Statement from Johan Bruyneel:

“On the eve of the 2006 Tour de France all of the Team Director’s met to decide on the current situation regarding the riders named in the Spanish doping scandal. The directors unanimously decided to uphold the code of ethics that was signed by all teams on January 1, 2005 which stated that no team would allow a rider to compete while under investigation in any doping affair. This is certainly an unfortunate situation for all of professional cycling, not just those teams and riders involved. And even though the top pre-Tour favorites have been suspended from competition, all of our Discovery Channel riders continue to maintain their focus on tomorrow’s prologue Time Trial. The entire team has prepared meticulously for this race as they have over the past seven years and we continue to have high expectations about our chances in this years Tour de France.”

OMG!!! This is unbelievable... both Ulrich and Basso out!! Riders are being suspended right and left... The Tour is in chaos. But I see that not one name is a Discovery Channel rider...

My other good photog buddy at the Tour, Caroling Yang, another excellent photographer, just emailed me to say that the s**t is really hitting the fan in the Press Room at the Tour. Everything is in chaos right now. This makes the Festina Affair look like a walk in the alley...

Looks like the door to the Podium has just opened wide for the American contenders....

Follow the Link to the Caroline Yang Photography website.

Straight from Strasbourg to Velogal's Cycling Race Blog readers. My good buddy, photog extraordinaire Mark Shimahara, Bike Zen , will, from time to time, be sending pics to this blog from the 2006 Tour de France. Today, images direct from Strasbourg:






Check out Mark's site for more Tour photos.... And a BIG thanks for being our Tour Connection. With these pics, Mark said, " There are only two things missing - you and Lance".

So what’s been happening while I’ve had my nose stuck in Photoshop and the Pescadero Coastal Classic images? As we know, a rather muted version of Tour frenzy is poised to burst onto the scene on Saturday. And we hear that Lance is going to ride RAGBRAI, or rather a day of it... That should turn it into a frenzy and a delight for the race promoters.

Are you a gambling person? I’m not, but I just received this press release: The largest sports betting site on the Internet, PinnacleSports.com has calculated individual odds on 30 individuals participating in the grueling three-week long race. Italian cyclist Ivan Basso, who finished second to Armstrong last year, has been inserted as the odds-on favorite to win the Tour de France at 11/10 odds. PinnacleSports.com lists five-time Tour runner-up Jan Ullrich with the second-best odds to win his first yellow jersey at 9/4 odds. Spaniard Alejandro Valverde, who's known for his prowess in the mountain stages, is listed at 11/1 to emerge victorious, followed by Kazakh rider Alexander Vinokourov at 13/1. Meanwhile, Floyd Landis (14/1) and Levi Leipheimer (30/1) are solid contenders to become only the third American to capture the Tour de France title in the race's illustrious history. Other riders that should compete for the championship include: Cadel Evans (25/1), Yaroslav Popovych (30/1), George Hincapie (35/1) and Francisco Mancebo (50/1).

So Jan has the second-best odds of winning, but some folks are wondering if he’s gonna get nabbed for questioning by the Spanish Guardia Civil when Stage 11 ends in in Val d'Aran, Spain. I guess Jan is starting to experience all the media crap that Lance has put up with for years.

Hey, we got a cyclist who needs our help, bigtime. The story is on cyclingnews.com this morning. “Bret Neylon (Heroes Foundation Cycling Team), a middle school history teacher and running coach from Brownsburg, Indiana, crashed while racing at the Summer Solstice road race in Wilmington, Ohio. Nylon, 39, suffered a fractured C3 vertebra causing him to lose all feeling from the shoulders down,” Mark Zalewski reports.

The Bret Neylon updates website says, “The treatment center of choice is the Shepard Rehabilitation Hospital in Atlanta. The family, insurance company and doctors are all in favor of this move. It is one of the best and if not the best facility in the country for Bret's condition. Bret will need $7,925.00 to fly from Dayton to Atlanta on a medically equipped airplane. The flight has to be paid for upfront. The Bret Neylon Support Fund is currently able to subsidize half of that amount. “

If you recall, that’s where Saul Raisin got such great rehab treatment. (I’m wearing my green and white Raisin Hell band, are you?) If some damn, rich airline won’t kick in for the flight, then we all gotta help out. If it was you or me or our family, you’d be damn glad to get some help. When a lot of folks give a little money - it can really add up.You can click on the Link below to read everything and kick in a few bucks. Yeah, I know that I ask you to donate and four people respond, but let’s do a little better for this guy, OK? Follow the link to find out why we should help and to donate....

“Hullo from South Africa”, this guy said to me as I was clicking away with my Nikon. It was early Saturday morning on Stage Road during the 2006 Pescadero Coastal Classic. I parked in an isolated spot near the top of a long climb out of the canyon. The sun was just burning through the early morning fog. It was cool, quiet and peaceful in my spot.

I could look across the canyon, and in the hazy distance, see groups of riders descending the hair-pin turn. I could faintly hear the warning yells and swearing as they hit the newly laid-down chip seal, with gravel and sticky black asphalt loosely covering ancient potholes. The quick repair work will wash away in the first hard rain of winter, but for now, it was a patching attempt done way too close to race day by some unknowing county road crew.

The road side was covered with blooming yellow flowers/weeds/bushes, the air was fragrant and the sound of nearby birds was pure and sweet. Low murmurs from horses in a near-by field, and sounds of cyclists panting and gasping their way up the hill. A group of riders went by, then a few stragglers, and then blissful, peaceful silence until the next group came up the hill. I heard them before I saw them, picked up my camera and got ready to shoot.

I was going to head for the Finish on Haskins Hill, but it was too sweet and precious where I was. I just couldn’t trade the moment for rubbing elbows with spectators and other photogs at the finish line. I was enchanted in my spot from 8 in the morning till mid-afternoon, with some stale water in a bottle (left from my last ride) and a box of Ritz Crackers. I didn’t care - I was experiencing a bit of Cycling Heaven. Then, rewarding myself, down to Duarte’s in Pescadero to eat great food at the bar and watch World Soccer.

This was the pure joy of cycling - far away from all the sensationalism and yellow journalism, name-calling and allegations, gossip and lies. The serenity and honesty of the partnership of human and bike, in the best of Nature’s offering, was a time to capture for the riders and for myself.

Hullo, South Africa, welcome to the real cycling America world... We’re glad you’re here....

And if you did ride on Saturday, I have five huge galleries of shots - from the first riders to go by, each lap and then last riders.... Also the 2006 Deaf Cycling Championships racers in a separate Featured Gallery. Follow the Link to my galleries and check ‘em out. If you know somebody who rode, send them the link...

I shot the 2006 World Deaf Cycling Championships Mountain Bike Short Track race on Tuesday in Fremont. It was a mellow event, filled with so much camaraderie and good will between the racers. There are competitors here from eleven nations - it is just a very cool thing! I have wanted to learn ASL for years - I think this experience will motivate me to finally get started.... Tonight is the 40 Points Race at Hellyer Velodrome in San Jose. Start time is 7 pm. click on the Link to go to my Smugmug gallery and see my shots of the Deaf Cycling Event.

Now looks like I may be involved in management for the Tour of Utah with the event folks - August 7 to 12, 2006. I’m talking with the top honchos right now, so I’ll keep you posted. If so, then I will still be doing photography for G$ Events, too. Sounds like it’s gonna be another tough American race! Toyota United, Health Net, Jelly Belly, TIAA CREF and Navigators are already signed on.

Couple of worthy events to tell you about - both related to the fight against cancer. So, don’t just talk the talk: walk the walk... or ride the ride.

The Breast Cancer Fund is a San Francisco-based non-profit. They are holding a fundraiser called Bike Against the Odds on September 10, 2006. This fun and energizing ride starts at Lake Merritt, winds through historic downtown Oakland, travels up into the towering redwoods and finally affords panoramic views of San Francisco Bay from the ridgelines of the East Bay hills.

Choose from five routes:
-12-mile fun ride
-30 miles and 2,660 feet of climbing
-47 miles and 4,000 feet of climbing
-65 miles and 6,500 feet of climbing-100 miles and 10,000 feet of climbing

Enjoy a light breakfast, well-stocked rest stops J, SAG support, an organic lunch, entertainment, raffle prizes and a full expo of information and solutions for reducing your chemical exposure as part of a healthy lifestyle. So sign up, get off your butt and on the bike! Thanks, Mike, for the heads-up.

My buds in G4 Events (me, too) will be working on the 2006 York Tour de Pink - October 6th through 9th... Registration is now open for the 2006 YORK Tour de Pink, presented by HERSHEY'S, a cycling fundraising event sponsored by York Peppermint Patties and the Hershey company, raising money to benefit the Young Survival Coalition. The YSC is the only international network of breast cancer survivors, medical professionals and supporters dedicated to young women affected by breast cancer. Through your participation, the YSC hopes to boost public awareness about breast cancer in young women and raise funds vital to continuing the YSC's survivorship programs.

The Young Survival Coalition is searching for 100 devoted cyclists to face the challenge of a four-day, 220 mile cycling journey from New York City to Hershey, PA and the ultimate goal of breaking the cycle of breast cancer. This year the YORK Tour de Pink will depart from Hershey's Times Square Store in New York City the morning of Friday, October 6 and arrive at Chocolate World in Hershey, PA, the afternoon of Monday, October 9.

This year's event offers riders:
A picturesque-yet-challenging route across central New Jersey and southern Pennsylvania
A tightly knit team of 100 riders
Professional technical support provided by MAVIC, SAG vans and medical personnel
Signed routes, maps, cue sheets and marshals to guide you along the way
Rest stops approximately every 15 miles
Catered meals
Hotel lodging
Professional fundraising advice
Professional fitness coaching by CityCoach
A heroes' send off at Hershey's Times Square store
A victorious finish at Hershey's Chocolate World in Pennsylvania

For more information, or to sign up to ride, please visit Young Survival Coalition .

Went down to Hellyer Velodrome to catch a bit of the World Deaf Cycling Championships 1000 Meter Sprint Competition last night. Got a few shots while the light was good, and then my “brand-new” batteries in my SB-800 died - I broke my long-standing rule and didn’t take my full camera bag (extra batteries) with me, so it was inevitable, huh? It was an interesting experience to be in the hearing-impaired world, and I salute them to the max for overcoming the obvious difficulties. There are some serious, damn good cyclists there.

Hope you are all reading the reports from Iraq from Major Jason A. Bryan on the VeloNews site: Sustaining Sanity in Iraq. Wow - what a guy, and what a dedicated, gutsy cyclist to be training daily while he's fighting a war. I hope he writes a book when he gets home. My thoughts are with him, and all the other guys and gals there.... (Click on the Link below.)

This morning, I’m heading up to Fremont for the first Mountain Bike Short Track racing on the grounds of the California School for the Deaf. I’m sooo late, so I gotta take head up there right now....

Have you read Lance Armstrong’s letter to the IOC yet? He really lays it on the line in asking for what Fox Australia calls a “pound of flesh”. He clearly asks for sanctions for everyone and particularly against Dick Pound. Lance says that Pound is a “recidivist violator of ethical standards. His conduct in this matter is completely reprehensible and indefensible”. Lance asks that Pound be removed or suspended. The Paceline has Lance’s explanatory letter and a link to his IOC letter in pdf format. Follow the Link below to go there.

So how cool is it for us Americans to see that CSC’s Tour team has three guys from the USA? Christian Van de Velde, Dave Zabriskie and Bobby Julich. Discovery Channel has one guy: George Hincapie. By the way, the individual photos of the Tour team by Al Bello are super fine - with the blue background and the determined, don’t-mess-with-me direct looking at the camera. Sweet to see some real professional camera work...

I see that Toyota United made their presence known at the Nature Valley race - Ivan Stevic took the final stage, and Stefano Barberi held the Young Rider’s jersey for the first four stages. Health Net did their usual fine winning style. Hendy (Greg Henderson) is looking so good after his crash recovery. My friend, Caroline Yang, www.carolineyang.com, has some really find shots of the race on cyclingnews.com.

Discovery Channel Team came in second at the Eindhoven Team Time Trial. I was working on a photography project that morning, and took time out to watch the last stage of the Tour de Suisse on cycling.tv. I was going to watch Eindhoven about 45 minutes later, but I got so engrossed in my project that I forgot to tune back in to cycling.tv!

Looks like I will be working on the Tour of Utah in August. G4 Productions will be doing the technical stuff for the race - sounds I may be working with them on the event. Maybe some other stuff, too... Stay tuned.

Jan Ulrich stormed around the Individual Time Trial course of the final stage of the Tour de Suisse to take the stage win and the leader’s jersey. It was wet and windy, but he never lost focus or drive - he arrived at the finish line with a fierce never-say-die look on his face. He’s sending out the message for the Tour de France - I’m going for it for sure! He looked very trim and in great shape. On the podium, Jan tipped his cap to the roar of the crowd, and tossed his yellow bouquet out to them. The cameras cut away to end the program before we could see champagne being opened... If they did.

Poor Koldo Gil - lost the ITT by 1.14 seconds to Jan, and lost the leader’s jersey by .24 to come in second GC. The TV cameras were pointed between the two Saunier Duval soigneurs, who were waiting at the finish line: the perfect spot to zoom right in on Gil’s face as he rode up to them. It was such a poignant moment - I felt so sorry for him. He looked at the guys with a hopeful grin and said something like, “Did I do it, did I do it?” His face crumpled into despair when he was told no.... He looked to be in tears and he put his head down on the handlebars of his bike. He had given 150% trying to hold on to the GC lead on that slippery road - he was exhausted. His hope for a Tour de Suisse win was washed away on that wet road by the powerful Jan Ulrich.

Janez Brajkovic of Discovery Channel came in an excellent fourth in the ITT at .47, and at an excellent fifth overall - 2:34 back.

No, I didn’t shoot the US Deaf Cycling Championships last night - I was wrong - it starts on Monday night. Their practice runs on the Hellyer Velodrome track were yesterday afternoon and I missed them. Duh...

Didn’t get to watch Stage 8 of the Tour de Suisse this morning. I had to take Baby to see the Doc. Poor Baby is sickie-poo. I’d never heard a cat cough like she has been doing. So.... one x-ray, one visit, one prescription and $199.25 later, I find out that Baby has asthma... Very high pollen season, I’m told... Yikes - good thing she’s an inside cat. She’s happy inside - She just loves this kitty condo that I recently bought..

So Phonak is leaving as sponsor and the team will be called IShares in 2007. Barclay’s Investors owns IShares, and they, of course sponsored the ill-fated SF Grand Prix in 2005. I photographed the big sponsor’s dinner there with the Discovery Channel Team, and all the Barclay's big poobas seemed delighted to be involved in cycling. I’m glad they are continuing to support cycling - IShares is eager to have an international presence, so their sponsorship of the team will be a nice match.

I’m going to be shooting the 2006 World Deaf Cycling Championships during the next week. It’s being held here in Silicon Valley - the first event is tonight at the Hellyer Velodrome. The 1,000-meter sprints. Next Web of Covad Communications will provide live streaming video coverage starting at 5:30 pm PDT, today Saturday, June 17th. Follow the Link below to view.

From today through June 24th, there will be track, mountain bike racing, road racing, individual time trail and a 40K points race, held in various venues around the area. Go to 2006 World Deaf Cycling Championships for all info. I was going to go up and shoot the Tour de Nez, but this seems more interesting to me, and a lot closer to home, meaning fewer visits to the gas station to get ripped off.

Love the stuff I get to see on cycling.tv. Today in the run-in of Tour de Suisse Stage 7, Oscar Freire was in the breakaway group with Matt White and Salvatore Commesso (can’t remember if Rogers was still with them or had been dropped). It had been raining and the roads were wet and slick. The riders came to the last round-about - the other guys went left, but Freire bunny-hopped (at 30mph) a curb onto the center meridian, crossed it in a flash, then bunny-hopped back on the road to go right on the round-about. He had a close call with a race vehicle that also went right. Hoo-ha - How wiley was that? He gained several seconds to win the stage, with a look back and a huge grin. The cycling.tv guys called it a “dodgy finish”, but I don’t see how it could be controversial. But let’s wait and see....

GC remained the same, Koldo in yellow again (Nah, the show ended before I could see if he gave the podie gals roses again), and both Ulrich and Jaksche gaining a few seconds.

Got the press release from PJ Rabice about the Discovery Channel Team Tour de France roster. As you may already know, the roster is: George Hincapie, Yaroslav Popovych, Paolo Savoldelli, Jose Azevedo, Egoi Martinez, Pavel Padrnos, Viatcheslav Ekimov, Benjamin Noval, and Jose Luis Rubiera. Reserves are Vladimir Gusev and Michael Barry. The only surprise to me was Noval - I had heard that he was not on the short list for the Tour. But he has been riding real strong lately, so he earned his spot.... Nobody can say that he doesn’t ride his heart and legs out at the Tour to support the leader, so good on him.... I’ve seen both Benjamin and Pavel come in at the end of a tough Tour stage, and their suffering is written all over their faces, but never a word of complaint - no whining from anyone on that team. Great bunch of guys....

What gorgeous scenery in today’s Stage 6 of the Tour de Suisse - just beautiful on cycling.tv. Koldo Gil of Saunier Duval attacked and took the stage win and the over all GC lead. Ulrich chased during the last few kilometers, but couldn’t catch Gil, coming in second by four or so seconds. Anthony Crossen of cycling.tv commented that Jan’s legs just didn’t have the zip today. Jan took the last corner very gingerly and seemed to wobble a bit. Jan better get his groove, and his leg zip, real soon for the Tour.

What impressed me the most about today’s stage? It was Gil, on the podium, very elegantly taking a yellow rose out of his winner’s bouquet and giving it to each of the podium girls as they did the kiss-kiss-kiss thing. For both the stage win, and for the GC presentation, it was so classy to see him, beaming with joy, handing the podie gals each a yellow rose. Wow - what a guy! Contrast that to the schmucks who have soaked the podium girls with champagne. No contest about who wins the Most Classy Winner Award from me....

Now, this is gonna be real long, but some of you have asked me about OLN’s coverage of the Tour, so here is their schedule promo that I found for the month of July:

OLN has complete coverage of the 2006 Tour de France airing from July 1 to July 23. For the sixth consecutive year, OLN follows the Tour de France at every stage including: nine flat stages, four medium mountain stages, five mountain stages and two individual time-trial stages. The 23-day race - which includes only two rest days - will cover nearly 3,600 kilometres. Incorporated into each broadcast, live race commentary by Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwin and reporters Craig Hummer and Frankie Andreu, offer insight and context on individual racers, teams, equipment and terrain throughout the Tour. For the primetime rebroadcast of the morning races, Al Trautwig and Bob Roll join the lineup, providing commentary and perspective on the day's events.

Leading up to the Tour de France, OLN will broadcast two specials celebrating this amazing event. Road To The Tour, premiering Fri., June 30 at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT will chronicle the past year and the events that have led to the 2006 Tour de France. Then, at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT relive the 2005 Tour de France through the one-hour special In Lance's Words. Narrated by Lance Armstrong, the winner of the 2005 Tour de France, this special chronicles last year's event - and Armstrong's record breaking victory.

Last year, American cyclist and cancer survivor/activist Lance Armstrong retired on top, having won his seventh consecutive yellow jersey. Previously, only four other cyclists came close to Armstrong's amazing feat - each winning the yellow jersey five times - including Jacques Anquetil of France (1957, 1961-64), Eddie Merckx of Belgium (1969-72, 1974), Bernard Hinault of France (1978-79, 1981-82, 1985) and Miguel Indurain of Spain (1991-95). Find out who will succeed Armstrong when the Tour de France kicks off July 1 on OLN.

OLN's complete 2006 Tour de France schedule is as follows:
Day 1
Tour de France Special, Sat., July 1 at 8:30 a.m. ET/5:30 a.m. PT (repeat at 3p.m. ET/ 12 noon PT)
Tour de France Prologue Stage,
Strasbourg - Strasbourg, day total: 7.1 km,
Sat., July 1 at 11:30 a.m. ET/12 noon PT (repeat at 3p.m. ET/ 12 noon PT)

Day 2
Tour De France: Stage 1,
Strasbourg - Strasbourg, day total: 184.5 km,
Sun., July 2 at 8:30 a.m. ET/5:30 a.m. PT (repeat at 3p.m. ET/ 12 noon PT and one-hour encore presentation repack at 8 p.m. ET/9 p.m. PT)

Day 3
Tour de France: Stage 2
Obernai - Esch-sur-Alzette, day total: 228.5 km,
Mon., July 3 at 8:30 a.m. ET/5:30 a.m. PT (one-hour encore presentation repack at 8 p.m. ET/9 p.m. PT)

Day 4
Tour de France: Stage 3,
Esch-sur-Alzette - Valkenburg, day total: 216.5 km,
Tues., July 4 at 8:30 a.m. ET/5:30 a.m. PT (one-hour encore presentation repack at 8 p.m. ET/9 p.m. PT)

Day 5
Tour de France: Stage 4,
Huy - Saint Quentin, day total: 270 km,
Wed., July 5 at 8:30 a.m. ET/5:30 a.m. PT (one-hour encore presentation repack at 8 p.m. ET/9 p.m. PT)

Day 6
Tour de France: Stage 5
Beauvais - Caen, day total: 225 km
Thurs., July 6 at 8:30 a.m. ET/5:30 a.m. PT (encore presentation repack at 8 p.m. ET/9 p.m. PT)

Day 7
Tour de France: Stage 6
Lisieux - Vitré, day total: 189 km
Fri., July 7 at 8:30 a.m. ET/5:30 a.m. PT (encore presentation repack at 8 p.m. ET/9 p.m. PT)

Day 8
Tour de France: Stage 7
Saint Grégoire - Rennes, day total: 52 km
Sat., July 8 at 8:30 a.m. ET/5:30 a.m. PT (repeat at 3p.m. ET/ 12 noon PT and encore presentation repack at 8 p.m. ET/9 p.m. PT)

Day 9
Tour de France: Stage 8
Saint-Méen-le-Grand - Lorient, day total: 181 km
Sun., July 9 at 8:30 a.m. ET/5:30 a.m. PT (repeat at 3p.m. ET/ 12 noon PT and encore presentation repack at 8 p.m. ET/9 p.m. PT)

Rest Day
Tour de France: Rest Day, Bordeaux
Stage 8 encore presentation repack to air Mon., July 10 at 8:30 a.m. ET/5:30 a.m. PT and 8 p.m. PT/9 p.m. PT

Day 10
Tour de France: Stage 9
Bordeaux - Dax, day total: 169.5 km
Tues., July 11 at 8:30 a.m. ET/5:30 a.m. PT (encore presentation repack at 8 p.m. ET/9 p.m. PT)

Day 11
Tour de France: Stage 10
Cambo-les-Bains - Pau day total: 206.5
Wed., July 12 at 7:30 a.m. ET/4:30 a.m. PT (encore presentation repack at 8 p.m. ET/9 p.m. PT)

Day 12
Tour de France: Stage 11
Tarbes - Vald'Aran-Pla-de-Beret day total: 206.5 km,
Thurs., July 13 at 6:30 a.m. ET/3:30 a.m. PT (encore presentation repack at 8 p.m. ET/9 p.m. PT)

Day 13
Tour De France: Stage 12
Luchon - Carcassonne, day total: 211.5 km
Fri., July 14 at 8:30 a.m. ET/5:30 a.m. PT (encore presentation repack at 8 p.m. ET/9 p.m. PT)

Day 14
Tour de France: Stage 13
Béziers Méditerranée - Montélimar, day total: 230 km
Sat., July 15 at 7:30 p.m. ET/4:30 a.m. PT (encore presentation at 3 p.m. ET/12 noon PT, with an encore presentation repack at 8 p.m. ET/9 p.m. PT)

Day 15
Tour de France: Stage 14,
Montélimar - Gap, day total: 180.5 km,
Sun., July 16 at 8:30 a.m. ET/5:30 a.m. PT (encore presentation at 3 p.m. ET/12 noon PT, with an encore presentation repack at 8 p.m. ET/9 p.m. PT)

Rest Day
Tour de France: Rest Day, Gap,
Stage 14 encore presentation repack to air Mon., July 17 at 8:30 a.m. ET/5:30 a.m. PT and 8 p.m. PT/9 p.m. PT

Day 16
Tour de France: Stage 15,
Gap - L'Alpe d-Huez, day total: 187 km
Tues., July 18 at 7 a.m. ET/4 a.m. PT (encore presentation repack at 8 p.m. ET/9 p.m. PT)

Day 17
Tour de France: Stage 16
Bourg d'Oisans - La Toussuire Les Sybelles, day total: 182 km
Wed., July 19 at 6:30 a.m. ET/3:30 a.m. PT (encore presentation repack at 8 p.m. ET/9 p.m. PT)

Day 18
Tour de France: Stage 17
Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne - Morzine-Avoriaz, day total: 200.5 km
Thurs., July 20 at 7:30 a.m. ET/4:30 a.m. PT (encore presentation repack at 8 p.m. ET/9 p.m. PT)

Day 19
Tour de France: Stage 18
Morzine-Avoriaz - Mâcon, day total: 197 km
Fri., July 21 at 8:30 a.m. ET/5:30 a.m. PT (encore presentation repack at 8 p.m. ET/9 p.m. PT)

Day 20
Tour de France: Stage 19
Le Creusot - Montceau-les-mines, day total: 56 km
Sat., July 22 at 8:30 a.m. ET/5:30 a.m. PT (encore presentation at 3 p.m. ET/12 noon PT with an encore presentation repack at 8 p.m. ET/9 p.m. PT)

Day 21
Tour de France: Stage 20
Sceaux-Antony - Paris Champs-Élysées, day total: 152 km
Sun., July 23 at 7:30 a.m. ET/4:30 a.m. PT (encore presentation at 3 p.m. ET/12 noon PT, with an encore presentation repack at 8 p.m. ET/9 p.m. PT)

Went spinning this morning, so got back for the last 30K of the Tour de Suisse on cycling.tv. Was good to see that Jurgen van Goolen has recovered from his early season crash and is looking good. He hung in with the breakaway and ended up mano-a-mano with Morabito of Phonak in the last kilometer, but the Phonak guy took off and left Jurgen twelve seconds back for the win. Looked like Jurgen just pooped out right at the last minute. But a second on the podium is very cool for Discovery Channel. My Iron Man, Eki, also thinks that second or third on the podium is very good, but for many racers, it’s not anything to be happy about. It’s either winning the top spot or you’ve lost.

Lots of T-Mobile color on the front in the final kilometers - it looked like they might be planning on setting up for Jan to take the stage. However, he didn’t go for it on the final small climb before the finish, so he came in 6th, I think. Triki Beltran came in 9th - he’s climbing real well lately. I think he’ll be doing the Vuelta Espana instead of the Tour this year.

For Bay Area fans of Sheryl Crow - her tour is going to include a performance at Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View on October 1st. Heads- up for tickets - they’ll go fast! I’m hoping that she’ll let me do some photography there. She liked my shots that I took of her Austin concert last Fall.

Just got an email from cycling.tv saying, “ We are pleased to announce that this weekend, we will bring you another double header of racing. On Sunday, the Tour De Suisse will be followed immediately by the Pro Tour Team Time Trial from Eindhoven. The Team Time Trial will be shown live on Cycling.tv and Cycling.tv Premium. We will also bring you the Cycling.tv news as part of the broadcast.” They are also mysteriously saying that they will have major tour (no capital T) announcements soon. Hope they mean Tour and that they are going to partner with OLN to bring us the Tour de France live... Wouldn’t that be awesome?

Received another freebie copy from Outside Mag - their July issue has an awesome cover shot of Floyd Landis, by Robert Maxwell. I hadn’t seen Floyd with this much beard and mustache before - I like it... He looks pretty wicked strong. The nice PR folks at Outside always put little page stickers on the relevant cycling articles in the issue that they send to me. So one sticky was on the Landis article, by Dan Coyle, and another was on an interview with Dick (and I mean dick) Pound. Then the third little blue plastic sticky was on an article about the Killer Humboldt Squid - title of the article was “It’s Hard Out Here for a Shrimp”. Uhhh....OK....

Speaking of mags, VeloNews sent me an email to say that their “06 Official Tour de France Guide is now out. No freebie copy, tho... Actually, I already subscribe and my issue came last week, with George Hincapie on the front cover, and a cool close-up of Robbie McEwen in a black and white Look ad on the back cover.

So Fumy Beppu won the Japanese Time Trial Championships. How very cool for him - His parents will be so proud of their son. As I mentioned in a posting quite some time ago, Fumy told me that one of his goals is to promote cycling in his country, and be a spokesman for the sport to Japanese youth. Fumy is a great guy....

Been watching the Tour de Suisse and the Dauphine on cycling.tv, but am experiencing a log of freeze-ups. I can hear the sound, but the picture just stops. Very frustrating...

Sounds like the finish of Philly International Sunday race was quite exciting. Great come-back by Greg Henderson - I wonder if he would have won the first leg of the Triple Crown if he had ridden it? And Toyota-United again showed themselves very well. I love it that Frankie’s team is doing so well....

Here's a heads-up... Saul Raisin's parents have partnered with Carmichael Training Systems to sell "Raisin Hell" wristbands to benefit the Shepherd Center Hospital where Saul recovered here in the USA. Bands are $3.00 each and all proceeds go to the hospital. I just ordered 10 - click on the link below and do your thing...

The Ventoux was eerily awesome: put on it’s beautiful face today, and as usual, was brutal to all the racers. As expected, the wind above the tree line took its toll on some of the top riders. Levi Leipheimer put on the gas and set tempo for the last 5K of the stage, but Denis Menchov and Christophe Moreau attacked and took First and Second in Stage 4 - Denis by a half a wheel length. Levi, in third spot, made the Top in GC, with 28 seconds on Menchov. So, again, we have an American in the leader’s jersey. Jose Azevedo did a long break-away attack in the stage, but lost his momentum in the final 5K, and finished Fourth, 14 seconds back from Leipheimer.

Gilbert tried valiantly, but couldn’t hold on to his GC lead. He gave a wobbly final sprint to the line, and almost crashed - his bike swerved sharply and he had to correct, and hold it up right before the line. I think we’ve all had that happen in a ride, or race, when we’re so pooped that we can barely stay on the bike and kinda lose control of our balance, right? I think he finished about five and a half minutes down in the stage. Landis was over nine minutes down, and finished with Chris Horner at this side. George lost his legs and slipped down to tenth in the GC. I think that Vladimir Gusev of Discovery Channel was not too far back - he’s becoming a great little rider for the DC team.

Photo is Levi Leipheimer in San Francisco for the start of the 2006 Amgen Tour of California Individual Time Trial...

Tried to post this morning and Blogger was down....

ZZZowie - Z (David Zabriskie) kicked butt today in the ITT Stage 3 of the Dauphine this morning. That guy is so awesome on the bike this year.... So great to see him like this, after his gutsy comebacks from a couple of horrific accidents, and that damn fall during the Tour TT. I remember what he looked like after that crash at Redlands, and how he suffered in the emergency room at the hospital for hours. His girlfriend (now wife) Randi and I were so scared about a severe head injury that we stood around for hours by him on the emergency room table.
Takes a lot of guts and determination to get back in the saddle and make a come-back...

Four Americanos on the podium this morning - how cool is that for the popularity of cycling in America? Z, George, Levi and Floyd - all America’s best and all winning completely drug-free. Yes, It Can Be Done....

The photos is Z on the podium at the Specialized Morgan Hill Grand Prix 2005. Zabriskie rode solo against teams and kicked butt to win the race there. Hmmm... Seems that he’s got a haircut and shave since then.... Too bad that the MHGP was cancelled for this year - not sure if it will come back or not. Hate to think we have to see another great, little local race bite the dust for good.

Way cool for the American racers in Sunday’s races. Dave Zabriskie takes the Prologue TT win at the Dauphine, and George Hincapie was second. Floyd Landis was 9th. for Discovery Channel, Devolder was 6th and Gusev was 8th. Then my buddy, Christian Vande Velde won the Tour of Luxembourg. Bjarne Riis must have been a very happy man this weekend!

Tried to watch the Dauphine this morning on cycling.tv, but kept getting an error message about not being logged in. But I was logged in.... Maybe I just missed it, but I tried to get it about 7:30 am, and the little menu box said it was Now Live, but didn’t work for me.... Logged in and out a few times and said to Hell with it.

The Lance Armstrong Sirius Faction Radio Show was live from Austin last night. They focused on the Lollapalooza, the yearly music bash in Grant Park, Chicago - Aug 4, 5 and 6 this year. Capital Sports and Entertainment and Charles Attal Presents are producing the show - the special guest of the night was Perry Farrell, founder and creator of the event. Charles Attal Presents and CSE are both in the same building in Austin, and have partnered to start a new artist management company called the Fourth Floor Management. Yeah, both CSE and CAP are on the fourth floor of the building. Lance has a new office space at CSE - he will now work out of there, when he is in Austin.

Lance and Higgs talked about the Vrijman report - Lance considers it a “complete vindication” of him, and that it nails the “unbelievable behavior” of WADA, ASO, Le Creep, the Lab, and the French Ministry of Sport. Lance said it was a great week for him.

They talked about all his traveling - to Europe twice, where he did the friend’s birthday thing to climb Alpe D’Huez, and then went to the Giro. Also did the dinner on a yacht in France with the bid-winner of the New York City LAF Gala. Drove the pace car at the Indy and played gold at the Monaco Grand Prix.

Lance said he rode his bike Sunday morning - said he’s coming back from being a fat, old man. Said he kicked College’s ass on the ride. Joked about College being in the Race to Replace. Higgs told us about his new son, Jack Higgins, who is now four weeks old. Big kid - was 8 pounds, 15 ounces at birth.

Tony Hawk called in to say that Lance is the biggest inspiration in his life. Talked about the ESPY Awards - Lance was in Los Angeles for a couple of days to do promos and pre-taping. The ESPY Awards are July 16th, I think. Lance said he also wants to do Saturday Night Live again.

Lance and Higgs spoke with Perry Farrell for a long time, and Perry had a ton of stories about the music world. However, unless you are one of the Rich and Famous and/or are Totally Hip and Cool, and know everybody in the Rock scene on a first-name basis, you may (like me) sit and wonder who the Hell they are talking about. Famous First Name Dropping is hip and cool, that’s true, but who is Laird, Tim C., Don, Flea, etc? .... Okay - so I’m not With It.... But, come on guys, this isn’t a private phone conversation - clue your listeners in, from time to time....

Received this press release from the Toyota-United Team this morning. They are certainly kicking some butt on the USA racing scene. I like to think of the team as The Little Engine Who Could (Toyota engine, of course). With Frankie Andreu and Harm Jensen as the DS duo, they’ve got two of the best head honchos in the biz.

After closing out the month of May with an unprecedented 15 victories, the Toyota-United Pro Cycling Team heads to cycling’s fabled Philly Week looking to continue its winning momentum against an international peloton at the Commerce Bank Triple Crown in Pennsylvania. The 3-race series kicks off with the Tom Bamford Lancaster Classic on June 4th, followed by the Reading Classic on June 8th and the historic Philadelphia International Championship on June 11th.

Toyota-United will field its A-list squad, including current USPRO Champion and defending Philadelphia Champion, Chris Wherry, who is back in fighting form after battling illness for much of the season. “I’m definitely looking forward to Philly,” says Wherry. “I would love to defend, but the number one goal is a Toyota-United victory no matter who gets the win.”

Rounding out TUT’s Philly Week roster are Co-Captain Tony Cruz, former New Zealand National Champion Heath Blackgrove, Pan Am Games Champion Ivan Dominguez, top U.S. climber Justin England, former Mexican National Champion Jose Manuel “Chepe” Garcia, multiple European stage winner Sean Sullivan, Serbian National Champion Ivan Stevic, and four-time Argentinean National Champion and dual stage winner at the 2006 Amgen Tour of California, Juan Jose “J.J.” Haedo.

Heading into another marquee event, Team Directors Frankie Andreu and Harm Jansen believe the team is well-positioned to contend for all three Triple Crown races. “Every race is unique and favors different types of riders,” says Andreu. “We have the right guys to be able to do well in all three.”

Since 1992, the three-race series that became known as “Philly Week” has been the flagship event of American road racing. Previously, a race in Lancaster, PA, and another in Trenton, NJ, led up to the grand 156-mile circuit race in Philadelphia that determined each season’s USPRO Champion. This year, however, the Philadelphia International Championship has lost its USPRO designation and the Trenton, NJ, race has been replaced by the Reading Classic. The official 2006 USPRO Champion will now be determined at a new course in Greenville, SC.

Despite these changes, the new Commerce Bank Triple Crown presents a golden opportunity for the 23 competing professional teams as all three races will have the prestigious sanctioning of the International Cycling Union (UCI). The UCI sanctioned race will allow teams to amass valuable international ranking points.

Andreu agrees that the event still holds a lot of clout for domestic and international teams. “Philly Week is still one of the largest racing events in the U. S. and even without a National Championship designation, there are still a lot of bragging rights and valuable UCI points up for grabs,” he says. “We want to do as well as we can and continue to show that we are the dominant team here in America.”

The Toyota-United team is not far off, currently holding the number two spot in USA Cycling’s domestic rankings -- ahead of Discovery Channel and Phonak, two of the world’s premier Pro teams.

2006 NRC - Men's Team Standings as of May 23rd, 2006

HEALTH NET
TOYOTA- UNITED PRO CYCLING TEAM
DISCOVERY CHANNEL
PHONAK
JELLY BELLY CYCLING TEAM

Took the photo of JJ Haedo giving the look to someone from the Podium at the end of Stage 1 of the 2006 Amgen Tour of California.