By James Raia
E-Mail: address@hidden
Web site: WWW.BYJAMESRAIA.COM
To read this edition (Tour de France, Stage 8) CLICK HERE
To read additional Tour de France editions, click on the following:
STAGE 7 (Hushovd Claims Stage; Voeckler Day Four In Yellow)
STAGE 6 (Pozzato For Stage; Voeckler In Jersey)
STAGE 5 (O'Grady For Stage; Voeckler In Jersey)
STAGE 4 (Postal Takes TTT; Armstrong In Yellow)
STAGE 3 (McKwen Gives Aussies Fourth Yellow)
STAGE 2 (McKwen Wins; Hushovd Claims Yellow)
STAGE 1 (Kirispuu Claims Sprint; Cancellara Retains Jersey)
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PUBLISHER'S GREETING
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Everyone knows it, but it's one day and counting until the "real" Tour de France begins. Following Monday's rest day, the remaingn field 174 will ride 99.5 miles from St. Leonard-de-Noblat to Gueret. The ninth stage has two category 4 climbs, minor ascents. But on Wednesday, nine climbs await the field in stage 10 and the overall contenders will begin to make their way to the top of the standings.
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TOUR NEWS, NOTES AND QUOTES
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For the first day since the Tour begin July 3, there was no rain. And although there was no racing in the event's first rest day, the riders trained as much as three hours to keep their legs fresh . . .
Tyler Hamilton, who has been less marginally available to the press this year, gave his first press conference of the Tour at the press center in Limoges.
Joined by teammate Nicholas Jalabert and Oscar Savilla, Hamilton said the "The Tour will now begin in weeks two and three."
Hamilton also confirmed he hurt his back severely during his crash with a majority of the field in the final kilometer of stage 6. He's undergone several chiropractic sessions and felt relief Monday for the first time . . .
Despite media reports he had an argument with race director Jean-Marie LeBlanc about the controversial finish of stage 6, Hamilton said the meeting prior to stage 7 was productive and amiable . . .
Hamilton said he suggested extending the 1km same time rule to 3km, widening finish-line areas and perhaps having different finishes for GC contenders and sprinters. He said LeBlanc would take the sugggestions to officials of Union Cycliste International (U.C.I.), the sport's governing body . . .
Hamilton also said he felt that a dozen riders in the peloton still have good chances for the podium, and he complimented race leader Thomas Voeckler, the French rider for Brioches Boulangere, for his four-day possession of the leader's jersey . . .
One of the primary team transfer rumors circulating at the Tour has Levi Leipheimer returning to his form U.S. Postal Service team next season when it becomes the Discovery Channel Cycling Team . . .
In 2005, teams competing the the new Pro Tour will be required to field squads in each of the three grand tours, the Tour of Italy, Tour de France and Tour of Spain. The USPS contingent usually fields teams in the Tour de France and Tour of Spain, but not the Tour of Italy.
Leipheimer left USPS after finishing third in the 2001 Tour of Spain to join his current team, Rabobank. He wouldn't not comment directly on the pending transfer, but the USPS officials confirmed they're interested in Leipheimer, whose contract with Rabobank concludes at the end of the season.
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POSTCARD FROM LE TOUR
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During most editions of the Tour de France, there are two "Repos" or rest days. But the term is a misnomer.
The peloton and race officials were split into two groups and respectively took two early Monday moring 75-minutes airplane flights from Limoges from Quimper. But rest of the entourage had to make as choice: Stay in Quimper or drive some distance toward Limoges, site of rest-day activities.
Either way, for the rest day for those not flying was primarily spent driving. I opted for dinner and a good night's sleep Sunday night and began the solo 540-kilometer (335-mile) journey at 8:45 a.m. I arrived in Limoges 7 hours and 5 minutes later.
While some of the journey via Nantes and then Poitiers was freeway miles, the majority occurred on a two-lane state highway. Old, small villages, open fields of sunflowers and cornstalks dominated the landscape on the first day of the Tour without rain.
But too much sightseeing can get a driver in quick trouble. Particularly on Mondays when truck drivers in France beigin their work week and progress slowly on the narrow roads, impatient car drivers try to maneuver around them. With rare exceptions, their approach is a death wish. They weave into oncoming traffic and then back into the proper lane often with only meters to spare.
Sometimes, the technique fails, and the French have a direct way of letting the driving public know of the consequences.
During my journey today, I saw more than a dozen life-sized black cardboard figures on the both sides of the road. Each cutout had a red insignia shaped like a lightning bolt extending from each form's head to its heart.
Each person who has died in a particular location is represented by one cardboard figure. During my journey today, I noticed singular black figures on the side of the road and as many as four of the overt death reminders in one location.
For a foreigner driving in France, the black figures work well as a deterent. I would still be driving to Limoges if I hadn't passed the several-dozen trucks I sped around. But I did so conservatively on flat, open sections of the road.
The same could not be said for some French drivers for whom passing at the last second seems tantamount to a badge of honor or a perverse desire to join the Brethren of the Black Brigade.
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AMERICANS IN THE TOUR DE FRANCE
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Individual Stage Results
Stage 8, Lamballe to Quimper, 168 kilometers
22. Levi Leipheimer, Santa Rosa, Calif., (Rabobank), same time as winner.
24. Bobby Julich, Reno, Nev., (CSC), s.t.
30. Tyler Hamilton, Marblehead, Mass, (Phonak), s.t.
33. Lance Armstrong, Austin, Texas (U.S.P.S.), s.t.
34. George Hincapie, Greenville, S.C., (U.S.P.S), s.t.
47. Christian Vande Velde, Lemont, Ill., (Liberty Seguros), s.t.
114. Floyd Landis, San Diego, Calif., (U.S.P.S.), s.t.
General Classification
6. Armstrong @ 9:35
7. Hincapie @ 9:45
11. Hamilton @ 10:11
12. Landis @ 10:12
22. Julich @ 10:35
24. Leipheimer @ 10:43
90. Vande Velde @ 15:03
For complete results, visit the web sites:
cyclingnews.com
letour.fr
procycling.com
velonews.com
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2004 TOUR DE FRANCE FEATURES
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WHY LANCE WON'T WIN THE TOUR DE FRANCE
LANCE DECIDES TOUR NO LONGER A PRIORITY
A CONVERSATION WITH LEVI LEIPHEIMER
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TFT'S QUICK PEDAL STROKES
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AMAZON.COM
Everything offered by the internet's largest online retailer.
ENDURANCE SPORTS NEWS
Endurance news from around the globe. Timely, pertinent, free.
JAMES RAIA'S ONLINE STORE
Amazon to Rudy Project, Land's End to R.E.I.
ROCK & ROLL BOB ROLL
Cycling's rebel announcer on Le Tour de France.
STRETCHING IS FOR CYCLISTS, TOO
Brad Walker is a long-time stretching expert.
THE TRIPLETS OF BELLEVILLE
The best cycling movie ever made?
THE TOUR WITHIN THE TOUR
Twenty-four essays about the cyclists, people & places of the Tour.
THE TOUR DE FRANCE AT A GLANCE
The Tour de France in facts and figures.
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TFT'S BUSINES PARTNER SPOTLIGHT
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2004 TOUR DE FRANCE SCHEDULE/RESULTS
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Prologue - July 3: Prologue Liege ITT, 6 km
Stage winner: Fabian Cancellara, Fassa Bortolo, 6 minutes, 30 seconds. General Classification: Cancellara
Stage 1 - July 4: Liège-Charleroi, 195 km
Stage winner: Jaan Kirsipuu (AG2R) 4 hours, 40 minutes and 29 seconds. General Classicifation: Cancellara.
Stage 2 - July 5: Charleroi-Namur, 197 km
Stage winner: Robbie McEwen (Lotto-Domo), Australia, 4 hours, 18 minutes, 39 seconds. General classification: Thor Hushovd (Credit Agricole), Norway.
Stage 3 - July 6: Waterloo - Wasquehal, 210 km
Stage winner: Jean-Patrick Nazon (AG2R Provoyance), France, 4:36:45. General classification: Robbie McEwen (Lotto-Domo), Australia.
Stage 4 - July 7: Cambrai - Arras TTT, 64.5 km
Stage winner: U.S. Postal Service, 1 hours, 12 minutes, 3 seconds. General classification: Lance Armstrong (U.S.P.S.), Austin,Texas.
Stage 5 - July 8: Amiens - Chartres, 200.5 km
Stage winner: Stuart O'Grady (Cofidis), Australia, 5:05:58. General classification: Thomas Voeckler (Broiches La Boulangerie) France.
Stage 6 - July 9: Bonneval - Angers, 196 km
Stage winner: Tom Boonen (Quick Step-Davitamon), Belgium, 4:41:41. General Classification: Voeckler
Stage 7 - July 10: Chateaubriant - Saint Brieuc, 204.5 km
Stage winner: Filippo Pozzato (Fassa Bortolo), Italy, 4:31:34. General classification: Voeckler
Stage 8 - July 11: Lamballe - Quimper, 168 km
July 12: Rest Day: Transfer to Limoges
Stage 9 - July 13: St. Leonard de Noblat - Guéret, 160.5 km
Stage 10 - July 14: Limoges - St. Flour, 237 km
Stage 11 - July 15: St. Flour - Figeac, 164 km
Stage 12 - July 16: Castelsarrasin - La Mongie, 197.5 km
Stage 13 - July 17: Lannemezan - Plateau de Beille, 205.5 km
Stage 14 - July 18: Carcassonne - Nimes, 200 km
July 19 - Rest Day: Transfer to Nimes
Stage 15 - July 20: Valreas - Villard-de-Lans, 180.5 km
Stage 16 - July 21: Bourg d'Oisans - Alpe d'Huez ITT, 15.5 km
Stage 17 - July 22: Bourg d'Oisans - Le Grand Bornand, 204.5 km
Stage 18 - July 23: Annemasse - Lons le Saulnier, 166.5 km
Stage 19 - July 24: Besancon - Besancon ITT, 55 km
Stage 20 - July 25: Montreau - Paris-Champs-Elysees, 163 km
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PUBLISHER'S NOTICES
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Tour de France Times (TFT), an electronic newsletter about cycling's pinnacle event and the cyclists who compete in it, is written, edited and published by James Raia, a journalist in Sacramento, California. Tour de France Times is published monthly, except daily during the three-week Tour de France.
Story links, race information, suggestions and letters to the editor are encouraged via e-mail. Please include your name and city and state of residence. Names held upon request.
Use of this newsletter is encouraged with the publisher's permission.
Send correspondence to: address@hidden
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