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87th Tour de France - Grand Tour

France, July 1 - 23, 2000

Village Voices for July 2

By Tim Maloney, cyclingnews.com correspondent

Today's Bike Bingo

Patrick Lefevre, team manager of Mapei - Quick Step will be leaving to form a new Domo carpet next year and is still looking for riders...and a bike sponsor. Lefevre was seen in a tete-a tete with Fausto Pinarello, but it's probably too early to know what the Domo boyz will be riding. One thing IS certain; Frank Vandenbroucke ain't going to be along for the ride. VDB is looking to double his current $500K salary at Cofidis but Lefevre has neither the time, cash nor the patience to manage Frankie.

Saeco-Cannondale continue

According to Director of Marketing Beppo Hilfiker, Cannondale will be with Saeco through '01 season, but some in the Lotto camp say that GT will not be back for '01 with them due to budget cuts in the USA. Lance Bohlen, Specialized's man on Le Tour was carefully monitoring his Festina boys who have all new TT rigs for Le Tour and who Bohlen hopes will have fast team time trial on July 4th.

Trek movies

Also seen in Le Village were Trek guys Mike Mayer and Nate Tobeckesen. Check out the most excellent Quick Time movies Mayer is posting to www.trekbikes.com. Check their Tour De France section under daily coverage.

Mostly on the USPS...Mayer has more access to Lance & Johan than any journo's and the results are some pretty amazing insider footage. Of course, you can click thru to our TDF sponsor Trek via cyclingnews.com's Tour De France pages - just click on the Trek & Nike ACG logo in the upper left corner.

Giordana and ONCE

O.N.C.E. was sporting shiny new outfits for Le Tour...courtesy of Giordana. Come to find out that former sponsor Castelli didn't quite take care of business so O.N.C.E. decided to go elsewhere for their duds.

Todd in training

Ian Todd, Worldwide Director of Sports Marketing for Nike and his wife were ensconced in Le Village, with their cute 8 week old twins (girl & boy) along for a visit to Le Tour. Todd is an avid cyclist and is training with his personal trainer and longtime friend Tony Doyle for L'Etape Du Tour on July 11th.

My Bodyguard

Cycling is a unique sport in more ways than one. In that Joe & Jane Q. Public can get up close and personal with the riders...sometimes even too close and personal.

Last year at Le Tour, Lance Armstrong enlisted USPS staffer Steve DeVries to run interference for him. This year, Richard "Sporty" Virenque and Marco Pantani will also avail themselves of the services of bodyguards. Seems goofy but there are often so many people trying to glom onto riders for an autograph, a casquette or god knows what other souvenir, that they can't even get out of the team car to get to the team bus to hide before the stage!

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