Will it be a clean Tour de France this time?

The past few years have been scandalous for Tour de France ... the sport is absolutely fantastic, but the competitors are sometimes a disappointment!
Everyone is wondering about this year's tour ... not only about who will wear the yellow jersey, but who and how many might get caught doping!?
Tour director Christian Prudhomme said: "Cycling must not only get its credibility back, but even more its dignity. It is a romantic sport which must be dignified."
There was one sentence that Prudhomme said that really hit the target: "Doping is the enemy of cycling and the enemy of the Tour de France."

It’s A Short-lived Victory for Landis

Finally the results are out: test results of Floyd Landis’ backup urine sample shows he had abnormally high levels of testosterone during the grueling stage 17 of the Tour de France, in which he won. Because of these findings, Phonak automatically fired Landis out of the team as he has violated the team’s Code of Ethics. USA Cycling, the governing body for bicycle racing in the US, on the other hand has banned him for two years.

Although Tour de France director Christian Prudhomme said that it is no longer appropriate to call Landis the champion of the 2006 Tour de France competition, Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) is the right organization to officially take the title from Landis.

Landis: Hero of Lancaster, PA

Despite the doping scandal 2006 Tour de France winner Floyd Landis is facing, people in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, his hometown, are going to honor him on Wednesday at the commissioners’ board meeting. Parents of Landis will be there to receive the honors for him. Syas Dick Shellenberger, chairman of the Lancaster County commissioners says that they recognize Landis participation and victory in such a prestigious international sports event. For the people of Lancaster, it’s an honor to win the Tour de France competition.

Landis Takes Center Stage with Intrigue

Winning the most celebrated bicycle racing event of the year, the 2006 Tour de France, isn’t just about praises and prestige. Along with fame comes intrigue and that’s what Tour de France winner Floyd Landis is facing right now. It is said that Landis used performance-enhancing drugs to win the competition after Landis’ cycling team Phonak revealed it had received notice from the International Cycling Union that says Landis had very high levels of testosterone in his body during stage 17 where Landis won.

Landis, Tour de France’s Champ In the making?

The final stage of this year’s Tour de France competition is now in progress. Cyclists traverse the suburban and city streets between Sceaux-Antony and Champs-Élysées, Paris, which has a total distance of 154.5 kilometers. Wearing the maillot jaune (yellow jersey) is Phonak's Floyd Landis who, if fate favors, will officially be the third American to win the Tour de France. Two Americans who have brought home the prestige were Greg LeMond who won in 1986, 1989, and 1990 and Lance Armstrong who won from 1999 till 2005—seven years straight.

Tour de France: Schleck Wins L'Alpe d'Huez Stage

It’s no ordinary victory for the 26-year old CSC rider Frank Schleck. Today he wins the most famous mountain climbs in cycling, the L’Alpe d’Huez. At the same time, his stage victory makes him the first cyclist from Luxemburg to win Tour de France’s most celebrated stage. Schleck finished the 187km-ride from Gap and to L'Alpe d'Huez in 4 hours, 52 minutes and 22 seconds, averaging at 38.38 kph.

Tour de France 2006: Stage Recaps

Today is the first rest day for the 2006 Tour de France cyclists but definitely not a day to stop aiming for glory and prestige. They have to save enough energy for the next twelve stages, which will commence tomorrow with the 169.5 km race from Bordeaux to Dax, France. The 2006 Tour de France, the 93rd of this most prestigious road bicycle racing event, is composed of 20 stages: 9 flat stages, 4 medium mountain stages, 5 mountain stages and 2 individual time-trial stages. Altogether, these cover a distance of 3,600 kilometers.

Here’s a brief recap of the results of the first eight stages (from July 1, 2006 in Strasbourg to July 9 in Lorient).

Lance Armstrong Wins 7th Tour de France

American Lance Armstrong won his 7th Tour de France title today. He arrived at the Champs Elysees to finish up the Tour in addition to finishing his cycling career.

The last climb in his career was to the podium, on which he stood next to second-placed Italian Ivan Basso and Germany's Jan Ullrich.
The most successful Tour rider in history looked to the sky while the Star Spangled Banner was played for him for the seventh and last time.

Armstrong and Tour De France

It has been a week since the beginning of this year’s Tour De France race, which started in Luneville, France and has reached Karlsruhe, Germany yesterday at the end of the 7th stage.
American six-time champion Lance Armstrong is looking forward to starting clearing the way of the 185 riders left in the three-week race.
Yesterday things look fine for him after he finished 53rd behind Australian McEwen who won the 7th stage.

Today starts the 8th stage climb of the 3.736 foot Col de la Schlucht. And riders who lack the climbing talents of Armstrong could fall behind.

Lance Armstrong and Tour de France 2005

Lance Armstrong will decide early in 2005 whether to take part in next year's Tour de France, the itinerary of which was unveiled Thursday.
"He will decide in February or March," his team director Johan Bruyneel told reporters.

"There's still a 50-50 possibility Lance will ride the Tour, added Bruyneel, who described the itinerary as "a good course."