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Posted: July 19, 2005

Cycling: TOUR DE FRANCE TIMES - Volume 3, No. 13 (July 19, 2005)

By James Raia
www.ByJamesRaia.com

Publisher's Greeting

For the first time in my nine years at the Tour de France, food poisoning relegated me to the back of the pack for a day. I was almost out of the race. But I'm still in the peloton, riding slowly for the day.

Instead of the usual format, I've posted three articles in the Web site Tour/Cycling sectiion, including reports on the 15th and 16 stages and a feature on the lanterne rouge or the last finisher in the Tour de France

News, Notes & Quotes

Will return 7/20.

Tour de France For Dummies
By Phil Liggett, James Raia, Sammarye Lewis, Lance Armstrong
Tour de France For Dummies is a plain-English guide to the world's most famous bicycle race.
Featuring eight pages of full-color photographs from recent Tour de France editions, the 280-page volume is an easy-to-follow, entertaining guide that demystifies the history, strategy, rules, techniques, equipment, competitors and various competitions from the world's most intriquing sporting event.

Click on the graphic to order the book or for more information

Postcard From The Tour

Will return 7/20

Pereiro Takes Last Mountain Stage; Lance In Charge

PAU, France — Oscar Pereiro has tried for three straight days to win a stage for his country and team. He succeeded Tuesday during the final mountain stage of the Tour de France.

During a sunny, warm day in which there was only a minor shift in the top overall standings, Pereiro (Phonak) of Spain claimed 180.5-kilometer (112.1-mile) Mourenx to Pau 16th stage in 4 hours, 38 minutes and 40 seconds.

Lance Armstrong, now within five days of his seventh consecutive race title, again rode strategically. He finished 36th in the stage, in a group of more than 50 riders, 3:24 behind. All of his closest pursuers were in the same time bunch.

With no severe climbs or mountaintop finishes left in the race's 92nd edition, Armstrong maintained a 2:46 margin over Ivan Basso (CSC) of Italy and a 3:09 advantage of over former race leader Mickael Rasmussen (Rabobank) of Denmark.

Germany's Jan Ullrich (T-Mobile), the 1997 race winner and five-time runner-up, is looming in fourth. But trailing by 5:58, his chances are slim barring a race leader's catastrophe.

Armstrong's maintained status gave him the race leader's yellow jersey for the 78th time. On Wednesday, he's expected to tie Bernard Hinault for second on the all-time career list.

The last French rider to win the Tour (1985), Hinault wore the jersey 78 days but 79 times. He held the jersey twice in one day during a now-defunct dual-stage itinerary.

"I don't count those things, and I didn't know until you just told me," said Armstrong. "And if I put another one on tomorrow, which hopefully I will, then I will pass a guy like Hinault.

"But quite frankly, I don't know if I deserve to pass a guy like Hinault. But having said that, I hope I put it (the yellow jersey) on tomorrow."

Pereiro, 27, a sixth-year pro, nearly claimed a victory in the 15th stage. He rode aggressively throughout the stage, but was shadowed by George Hincapie (Discovery Channel) of Greenville, S.C. and was eventually defeated by the American.

Pereiro, among others, was critical of Hincapie's race tactics, and commented: "Sometimes the strongest rider doesn't win."

In the 16th stage, Pereiro was the strongest cyclist and claimed the first Tour stage win of his career. He crested Col d'Aubisque, the final substantial mountain of this year's Tour, in second place to Cadel Evans (Davitamon-Lotto) of Australia. But the eventual winner caught Evans after 80 miles and was joined by two other riders until he beat the other trio in a sprint.

Evans, who began the day in 11th position, eventually finished fourth in the stage as the highest ranked rider in the leading group. He moved into seventh position overall, trailing Armstrong by 9:29.

Levi Leipheimer (Gerolsteiner) of Santa Rosa, Calif., is sixth overall, trailing by 7:35. Floyd Landis (Phonak) of San Diego, Calif., is the third American in the top 10, in 8th position, 9:33 behind.

Armstrong has ridden a strategically smart race, and may claim his seventh title without winning a road stage.

Armstrong's team claimed the fourth stage team time trial, and the leader of the Discovery Channel squad has also finished second in three stages, two road stages and the opening individual time trial.

He's won an individual road stage in all of his titles except in 2000.

Armstrong has said a road stage win is not a priority, and he was enthusiastic about his daily performance.

"Sometimes we joke about having no chain (a feeling of easy riding)," said Armstrong. "But today there was no chain on the bike. I don't know why, maybe it was the rest day. Maybe it was the last (mountain) day.

"If I could make it through this day, I would be a lot closer, so that felt amazing."

The remaining field of 156 will contest to longest stage of the race today (Wednesday), a 239-kilometer (148.4-mile) trek from Pau to Revel.

The Red Lantern: Honor In Finish Last In Le Tour

LEZAT-SUR-LEZE, France — The French sporting public likes compatriot champions. They also cheer for any countrymen in the Tour de France — even if he has no chance of winning but displays perseverance.

A French rider hasn't claimed the Tour since Bernard Hinault in 1985, so sometimes fans resort to etching favorite former riders' names in chalk on race roads.

On other occasions, fans wave huge handmade signs on mountaintops for retired French riders as if their ghosts are still in the race.

With nearly equal fervor, enthusiasts who camp for days in the Alps and Pyrenees to watch Tour de France riders pass in a flash, appreciate the underdog.

Nothing demonstrates this more than the tradition of the lanterne rouge or red lantern. It's the honor given to the rider who finishes in last place in the overall Tour de France standings.

Named after the red lantern on the caboose of a train, the lanterne rouge honor began in the first Tour de France in 1903.

It's never been an official designation, but the last-place cyclist receives his share of admiration.

In recent years, Tour organizers have discouraged any publicity about the red lantern because riders fervently began to abuse its original intention.

Since the second-to-last rider in the final standings wouldn't earn anything for his status, back-of-the-back riders took crafty measures to finish last. They'd hide behind buildings, coast along routes or feign injury in order to be last.

The last rider doesn't receive prize money for his finish, either. But in yesteryear, it was common for lanterne rouge honorees to receive sizable appearance fees to compete in post-Tour appearance criteriums, the fast-paced races on short, enclosed courses throughout Europe.

"It adds nothing," Jean Marie Leblanc, the retiring Tour de France race director said of the red lantern designation. "Today it is part of the lore of the Tour de France, but it no longer exists officially or unofficially."

Yet the red lantern is still a revered Tour accomplishment.

As the race advances into the Alps and Pyrenees and the across wind-whipped countryside, riders at the bottom of the overall standings face a difficult challenge.

Should they give up and hope for a better race next time or push themselves to an extreme to remain within the varying time limits of each subsequent stage with a goal of finishing last?

In some instances, riders can still receive appearance money to ride in post-Tour criteriums.

"I had a Belgium teammate and he was the last (rider in the Tour), but he didn't get anything," said Mario Aerts, a Belgian rider currently ranked in the middle of pack and a safe distance from contesting the lanterne rouge. "But maybe he would have if he were a French guy."

French rider Jimmy Casper, an veteran pro with 24 career victories, captured the lanterne rouge honor twice. On the final day of the race in Paris, Casper has capitalized on his status and carried a small red lantern for the purpose of seeking publicity and post-Tour business opportunities.

Some Tour de France riders would rather not hear or discuss the red lantern.

"I don't care to think about that," Italian rider Gianluca Bortolami said prior to a recent stage. "For the moment,there are plenty of guys behind me."

Michael Boogerd, the Dutch rider and several-time Tour stage winner, commented he has little time for such trivial concern. He'd rather concern himself trying to compete against riders vying for the overall title.

Conversely, Spanish rider Iker Flores has plenty of concern. He's been the current Tour's lanterne rouge for several days.

Riding on the Euskaltel team comprised of Basque cyclists, Flores entered the weekend trailing race leader Lance Armstrong by 2 hours, 18 minutes and 53 seconds.

With the difficult climbs of the Pyrenees continuing through Tuesday, Flores is nearly 6 1/2 minutes behind the next-to-last rider.

Whether Flores retains his lanterne rouge status, moves higher among lower-ranked riders, misses a time cut or withdraws via illness or injury, he'll receive increased fan support.

Throng of Basque fans raucously cheer their countrymen as they meet the challenges of the Pyrenees. They're almost as passionate about the Tour de France as the French, whether their riders are in first or last place.