This is a whole different Tour de France after Stage 7's first Alpine climbs of the bike race sent up five new cyclists to the head of the overall standings.
The stage winner and overall leader, T-Mobile's Linus Gerdemann, is new in more ways than one. The 24-year-old is riding in his first Tour de France, having turned pro with Team CSC in 2005.
Gerdemann attacked with about 6 miles to go on the Col de la Colombière, holding off all challengers on the descent into Le Grand-Bornand to win by 40 seconds. He moved up from 20th at the end of Stage 6.
The pre-race favorites hung on to finish about 3-1/2 minutes back. Among them, injured Andreas Kloden of the Astana team is in the best position, sitting (on a fractured coccyx) in 6th place at 3:39 behind the leader
Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2007/07/14/welcome-to-the-tour-de-france-linus-gerdemann-heres-your-yellow-jersey/
Wins yellow jersey in 7th stage of his first tour de france.
Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2007/07/14/linus-gerdemann/
In spite of struggling through Friday's Tour de France stage, pre-race favorite Alexander Vinokourov will definitely start on Saturday as the peloton enters the Alps.
The Astana team director was not so sure about Vino's teammate Andreas Kloden, who is suffering from a hairline fracture on his tailbone. …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2007/07/13/vinokourov-to-start-saturday-kloden-questionable/
Belgian cyclist Tom Boonen ended a two-year dry spell at the Tour de France on Friday, winning Stage 6 in a mass sprint in Bourg-en-Bresse as Fabian Cancellara completed the first week still in yellow.
Boonen hadn't won a stage since early in the 2005 Tour, when he won two (he has 5 career). It looked like the sprinter might win Stage 2 in Ghent, Belgium, on Monday, but he came in second to teammate Gert Steegmans.
“At last another victory. You need so much luck,” Boonen told reporters after the victory.
Meanwhile the riding wounded — Alexander Vinokourov, Andreas Kloden (both Astana) and Benjamin Noval (Discovery Channel) — finished the stage …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2007/07/13/boonen-wins-tour-de-france-stage-6-cancellara-still-wearing-yellow/
Belgian sprinter for QuickStep.
Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2007/07/13/tom-boonen/
Seattle area cycling fans gave a warm welcome Thursday to Floyd Landis at perhaps his best appearance so far on a cross-country book tour to promote “Positively False: The Real Story of How I Won the Tour de France.”
“You guys in Seattle got 'em all beat. Even better than Lancaster, Pennsylvania,” Landis told me as he neared the end of a 1-1/2 hour session signing books (and shirts, and posters, and a bike).
Maybe he was just playing to the locals, but he did fill a room adjacent to Third Place Books in Lake Forest Park with some 500 cycling fans, many fresh off their bikes, who gave him a standing ovation when he entered. ……
Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2007/07/13/500-give-floyd-landis-a-standing-ovation-at-seattle-bookstore/
Floyd Landis answered questions before signing books in Seattle.
Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2007/07/13/part-of-crowd-at-landis-talk/
Poses during signing for Postively False: The Real Story of How I Won the Tour de France.
Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2007/07/13/floyd-landis-at-book-signing-in-seattle/
“The race is not lost.”
Alexander Vinokourov answering a reporter's question as he fought his way through the crowd to his Astana team van at the finish line on Stage 5.
The pre-race favorite crashed about 14 miles from the finish line on Thursday……
Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2007/07/12/tour-de-france-quote-alexander-vinokourov/
Eighty-two college students are seeing America from the slow lane this year, bicycling cross-country to raise money on behalf of people with disabilities.
The Journey of Hope members left from Seattle and San Francisco in three separate bike tours to ride northern, southern and central routes to Washington DC. They're expecting to raise about $500,000.
No sleeping in late for these guys. They hit the road early, cover an average 75 miles, then do some activities with people with disabilities in a host town or work on a volunteer project. It should be quite an interesting tale for “How I Spent My Summer Vacation” essays. …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2007/07/12/journey-of-hope-bicycle-tour-supports-disability-programs/
Adventure Cycling Association Trail biking Rails to Trails Conservancy League of American Bicyclists
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