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I guess the drug issues were getting passe for the Tour de France.

A woman crossing the road during the Tour de France was killed Saturday when she was hit by a police motorcycle escorting riders. Two other fans were injured after the motorcycle skidded into them.

The accident happened in the early afternoon in Wittelsheim in eastern France during the 14th stage, a 124-mile route from Colmar to Besancon. A few breakaway riders had just ridden through the town center, Tour organizers said.

Organizers identified the victim as a 61-year-old woman. Race medical teams treated her immediately before emergency staffers arrived.

The accident happened 24 miles into the stage. After hitting the woman, the motorcycle skidded into two other fans. A 36-year-old complained of neck pain, and a 61-year-old broke a leg. They were taken to a hospital and are not in serious condition, Renard said. They were identified only by age...

The Tour de France star pedaled up out of his saddle in a mountain stage, dusted his rivals, and seized the yellow jersey that he knows all too well and covets so much. This time, it wasn't Lance Armstrong, but his teammate and one-time rival Alberto Contador, who won Sunday's 15th stage and made a case to be the Texan's successor at cycling's premier event. Armstrong finished in ninth place - 1 minute, 35 seconds after Contador and among other also-rans.

As the three-week race entered the Alps, the 26-year-old Spaniard recovered the celebrated shirt that he hadn't worn since his Tour victory in 2007. Race contenders knew that after a week of mainly flat stages that didn't alter the top standings much, the 128.9-mile ride from Pontarlier, France, to the Swiss ski resort of Verbier was critical.

Armstrong rose from fourth to second in the standings but lost time to Contador, whom he now trails by 1 minute, 37 seconds.

Now, he sees his job as serving as a "domestique'' - or support rider - for Contador, putting an end to speculation about whether he or the Spaniard deserved the role of Astana team leader...

6378. alistairConnor - 7/21/2009 12:47:23 AM

It was the first really interesting stage. (Also the first one I got to watch on TV. Some years, my annual mountain biking trip gives me the time to catch the end of a few stages in front of a cold beer; but it never turned out that way this year.)

There are a series of really tough Alpine stages starting tomorrow, so a lot can still happen. But it looks like that climb to Verbier was the true indicator of form. It would be churlish to gloat over Lance's apparent failure to return to the very top of the heap... Still. Couldn't happen to a nicer guy.

6379. robertjayb - 7/21/2009 4:05:53 AM

Yes, it would be churlish.

6380. iiibbb - 7/21/2009 4:17:11 AM

Alistar... it is a bit ironic that you would be tempted to gloat about a man who's "failure" constitutes being #2... by default acknowledging that Lance is just that great.

Really, it's rather remarkable that someone who theoretically is so full of himself, so readily accepted that a team-mate is the better man, and that he's going to support him.

Good luck to Contador... he's damn impressive.

6381. alistairConnor - 7/21/2009 7:50:52 AM

iii:
Lance is immense, he's dominated the Tour for the last decade, even when he wasn't there. I respect him for coming back, for taking that risk. The fact that he says he'll work for Contador is standard cycling practice, it's the least he can do.

But the race isn't over yet! He kept it buttoned up tight until Sunday, partly through the work of his team, and partly by his incredible psychological domination of his rivals. Starting now, it's going to be a free-for-all. But his team is still the strongest by far, so he's still one of the favourites.

I just wish I could like him. It wouldn't take much effort on his part, but it's never been in his priorities. So people feel cheated.

6382. iiibbb - 7/21/2009 11:00:48 AM

I guess... but he's not the first elusive sports figure... take Tiger Woods.

I think he's also a creature of the cycling media's making. I would think it's hard to be so open when so many people work so hard to hunt your head. I'm not sure which came first in this case, but that certainly seems to be the dynamic at this point.

I don't expect Lance to give up ground either. Contador could bonk on any given day (it's happened in the past)... or heaven forbid there could be an accident. The tour is full of surprises.

Astana's almost in a position to sweep the podium. Wouldn't that be something?

6383. alistairconnor - 7/21/2009 10:39:23 PM

The irony is that Astana could sweep the podium, then explode.

Manager Johan Bruyneel, who saved the team from the wreckage of a major doping scandal, has announced he's quitting, and will be forming a new team with Lance (who says he will be back for the Tour 2010). Vinokourov, who has finished his two-year ban for doping, has announced that he's coming back, it's his team, and if Bruyneel doesn't like it he can fuck off (freely translated from the Khazak original).

As for comparing Lance to Tiger Woods : Lance is not elusive, he's a manipulative asshole. There's a subtle difference.

6384. iiibbb - 7/22/2009 12:09:50 AM

You have to admit there are a number of Tour champions who were manipulative assholes.

6385. alistairconnor - 7/22/2009 4:36:31 PM

Yes, but they knew when to smile.

Meanwhile... that podium now looks like this :

Contador/Schleck/Schleck.

Brother Frank won the stage, accompanied by Contador and brother Andy. The b
Both Schlecks moved past Lance in the general ranking.

6386. alistairconnor - 7/22/2009 4:39:32 PM

Yes, but they knew when to smile.

Meanwhile... that podium now looks like this :

Contador/Schleck/Schleck.

Brother Frank won the stage, accompanied by Contador and brother Andy. It was Andy who attacked, they were the only ones able to follow. Lance finished fifth today.

Both Schlecks move past Lance in the general ranking. He's now fourth, 3 min 55 behind Contador, and the writing's really on the wall now.

6387. alistairconnor - 7/23/2009 4:57:06 PM

Hey Lance... who's yer daddy?

Alberto Contador.

He won the time trial, once anti-clockwise around the lake of Annecy, gaining another minute and a half on Lance, who is sixteenth today. But Lance gets back on the virtual podium, because he gained time on both the brothers Shrek.

6388. iiibbb - 7/24/2009 3:48:38 AM

Well they're already saying Contador is cheating.

6389. alistairconnor - 7/24/2009 6:38:45 PM

"They" is Greg Lemond.
Twice winner of the Tour, in the good old days of the eighties before EPO and blood doping. He has said similar things about Lance, any number of times.

The essence of his charge is that, judging by his performance of Contador at Verbier on Sunday, if he's not doping then he's the greatest athlete who ever lived.

Also pretty interesting that Contador replied "no comment" to questions about doping, and about his VO2max...

6390. iiibbb - 7/24/2009 7:19:16 PM

Contador a champion, but no team player

So says Phil Liggett

6391. alistairConnor - 7/24/2009 8:47:35 PM

No team player?

It was accepted by the team that he was the best rider, but the trifecta was still a possibility, until on the last Alpine climb of the Col de la Colombiere into the Grand Bornand on Wednesday saw Contador attack teammate Kloden and take with him the two most dangerous rivals he has had in this event, the brothers Andy and Frank Schleck.

That article is all screwy. Bear in mind that Contador was the acknowledged favourite at the start of the Tour. In any other team, that would have meant that all the other riders are at his service, and the strategy and tactics are all about him. With two other exceptional riders like Armstrong and Kloden on the team, they would have the right to take their chances too, but would not have any call on his services.

But with Johan Bruyneel's Astana, it was all about Lance, all the time. Thus, Contador is seen as some sort of rebel when he does what he has to do to win the race. The idea that he attacked Kloden is absurd. Kloden is there to help him as long as he can. He attacked the Shleck brothers. f he hadn't, they would have attacked him. Unfortunately they managed to follow him, all the way to the finish.

What Kloden does next is revealing. He's still in a very strong position, he can carry on and finish fourth, and save his place on the podium. That's good for his team! But no, he waits for Lance, and works for him, helping him limit his loss.

So when Contador is accused of not being a team player, he's accused of not working for Lance. Boo hoo.

Next year, Bruyneel and Lance will be working for Radio Shack. I'd be surprised if Contador was on the team.

6392. iiibbb - 7/24/2009 9:08:58 PM

Kloden could have been in a stronger position if he'd not been attacked by Contador...

That's twice he's deviated from the plan... not that I blame him, because you're right that Lance could have been the favorite... however that doesn't explain the other day. What purpose did his attack serve? He's a better TT rider than the Shlecks... all he had to do was respond. Intentionally separating himself from his support is risky tactics, and it pretty much destroyed the chance that the team had to sweep the podium.

And really, it just means you're being inconsistent when you decide who's being an asshole.

6393. iiibbb - 7/24/2009 9:09:21 PM

And Liggett has a tad more credibility.

6394. alistairConnor - 7/24/2009 9:47:20 PM

It may have escaped you iii, Lance opened the hostilities on one of the early stages, making his team ride like hell when Contador was trapped in a second peloton.

Realistically, they were the principal favorites from the start, therefore necessarily rivals. And each has attacked the other at every opportunity. I think Contador probably feared Lance more than he feared the Schleck brothers. So in that respecthis tactics were correct.

And this stuff about not following the script. Spare me. Bruyneel writes the script, and he makes only the vaguest pretense of being impartial between his two leaders.

At the end, Contador is being criticised for not being at Lance's service. I can think of one example of a rider capable of winning who sacrificed his chances in order to help his ageing leader. It was Miguel Indurain, before he won his first Tour. Once in the Pyrenees, at the top of a pass, he actually turned and rode back to help his leader, Pedro Delgado. Now there's a team player.

6395. iiibbb - 7/24/2009 11:02:05 PM

I'm just giving you a little shit Alistair

6396. alistairConnor - 7/25/2009 1:57:23 PM

The Giant of Provence on the program today. Mont Ventoux, a legendary stage.

One has done it oneself, of course. It's a steep hill. Today the wind is blowing at 110 km/h at the summit, the guys will be head-on into it in the last kilometres.

For the moment, there's a group of 16 who have nine minutes on the pack. They're still in the rolling foothills, in half an hour or so they will start the climb.

I don't expect Contador to take any prisoners. Probably the Shleck brothers will go with him, and will be 2nd and 3rd overall tonight, and in Paris tomorrow.

Lance is frankly too old to develop the power required for a climb like that. We saw that the other day already.

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