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89th Tour de France - Grand Tour
France, July 6-28, 2002
2002 Tour de France rider journals
In addition to the exclusive journal by Cyclingnews diarists Bradley McGee, Floyd Landis, John Eustice and Mike Tomalaris, the following list provides you with a profile on other riders who will be keeping a regular diary during their adventures in this year's Tour. Click on the rider journals link for a short profile on each rider that goes straight to their diary; or click on the stage comments link that includes a summary of all their comments on one page. Some have daily updates, while others update their diaries only when they have not expended all their energy after a hard day in the saddle.
Edited by Anthony Tan
Rider journals
Directeur sportif journals
Stage comments:
Prologue - Stage 7
Stage comments: Stages
8 - 14
Rider Journals
Tyler Hamilton
Nationality: American
Team: CSC-Tiscali
After a stellar performance at the Giro d'Italia where Hamilton placed second overall, the man from Marblehead, Massachusetts is looking good for a high placing in the Tour. Although Tyler will be one of three leaders at CSC-Tiscali along with Laurent Jalabert and Carlos Sastre, should one of the latter two falter, Tyler will comfortably assume the mantle of being CSC's "main man". Tyler's a humble man, and always tells it like it is; so if that's what you want, don't forget to read what he's got to say during over the next few weeks.
George Hincapie
Nationality: American
Team: United States Postal Service
After a successful but not spectacular Spring Classics season, Georgie's all set to work his butt off for his close friend and overwhelming TdF favourite, Lance Armstrong. Hincapie's role will be to stay with Armstrong and keep him out of the wind, keep him in the front of the peloton and when necessary, keep him out of trouble. There's no aspirations of stage wins within Postal until the fat lady starts singing along the Champs-Elysées. George won't be posting a regular diary, but will most likely be feeding his comments back to his website after each stage.
Robert Hunter
Nationality: South African
Team: Mapei-Quick Step
The 25 year-old from Johannesburg will be riding his second TdF this year and will be a key protagonist in the Battle Royale for the maillot vert. Hunter's had a great season so far, demonstrating superb form at the Tour of Langkawi in Malaysia, where he was a multiple stage winner and wearer of the leader's jersey until the stage to the Genting Highlands. And although Mapei boss Georgio Squinzi has decided to pull the pin on cycling, chances are this fiery young sprinter won't have to look too hard for a job once the TdF is over.
http://www.bike.com/sections.asp?lsectionname=11
Bobby Julich
Nationality: American
Team: Team Deutsche Telekom
With Ullrich out and now Kloeden and Vinokourov, the American duo of Bobby Julich and Kevin Livingston have become the virtual GC leaders for Telekom by default. It was only four years ago that Bobby J kicked some serious tail in the TdF and finished third overall, the highest-placed American since Greg Lemond eight years prior. Watch this space very closely - there's two dark horses looming, clad in black and pink lycra.
http://www.tourdefrancenews.com/diary/
Levi Leipheimer
Nationality: American
Team: Rabobank
Well this is why Rabobank paid him the big bucks. All for Le Tour and one for all. All nine men from Rabobank will be supporting the revelation of the 2001 Vuelta, where Leipheimer appeared to go from zero to hero, all in the space of three weeks. If the battle for the top spot on the podium has already been conceded, it sure is going to be interesting to see who'll be standing next to Lance in Paris.
http://www.bike.com/sections.asp?lsectionname=11
David Millar
Nationality: Scottish
Team: Cofidis
Great things are expected of this talented and popular prologue and TT specialist who was born in Malta, spent his early childhood in England, his teens in Hong Kong and is now residing in Biarritz, France with a British passport - all makes perfect sense! Although Millar has indicated the GC is not his top priority, his DS Alain Bondue wants to see Kivilev and Millar in the top ten. Looks like you gotta be a member to get Millartime's full report, but the guts of it are for free, no strings attached.
http://www.itsmillartime.com/files/diary.htm
Stuart O'Grady
Nationality: Australian
Team: Credit Agricole
The larrikin from Adelaide may be relaxed in nature, but Stuey's all fired up to duke it out once again for the maillot vert, and as he says, "my goal will be to wear, then keep the green jersey until AFTER the line on the Champs-Elysées! - that's the big objective". Looks like Stuart's diary will be updated on a semi-regular basis as the world's largest annual sporting event unfolds. Watch out for fireworks between O'Grady, Zabel, McEwen, Cooke and Hunter over the next three weeks.
http://www.stuartogrady.com.au/
Fred Rodriguez
Nationality: American
Team: Domo-Farm Frites
After an amazing Spring Classics, Fast Freddy contracted bronchitis that put him in bad shape for the First Union Series, leaving him high and dry with no real chance of defending his USPRO Championships title. But Rodriguez was once again looking good during the Tour of Switzerland, where he was battling it out with Zabel in the sprints and giving himself a dress rehearsal for the main event, Le Tour. With such an amazing calibre of sprinters and the battle for the maillot jaune seemingly over before it's even started, it's going to be a great Tour once again for sprint fans.
http://www.fredrodriguez.com/journal.html
Directeur Sportif Journals
Roger Legeay
Nationality: French
Team: Crédit Agricole
The compassionate DS for green machine Credit Agricole will be providing a twice-weekly diary, analysing Le Tour in detail, how his boys have fared, and team strategies for the ensuing stages. A great behind-the-scenes look of what it's like to manage a team who are primed to have a great Tour with GC rider Christophe Moreau and Jon Vaughters, sprints extraordinare Stuart O'Grady and stage specialists Jens Voight and Thor Hushovd.
http://www.credit-agricole.fr/tour2002
