Tiger Woods struggles to a 71 at Buick Open

Trailing leader Steve Lowery by eight shots, Woods is in danger of missing another cut.

Tiger Woods played a lot like the guy who didn't make the cut at the British Open.

Woods shot a one-under-par 71 on Thursday at the Buick Open at Grand Blanc Township, Mich., and finished the first round eight shots behind leader Steve Lowery.

"Probably one of the worst putting days I've ever had," he said. "It was just terrible."

Tied for 95th, Woods is in danger of missing cuts in consecutive tournaments for the first time as a pro.

"I not only have to play well to make the cut, I got to play well to get myself back in contention," said the two-time Buick Open champion, whose worst finish in eight previous stops at here was a tie for 11th. "Guys are going to continue to go low. That's the way the golf course is playing right now.

"It's going to be 20-plus to win."

Lowery took advantage of perfect conditions in the morning by tying a course record with a 29 on the front nine and finishing at nine-under 63. John Senden made five consecutive birdies in the morning and finished with nine to end up only a shot off the lead.



U.S. Senior Open

Greg Norman birdied four straight holes on the front nine of the U.S. Senior Open, but a bogey on the final hole at Carmel, Ind., left him in a four-way tie with Joey Sindelar, Dan Forsman and amateur Tim Jackson at six-under 66. Andy Bean and Fulton Allem are one shot back at 67.

Jackson, a real estate developer from Tennessee, broke the record for low score by an amateur at this tournament, and he did it in his senior tour debut at Crooked Stick.

Norman and his senior tour colleagues had no problems playing on a cool, relatively calm day. Those atop the leaderboard made it look easy on the 7,316-yard course, the longest in Senior Open history.

"If you're going to shoot a low round at the U.S. Senior Open, this is the day," Forsman said.

Tom Watson, who lost the British Open in a playoff two weeks ago, shot a 71.



Gal leads Women's British Open

Sandra Gal of Germany shot a three-under 69 to take a one-shot lead after the first round of the Women's British Open at Lytham St. Annes, England.

After a nearly six-hour round, Gal was one better than Angela Stanford and Song-Hee Kim. Gal's best finish was a tie for fifth at the Corning Classic in May..

Michelle Wie coped well to shoot a 73. Paula Creamer had a 74 without a birdie, one shot better than Lorena Ochoa.

Tour de France stage 21 results, winner

After the Tour de France stage 21 results were out, the 2009 Tour de France winner was announced! Congratulations to the 26-year-old Spaniard, Alberto Contador (Astana) for winning his second Tour de France title.

Alberto Contador shared the podium with 2nd place Andy Schleck (Lux) Team Saxo Bank and 3rd place and seven-time tour winner, Lance Armstrong (Astana).

Lance Armstrong's return after a four-year retirement is a big success, as he now becomes the second-oldest rider to place in the top three overall, at the age of 37.

Tour de France stage 21 results (Top 10)

1 Mark Cavendish (GBr) Team Columbia - HTC
2 Mark Renshaw (Aus) Team Columbia - HTC
3 Tyler Farrar (USA) Garmin - Slipstream
4 Gerald Ciolek (Ger) Team Milram
5 Yauheni Hutarovich (Blr) Française des
Jeux

Tour de France final results

1 Alberto Contador Velasco (Spa) Astana 85:48:35
2 Andy Schleck (Lux) Team Saxo Bank 4:11 behind
3 Lance Armstrong (USA
) Astana 5:24
4 Bradley Wiggins (GBr) Garmin - Slipstream 6:01
5 Fränk Schleck (Lux) Team Saxo Bank 6:04
6 Andreas Klöden (Ger) Astana 6:42
7 Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Liquigas 7:35
8 Christian Vande Velde (USA) Garmin - Slipstream 12:04
9 Roman Kreuziger (Cze) Liquigas 14:16
10 Christophe Le Mevel (Fra) Française des Jeux 14:25
11 Mikel Astarloza Chaurreau (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi 14:44
12 Sandy Casar (Fra) Française des Jeux 17:19
13 Vladimir Karpets (Rus) Team Katusha 18:34
14 Rinaldo Nocentini (Ita) AG2R La Mondiale 20:45
15 Jurgen Van Den Broeck (Bel) Silence - Lotto 20:50
16 Stéphane Goubert (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale 22:29
17 Carlos Sastre Candil (Spa) Cervelo Test Team 26:21
18 Alexandre Botcharov (Rus) Team Katusha 29:33
19 George Hincapie (USA) Team Columbia - HTC 33:27
20 Sylvain Chavanel (Fra) Quick Step 34:09

Gold Cup Final: USA vs. Mexico (Matchday Commentary)

The USA-Mexico rivalry is ready to resume today as the the U.S. national team takes on 'El Tri' in the CONCACAF Gold Cup final at Giants Stadium today (3pm, Fox Soccer Channel/Univision).

The Americans are looking to win a third straight Gold Cup while Mexico is looking to win its first match vs. the USA on American soil in almost a decade.

I will be providing commentary throughout the day so please feel free to follow the match here. As always, you are welcome to share your own thoughts and opinions in the comments section below.

Enjoy the action (USA lineup after the jump):

-----------------

HALFTIME- USA 0, Mexico 0. Pretty even game. Both teams have had chances, but neither has really taken a hold of this game. Who will step up in the second half?

-----------------

45th Minute- Mexico on the counter again. But no, Alberto Medina sends another shot wide.

That's where Dos Santos wants to be, in space with the ball, running at the USA attack. He's so good but his teammates aren't stepping up.

-----------------

44th Minute- Marshall CLUTCH with a defensive intervention on a Mexico breakaway. Goodson nearly let Mexico in for a goal with a poorly-timed slide tackle that opened up a Mexico counter.

-----------------

42nd Minute- Mexico struggling to create in the final third. They need a more creative player in central midfield since Dos Santos seems to be parked higher up the field (where Marshall has done a good job on him).

-----------------

40th Minute- Pause with the turnover on the long pass attempt. Mexico hasn't found much in the middle of the field so it hasn't bee a totally bad game for Pause but he's on a yellow and has had some nervy moments.

-----------------

36th Minute- Neither team has really put a stamp on the game yet. Mexico has looked deadly on the counter, while the USA has had a few nice sequences.

-----------------

34th Minute- Beckerman goes wide with a shot from the arc. Definitely had a Panama flashback there, but it wasn't to be.

-----------------

33rd Minute- USA corner off a bad mexico header. This Mexican defense is definitely vulnerable.

-----------------

32nd Minute- Guillermo Ochoa has enjoyed a strong tournament for Mexico and isn't going to be easy to beat today.

-----------------

31th Minute- Sabah header wide.

-----------------

30th Minute- Mexico corner kick.

-----------------

28th Minute- HOLDEN WIDE!!!!!! He had a clear look from distance and sends it wide. Great sequence.

-----------------

27th Minute- Ching is ruled offside on a sequence and Pause gets a yellow for shooting into the goal after the whistle. Not sure how he would have heard that whistle, but it was pretty late.

-----------------

24th Minute- Heaps with a yellow card for a hard foul.

USA doing well to shadow Dos Santos.

-----------------

23rd Minute- Americans started out well, but they need to be careful not to let Mexico start finding its rhythm.

-----------------

21st Minute- Beckerman with an unforced turnover. Americans need to do much better with the ball.

-----------------

20th Minute- Mexico with a good stretch of possession. USA looking a bit nervous in that sequence. Beckerman and Pause need to slow things down.

-----------------

18th Minute- Logan Pause looking shaky early on.

-----------------

17th Minute- Goodson is back on the field.

-----------------

17th Minute- USA is playing a man down right now.

-----------------

16th Minute- Looks like Goodson caught a head to the face ala Jimmy Conrad vs. Panama.

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14th Minute- USA with a chance on the corner but Ching's shot is blocked. Goodson is down on the ground.

-----------------

13th Minute- USA with another corner off a long free kick.

-----------------

12th Minute- The field definitely looks to be playing slow, which is to be expected from two-day-old grass.

-----------------

11th Minute- USA is holding its own early with some useful possession. No real chances yet though.

-----------------

9th Minute- USA wins a corner. Holden's hit a few good ones.

-----------------

8th Minute- Dos Santos sent the springing pass on that chance. He's so hard to defend because he floats all over.

-----------------

6th Minute- Chad Marshall is paying extra attention to Gio Dos Santos today, as he should considering Dos Santos is far and away Mexico's most dangerous player.

DANGEROUS Mexico cross finds nobody.

-----------------

4th Minute- This is a bit of a defensive-minded Mexico lineup, with Aguirre looking like he's emphasizing possession early.

USA on the move but can't break down Mexico's back-line.

-----------------

2nd Minute- Mexicans start out with some possession. They're looking like they're going to start the match slowly. Makes sense considering they just went to PKs on Thursday night.

-----------------

1st Minute- We're underway.

-----------------

PRE-GAME- It's a sellout crowd tonight and I'd say it's at least 80 percent Mexican. Sam's Army/American Outlaws are filling out 101 nicely though.

-----------------

PRE-GAME- The anthems have been played and we're getting close to kickoff.

-----------------

PRE-GAME- No Carlos Vela in the starting lineup for Mexico. He's still working his way back from an injury suffered earlier in the tournament. He's a safe bet to be a second-half substitute.

-----------------

PRE-GAME- Here is Mexico's lineup:

-------------Miguel-Sabah-------Gio Dos Santos--------------

Alberto Medina----------------------------------Efrain Juarez

-----------Gerardo Torrado-------Jose Castro-----------------

Fausto Pinto--------------------------------------Israel Castro

-------------JC Valenzuela-----------Jonny Magallon-----------

--------------------------Guillermo-Ochoa-----------------------

BENCH- Jose Corona, Ismael Rodriguez, Guillermo Franco, Carlos Vela, Pablo Barrera, Carlos Esquivel, Luis Miguel Noriega

-----------------

PRE-GAME- ESPN2 is airing a one-hour pre-game show previewing today's Gold Cup final. The show started at 2pm for those of you watching at home.

-----------------

PRE-GAME- Bob Bradley sticks with the same lineup from the semifinal. Not that surprising considering how well they played vs. Honduras, but I was wondering if the short turnaround would play a role in choosing the lineup.

-----------------

PRE-GAME- Here's the USA bench:

Jon Busch, Brad Evans, Kenny Cooper, Santino Quaranta, Colin Clark, Sam Cronin, Michael Parkhurst

-----------------

PRE-GAME- Here is the USA lineup:

-------------Ching-----------ARnaud----------------

Rogers--------------------------------------Holden

----------Beckerman---------Pause-----------------

Pearce-----Marshall------Goodson---------Heaps

---------------------Perkins-------------------------

Tour de France Stage 16 | 2009 Tour de France Stage 16 results

2009 Tour de France Stage 16 Results is here for all the Tour lovers! After a rest day, the cyclists will have to hurdle another obstacle which is the road from Martigny Switzerland to Grand and Petit Saint-Bernard in the 2009 Tour De France Stage 16. Alberto Contador currently leads the Tour De France 2009 Standings will have to show to the world that he is now the leader of Astana after beating the field including Lance Armstrong in the road to Verbier.

The 2009 Tour De France Stage 16 is an Alpine stage. There is the first climb of Col du Grand St Bernard which is 2,469 metres (8,100 feet) and the second climb is the Col du Petit St Bernard at 2,188 metres (7,180 feet). Then they will have the 30km descend to the finish. These are both monster and that it will be a great chance for all the GS standings to get a breakaway.

Will Armstrong launch an attack? Or will Andy Schleck’s team attack Contador in these two climbs?

I will post here the 2009 Tour De France Stage 16 Results. Make sure to bookmark this page or come back here at Bubble20Snarkgroup.com.

96th Tour de France - Stage 14 LIVE TICKER (Part 2)

96th Tour de France - Stage 14 Live Part 3
A dozen riders on the run with a gap of 7:47 as the chase is on with Ag2r leading... 40 km to go

Tour de France 2009
Stage 14: Colmar - Besancon, 199 km
Saturday 18th July 2009
Live Ticker PART THREE

Giles Belbin's course preview
The last stage before the race enters crunch time and the Alps and also probably the last opportunity for the sprinters before the the prestigious last stage on the Champs Elysees.
raphic © 2009 tour de France/ASO

Welcome to our live ticker part 3, with Nick Bull, Andy McGrath and Vaughn Trevi.
1625 CEST - Current race situation with 40km to go:
- Breakaway group of 11 containing Hayden Roulston (Cervelo), George Hincapie (Columbia), Nicolas Roche (Ag2R), Daniele Bennati and Frederik Willems (Liquigas), Daniele Righi (Lampre), Serguei Ivanov (Katusha), Christophe Le Mevel (Francaise des Jeux), Gerald Ciolek (Milram), Albert Timmer (Skil Shimano) Martijn Maaskant (Garmin)and Sebastien Minard (Cofidis).
- Peloton at 7'47" - The breakaway group attacked just after 20km into the stage. George Hincapie is currently the Virtual Race Leader; he was 5'25" behind Rinaldo Nocentini at the start of the stage.
is there 12 up front?!

1635 CEST - 35km to go. Gap 7:10
Hincapie pushing the break on to ensure he pulls on Yellow tonight. Ag2r la Mondiale is hard on the chase the French team is not going to roll over without protecting their Italian leader Rinaldo Nocentini. Hincapie and Maaskant plow the road for the break.

1636 CEST - The gap is down to 7' exactly now. This is still perfect for George - he needs 5'25" for the Maillot Jaune. Inf act, the breakaway group is still riding strongly.

96th Tour de France - Stage 14 LIVE TICKER (Part 1)

96th Tour de France - Stage 14 Live Part 1
Last chance for the sprinters. A relatively flat stage over 199 km to Besancon. Cavendish #5? Another sprinter to take glory? Or a breakaway? Live coverage

Tour de France 2009
Stage 14: Colmar - Besancon, 199 km
Saturday 18th July 2009
Live Ticker PART ONE

Giles Belbin's course preview
The last stage before the race enters crunch time and the Alps and also probably the last opportunity for the sprinters before the the prestigious last stage on the Champs Elysees.
raphic © 2009 tour de France/ASO

There are just a couple of third category hills for the peloton to get themselves over on the 199 km ride south-east from Colmar, the last of which comes a very comfortable 85 kms before the finish. Again, expect a dash for the line involving all the Green Jersey contenders.

Besancon WikipediaTM Fact(?): There should be no problem here if the Tour's electronic time keeping systems should suffer unexpected problems as Besancon is the French capital of Watch making.

General Classification after Stage Thirteen
1. Rinaldo Nocentini 53:30:30
2. Alberto Contador (Astana) @ 00‘06”
3. Lance Armstrong (Astana) @ 00‘08”

Points Classification after Stage Thirteen
1. Thor Hushovd (Cervelo) 205pts
2. Mark Cavendish (Columbia – HTC ) 200pts
3. Jose Joaquin Rojas (Caisse d’Epargne) 116pts

King of the Mountains Classification after Stage Thirteen
1. Franco Pellizotti (Liquigas) 98pts
2. Egoi Martinez (Euskaltel-Euskadi) 95pts
3. Brice Feillu (Agritubel) 64pts

Yong Riders Classifcation after Stage Thirteen
1. Tony Martin (Columbia HTC) 53:31:30
2. Andy Schleck (Saxo-Bank) @ 00‘49”
3. Vicenzo Nibali (Liquigas) @ 00’54”

News from the start line:
RIDERS SHOT AT - The biggest news to come out of stage 13 was that Oscar Freire and Julien Dean were hit by lead pellets shot from an air rifle. Oscar Freire was shot in the leg and the pellet was removed at the end of the stage. Julien Dean was shot in the index finger. Both riders appear to be okay and will be starting Stage 14.

Live Coverage of Stage 14
Reporting by Chris Graetz & Nick Bull
G'day and welcome to stage 14 of the 2009 Tour de France. Hard to believe we're 2 weeks into the Tour already. Only one week to go with plenty of climbing. Today, however, the road to Besancon only features two minor category 3 climbs halfway through the stage. The last comes with nearly 90km to go.

The question has to be asked now. Will this be a stage for the sprinters? It's their last chance for stage glory until Paris, but tomorrow's stage is hard. The GC men will want to have an easy ride today. It all depends on the mood of Columbia-HTC and Cavendish. Cavendish did say after his 4th win that the only stage he wants to win now is Paris. So the question has to be asked whether or not Columbia will want to work today. Mind you, they don't have the green jersey anymore, but that wasn't one of their goals at the start of the Tour. My guess is that they will wait and see what the other teams intend on doing.

I'm Chris Graetz and I'll be bringing you the coverage of stage 14.
1230 CEST - It's an intriguing stage. Don't miss it. Live coverage should be getting underway in the next 15 or so minutes. Nick Bull will be joining me in the ticker today. Hello Nick!

1240 CEST - The riders have reached KM0, and so begins Stage 14 of the 2009 Tour de France.

Once again the weather is horrible. Not only is it horrible for the riders, but also a nightmare for us. Astana had two different colours of rain jacket yesterday, and identifying individuals is much harder (except Lance in this distinguishable helmet, thanks LA!) That last comment thanking Armstrong sounds more at home on Twitter. Who needs PR and Media guys when you've got 150 characters to say what you think!?!

The pace is fast to start Stage 14. No riders are allowed any room to get away at the moment. 3km in there have been numerous escape attempts, but none that have stuck.

The motto of Besancon, the finishing city today, is 'If God wills'. Well, if the Lord is playing ball, let's have a breakaway group consisting of Evans, Menchov and Sastre today - just to see how Astana react. Scrap that - Menchov is only used to riding behind the main field in the 2009 Tour.

It is also twinned with Huddersfield back in my native England. If you've ever been to Huddersfield, I assume you're extremely familiar with the roads OUT of the town. It's the Specialized 2D Helment of the Giro Ionos World.

That comment was from Nick. I'm not a Pom. I'm an Aussie!

1257 CEST - 188km to go
The peloton continue to travel at a rapid pace. I'm finding it hard to type as my pet cockatiel is on the keyboard.

The rain is starting to come down now. This is going to be a difficult stage. The chances of it being a sprint finish today might be low. There is no way any of the main GC contenders want to have a hard stage today. So we just might see the "Spring Classics" type of stage I am after.

1304 CEST - 14 riders have broken free of the peloton. One of the riders is Mark Cavendish. Could the sprinters today be trying a breakaway?

There are now 13 riders in the break. Cavendish is back in the peloton. Was Cavendish looking at some intermediate sprints today? Before the stage, I would have said that Columbia would let a break go today. With a tricky finish to Verbiers tomorrow, then two horrific peaks on Tuesday, my view was that Cavendish would conserve energy and wait until next week to go for the stage wins.

But did he do it as a marker, to show Cervelo he's still got the strength to ride?

1312 CEST - 175km to go. Our breakaway (full riders unknown right now) lead by 25 seconds.

1320 CEST - In the lead group are Hayden Roulston (Cervelo), Jens Voigt (Saxo Bank), George Hincapie (Columbia), Nicolas Roche (Ag2R), Daniele Bennati and Frederik Willems (Liquigas), Daniele Righi (Lampre), Serguei Ivanov (Katusha), Christophe Le Mevel (Francaise des Jeux), Gerald Ciolek (Milram), Albert Timmer (Skil Shimano) and Sebastien Minard (Cofidis).

Hincapie, Ivanov, Voigt and Bennati have all won Tour stages in the past.

The gap is hovering around 30 seconds as Bouygues are doing the chasing in the peloton. They're not represented upfront. Silence Lotto and Euskatel are leading the peloton too.

1325 CEST - 165km to go
The peloton look like they want to chase this break down. The gap was at 25 seconds, but now is at 32. They are not getting any freedom out front. Perhaps some of these riders would realise this and attack from the escape group?

1328 CEST - Intermediate sprint: Pulversheim KM34. 1. Gerald Ciolek (6pts), 2. Daniele Bennati (4pts), 3. Daniele Righi (2pts). The leading 13 have a 32" lead right now.

The escapees are trying hard, but they have four strong teams trying to peg them back. Silence Lotto, Quick Step, Rabobank and Bbox Bouygues Telecom. They still lead by around half a minute.

1332 CEST - This is a strange start to the stage. The leading group have had a consistent lead, albeit it is still lurking around the thirty-second mark. With the fact that the sprinters teams are working hard today already, it's hard to get a read on what this stage will do. I still reckon an escape will be allowed to run free, but these four teams want someone there.

1340 CEST - 154km to go
The gap is hovering between 20 - 25 seconds now. It's 25 seconds as the peloton still don't want this escape to get away.

1347 CEST - 148km to go
It's an interesting and exciting start to the stage. The break seems to be getting clear now. It's up to 41 seconds with Hincapie and Roche not help setting the pace. Surprising that Hincapie isn't helping. It's understandable Roche isn't as his team has the yellow jersey.

Jerome Pineau (Quick-Step) is trying to bridge the gap. He is 40 seconds behind but 5 in front of the peloton. It will be interesting to see if he's allowed to get clear. The break would want him to get there to help as it means all sprinters teams except Rabobank will be represented up front and their chance of survival would then be high. You don't want a fired up Rabobank and Quick Step squad on the front of the peloton chasing it down.

Pineau, however, has been swallowed up by the peloton as the lead is now starting to go out. It's now 58 seconds, 54 km into the stage.

1358 CEST - 141km to go
The escape is now clear leading by 1'23 over the peloton. Will it survive? Let's analyse the makeup. Ciolek and Bennati are there. They are the two sprinters in this group. Hincapie is there which means Columbia won't chase for Cavendish. The presence of Roulston is there so Cervelo have no reason to chase. The probability this break stays away, 98%. If it does stay away then hopefully Maaskant or Ivanov can grab the stage win.

Jens Voigt has had a mechanical and is now trying to catch up the chase group. He's around 40 seconds behind. With the strength he provides, it will be interesting to see if they let him back on.

1406 CEST - 134km to go
Unforunate for Voigt. The mechanical has set him back and now he is waiting for the peloton. He won't be able to rejoin the break. Was he on the same bike Schleck has been on? Saxo Bank seem to get a lot of punctures and bike troubles this tour.

Now the break is allowed to get clear, let's acknowledge the riders in this break.
28 year old New Zealander, Hayden Roulston (Cervelo) is one of the riders in this break. He also is a track rider gaining most of his success on the track. In the 2008 Olympics, he won Silver behind Bradley Wiggins in the Individual pursuit. He won bronze in the Team pursuit.

Gerald Ciolek (Milram) was one of Mark Cavendish's lead-out men in 2008, but left the Columbia team for this year. In 2005, he became the youngest man ever to become German National Champion - he was just 18 years old. Now aged 22, the majority of his success has come in the Tour of Germany, where he has won 5 stages.

Lampre are served by Daniele Righi, who has not won a race since 2007 - Stage 1a of the Tour of Poland. Today would be a good day for the 33 year old Italian to update his palmares.

Results of the second intermediate sprint at Dannemarie: 1. Roulston (6pts), 2. Le Mevel (4pts), 3. Minard (2pts).

Garmin-Slipstream, who are after a stage win, have Martijn Maaskant in the break. The 25 year old from the Netherlands has had a few wins in his career. He has grabbed two of them in the Tour de Normandie back in 2006 and 2007. He finished fourth in the Tour of Flanders this year. Can he breakthrough for the biggest win of his career today and give Garmin the much needed win they are after?

1420 CEST - 126km to go
The break have an advantage of 5'50 over the peloton as Voigt is back in the peloton after showing frustration at the neutral service vehicle as they didn't attend his puncture on time and therefore he lost the momentum to be able to stay in the break.

24 year old Albert Timmer has ridden for Skil Shimano since 2007, and was involved in the breakaway on Stage 5. Here, Thomas Voeckler broke free on the outskirts of Perpignan, dropping Timmer and his escapees and won the stage. The Skil Shimano has no victories to his name, despite his aggressive riding style.

Frenchman Sebastien Minard had more success as a young rider than in recent years, taking a stage in the 2005 Tour de l'Avenir and finishing 3rd in the Under 23 Paris Tour race five years ago. This year he led the 4 Days of Dunkirk for one day.

Katusha's Sergei Ivanov along with George Hincapie is one of the most experienced riders in this breakaway. The 34 year old Russian has won a Tour de France stage before. This came back in 2001. This year, he managed to win the Amstel Gold race. Can he bag another win today?

Should this group stay away, Italian Daniele Bennati must be a favourite for the stage win. He has won two stages in le Tour, as well as three in his home Tour and four in the Vuelta. Aged 28, his victory on the Champs Elysees in 2007 ranks as his best victory to date. After a disappointing tour thus far, can he made amends today?

1425 CEST - 122km to go
The gap is now 5'45 with Astana at the head of the peloton.

Son on 1987 Tour winner Stephen Roche (I bet he's used to that by now), Nicolas Roche is the current Irish National Champion. This is his first Tour, although he finished 13th in the Vuelta last year.

1430 CEST - BREAKING NEWS: Specialized are shipping Unicycles over to the Tour de France in order to avoid any more rear wheel problems. A spokesman for the company said: 'Riding will be just as easy on this new machine, and despite it's size it complies with the UCI weight regulations. Team Saxo Bank riders can attach it to the team car for help on tricky descents." Clown masks and red noses are included with every bike.

1434 CEST - Christophe Moreau has pulled over to meet his family, including a rather camera shy daughter. He had a few supporters there too, which is nice to see.

Speaking of Christophe the popular French rider announced yesterday, he has signed to ride with Eusebio Unzúe’s Caisse d'Epargne team in 2010

The UCI has banned the Mark Cavendish fan-club from roads used on the Tour, following L'Equipe's story of Cav being anti-French.

1439 CEST - The lead group are just going through the food zone at Delle.
Which signals the start of the 3rd Category climb Cote de Lebetain.
This rise is just over 2km in length, and shouldn't pose any problems for our breakaway group.

96th Tour de France - Live Part 3
Cervélo TestTeam's Young Gun on the attack on the final climb of the day with six minutes on the chase... can he finish solo for the win in Colmar?

Tour de France 2009
Stage 13 Vittel - Colmar 200 km,
Friday 17th July 2009
Live Ticker PART THREE

phic © 2009 tour de France/ASO
Welcome to part 2 of today's Ticker
Current Race situation:
1633 CEST - 30km to go
Haussler is well clear here. He's 56 seconds on Chavanel with 4 minutes ahead of the main chasers and 6'34 on the peloton. There is no power to chase him down and the peloton won't chase him down. He's starting the Col du Firstplan. Results of the Col du Bannstein: 1. Haussler (4pts), 2. Chavanel (3pts), 3. Txurruka (2pts), 4. Feillu (1pt)

Reporting by Chris Graetz

1641 CEST - 29km to go
Haussler has 1'09 on Chavanel now as he prepares the final climb of the day. The chasers are still over 4 minutes behind the peloton 6 minutes behind. This is Haussler's stage to lose. He needs to do a long time trial here. Chavanel is struggling, although it looks like he might be getting back, but it's too late one would suggest. Unless Haussler hits the red on the climb,
he has this. Let's go Haussler. Go Aussie Go!

The peloton are now 7'18 as Haussler is looking fantastic on this climb. I think it's safe to say this is going to be a win to Haussler. His first Tour de France win!!

1646 CEST - 25km to go
It's a formality here for Haussler. He has 1'44 on Chavanel. The chasers are 4'32 behind and the peloton are a further 7'32 behind. This is going to be a famous win for the German born Australian.
4 km to go to the top of the climb. You can do it Heinrich. Hold on.

In the peloton there is a silence lotto rider at the front. Will Cadel try a move here today? Astana are keeping the tempo slow. They havn't chased the rider that has attacked. It's hard to see their riders in these raincoats. No point in burning matches at this point for the Astana crew.

Chavanel is really hurting here. He'll try again another day. Meanwhile, Txurruka is riding well with Feillu. That Silence Lotto rider that has attacked is Charlie Wegelius. The peloton are still holding him in sights.

Andy Schleck has a mechanical again. He's had a bike change. This is not the right time for him to get caught out but he'll be fine. He's being paced back in and he'll be in the field soon. But seriously, Andy's bikes are cursed here. Three riders are helping Schleck back in the peloton. He's about to catch up now.

1652 CEST - 23km to go
Haussler has 2'39 on Chavanel. The chasers are still 4'46 behind and the Peloton are 7'40 behind as Astana are starting to apply the pressure in the peloton.

Orange Warrior - Euskalte's Txurruka has launched an attack from the chase group. Venga Venga!! Feillu could almost be climbing into yellow tonight.

Haussler is still looking strong up the climb. I don't think he can't get caught from here. With 20.7km to go, he has a huge advantage. He'll descend well here and take the best win of his career. Ag2r now have moved to the front of the peloton to help control this race. If they are not careful, they could almost lose the yellow jersey here.

Haussler has now reached the top of the Col du Firstplan with 20 km to go, he has a nice descent and flat finish. He will be hurting, but he knows now that in 20km time he'll win. Txurruka is about to catch Chavanel and will probably take second place today.

1702 CEST - 18km to go
Txurruka has caught Chavanel who looks really spent today. Haussler has around 4 minutes on the man in orange with Feillu who could almost catch Chavanel himself soon. Txurruka has caught Chavanel who looks really spent today. Haussler has around 4 minutes on the man in orange with Feillu who could almost catch Chavanel himself soon.

The official time gap is 3'43 seconds between Haussler and Txurruka. Barring a major incident, Txurruka takes second place here. Cheer on the German-Australian Heinrich Haussler. He deserves this victory today.

GO HAUSSLER YOU BLOODY LEGEND. You can almost here the cheers in Australia and Germany now!

Haussler is cruising along now with still 3 minutes over Txurruka. Chavanel and Feillu are nearly 5 minutes behind wit hthe peloton 6'26 behind. The road is wet but it's not stopping this 25 year old German-Australian.

Results of the Col du Firstplan: 1. Haussler (20pts), 2. Txurruka (18pts), 3. Chavanel (16pts), 4. Feillu (14pts), 5. Pellizotti (12pts), 6 Nibali (10pts)

Both Haussler and Txurruka are riding without rain coats; it can be pretty cold and miserable with the rooster tail of water spraying your back as you race through the rain... though the level of exhilaration our two leaders have on chasing the win with the gaps they have it will be the last thing on their minds.

Txurruka is trying hard but he's still around 3 minutes behind Haussler. Feillu is looking good and Chavanel looks like he might have recovered somewhat. But it's too late. With 8km to go, Haussler owns this stage.

1714 CEST - 7km to go
Haussler currently has 3'53 on Txurruka, 4'10 on Chavanel, 4'55 on Feillu and 7'04 on the peloton. Haussler currently has 3'53 on Txurruka, 4'10 on Chavanel, 4'55 on Feillu and 7'04 on the peloton. How do we call the last 6km when we know the winner?

Saxo Bank and Astana are still leading the peloton putting a steady pace down.

6 km to go for Haussler. Cheer him on. He's nearly there correction before. i said Cervélo hasn't won a stage, they have with hushovd.

5 km to go, the crowds are cheering Haussler on and so am I. Go you Aussie! It's still raining and he's stormed home here.

4 km to go - the gaps are: Txurruka 4'12, Chavanel somewhere between him and Feillu who is 5'30 behind and the peloton 7'12. The yellow jersey is looking in a comfortable position. Nocentini holds yellow for yet another day. And again tomorrow more than likely. Good result for Ag2r holding that jersey for a week.

3 km to go, Haussler is a happy man. You can see it on his face. Behind the pain, behind the rain, he's a happy man. Feillu is about to catch Chavanel. Chavanel is hurting here!

2 km to go, Chavanel can't follow the wheel of Feillu. Courage Chavanel!! He is struggling big time here. The peloton could almost catch him

Haussler has 1km to go for the best victory of his very young career. Taking the corners slow and safe. In front of a massive crowd he has the victory here. He attacked and he did an awesome job at it.

Haussler is happy. He's just crossed the line and put him hands over his face and lifted his arms in a victory salute.

Heinrich Haussler Wins!!!

Two wins in the Volta Algarve, a win in Paris Nice and GP Triberg Schwarzwald doesn’t compare to a win in the Tour de France. Heinrich Haussler has now won the biggest race in his career spanning five years. The Australian-German has crossed the line in a taking it in a stunning solo performance.

He showed guts and courage today in horrible conditions and he has prevailed to give Cervelo Test Team their second win of the 2009 Tour de France after many second places.

Txurruka still has a few corners to negate before he crosses the line for second place. Txurruka just crossed the line 4'12 behind in second place. An honourable second place here for the man from Euskaltel - Euskadi. He rode well. He attacked on the last climb and caught Chavanel on the way who was part of the original break.

Brice Feillu crosses the line 6'12 behind. After a victory last weekend, this is an excellent third place for the Frenchman from Agritubel. Chavanel crosses the line 6'31 behind in fourth place with the peloton coming home 6'43 behind; the tough French rider of Quick Step was able to hold off the chase.

Unfortunately this victory doesn't' fall under Cycling Australia for Haussler. What a shame. But there are many Australian's, particulary in Inverell who will be cheering him on. Velits led the peloton home with Thor Hushovd claiming 6th place. Hushovd just might reclaim the green jersey a bonus for the Cervélo TestTeam.. what a day for the new team. Haussler was born and raised in the town of Inverell, New South Wales, Australia, before leaving for Germany in 1998 at age 14 to pursue a dream of being a professional cyclist. Haussler turned professional in 2005 and shot to prominence with a stage win in the 2005 Vuelta a España.

Stage 13 Results (top ten)
1. Heinrich Haussler (Cervelo) 4:56:26
2. Amets Txurruka (Euskaltel) 4'11
3. Brice Feillu (Agritubel) 6'13
4. Sylvain Chavanel (Quick Step) 6'31

5. Peter Velits (Milram) 6'43
6. Thor Hushovd (Cervelo) 6.43
7. Vladimir Efimkin (Ag2r) 6.43
8. Bradley Wiggins (Garmin Slipstream) 6'43
9. George Hincapie (Columbia HTC) 6'43
10. Andy Schleck (Saxo Bank) 6'43

Overall Classification
1. Rinaldo Nocentini (Ag2r) 53:30:30
2. Alberto Contador (Astana) :06
3. Lance Armstrong (Astana) :08
4. Bradley Wiggins (Garmin-Slipstream) :46
5. Andreas Kloden (Astana) :53
6. Tony Martin (Columbia) 1.00
7. Christian Vande Velde (Garmin-Slipstream) 1.24
8. Andy Schleck (Saxo Bank) 1.49
9. Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas) 1.54
10. Luis Leon Sanchez (Caisse d'Epargne) 2.16

Thor Hushovd does reclaim the maillot vert of points leader. Hushovd did well to get back to the peloton after the climb and the 6th place gave him 15 points and he now leads Cavendish by 5.

Liquigas' Franco Pellizotti steps to the podium to accept the polka dot jersey leading Euskaltel's Egoi Martinez by 3 points. The next to arrive is Tony Martin claiming his umpteenth maillot Blanc as the best Young Gun in the tour.

Heinrich Haussler returns to receive his well deserved red bouquet and red dossard as the most combative rider of today's stage...

And finally our race leader for the 7th day, Ag2r la Mondiale's Rinaldo Nocentini slips into a new maillot jaune with the help of the tours lovely podium lasses.

At this point in the tour none of the above competitions and classifications are set in stone. Each is a race inside the race and the competition will be stiff for the leaders to keep the colored maillots on their backs.

Join us tomorrow for stage 14. With two Category 3 climbs half way through the stage and flat for 80 km, we should expect the sprinters teams to head to the front and go for their last win before Paris. The run in to Besancon should be a mass sprint finish. Columbia/HTC will be back on front tomorrow to see Cavendish has a shot at reclaiming the jersey to go with his green sunglasses.

Thanks for choosing the Daily Peloton for your coverage of the 2009 Tour de France. We hope you enjoyed the coverage and continue to do so.. Thanks to Nick Bull and Vaughn Trevi for joining me in the booth today. We'll be back with results, photos and team and rider reactions so stay tuneed.

96th Tour de France - Stage 13 LIVE TICKER (Part 2)

Date: 7/17/2009

96th Tour de France - Stage 13 LIVE TICKER (Part 2)

96th Tour de France - Stage 13 Live Part 2 Tour de France 2009 Stage 13 Vittel – Colmar, 200 km Friday 17th July 2009 Live Ticker Part 2 phic © 2009 tour de France/ASO Welcome to part 2 of today's Ticker Current Race situation - Break of three: Sylvain Chavanel (Quick-Step), Heinrich Haussler (Cervelo) and Ruben Perez (Euskaltel) - Peloton at 8'15 Reporting by Chris Graetz, Nick Bull and Vaughn Trevi Up towards the top of the Schlucht, the 13 man chase group feature: Linus Gerdemann (Milram), Fabian Cancellara (Saxo Bank), Egoi Martinez (Euskaltel) and Sergio Paulinho (Astana) among others. David Millar appears to be in the Cancellara chase group. This could be handy for Wiggins and Vandevelde later on today. 1455 CEST - 95km to go. This chase group contains at least ten riders, though no-one a GC contender. Astana are pulling the pack along, unsurprisingly unhappy with a group of this size up the road who have a lead of around 30 seconds. Leading trio @ 6'34 to chase group, peloton @ 7'03" Brice Feillu (Agritubel) is trying to make a move. He has attacked from the chase group. Carlos Barredo (Quick Step) is trying to respond. With Agritubel ending their sponsorship at the end of the year, the Frenchman needs to find a team for 2010. He's French and increasingly popular - so Bouygues Bbbbbox could sign him. Juan Antonio Flecha (Rabobank) had a crash on the climb. He's on his bike and riding away sporting a small cut on his left thigh. I'm sure many more will fall on this descent, and the remaining climbs Euskaltel-Euskadi are trying to lead out Martinez to take some points for fourth place. Pellizotti went with him. It's too close to call. Up in the break, Chavanel is taking it rather easily on this descent. There's a lot of standing water, and some lovely grass verges... Results of the Schlucht: 1. Ruben Perez (10pts), 2. Sylvain Chavanel (9pts), 3. Heinrich Haussler (8pts), 4. Egoi Martinez (7pts), 5. Franco Pellizotti (6pts), 6. Gorka Verdugo (5pts). I think the peloton are taking this seriously today. They now trail by 5'55. They made up over 3 minutes on that climb. 1509 CEST - Linus Gerdemann is in no man's land on the descent. If you're watching, children, don't try his descent style at home. Great Tour de France fashion styles #245 (in association with the Castorama 1991 Jersey): Gerdemann is sporting some bright yellow shoes along with his sheep-styled Milram jersey and a fetching rain cape. 1512 CEST - 80km to go. Puncture for Rogers (Columbia). A slightly slow change using a back wheel from the Mavic Service Car. Gerdemann is taking a lot of risks on a wet road. This man in crazy. It's good to see though. I like it. 1515 CEST - The joy for this breakaway group is that, having finished the descent of the Col de la Schlucht, within 10km, they are climbing the extremely difficult Platzerwasel. Remaining Climbs: 138.5 km Cat 1 Col du Platzerwasel (8.7 km /7.6 % max) 165.5 km Cat. 3 Col du Bannstein (2.1 km/5.1 % max) 179.5 km Cat 2 Col du Firstplan - (8.4 km/5.4 % max) The last intermediate sprint was contested at Luttenbach. The results: 1. Chavanel (6pts), 2. Haussler (4pts), 1. Perez (2pts) Nick says: The Chavenel group now lead Gerdemann by 5'44" and the peloton by 6'40" 1523 CEST - 73km to go. The lead group are on the lower slopes of the Platzerwasel climb, while the chaser has just passed through the Sprint at Luttenbach. Behind, the main group are enjoying the weather.... Why do so many teams have plain blue jackets? Makes our job so much harder. It's like identifying different types of mud. I mean, to me, they're all brown... 1528 CEST - 8km for Haussler, Chavanel and Perez to the summit of this climb. I've heard stories of some nasty insects that 'lurk' on this climb - perhaps ASO have planted some Bees nests to make the riders ride faster? This weather is taking me back to the 2001 Tour, when Javier Oxtoa won at the top of Lourdes - Hautacam. He won from a breakaway, while an American called Lance Armstrong took Yellow. 1535 CEST - Christophe Kene - who initiated the unsuccessful breakaway on the last climb - has attacked from the peloton again! Can't blame a man for trying! 1537 CEST - It's good to see Sylvain Chavanel in this lead group. Someone told me Quick Step were riding, but I didn't believe them. Haussler appears to be comfortable on this Col de Lederhosen despite his 6ft or so frame (180cm). 1540 CEST - Ruben Perez is dropping off the rear of the leading trio. 3 become 2.....and I think Haussler is next to drop off personally. Remember the German/Australian is more at home in the Sprints (*unless that Cavendish wallah isn't riding). I think he's one of those rare sprinters capable of climbing myself; much like Freire and of course who can forget Erik Zabel... and latterly Jalabert. 1544 CEST - 65km to go. Haussler and Chavenel lead the Astana-led main group by 6'02" Gerdemann is somewhere in the middle. Honest. Behind the mountain is making the selection as Ciolek, Eisel, Cavendish, Boonen, Hushovd - the Sprinters - are all in the groupetto, unsurprisingly. This group is often called the "laughing group" with the riders working together to limit their time loss sharing the work to come in under the time limit and avoid elimination. 1547 CEST - Team Saxo Bank take over at the front of the field. I still suspect an attack on Astana is coming today.Sergio Paulihno is there marking any such move. Contador, Armstrong, the two Schlecks, Evans, Kreuziger are all upfront. No sign of Wiggins or Menchov. The work by Chris Sorensen has caused havoc behind. I expected Bjarne Riis to make a tactical move today to test Astana and try to move Andy Schleck up the classifications; this could be the start of it. Menchov is in that second group and even trailing team mate Oscar Freire; Gerdemann is just seconds away from being caught by the peloton. 1551 CEST - Pellizotti accelerates from the front of the pack, but only seems to be positioning himself for the KoM points. 1552 CEST - 1km to the top of the climb for our two leaders. Pellizotti passes Gerdemann, whose breakaway attempted has failed. Euskatel now responding to Franco's move. However, it appears the Martinez is a long way off the main group. 1556 CEST - It's dark at the top of the Col de la Platzerwasel. Very dark. The leaders are working well, and Haussler doesn't contest the sprint for first. Over the summit with 3:54 the gap, but we'll have to see if that holds up when the yellow jersey group comes through. 1557 CEST - With Polka Dot jersey wearer Martinez distanced, Liquigas are pulling hard at the head of the group. Having been caught, Gerdemann has been distanced by the peloton. Txurruka and Astarloza (Euskatel) are trying to attack Pellizotti to weaken him for the sprint. Now Armstrong comes to the front of the 'GC' group. Show of force Armstrong and Contador climb side by side over the summit. Pellizotti takes the points over the climb (11pts), and so is one point behind Martinez in the KoM classification. That jersey may change hands tonight. 1600 CEST - 60km to go. 3'11" is the gap for our two leaders. One suspects they will be caught on the final climb. Contador, Armstrong, the Schleck's with Vande Velde lead the yellow jersey group... Nocentini's yellow helmet bobbing in the background. The leaders are weaving their way through massive crowds that part as they pass. What do you think the chances are that Nocentini can defend to be in the maillot jaune at the end of the stage Nick? I think he should be ok. The distance from the final climb to Colmar is enough for him to rejoin. Should he be dropped. And do Astana want the jersey yet? Not yet, says Chris, Astana. I tend to agree the Italian may get his 7th yellow jersey this afternoon. 1604 CEST - Txurruka has attacked ONCE again. I wish I had his energy levels - making it upstairs after two pints of Ale is hard enough at times. Chris: LLS will attack on the last climb and take the stage win. Nocentini stays in yellow The Peloton are 2'51" in arrears - they climb the Col de la Ullrichplatz four minutes quicker than our two leaders. Remaining climbs: 165.5 km Cat. 3 Col du Bannstein (2.1 km/5.1 % max) 179.5 km Cat 2 Col du Firstplan - (8.4 km/5.4 % max) 1607 CEST - Still th rain is pouring. Chapeau to those French spectators who braved the elements to see their heroes - and Lance - today. (Perhaps I shouldn't assume that all French fans embrace the opinions of L'Equipe....) Breaking News: Inigo Landaluze (Euskaltel-Euskadi) and Ricardo Serrano (Fuji) have been provisionally suspended by the UCI after testing positive for the EPO derivative CERA. 1609 CEST - Txurruka has been joined by Brice Feillu, another aggressive rider in the 2009 Tour. 1610 CEST - Leaders and chase on the descent. The leaders have 2'36" in hand on our chasers, and 3'06" on the peloton. Advantage goes to our lead duo on the descent.. they will work to extend their gap. Riders are rejoining the chase group of thirty some on the downhill section. Results of the climb: 1. Chavanel (15pts), 2. Haussler (13pts), 3. Perez (11pts), 4. Pellizotti (9pts), 5. Astraloza (8pts), 6. Contador (7pts), 7. Armstrong (6pts), 8. Schleck (5pts) Haussler is flying down this descent. He is crazy. This duo have 2'42 on the chasers and 3'22 on the peloton. They have increased their lead on the descent. Can they be caught from here? Depends on what tactics teams employ on the final climb of the day. The sprinters will be having a hard day today in the groupetto. They have a chance for stage glory tomorrow with a relatively flat stage. Though after today's tough conditions, I can't see them having the legs tomorrow even though it's their last chance until Paris. Haussler is taking massive risks on the descent and they are pulling away. The two chasers led by Feillu is over a minute ahead of the peloton. Can they catch the front two? Probably not. The peloton are settling down. They are waiting for the next climb one would think. Pellizotti is looking comfortable in the peloton. I think Popovych has caught back onto the peloton. Haussler is doing 83% of the work in the lead group. That shows how serious he is taking this slippery descent. 1620 CEST - 44km to go, The gap to the chasers is 2.29. The peloton are 3'57 behind. Chavanel has lost touch with Haussler on the descent. No doubt he will probably come back to him. Chavanel is 20 seconds behind with the chasers at 2'28 and the peloton over 4 minutes behind. Chavanel knows he can climb better than Haussler. Even though the gap is 21 seconds, he should get back on duringthe 2 kilometer climb of the Col du Bannstein. 1626 CEST - 40km to go Chavanel is 21 seconds behind Haussler with Haussler 3'36 over the chasers and the peloton are 5'04 behind. For the G.C. leaders the main plays have to come on the Col du Firstplan's 8.4 kilometers; with only 20 km to the finish. Haussler is looking very comfortable on the bike. Who would have tipped Haussler for the win today? I know I didn't. Haussler is on the category 3 Col du Bannstein. This will be Chavanel's best chance to get back to him. The peloton are slipping further behind. Now 5'15. The chase group continues to grow as more riders catch on during the descent. 34 km to go, the gap is up to over 6 minutes for Haussler... a solo victory isn't out of picture at this point... the remaining climbs are neither too long nor steep for the talented young rider of Cervélo TestTeam. 1633 CEST - 30km to go Haussler is well clear here. He's 56 seconds on Chavanel with 4 minutes ahead of the main chasers and 6'34 on the peloton. There is no power to chase him down and the peloton won't chase him down. He's starting the Col du Firstplan. Results of the Col du Bannstein: 1. Haussler (4pts), 2. Chavanel (3pts), 3. Txurruka (2pts), 4. Feillu (1pt) 1641 CEST - 29km to go Haussler has 1'09 on Chavanel now as he prepares the final climb of the day. The chasers are still over 4 minutes behind the peloton 6 minutes behind. This is Haussler's stage to lose. He needs to do a long time trial here. Chavanel is struggling, although it looks like he might be getting back, but it's too late one would suggest. Unless Haussler hits the red on the climb, he has this. Let's go Haussler. Go Aussie Go!

96th Tour de France - Stage 13 LIVE TICKER (Part 1)

Tour de France 2009
Stage 13 Vittel – Colmar, 200 km
Friday 17th July 2009
Live Ticker PART ONE

The first, and only, medium mountain stage on this year's route sees the riders enter the Vosges mountains for what could be a deceptively tough day. The climbing starts with the third category Côte de Xertigny, followed by 20 kms of descending before the road takes them upwards again at the 70km mark towards the Category 2 Col de la Schlucht. The climb proper doesn't start until 95kms in but it's an awkward 25km drag uphill to that point.

Next up is the 1193 metre high Col du Platzerwasel, a difficult Category 1 ascent, that, whilst short in comparison to Alpine climbs at 8.7km, has a leg testing average gradient of 7.6%. The stage then finishes off with two further climbs, the third category Col du Bannstein and the second category Col du Firstplan.

So that's five classified climbs then, among tough terrain, making this a difficult day. It is also a stage that will appeal to those aiming for the King of the Mountain's Polka Dot Jersey. Expect an attack from someone hoping to bag a bunch of KoM points before the really big climbs come into play.

Colmar WikipediaTM Fact(?): Colmar was the scene of the fantastically named Charles the Fat's Diet in 884. However, despite his name, this didn't mean Charles chose to lay off the chocolate cookies, Diet, in this context, meaning Assembly.

General Classification after Stage Twelve
1. Rinaldo Nocentini 48:27:21
2. Alberto Contador (Astana) @ 00‘06”
3. Lance Armstrong (Astana) @ 00‘08”

Points Classification after Stage Twelve
1. Mark Cavendish (Columbia - HTC) 200pts
2. Thor Hushovd (Cervelo) 190pts
3. Jose Joaquin Rojas (Caisse d’Epargne) 116pts

King of the Mountains Classification after Stage Twelve
1. Egoi Martinez (Eusklatel) 88pts
2. Franco Pellizotti (Liquigas) 71pts
3. Christophe Kern (Cofidis) 59pts

Yong Riders Classifcation after Stage Twelve
1. Tony Martin (Columbia HTC) 48:28:21
2. Andy Schleck (Saxo-Bank) @ 00‘49”
3. Vicenzo Nibali (Liquigas) @ 00’54”

News from the startline

LEIPHEIMER OUT OF TOUR - The biggest news of the day was that Levi Leipheimer had to abandon the Tour de France with a broken wrist. Leipheimer crashed yesterday 2.5km from the finish with Cadel Evans also falling down. Unfortunately for Leipheimer scans revealed a transversal fracture of the scaphoid bone of the wrist. The experienced veteran from the United States was a pivotal team member to Alberto Contador and Lance Armstrong. How does this affect Astana now? We will soon find out!
We wish Levi all the best for his recovery.

Live Coverage of Stage 13

Reporting by Chris Graetz

G'day and welcome to stage 13 of the 2009 Tour de France. Today's stage features an undulating course from Vittel to Colmar where the riders will take in reasonably big climbs. Will this be a day for the general classification or will a break take this again?

After a few transitional stages I would be disappointed if I didn't see some fireworks today from the teams of the following riders: Andy Schleck, Cadel Evans, Denis Menchov, Roman Kreuziger. It's clear, Astana are weakened now. Take advantage of it and take advantage of it today. Put some hurt in the Astana legs. See if you can take a few seconds back. Every second matters.

Before we start today's coverage I would like to thank you for all your E-Mails. I'm glad you're enjoying the Daily Peloton's coverage of the 2009 Tour de France.

I'm Chris Graetz and I'll be bringing you the coverage of stage 13.

1223 CEST - The riders are nearly through the neutral zone. The stage will be starting shortly.

Stage 13 Climbs
46 km: Cat. 3 Côte de Xertigny (2.0 km/ 5.3 % max)
105 km Cat. 2 Col de la Schlucht (8.9 km/4.2 % max)
138.5 km Cat 1 Col du Platzerwasel (8.7 km /7.6 % max)
165.5 km Cat. 3 Col du Bannstein (2.1 km/5.1 % max)
179.5 km Cat 2 Col du Firstplan - (8.4 km/5.4 % max)

1235 CEST - 195km to go
It's been attack central today with Moreau and Haussler trying to go out early. A group of 5, including Garate and Voigt counter attacked. Currently, we have 7 riders at the head of the field with 10 seconds on the peloton.

The seven that escaped are the 8km mark. They are: Jens Voigt (Saxo Bank), Heinrich Haussler (Cervelo), Ruben Perez (Euskaltel), Juan Manuel Garate (Rabobank), Rigoberto Uran (Caisse d'Epargne), Sylvain Chavanel (Quick Step) and Christophe Moreau (Agritubel). They have 15 seconds on the Ag2r led peloton.

1243 CEST - 187km to go
The septet have 30 seconds on the peloton which is now being led by the Liquigas and Lampre teams. I have a feeling this break may not get away.

Looks like I was wrong on that assumption. The break now have 45 seconds 15km into the stage.

1253 CEST - 178km to go
Liquigas, Lampre, Cofidis and Katusha are leading the peloton as the septep have 50 seconds. I think these teams wanted someone in the break today and missed the move. Will be interesting to see how the next 10km shape up.

1300 CEST - The escape doesn't seem to be getting much freedom at the moment. The gap is around 45 seconds, 27km into the stage. Moreau was the first rider that attacked today and made this escape happen. He might have plans for his KOM jersey assault today.

Silence Lotto have sent a few riders to the front now. The gap is now down to 40 seconds. This break's survival doesn't look good.

1310 CEST - 165km to go
It's raining at the moment as the escapees still struggle to get a solid lead. The peloton are keeping them close today. The break is still around 40 seconds.

1323 CEST - The results of the first of three intermediate sprints on todays stage at Xertigny: 1. Moreau (6pts), 2. Haussler (4pts), 1. Chavanel (2pts). They are 35 seconds ahead of the peloton which is keen not to let them get out too far.

There are two more intermediate sprints on todays course. The next is at Gerardmar 88km into the stage and the last is at Luttenbach 124km into the stage.

The septep are nearing the base of the first climb of the day, the Cote de Xertigny. They are 25 seconds ahead of the raging peloton.

Results of the first climb of the day: 1. Garate (4pts), 2. Perez (3pts), 2. Chavanel (2pts), 1. Moreau (1pt). They have 17 seconds on the peloton.

1332 CEST - 150km to go
The gap is now back out to 30 seconds as David Millar (Garmin Slipstream) tries to bridge the gap.

Haussler, Perez and Chavanel have attacked the break and now have an 18 second lead on the rest of the escapees who have a further 22 seconds on the peloton.

1350 CEST - 133km to go
New situation on the road. Haussler, Perez and Chavanel now lead by 1 minute. The original escapees have been caught.

Now this break has finally been formed, I'll acknowledge the three riders out front who are trying to go for stage honours.

Sylvain Chavanel (Quick-Step) is a solid experienced rider. Last year, he won his first Tour stage, claiming victory in stage 19. This year, he has had a solid win to his name, winning stage 3 in Paris-Nice in March. He has said during and before the Tour that he aims to repeat his performance of last year. Well, he's in a break today which could have a chance of survival. Can the 37 year old Frenchman achieve his goal today?

Euskaltel-Euskadi always show their colours in the mountains. Today, they have given freedom to Ruben Perez. The 27 year old Spaniard hasn't had a win this year, nor has he won a tour stage before. His best result came in the Ronde van Murcia claiming a 3rd and 2nd place on stages 1 and 2 respectively. Euskaltel have sent plenty of riders in the breakaways in the first 12 stages. Could today be the day that Perez can pick up a win?

1404 CEST - 125km to go
The peloton have let this trio go trailing them by 5 minutes.

Cervelo's Heinrich Haussler hasn't won a Tour de France stage before, but he has claimed victory in a Grand Tour stage in his career. This came back in 2005 in Stage 19 of the Vuelta Espana. Earlier this year, Haussler showed supreme consistency in the major races. In Paris Nice, he won stage 2. He followed that up with a 2nd place behind Cavendish in Milan-SanRemo and then another second in the Tour of Flanders behind Stijn Devolder. He also came 7th in Paris Roubaix. The 25 year old German-Australian will be keen to get back to that level. Earlier last month he came first in GP Triberg Schwarzwald and finished second and third respectively in the Neuseen Classics and the GP Kanton Aargau. Could he grab another victory today?

1412 CEST - 120km to go
The gap is now out to 6'30 as the peloton aren't concerned about the trio. The best placed rider in the General Classification is Heinrich Haussler in 105th position, 55 minutes behind.

Will the escape survive today or are we going to see some major action on the last two climbs of the day? We're set for an intriguing stage. Don't go away. The stage is going to get very interesting.

1418 CEST - 115km to go
This is the biggest gap we have seen all week. The trio now lead by 7'30. They are working well together. Looking at the three riders in the escape today, if they were to survive, you would have to give the edge to Perez who is the better climber. However, Chavanel can time trial and if he can get away on the final climb, he's going to be hard to peg back on the descent into Colmar.

1425 CEST - 111km to go
The gap is now out to 8'10 as they contested the second sprint of the day at Gerardmar. The results: 1. Perez (6pts), 2. Chavanel (4pts), 1. Haussler (2pts).

I am now joined in the ticker by Vaughn Trevi and Nick Bull. I have not yet decided whether or not I'll stop for the night or continue.

1431 CEST - 108km to go
The leading trio are now approaching the feed station at Xonrupt-Longemer. Soon after, they will tackle the next classified climb of the day, the Col de la Schlucht. This category 3 climb has an average gradient of 4.2% over 8.9km.

1440 CEST - 103km to go
The trio now have 8'58 over the main field as they start the climb. The rain is heavy out there today. Lance Armstrong is currently at the back of the peloton consulting his team car.

The last time a Tour de France stage finished in Colmar, back in stage 7 2001, Lauren Jalabert won the stage attacking from the breakaway on the final climb. Jens Voigt came second and claimed the yellow jersey.

Linus Gerdemann (Milram) is riding at the front of the peloton. He is looking comfortable on his bike. I have tipped him in for a win on Wednesday in stage 17 when he hits the area where he put his name on the map winning his first Tour de France stage in Le Grand-Bornand in 2007. On that occasion, he took the yellow jersey and even though he held it for a day, he showed himself as one of the next big talents.

1456 CEST - Christophe Kerne and Amets Txurruka are attacking out of the main field. They are trying to bridge a gap to a chase group that's forming Franco - eternal trier - Pellizotti is one of those in this group. And Powerhouse Cancellera (TM) is also there. Meanwhile at the back of the pack, a handful of riders are dropping off. Remember, this is just a 2nd Cat. climb - the tricky, narrow Col de Bratwurst is yet to come.

Lance punctures tire, but still in 3rd after stage 12

VITTEL, France (AP) - Denmark's Nicki Sorensen won the 12th stage of the Tour de France, with Lance Armstrong, Alberto Contador and overall leader Rinaldo Nocentini among those in the chasing pack.

Sorensen broke away Thursday and finished well ahead of Laurent Lefevre of France. Armstrong entered the day in third place overall. Contador, his rival and Astana teammate, was second.

Sorensen was part of a group of seven riders arriving several minutes in front of the main pack. The lead group was unchallenged during the 131-mile ride from Tonnerre to Vittel. The chasing pack was more than six minutes back.

Armstrong scrambled back to the main pack after the seven-time champion punctured a tire with about 37 miles left.

He pulled over to the side of the road while his team repaired a punctured back wheel. After a few moments, four teammates helped him catch up.

Armstrong is taking a cautious approach until the three-week race reaches the Alps on Sunday. He said the flat stages were nerve-racking.

"It is stressful with the crashes, on a stage like this where you have nothing to gain and then you lose everything because of a crash or a split in the group," the 37-year-old Texan said before the start. "You have to pay attention and try to avoid a crash."

Wednesday's stage was marred by several crashes and 19 riders were slightly injured.

"Yesterday, there was no way to avoid that crash, if you were just behind it, you were going down," Armstrong said. "So that is something which keeps you up at night. You have to constantly pay attention. I try to give myself a bit of space from people in front of me so I have a bit of time to brake."

Riders also learned that an earpiece ban scheduled for Friday's stage from Vittel to Colmar was overturned, allowing them to communicate by with team cars as usual. The ban was in place Tuesday and another was set for the 13th stage before the International Cycling Union reversed itself.

Many riders and team directors called the ban dangerous. Organizers hoped the experiment would inject drama into the race by having riders fend for themselves.

Stage 11 video preview with complete Tour de France Stage 10 results

Stage 11 of the Tour de France might just be a repeat of stage 10 from the course profile

"Yawn" might be a good word to describe stage 10 of the 2009 Tour de France.

The organizers decided not to allow radios and the cyclist decided not to allow much racing.

Juhan Bruyneel perhaps summed it up best when he wrote on twitter, "Stage 10 done. Predictable outcome. Breakaway caught with 2k to go. Cavendish wins. With or without radios, end result was known this am."

Let's hope that Stage 11 proves to be a bit more...shall we say...spirited. The stage will take the remaining riders 192 kilometers (119.2 miles) from Vatan to Saint-Fargeau and according to the National Cycling Examiner:

"The 11th stage has numerous small hills throughout the course, including two category 4 efforts, the least difficult. But as in other sprint stages, the climbs and multiple undulations are unlikely to prevent sprinters from finding their places near the front at the end of the stage."

Take a look at the video and don't forget to check out the complete Tour de France stage 10 results and General Standings below as well:

Top Ten Riders Stage 10 Results:

• 1. Mark Cavendish Team Columbia - Htc in 4:46:43
• 2. Thor Hushovd Cervelo Test Team
• 3. Tyler Farrar Garmin - Slipstream at 00:00
• 4. Leonardo Duque Cofidis Le Credit En Ligne at s.t.
• 5. Joaquin Rojas Jose Caisse D’epargne at s.t.
• 6. Lloyd Mondory Ag2r-La Mondiale at s.t.
• 7. Kenny Robert Van Hummel Skil-Shimano at s.t.
• 8. William Bonnet Bbox Bouygues Telecom at s.t.
• 9. Daniele Bennati Liquigas at s.t.
• 10. Saïd Haddou Bbox Bouygues Telecom at s.t.

GC Standings after Stage 10:

• 1. Rinaldo Nocentini Ag2r-La Mondiale in 39:11:04
• 2. Alberto Contador Astana in 39:11:10
• 3. Lance Armstrong Astana in 39:11:12 at 00:08
• 4. Andréas KlÖden Astana in 39:11:58 at 00:54
• 5. Levi Leipheimer Astana in 39:11:58 at 00:54
• 6. Tony Martin Team Columbia - Htc in 39:12:04 at 01:00
• 7. Bradley Wiggins Garmin - Slipstream in 39:12:05 at 01:01
• 8. Christian Vande Velde Garmin - Slipstream in 39:12:28 at 01:24
• 9. Andy Schleck Team Saxo Bank in 39:12:53 at 01:49
• 10. Vincenzo Nibali Liquigas in 39:12:58 at 01:54

King of the Mountains Standings after Stage 10:

• Egoi Martinez Euskaltel - Euskadi 78 points
• 2. Christophe Kern Cofidis Le Credit En Ligne 59 points
• 3. Franco Pellizotti Liquigas 55 points
• 4. Brice Feillu Agritubel 49 points
• 5. Pierrick Fedrigo Bbox Bouygues Telecom 49 points
• 6. Christophe Riblon Ag2r-La Mondiale 46 points
• 7. Sandy Casar Francaise Des Jeux 43 points
• 8. Mikel Astarloza Euskaltel - Euskadi 38 points
• 9. Vladimir Efimkin Ag2r-La Mondiale 35 points
• 10. Rinaldo Nocentini Ag2r-La Mondiale 34 points

Tour de france stage 5

Welcome back to our coverage of the 2009 Tour de France!: France celebrates a home victory, Mark Cavendish consolidates his grip on the green jersey, Lance Armstrong lashes out at former ASO chief and more news from Stage 5 of the Tour de France.

* France is celebrating today over the victory of Thomas Voeckler in today’s stage. Five years ago to the day, he first shot to fame in France by seizing the yellow jersey and kept the lead for 10 days.
* Fabian Cancellara broke the record for most days spent in yellow by a Swiss rider. Today will be he 14th day, besting countrymen Ferdi Kübler (12 yellow jerseys) and Hugo Koblet (11).
* The news came after the completion of today’s stage that Rabobank’s Robert Gesink broke his wrist when he fell today, and that he will be dropping out of the race.
* Skil-Shimano’s Piet Rooijakkers underwent seven hours of surgery to repair his broken forearm.
* Simon Geschke and Linus Gerdemann are just a couple of the riders heaping criticism on the course for Tuesday’s team trial. Gerdemann called it a “kamikaze route”.
* Lance Armstrong lashed out at former Tour de France boss Patrice Clerc on Tuesday, saying he should take responsibility for the doping scandals at the race during the American’s three-year absence. Armstrong was responding to comments made by Clerc, the former head of Tour organizer ASO, who told French newspaper Le Monde last week that the seven-time champion’s return meant “reopening a troubled chapter of the Tour history.” (Yahoo Sports)
* Astana team boss Johan Bruyneel said they would prefer to keep Lance Armstrong temporarily out of the yellow jersey if it helps keep the pressure on Saxo Bank’s Tour de France leader Fabian Cancellara.
* When asked who was the leader of the Astana team, Bruyneel responded, “I am becoming tired of the controversy about who is actually the leader of our team, Alberto Contador or Lance Armstrong. I am the leader of the team, and nobody else.”
* Bruyneel has imposed a boycott on the Belgian sports network Sporza after the outlet made negative comments about Astana. The network’s director said in a statement that they regret Bruyneel’s decision and hope to open a dialogue with the team.
* Just a day after publicly apologizing for comments he made about the 2008 Tour de France winner, Lance Armstrong told Carlos Sastre face-to-face he was sorry. On Wednesday, as Sastre rolled through the peloton during the neutral start congratulating members of the Astana team on their team time trial victory, Armstrong saddled up alongside. According to Sastre, the seven-time Tour champ told him he was sorry that he said the 2008 Tour was “a joke.”
* Some are saying that Cadel Evans has already lost the race. The mountains have not even started and he already sits three minutes off of the lead. On the other hand, Silence-Lotto team manager Mark Sargeant says that we have not seen the last of Evans.
* Caisse d’Epargne leader Luis León Sánchez is another rider sitting three minutes back. He is looking to the mountain stages to make a mark.
* Bjarne Riis is not exactly eating his words, but he is still confident that Frank and Andy Schleck will be able to make a mark at the Tour de France.
* Mark Cavendish has been getting all of the attention for Columbia-HTC, his young teammate Tony Martin has been sneaking his way up the General Classification. He is currently in 8th place, 52 seconds off of the lead.
* Cavendish didn’t get his expected sprint win today, but he remains solidly ahold of the green jersey, leading Thor Hushovd (Cervelo) by 26 points and Tyler Farrar (Garmin) by 42 points.
* Tomorrow’s stage starts in Girona, Spain where Lance Armstrong had a home for many years.
* Armstrong underwent a doping control after the conclusion of today’s stage.
* The Youth Movement of Catalonia will be distributing 10,000 flags bearing the slogan “Catalonia is not Spain” during tomorrow’s stage. They are trying to raise awareness of Catalonia’s quest to become a sovereign nation.

Other Cycling News:

* Jan Ullrich has responded to the Swiss Disciplinary Board hearing with relative calm. He rejects all doping allegations and finds it an amazing coincidence that this has all surfaced during the Tour de France. Furthermore, his lawyer contends that Switzerland does not have the jurisdiction to pursue the case.
* Sven Nys has recovered from a viral infection and will return to competition Sunday in the European Mountain Bike championships in the Dutch town of Zoetermeer.
* The Italian Cycling Federation has asked the Katusha team to revise the jersey being worn by Italian National Champ Filippo Pozzato at the Tour de France. They feel that the graphic design of the jersey does not conform to the guidelines set by themselves and the UCI.
* Nineteen of the nation’s top 15- and 16-year-old BMX riders gathered at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, Calif. June 22-29 for the final USA Cycling BMX Junior Development Camp of the 2009-2010 season. Chula Vista is home to the only permanent Supercross BMX facility in north America, and for many of the kids, like 14-year-old Nicholas Koehler (Tustin, Calif.), this camp was a first introduction to Supercross-style BMX racing.

Other Results:

* Jan Barta won Wednesday’s 217km fourth stage in the Tour of Austria in a sprint.
* Italy’s Naomi Cantele won the fifth stage of the Giro d’Italia over her compatriot Giorgia Bronzini and the winner of the previous day’s stage, Ina-Yoko Teutenberg.

STEVIE WONDER'S DAUGHTER TRIES TO KILL HERSELF!!! (DETAILS INSIDE)

Family and friends of Stevie Wonder’s 27 year old daughter Takiyah fear that she may have hurt herself … or worse.

It all started early Saturday afternoon when MediaTakeOut.com learned that she began acting strangely.

According to insiders, she’d been having some relationship troubles with her on-again-off-again boyfriend, Robert from the Group Day 26. And she was having a hard time coming to grips with the 5 year anniversary of her mother, soul singer Syreeta Wright’s death.

But then things went from bad to worse early Monday morning when Lyric began leaving disturbing message to friends on her private Twitter page.

The first message read as follows:

To everyone that screwed me in life, you’ve finally won.
I can’t take it anymore – I’m done.
You won’t have to hear from me again

But that wasn’t it. She ended with this eerie promise:

Sorry to the friends and family that did love me.
I just took something that will have me gone for good.
Finally no more pain

We've since learned that Takiyah has been hospitalized and is recovering well from the incident. We wish her a speedy recovery.

tour de france stage 5

After Tuesday's team time trial, the stage today is another relatively flat, long slog in the summer heat of the Mediterranean Coast, Le Cap d'Agde to Perpignan, 196.5 km. From the website:

The stage is dedicated to Salvador Dali, who called the Perpignan railway station the "cosmogonic centre of the universe". The icon of surrealism, who was touched by a form of fascination for the spectacle of cycling, created the 1959 Tour's postcard. If his influence inspires the pack in the Corbières or along the seaside, anything will be possible.

Wimbledon semi finals | Wimbledon semi finals live | Wimbledon semi finals schedule

We are close to final in Wimbledon in 2009, and it looks like your favorite players in the women's tennis this year to go one step further in the tournament are sisters Venus and Serena Williams.

This afternoon we will have the opportunity to see Serena and Venus. Serena plays this afternoon against Elena Dementieva, and Venus will be to play against Dinara Safina.
Why are they preferred? Well Serena has Dementieva in 5 of 8 games they played, and Venus has won 32 sets in a row in today's Wimbledon tournament!
Would you like to see an all Williams' last?