Tour de France 2011

Landis loses final appeal

trust but verify | Requiem for a Champion

No one has done a better job following the Floyd Landis case than David Brower, Bill Hue, and a gaggle of interested commenters and guest posters over at Trust But Verify. Today, with the announcement that Floyd Landis has lost his final appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Switzerland, Hue offers a fitting coda to the Landis circus:

Floyd is my hero because in the face of the biggest travesties of “justice” I have ever seen, he stood proud, determined, true to himself and his family and did not bow to those who define “the game” by making its rules, prosecuting those deemed to violate those rules and then stack the deck with those responsible to judge those “violations”. He made them work for it and we are all the beneficiaries of his efforts even though he ultimately derived no benefit, whatsoever.

I go back and forth on the ultimate question of Floyd's guilt or innocence, but I absolutely agree that the rush by organizers and WADA to be tougher and tougher on drugs has trampled the ideals of fair play, sportsmanship, and athletes' rights. It's unfortunate the riders don't have the leverage to create something akin to the major league baseball players' union.

Landis was also ordered to pay $100,000 toward the US Anti-Doping Agency's legal costs. He is eligible to return to racing in January 2009, just in time for the Tour of California, but I believe (correct me if I'm wrong) he would be subject to the no-UCI-teams-for-2-additional-years proviso (assuming there's still a UCI in 2009).

Also:

Court of Arbitration for Sport: Bulletin | Full decision (.pdf file)

VeloNews | Floyd Landis loses CAS appeal

PodiumCafe | Landis Appeal Decision Open Thread

Landis loses appeal, stripped of title

SI.com | Landis must forfeit title after losing doping appeal

Floyd Landis, who won the 2006 Tour de France with a stunning Stage 17 solo victory, has lost his appeal of a positive doping finding.

Immediately after last year's Tour, Landis was accused of cheating when a urine test suggested Landis had an elevated ratio of epitestosterone-to-testosterone, which should normally be approximately equal. Landis has fought the charge, and still has the option of appealing to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, Switzerland.

The three-man panel found that the Chatenay-Malabry lab near Paris mishandled Landis's sample, but 2 of 3 panelists felt that a follow-up test with a mass spectrometer was convincing evidence that Landis had used synthetic testosterone. Chris Campbell, who was named by the Landis team and also dissented in the Tyler Hamilton case, was the dissenting voice. “The documents supplied by LNDD are so filled with errors that they do not support an Adverse Analytical Finding. Mr. Landis should be found innocent.”

Pat McQuaid:

“It's not a great surprise considering how events have evolved. He got a highly qualified legal team who tried to baffle everybody with science and public relations. And in the end the facts stood up.”

Right -- we wouldn't want to get science mixed up in all this.

TrustButVerify notes that the suspension is to run through January 29, 2009, which, to me, seems a bit punitive, given that Landis has not competed since the end of July, 2006.

CyclingNews quotes Pat McQuaid that Pereiro will inherit the 2006 Tour title, but I don't think, given the state of relations between the ASO and the UCI, I would take that to the bank. We've already got a Tour without a winner, the 1996 edition, since Bjarne Riis admitted to doping during that Tour. I'm sure the ASO will weigh in shortly.

Also:

USADA | Arbitration Ruling: Floyd Landis AAA Decision (84-page PDF)

USADA | Arbitration Ruling: Floyd Landis Dissent (26-page PDF)

USADA | Floyd Landis Receives Two-Year Suspension For Doping During the 2006 Tour de France (2-page PDF)

cyclingnews.com | Landis' appeal denied, two year suspension levied

VeloNews.com | Breaking news: Landis loses

Landis kicks off "Positively False" book tour

FloydLandis.com | Book Events

Last year's Tour winner, Floyd Landis, is kicking off a book tour, promoting his new book, Positively False, with a book signing in Bryant Park in New York City today. Landis will be interviewed by John Eustice from 12:30 to 1:45 p.m. at the Bryant Park Reading Room.

In the next 3 weeks or so, Landis will visit Lancaster and Philadelphia, PA; Washington, DC; Chicago; Seattle; and Sacramento, San Francisco, Thousand Oaks, Los Angeles, Pasadena, and Riverside, CA, in addition to the 3 New York City-area locations.

Landis is awaiting results of his hearing in front of a US Anti-Doping Agency panel, after returning a high testosterone-to-epitestosterone ratio during last year's Tour.

Landis wins delay of AFLD hearing

SI.com | Anti-doping agency delays Landis decision

Floyd Landis, facing doping hearings from both the US Anti-Doping Agency and the French equivalent, AFLD, traded a promise not to race in France this year for a 4-month delay in the French hearing.

Landis faces a 2-year suspension from racing if he cannot explain a urine test that found an elevated testosterone-to-epitestosterone during the 2006 Tour de France, which Landis won. The AFLD will revisit the Landis case in late June, after the USADA hearing, which is now scheduled to begin May 14th.

It seems a small concession from Landis, who has no team contract and can't race until the USADA decision, but his statement specifically rules out any chance he will race in the 2007 Tour de France.

"He understood perfectly that if he didn't act today, we would start the procedure immediately," [AFLD president Pierre] Bordry said. "We will let Landis defend himself as he wishes before the USADA."

Photo by Flickr user Blind Robert, from a Floyd Fairness Fund fundraiser at Brooklyn Brewery last night. Click through for more.

Also:

IHT.com | Cycling: Landis will skip Tour de France

TrustButVerify | Thursday Roundup

Includes a translation of the full AFLD statement.

Landis lab admits "administrative" error

ESPN.com | Report: Anti-doping lab erred in Landis B sample report

IMG_1261,
originally uploaded by cjammet.

The Chatenay-Malabry lab that initiated doping findings against 2006 Tour de France winner Floyd Landis admitted today (in Le Monde, in French) that its report on Landis's B-sample includes the wrong number for the sample tested.

Landis and his team have pointed out that the sample Landis provided was labeled 995474. In the report, the lab referred to the tested B sample as number 994474. The Landis team suggests this "has to make you wonder about the accuracy of the work."

The lab, for its part, says the sample tested was Floyd's.

"The error, of an administrative nature, does not mean the positive B sample was not that of the American," Le Monde said. "But it is being used today by his lawyers ... to contest his positive doping results."

Meanwhile, Landis spokesman Michael Henson says no one working for Landis was involved in the hacking of the lab's computers and clumsily forged e-mails questioning the lab's abilities.

Henson told Samuel Abt:

"We don't know who would perpetrate this ... We certainly don't know what the source of this incident is.

"We're following the news, but we haven't been contacted by any authorities," Henson continued. "We're not challenging the report, but we need to see details of the investigation."

L'Equipe says Landis implicated in lab hack

Yahoo! Sport | Landis aide suspected of piracy at French drugs lab

Strange things are afoot at the Circle K.

Sunday, Floyd Landis did his first interview since the Tour with French media, appearing on the weekly sports program Stade 2. No real news there — he made the case he's been making in the U.S., but to the French people, and indirectly to the ASO, which will decide whether to strip his 2006 Tour title.

Then, less than 48 hours later, a story appears in L'Equipe (in French) (English story linked above) claiming computer systems at the Chatenay-Malabry lab that tested Tour de France samples this year have been hacked. On top of that, L'Equipe claims investigators are focusing on “an associate” of Landis in the investigation.

The incursion apparently occurred back in September, with e-mails "in poor French" being sent alongside lab documents chosen to make the facility look bad. Lab officials say the documents “were taken out of context,” which means they're not actually false. The head of the French anti-doping agency took the opportunity to lobby for more tax dollars to better hack-proof the lab's computers.

I suspect there's less story here than initially reported. I can't believe that anyone actually involved in the case would first hack into the system, then send badly forged e-mails that included files garnered by the hacking.

Also:

procyling | Landis link to French "hack attack"

Trust But Verify | Tuesday Roundup

TBV offers as much detail as anyone could want on the continuing Floyd farce.

Landis taking the offensive

USAToday.com | Landis lays out probable defense, claims doping lab work was sloppy

Embattled 2006 Tour champion Floyd Landis has shared his defense presentation with USA Today, and plans to post more than 300 pages of his defense to FloydLandis.com this week (Landis has himself said it will go up on Thursday).

Sal Ruibal of USA Today says the Landis testimony claims the WADA lab test showed inconsistent numbers, with the original number being covered by correction fluid and the number for Landis filled in. This would appear to contravene WADA procedures, which require corrections to be struck through and initialed.

Landis also maintains that only one of four testosterone metabolites were above acceptable levels, and that all four must be to support a positive doping finding.

Loads more at TrustButVerify, including links to comments by Landis at DailyPeloton's forums.

Landis makes his case at Vuelta

VeloNews | Landis visits Vuelta, maintains innocence

Embattled Tour winner Floyd Landis took the charm offensive to Europe on Sunday, visiting the final stage of the Vuelta a España in Madrid.

Landis told journalists he is confident he will be exonerated after a high testosterone-epitestosterone ratio turned up in his drug test after an epic Stage 17 ride at the Tour de France.

“The Tour's doping tests are full of irregularities,” said Landis. “I'm innocent and I think my lawyers are going to be able to prove it, though they've had lots of difficulties gathering information.”

“I've come to talk with my lawyers and to also say goodbye to my teammates at Phonak because after the Tour I just didn't have time to do so,” he said.

Tour drug test results: 13 positives, 12 had medical exemptions

Reuters | 13 riders tested positive during Tour de France, 12 exempted

Final doping results are in form this year's Tour, and 13 riders actually tested positive for one banned substance or another during 19 tests.

Twelve of those riders won't be disciplined because they had “Therapeutic Use Exemptions,” representing medical permission to use a substance that would otherwise be on the banned list. Phonak's Floyd Landis, who won the Tour, faces suspension and loss of his title as the 13th rider.

The results point up how many riders have exemptions (Landis also had one during this year's Tour, for cortisone, used to treat his decaying hip), and the possibility that at least some of them are not strictly necessary. Out of 105 riders tested at some point during the Tour, 60 percent had a medical exemption for at least one banned substance.

Speaking of Landis, Trust but Verify is keeping up with almost all the news about his case, and doing a great job of it. You'll also pick up facts like “Billiards is the dirtiest of all sports” from it.

Tour 2006 mashup video on YouTube

YouTube | Tour de France 2006

YouTube user "monoloque" has posted a mashup video featuring OLN video from the Tour, historic Tour video, still images from the race and news coverage, and music by Kraftwerk into a 6.5-minute video about the 2006 Tour.

I think it's fair to say he's got an opinion on the Landis case. Whether you believe Landis or not, this is a nice collection.

Landis responds to Phonak shutdown

FloydLandis.com | An Open Letter to the Phonak Professional Cycling Team

Floyd Landis has responded to the end of the Phonak team with an open letter on his website.

Landis thanks his team and praises team owner Andy Rihs for his commitment to the squad “despite the struggles you've faced in the past.”

While the recent allegations against me hurt us all, I respect the fact that the Phonak team must follow its own rules and charter under these circumstances. I just wish that all the parties involved would do the same. Despite this, I will not relent on my pursuit of the truth. I will not shy away from this fight.

Most of all, I understand that this situation impacts families and friends other than my own. It affects the businesses and sponsors that support cycling as well as the sport itself. It is for this reason that I am determined to show that I followed the rules and won fairly and cleanly. There is a greater integrity at stake here than just my own.

The signature? “Floyd Landis, 2006 Tour de France Champion.”

Your Friday Landis update

WSJ.com | The Numbers Guy: More on the Landis Controversy

The Wall Street Journal's “Numbers Guy,” Carl Bialik, looks at some of the technical issues around the Landis positive: the low epitestosterone level, Landis's other Tour samples, the rate of metabolism for synthetic testosterone, and the chance of a lab error.

As Bialik says, “the numbers don't bode well for Mr. Landis.”

Also, just like Saul Raisin here in Atlanta, Landis will be traveling to Chicago this weekend to make a public appearance and sign autographs, as reportedly is Christian Vande Velde, at the opening of a new “multi-sport training facility” called Vision Quest, associated with Landis coach Robbie Ventura. Not scheduled to appear is Matthew Modine.

Landis regroups, hits US media

USATODAY.com | Landis fires back at cycling hierachy

Reigning (but for how long) Tour winner Floyd Landis did the media circuit this morning, appearing from Los Angeles with Robin Roberts at ABC's Good Morning America, as well as the Today Show, CNN, ESPN, and CBS.

The first shot of his campaign was an interview with Sal Ruibal, linked above, where Landis claimed the UCI and WADA have been very slow to provide him with information on his positive tests.

“I just got the information on the 'A' sample a day and half ago,” he said. “I had to find out about the 'B' from reading it in the media.”

Landis emphasized to Ruibal and Roberts that he regrets talking to the media immediately, speculating on possible reasons for a test whose actual results he hadn't yet seen:

“I've been catching a lot of grief in the press: ‘Floyd has a new excuse, a new reason for what happened.’ This is a situation where I'm forced to defend myself in the media. It would never have happened if UCI and WADA had followed their own rules,” Landis said.

“There's some kind of agenda there,” he said wearily. “I just don't know what it is.”

Landis has scheduled his hip surgery for about 2 weeks from now, and looks likely to combine recuperation, preparation, and adjudication, as he will face a USADA hearing in the next month or so.

Also:

The Valley News | Murrieta welcomes home Tour de France champ

Murrieta mayor Kelly Seyarto says “We are not in a position to make a judgment one way or the other,” and that the city plans to honor Landis “more officially.”

Landis B-sample positive: Fired by Phonak, likely to lose Tour title

globeandmail.com | Landis backup test confirms finding

Presumptive 2006 Tour winner Floyd Landis was fired by Phonak today after the test of his B-sample came back positive for a high testosterone-to-epitestosterone ratio.

Christian Prudhomme, the director of the Tour, said “It goes without saying that for us Floyd Landis is no longer the winner of the 2006 Tour de France.” ASO cannot unilaterally strip Landis of the title, but must wait for the UCI to name Oscar Pereiro the Tour champion, as Denis Menchov inherited the 2005 Vuelta a España title.

Landis repeated his assertions that he is innocent, and that he'll contest the results in any way available:

“I will fight these charges with the same determination and intensity that I bring to my training and racing. It is now my goal to clear my name and restore what I worked so hard to achieve.”

Phonak offered a short statement outlining the dismissal, and saying Landis's defense is now “his personal affair.” The team promises a press conference “in the next couple of days.”

Also:

cyclingnews.com | Landis' counsel issues statement on B sample finding

Landis speaks: Denies doping

SI.com | Austin Murphy: Landis denies doping allegations

Floyd Landis, seemingly the invisible man since the UCI said a rider had tested positive during this year's Tour, has spoken to SI.com's Austin Murphy.

Landis says he's a realist, and “can't be hopeful” that the B sample will measure differently from the A. Landis says he'll work with Spanish doctor Luis Hernandez, who has defended other riders in high testosterone cases, all successfully.

Landis offers two possible contributors to the positive: the cortisone treatment we've all heard about, and a thyroid condition he says has led him to take a daily dose of thyroid hormone.

I note that, as of 4:36, BelieveFloyd.com has been registered and parked. CafePress t-shirts can't be far behind.

Landis reaction from around the web

King Kaufman's Sports Daily | Tour de France shocker

Salon's daily sports columnist King Kaufman quotes John Eustis, interviewed on ESPN's Dan Patrick show, and noting that every rider who has contested the testosterone test has prevailed. Eustis also claimed that Landis's testosterone levels were low, but the ratio of testosterone to epitestosterone was above 4:1, the new “positive” level this year.

Cortisone use (approved for use on Landis's hip) can reportedly raise testosterone levels, as can alcohol.

BBC Sport talked to Greg Lemond, who's apparently not in the “wait for the b-sample” crowd:

“I'm devastated and extremely disapointed,” he said. “I can't imagine the disappointment for Floyd and his family. I really did believe Floyd was clean.

”The problem is the sport is corrupt and it corrupts everybody. I still believe it was one of the cleanest Tours ever. But is it 100 percent clean? No.

“You will always find riders who transgress the laws. I really did believe Floyd was not among them, that he was clean. Hopefully, he will be able to tell the truth.”

Some links suggested by my amazingly astute readers:

Gladwell.com | Drugstore Athlete

Especially section 3, which addresses testosterone testing in sports.

American Statistical Association | Inferences about Testosterone Abuse among Athletes

An academic paper about the likelihood of false positives, particularly given the new 4:1 “presumption of guilt” value.

SI.com has an AP story that includes quotes from Arlene Landis, Floyd's mother:

Arlene Landis, his mother, said Thursday that she wouldn't blame her son if he was taking medication to treat the pain in his injured hip, but “if it's something worse than that, then he doesn't deserve to win.”

“I didn't talk to him since that hit the fan, but I'm keeping things even keel until I know what the facts are,” she said in a phone interview from her home in Farmersville, Pa. “I know that this is a temptation to every rider but I'm not going to jump to conclusions ... It disappoints me.”

CBS Sportsline | Landis' mom defends Floyd against doping allegations

Later comments from Mrs. L: “My opinion is when he comes on top of this, everyone will think so much more of him. So that's what valleys are for, right?”

NPR.org | Talk of the Nation: Tour de France Winner Caught in Doping Scandal

Audio should be available around 6 p.m., but a reader who heard the report says Pelkey believes Landis tested around 11:1 testosterone:epitestosterone, but did so because his normal testosterone level dwarfed a very low epitestosterone level.

German network ZDF suggests they may drop the Tour, and that a positive dope test for the maillot jaune might seal the deal:

“We signed a broadcasting contract for a sporting event, not a show demonstrating the performances of the pharmaceutical industry,” ZDF editor-in-chief Nikolaus Brender said.

Landis over threshold for testosterone at Tour

CyclingNews.com | Phonak confirms Landis positive

The Phonak team confirms that their Tour de France champion Floyd Landis is the rider whose A-sample tested positive.

Intense speculation had focused on Landis, after it was announced that the test was taken after Stage 17, his epic breakaway to Morzine. Contrary to a couple of reports, the test was positive not for stimulants, but for a too-high ratio of testosterone to epitestosterone.

The team website is unresponsive, but CyclingNews quotes a statement by the team:

“The team management and the rider were both totally surprised of this physiological result.

”The rider will ask in the upcoming days for the counter analysis to prove either that this result is coming from a natural process or that this is resulting from a mistake in the confirmation. In application of the Pro Tour Ethical Code, the rider will not race anymore until this problem is totally clear.

“If the result of the B sample analysis confirms the result of the A sample, the rider will be dismissed and will then pass the corresponding endocrinological examinations.”

Spanish investigators allege that testosterone patches were commonly prescribed by Dr. Eufemiano Fuentes, at the center of the Operación Puerto investigation.

More on positive Tour rider

TimesOnline | New drugs revelation set to rock Tour to its foundations

Jeremy Whittle reports for the Times of London that the rider who tested positive at the Tour is a “high-profile rider” who tested above the allowed threshold for testosterone, and did so after Stage 17, the stage to Morzine won by Floyd Landis after his 130-kilometer breakaway.

Whittle quotes UCI president Pat McQuaid, who refused to name the rider:

“I will say that I am extremely angry and feel very let down by this,” McQuaid said. “The credibility of the sport is at stake. The rider, his federation and his team have been informed of the situation.”

The Tour organization performs daily tests for the stage winner (Landis), the race leader (Oscar Pereiro on that day), and a random selection of 6-8 riders. Additionally, 2-3 teams are sometimes chosen randomly to be tested before a day's stage, but this positive is apparently a post-stage sample.

How many riders could put “the credibility of the sport” at stake? Landis, of course, Pereiro probably, Klöden I suppose -- he did make the podium, and precious few others.

Landis reportedly skipped a scheduled criterium appearance Wednesday; Whittle notes this and that neither Landis nor director Lelangue could be reached for comment, but says nothing about Pereiro.

On the other hand, the Providence Journal has an AP story that says that, while the UCI said the rider's national federation has been notified, USA Cycling spokesman Andy Lee said the organization has not been contacted, while the US Anti-Doping Agency's spokeswoman offered a “no comment.”

Update 7/27 8 a.m.

Procycling quotes Danish newspaper Ekstra Bladet that the product involved was a stimulant, and that the federations for the US, France, Spain, and Italy have all denied the rider is registered with them. CSC has also said it was not one of their riders.

The organizer of the Acht van Chaam criterium in Holland, upset that Landis pulled out of the event without an explanation, has been unable to reach Landis or Phonak manager Lelangue.

Update 7/27 9:45 a.m.

VeloNews offers a good summary, adding that AFP has reported that the German federation was not contacted, excluding Klöden, and that Landis is scheduled to appear on The Tonight Show on Friday.

Also, I neglected a quote from Pat McQuaid mentioned in the Procycling story above: TuttoBiciWeb, an Italian website quotes the UCI president calling it “The worst scenario possible” (actually il peggior scenario possibile, since the site's in Italian).

One positive at Tour, ID awaits b-sample

globeandmail.com | Unidentified rider tested positive at Tour de France

The UCI announced that one rider tested positive during the Tour. The rider's ID, team, nationality and what he tested positive for will all be withheld pending tests on the rider's b-sample.

The same thing happened last year, and no action was taken against the rider, who tested positive for pseudoephedrine.

Vansevenant takes the Lanterne Rouge

IHT.com | In slow motion, an epic battle is lost at last

Samuel Abt profiles Wim Vansevenant and Jimmy Casper, the Stage 1 winner who has twice been the lanterne rouge, or last-placed rider in the Tour. The two were head-to-head yesterday, as Vansevenant finished 11:26 back, in 131st, but Casper topped (bottomed?) him, 138th at 13:37, closing the gap to only 16 seconds.

Vansevenant got some bonus time at the day's second sprint, but he still managed to finish 138th (out of 139) today, losing another 1:54 on the day to cement his hold on the 2006 Tour's lanterne rouge.

Vansevenant finished 4:02:01 behind Floyd Landis.

“Lanterne rouge is not a position you go for,” Vansevenant said. “It comes for you.”

Also:

Tour de France Lanterne Rouge weblog

Hushovd adds Paris to Strasbourg; Landis triumphs

A late escape attempt by Discovery Channel may have overcooked Robbie McEwen, as Credit Agricole's Thor Hushovd easily outsprinted Davitamon-Lotto's sprint king to take the final stage of the 2006 Tour de France. CSC's Stuart O'Grady, recovering from a fractured spine suffered early in the race, took 3rd on the day.

Hushovd completed an unusual set of bookends, winning the Prologue time trial 3 weeks ago yesterday and now taking the final stage into Paris.

Floyd Landis stayed near the front early and stayed out of the dicey sprint at the end to nail down his first-ever Tour de France victory, finishing 69th on the day, 8 seconds behind Hushovd. It's the 8th straight US win of the race, after Lance Armstrong's 7 consecutive wins.

McEwen can take some solace from his 3rd green jersey win, resulting from his 3 stage wins.

Michael Rasmussen's tremendous breakaway win to La Toussuire, overshadowed by Landis's attack the following day, shot him to the lead, and the overall win, in the climber's polka-dot jersey competition.

Damiano Cunego, already a winner of the Giro d'Italia, takes the best young rider's white jersey, just 38 seconds ahead of Marcus Fothen of Gerolsteiner. The pair were about 90 minutes ahead of the next competitor in the under-25 competition.

Saunier Duval's David de la Fuente, the climbing jersey leader until Rasmussen's big day out front, takes the overall “most combative rider” prize.

Landis took his final yellow jersey of the Tour with his daughter Ryan on the podium.

Post-race interview with Frankie Andreu: Landis says, “Right now, I have no intention of switching teams.” Leaves a little wiggle room, but sounds like the iShares team (as Phonak will be called next year) has its Tour captain for 2007.

Top 10:
1) Thor Hushovd, Credit Agricole, Norway, in 3:56:52
2) Robbie McEwen, Davitamon-Lotto, Australia, same time
3) Stuart O'Grady, CSC, Australia, s.t.
4) Erik Zabel, Milram, Germany, s.t.
5) Luca Paolini, Liquigas, Italy, s.t.
6) Samuel Dumoulin, AG2R, France, s.t.
7) Bernhard Eisel, Française des Jeux, Austria, s.t.
8) Anthony Geslin, Bouyges Telecom, France, s.t.
9) Alessandro Ballan, Lampre, Italy, s.t.
10) Peter Wrolich, Gerolsteiner, Austria, s.t.
Stage results

Overall:
1) Floyd Landis, Phonak, USA, in 89:39:30
2) Oscar Pereiro, Caisse d'Epargne, Spain, at :57
3) Andreas Klöden, T-Mobile, Germany, at 1:29
4) Carlos Sastre, CSC, Spain, at 3:13
5) Cadel Evans, Davitamon-Lotto, Australia, at 5:08
6) Denis Menchov, Rabobank, Russia, at 7:06
7) Cyril Dessel, AG2R, France, at 8:41
8) Christophe Moreau, AG2R, France, at 9:37
9) Haimar Zubeldia, Euskaltel-Euskadi, Spain, at 12:05
10) Michael Rogers, T-Mobile, Australia, at 15:07
Final overall standings

Stage 19 ITT photo galleries

Honchar strikes, Cunego surprises, Pereiro survives, Landis speaks, from Stage 19 photo gallery, by Caroline Yang.

Ekimov rocks the TT, Klöden claws back to the podium, and Landis is back in yellow, from Stage 19 photo gallery by Graham Watson.

Also:

CyclingNews.com | Stage 19 photo gallery

Commuter Challenge with a "Landis"

The latest commuter challenge occurred Friday and included a "landis." I was just spinning along and a commuter rode up to me, said, "something, something Landis" and then accelerated off never to be seen again. Normally, I'd see a commuter again at a light, train crossing, or on the trail, but not on that day. He pretty much time-trialed Landis style to work and dropped me. I hope he set a record time for that effort and I'm sure a lasting legacy of this year's tour will be everyone wanting to ride (or commute) like Landis.

To all the Bike Huggers

When Frank and I were first discussing Bike Hugger, nearly a year ago, we planned on launching it in time for the Tour, STP, and the summer cycling season. That all went well and according to plan, but we didn't expect such a great response and for the blog to find an audience so quickly. I've published lots of blogs for clients and my own projects, even wrote a book about blogging, and have never had readers write demanding schwag! In response, we're rushing shirts and more into print.

So to Frank and all the fellow Bike Huggers, big props and thanks. There'll be even more Bike Hugger going into the Fall and next season, including a sponsored women's cycling team, socks, stickers, and maybe a whole line. We'll be discussing all that, the world's most amazing ride, this year's tour, and more over coffee and on rides.

Stage 20 on the road

For the first and only time this Tour, OLN's “Pre-Race Coverage” actually starts before today's stage. There are two 4th-Category “climbs” on the day, but they'll have no impact on the climber's jersey race, which will be won by Rabobank's Michael Rasmussen. Similarly, there are two intermediate sprint lines and bonus points at the stage finish, but they'll have no impact on the sprinter's jersey race, to be won for a 3rd time by Davitamon-Lotto's Robbie McEwen. French champion Florent Brard of Caisse d'Epargne couldn't start this morning after breaking his hand during yesterday's time trial. Robbie Hunter of Phonak also doesn't start, as he finished outside the time limit yesterday. That means 139 riders start Stage 19. As retiring Tour director Jean-Marie LeBlanc signals the end of the neutral zone, Landis and Pereiro ride side-by-side. White jersey Damiano Cunego rides just behind, next to Viatcheslav Ekimov, today finishing his 15th Tour de France. Fifteen starts, fifteen finishes. Robbie McEwen in the green jersey rides at the field's left front with Michael Rasmussen. Photos all around, as riders and the journalists get photos of all the jersey leaders. Landis poses with the obligatory flute of champagne, Phonak poses stretched across the road in front of the field, and riders chat peacefully in the peloton. With 110 kilometers to ride, Michael Rasmussen comes to the head of the Phonak parade, and leads the field over the day's first little climb, to increase his polka-dot jersey lead. He's got 166 points, while Landis teammates Moerenhout and Grabsch are 2nd and 3rd. Some idiot is standing in the middle of the road; the riders smoothly split and go around, but that's the sort of thing that can quickly change the face of the Tour. At the second 4th-Category climb, it's Victor Hugo Peña of Phonak ahead of CSC's Fränk Schleck and Caisse d'Epargne's David Arroyo. With that, the climbing competition is over: Rasmussen 166, Landis 131, David de la Fuente 113. As they approach the first sprint line of the day, Robbie McEwen rides out of the pack on teammate and lanterne rouge Wim Vansevenant's wheel. As they near the line, McEwen pulls alongside, and pushes Vansevenant across the line first. Then McEwen, then Victor Hugo Peña, leading the peloton at the head of the Phonak team. Vansevenant picks up 6 bonus seconds, narrowing the battle for the last-placed rider: he's now only 10 seconds behind Jimmy Caspar of Cofidis. The pace is picking up, and Phonak is leading the peloton to the Champs-Elysees for the 1st circuit. Discovery Channel's Viatcheslav Ekimov comes to the front and leads the field to the Place de la Concorde, in recognition of his 15th Tour finish. He's ridden 36,000 miles in the Tour alone. Eki goes back into the field, and quickly we have our first attack; Bouyges Telecom's Walter Beneteau, pursued by Carlos da Cruz, and quickly absorbed. Next it's a Euskaltel, Aitor Hernandez, and he's got 50 meters. Hernandez leads at the close of the first lap, and is captured. Commesso is off the front with a Saunier Duval, David Millar, who is right in the gutter, 4 inches from the curb. They can't get a good gap and are recaptured. Cunego has flatted! He's off the back. If he loses 36 seconds, he'll lose the white jersey, and he's soloing back. Jens Voigt has attacked off the front, with Fabian Wegmann and Mikel Astarloza; Wegmann leads Astaloza and Voigt over the sprint line. They're caught, but not by the peloton, by about 5 other riders. If they form a group, It's a strong one. Horner is hear, a Discovery -- looks like Popovych -- is here, Johann van Summeren is here. Horner and Van Summeren are disrupting the break as well as they can. Philippe Gilbert, Garcia-Acosta, Reuben Lobato, Christian Knees, are there. Bothcarov, Albasini, and Da Cruz are chasing to the escapees. Cunego is back on the rear of the peloton. Liquigas and Cofidis have missed the move, and they're powering hard at the front of the field, 20 seconds behind the 15-rider break. It was as much as 40 seconds. Gilbert attacks out of the escape, and Chris Horner jumps onto his wheel. They now lead the other escapees by 50+ meters. They're reintegrated. Gerolsteiner's Sebastian Lang flats with 3 laps to ride, and it takes a long time to get a wheel change. Six riders Millar, Astarloza, Chris Horner, Christophe Mengin, Vincente Garcia-Acosta and David Millar lead the race, but are only 9 seconds ahead of the peloton. The rest of that break are back in the field. Padrnos is in a 5-man group chasing, and it's been gobbled by the Liquigas and Cofidis-led pack. As they come through the flamme rouge for 2 laps to go, Astarloza raises the pace, and his breakmates match it, but the field is breathing down their neck. They're captured. Landis is right at the front as they take a 180-degree turn. Française des Jeux leads the pack, and now Davitamon-Lotto comes forward. Discovery is coming up the right side of the pack en masse as they come to the beginning of the final lap of the day. Gonzales of Agritubel is gone up the left side; 1 lap, 6.8 kilometers, less than 4 miles to race. Three DVL riders, a QuickStep and an FDJ push the pace at the front, and Gonzales is reabsorbed. Jens Voigt takes a little dig, but nothing doing. With a half-lap, Flecha tries to go, gets 5 meters, and here comes Ekimov! He's riding them off his wheel. Schleck is behind him; Hincapie and Popovych are just behind. Hincapie and Popovych are off the front! Popovych goes super hard. He's countered by a Liquigas and Calzati. Popovych drops off and the sprinters are coming forward, with 400 meters to go. Zabel follows McEwen, Hushovd goes hard , and Thor Hushovd takes the Prologue and the final stage of the 2006 Tour de France! Incredible sprint by Hushovd, getting maybe 5 meters on McEwen, who takes the green jersey. Floyd Landis finishes safely in the field, and completed his amazing 2006 Tour victory.

Honchar takes ITT, Landis takes the Tour

I'm hesitant to predict anything in this unpredictable Tour, but Floyd Landis will win the 2006 Tour de France.

Ukraine's Sergei Honchar took his 2nd time trial stage win of the Tour, ahead of teammate Andreas Klöden, while overnight 2nd-place rider Carlos Sastre couldn't hang, and dropped to 4th overall.

Overnight yellow jersey Oscar Pereiro did the fleece proud, finishing 4th on the day, ahead of scads of time-trial specialists, to keep 2nd place, only 59 seconds behind Landis, and 30 seconds ahead of Klöden.

But the big story was Landis, who rode his own race, setting the fastest time at the first time check and taking 3rd on the day. He'll be the 3rd American to win the Tour, following 3 by Greg Lemond, and the last 7 by Lance Armstrong.

Damiano Cunego solidified his hold on the white jersey, now 36 seconds ahead of Gerolsteiner's Marcus Fothen, with a 10th-place finish on the day.

T-Mobile, with the top 2 finishers and world time trial champion Michael Rogers in 19th, moves 17:20 ahead of CSC in the team competition, which they'll most likely win for the 3rd straight year.

Top 10:
1) Sergei Honchar, T-Mobile, Ukraine, in 1:07:45
2) Andreas Klödën, T-Mobile, Germany, at :41
3) Floyd Landis, Phonak, USA, at 1:11
4) Oscar Pereiro, Caisse d'Epargne, at 2:40
5) Sebastian Lang, Gerolsteiner, Germany, at 3:18
6) David Zabriskie, CSC, USA, at 3:35
7) Viatcheslav Ekimov, Discovery Channel, Russia, at 3:41
8) Cadel Evans, Davitamon-Lotto, Australia, at 3:41
9) Bert Grabsch, Phonak, Germany, at 3:43
10) Damiano Cunego, Lampre, Italy, at 3:44
Full results

Overall:
1) Floyd Landis, Phonak, USA, in 85:42:30
2) Oscar Pereiro, Caisse d'Epargne, Spain, at :59
3) Andreas Klöden, T-Mobile, Germany, at 1:29
4) Carlos Sastre, CSC, Spain, at 3:13
5) Cadel Evans, Davitamon-Lotto, at 5:08
6) Denis Menchov, Rabobank, Russia, at 7:06
7) Cyril Dessel, AG2R, France, at 8:41
8) Christophe Moreau, AG2R, France, at 9:37
9) Haimar Zubeldia, Euskaltel-Euskadi, Spain, at 12:05
10) Michael Rogers, T-Mobile, Australia, at 15:07
Overall standings

Stage 19 ITT underway

Today, we have the most important Tour time trial of the last 10 years, at least. The only recent TT that comes close is 2003's Stage 19, when Jan Ullrich crashed, allowing a vulnerable Lance Armstrong to take the thinnest Tour victory of his career.

It's 57 kilometers, and Floyd Landis will leave at 10:09 Eastern, 3 minutes before CSC's Carlos Sastre, who will leave 3 minutes before Caisse d'Epargne's Oscar Pereiro. We should get plenty of split-screen action, as Pereiro leads Sastre by only 12 seconds and Landis by only 30 seconds.

One for the old guys early, as Discovery Channel's Viatcheslav Ekimov has come in with the best time of the first 60 riders, at 1:11:26.59.

Second is Landis teammate Bert Grabsch, just 2 seconds behind.

Zabriskie comes through, scorching the 2nd half of the course. He didn't show up in the top 5 at either of the early time checks, he was 3rd at the 3rd time check, and he's 6 seconds faster than Ekimov, at 1:11:20.9. And almost immediately, Gerolsteiner's Sebastian Lang, the 69th finisher, cuts 17 seconds off Zabriskie's time: 1:11:03.83.

Sergei Honchar has beaten Lang's times at TC1 and TC2; 2:07 (!) faster than Lang at the 34-kilometer check.

Hincapie rolls out; 31 riders to go. Out on the course, he fidgets with his computer sensor. He's sporting a new paint scheme on his helmet -- a Flying Tigers-style shark head. Pavel Padrnos has the same, so it's probably a team thing -- promoting Shark Week on the Discovery Channel, perhaps?

David Millar comes in at 1:11:46, 5th for now.

Popovych starts.

Honchar is 3:20 faster than Lang at the 51.5-kilometer time check!

Chavanel comes through TC2 with a tissue stuffed in his left nostril; the commentators think he's had a nosebleed.

Honchar 1:07:45.81! That's likely to be the time to beat.

Phonak's Robbie Hunter, who finished in 1:25:54, will be outside the (fastest time + 25 percent) elimination time.

Michael Rasmussen has set off; he had a catastrophic last time trial last year, falling off, switching bikes, and losing 7:47 to Lance Armstrong.

Marcus Fothen is on the course, looking to retake the young rider's white jersey, currently worn by Damiano Cunego, who sets off next.

Levi Leipheimer is off, wearing the red race numbers awarded to yesterday's most agressive rider.

World time trial champion Michael Rogers is off, and we're down to the Top 10.

Vande Velde comes through TC2 just behind teammate Zabriskie.

Chris Horner finished in 1:16:41, which will be mid-pack.

Chavanel finishes in a respectable 1:12:17.44.

Menchov sets off, currently 6th.

Cadel Evans sets off, looking for the best placing ever in the Tour by an Australian. Phil Anderson twice finished 5th, which is where Evans sits, 39 seconds behind T-Mobile's Andreas Klöden, who sets off 3 minutes behind him.

Hincapie finishes in 1:13:15. Cunego has actually been faster than Fothen at TC1, coming through 4 seconds slower than Lang. Is he going too hard early?

Landis is waiting in the start house. No smiles this morning. Karpets 1:12:42.

Landis is out. Looks smooth. Sastre rolls, as Pereiro waits just behind.

Sastre looks tentative to me -- he's staying up on the brake hoods on sections where Landis was on his aerobars.

Pereiro is rolling. Everyone is on the course or done now.

Vande Velde finishes in 1:12:37.44. That will factor in to the CSC/T-Mobile battle for the team competition.

Klöden is only 10 seconds slower than Honchar at the 1st time check! Landis is faster still! He's 2 seconds faster than Honchar at TC1, 19:45.

Sastre is 1:05 slower than Landis at TC1! Pereiro is the only one left, and he comes through only 10 seconds slower than Landis; that's an amazing time for Pereiro after 16kms of 57 today.

Cunego likes that white jersey; at TC3, he's 5 seconds slower than Zabriskie, and 35 seconds faster than Fothen.

The split screen view has Landis and Pereiro sitting equal on the road now, with Landis 4 minutes shy of Time Check 2.

Evans hits TC2 in 43:34; Klöden hits it in 41:52.9 behind only Honchar so far.

Landis is losing time to Honchar: 41:45.9 at the 2nd time check.

Sastre is riding off the podium: He hits TC2 in 44:05. Klöden is already 2 minutes faster than that.

Pereiro: 42.42:50 -- Landis is the leader on the road!

T-Mobile's Rogers comes through the finish in 1:12:20.72. Looks like T-Mobile will win the team competition.

Landis nears the 3rd time check, at 51.5 kilometers. Pereiro looks like he's hurting on the road. Klöden is closing in on Cadel Evans; he hit TC3 47 seconds behind Honchar 1:03:22 to Honchars 1:02:36. Landis comes in 1:03:43.

Dessel finishes in 1:13:43.57. Menchov comes to the line: 1:12:18.55; he'll go top 20 on the day, maybe top 15.

Klöden catches Evans with about a kilometer to go. He sits way too long in Evans' draft, and sprints to the finish in 1:08:26.17. He didn't catch Honchar, but may be 2nd on the stage.

Landis comes in to the finish; he hits the line in 1:08:56.26, behind Honchar and Klöden.

Sastre hits TC3 in 1:07:02, more than 3:30 behind Klöden. Pereiro clocks 1:05:14. Looks like Pereiro will hold Klöden off for 2nd -- he was faster than Lang, Zabriskie, and Ekimov at TC3.

Sastre comes to the line in 1:12:27.58; he'll be 20th on the day. Here comes Pereiro, gritting his teeth, comes out of the saddle: 1:10:25.19, and that does it: Floyd Landis will win the Tour de France!

Tour viewership down in Germany, France, U.S.

IHT.com | Tour de France takes a hard spill on TV

Turns out the decline in Tour TV ratings this year isn't localized to the United States.

For the first 16 days of the Tour, 23 percent fewer French viewers watched each stage, while in Germany, viewing fell by 43 percent. France in particular has had an outstanding Tour, with 3 stage winners, 2 riders in the top 10, and a remarkable race by French team AG2R. Of course, both countries had teams that went deep into the World Cup, compounding whatever fall-off may have resulted from Operación Puerto.

In the US, as previously reported, viewership has been down by 52 percent, but OLN was expecting a decrease with Lance Armstrong's retirement. Whether the amazing return of Floyd Landis and the crucial time trial tomorrow can turn things around remains to be seen.

Tosatto scores Stage 18 win

A lot of firsts in today's stage: it was Matteo Tosatto's first-ever Tour stage win, the first win of the Tour for an Italian, and the first win for QuickStep, which brought world champion Tom Boonen to the Tour to win some stages and compete for the green jersey. Instead, it was Boonen's lead-out who finally brought the team a stage victory.

Tosatto was part of a 15-man breakaway that included Levi Leipheimer, Dave Zabriskie, and Sylvain Calzati, and which saw its lead on a quiet peloton extend to 8:00 at the finish line. Gerolsteiner's Ronny Scholz and Cofidis's Cristian Moreni escaped to form a trio to the last kilometer. Scholz had nothing left in the finishing sprint, and Tosatto had to attack from the front, but still he held off Moreni to the line.

The stage had very little impact on the yellow jersey race; Leipheimer moves up from 18th to 13th, but still sits 15:01 back of Oscar Pereiro.

Top 10:
1) Matteo Tosatto, QuickStep, Italy, in 4:16:15
2) Cristian Moreni, Cofidis, Italy, same time
3) Ronny Scholz, Gerolsteiner, Germany, s.t.
4) Manuel Quinziato, Liquigas, Italy, at :47
5) Sebastian Hinault, Credit Agricole, France, at 1:03
6) Jerome Pineau, Bouyges Telecom, France, same time
7) Sylvain Calzati, AG2R, France, s.t.
8) Benoit Vaugrenard, Française des Jeux, France, s.t.
9) Inaki Isasi, Euskaltel-Euskadi, Spain, s.t.
10) Egoi Martinez, Discovery Channel, Spain, s.t.
Full results

Overall:
1) Oscar Pereiro, Caisse d'Epargne, Spain, in 84:33:04
2) Carlos Sastre, CSC, Spain, at :12
3) Floyd Landis, Phonak, USA, at :30
4) Andreas Klöden, T-Mobile, Germany, at 2:29
5) Cadel Evans, Davitamon-Lotto, Australia, at 3:08
6) Denis Menchov, Rabobank, Russia, at 4:14
7) Cyril Dessel, AG2R, France, at 4:24
8) Christophe Moreau, AG2R, France, at 5:45
9) Haimar Zubeldia, Euskaltel-Euskadi, Spain, at 8:16
10) Michael Rogers, T-Mobile, Australia, at 12:13
Complete standings

Dude, whoa, Landis

I think lots of cellphone calls went like this yesterday morning, "dude, whoa, DUDE, Landis!" I was getting updates on the train, Pam had coworkers at her desk most of the morning, and Greg (a teammate, and cycling buddy) said his customers were calling him all morning saying things like, "that was OUTLANDIS!"

That incredible ride has the magic of transcending the avid fans to those who only watch it once a year -- I also saw instant messages light up with Landis exclamations. My neighbor was clearly "very excited" by the ride, asking Pam all kinds of questions and during a panel discussion yesterday at Webvisions, it was all I wanted to talk about!

My favorite quote was from Hinault referring to the ride, "I was bad yesterday but I’m the best and I’ll prove that today." It can work, it’s like a Hinault Coup (he's good, cause he was like me!)." And what Floyd said in his press conference, "you better drink some Coke, cause I'm going."

It was the best and most incredible ride I've ever seen. Dude, whoa, Landis!

So, who did you call? Was your phone ringing with Landis calls?

Stage 17 photo galleries

Landis, Sastre, Cunego, by Caroline Yang.

See ya, more water, and Sastre, by Graham Watson.

Also:

BBC Sport | Stage 17 photo gallery

CyclingNews.com | Stage 17 photo gallery

BikeZen.com | Stage 17 photo gallery

Stage 17: the other competitions

No question who today's “Most competitive rider” was: Landis rides with red race numbers tomorrow.

The white jersey for best young rider goes over to Damiano Cunego, but by only 5 seconds! Fothen was about 4:40 better than Cunego in the first time trial, so I expect Fothen to retake the lead.

T-Mobile's passive day may have ridden Klöden out of the Tour, but they've moved clearly into the lead of the team competition, 8:41 ahead of CSC. Turns out CSC foolishly burned its riders out getting Sastre up the road to contest the overall race win.

Landis probably sewed up the King of the Mountains for Rabobank's Michael Rasmussen today. Flying Floyd took max points over most of the day's climbs, including double points on Joux-Plane, and moved up into 2nd in the competition. There are very few points left to contest.

Similarly, McEwen has pretty much sewed up the green jersey, leading by 45 points with 2 flattish road stages to go.

That leaves yellow, and it's hard to see any other way to cut it than that Floyd Landis is again the favorite to win the Tour de France on Sunday. He's certainly a 30-second better time trial rider than Pereiro, 18 seconds better than Sastre, and has a 2-minute cushion on everybody else.

Epic! Landis rides their wheels off; takes Stage 17!

Today was the most amazing day of an amazing Tour de France.

Floyd Landis splintered the field on the day's first climb. Phonak went to the front and pushed the pace, and then Landis attacked. The GC riders initially countered, but Landis lifted the pace and rode away, with about 130 kilometers and five climbs to go. Landis hunted down an 11-man break then time-trialed alone to the finish line, holding a punishing pace to his first career Tour stage win.

Oscar Pereiro's Caisse d'Epargne team couldn't bring the gap down, and finally, as it reached more than 9 minutes, dropped back, and CSC took over. The gap was slowly reduced until on the day's last and hardest climb, CSC's Carlos Sastre launched a withering assault on the remnants of the peloton.

It was too late to catch Landis, but Sastre hoped to stay ahead of Landis on GC, and to crack Pereiro and possibly take the race lead. Pereiro kept his head, and limited his losses enough to maintain his yellow jersey. For now.

Despite huge gaps between riders on the road, the Tour only gets closer: Pereiro now leads Sastre by 12 seconds, Landis by 30 seconds, and Klöden by 2:29. Landis is the best time trialist of the group, and Saturday's time trial looks decisive.

Landis is the 9th American to win a Tour stage: Landis, Hincapie, Armstrong, Zabriskie, Hamilton, Lemond, Hampsten, Phinney, Pierce.

Top 10:
1) Floyd Landis, Phonak, USA, in 5:23:36
2) Carlos Sastre, CSC, Spain, at 5:42
3) Christophe Moreau, AG2R, France, at 5:58
4) Damiano Cunego, Lampre, Italy, at 6:40
5) Michael Boogerd, Rabobank, Netherlands, at 7:08
6) Frank Schleck, CSC, Luxembourg, at 7:08
7) Oscar Pereiro, Caisse d'Epargne, Spain, at 7:08
8) Andreas Klöden, T-Mobile, Germany, at 7:08
9) Haimar Zubeldia, Euskaltel-Euskadi, at 7:08
10) Cadel Evans, Davitamon-Lotto, Australia, at 7:20
Full results

Overall:
1) Oscar Pereiro, Caisse d'Epargne, Spain, in 80:08:49
2) Carlos Sastre, CSC, Spain, at :12
3) Floyd Landis, Phonak, CSC, at :30
4) Andreas Klöden, T-Mobile, Germany, at 2:29
5) Cadel Evans, Davitamon-Lotto, Australia, at 3:08
6) Denis Menchov, Rabobank, Russia, at 4:14
7) Cyril Dessel, AG2R, France, at 4:24
8) Christophe Moreau, AG2R, France, at 5:45
9) Haimar Zubeldia, Euskaltel-Euskadi, Spain, at 8:16
10) Michael Rogers, T-Mobile, Australia, at 12:13
Complete standings

Cracks of Legend

My legendary "crack" at the Tour of Willamette (at least legendary to me), where I got dropped on the first climb, rode by myself, got caught and dropped by the Women's field, 4s field, and Masters, and then rode through a dead cow carcass, and nearly lost it on a washed out road is burned into my mind. I'm not the best tour historian, but remember that Lance cracked on two stages, Jan cracked under pressure from everyone, Merckx could barely pedal one stage, there was Miguel Indurain's famous cracking, and I'll never forget Lemond pulling out of his last tour.

What memorable cracks have you had or remember from tour's pasts? My wife always wondered what it was like until she could barely get home one cold, wet day.

They've all cracked

It was a tense morning, really tense. I planned on watching as much of the stage as possible before leaving for a meeting and right when I needed to leave, Landis cracked! I watched, noted how slow he was pedaling, the sweat pouring off his brow, and knew he was done. A minute more to watch and how much time he'd lose and then I had to leave. For the next 5 hours, I was fretting about it, trying to reach my cycling buddies others and then finally heard he'd dropped to 11th, losing more than 8 minutes.

I've been there, anyone who races has bonked and hard -- sometimes it's sudden and other times, as Landis said, "sometimes you don't feel well." You could see it coming, Paul and Phil noted it, and he kept drifting back. While he tried to hide it to his competitors, he didn't afterwards. I remember Lance cracked when Pantani avenged the "gift" stage and he also dehydrated during a TT. It happens and you hope not on a day like today.

Stage 16 wrap-up: Landis says “I don't expect to win this Tour”

VeloNews | Landis cracks, Pereiro back in yellow as Rasmussen rides to stage win

Phonak Tour hopeful Floyd Landis finally spoke to the press Wednesday night, noting that it was “the last thing in the world I want to do right now.”

After finishing 10:04 off the pace of stage winner Michael Rasmussen, everyone wanted to know if Landis had bonked, or if his osteonecrotic hip was to blame, but Landis was more philosophical: “Today was not a good day to have a bad day. What can I say?”

Landis insists he didn't bonk, but that he just hadn't recovered from yesterday's climb to Alpe d'Huez:

“I don't think it was a problem of not eating enough. I just wasn't good from the beginning.... A lot of times I feel that way and I come around at the end. There was never a flat part for 15 minutes where I could recover. I think I would have been better off, but that's how it goes.”

Landis admitted he won't win the overall title in Paris:

“I don't expect to win this Tour anymore,” he said. “It's never easy to get back eight minutes but I'll keep fighting till the end and try.”

Handicapping the rest of the field, Landis says:

“It looks to me like [Andreas] Kloden has a very good chance and [Carlos] Sastre looked strong today, but it will be very difficult for him to get more time tomorrow. It’s not as difficult as today. Pereiro also was quite good today, so I imagine it will come down to the time trial as the time gaps are not so big.”

Pereiro says his joy in taking the yellow jersey is reduced by his regard for Landis:

“Of course I’m happy to now be in the yellow jersey, but I wanted to fight with him for that yellow jersey,” Pereiro said. “He’s really a great friend of mine and I’m really sad for what happened to him.”

Meanwhile, CSC director Bjarne Riis says they'll attack again tomorrow on the last day in the Alps. CSC's Carlos Sastre, 2nd overall just 1:50 back, thinks this Tour is “too much of a good opportunity” not to attack.

Also:

cyclingnews.com | Tables turn on La Toussuire as Landis loses yellow to Pereiro

Rasmussen takes Stage 16; disaster for Landis

Rabobank's monster climber Michael Rasmussen went on a day-long breakaway, reminiscent of his Stage 9 breakaway last year. He led the field over four climbs, to take a commanding lead in the King of the Mountains competition, which he won last year.

Yellow jersey Floyd Landis had a nightmare day, when he couldn't match an attack by Carlos Sastre on the day's last climb, and just went backward out of the race lead. Meanwhile, Oscar Pereiro dropped Denis Menchov and Cyril Dessel, finishing with Andreas Klöden and Cadel Evans to retake the overall race lead.

Landis was initially helped out when T-Mobile chased down their own Michael Rogers, covering a break by Denis Menchov, Cadel Evans, and Oscar Pereiro, where Landis just sat in. But when Sastre launched, the pace rose, and Landis just vanished. He eventually recovered some energy, but was paced to the line by Axel Merckx 10:04 behind Rasmussen, and more than 8 minutes behind Pereiro.

July 19th is a very happy day in the Pereiro household; last year, he won Stage 16 on July 19th, and this year, he takes back the yellow jersey.

Top 10:
1) Michael Rasmussen, Rabobank, Denmark, in 5:36:04
2) Carlos Sastre, CSC, Spain, at 1:41
3) Oscar Pereiro, Caisse d'Epargne, Spain, at 1:54
4) Cadel Evans, Davitamon-Lotto, Australia, at 1:56
5) Andreas Klöden, T-Mobile, Germany, at 1:56
6) Christophe Moreau, AG2R, France, at 2:37
7) Pietro Caucchioli, Credit Agricole, Italy, at 2:37
8) Cyril Dessel, AG2R, France, at 2:37
9) Levi Leipheimer, Gerolsteiner, USA, at 3:24
10) Haimar Zubeldia, Euskaltel-Euskadi, Spain, at 3:42
Also:
11) Denis Menchov, Rabobank, Russia, at 3:42
12) Michael Rogers, T-Mobile, Australia, at 3:42
23) Floyd Landis, Phonak, USA, at 10:04
Full results

Overall:
1) Oscar Pereiro, Caisse d'Epargne, Spain, in 74:38:05
2) Carlos Sastre, CSC, Spain, at 1:50
3) Andreas Klöden, T-Mobile, Germany, at 2:29
4) Cyril Dessel, AG2R, France, at 2:43
5) Cadel Evans, Davitamon-Lotto, Australia, at 2:56
6) Denis Menchov, Rabobank, Russia, at 3:58
7) Michael Rogers, T-Mobile, Australia, at 6:47
8) Christophe Moreau, AG2R, France, at 7:03
9) Levi Leipheimer, Gerolsteiner, USA, at 7:46
10) Haimar Zubeldia, Euskaltel-Euskadi, Spain, at 8:06
11) Floyd Landis, Phonak, USA, at 8:08
Overall standings

Stage 16: The Battle of La Toussuire

With 27 kilometers to ride, Rabobank's Michael Rasmussen leads all riders, 4:40 ahead of Gerolsteiner's Levi Leipheimer and Lampre's Tadej Valjavec, and 7:21 ahead of a very dangerous group that includes Floyd Landis and all his rivals.

Valjavec has gapped Leipheimer on the descent by a few seconds. Landis sits 4th wheel on the descent, while Matthias Kessler is having a hard time hanging on the back of the descending yellow jersey group.

Leipheimer has gone through the banner for 25 kilometers to ride. Maybe 3 minutes later, Rasmussen is through 20 kilometers to ride.

Kessler has lost sight of the leaders' group. Leipheimer catches Valjavec, and Rasmussen is back on the rise, as he starts up the 18-kilometer climb to the finish line atop La Toussuire.

Leipheimer won here during his Dauphiné Libéré win in June. I don't think he'll catch Rasmussen, though.

Moreau, Goubert, and Calzati are dropped with Sylvain Calzati as the yellow jersey group hits the climb. Merckx leads the group, with Landis sitting just behind. Boogerd sits next to Merckx.

Moreau has caught back on. Now Leipheimer attacks, dropping Valjavec. He's got 2:00 on the Landis group.

Kessler chased back on, but he's done; pulls to the side, and he's off the back. Schleck has come to the front, and sets pace as Merckx falls to the back. Fothen is also sitting on the back, with Cunego comfortably in the group. Merckx is gone, Patxi Vila is gone.

Rogers has gone to the front, with Boogerd, then Landis on his wheel. Cyril Dessel (!) is still in this group, while Christophe Moreau has struggled.

Leipheimer is 4:00 behind Rasmussen, as T-Mobile's Guerini falls off the leaders group.

There goes Menchov hard, with Rogers and Oscar Pereiro. Evans and Azevedo attack. Landis doesn't counter; he's marking Klöden.

Menchov, Rogers, Pereiro and Evans ride, just up the road from Klöden. Azevedo falls back into the Landis group, and once again T-Mobile is attacking their own rider. Boogerd is off the back; T-Mobile is going to destroy this break. Mazzoleni has towed Klöden and Landis back to Menchov, Rogers, Evans, and Pereiro.

Cunego sits at the back of the select group now.

That attack has put some time into Rasmussen; he's only 5:42 up the road now.

There goes Sastre; he's 2:17 back in the GC. Landis is cracked. He's off the back! There's 10 kilometers to ride; he's back with Azevedo, and he can't match Sastre's attack.

Landis is just dead. He's got to find somebody to work with. Zubeldia is off the back. Sastre is riding hard. Boogerd has passed Landis, who can't match him. They're running the team cars past Landis, who's suffering mightily at the back.

Sastre's already got 55 seconds on Landis; and 30 seconds on Kloden's group.

With about 7 kilometers to ride (4.5 miles) Leipheimer is 3:33 behind Rasmussen, with Sastre only 20 seconds behind Levi. Landis is only passing under the 10 kilometer banner. Marcus Fothen passes, along with Frank Schleck, and Landis can't get on their wheel.

Sastre catches Leipheimer. Leipheimer sits in, and there's a chance that this pair could catch Rasmussen. Not anymore: Sastre drops Leipheimer, while Rasmussen is starting to look like he's hurting with less than 5 kilometers to ride.

Rogers has dropped back to the rear of Klöden's group, where Cadel Evans, Denis Menchov, Oscar Pereiro, Cyril Dessel, and Michael Rogers are still sitting behind Eddy Mazzoleni.

Landis now looks like he's found another gear; he's turning the pedals again, but he's going to lose a lot of time today.

Menchov raises the pace, and Mazzoleni and Rogers are gone. The Pereiro/Klöden/Menchov group overtakes Leipheimer. Moreau and Caucchioli are gone, and Menchov is off the back. Dessel is gone, leaving only Klöden, Pereiro, and Evans at the front.

Rasmussen has 3 k to ride. Sastre is 2:36 behind. Pereiro has gone to the front, with Klöden sitting in, and Cadel Evans trying to hang on the back.

Moreau, Dessel, Caucchioli, Leipheimer and Menchov have formed a chase group. First Menchov, and now Leipheimer have been dropped. They'll ride alone to the finish.

At 5k to ride, Landis is 9:23 back of Rasmussen. Rasmussen passes under the flamme rouge, and his epic stage-long breakaway will pay off; he'll take the stage, and a commanding lead in the King of the Mountains competition. Sastre is within sight of Klöden, Pereiro and Evans, maybe 30 seconds up the road.

There's the finish line, and Rasmussen is almost in tears. He throws out his arms, and he's won the hardest day of the 2006 Tour.

Sastre is 2nd, at about 1:42. Pereiro is sprinting away from Evans and Klöden for 3rd through 5th. Pereiro moves back into the yellow jersey. Here comes Cyril Dessel at 2:37, alongside Christophe Moreau and Pietro Caucchioli. Leipheimer is 9th at about 3:23. Zubeldia leads Menchov around 3:47, with 2 others. Cunego comes in at 4:21; he's gained time on Fothen for the white jersey.

Merckx has gotten back up to Landis and is pacing him in.

Azevedo comes in at about 7:54. Here's Fothen with Schleck at about 8:36. Still awaiting Landis at the finish.

There's 10 minutes; he's through at about 10:03. It's a disaster for Landis, who will fall to about 8 minutes behind yellow jersey Pereiro.

Tour What ifs

Pam (my wife) and I were riding today and she asked me, "what if Jan and Basso were in this tour, how would Landis be doing?" "Good question," I said. And then, "well, I don't really know." I mean, he doesn't look like he's been put in any difficulty, but would Jan have dominated the TT? Would Basso have ridden away on the Alpe? Would it be the 3 of them on the podium?

Tale of the teammates

Today's stage was a beautiful show of cycling as a team sport. Everywhere you looked, there were riders making moves or countering moves through the assistance of teammates who sacrificed their own chances for the team or team leader.

The best and biggest example was Jens Voigt, who got to contest two different races today. After a long tempo ride at the head of the break, then crashing while roasting the breakaway, Voigt chased back on and took a few more pulls, until he couldn't pull any more. Zabriskie took over escort duties for Schleck, who noted the work they put in to set up his victory.

Voigt, though, wasn't finished. As the GC contenders came by, he took up lead duties for Carlos Sastre, helping pace Sastre up toward Klöden and Landis, and setting a pace that Davitamon-Lotto's Cadel Evans couldn't match. He finally shuffled in 13:52 behind winning teammate Schleck.

Landis had Axel Merckx, who was also in the early break, and looked unprepared to jump in amongst the race's strongest riders when Landis, Klöden, Leipheimer, and Sastre came alongside. Ready or not, he pulled without relief for more than a kilometer up the Alpe.

Similarly, Andreas Klöden had Eddy Mazzoleni, who pulled almost to the line after dropping (or falling) off the break with Cunego and Schleck.

Denis Menchov is being labeled the day's big loser, but he could have lost more time if not for his arachnoid teammate Michael Rasmussen, who caught his leader from behind to set pace and offer support and a water bottle Menchov couldn't spare the strength to take.

David Arroyo paced yellow jersey Oscar Pereiro for miles, and Mikel Astarloza likewise gave his all to protect Cyril Dessel's tenuous 3rd place for at least one more day.

That was an awesome stage. I wouldn't want to be chasing Landis tomorrow, when they give him back that yellow bicycle.

Armstrong on the Alpe

VeloNews | Meet the Press: Armstrong speaks to reporters in Gap

Lance Armstrong spent Monday back-pedaling on l'Alpe d'Huez, explaining that his line about the French World Cup soccer team testing positive “for being assholes” was a joke in a monologue, however weak.

Armstrong said this morning he could see the race “turned on its ears” by Thursday.

Q: If you were a betting man, who would you put money onto win this Tour then?

LA: You know I'm not going to ... I don't know. I would love to see the jersey stay in America. I think Floyd is clearly the favourite here. He doesn't have the jersey now (at stage 15 start) but obviously we know that that was a bit of a tactical decision. I think he is still the favourite. I would be happy with that victory.

Asked to demonstrate his affection for the country by speaking directly to its people, Armstrong refused to speak French, claiming he'd “lost” the language.

Rupert Guinness, who interviewed Armstrong, also briefly spoke to Armstrong buddy Jake Gyllenhall, who rode l'Alpe d'Huez with Armstrong yesterday.

Davitamon leading Tour prize money list

VeloNews | Tour prize distribution thus far

VeloNews notes that Davitamon-Lotto leads all teams in prize money so far (through Sunday's Stage 14), at 49,060 euros, on the strength of Robbie McEwen's three stage wins.

Rabobank is 2nd, T-Mobile 3rd, with Lampre and AG2R rounding out the top 5.

Dead last, behind even Agritubel, is Phonak. I'm starting to think they'll find a way to close that gap.

Schleck conquers l'Alpe d'Huez

CSC's Amstel Gold winner Frank Schleck rode away from 2004 Giro champion Damiano Cunego near the top of the legendary Alpe d'Huez to take his first Tour de France stage win.

The 26-year-old Schleck got into a big break with teammates Jens Voigt and David Zabriskie, and each helped thin the herd by setting a wicked pace on the early slopes of the climb. Voigt chased back onto the break after a late crash, went right to the front, and still had the power to pace Sastre back into contention, cracking Cadel Evans, later on the climb.

Meanwhile, a few minutes behind them, the longed-for battle for the yellow jersey commenced, with Floyd Landis and Andreas Klöden riding more than a minute ahead of Denis Menchov, Cadel Evans, and reigning race leader Oscar Pereiro, and putting a few seconds into CSC's Carlos Sastre and Gerolsteiner's Levi Leipheimer.

Klöden and Landis each matched the other's moves, slowly whittling their group down, until they were the only GC contenders left, riding with three survivors of the early break. Each was helped by a teammate who got up the road in the break; Landis by Merckx, who paced the small group for more than a kilometer, and Klöden by Mazzoleni, who did likewise near the top of the mountain. When OLN's team questioned Phonak's performance, saying Landis was alone on the mountain, they apparently blotted Merckx completely out, despite a very strong performance by Merckx, who recently extended his contract through next year.

Top 10:
1) Frank Schleck, CSC, Luxembourg, in 4:52:22
2) Damiano Cunego, Lampre, Italy, at :11
3) Stefano Garzelli, Liquigas, Italy, at 1:10
4) Floyd Landis, Phonak, USA, same time
5) Andreas Klöden, T-Mobile, Germany, same time
6) Ruben Lobato, Saunier Duval, Spain, at 1:14
7) Sylvain Chavanel, Cofidis, France, at 1:18
8) Eddy Mazzoleni, T-Mobile, Italy, at 1:28
9) Carlos Sastre, CSC, Spain, at 1:35
10) Levi Leipheimer, Gerolsteiner, USA, at 1:49
Also:
11) Denis Menchov, Rabobank, Russia, at 2:21
14) Oscar Pereiro, Caisse d'Epargne, Spain, at 2:49
15) Michael Rogers, T-Mobile, Australia, same time
16) Cadel Evans, Davitamon-Lotto, Australia, same time
Full results

Overall:
1) Floyd Landis, Phonak, USA, in 69:00:05
2) Oscar Pereiro, Caisse d'Epargne, at :10
3) Cyril Dessel, AG2R, France, at 2:02
4) Denis Menchov, Rabobank, Russia, at 2:12
5) Carlos Sastre, CSC, Spain, at 2:17
6) Andreas Klöden, T-Mobile, Germany, at 2:29
7) Cadel Evans, Davitamon-Lotto, Australia, at 2:56
8) Michael Rogers, T-Mobile, Australia, at 5:01
9) Levi Leipheimer, Gerolsteiner, USA, at 6:18
10) Haimar Zubeldia, Euskaltel-Euskadi, Spain, at 6:20
Standings

He did it his way

I got up (Seattle, PDT), made coffee, fed Cap'n the pug, turned on OLN, and sat down with the laptop just as the riders started climbing Alpe de Huez! Landis is just riding them off his wheel, including Cadel Evans. No dominating attack, no look, or smacking his hand on the table.

Landis is riding the tour his way. Leipheimer is up there!

Best quote so far from Paul, "riding on 200 grams of courage." 2nd best quote from my wife who asked why Schleck has a yellow number, "is that a rental number?"

Stage 15 profile

The time for defense is over. With today's mountain stage finishing atop l'Alpe d'Huez, it's time for the strong riders to throw down a showdown.

They can't go all-out, though, because tomorrow's stage is even harder, and Thursday's is about the same, with more but smaller climbs.

As a result, I think today's stage may very well be won by an early breakaway, possibly including some teammates of the GC riders, who can be sent up the road to provide some help on the final climb if necessary, or to compete for the stage win if not. If it's Michael Rasmussen, this would also serve his interest in the climber's jersey.

There are 156 riders still in the race. Six teams are riding with every rider who started the race: T-Mobile's 7, AG2R's 8, and Française des Jeux, Gerolsteiner, Lampre, and Phonak with 9.

VeloNews offers a good riders' roundup of Stage 15, focusing on 7 riders: Floyd Landis, Denis Menchov, Cadel Evans, Carlos Sastre, Andreas Klöden, Michael Rogers, and Levi Leipheimer. They're the guys who don't want to get dropped during the next 3 days. If they are, their finishing places could be completely wiped away.

PezCycling instead looks at today's course to l'Alpe d'Huez itself, discussing what it's like to be on the course with hundreds of thousands of people lining every one of the climb's 21 switchbacks.

Fedrigo fires for Stage 14

Bouyges Telecom's Pierrick Fedrigo survived a long and hazardous breakaway, then outsprinted Salvatore Commesso and a charging Christian Vande Velde to give France its 3rd stage win of the 2006 Tour.

Rik Verbrugghe and David Canada were taken to a local hospital after crashing in a right-hand corner. Verbrugghe went over a guardrail, while Canada slid into it. T-Mobile's Matthias Kessler, who was trailing Canada, also went over the guardrail, but got back into the pack and finished the day's stage.

The Col de la Sentinelle was an anvil pounding the chasing peloton into a small thin pack of 34 that included all the Tour's contenders. In the final kilometer, CSC's Christian Vande Velde tried to launch across for the stage victory, but couldn't quite reel in Fedrigo and Commesso, finishing third on the day 3 seconds back.

Caisse d'Epargne holds the yellow jersey. There's very little change in the leaderboard, but there are lots of changes farther down, as almost 120 riders lost significant time over the final col.

Top 10:
1) Pierrick Fedrigo, Bouyges Telecom, France, in 4:14:23
2) Salvatore Commesso, Lampre, Italy, same time
3) Christian Vande Velde, CSC, USA, at :03
4) Christophe Moreau, AG2R, France, at :07
5) Georg Totschnig, Gerolsteiner, German, same time
6) Stefano Garzelli, Liquigas, Italy, s.t.
7) Cristian Moreni, Cofidis, Italy, s.t.
8) George Hincapie, Discovery Channel, USA, s.t.
9) Cadel Evans, Davitamon-Lotto, Australia, s.t.
10) Alexandre Botcharov, Credit Agricole, Russia, s.t.
Full results

Overall:
1) Oscar Pereiro, Caisse d'Epargne, Spain, in 64:05:04
2) Floyd Landis, Phonak, USA, at 1:29
3) Cyril Dessel, AG2R, France, at 1:37
4) Denis Menchov, Rabobank, Russia, at 2:30
5) Cadel Evans, Davitamon-Lotto, Austrlia, at 2:46
6) Carlos Sastre, CSC, Spain, at 3:21
7) Andreas Klöden, T-Mobile, Germany, at 3:58
8) Michael Rogers, T-Mobile, Australia, at 4:51
9) Juan Miguel Mercado, Agritubel, Spain, at 5:02
10) Christophe Moreau, AG2R, France, at 5:13
Full standings

Stage 13 photo gallery roundup

Voigt on the podium, by Caroline Yang.

Lavender+bikes+sunflowers=perfect Tour shot? , Backstedt fights the heat, and Voigt leads Pereiro over line, by Graham Watson.

Hincapie at rest, McEwen and Landis chat, Pereiro's big day from CyclingNews.com Stage 13 photo gallery.

The winning break, Voigt victorious, Pereiro in amarillo, by Mark Shimahara at BikeZen.

Also:

BBC Sport | Tour de France 2006 Stage 13 photo gallery

Tour Salad: Stage 13

The Tour is all about shifting on-the-road alliances, and Landis may have burned some bridges on that front on Saturday.

Bobby Julich's diary entry at ESPN.com discusses this: He thinks Phonak not making a limited effort to help Rabobank chase once the stage was won was “a bad P.R. move,” although he still picks Landis to win the overall.

Maybe Phonak's refusal to ride tempo with Rabobank results from a rumor making the rounds that Oscar Freire was more than just tired at the end of Stage 12. CyclingNews mentions it in a quick interview with Alessandro Ballan, who finished 2nd Friday when Oscar Freire sat on his wheel as Discovery's Yaroslav Popovych attacked several times and took the stage win. The rumor says Discovery and Rabobank, whose director Erik Breukink is a former teammate of Discovery director Johan Bruyneel, agreed that Freire wouldn't contest Friday's stage, and that Discovery would help Rabobank out in the Alps, where they'll be looking to put Denis Menchov in yellow and possibly Michael Rasmussen in the climber's jersey.

I'm not sure Popovych wouldn't have won that stage straight up: It reminded me of his powerful attack over Clocktower Hill in Rome at the Tour de Georgia this year.

Martin Dugard notes another team that was frustrated with Phonak's performance Saturday: Davitamon-Lotto, whose Cadel Evans suggested “I'm not sure he gave it away on purpose,” and whose Robbie McEwen was still whining over having to chase down Hushovd and Bennati when they got in a break on Friday. And Sherwen and Liggett suggested AG2R was unhappy that Phonak allowed another rider to leapfrog Christophe Moreau (and Cyril Dessel, I suppose). Not unhappy enough to come to the front and work, but, you know, unhappy.

Favorite headline on Stage 13 is probably at Daily Peloton, where Dave Shields calls Phonak's strategy “The Brilliantly Executed Fumble.”

An article in the Sunday Herald suggests Lance Armstrong, visiting the Tour tomorrow, may use whatever influence he has left in the peloton against Landis, who author Jeremy Whittle says discussed and refused an offer to return to Discovery Channel next year.

Podium Cafe looks at why Hincapie is having a rough Tour: You can, apparently, be too thin. In a story from the Gannett News Service, George's brother Rich says Hincapie arrived for the Tour down around 155 pounds, against his usual 175 (Hincapie is 6'3“ tall), and is having trouble eating enough to keep up with the Tour's demands.

Voigt wins Stage 13; Landis hands Pereiro yellow jersey

Floyd Landis gave his current Phonak teammates an easy day and former teammate Oscar Pereiro some time in the race leader's yellow jersey.

The move by Phonak is at once an expression of confidence in Landis and of concern at the team's strength, as Landis can now look to Pereiro's Caisse d'Epargne team to help pacing the peloton for the next few days.

Jens Voigt, who gave away a stage at the Giro in May, took his second career Tour stage win after a very long break on the Tour's longest day, 230 kilometers. Pereiro was 2nd, followed by Sylvain Chavanel and Manuel Quinziato.

Voigt also pulled off a minor miracle, being named the day's “Most Agressive Rider” after being in a break with a Frenchman, Chavanel. That's a consolation prize that usually goes to the home team, but Voigt has been agressive all week, and deserves those red bib numbers.

Robbie McEwen led in the field sprint ahead of Bernhard Eisel and Tom Boonen. He's got a 30-point lead in the green jersey competition, 252 to Boonen's 222 to Freire's 207.

The stage also catapulted CSC into the lead in the team category, 15:53 ahead of Caisse d'Epargne, and 22:05 up on previous leader T-Mobile.

Reaction around the web varied; my favorite was probably Strange days in Montélimar from Men (in tights), who suggested 4 lessons from Saturday's stage:

1. Don't play poker with ex-mennenite cyclists.
2. Don't let Oscar in a break when he's wearing his angry red socks.
3. Don't ever pick a break with Jens.
4. Don't look directly at Boogards teeth.

As for me, I'm down with it, but I was also touting Savoldelli as Discovery's GC threat after the Stage 7 time trial.

Top 10:
1) Jens Voigt, CSC, Germany
2) Oscar Pereiro, Caisse d'Epargne, Spain, same time
3) Sylvain Chavanel, Cofidis, France, at :40
4) Manuel Quinziato, Liquigas, Italy, same time
5) Andriy Grivko, Milram, Ukraine, at 6:24
6) Robbie McEwen, Davitamon-Lotto, at 29:57
7) Bernhard Eisel, Française des Jeux, same time
8) Tom Boonen, QuickStep, Belgium, s.t.
9) Carlos da Cruz, Française des Jeux, France, s.t.
10) Arnaud Coyot, Cofidis, France, s.t.
Full results

Overall:
1) Oscar Pereiro, Caisse d'Epargne, Spain
2) Floyd Landis, Phonak, USA, at 1:29
3) Cyril Dessel, AG2R, France, at 1:37
4) Denis Menchov, Rabobank, Russia, at 2:30
5) Cadel Evans, Davitamon-Lotto, Australia, at 2:46
6) Carlos Sastre, CSC, Spain, at 3:21
7) Andreas Klöden, T-Mobile, Germany, at 3:58
8) Michael Rogers, T-Mobile, Australia, at 4:51
9) Juan Miguel Mercado, Agritubel, Spain, at 5:02
10) Christophe Moreau, AG2R, France, at 5:13
Full standings

Popovych outsmarts the sprinters

When Johan Bruyneel threw in the towel for Discovery Channel's overall hopes yesterday, he said the team would concentrate on stage wins.

That's exactly what they did today, getting George Hincapie and then Yaroslav Popovych into breaks, and Popovych cracked two top-rank sprinters to take the stage.

Riding along with Lampre's Allesandro Ballan and Rabobank's Oscar Freire, Popovych attacked 4 times, dropping Credit Agricole's Christophe Le Mevel but not the two danger men. Ballan and Freire reeled him in every time, but more slowly after each attack, and when Popovych launched a 5th attack, the two sprinters watched him go.

Popovych moves back up into the top 10 overall.

Top 10:
1) Yaroslav Popovych, Discovery Channel, Ukraine
2) Alessandro Ballan, Lampre, Italy, at :27
3) Oscar Freire, Rabobank, Spain, at :29
4) Christophe Le Mevel, Credit Agricole, France, at :35
5) Tom Boonen, QuickStep, Belgium, at 4:25
6) Robbie McEwen, Davitamon-Lotto, Australia, at 4:25
7) Francisco Ventoso, Saunier Duval, at 4:25
8) Erik Zabel, Milram, Germany, at 4:25
9) Daniele Bennati, Lampre, Italy, at 4:25
10) Thor Hushovd, Credit Agricole, at 4:25

Overall:
1) Floyd Landis, Phonak, USA,
2) Cyril Dessel, AG2R, France, at :08
3) Denis Menchov, Rabobank, Russia, at 1:01
4) Cadel Evans, Davitamon-Lotto, Australia, at 1:17
5) Carlos Sastre, CSC, Spain, at 1:52
6) Andreas Klöden, T-Mobile, Germany, at 2:29
7) Michael Rogers, T-Mobile, Australia, at 3:22
8) Juan Miguel Mercado, Agritubel, Spain, at 3:33
9) Christophe Moreau, AG2R, France, at 3:44
10) Yaroslav Popovych, Discovery Channel, Ukraine, at 4:15