- Tour de France live video and audio
streaming
- Cycling Fans - The Guide to
Live Race Coverage on the web and internet
-- Photos, wallpaper, commentary
Rebecca Bell reports that the winner of the Alberto Contador
Trivia Contest is Christian Capelja. Christian wins a copy
of Dancing on the Pedals, the Found Poetry of Phil Liggett.
Congrats, Christian! The correct answers to the quiz
questions are now posted on Page 18 of Rebecca's Alberto Contador
Notebook.
- Armstrong says Contador can top seven Tour
wins -
Alberto Contador has been a favorite at cyclingfans.com
for a couple of years now. "The Accountant" first got my attention
in 2004, for his racing and for his inspiring attempt to return to
the sport following brain surgery to treat a cerebral hemorrhage.
When he showed up to compete at Paris-Nice in March, 2005,
I snapped a photo of him in full flight just minutes into his ride
in the Prologue (photo at left). The photo was one of the first
wallpapers we posted here. Later in that same edition of Paris-Nice,
I saw Contador's near-fall on a descent. I still do not know how
he managed to keep his bike upright. It was probably the most spectacular
bike handling I have ever seen.
When Contador, at age 22, won a thrilling stage in the mountains
of the 2005 Tour de Romandie while riding for Liberty Seguros, we noted
"You can bet that Johan Bruyneel and Lance Armstrong of Discovery Channel,
as well as managers at a few other teams, have their eyes on this
talent for the years ahead." Photographers took note too as Contador
rapidly became a "must shoot".
I was impressed of course by Contador's climbing style,
his ability to accelerate like few others, his "dancing on the pedals"
as witnessed by more cycling fans than ever during the 2007 Tour de
France.
I was disappointed when he was initially linked to the Operation
Puerto doping scandal in 2006, relieved when he was cleared of any
involvement.
So when, weeks before the 2007 Tour, I asked contributor
Rebecca Bell if there was anything or anyone in particular she would
like to write about during the race and she responded "I'm very interested
in Alberto Contador.....He has a good chance of being a newsmaker,"
I responded with an enthusiastic "YES."
Rebecca's "good chance of being a newsmaker" just won the
biggest race in the sport. He also won the Young Rider competition.
As winner of the Tour de France, Contador will find that
his life is going to change dramatically. He is now a hero in
Spain and a superstar in the sport. There will be great demands
on his time from sponsors and the media alike. And as if Contador
didn't have enough pressure already, Lance Armstrong has quite unfortunately
suggested that the 24-year-old could beat his record seven victories in
the Tour.
Contador is now also the biggest target in a sport marked
by hypocrisy at all levels and with incessant battles between race
organizers and the UCI, the sport's governing body. Everyone
with an agenda will use Contador for their own purposes. Contador
will be tracked incessantly by some looking for evidence of scandal.
It comes with the territory, particularly for the yellow jersey,
and he will have to get used to it. Some, including three-time
Tour winner Greg LeMond, have already questioned his Tour performance.
Others are attempting to re-link him to Operation Puerto.
With French sports daily L'Equipe and Tour organizer Amaury
Sport Organization (A.S.O.) announcing what may in essence be a threat
to invite national teams to the 2008 Tour de France (the organizers
of the Giro d'Italia are also studying the possibility of inviting national
teams), a lot could change in the months and in the years ahead.
No matter what direction the sport takes, it would be nice
if Contador, the yellow jersey of the Tour de France, took a leadership
role in denouncing doping.
Is that too much to ask?
-Pete Geyer
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Below is our Guide
to Live Coverage of the 2007 Tour de France
18. Trivia contest 19. Pinto Poised
(click
to open)
National Teams in the 2008 Tour
de France?
by Pete Geyer
I mentioned it in passing in my Editorial on Thursday, July
26. Today, French sports daily L'Equipe's top story delivers
the news that should send shockwaves through the world of professional
cycling:
The 2008 Tour de France may see the return of national teams to
cycling's biggest event.
I've "known" this is where things may be headed for about
a year. It was in part the logical response to the question,
"What now?" after cycling was brought to its knees, a key point of
Part I of my article,
L'Equipe vs. Lance. (Specifically, the part that deals with L'Equipe's editor-in-chief's
novel, "Dernier Tour" ("Last Tour")).
As an aside, September's Tour de l'Avenir (Tour of the Future),
like the Tour de France organized by Amaury Sport Organization (ASO),
will be entirely composed of national teams for the first time in
years. This fact, announced last year, contributed to my conclusion
that national teams would be returning to the Tour de France.
So of course, no surprises whatsoever here. I do believe
we were the first to evoke the possibility of the return of national
teams, a result of extensive research into L'Equipe's targeting of Lance
Armstrong.
Obviously in the days ahead there will be much discussion
about this news, which looks to involve a mix in 2008 of national
teams and trade teams. That said, nothing is in stone yet. This
of course can also be seen as an attempt to drive the final nail in
the coffin of the UCI ProTour, even if the Tour invites national teams
only every few years.
A.S.O. and L'Equipe have on numerous occasions deliberately
sought to undermine the UCI ProTour. That A.S.O. would do so
I can understand, at least within the context of its political battles
with the UCI. That a newspaper would do this is deeply troubling,
however, as has been L'Equipe's doping propaganda for years, the details
of which I should be able to make available in August. L'Equipe's
involvement in the plan for national teams is far greater than they
will let on. In fact, I believe L'Equipe is behind the entire thing.
I have to admit that I am intrigued by the idea of giving
national teams a try, though know that A.S.O. is sure to invite at
least three French national teams (teams A, B and C), if they go through
with these plans. But 27 Thomas Voecklers won't change the composition
of the final podium.
We will of course have more about all of this in the days
and weeks ahead.
Notes:
- The NOS live video stream finally loaded for us. Must
be seeing very heavy access.
- Serbian TV is showing today's finish of the Tour de France.
- The 2007 Tour de France is about to pass in front of the
Eiffel Tower in Paris.
- We've been unable to access either of the NOS live video
streams so far today. The Tiny Eurosport live video stream is
working, as is Eurosport live audio.
Once again, the final stage of the Tour de France goes through
Chatenay-Malabry, home of the French national anti-doping laboratory,
LNDD. Yes, ASO is serious about fighting doping. (heavy
sarcasm)
- Looking for the Eurosport live audio feed? The original
live feed was fixed a couple of days ago and you will find it
here.
17. It’s the Tour that needs brain surgery! 18. Trivia contest
(click
to open)
- The NOS (Netherlands) live coverage
of today's final stage is scheduled to begin at 14:00
CET (8:00am U.S. Eastern).
- Be sure to reload this page occasionally
during the race for
the latest live race coverage
links and information. The
most recent notices always appear at
the top of this Live Guide.
- Welcome to
today's live coverage guide
for Stage 20 of the
2007 Tour de France.
Below is our Guide
to Live Coverage of the 2007 Tour de France
17. It’s the Tour that needs brain surgery! 18. Trivia contest
(click
to open)
Try Rebecca Bell's Trivia
Quiz in the Alberto Contador Notebook and you could win a copy of Dancing
on the Pedals, the Complete Found Poetry of Phil Liggett!
Barring incident, Discovery Channel's Alberto Contador should
win the 2007 Tour de France tomorrow. That means that Contador
will be under a brighter spotlight than any other active rider in
the sport today. Want to keep up on the latest Contador news?
Sign up for Alberto Contador News Bulletins from the
same folks that produce
chechurubiera.info.
Nobody on the web covers an individual cyclist like
Nicky Orr and Rebecca Bell. So whether you are a member of the
media or just a cycling fan,
sign up for Alberto Contador News Bulletins today. I
already have.
Still to come: More cycling caricatures
by Murray Webb, Peloton Art by Beka Abbott, race reports, the
Alberto Contador Notebook, a look at the future of live internet
coverage of bike racing, new wallpaper, book reviews and much more.
Frequent any cycling
blogs and web sites , including your own,
that you recommend others check out? We are compiling
a list of general interest, team-specific
and rider-specific
cycling blogs and web sites for inclusion in an online
directory of such sites. Sites in
English, Français, Deutsch, Español,
Italiano, Dutch, Danish, Japanese and all other
languages welcome. We look forward to any recommendations
you might have. Please send the web addresses
for your own and favorite sites to the Editor
here. Thanks!
Call for bloggers
Are you interested in starting a blog about any aspect
of cycling? (General cycling, a specific team, specific rider,
training, equipment reviews, etc.) We can help get you started
and can also supply you with images from participating race photographers,
dynamic content such as news tickers, and much more. Please contact
the Editor
here.
Notes:
Chris: "Casar
Wins, Time Trial Awaits" Stage 18 Report
here
Looking for the Eurosport live audio feed? The original
live feed was fixed a couple of days ago and you will find it
here.
- The NOS live video stream is playing today's final individual
time trial. The Tiny Eurosport live video stream is also playing.
- Cognac, this would have been a good start town for Floyd.
- You can view a full list of start times
here. It is divided into a list of riders yet to
depart and a list of riders who have already departed.
Wearing the yellow
jersey, Alberto Contador may as well have a bullseye on his back. Cadel
Evans of course hopes to grab overall victory in this penultimate stage.
But beyond competition on the road, Contador is now arguably the
biggest target in all of sport, particularly if he seals victory in
today's time trial. The political battleground on which ethics-challenged
A.S.O./L'Equipe wage war with the ethics-challenged International Cycling
Union (UCI) is an ugly place. The world's media circles like vultures
happy to spread innuendo. Is Alberto prepared for what is to come?
-Pete
- Selected start times for today's time trial:
11:20 CET (5:20am U.S. Eastern): Vansevenant
...
15:59 CET (9:59am U.S. Eastern): Popovych
16:02 CET (10:02am U.S. Eastern): Kirchen
16:05 CET (10:05am U.S. Eastern): Valverde
16:08 CET (10:08am U.S. Eastern): Zubeldia
16:11 CET (10:11am U.S. Eastern): Sastre
16:14 CET (10:14am U.S. Eastern): Leipheimer
16:17 CET (10:17am U.S. Eastern): Evans
16:20 CET (10:20am U.S. Eastern): Contador
- The first rider departs at 11:20 CET (5:20am U.S. Eastern).
The last rider (Alberto Contador) is scheduled to depart at
16:20 CET (10:20am U.S. Eastern). The last rider is expected
to arrive at the finish at around 17:27 CET (11:27am U.S. Eastern).
- The NOS (Netherlands) live coverage
of today's final individual time trial is scheduled to begin
at 14:05 CET (8:05am U.S. Eastern).
- Be sure to reload this page occasionally
during the race for
the latest live race coverage
links and information. The
most recent notices always appear at
the top of this Live Guide.
- Welcome to
today's live coverage guide
for Stage 19 of the
2007 Tour de France.
- With regard to yesterday's Editorial, Bill Chidley wrote
in to point out that Bjarne Riis wasn't the first man to be stripped
of his Tour win. Indeed, Maurice Garin, winner of the first
Tour in 1903, had his repeat win in 1904 taken away. Regarding
Riis I should have specified for "illegal use of drugs". The Garin
case was about "illegal use of trains"! Actually, ASO have simply
said they no longer consider Riis the winner. -Pete
- Eurosport/Yahoo have finally gotten their
audio-only player working. (Thanks, Mike.)
- As of 15:25 CET (9:25am U.S. Eastern), the NOS live
video stream, Tiny Eurosport live video stream and Eurosport UK
and France live audio streams are working for us.
Chris: "Bennati
Outsprints Breakaway Companions" Stage 17 Report
here
Today's stage is another flat, transitional stage.
All eyes will be on tomorrow's decisive final time trial, so many
GC contenders will want to rest today in preparation. However,
with only 2 road stages left, the sprinter's teams might be willing
to work for every opportunity of glory that they can get. If
they have the energy.
- The NOS (Netherlands) live coverage
of today's stage is scheduled to begin at 14:35
CET (8:35am U.S. Eastern).
- Be sure to reload this page occasionally
during the race for
the latest live race coverage
links and information. The
most recent notices always appear at
the top of this Live Guide.
- Welcome to
today's live coverage guide
for Stage 18 of the
2007 Tour de France.
Below is our Guide
to Live Coverage of the 2007 Tour de France
Editorial
Mountains of hypocrisy
Without a strong rider union, problems will continue
With all the doping suspicion, scandals, and what
was perhaps the inevitable eviction of 2007 Tour race leader Michael
Rasmussen, one could be forgiven for forgetting that there still
is no confirmed winner of the 2006 Tour de France. Some simply
would like to forget Floyd Landis.
But whatever you think of the Landis case, it should
be clear by now that race organizer Amaury Sport Organization (A.S.O.)
is unable to head off what has become an annual scandal involving
the yellow jersey of the Tour de France. When they pressed
teams to evict Jan Ullrich, Ivan Basso, Francisco Mancebo and others
on the eve of the 2006 Tour, they got Floyd Landis, who might have
become the first winner of the Tour to be stripped of his title if not
for 1996 Tour winner Dane Bjarne Riis's admission of EPO use during
his career. When ASO continued to refuse to join the UCI ProTour,
and neglected to invite UCI president Pat McQuaid to the 2007 Tour route
presentation in Paris last October, they got Dane Michael Rasmussen,
hand delivered this July by his own federation, no doubt with a little
"help" from the UCI. As the suspicion surrounding race leader Rasmussen
grew, his own team sponsor, Rabobank, grabbed him by his yellow jersey
collar and yanked him from the race, perhaps with a little "help" from
the UCI, perhaps with a little "help" from ASO. One can imagine the
heated phone conversations that preceded Rasmussen's eviction by his own
team.
One also gets the impression that the UCI could help
deliver a July time bomb on ASO's doorstep every year, thereby weakening
ASO's and the Tour's influence in the sport, one of the UCI's goals
of the ProTour to begin with. Call it Plan B.
But why would the UCI go THAT far? Wouldn't
it be shooting itself in the foot? Yes, except the UCI no
doubt has figured out by now that ASO (and the organizers of the Giro
d'Italia and Vuelta a Espana) will never join the ProTour, meaning
the reform envisioned by past UCI president (and current UCI vice-president)
Hein Verbruggen is effectively dead anyway.
ASO envisions proceeding with its own "reform" of
cycling. Meanwhile, French sports daily L'Equipe (like ASO
part of the Amaury Group) has repeatedly sought to undermine the
UCI as well. It's the old one-two punch from the Amaury Group
that continues to prompt some in Europe to suggest that perhaps these
two entities should be separated once and for all. Indeed, when
Amaury Group president Philippe Amaury died last year, some in France
suggested it might be time for Amaury to sell the Tour de France.
L'Equipe, which has never gotten over the fact that
it no longer organizes the race itself, isn't just playing games
undermining the UCI and the ProTour, which of course raises serious
ethical issues for a newspaper. L'Equipe wants nothing less
than a complete destruction of corporate team sponsors in pro cycling,
or at least in the Tour de France. After years of lining their
pockets thanks to a certain Lance Armstrong, the targeting of the retired
7-time Tour champion in 2005 was designed in part as the first step
toward bringing cycling to its knees. And if you haven't noticed,
cycling is on the canvas bleeding, with each scandal outdoing the previous
one. And corporate sponsors are rapidly leaving the sport.
In its fight with ASO, the UCI has unwittingly played
right into the hands of L'Equipe.
With corporate team sponsors gone, how does L'Equipe
envision future Tours de France?
A return to national teams.
As ASO, L'Equipe and the UCI, all three with their
own visions for the future of the sport, continue to fight it out,
no one is paying much attention to the needs and the interests of
the cyclists themselves, the very men who make the race what it is.
Pro cyclists as a whole are exploited by those who run the sport
and one consequence of the incessant battles is that the UCI, which
previously did at least something to look after the rights of pro
cyclists, has largely abandoned them. (Ask Frenchman Franck Bouyer,
unable to race for a couple of years now because the UCI, contrary
to the wishes of the World Anti-Doping Agency, won't give him an exemption
to treat his narcolepsy so that he can stay awake on his bike!)
Whoever ultimately wins the battle for the future
of the Tour de France, and of cycling, if anyone wins, it is imperative
that a strong rider union* be formed now. Not the kind of rider
union envisoned by Tyler Hamilton as a way to fight a largely impotent
WADA. But rather a rider union capable of getting Bouyer back
on a bike, capable of protecting riders from their own teams, from unethical
team doctors, from their own sponsors, from the collateral damage
done by all the political battles. A rider union capable of
getting the riders a better base salary and longer contracts, like
in other sports, so that they don't have near-constant pressure to perform,
"or else". A strong rider union capable of helping young cyclists
avoid the pressure to dope to begin with.
The riders don't seem capable on their own of forming
a real union. They need help. The future of this sport
at the professional level depends on it.
Pete Geyer
* The CPA (Cyclistes Professionels Associés)
is an association of riders capable of not much more than demanding
that riders not have to spend an organizer-planned night on a train
heading into a "rest" day of the 2006 Giro d'Italia...
No more petty bickering between the UCI and ASO over
control of cycling. No more suspicious doctors hanging around
the cycling scene. No more abuse of riders' rights. Only
if cycling starts afresh can it make all the necessary reforms to create
the sport we all want.
More
Notes:
- Mike Kunnecke sent
this link
to a Sports Illustrated photo gallery of "crazy Tour
fans"....with a note of caution: "Several pictured may be over
the UCI limit for alcohol". Thanks, Mike!
- Both NOS live video streams
are playing today's stage of the Tour de France. The
Eurosport UK and France live audio streams
are also playing the Tour. The Tiny Eurosport
video stream is also playing.
- Today's stage 17 got underway
at 12:45 CET (6:45am U.S. Eastern). The NOS
(Netherlands) live coverage is scheduled to begin at
14:35 CET (8:35am U.S. Eastern).
16. Tour 2006: Parents Protest
(click
to open)
- Be sure to reload this page occasionally
during the race for
the latest live race coverage
links and information. The
most recent notices always appear at
the top of this Live Guide.
- Welcome to
today's live coverage guide
for Stage 17 of the
2007 Tour de France.
- The primary NOS live video stream is unable
to keep up with the demand. The alternative NOS stream
is working pretty well. The Tiny Eurosport video stream
is also playing.
- Both NOS live video streams
are playing today's stage of the Tour de France. The
Eurosport UK and France live audio streams
are also playing the Tour.
- Today's stage 16 gets underway
at 10:40 CET (4:40am U.S. Eastern). The NOS
(Netherlands) live coverage is scheduled to begin at
12:05 CET (6:05am U.S. Eastern).
15. Tour 2006: Open Letter to Fans
(click
to open)
- Be sure to reload this page occasionally
during the race for
the latest live race coverage
links and information. The
most recent notices always appear at
the top of this Live Guide.
- Welcome to
today's live coverage guide
for Stage 16 of the
2007 Tour de France.
(cyclingfans.com) - Kazakh Alexandre
Vinokourov has
tested positive
for homologous blood transfusion (transfusing
blood from a compatible donor) following his victory in
Saturday's individual time trial,
L'Equipe
reported on its website today. Vinokourov's
Astana team has reportedly quit the Tour de France.
Vinokourov has asked for a "B" sample
analysis but his Tour is over.
The test was carried out at the controversial
Laboratoire National de Dépistage du Dopage (LNDD)
outside Paris. Though LNDD has leaked "A" sample results
to the media in the past, in violation of protocol, at this time
there is no indication who the source is in this case. Another
possible source for the leak is the Union Cycliste Internationale
(UCI). The motive? Getting even with race organizer Amaury
Sport Organization (ASO) for undermining the UCI's reform for cycling,
the UCI ProTour.
The UCI has already said it is this
week looking into allegations that race leader Michael Rasmussen
of Rabobank may have been involved in doping practices in
the past. Reports have also surfaced during the Tour indicating
that Rasmussen failed on two occasions in June to report for
random drug testing. (A third missed test would automatically
be considered a failed drug test.) The news appears to be
timed for maximum effect during the Tour de France. Though
it is not clear that they have a case, if the UCI were to decide to
sanction Rasmussen this week or at least announce a full investigation,
particularly while Rasmussen is still in yellow, it could be interpreted
as going for A.S.O.'s jugular.
A.S.O. and the UCI have been battling
over the future of cycling for years, neither one offering
any workable solutions to the problem of doping. Riders
looking for a short-cut to fame and fortune and hypocritical
race organizers and federations may yet kill off the sport of professional
cycling as we know it.
Today is the second and final rest
day of the 2007 Tour de France.
Discovery Channel will try everything tomorrow to crack the
yellow jersey, Michael Rasmussen of Rabobank; perhaps a rider or
two up the road early, a high pace on the final climb to isolate Rasmussen
and finally the direct attacks, including what they hope will be a decisive
attack by climbing sensation Alberto Contador. Rasmussen
and Contador, currently in second place overall, are looking to
put time into each other before Saturday's time trial. Neither
one is entirely comfortable with the current situation and that should
add to the excitement. Will one of the others take advantage
of that rivalry and surprise everyone? Will they go for broke,
race for third or hang on and hope to steal victory in the final time
trial? One thing is sure, Wednesday's stage should
be epic.
Monday, July 23, 2007
Notes:
- If you are joining us for the first
time, we update our Live Guides multiple times daily, with
the latest links to live race coverage: video
and audio streaming, dynamic graphics and tickers.
14. Tour 2006: Cycling, the Black Sheep Alberto takes Plateau de Beille!
(click
to open)
- The main NOS stream seems to have
bonked. The alternative NOS stream
and the Tiny Eurosport live video stream are
working for us, however. The Eurosport UK and France
live audio streams are also working well.
Stage 15
- Today's stage 15 gets underway
at 11:15 CET (5:15am U.S. Eastern). The
NOS (Netherlands) live coverage is scheduled to begin
at 11:05 CET (5:05am U.S. Eastern).
- Be sure to reload this page occasionally
during the race for
the latest live race coverage
links and information. The
most recent notices always appear at
the top of this Live Guide.
- Welcome to
today's live coverage guide
for Stage 15 of the
2007 Tour de France.
Alberto Contador, 2005 Paris-Nice
Alexandre Vinokourov and the devil
