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Lance Armstrong can't remember the last time he raced 65 miles by himself. So strong was Armstrong on Saturday that he left the rest of the field in the mud just 35 miles into the lung-searing Leadville 100 mountain bike race, winning the nation's highest-altitude endurance test in record time. Despite racing through freezing rain... Armstrong was so safely in front of Wiens that he didn't worry when he heard a hissing in his back tire

          Most people know that New Jersey is only second to California for financial trouble. First term Congressman Leonard Lance who lives in one of the most affluent areas of New Jersey, Hunterdon County was an unsuccessful lawyer in Clinton New Jersey and practiced under the wing of his father a useless State Senator.           Lance has betrayed Republicans by casting the deciding vote for the cap-and-trade bill. He certainly did not listen to his constituents. Lance needs to be targeted and thrown out of office in 2010.

PARIS -- France's anti-doping agency said Friday it will not seek sanctions against cyclist Lance Armstrong over a dispute with a drug tester, ending speculation that he could be barred from the Tour de France. The AFLD agency said in a statement that it "decided to take into consideration the athlete's written explanations" and will not open disciplinary procedures. The anti-doping agency has said the American cyclist did not fully cooperate with a drug tester who showed up at Armstrong's home in France to collect blood, urine and hair samples on March 17. Armstrong had said he feared the agency...

Democrat Linda Stender is running the single sleaziest campaign ad I have ever seen. Thanks to the national Republican Party, it will probably work. The ad in question is a flier attacking her Republican opponent for Congress, Leonard Lance, for supporting Christie Whitman's pension bond scheme in 1997 when he served in the state Assembly. One problem: Lance opposed the scheme. Not only did he oppose it, but he opposed it so publicly and prominently that his fellow Republicans took revenge on him by removing him from a key committee chairmanship. Yet that doesn't stop Stender, a state assemblywoman from...

So in today's mail, my wife and I received a mailer listing the pros and cons of two men running for our congressional seat in Somerset County. The two candidates in question are Michael Hsing and Leonard Lance. The mailer differentiates between Lance's moderate to liberal GOP stance and Hsing's stance as a staunch conservative. Lance is the GOP candidate, Hsing, after losing in the primaries, is running as an independent. The mailer is aimed at conservatives and portrays Hsing as the better candidate. He's a social and fiscal conservative, pro-life, an RNC delegate in 2000 and 2004, anti-federal funding...

Breaking Up Is Hard to Do Actress Kate Hudson and cycling beau Lance Armstrong threw in the towel after a much-publicized three-month relationship, Us Weekly reports. The couple, who were nearly inseparable, introduced each other to their families and parents, and their children spent a lot of time together. On Father's Day, Hudson's 4-year-old son Ryder was at brunch with Armstrong. The duo seemed to be getting serious quickly until they decided to call it quits.

Book TV Programs A Weekly Look at Selected Book TV Programs On Sunday, March 4 at 8:00 am Triple Cross: How bin Laden's Master Spy Penetrated the CIA, the Green Berets, and the FBI - and Why Patrick Fitzgerald Failed to Stop Him Peter Lance Description: Peter Lance discusses what he describes as the incompetence of the FBI and Justice Department before 9/11. In "Triple Cross" the author looks at the infiltration of the CIA and FBI by Al Qaeda agent Ali Mohamed. Mr. Lance argues that by posiing as an FBI informant, Ali Mohamed was able to lead a...

To understand what feeds former president Jimmy Carter's anti-Israeli frenzy, look at his early links to Arab business. Between 1976-1977, the Carter family peanut business received a bailout in the form of a $4.6 million, "poorly managed" and highly irregular loan from the National Bank of Georgia (NBG). According to a July 29, 1980 Jack Anderson expose in The Washington Post, the bank's biggest borrower was Mr. Carter, and its chairman at that time was Mr. Carter's confidant, and later his director of the Office of Management and Budget, Bert Lance.

Ivan Basso said he Thursday he feels "reborn" after signing a two-season contract with the Discovery Channel cycling team. A season stalled: Basso, seen here locking up the Giro in the 20th stage into Aprica, had hoped to win the Tour de France as well. The 28-year-old Giro d'Italia winner is expected to take the central spot in the team once occupied by seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong. "It's the ideal team for me," Basso told the Gazzetta dello Sport website on Thursday.

8/17/2006 - MIHAIL KOGALNICEANU AIR BASE, Romania (AFPN) -- Among the sounds of jets starting their engines and Romanian air force maintainers prepping their aircraft for departure, an American fighter pilot climbing into the back seat of a MiG-21 Lancer was a rare sight on the flightline here Aug. 11. Pilots from the 22nd Expeditionary Fighter Squadron here for Exercise Viper Lance 2006 have the opportunity to ride shotgun in Romanian fighters during the exercise. "My flight in the backseat of a Lancer is a good opportunity to look at different aircraft and it's a real privilege and an honor,"...

Tests performed on the cyclist Floyd Landis’s initial urine sample showed that some of the testosterone in his body had come from an external source and was not produced by his system, according to a person at the International Cycling Union with knowledge of the results. That finding contradicts what Landis has claimed in his defense since the disclosure last week that he had tested positive for an elevated ratio of testosterone to epitestosterone during the Tour de France. During a news conference in Madrid on Friday, Landis said, “We will explain to the world why this is not a...

See for example this thread first. Floyd Landis won the maillot jaune What's more, he did it on his own Winning Stage seventeen The best comeback I've seen After Lance, you can still hear France moan

LONDON (Reuters) - Seven times Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong will make his marathon debut in the New York City race on November 5, New York Road Runners president Mary Wittenberg said on Thursday. ADVERTISEMENT Armstrong, 34, set his record winning streak after he had been diagnosed with cancer and given less than a 50 percent chance of survival. "I was thrilled to learn late last night of Lance's decision to run the New York City marathon," Wittenberg said in a statement. "A bit like winning the lottery after you thought you had lost. "Lance epitomizes both the American...

See for example this thread first. We know now Sheryl_Crow has breast cancer Not quite what had happened to Lance, ...err I feel for her, yet I'm still willing to bet Their mystery break-up has 'n'answer!

"Sheryl said Lance didn't just support Bush, - he'd go off and fight if the president asked him to," the friend said.

Lance Armstrong and Sheryl Crow have said all the right things so far as the speculation for their break shifts gears. One tabloid even examines that it may be President George W. Bush's fault as Lance is a Bush fan while Sheryl is a Bush basher. The Star details that a friend of the singer said they knew the bust up was coming. "Sheryl said Lance didn't just support Bush, - he'd go off and fight if the President asked him too. Bush and Armstrong in Aug 2005*** Recall Crow sported a "War is not the answer," tee-shirt last July...

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. (Nov. 18, 2005) -- Just because a Marine is not in an infantry unit, does not mean he will not be attached to a combat patrol and be forced to depend on his training and instincts to survive. This was the case for Lance Cpl. Chris L. Wliszczak. Wliszczak was augmented from Headquarters and Service Battalion, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, and attached to Small Craft Company, Headquarters Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, when he deployed to Iraq in March 2005. This Allentown, Pa., native did not think he would see much combat in Iraq being...

Cycling champion Lance Armstrong is engaged to rock star Sheryl Crow and is considering coming out of retirement to try for an eighth consecutive Tour de France victory, he told the Austin American-Statesman on Monday. Since Armstrong and Crow have been living together for 18 months, their engagement may have been expected, though the couple has been dispelling breakup rumors since May. But a spring wedding followed by a summer Tour? "I'm thinking about it," Armstrong said. "I'm thinking it's the best way to piss (the French) off." Armstrong said he has entertained the idea for only the past two...

Lance Armstrong's record setting seventh Tour de France victory, along with his entire Tour de France legacy, may be tarnished by what could turn out to be one of the greatest sports scandals of all time Armstrong is being quizzed by French police after three banned substances were found in his South France hotel room while on vacation after winning the 2005 Tour de France. The three substances found were toothpaste, deodorant, and soap which have been banned by French authorities for over 75 years. Armstrong's girlfriend and American rocker Sheryl Crow is quoted as saying "we use them every...

WACO, Tex. - The tour de Lance is coming to Texas. Seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong told ABC's "This Week" yesterday that he'll travel to Crawford, Tex., next Saturday to ride mountain bikes with the President around Bush's ranch. "It's a dream scenario for me," Armstrong said. "Now that President Bush doesn't run anymore, he rides his mountain bike fanatically. People wonder why he stays at the ranch so long - it might be the mountain bike trails." Armstrong, a cancer survivor who is opposed to the war in Iraq, said he plans to talk with the President...

According to The New York Times (8 July 2003): "the federal commission investigating the Sept. 11 terror attacks said today that its work was being hampered by the failure of executive branch agencies, especially the Pentagon and the Justice Department, to respond quickly to requests for documents and testimony." Several alternative media have joined the bandwagon. George W. Bush is accused of obstructing the investigation...Former Jersey governor Thomas Kean, the commission's chairman is presented as an honest and uncompromising individual, who is courageously confronting the US government: "Without greater cooperation, Kean said, ''we cannot do the job we are supposed...

don't have time to elaborate - see for yourself. This guy was the one Able Danger team briefed who decided it was not worthy of inclusion into the 9/11 report or even to the ears of comittee members since it did not fit their conclusions about Atta. THIS NEEDS TO P*O*P!

A star he is ~ but it could have been different. Lance Armstrong could have well been an abortion statistic. His mother was a 16 year old unwed mom and poor. But she did the right thing and was a continual source of support and inspiration to Lance throughout his life. Linda, then a supermarket checkout girl, had got pregnant at the age of 16 and gave birth to her son when she was only 17. The pair enjoy an exceptionally close relationship, which Linda puts down to the fact that "we grew up together". Armstrong took on the...

Join OLN for an exclusive interview with Lance Armstrong after his record 7th Tour de France victory. Lance gives the final say on the team, his rivals and plans for retirement.If this interview is like last year's, it will (hopefully) be conducted by Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwen.The interview runs on OLN TV *tonight* Tuesday, August 2: 8-9pm and again at 11pm-12am.Part 2 of the interview runs on OLN TV on Saturday, August 6: 8-9pm and again on Sunday, August 7, 12am-1am.

Armstrong Doesn’t See Kerry as a Bicyclist Sunday, July 24, 2005 (SAINT-ETIENNE, France) Lance Armstrong does not think that Sen. John Kerry would make a terrific bicyclist but fears he'll try anyway. During his warmup for Saturday's time trial, the Texan watched the Democrat from Massachusetts who was sitting in the back seat of a black Peugeot limousine under the Eiffel Tower. Armstrong listed the Senator's losing qualities. "What made him so awful during the presidential election was the lack of focus, discipline, intelligence and strategic ability-- his inability to just take it on and go," Armstrong said. Those qualities...

Fox Sports reporting Lance Armstrong has won his 7th Tour de France. Here's to an incredible athlete.

Stage 20 - Saturday, July 23: Saint-Etienne - Saint-Etienne ITT, 55 km The showdown! All things being equal (and even with a few inequalitites) the individual time trial should provide a great spectacle at the end of a gruelling three weeks - Armstrong thrives in this race against the clock, and his dominance is well documented. But if we have a situation like 2003, this could be the clincher for the leader going into the stage, or it could provide the challenger with a whisker of hope. Here's hoping the weather stays fine and we get Ullrich out firing and...

Stage 19 - Friday, July 22: Issoire - Le Puy-en-Velay, 153.5 km Another opportunist's stage, this short romp into Le Puy-en-Velay offers a hilly parcours, with the main climb being at the 55.5km mark up the Col des Pradeux - 11.4km at 5.6%. Not much considering what they've been through beforehand, but enough to put plenty of hurt in the riders' legs and offer something for the sprinters if they can muster the energy to have a go at the intermediate sprints (of which there are two) and possibly take the stage win. Another great opportunity for CSC's Jens Voight,...

Stage 18 - Thursday, July 21: Albi - Mende, 189 km This stage is made for an escape artist in the style of Laurent Jalabert - or whoever takes his place in this year's peloton - who was able to push hard enough on the climbs to get away. The finish is atop Cote de la Croix-Neuve, a brutally steep climb of 10.1% for 3.1km after climbing the Cote de Chabrits, a cat 3 short climb of 1.7km with a tough 7.1% gradient. Michael Rogers and Alejandro Valerde could both be in the mix for a win on this stage...

Stage 17 - Wednesday, July 20: Pau - Revel, 239.5 km The Tour's longest stage is an opportunity for strong riders with the ability to kick at the finish to come out and make their presence felt after days dominated by the climbers and GC heavyweights. Look for Boonen to be back in the thick of it, and Robbie McEwen to spread his wings after tough days hanging out the back up the climbs. With two cat 3 and cat 4 cols, this stage is surprisingly tough due to its distance and the regularity of the smaller climbs. There won't...

Stage 16 - Tuesday, July 19: Mourenx - Pau, 180.5 km The focus of this stage will be the legendary Col d'Aubisque, which represents the final hors categorie climb of the Tour - the mountains aren't finished yet, but Aubisque represents the end of some 'extreme' climbing for riders. Armstrong took the yellow jersey on the back of this climb in 2002 - this occurred earlier in the race, and he went on to dominate the remainder of the Tour after hitting his competition hard in these opening mountain exchanges. In 2005 the situation may well be different, or we...

Four cat 1 climbs ending with an HC climb!

On Sunday, Lance Armstrong will pay tribute to his former teammate at Motorola, Fabio Casartelli, who died in a crash on the descent of Porte d'Aspet a decade ago. Casartelli was the reigning Olympic road race champion in 1992, and joined Armstrong's team soon afterwards for what was supposed to be a promising future - until his fatal crash on the Pyrenean descent. On what should prove an emotional weekend for the American six-time winner of the Tour, remembering Casartelli will be one of the foremost things on the American's mind. "It's going to mean a lot, because it is...

Stage 14 - Saturday, July 16: Agde - Ax-3 Domaines, 220.5 km If Ivan Basso is still in the mix at this point of the race, eyes will be on him as the race enters the Pyrenees. Armstrong has traditionally consolidated his strong position throughout the Pyrenees and carried this on into the final time trial. In 2003 things were very tight at this stage - in 2004 he virtually had the race sown up. In 2005 this stage, and the next could be the deciding factors for the overall title. The focus will be on the 15.2km Port de...

Stage 13 - Friday, July 15: Miramas - Montpellier, 173.5 km This is a day for the sprinters to remind everyone they're still around, with a flat stage to Montpellier that finishes in the Mosson Stadium - a grand setting for a sprint finish. The smart money would be on Robbie McEwen - Davitamon-Lotto's super sprinter has proven before he can survive the mountains and kick on when the road flattens out again. Although there are only two intermediate sprints on this day, the shorter length of this stage means that the focus will be on a stage win, and...

DIGNE-LES-BAINS, France (AP) - Lance Armstrong lost a key teammate when Spanish rider Manuel Beltran crashed during the 12th stage of the Tour de France on Thursday. Beltran fell on the Col des Demoiselles Coiffees climb early in the 116.2-mile route from Briancon to Digne-les-Bains, hitting his head. He got back on his bike but quit after receiving treatment from a Tour doctor. "We forced him to stop, he got in the ambulance and went to the hospital," Discovery Team director Johan Bruyneel said. "They took a scan, and the first reports are pretty good. It's tough to lose a...

Stage 12 - Thursday, July 14: Briançon - Digne-les-Bains, 187 km After the difficulty of the previous day, stage 12 will seem like a gentle roll over a couple of cat 2 climbs and some smaller cols after two intermediate sprints early in the stage. The King of the Mountains jersey competition will most likely feature on this day, and after his stage victory on a similar stage at the Tour de Suisse, Davitamon-Lotto's Axel Merckx may well feel he's in with a chance of picking up a Tour stage win. The riders then say goodbye to the Alps as...

Stage 11 - Wednesday, July 13: Courchevel - Briançon, 173 km Ahhh, what a day! One of the hardest days of the Tour, stage 11 finishes in Briancon, in teh middle of the Alps, after heading up the slopes of the Col de la Madeleine, the Col du Telegraphe and then straight into the Col du Galibier for a total of 54.9km of cat 1 and hors categorie climbing at no less than 6.1%. There's plenty of Tour history in these mountains, and the legendary status of all three cols has been the x-factor in victory for many Tour champions....

14:14 - Lead Drops To 8’40" The peloton is now 8’40" behind the seven escapees. The attack was instigated by Posthuma and Brochard in the first kilometer of the stage. These two riders were joined by Krivtsov at the 3km mark. A counter-attack from Sanchez, Facci, Bortolami and Isasi caught the three early escapees at the 16km mark. 14:09 - Eight Complete Teams There are only eight teams with a full contingent of nine riders still in the Tour. The complete formations are: Discovery Channel, T-Mobile, Rabobank, Cofidis, Quickstep, Bouyges Telecom, Gerolsteiner and Euskaltel. There are 173 riders still in...

Associated Press Posted: 3 hours ago GRENOBLE, France (AP) - Jan Ullrich was cleared Monday to stay in the Tour de France after X-rays revealed he had not broken any bones when he fell during the race's ninth stage. Ullrich, the 1997 champion considered by many to be Lance Armstrong's chief rival, fell in a descent during Sunday's stage and damaged the left side of his rib cage. He continued racing and finished 29th, in a pack with Armstrong. After his X-rays came back negative, the German rider went for a training ride, T-Mobile team spokesman Luuc Eisenga said. Ullrich...

Stage 9 showed that Lance Armstrong and the Discovery boys know when to hold 'em and know when to fold 'em. On Sunday's 107-mile route that was the Tour's toughest test yet due to six substantial climbs, Armstrong's Discovery Channel team made a show of force by setting the tempo at the front of the peloton. Discovery's collective effort lasted for the entire race and it let Armstrong's rivals know that Discovery's failure to protect Armstrong on Saturday was a mere hiccup, a pause for the pull of the starting cord before the Discovery machine started humming smoothly in the...

Monday: Rest day in Grenoble.Sunday's winner: Mickael Rasmussen, 4 hours, 8 minutes, 20 secondsArmstrong's stage place: 28thArmstrong's overall place: 3rd, 2:18 back

Stage nine!

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Tour de France ping! Please FReepmail nutmeg if you want on or off the Tour de France 2005 list.

Lance Armstrong was threatened with expulsion from the Tour de France if he did not don the leader's yellow jersey. Armstrong wanted to make a "sporting gesture" on Wednesday after David Zabriskie lost the lead in a crash. But director Jean-Marie Leblanc stopped the race at the start of the 113.7-mile ride from Chambord to Montargis. "It didn't feel right to take the jersey on somebody else's misfortune, but Jean-Marie had other ideas," said Armstrong after retaining the lead. I wanted to try and do the right thing and make some sort of a sporting gesture Lance Armstrong The Texan...

Stage 6 - Thursday, July 7: Troyes - Nancy, 199 km This is a stage perfectly suited to a long breakaway - only problem is, most of the traditional breakaway protagonists are missing, which may land a surprise stage winner ont the podium. The four Cat 4 climbs and three intermediate sprints, stage 6 will have something for most riders, and if a break does get away, it'll have to move quickly as the strength of those sprinters taking part in this year's Tour stands out - Boonen's performance in this year's Classics shows he can motor all day, and...

Stage 5 - Wednesday, July 6: Chambord - Montargis, 183 km Another of the Tour's early stages for the sprinters, there are plenty of green jersey points on offer over a stage with only one Cat 4 climb - it's mostly flat, fast riding, and a day for one of the fast men to enjoy some time in the yellow jersey. In 2004 it was Thomas Voeckler who spent 10 days as the darling of France in the yellow jersey over the opening stages. The route sweeps further north and heads closer to its entry into Germany, with plenty to...

Stage 3 - Monday, July 4: La Châtaigneraie - Tours, 212.5 km CyclingNews.com Stage 3 - Monday, July 4: La Châtaigneraie - Tours, 212.5 km VeloNews.com

By Andrew Hood VeloNews European Correspondent The Dave Zabriskie Show came to the Tour de France on Sunday, momentarily diverting the cameras away from Lance Armstrong and the other big stars in the Tour's stage 2. And the European media, getting their first taste of Dave Z's quirky sense of humor, didn't know quite what to make of it - especially when he dead-panned to French television on how his first day went in the yellow jersey. "How did I spend it? Racing bikes," said the 26-year-old CSC rider said with a sardonic smile. Zabriskie enjoyed the view from the...