Tour News for July 14

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Laurent Jalabert (CSC, 1st stage)

Laurent Jalabert
Photo: © AFP

"To win again, is brilliant. I knew I had to keep going right to the last kilometre. I was having a really hard time, I'd given it everything.

"This year, I came to the Tour in a different state of mind. On the day when I don't have any more strength, I will explode. Too bad, I will have done something good."

"What was disappointing for me, was to miss my window of opportunity in the past. I had objectives that I could not attain. Afterwards, I did not have any more strength for the stages. This year, I wake every day with a smile. I am happy with this Tour."

"It is correct to say that I am in the twilight of my career. But, during my remaining time, I want to enjoy it."

Jens Voigt (Credit Agricole, 2nd stage, Maillot Jaune)

Jens Voigt
Photo: © AFP

"I hope to keep the Maillot Jaune during the next two days before the Alpes. Then, Bobby Julich can take it. I would have preferred to take the jersey from another rider than Stuart, but this morning, the objective was to keep it. We had to put a rider in the break and make Telekom and US Postal ride, it was essential that the yellow jersey remained with us."

"It is the greatest moment of my career, because the Tour de France is the greatest race in the world. I have a quieter life than Jan Ullrich, when I am sick, people don't ask me anything whereas he..."

Laurent Roux (Jean Delatour, 3rd stage)

"I am really not satisfied. But, I am glad I went with this break and I'm happy for Laurent Jalabert: he was very strong. I had set my objectives on this Tour and I know that this is a missed chance. I wanted to be on the top step of the podium."

"In a race, you need legs and patience, and you can say since the start I have not had any. There was the fall in Antwerp, the puncture during the break, and then the fall on the descent today. It took me a little while to recover because I lost some juice."

Jan Ullrich (Telekom, 24th)

"The course of the stage was fairly steady. All the favourites were at my side. I felt good, but it is not on this kind of stage that you can win the Tour."

Didier Rous (Jean Delatour, 49th)

"I tried to attack twice, but I did not have riders to go with me. I will try again. I take my hat off to Laurent Jalabert, who knows how to simply ride every day."

Patrice Halgand (Jean Delatour, 57th)

"The objective was to keep the Maillot Pois, so I am satisfied. The guys worked hard for that. We are combative all the time. Jaja was the strongest, but, Laurent Roux was still suffering from his fall in Antwerp".

Johan Bruyneel (USPS directeur sportif)

Losing Christian Vandevelde is of course a pity for the team. He has been taken to the hospital and we fear he might have broken his arm. It's a blow but we lost Vaughters on the third day of the '99 Tour. Those are the risks."

"We are not getting disheartened; Lance feels good; so does the rest of the team. The stage today went exactly how we anticipated; a small group went. There was no real battle between the favourites though, so everything is OK."

Bill Stapleton (Lance Armstrong's manager)

"Lance is feeling really good at the moment. He is focussed and ready for the mountains."

Armstrong himself will not talk to the press until at least after stage 11. He may give a press conference on one of the rest days (July 19 or 23).

Michael Boogerd (Rabobank, 40th stage)

"I was nervous today, I know. I had marked this stage. I would like to be riding like Jalabert is now, but I think they keep more of an eye on me then what they do on Jalabert as I'm better ranked in GC."

"I wanted to try something today though as I don't know what the rest of the race will bring. Maybe after the mountains I can try again, when I'm a bit down in GC. Everybody is trying their chance though, everybody wants that win. I had hoped for one today, but it wasn't meant to be."

Steve Vermaut (Lotto, 102nd)

"I missed the right break. I thought it was best to get back into the peloton and tried to tell Etxebarria. First in broken Spanish but he didn't seem to understand; then I tried in English. He got the picture and we stopped chasing. It would have been silly to persist; we would have waisted our energy and there's a lot of nice stages to come. I didn't want to use up all my energy, I wanted to save myself for the days to come."

USPS injury report

Although his tumble in Thursday's TTT scraped up his knee, Roberto Heras is also having some knee problems. He is getting physical therapy every day on what might be a mild case of tendonitis. The TDF's cold and wet weather in week one can't help Heras' knee either.

Tyler Hamilton is hanging in with a painful right elbow after his crash on Stage 1, but Jose Luis Rubiera seems to have some improvement in his sore knee after his solid ride in the TTT.

Christian Vandevelde's left forearm was fractured, as a result of his crash.

Basso retires after breaking his collarbone

There was a tragic end to Fassa Bortolo's Ivan Basso's Tour de France, when he crashed in the finale of the seventh stage after being part of the race winning break. He fell when his front wheel slipped out on a descent, and although he remounted to finish 5th in the stage, it was found afterwards that he had broken his collarbone. He will now have to withdraw from the race, his first time in the Tour.

Basso is a former U23 world champion (1998) and was considered by stage winner Jalabert as the "strongest rider in the break."

Four people in hospital after car accident

Four people have been taken to hospital after an accident following the seventh stage. An out of control car crashed into the barriers on the side of the road, where many fans were gathered. Four people were taken to hospital in Colmar as a result, with one person sustaining serious injuries to two legs, and a large amount of cranial trauma with temporary memory loss. The other three people had lighter wounds.

According to witnesses, the 50 year old driver of the vehicle was reportedly in a hurry to see the stage winner, Laurent Jalabert. The patron of the Tour, Patrice Clerc said that "It seems as though someone who was not in complete control of himself tried to come to the finish line to meet the stage winner. He was turned back, but he returned behind the wheel of a car to the finish line, forcing several barriers."

Another eyewitness said that the driver had to stop when someone in the crowd threw something and shattered his windscreen.

Blood controls for 44 riders

It was an early start for a number of riders this morning in Strasbourg, as the UCI's medical control team blood tested a total of 44 riders between 7:00 - 8:50 am. Riders from Cofidis, Rabobank, BigMat, Lampre, and ONCE were tested, with all being declared fit to race.

This was the first 'surprise' UCI control since the July 5 complete medical checkup.

Official communiques

Weather: At times unsettled and fresh. Sky overcase at the beginning, with rain. This rain, somewhat weaker, continued during the stage. Skies low and gray on the tops of the climbs. Wind from the south-east, between 20-30 km/h. Temperatures between 13-15 degrees.

Medical: Christophe Rinero (Cofidis): Abandon due to pain in the left knee.
Christian Vandevelde (USPS): Abandoned due to fractured left radius (forearm), and damage to left shoulder.

Commissaires decisions: Emmanuel Magnien (FdJ): 10 seconds penalty for motorpacing behind his directeur sportif.

La Francaise des Jeux renewed

Christophe Blanchard-Dignac, President of Le Francaise des Jeux has announced the official renewal of the team's contract for 2002. Good news for FDJ rider and Cyclingnews diarist Brad McGee. Check out Brad's exclusive TDF diary here on Cyclingnews.

Bontrager win number 1

Jan Kirsipuu's win yesterday was his second career TDF stage victory, but his first aboard Ag2r's new Bontrager Race X-Lite wheels. Check out the Cyclingnews sponsorship feature on these new wheels.

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