Armstrong is the WINNER !!!

[Velcro]

Associated Press

GUERET, France -- Robbie McEwen of Australia passed two riders just before the finish line Tuesday to win the ninth stage of the Tour de France, while five-time champion Lance Armstrong finished in the main pack.

Spain's Inigo Landaluze and Italian rider Filippo Simeoni broke away from the pack just 23.5 miles into the stage and built up a large lead during the race, only to be swallowed up by the main pack of riders just a few hundred yards from the finish.

McEwen, a veteran sprinter, used a burst of speed to get his wheel over the line just in front of Thor Hushovd, the Norwegian champion who won Sunday's stage -- also in a sprint finish. The stage win was McEwen's second of this Tour.

The 99.5-mile stage, the shortest of this Tour with the exception of time trial courses, started in Saint-Leonard-de-Noblat, the hometown of retired French great Raymond Poulidor.

Armstrong, aiming for a record sixth crown, finished comfortably back in the main pack at the end of the undulating, hilly stage in central France.

Frenchman Thomas Voeckler retained the overall lead.

[E.T.]

Sorry  : depending on yahoo

[E.T.]

Armstrong uncertain what lies ahead as Tour enters first crucial phase

By JEROME PUGMIRE, Associated Press Writer

July 14, 2004

GUERET, France (AP) -- The Tour de France began its longest stage Wednesday as the showcase race entered the mountains for the first time.

Bastille Day fans packed the roadside as riders embarked on a 147-mile trek from Limoges to Saint-Flour. The 10th stage features nine climbs, giving Lance Armstrong and other top contenders a chance to test their form before the crucial Pyrenees stages.

``From today on it's going to be really nasty,'' said Christian Vandevelde, an American rider from the Liberty Seguros team.

Race leader Thomas Voeckler said he was also wary of Wednesday's stage, the toughest riders have faced so far.

``I'm scared,'' he said. ``I'd be lying if I said otherwise.''

Armstrong, the five-time champion, is aiming to make history with a sixth straight win and has negotiated the first nine stages relatively safely, despite one minor spill.

But the race now increases in difficulty and intensity with the grueling Pyrenees, Alps and two crucial time trials to come.

Before Wednesday's 10th stage, Armstrong said he was bracing for a difficult ride.

``It's going to be tough ... up and down all day,'' Armstrong said Tuesday. ``Unfortunately it's a stage we haven't seen. It's a hard day ahead.''

The stage includes a 3 1/2 -mile-long ascent up a gradient averaging 8 percent. Armstrong had not checked it out before the Tour started.

Armstrong, sixth overall, acknowledges his U.S. Postal teammates are ``a little anxious,'' but the 32-year-old insists they'll be ready.

``The team is great and healthy,'' he said. ``Everyone's recovered from their small crashes.''

Despite his fall in the sixth stage, the Texan is looking in top shape and has kept main rival Jan Ullrich well behind so far. The German, a Tour winner in 1997, is 20th, 55 seconds behind Armstrong. But Ullrich generally gets stronger as the Tour goes on.

He spoke boldly of challenging Armstrong.

``In the Tour, it's important to use every opportunity to distance or eliminate adversaries, and if there's a chance, I won't hesitate to attack,'' Ullrich said.

In Tuesday's ninth stage, Armstrong placed 44th in a 99 1/2 -mile undulating trek from Saint-Leonard-de-Noblat to Gueret. Ullrich was 25th in the same time as Armstrong and other top challengers such as Tyler Hamilton and Ivan Basso.

All finished in the same time as winner Robbie McEwen's 3 hours, 32 minutes, 55 seconds.

Australian McEwen beat Norwegian Thor Hushovd in a tight dash to the line. Australian Stuart O'Grady placed third.

Tuesday was marked by another crash, when Spaniard Mikel Pradera plowed into a road sign and cartwheeled into the path of another rider. Both went on to finish.

Armstrong and his teammates stayed clear of trouble.

``We just sat on the wheel, took it easy,'' he said. ``We didn't have to take any responsibility.''

McEwen got the fifth stage win of his career, but a lingering left knee injury means he might have trouble keeping his green jersey, awarded to the best sprinter.

``I don't want to sound like I'm a one-legged man,'' McEwen said. ``After today, I feel like I've been, at least in the first half of the Tour, the best sprinter.''

French prospect Thomas Voeckler retained the yellow jersey as the overall leader, with O'Grady second and Frenchman Sandy Casar third. Armstrong is 9:35 behind Voeckler, but that deficit probably will shrink in the mountains, where the American is at his best.

Hamilton, Armstrong's former teammate, is 11th. Despite being 36 seconds behind, he could still be a major threat.

``It's hard right now to see who will be disappointing and who is better than we expected,'' Armstrong said. ``We will see on Friday.''

Friday's 12th stage takes the riders into the first of two Pyrenees mountain stages, a 122.73-mile ride from Castelsarrasin to La Mongie. It features two steep climbs close to the finish.

Saturday's stage is a 127.70-mile run from Lannemezan to Plateau de Beille.

``They're tough, tough,'' Armstrong said. ``The second day is epic. There's going to be 5,000 meters (16,500 feet) of climbing. There are not many days like that.''

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Richard Virenque won the tenth stage.

The following are the top 10 cyclists:

1. Thomas Voeckler (France), 42 hours, 42 minutes, 14 seconds

2. Stuart O'Grady (Austrailia)           3 minutes behind

3. Sandy Casar (France)                  4:13

4. Richard Virenque (France)             6:52

5. Jakob Piil (Denmark)                  7:31

6. Lance Armstrong (United States)       9:35

7. Eric Zabel (Germany)                  9:58

8. Jose Azevedo (Portugal)              10:04

9. Jose Enrique Gutierrez (Switzerland) 10:09

10. Francisco Mancebo (Spain)            10:18

[Velcro]

his deficit hasn't even changed 1 second in the last 3 stages.. that seems odd to me, that means he's finishing tie with voekler every time?  but i thought voekler was finishing ahead of him in some of these stages... why would the deficit not change.

I thought i was understanding this stuff   :

[E.T.]

It has something to do with the EURO Exchange I think  

[Velcro]

haha, good one.  ;D ;D

[Markeymark]

his deficit hasn't even changed 1 second in the last 3 stages.. that seems odd to me, that means he's finishing tie with voekler every time?  but i thought voekler was finishing ahead of him in some of these stages... why would the deficit not change.

I thought i was understanding this stuff   :

They are both riding in the Peloton (aka, the "pack") and everybody in the pack is credited with the same time. I guess that's because you can draft behind people, etc. so statistically it all evens out over many hours of riding together. The only people who gain time are the ones who manage to break from the pack - tough to do, a lot of times somebody breaks free but then the pack catches up because it's more efficient energy-wise when there's a bunch of people riding together.

They still keep track of the actual finish order, though - there are point systems and sub-competitions taking place which I never pay any attention to.

Lance always wins because he takes over in the mountains and eventually leaves everyone in the dust on those long climbs. Realistically, there's only a small handful of people who can challenge him through all the mountain climbing days.

[E.T.]

MM ... how do you know so much? Do you follow the sport or just this race?

[E.T.]

Moncoutie wins 11th stage in home region

By Francois Thomazeau

FIGEAC, France, July 15 (Reuters) - David Moncoutie seized his chance on the roads of his home region of central France on Thursday to claim the 164-km 11th stage of the Tour de France.

With two tough stages in the Pyrenees up next, five times champion Lance Armstrong and the other favourites took it easy between St Flour and Figeac, saving strength for the mountains.

Armstrong remains sixth overall, nine minutes and 35 seconds behind Frenchman Thomas Voeckler but poised to strike.

Moncoutie, 13th overall in the Tour in 2002, parted company with Spaniards Juan Antonio Flecha and Egoi Martinez with 10 km left to the finish to clinch his first Tour stage victory.

The Frenchman came home two minutes 15 seconds clear of his two rivals with the peloton just under six minutes in arrears.

Moncoutie and Martinez had broken away after 50 km and were quickly joined by Flecha, who has been very active in recent finishes and looking to repeat a stage win in Toulouse in 2003.

The trio held a maximum lead of about eight minutes on the peloton which was driven by Brioches La Boulangere, the team working to keep French champion Voeckler in the yellow jersey.

Voeckler, who is not known as an exceptional climber, is not expected to keep the jersey past the two stages held in the Pyrenees on Friday and Saturday.

Friday's 197.5-km 12th stage takes the bunch to La Mongie, the ski resort in which Armstrong seized the yellow jersey once and for all in 2002.