on top come the close on Saturday."

Given the course profile over the first few days, it's likely that anyone who gets a gap on the sprinters with the best time-trial skills (Thor Hushovd comes to mind) will hold onto the race lead for a while.

Armstrong, meanwhile, described the time trial as "strange".

And the American, who this year is bidding for a seventh Tour win, added: "Although it's only 19km long, it's straight into a headwind so it feels more like 25-30km in terms of distance.

"It's fairly basic but, sure, we'll be going for it to put a marker down."

Bike race or demo derby? Ullrich suffers minor pre-Tour crash

Yahoo! Sports | Ullrich in car crash, not seriously injured

Reuters reports that Jan Ullrich suffered "cuts and bruises" Friday when he crashed into the back of his directeur sportif's car.

Ullrich was following Mario Kummmer when Kummer had to hit the brakes. Ullrich went into the back window of the car, smashing it and cutting Ullrich "near the throat."

Update: VeloNews has posted a photo gallery by Casey Gibson, featuring the photo at right of Ullrich with bandage. As always, you can click through the photos here to be taken to their original source.

NY Times profiles Tom Danielson

nytimes.com | Searching for a Gear to Be Like Armstrong

Tom Danielson @ Tour de Georgia 2005

Andrew Hood offers a profile of Discovery Channel's Tom Danielson, not riding this year's Tour but likely to feature on the Disco Vuelta team.

Danielson, at 27, is almost certainly the best pure climber among American racers, and got some face time in the press when he won April's Tour de Georgia, largely on the strength of a win in Stage 6, finishing atop Brasstown Bald, the highest peak in Georgia.

It's great what people say, but the legs have to do the talking," Danielson said in a recent telephone interview. "You can have the engine to maybe win the Tour some day, but you've got to have the head and the work ethic to make it happen."

T-Mobile signs Patrik Sinkewitz

Eurosport | Sinkewitz makes T-Mobile switch

Quick Step's Patrik Sinkewitz, winner of the 2004 Tour of Germany, has signed with T-Mobile for 2006, joining Australia's Michael Rogers, also currently with Quick Step, on the German team.

Sinkewitz is a rider to watch in the young rider's white jersey competition this year.