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Posted: July 23, 2005 Cycling: TOUR DE FRANCE TIMES - Volume 3, No. 14 (July 22, 2005) By James Raia
Publisher's Greeting Paris is two days away and Lance Armstrong has about five hours left before claiming his seventh straight title. He's had no serious challengers in the 92nd Tour de France, and he will enter retirement Sunday triumphantly. News, Notes & Quotes 1. Lance Armstrong (USA) Discovery Channel, 81 hours, 19 minutes, 4 seconds (41.664 km/h) 2. Ivan Basso (Ita) Team CSC, 2.46 3. Michael Rasmussen (Den) Rabobank 3.46 4. Jan Ullrich (Ger) T-Mobile Team 5.58 5. Francisco Mancebo (Spa) Illes Balears-Caisse d'Epargne 7.08 6. Levi Leipheimer (USA) Gerolsteiner 8.12 7. Cadel Evans (Aus) Davitamon-Lotto 9.49 8. Alexandre Vinokourov (Kaz) T-Mobile Team 10.11 9. Floyd Landis (USA) Phonak Hearing Systems 10.42 10. Oscar Pereiro Sio (Spa) Phonak Hearing Systems 12.39 . . . Vinokourov is rumored to be leaving T-Mobile for the 2006 season to join Credit Agricole or Liberty Seguros. The reason: a guaranteed team leadership . . . Lance Armstrong is not the only one retiring Sunday. Tour race director Jean-Marie Leblanc is leaving his post as well.
Postcard From The Tour REVEL, France — I've now been to France 11 times since 1989, for a total of about 225 days, and I'm tired of the question: "When you go to France, is there animosity toward Americans? I'm convinced such animosity doesn't exist. I've asked for directions and been obliged dozens of times. I've met French people I consider friends and would welcome into my home. I've had strangers offer me a place to stay simply out of kindness. And now I've been violently sick at midnight in horrible traffic in the Pyrenees during the Tour de France. I've lost my lunch and T-shirt in the process, and I've had the following happen: I gave my car to a French public relations man to drive to the next city and I retrieved it intact the next day. The driver of a panel truck, seeing me walk down road shirtless and cold in the dark, gave me a T-shirt. A French family vacationing in a mountain cabin gave me a sweater, a bottle of water and called the volunteer fire department. And I got a high-speed, against traffic, two-hour ride through the mountains to my hotel in Lourdes in a small Renault with a flashing blue roof light. Animosity toward Americans in France? It's politicians' folly. More from: Tour de France Times
Postcard From The Tour Rest days at the Tour de France are always misnomers. No competition is held and the pace of the day eases, but it's hardly a day off. Teams hold press conferences in their hotels and various Tour officials have receptions and social gatherings. In today's instance, the press room was on the infield of a velodrome, in the Palais des Sport in Grenoble. The facility was a venue for the figuresksting during the 1968 Olympics and is now used for one of the most unique competitions in cycling - six-day racing. As for the rest day, it was a 425-kilometer drive this morning to Grenoble, mostly along auto routes. It took just under four hours (including two 15-minutes stops), and I believe I averaged about 130 kilometers or 81 miles per hour. Speaking of driving, I have a diesel Citroen, a four-door sedan with manual transmission. Today, I surpassed 3,000 kilometers of driving for the Tour, about 1,863 miles. The price of diesel fuel is around 1.15 Euros per liter or 4.37 Euros per gallon or about $5.25 gallon. Gas fuel is about $1 more per gallon. So far, I filled the gas tank three times, about 60 Euros per tank. Guerini Takes Stage 19; Lance Ready For Time Trial LE PUEY-EN-VALEY, France — Lance Armstrong's last quest for an individual stage win in the 92nd Tour de France will occur today in the 20th and next-to-last stage and as he begins the last five hours of his cycling career. With the race's largely ceremonial concluding 21st stage Sunday in Paris, the 55.5-kilometer (34.5-mile) route will also provide the last showcase ride of the race leader and pending seven-time titlist's competitive tenure. "It's big day tomorrow," said Armstrong following another pack finish in stage 19 in the same time as all of his top pursuers. "I'll give it everything I have." In approximate durations, Armstrong will ride for one hour today and conclude his career with a four-hour trek in the final stage. Italian Guiseppe Guerini (T-Mobile) won the 19th stage and final road stage Friday after he emerged from a four-rider group to claim the 153.5-kilometer (95.4-mile) stage from Issoire in 3 hours, 33 minutes and 4 seconds. Armstrong finished 56th in the main pack, 4:31 behind and in the same time as the majority of the riders who have been trying narrow their deficits to the six-time race winner since he regained the lead in stage 10. The stage was the second of Giuerini's Tour career. In 1999, Armstrong's first victory year, the Italian won the stage to Alpe d'Huez despite hitting and crashing into a an amateur photographer fan in waning meters. Guerini got back on his bike, the fan pushed him along and he still claimed the solo stage. Although it's not required, Armstrong has won a stage in each of his six Tour titles. He won five stages last year, including two time trials. He captured only one stage in 2000, an individual time trial. Armstrong assumed the leader's jersey this year when his Discovery Channel squad captured the stage 4 team time trial. He also finished second in stage 1, an individual time trial, and second in stages 10 and 14, both mountain stages. Armstrong will begin the day with the same 2 minute and 46-second margin he's held for nearly a week over Ivan Basso (CSC) of Italy. Mickael Rasmussen (Rabobank) of Denmark is third, trailing by 3:46. The field will ride in reverse order of their overall placings at two-minute intervals, with the exception of the top-20 riders in the overall standings. They'll ride in three-minute intervals. The final time trial begins at an elevation of 1,622 feet. It reaches 2,760 feet — its highest point — after 15 1/2 miles. After a six-mile descent, the route crests at the Col de la Gachet, a 3.5-mile ascent, at 2,420 feet. Even if he doesn't win, Armstrong's lead, barring catastrophe, is safe. But several other top-10 placings are close, including the status of Levi Leipheimer (Gerolsteiner) of Santa Rosa, Calif., and Floyd Landis (Phonak) of San Diego, Calif., the next two top Americans in the overall standings. Leipheimer, who predicted a top-five overall finish, is currently sixth, 1:04 behind fifth-placed Francisco Mancebo (Illes Banears) of Spain. Landis is ninth overall, trailing eighth-placed Alexandre Vinokourov (T-Mobile) of Kazakhstan by 1:31. Another intriguing ride will be for third and fourth place. Jan Ullrich (T-Mobile) of Germany is currently fourth, trailing Rasmussen by 2:12. Ullrich, the 1997 race winner, has also placed fourth, third and second overall five times in his eight race appearances. More from: Tour de France Times © Copyright 2005, James Raia Posted with the permission of James Raia. Subscribe to James Raia's Endurance Sports News and Tour de France Times at: www.byjamesraia.com. They're free and spam-free. Comment on this story. |
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