Italian climber Riccardo Ricco has become the third cyclist to be kicked out of this year's Tour de France after testing positive for the blood-booster EPO, but by far the most high profile.
Michael Rasmussen, who was thrown out of last year's Tour de France when he was leading the race, has been banned for two years by the Monaco cycling federation.
For three weeks they admired his matador's daring, his dark good looks and his abundant charisma. But as Spain's precocious Alberto Contador stepped onto the podium and the strains of La Marcha Real filled the Champs-��lys�es, cycling fans had one overwhelming thought: Please, God, let this kid be clean.
Sandy Casar, riding for the Francaise des Jeux team, picked himself up after crashing into a stray dog to win the 211km 18th stage of the Tour de France from Cahors to Angoulemeon Friday.
No one was thrown out of the Tour de France on Thursday. No rider was arrested, and we finished the day with as many teams (19) as we started with. At this year's Tour, that's progress.
The Tour de France continued on Thursday with a shadow hanging over its future as European newspapers called for the historic race to be stopped in the wake of a string of doping scandals that critics say have undermined its integrity.
The Tour de France continued Wednesday amid a doping scandal that has seen the pre-race favorite sent home in disgrace and doubts over the integrity of the man wearing the coveted yellow jersey.
Italian climber Riccardo Ricco has become the third cyclist to be kicked out of this year's Tour de France after testing positive for the blood-booster EPO, but by far the most high profile.
Michael Rasmussen, who was thrown out of last year's Tour de France when he was leading the race, has been banned for two years by the Monaco cycling federation.
For three weeks they admired his matador's daring, his dark good looks and his abundant charisma. But as Spain's precocious Alberto Contador stepped onto the podium and the strains of La Marcha Real filled the Champs-��lys�es, cycling fans had one overwhelming thought: Please, God, let this kid be clean.
Sandy Casar, riding for the Francaise des Jeux team, picked himself up after crashing into a stray dog to win the 211km 18th stage of the Tour de France from Cahors to Angoulemeon Friday.
No one was thrown out of the Tour de France on Thursday. No rider was arrested, and we finished the day with as many teams (19) as we started with. At this year's Tour, that's progress.
The Tour de France continued on Thursday with a shadow hanging over its future as European newspapers called for the historic race to be stopped in the wake of a string of doping scandals that critics say have undermined its integrity.
The Tour de France continued Wednesday amid a doping scandal that has seen the pre-race favorite sent home in disgrace and doubts over the integrity of the man wearing the coveted yellow jersey.
The team of Tour de France leader Michael Rasmussen questioned on Tuesday the legality of drugs tests conducted on the rider by the Danish Anti-Doping Agency (ADD).
The leaders of the Tour de France were playing chicken in the final climb of stage 14 on Sunday when they were briefly overtaken by ... a chicken. To the Borat impersonator in a lime singlet who ran alongside the cyclists during stage 8, waving the flag of Kazakhstan, and the guy who adorned his bike with gigantic racks of deer antlers in stage 10, add the fellow in the yellow-feathered costume to the list of amusing spectators at this, the most unpredictable Tour in memory.
Loudenvielle -- The Human Phoenix, Alexandre Vinkourov, whose serial resurrections have become a subplot in this Tour, got over the parcours in five hours, 34 minutes and 28 seconds today (almost exactly half as long as it took me to ride this stage one week ago, a misadventure that I will share with you tomorrow). The two guys locked in mortal combat over who will win this three-week beast -- Rabobank's Michael Rasmussen and Discovery Channel's thrilling young talent, Alberto Contador -- powered down the Col de Peyrosourde together, crossing the line 5 � minutes after Vino.
Denmark's Michael Rasmussen strengthened his grip on the Tour de France yellow jersey after finishing second in a drama-filled 14th stage, won by Spaniard Alberto Contador on Sunday.
ALBI, France -- I was among the score or so of reporters skulking around the lobby of the Novotel in Montpellier on Friday, hoping extract a quote from embattled race leader Michael Rasmussen of Rabobank. (The crafty Dane gave us the dodge; officials of the Danish Cycling Union, apparently, can relate). Sharing the hotel with the Rabos was Team Astana. While we loitered on the lookout for Rasmussen, Alexandre Vinokourov emerged from the dining room. With a total of 30 stitches in his knees, he made his way across the lobby with the stiff-legged gait of a man with advanced arthritis. It was clear that the podium was beyond his reach.
Alexander Vinokourov put his injury woes behind him to revive his Tour de France hopes with an outstanding victory in the individual time trial 13th stage on Saturday.
CASTRES, France -- The staging area for Friday's start was in Montpellier's Pavilion Populaire, a spacious, marble-tiled commons shaded by century-old trees, between which were strung colored lights that make every night a festival. Nearby, a glittering carousel. As the gleaming, brightly colored team buses pulled into the Pavilion before today's start, it occurred to me again that the Tour must be most aesthetically pleasing event in all of sport.
Tour de France leader Michael Rasmussen maintained his lead on the 12th stage on Friday with controversy raging after it was announced that he was being dropped from the Danish international team
MONTPELLIER, France -- There is an unwritten rule at athletic contests in the States: no cheering in the press box. The same does not apply, apparently, to the occupants of L'Espace Presse -- basically a holding pen with two TV monitors just beyond the finish, where my ilk and I are herded in the waning moments of each stage.
Spain's Marcos Serrano attacked in the final climb to Mende to give his Liberty Seguros team their first victory on this year's Tour de France at the end of Thursday's 189-km 18th stage from Albi.
Spaniard Oscar Freire made it a hat-trick of wins in the world road race championship with a blistering closing burst to take gold in Verona on Sunday.
Spaniard Isaac Galvez handed his Baleares team victory on the third stage of the Catalan cycling race after shading German sprinter Erik Zabel on the line.
The page you requested cannot be found. The page you are looking for might have been removed, had its name changed, or is temporarily unavailable.
Please try the following:
• If you typed the page address in the Address bar, make sure that it is spelled correctly.
• Open the edition.cnn.com home page and look for links to the information you want.
• Use the navigation bar above to find the link you are looking for.
• Click the Back button to try another link.
• Enter a term in the search form below to look for information on CNN sites or the Internet.
Video
