Tour de France: Stage Coverage and More

On the scene coverage and advances of the 2007 Tour de France, bicyclist bios, Tour histories and more.

Professional bicycle racing's most prestigious event could be on the verge of implosion. But for the third straight year, the Tour of California will return next February and will feature many of the same riders and teams in the embattled Tour de France.

There are three riding days to Paris and the end of the 2007 Tour de France. And it's a safe assumption, the peloton can't wait.

Long before the Tour began in 1903, track cycling was all the rage on velodromes (banked tracks). The sport thrived in Europe and in the United States.

Sixteen days into the 2007 Tour de France, the weary riders will encounter Monday what is known in cycling parlance as the "Queen Stage" in stage 15.

Welcome to the Pyrenees. Let the winner of the 2007 Tour de France step forward. The 14th stage Sunday will take the peloton 197 kilometers (122.3 miles) from Mazamet to Plateau de Beille, and it will mark the first of the race's three demanding mountain stages

It's been two weeks since Tour de France cyclists last challenged a time trial - and that, of course, was the July 7 prologue in London. It was opening day and a less than 10-minute ride to determine who wore the race leader's yellow jersey for stage 1.

The second and last transitional road stage between the Alps and the Pyrenees occurs Friday in the Tour de France with riders set for another hot day primarily along the southern coast and a late-day deviation inland.

It's been five stages since sprinters were in the spotlight at the Tour de France. But the speed merchants should be back at the front of the peloton again Thursday in one of the race's flatest stages.

After three straight mountain stages in the Alps, the Tour de France now heads toward the southern tip of France where warm weather and inviting blue water of the Mediterranean Sea await.

No two words are more revered in the Tour de France than "hors categorie." The French-to-English translation is "Above Category," and the term is reserved for the race's most strenuous climbs.

The second of six Alpine stages and the second straight day in the Alps greet the ever-weary peloton Sunday in the eighth stage of the 2007 Tour de France.

For the dozen or so riders with overall title aspirations, the Tour de France begins Saturday on Bastille Day with the first of three consecutive days of mountain stages in the Alps.

With the completion of Friday's sixth stage from Semur-en-Auxois to Bourg-en-Bresse, riders in the Tour de France will have completed 740 miles in one week and the serious nature of cycling's pinnacle event will be about to unfold.

With all due respect to sprinters and the wondrous ways of the first five racing days, let the Tour de France begin. The race's most decisive day to date will occur Thursday when the field negotiates 182.5 kilometers (113.3 miles) from Chablis to Autun.

For the fourth straight day, it should be sprinters who again get to showcase their powerful legs Wednesday in the fourth stage of the Tour de France.

Perhaps with some rare exceptions in the pre-World War I years, the longest stage of the Tour de France is never the most difficult. Still, the designation holds some status and it will occur early in the Tour this year, stage 3 on Tuesday.

One sub-plot that develops early every year at the Tour de France is whether one sprinter can dominate the race. Australian powerhouse Robbie McEwen (Predictor-Lotto) won stage 1 on Sunday. But can he repeat?

Tour de France photo/video essay

England been infrequently visited by the Tour de France, but London's ready for race's grand departure.

Tour de France champions all have different styles. But through the race's more than 100-year history, the best have also all been the same in some respects. They've all had great individual skills and a focused desire to win.

A look at Miguel Indurain, Greg LeMond, Eddy Merckx, Jan Ullrich and Joop Zoetemelk.

The Tour de France is the world's largest free sporting event. Spectators can watch every stage in person and along the entire route, this year from London (July 7) to Paris (July 29) without admission.

Great climbers usually win the Tour de France. Dozens of famous and infamous peaks have been used during stages and as finishing summits.

The 2007 Tour de France, cycling's yearly pinnacle event, begins Saturday, July 7 in London, and it will be unique for three reasons, not the least of which is that it will not feature a defending titlist.

Since Floyd Landis became the third American to claim cycling's most coveted title nearly 10 months ago, his life has been nothing less than catastrophic.

Way before he ever caught the attention of the masses of media he has recently encountered, Floyd Landis was making a name for himself here in the U.S. as one of the best young riders of his era.

Watching the Tour de France live is a hard outing to plan. Here are some hints on what resource to use and what to expect.