Armstrong: Hunting rhythm in the heat

Astana’s Lance Armstrong stayed out of trouble on Sunday’s sweltering Stage 2, finishing in 80th place in the same time as stage winner Mark Cavendish. "Days like today are incredibly hot and hard for everyone," said Armstrong. "I just wanted to avoid trouble and get into the rhythm of the race, because yesterday's time trial wasn't really a normal stage. "We had an important day here and then we are on our way to the Pyrenees." After nearly four years away from the Tour, the ...

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Garmin's TT bikes

Among all the fantastic time trial bikes on hand in Monaco before stage 1, the team workspace with the broadest range of individuality in terms of TT bike setup was the Garmin-Slipstream pit. Almost every variation in position, combination of components, and preference in handlebar grips could be found hanging on the racks in front of the mechanics' truck. And until Fabian Cancellara set a fantastic time to win the prologue, Garmin’s Bradley Wiggins briefly held the best time on the day ...

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Garmin's TT bikes

Among all the fantastic time trial bikes on hand in Monaco before stage 1, the team workspace with the broadest range of individuality in terms of TT bike setup was the Garmin-Slipstream pit. Almost every variation in position, combination of components, and preference in handlebar grips could be found hanging on the racks in front of the mechanics' truck. And until Fabian Cancellara set a fantastic time to win the prologue, Garmin’s Bradley Wiggins briefly held the best time on the day ...

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Monday's stage 3 is another test for the sprinters

Britain's Mark Cavendish is likely to find out the real strength in depth of his rivals on the Tour de France in the race's third stage from Marseille to La Grande Motte on Monday. The key to Cavendish's four stage wins from the bunch sprints last year, apart from his unstoppable top end speed, was the disciplined riding of his Columbia team who helped crank up the speed before unleasing him a few hundred meters from the line. On Monday Cavendish will find out if sprint rivals Thor ...

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Cavendish wins second stage; Cancellara keeps lead

Mark Cavendish (Columbia-HTC) sped to victory on Sunday in stage 2 of the 2009 Tour de France, a 187km race from the principality of Monaco to Brignoles. Tyler Farrar (Garmin-Slipstream) took second behind the Manxman with Romain Feillu (Agritubel) third. Race leader Fabian Cancellara (Saxo Bank) finished safely in the field to retain the maillot jaune. "We were the only sprint team to ride for the majority of the stage and finished off in spectacular fashion," said Cavendish, who donned ...

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