Category: Tour de France

Danish cyclist Michael Rasmussen fought off every attempt by the Discovery Channel team to unseat him from the overall lead of the Tour de France on Wednesday.

After attacks on the final climb by Levi Leipheimer and Alberto Contador, Rasmussen pulled away with less than a mile to the summit of the Col d'Aubisque and won the Stage 16 all by himself.

Leipheimer, in 4th place overall, gained some time on 3rd place rider Cadel Evans by crossing the finish line in second place, just 17 seconds ahead of Evans. Contador, the 3rd rider to cross the line, lost his chance to overtake or at least close his margin to Rasmussen.

“I gotta hand it to him. He's been solid and his team has been great,” Leipheimer said after the race…

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It's been a real up and down ride for US cyclist Levi Leipheimer ever since he signed on with the Discovery Channel pro cycling team last year.

Essentially hired to lead the team for the 2007 Tour de France, those plans were dashed when Discovery hired Italy's Ivan Basso. Then Basso left the team in the spring because of doping allegations, and Leipheimer was the main man again.

Now he's having his best Tour de France ever, according to team manager Johann Bruyneel. But he's found himself riding in support of Alberto Contador. “On any other team he'd be the big star. And he's able to deal with that situation very professionally.” …

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British cyclist David Millar expresses his frustration at the inability of the governing bodies of cycling to bring doping under control.

The cyclist for Saunier Duval has his own doping demons. This is his first year back after serving a two-year suspension, and he has become one of the most outspoken members of the peloton for clean cycling.

Reporters caught up with Millar during the rest day. Here's a video of his comments at VeloNews. It's worth a watch….

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Pre-race favorite Alexander Vinokourov has tested positive for homologous blood doping and is out of the Tour de France.

So much for the “big comeback” story of this year's Tour.

The 33-year-old Kazahkstan cyclist failed a test administered after he won Saturday's individual time trial. At the time it was considered a superhuman effort by a competitor who had been counted out of the competition after crashing, then losing time in the Alps.

Meanwhile, the entire Astana team pulled out of the Tour. That means Andreas Kloden (5th overall) and Andrey Kashechkin (8th overall) are also out of the Tour…

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US cyclist Freddie Rodriguez dropped out of the Tour de France bike on Monday's Stage 15, the second stage in the Pyrenees.

The US sprinter on the Predictor-Lotto team had been nursing injuries he received in crashes on Stages 2 and 11. He was critical of Tour organizers for approving courses that had difficult turns leading into the finish lines.

The 33-year-old Emeryville, California, resident is the second American to drop out of this year's Tour. David Zabriskie of Team CSC was disqualified when he missed the Stage 11 time cut. He'd been suffering from a sore knee…

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International Cycling Union president Patrick McQuaid says he wants someone besides current leader Michael Rasmussen, right, to win the Tour de France.

“From an image point of view, it would be better if it was not Rasmussen but one of the youngest riders winning the Tour,” McQuaid told reporters. Hmmm. Youngest rider. How about 24-year-old Alberto Contador of the Discovery Channel team? He's Number 2 overall.

Maybe the French customs officials were trying to help out McQuaid when they raided team buses for Rabobank, Discovery Channel, Astana and CSC on Monday. No official word on what, if anything, was found….

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Alexander Vinokourov tore apart the Tour de France peloton again on Monday, going out on an early breakaway and winning a stage in the Pyrenees with five hard climbs.

Race leader Michael Rasmussen and Alberto Contador extended their dominance over the rest of the field, as Contador attacked the yellow jersey at least five times on the final climb over the Col de Peyresourde but couldn't shake the Dane.

With the 122-mile 15th stage from Foix to Loudenvielle behind them, the racers rest on Tuesday before tackling one more stage in the Peyrenees. It's one more stage where Discovery Channel's Contador will have another chance at unseating Rasmussen. Then its three days of relatively flat stages until Saturday's penultimate stage, another individual time trial…

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Discovery Channel's Alberto Contador rode into second place in the Tour de France on Sunday alongside Michael Rasmussen, who protected his yellow jersey against the other challengers.

With the pre-race favorites strung out down the Plateau de Beille on Sunday, Contador crossed the finish line just ahead of Rasmussen. The two combined to knock back Australian Cadel Evans, who started the day in second place but dropped back to third.

Although Discovery's Levi Leipheimer was dropped about half-way up the final climb, he gained ground on just about everyone else, finishing fourth on the day and moving into fourth place overall….

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Quite a few people have mentioned seeing a bike rider letting it all hang out to take a “nature break” during the 10th Stage live coverage.

The New York Times reports that's against the rules. Well, peeing isn't against the rules, but peeing in front of spectators (or cameramen) is.

At least 10 cyclists, including US riders Dave Zabriskie and Freddie Rodriguez, have been fined the equivalent of $83 for satisfying nature's need in front of the public……

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The first Tour de France stage in the Pyrenees can be viewed on the big screen at the free Cyclefest Outdoor Cinema Sunday night in Seattle's Magnuson Park.

The Cascade Bicycle Club is offering more than just cycling and suds this year. The festivities begin at 3 p.m. with bike polo matches, followed by a treasure hunt, free sprint racing, and kids' bike parade…..

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