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26 July 2005

27 July News ...

Vinokourov Inks Deal with Liberty Seguros - Würth

31 year old Kazakh rider, Alexander Vinokourov, has just signed a 3 year deal with Spanish powerhouse, Liberty Seguros-Würth. The move puts an end to much speculation. The Kazakh champion will be taking 29 year old compatriot, Sergey Yakovlev, with him down to the Iberian Peninsula.

Vino's audacious attacking style should suit him well in his new home. Team Liberty boss, Manolo Saiz, explained he was chosen "for his competitiveness and his capacity for leadership, especially in the Tour de France." Saiz further elaborated that Vino "has demonstrated a mentality that coincides perfectly with that of my team."

On paper the move looks like a good one. Liberty Seguros has always been a team stacked with good climbers that will aptly assist Vino in the high mountains. Furthermore, they are consistently top performers in the team time trial. Saiz has assured the Kazakh that he'll have carte blanche to train as he needs to in order to win the Tour de France.

Past evidence has shown that Saiz is a leader that knows how to win. There's no question that Vino is a capable leader, but it remains to be seen if Saiz has the leadership skills to turn him from a contender into a bonafide winner. Time will surely tell.
- Paco

The Dust Devil's Daily Wrap, Final Tour Wrap Up

I can't believe it's over! It's hard to top the Tour de France for stage racing excitement, and every year I face the same postpartum let-down the days following its ending.

Lance Armstrong. What can you say about this man? Right now, I don't think that most of us are really thinking about the history we have just witnessed. We are more concerned with his domination, retirement and who will replace him, etc, etc ...

But, seven Tours in a row!!?? I think in 10 and 20 years time we will all look back on the Armstrong era in much the way we look back on Merckx's, or Indurain's glory days.

Much has been said about comparing Armstrong to the all-time greats. Of all the other 5 time winners, Armstrong is the only one without a victory in any of the other Grand Tours. And, just think about this: Miguel Indurain took his 7 Grand Tour victories (5 Tours de France and 2 Giri d'Italia) in a span of just over 4 years! Armstrong has only one classic victory to his name (Clasica San Sebastian), which even Indurain can equal.
Read the entire Final Tour Wrap Up by The Dust Devil

Tour de France Review, Stages 16 to 21

Read a review of the action from the 92nd Tour de France. BiciRace.com takes a look back at the stages from the second rest day in Pau to the finish in Paris. Read the review

92nd Tour de France:
Startlist, Classifications, Tour Challengers, Discovery Channel Profile
Key Stages, Key Stage Descriptions, Stages and Maps, Overall Map
Photos, Dust Devil's Daily Wrap

25 July News ...