Tour de France (2009) Photos July 4-26

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Stage 0:  Teams Presentation in Monte Carlo  Full Results and Report

The large crowd assembling at the Teams Presentation. Tiny Monaco is the most populated country (per sq mile) in the world and has the world's most expensive real estate... even more expensive than London	Tour race director Christian Prudhomme speaking at the podium flanked by Prince Albert	Team Astana gets introduced. Two teams within one team?
Alberto Contador, Lance Armstrong and Andreas Kloeden. I'll leave it at that.	The three national champion winners on Team Saxo Bank: Andy Schleck of Luxembourg, Kurt-Asle Arvesen of Norway and Fabian Cancellara of Switzerland	Team Columbia is introduced. How many stage wins from this group?
George Hincapie and Kim Kirchen. What do you think of the new Columbia team kit. Is it an improvement.	Roman Kreuziger of Liquigas is trying to remain incognito. The Tour de Romandie winner is one of the young riders that could be the big surprise of the Tour.	Liquigas team leader Franco Pellizotti and fellow Italian Daniele Bennati
Rabobank's Denis Menchov hasn't stopped smiling since the end of May	Cadel Evans looked great at the Dauphine Libere several weeks ago. Can he improve on his string of second place performances in big races?

Stage 1:  Monaco - Monaco (ITT) 15.5km  Full Results and Report

Prince Albert (holding the starter's flag) and other dignitaries in the start house with the first rider of the day	A good crowd estimated at 3x larger than the annual Formula 1 race	Lance Armstrong opted for an early start and ended with the 10th best time. Was he hoping it would rain later in the day?
Crowds lining the twisty streets in Monte Carlo	Garmin's Dave Zabriskie in his U.S. national time-trial kit. He finished 13th, 47 seconds off the winning time. Not his sort of course.	Saxo Bank's Fabian Cancellara wasn't quite the fastest man out of the gate...
but on the last half of the course he was much faster on the descent and run into the finish. His winning time for the twisty 15.5 km course was 0:19:32	A profile of great form	Alberto Contador was the fastest man to the top at the half way point but lost time in the second half to Cancellara. He finished 2nd, 18 seconds back.
Contador appeared to tie up a little near the end. Still a great ride.	As last year's overall winner, Carlos Sastre was last man out of the gate. He finished 21st, 1 minute and 6 seconds off the winning time but he did enjoy the scenery.	Contador's KOM podium salute was better than Cancellara's stage winner's salute. (Cancellara should have the Yellow jersey for the next few days so we'll see him in Yellow later)

Stage 2:  Monaco - Brignoles 187km  Full Results and Report

Another beautiful morning in Monaco, but very hot for the racing later on	Lance Armstrong arriving for the usual sign-in presentation	Mark Cavendish contemplates the stage win that awaits
Astana on stage during the rider sign-in/photo-op next to the yachts in the harbor	The neutral start with Prince Albert sticking up through the roof in the red race director's car	After a dicey run into the finish and a good leadout, Mark Cavendish easily wins by three bike lengths
A ridiculously easy win; a mockery of a sprint finish	Daniel Napolitano was involved in the last corner crash. Cervelo's Heinrich Haussler later said "Napolitano was riding like an idiot".	Fabian Cancellara remains in Yellow. Lots of guesses as to how long he'll hang on to it... maybe for the entire first week.

Stage 3:  Marseille - La Grande-Motte 196.5km  Full Results and Report

Our photographer headed straight to the finish and killed time waiting for the riders	A bunch sprint finish after Team Columbia split the peloton in the cross winds	Once again it was Mark Cavendish first across the line, but at least Cervelo's Thor Hushovd gave him a little competition
Mark Cavendish wastes no time calling home. More likely he's pointing attention to the team's new sponsor, HTC, a mobile phone company.	The peloton containing most of the GC contenders arrives 41 seconds later after being caught out by the break	Strong crosswinds can turn a flat stage into a tough day in the saddle
Winning at the Tour de France is now becoming routine for the best sprinter	Team Columbia also currently owns the White Jersey for the best young rider. Tony Martin now sits second on GC @ 33 seconds and could upgrade to Yellow tomorrow if Team Columbia puts in a great performance during the TTT

Stage 4:  Montpellier - Montpellier (TTT) 39km  Full Results and Report

BBox Bouygues Telecom was too aggressive going into what is now known as "BBox Corner" ... one of the many crashes on the day.	Silence-Lotto lost a few riders due to careless bike handling and rarely rode well together. Once again, it appears, Cadel Evans (left) doesn't have the support needed to win the Tour de France.	Garmin-Slipstream rode an excellent five man time team trial, unfortunately, it was a nine man event. Still they finished second just 18 seconds off the win.
Liquigas rode a good TTT and placed fourth 58 seconds off the winning time which nicely sets up their numerous GC contenders.	Saxo Bank struggled at all the intermediate check points, but Fabian Cancellara pulled for the final km giving them 4th at 40 seconds... just fractionally enough to keep Yellow.	Astana looked like one of the few teams that actually practiced on the course (which they did over several days). Their winning ime for the very technical 39k course was 46:29
Another Team Time Trial win in the legacy of Lance Armstrong teams	Thanks to his monster pull over the final km, Fabian Cancellara dons another Yellow Jersey although he's virtually tied with Lance Armstrong.	Ben Stiller, sporting an especially attractive bedhead 'do, congratulates Fabian Cancellara. Ben was hoping to award the Yellow Jersey to his buddy, Lance ;-)

Stage 5:  Le Cap d'Agde - Perpignan 196.5km  Full Results and Report

Tom Boonen is still popular among the young and old. By the way, who else thinks Belgium has the best flag colors for a national champions jersey?	Andy Schleck being interviewed by TV station RTBF from Belgium. The fisheye lense makes Andy look leaner than he really is... I think.	Tommy Voeckler loading up on PowerBar swag for the long break that awaits
Cadel Evans says his Tour isn't over despite the setbacks in the first week of racing and team problems this past year. However, if he loses any more time on non mountain stages then he will no longer need a bodyguard.	The biggest crowd of this year's Tour welcomes home one of their own, Frenchman Thomas Voeckler of BBOX Bouygues Telecom	In a break for almost the whole stage before soloing the final 4k, Voeckler can finally celebrate a (narrow) stage win after competing in seven Tours
Voeckler turns around to witness the battle for second with 50m to go	Mark Cavendish (in solid green) leaps out of the peloton with less than 50 m to go	Close Up: That's quite a battle for second place
Mark Cavendish made up four bike lengths in the final 50m but came up just short of break survivor, Katusha's Mikhail Ignatiev for second place

Stage 6:  Gerona - Barcelona 181.5km  Full Results and Report

Another day in Yellow for Fabian Cancellara flanked here on his his left by former Tour de France Champions Spain's Federico Bahamontes and France's Bernard Hinault	Alberto Contador and Carlos Sastre are getting excited about tomorrow's mountaintop finish in Andorra	The uphill sprint finish after David Millar was reeled in with 1 km to go.
L-to-R: 1st, Thor Hushovd (Nor) Cervelo Test Team, 3rd Jose Joaquin Rojas Gil (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne and 2nd Oscar Freire Gomez (Spa) Rabobank	The competition bowing to the "God of Thunder..."	"... that's Me"
Pack finish for Lance Armstrong	The White (and Gray) Jersey wearer for the best young rider, Tony Martin, crossing the line after putting in a good dig with 1 km to go	Hushovd just missed gaining the Green Jersey today as well

Stage 7:  Barcelona - Andorra Arcalis 224km  Full Results and Report

The Andorra landscape	1 km from the finish	The switchbacks on the finishing climb to Arcalis
Agritubel's Brice Feillu dropped his breakmates half way up the finishing climb		Alberto Contador wasn't content to ride in the GC group
He shot away before anyone could react much to the delight of the Spanish crowd		Lance Armstrong and Andy Schleck at the front of the group behind Contador
Cadel Evans put in a couple good digs in pursuit of Contador. Followed here by Bradley Wiggins of Garmin and Astana's Leipheimer and Armstrong	A fine time for Agritubel's Brice Feillu first pro win	Alberto Contador finishes 3'26" behind the winner.
The group containing the GC contenders crosses 21 seconds after Alberto Contador.	Brice Feillu and his big wing span on the podium. He turns 24 years old on the last stage of this year's race.	AG2R's Rinaldo Nocentini, who was part of the break, is the first Italian in nine years to don a Yellow Jersey.

Stage 8:  Andorre-la-Vieille - Saint-Girons 176.5km  Full Results and Report

Climbing Port d'Envalira right out of the gate...	The highest point of this year's Tour at 2442m	With a break up the road, Astana is doing the pacesetting
Breakaway specialist Luis Leon Sanchez of Caisse d'Epargne wins the four man sprint in Saint-Girons	A Frenchman won in Andorra yesterday and a Spaniard wins in France today	Caisse d'Epargne also took the field sprint for 5th
Luis Leon Sanchez always salutes his deceased brother after every win	This year's Paris-Nice winner also won a Tour stage last year	Thor Hushovd won two early intermediate sprints and moves past Mark Cavendish in the points competition. (Cavendish was dropped on the first climb of the day)

Stage 9:  Saint-Gaudens - Tarbes 160.5km  Full Results and Report

Pierrick Fedrigo (Fra) BBOX Bouygues Telecom and Franco Pellizotti (Ita) Liquigas are driving the break	Rinaldo Nocentini in Yellow for another day surrounded by his AG2R La Mondiale teammates	Looking down the east side of Col du Tourmalet at the ski village La Mongie, 5 km from the top
Franco Pellizotti and Pierrick Fedrigo continue their drive to the top. The two would survive to the finish some 70k away in Tarbes	21 year old Frenchman Maxime Bouet of the wild card team Agritubel wasn't far behind the leaders	Because the top of the Tourmalet was still 70k from the finish, the pace set by the GC contenders was easy, allowing the Yellow jersey to hang with the group.
Basque fans cheering on Spanish riders from Caisse d'Epargne as they go over the top	Too bad there were no fireworks on such a spectacular climb for the many fans that turned out	Descending the more scenic side of Col du Tourmalet
A few tight switchbacks then a fast descent to the bottom. Those of you who are not good at descending should note the line taken through the corner.	Franco Pellizotti (right) was perfectly positioned rounding the final corner with 200m to go; however, Pierrick Fedrigo was able to make up the difference.	Oscar Friere of Rabobank won the field sprint for third ahead of Peter Velits of Milram and Serguei Ivanov of Katusha
The third win by a French rider at this year's Tour and the second for French team Bbox Bouygues Telecom which makes up for their embarrassing team crash during the TTT

Stage 10:  Limoges - Issoudun 194.5km  Full Results and Report

The wearer of the Yellow Jersey, Rinaldo Nocentini of Italy, spent his rest day completing his ensemble with a matching hairdo	Oh no, there was no organized work slow down today on France's National Holiday. ;-) The team directors for Liquigas, Katusha and Quick Step.	All eyes will be on Alberto Contador and Team Astana to see what unfolds in the next two weeks.
The men in the leaders jerseys	The stage hit its climax for excitement in the first 50m	Mark Cavendish mid-race?
A great day to paint a portrait of the peloton	A fitting image for a stage that ran at a snail's pace	Gasp! Be careful! We might need you again for stage 11 or the next stage they ban race radios.   Snail Footage ie the best race footage (00:40) — courtesy of snail tv
A dull stage ends in a predictable finish	Mark Cavendish cleans his glasses while crossing the line for his third easy win at this year's Tour. (There must of have been something other than sweat on them)

Stage 11:  Vatan - Saint-Fargeau 192km  Full Results and Report

The morning sign-in with autograph seekers off to the right	Astana's Yaroslav Popovich surveying the situation as the peloton gathers for the start	The narrow start in Vatan
Andy Schleck and Lance Armstrong having a little chat	An uphill sprint finish. Columbia's Mark Renshaw (coasting left) once again set the table for Mark Cavendish.	Garmin's Tyler Farrar gave it a good go, but he wasn't as well positioned coming around the final corner
Four wins so far this year to go along with four wins at his first Tour last year gives him more Tour wins than any Brit has accumulated in a lifetime (but one)	Mark Cavendish's lead out man last year, Gerald Ciolek, left Team Columbia to strike out on his own with Team Milram. He finished 7th today with 4th being his best finish so far during this year's Tour.	Cav's win today also puts him back in the Green Jersey

Stage 12:  Limoges - Issoudun 194.5km  Full Results and Report

Part of a 100km break, Saxo Bank's Nicki Sørensen shed breakmates until he was the last man standing with 5km to go	The former Danish national road race champion get his first win in seven Tours	There was no hiding his elation
The rest of the break crossed 48 seconds later.	The green jersey, Mark Cavendish, won the field sprint ahead of Thor Hushovd	Another hot stage
Levi Leipheimer was scuffed up in a crash just barely inside 3km to go that also involved Cadel Evans	Sørenson in the spotlight	Tomorrow will mark six stages in Yellow for Rinaldo Nocentini. It has been a fun run, but it's time to give it up.

Stage 13:  Vittel - Colmar 200km  Full Results and Report

After a lengthy solo break, Heinrich Haussler of Cervelo TestTeam can't believe he has captured his first ever Tour stage win	A classic course and weather today. No rain jacket or gloves for the Aussie/German who likes racing in cold, wet weather.
The 2nd place finisher, Amets Txurruka of Euskaltel - Euskadi came through over 4 minutes later. A good effort nonetheless.	Thor Hushovd (right) was annoyed when Peter Velits of Team Milram beat him for 5th in the field sprint taking some points that he could find a better use for.	Bernard Hinault probably wasn't impressed with the conservative racing by the GC contenders
The only man up to the task today was Heinrich Haussler. A win to remember.	Even Thor Hushovd probably didn't expect that he'd be back in the Green Jersey again so soon.	Franco Pellizotti (Ita) of Liquigas is the new King of the Mountains leader

Stage 14:  Colmar - Besançon 199km  Full Results and Report

A rare feat in recent Tours, two Italians in the leaders jerseys. Race leader Rinaldo Nocentini, who has never won a stage race as a 10 yr pro, has now been in Yellow more days than Macro Pantani ever was.	More than two weeks into the race and we've yet to see Andy Schleck light it up. We'll have to wait for tomorrow at the earliest.	Last year's overall winner, Carlos Sastre, is ready to flex his muscles in the last week too.
Race Director, Christian Prudhomme, checks the directions to Besançon prior to the start	Yesteday's finish town, Colmar, is today's start. The Italians are in especially good spirits.	Russian time-trial champ, Serguei Ivanov of Katusha counter-attacked the 12 man break with 10k to go and soloed into Besançon for his second Tour win
Massive crowds along the route today. Unfortunately, one spectator was killed earlier in the day.	Ireland's Nicolas Roche of AG2R La Mondiale finished 2nd @ 16 seconds. His presence in the break meant the his team with the Yellow Jersey didn't have to chase. George Hincapie placed 8th and narrowly missed the Yellow Jersey by 5 seconds with the peloton finishing 5+ minutes back. Bitter Disappointment for Hincapie	The field sprint among the Green Jersey contenders.
Thor Hushovd points out Cavendish's questionable sprint finish for which he was later penalized.   Overhead Replay of Mark Cavendish's Controversial Finish — nos

Stage 15:  Pontarlier - Verbier 207.5km  Full Results and Report

When everyone was on the limit at the base to Verbier, Alberto Contador showed the GC contenders another gear	In front of a huge crowd, Contador solos across the mountaintop finish	A victory salute filled with huge relief
Andy Schleck attempted to track Contador down but couldn't	Schleck left nothing in the tank but came up 43 seconds short. He does however move up the GC standings to 5th	Italian Vincenzo Nibali of Liquigas placed third @ 1'03", ahead of Saxo Bank's Frank Schleck and surprise, surprise Garmin's Bradley Wiggins. Wiggins has Great Britain excited about a first ever podium for G.B.
Carlos Sastre battled his way onto Wiggins' wheel around the final corners and also finished 1'06" off the pace. Cadel Evans (next corner) put his head down for 7th at 1'26"	Andreas Kloeden and Lance Armstrong finished 8th (@ 1'29") and 9th (@ 1'35")	Lance Armstrong said post race that he "doesn't have the red line like in the past" and will now work for the team
The rest of the peloton making their way up the finishing climb	King Contador takes the Stage.	Contador was firing more than just pellets today
The sweet taste of victory and a firm grip on the Yellow Jersey

Stage 16:  Martigny - Bourg-Saint-Maurice 159km  Full Results and Report

Cresting Col du Petit-Saint-Bernard (22.6 km, avg. 5.1 %, Categorie 1) first were Franco Pellizotti of Liquigas (the KOM leader) and Jurgen Van Den Broeck of Silence-Lotto ). The photographer made the mountain landscape the focus of attention.	Euskaltel - Euskadi rider, Mikel Astarloza bridged the gap to the leaders near the top	The fans are in position for the GC contenders who came through several minutes later.
At the front is Saxo Bank's Jen Voigt just before his high speed crash on the descent   Jens Voigt Crash Clip — sporza	Lance Armstrong was dropped at one point, but made an impressive move to rejoin the group	Garmin's Dave Zabriskie was right there too. In fact, he led the GC leaders on the 30 km descent to the finish.
After soloing the final few km to the finish, Mikel Astarloza checks his margin of victory...	... before unleashing an emphatic victory salute	The first career road win for the 30 year old Basque rider in his 6th year as a pro
No comment necessary

Stage 17:  Bourg-Saint-Maurice - Le Grand-Bornand 169.5km  Full Results and Report

Putting the Queen Stage into perspective. 12000 ft of climbing on the most difficult stage of the Tour	Negative comments from Mark Cavendish inspired Green Jersey leader, Thor Hushovd, to the "ride of his life." The sprinter led the mountain stage for 3/4 of the day and captured the maximum number of sprint points on the road.	Despite missing Jens Voigt and Kurt-Asle Arvesen due to crashes in recent stages, Saxo-Bank still has enough fire power to drive the race at any time.
On the last climb, Carlos Barrado of Quick Step momentarily found himself in the lead	Alberto Contador and Andy Schleck were never far apart	On the final climb, Col de la Colombiere, it was Astana vs the Schleck Brothers
Near the top, a controversial acceleration by Alberto Contador dropped his Astana teammate Andreas Kloeden. Here Andy Schleck resumes the pacesetting.	Andreas Kloeden lost around one minute by the top of Colombiere so he was likely toast anyway.	Further back, Bradley Wiggins is losing ground before Lance Armstrong would jump around him. Wiggins finished 7th on the day 3'12" off the winning time.
The Schleck Brothers continued to stretch out their lead on the descent to over two minutes by the finish.	The double victory salute with elder brother Frank taking the win while Andy (obscured) takes over second place on GC. Frank moved all the way from 9th to 3rd on GC.	Vincenzo Nibali of Liquigas caught Lance Armstrong on the final descent to finish 4th @ 2'18". Armstrong drops from 2nd to 4th on GC.
Frank Schleck celebrates an epic stage win	Alberto Contador extends his overall lead	Andy Schleck extends his young rider lead and moves up to 2nd on GC

Stage 18:  Annecy - Annecy (ITT) 40.5km  Full Results and Report

Alberto Contador lost time near the end, but hung on producing a winning time of 48:31 (50.1 km/h average)	Fabian Cancellara's early best time stood until Contador, the last rider, beat it by just three seconds	Garmin's David Millar placed a solid 5th @ 40 seconds
Behind Millar was teammate Bradley Wiggins in 6th @ 42 seconds. He had the best intermediate time at the final checkpoint, but a headwind apparently killed his fine performance.	Luis Leon Sanchez Gil of Caisse d'Epargne finished 7th. Another rising star.	By his own admission, Lance Armstrong struggled. He placed 16th @ 1:29
Placing 21st was a very good performance for 2nd on GC Andy Schleck	Straight on, eye-to-eye, I'm telling you, I'm for real! (caption submitted by Anita Weld @Im4tun8)	Alberto Contador has a lock on the race with a 4+ minute lead

Stage 19:  Bourgoin-Jallieu - Aubenas 178km  Full Results and Report

Rabobank chased down an early break, but Columbia's Mark Cavendish (unfortunately) made it over the cat 2 climb near the end of the stage...	Setting up a sprint finish with the usual suspects. Cav was forced to jump at the 250m mark after he run out of lead out men due to the chase.	Close up: Thor Hushovd in Green, Rabobank's last hope Oscar Friere (second row), Mark Cavendish, Cav's lead out man from last year (Gerald Ciolek, Milram) and Greg Van Avermaet of Silence-Lotto. Notice the ever attentive Lance Armstrong at the top of the picture; he gained four seconds on his rivals due to a gap in the field at the line.
Another win for Cav. Nine Tour wins in just his first two Tours breaking the career total by a Brit at the tender age of 24 years-old.	The world champ, Alessandro Ballan, was the last man the peloton chased down. The Lampre rider has been quiet all Tour but he made today's finish exciting.	Cav rewards one of his leadout men, George Hincapie, with a hug...
... but don't squeeze George too hard, he has a sore collarbone	That's more than a wave, it's a five finger salute representing five victories at this year's Tour.	Alberto Contador has just one more obstacle, tomorrow's God the Provence, Le Mont-Ventoux. As the Tour's best climber so far he should be confident.
By the way, the last man to have more than five wins at the Tour de France is Bernard Hinault accomplished almost 30 years ago. Hinault is seen here with KOM leader Franco Pellizotti

Stage 20:  Montelimar - Mont Ventoux 167km  Full Results and Report

The telecommunications tower and a close-up of the barren limestone at the top	The final corner, long before the riders are scheduled to arrive	The last 2 km. The vans and fans shielded riders from the 40 km/h winds.
Spain's Juan Manuel Garate Cepa of Rabobank riding ahead of fellow breakmate Germany's Tony Martin of Team Columbia with 2 km to go	Less than a minute back was the GC group led by Saxo Bank's Andy Schleck for most of the climb.	Alberto Contador (Yellow Jersey) looked like he could have attacked at any time but didn't. In the end, there was no change for the top 4 on GC... not what the organizers were hoping for.
Over five minutes back was a group containing Cadel Evans who was 2nd overall last year. Last year's overall winner, Carlos Sastre, was even further back finishing 71st @ 9'36".	Juan Manuel Garate doesn't have many wins in his 9 year pro career, but he has now won stages in all three Grand Tours with today's win being the biggest of them all.	Alberto Condator behaved himself today ;-), stayed by Lance Armstrong and simply cruised to the overall win. The fireworks among the GC contenders didn't materialize as the organizers had hoped due in part to the strong headwind.
Frank Schleck couldn't muster any sort of attack and even lost time to Lance Armstrong today.	The victory salute that gets lost in translation	But, there's no disputing who the strongest rider was at this year's Tour

Stage 21:  Montereau-Fault-Yonne - Paris 164km  Full Results and Report

The Caravan arrives in Paris for the final circuits on the Champs-Élysées	Team Columbia working to pull back the break up the road	Alberto Contador on the verge of winning his second Tour de France title
Team Columbia dominated the end of every flat stage at this year's Tour	On the mark again. Team Columbia's two Marks, Renshaw and Cavendish, gapped the field around the final corner	Lead out man Mark Renshaw had enough of a gap to fire off a victory salute before the line and still place second
"It has been an especially difficult Tour for me," Contador said, "but I savor it and it is more special because of it."		The final podium: 2nd Andy Schleck (Saxo Bank), 1st Alberto Contador (Astana), 3rd Lance Armstrong (Astana)
The jersey winners	Astana won the team classification