Thanks to all the great folks who came and Live Chatted the tour with us. As the moderator of these chats, I spent more time watching the Tour this year than in any year past, and I had a great time. You can check out any of our links to stages on the right to re-read our chat logs if you'd like.
We'll be doing Live Chat events from Interbike and some other upcoming special bike events, and we'll publish info on them on the main page.
Thanks again to the hundreds of you that stopped by our chat and made it so successful.
American seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong shows his
Madone Trek bicycle designed by British artist Damien Hirst after the
21st stage of the Tour de France. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena).
For more on Lance's Art Bikes, see the related Bike Hugger post.
Thanks again all for following during the 2009 Tour de France. Our Tour deals will remain through the end of the month. We've got just a few jerseys and DVDs left.
Alberto Contador of Spain, wearing the overall leader's yellow
jersey, reacts as he crosses the finish during the 20th stage of the
Tour de France cycling race over 167 kilometers (103.8 miles) with
start in Montelimar and finish on Mont Ventoux pass, southern France,
Saturday July 25, 2009. Rear left is American seven-time Tour de
France winner Lance Armstrong. (AP Photo/Laurent Rebours)
From The New York Times:
Contador Can See a Tour Victory By JOSHUA ROBINSON
Juan Manuel Garate of Spain won Stage 20 of the Tour de France, but
Alberto Contador all but sealed his second Tour title....
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/26/sports/cycling/26tour.html
Get The New York Times on your iPhone for free by visiting http://nytimes.com/iphoneinstaller
-- Sent from bMobile
Lance Armstrong's return to le Tour has resulted in strong ratings for Versus, the network that broadcast the bike race in the States.
Through the first nine days of the Tour, Versus viewer numbers are up 83 percent from last year, as well as 18 percent from 2005 when Armstrong last raced. In addition, traffic on Versus.com has soared 131 percent and the website has generated 6 million video views compared with 6.5 million for the entire race last year.
Versus has broadcast the Tour de France for 9 years with a contract that runs through 2013.
From The New York Times:
ANALYSIS: Calibrating Dreams for Smaller Glories By MICHAEL BARRY For the average rider competing in the Tour de France, success is
measured in terms of team goals, rather than personal glory....
Lance Armstrong announced today that he will ride for a new squad next year, with electronics chain Radio Shack as the title sponsor.
Johann Bruyneel is expected to run the squad, after he announced on Tuesday that he won't return to Astana for 2010, but there was no official announcement on Bruyneel or any additional riders that might join the squad.
"No one needs to be a professional bike racer, riding 200 kilomoters a day up and down mountains in searing heat and freezing rain. You do it because you love it."
"I was suffering the entire climb and had no idea what state I truly was in until I was forced to stop 10 feet past the finish."
"Sorry, kids Caillou and Clifford are going to have to wait. Today’s a mountain stage." Kay Krhin blogs about Tour Time on TV and that Ben likes it: "announcer Phil Liggett’s voice - so friendly and calming in the background, it lulls the children into nap time mode."
Cadel Evans has conceded the Tour, according a new report in the The Age.
"I am out of it. I'm out the race for the podium at least or a place that is worthy of it ...Obviously, I am not at my normal level, I have to see a doctor now to see what the problem is."
The article continues with a discussion of internal problems in the team and moving onto the Vuelta.
The Tour reaches its highest point today, atop the Col du Grand-Saint-Bernard, with just 25 miles/40 kilometers ridden. A technical descent leads to the shallower climb of the Col du Petit-Saint-Bernard, whose summit is 19 miles/31 kilometers from the finish.
With Alberto Contador's strong Stage 15 ride opening some GC gaps, we're likely to see a lot of riders trying to get up the road, and Astana taking full responsibility for the chase.
Jerseys: Contador is yellow, with a great chance to hold it through Paris. Franco Pellizotti has the upper hand in the King of the Mountains competition, but there are a lot of points on offer today. Thor Hushovd should hold the green jersey, which he inherited when Mark Cavendish was relegated to the back of the field for irregular sprinting in Stage 14. Andy Schleck took over the white young riders' jersey, which he won last year, with his 2nd place finish at Verbier on Sunday.
Twitter lit up like nothing we've seen before when George was denied the win in today's stage.
lancearmstrong And I reiterate. @ghincapie deserves to be yellow tonight. He deserves more than that. Look to who pulled the last 50k to see who to blame.
johanbruyneel Bummed, really bummed about George Hincapie not getting yellow. Won't elaborate on the strategies but what Garmin did was just BS. Sorry!
On Friday the AP reported that a woman died along the Tour de France course after being hit by a police motorcycle -- ESPN.com. Thursday, riders reported being shot by an air rifle.
A Ride with George Hincapie is a feature-length film that provides an unprecedented look at the man behind the athlete. Ride along with George as he shares his joys and inspirations, his fears and frustrations, his anger (or lack thereof), his hopes and dreams, his strengths and weaknesses, and his plans for the future as he gives us a unique peek into his private world.
Trailer
Spanning his early years as a junior to the disappointment of 2009 Roubaix, this unadorned everything-you-ever-wanted-to-know-about-the-guy portrait puts a microscope on the silent man of cycling, George Hincapie.
DVD Deal
Order the DVD now via PayPal for $29.99 and get a free pair of Bike Hugger socks ($9.99 value) with your order. The socks are made for us by Hincapie Sports.
Okay, those boring sprinter stages are done, (though I really enjoyed today's massive break, and that Cav only raced for 5th.) and the peloton might be done protesting radio bans. Now it's time for the mountains, and we're Live Chatting again.
Any day listed in the sidebar over there to the right, we'll be doing a Live Chat, but to make it easy to follow, it's every day but the rest day between now and the finish. Our next one is Friday, 8:30 EDT.
NYT profiles Kenny Robert van Hummel, this year's last place rider.
“I know I’m in last place, but this race is very long and difficult,” van Hummel said coyly before the stage, which began in the town of Tonnerre and ended in this city in the northwestern section of France. “I did two hours more cycling than the leaders, so maybe that shows that in my head, maybe, I am really strong.”
Lance Armstrong represents clash of cultures in Tour de France - The Bonus - SI.com Story Highlights
Europeans care deeply about cycling; by in large Americans couldn't care less. Bike racing in Europe is what boxing is in the States -- a poor kid's way out. Americans are outraged by riders doping to gain edge; European fans expect it
American seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong shows his
Madone Trek bicycle designed by British artist Damien Hirst after the
21st stage of the Tour de France. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena). 
Alberto Contador of Spain, wearing the overall leader's yellow
jersey, reacts as he crosses the finish during the 20th stage of the
Tour de France cycling race over 167 kilometers (103.8 miles) with
start in Montelimar and finish on Mont Ventoux pass, southern France,
Saturday July 25, 2009. Rear left is American seven-time Tour de
France winner Lance Armstrong. (AP Photo/Laurent Rebours)
Hincapie Sportswear partners with us on 
