THE RACE LIVE

Tom Boonen rode the perfect sprint to win the second stage. The top 10 is:
1. Boonen
2. Hushovd
3. McEwen
4. O’Grady
5. Pagliarini
6. Flecha
7. Wrolich
8. Pineau
9. Cooke
10. Davis

Dave Zabriskie has finished safely peloton. The winner of the first stage will still wear the yellow jersey for stage three.

The top three in stage two is:
1. Tom Boonen (BEL - QST)
2. Thor Hushovd (NOR - C.A)
3. Robbie McEwen (AUS - DVL)

Tom Boonen raced into the lead with about 50 meters to go. This is his third stage win in the Tour de France.

The peloton is now being led by riders from the Liquigas team. But all the main sprint candidates are present. Take your pick... McEwen, Cooke, Boonen, Backstedt. Less than 1,000m to go.

The FDJ team is in control of the peloton at the moment. Baden Cooke suggested that today’s stage would end with a similar finish to stage one of the Tour de Suisse - ie. with three of the team’s riders in the top 10. He is the protected sprinter of the team today and his lead-out men are meant to be Eisel and McGee.

Carlos Da Cruz led the peloton up to Beneteau. The peloton is all together with less than 3km to go.

Beneteau has less than 4km to go and he has a lead on the peloton of about 100m. Today’s stage finish is near the headquarters of his Bouyges Telecom team.

Walter Beneteau has attacked the peloton as it passed under the 5km to go banner.

Calzati, Canada and Voeckler have been caught by the peloton with 8km to go. The prize for the Most Aggressive Rider of the stage has been awarded to Calzati of the AG2R team.

Dekker’s attack amounted to nothing. He is back in the peloton which is now just 10" behind Canada, Voeckler and Calzati.

There are two riders from the Rabobank team attacking the peloton. Erik Dekker has gone clear but he is being closely marked by Carlos Da Cruz of the FDJ team.

There is less than 10km to go in the stage. Calzati, Canada and Voeckler are cooperating well at the front but their advantage on the peloton is just 23".

The peloton is closing in on the leading trio who are now just 25" ahead. The pace of the peloton is being set by riders from the Francaise des Jeux team.

Canada, Voeckler and Calzati are insisting with their efforts at the front of the stage. They have an advantage of 30" on the peloton with 12km to go.

Canada, Voeckler and Calzati now lead the peloton by 35". There are about 13km to go in the stage.

The peloton has just caught one of the riders from today’s long escape. Bodrogi’s capture means that his Credit Agricole team-mates are now likely to join in the pace setting duties at the head of the main pack.
They have the incentive of leading out the sprint for Thor Hushovd and Jaan Kirsipuu.

The points for the Cote du lac de la Vouraie were won by:
1. Voeckler (BTL) 3pts
2. Canada (SDV) 2pts
3. Calzati (A2R) 1pt

Last year’s revelation Thomas Voeckler has claimed first place on the climb. He will wear the polka-dot jersey in stage three.

Canada has attacked the lead group on the climb. He has a lead of about 40 meters on Voeckler and Calzati.

There is only one categorized climb in today’s stage. The top of the Cote du lac de la Vouraie comes with 16.5km to go. It’s a category-four rise and Voeckler appears intent on driving his escape group so that he can at least claim a polka-dot award for his involvement in the main move of the stage.

The leading four have just ridden under the 20km to go banner. They are 45" ahead of the peloton.

Laszlo Bodrogi’s stint as the virtual leader of the Tour de France is over. His group of four riders are now 50" ahead of the peloton. The only Hungarian rider in the 92nd edition of the Tour began the stage in fifth place overall - 59" behind Zabriskie.

The peloton is now being led by CSC’s Luke Roberts. He has been sharing the pace setting duties with riders from FDJ, Davitamon and Quickstep. Their effort has reeled in the escapees who are now just 1’00" ahead.

None of the four riders in today’s big escape have previously won a stage of the Tour de France. Voeckler has worn the yellow jersey (last year) but he was trying to claim a stage win near the headquarters of his Bouyges Telecom team.
It appears that his efforts will be rendered void before the finish of the stage because the peloton is closing in quickly on the escapees.
The maximum gain of Bodrogi, Canada, Voeckler and Calzati was 4’15" (with 95km to go).
The leaders are now in the final 25km. Their advantage over the peloton is 1’20". It’s unlikely they’ll be able to hold off the chase now.

There are riders from the Quickstep, Davitamon and Francaise des Jeux teams at the head of the peloton. They want to ensure the escapees are caught so they can set up a bunch sprint in Les Essarts.
The advantage of Bodrogi, Canada, Voeckler and Calzati is now down to 1’20".

As the main pack passed the site of the 3rd intermediate sprint, it was 1’35" behind Bodrogi, Canada, Voeckler and Calzati.

The four leaders have passed the site of the third intermediate sprint. The points were won by:
1. Laszlo Bodrogi (C.A) 6pts/6"
2. Sylvain Calzati (A2R) 4pts/4"
3. David Canada (SDV) 2pts/2"

Bodrogi, Canada, Voeckler and Calzati have a lead of 1’45" with the peloton at the 145km mark.

The four stage leaders are now less than five kilometers from the site of the third intermediate sprint of the second stage (in Chateau-Guibert, at 150km).

Bodrogi, Canada, Voeckler and Calzati are now just 1’55" ahead of the peloton which continues to be controlled by riders from the FDJ, Davitamon-Lotto and Quickstep teams.

One of the crash victims, Cofidis’ Tombak is being assisted by his team-mate Bessy. These two are now riding through the convoy of team cars and are about to rejoin the peloton.

The four escapees are 2’05" ahead of the peloton with 40km to go.

All the riders who recently hit the tarmac are back on their bikes.

There has been a crash in the peloton. Sergei Honchar is one of the riders involved. Also on the ground is Janek Tombak...

The peloton is closing in on the four escapees. The latest time check has the main pack just 2’15" behind Bodrogi, Canada, Voeckler and Calzati.

With 45km yet to ride before the finish in Les Essarts, the peloton is 2’30" behind the group of Bodrogi, Canada, Voeckler and Calzati.

While the pace of the chase is being set by teams with sprinters in them, there are also some of the main favorites for the title this year near the head of the peloton.
Lance Armstrong can be seen near the front of the pack (in the green jersey). While the yellow-clad Dave Zabriskie is also not far behind.

With 50km to go, the four leaders have an advantage on the peloton of 2’50".

The peloton has raced 123km today. It is still being led by Davitamon-Lotto and FDJ riders and is currently 3’05" behind Bodrogi, Canada, Voeckler and Calzati.

Laszlo Bodrogi, one of the four riders at the front of the stage, began the day in fifth place in the general classification. He was 59" behind the race leader Dave Zabriskie at the start of the stage.
Right now Bodrogi’s group is 3’05" ahead of the peloton. There were a few Credit Agricole riders coming to the front of the main pack to help other teams in the chase (because Thor Hushovd and Jaan Kirsipuu are candidates for the win in a sprint finish). They seem to have realized that it wasn’t too clever to chase their team-mate down and have recently retreated to the middle of the main pack.

The leaders have 60km to race. They have a lead of 3’15" on the peloton.

There are riders from Francaise des Jeux, Credit Agricole, Quickstep, Davitamon-Lotto and CSC at the head of the peloton. The first four are all interested in pulling back the escapees in the hope of setting up a sprint finish.
The sprint specialists of these four teams are: Baden Cooke and Bernhard Eisel (FDJ), Thor Hushovd and Jaan Kirsipuu (C.A), Tom Boonen and Stefano Zanini (QST), and Robbie McEwen and Fred Rodriguez (DVL).

The pace set by the sprinters’ teams is having a rapid effect. The peloton is now just 3’30" behind Bodrogi, Canada, Voeckler and Calzati.

The leaders have just gone through Saint-Michel-en-L’Herm. They are 3’45" ahead of the peloton with 70km to race.

The advantage of the four escapees over the peloton is now 3’50". The pursuit by the sprinters’ teams is having an effect. Currently riders from FDJ and Quickstep lead the pack along with a few from Davitamon-Lotto.
The Credit Agricole team of Thor Hushovd and Jaan Kirsipuu is now also coming forward to assist with the chase.

The four escapees are now 3’58" ahead of the peloton. The maximum gain of Bodrogi, Canada, Voeckler and Calzati was 4’15" (with 95km to go).

The sprinters’ teams are now in charge of the peloton. The latest squad to come forward is Davitamon-Lotto.
The protected sprinters for the teams sharing the workload at the front of the peloton are:
Tom Boonen (from Quickstep), Baden Cooke (from Francaise des Jeux) and Robbie McEwen (from Davitamon-Lotto).

Bodrogi, Canada, Voeckler and Calzati have just ridden through the town of L’Aiguillon-sur-Mer. They will now turn left and ride in a northerly direction to the finish in Les Essarts. The light breeze will now be blowing at them from the left.

The leading quartet are 4’10" ahead of the peloton. The sprinters’ teams are now assisting CSC with the pace setting duties. Right now riders from the Francaise des Jeux team are swapping off with Quickstep riders.
Baden Cooke is FDJ’s protected sprinter today. He believes that the finish of the stage suits him well and he’s confident of a good result today.

Riders from the Quickstep team have come to the front of the peloton. They are sharing the pace setting duties with CSC. The pack is 4’15" behind the four escapees.

As the peloton exited of the feedzone it was 4’15" behind the four escapees.

There is a light wind blowing at the back of the riders. It has helped them set a rapid tempo early in stage two. The average speed for the 2nd hour is 47.5km/h.

After reaching the feedzone, the CSC riders which had led the peloton for most of the stage have retreated in to the middle of the bunch. There are now a selection of T-Mobile riders at the front.

The peloton is now at the feedzone at the 91km mark.

The main pack continues to be led by the CSC team. The peloton is currently in Les Conches, at the 89km mark. It is 4’10" behind Bodrogi, Canada, Voeckler and Calzati.

Iker Camano was the last rider to get back on his bike after the recent crash. The Euskaltel rider has just rejoined the peloton with the help of two team-mates.

Bodrogi, Canada, Voeckler and Calzati are now at the 88km mark. They are 4’00" ahead of the peloton which continues to be led by the CSC team.

After crashing recently, the Estonian champion Jaan Kirsipuu has rejoined the peloton.

All the riders who crashed are now back on their bikes. Camano was the last of the fall victims to start riding again. He has a spare bike and is chasing the rear of the peloton.

There has been a crash in the peloton. One of the riders involved is Jaan Kirsipuu. All the victims of the accident are back on their bikes with the exception of Iker Camano (EUS).

The four leaders have 100km to go to the finish. They are sharing the workload and have pushed their advantage to 4’10". The move began with a group of 14 escaping the peloton around the 12km mark. After the first sprint, 10 riders gave up their effort and four remained in the lead.
The riders at the front of the stage are: Bodrogi, Canada, Voeckler and Calzati.

The peloton is now in Jard-sur-Mer at the 77km mark of today’s 181.5km stage. It is being led by the CSC team and is 4’10" behind Bodrogi, Canada, Voeckler and Calzati.

When the peloton was at the 74km mark it was 3’50" behind the four escapees.

When the peloton reached the site of the 2nd intermediate sprint (at 69.5km), it was 3’40" behind Bodrogi, Canada, Voeckler and Calzati.

The leading four have just crossed the line for the 2nd intermediate sprint. They simply rolled through without any sign of aggression. The points were won by:
1. Bodrogi (C.A) 6pts/6"
2. Voeckler (BTL) 4pts/4"
3. Calzati (A2R) 2pts/2"

The CSC team has been at the head of the peloton for most of today’s stage. Their work is beginning to reel in the leading four. At the 55km mark, the advantage of Bodrogi, Canada, Voeckler and Calzati was 3’35". It’s now down to 3’20".

The leading quartet are now less than 5km from the site of the second intermediate sprint (in Talmont-Saint-Hilaire, at 69.5km).

Robbie McEwen have just stopped to get a new bike from his team car. He has been at the rear of the peloton for most of this stage and has already stopped for mechanical repairs a little while ago.

Today is the 27th birthday of Fassa Bortolo’s Kim Kirchen. The former national champion of Luxembourg began the stage in 109th place (2’36" behind Zabriskie).

Bodrogi, Canada, Voeckler and Calzati are now 3’35" ahead of the peloton which is in Les Sables D’Olonne (at the 55km mark).

Those interested in Tour trivia may be interested to note that there are a record number of roundabouts in today’s stage. In total there are 45 between Challans and Les Essarts.

With the advantage of the four escapees over three minutes, all nine riders from Zabriskie’s CSC team are at the head of the peloton.

There are 12 reigning national champions this year’s Tour de France.

The six time trial champions are:
Thor Hushovd (C.A) - Norway
Fabian Cancellara (FAS) - Switzerland
Michael Rich (GST) - Germany
Sylvain Chavanel (COF) - France
Jaan Kirsipuu (C.A) - Estonia
Andriy Grivko (SDV) - Ukraine

The road race champions are:
Pierrick Fedrigo (BTL) - France
Jaan Kirsipuu (C.A) - Estonia
Robbie McEwen (DVL) - Australia
Leon van Bon (DVL) - The Netherlands
Juan Manuel Garate (SDV) - Spain
Gerrit Glomser (LAM) - Austria
Alexandre Vinokourov (TMO) - Kazakstahn

The peloton is at the 49km mark. It is 3’35" behind the leading quartet.

The peloton is now at the 40km mark. It is over three minutes behind the four escapees (Bodrogi, Canada, Voeckler and Calzati).

The four escapees have pushed their advantage over the peloton up to 3’10".

Robbie McEwen has dropped to the rear of the peloton to chat with his team director. The Australian champion is one rider favoured to win the stage if it concludes with a bunch sprint.
He has just stopped to get some mechanical work done on his bike. At the moment, the peloton that he’s part of is 2’50" behind the leading quartet.

Laszlo Bodrogi is the best-placed in the general classification of the four riders on the attack today. His escape group is now 2’00" ahead of the peloton. Below is a summary of the position of the leading quartet in the general classification after the opening time trial.
Laszlo Bodrogi - 5th at 59"
Thomas Voeckler - 131st at 2’48"
David Canada - 137th at 2’52"
Sylvain Calzati - 155th at 2’59"

At the 32km mark, the four escapees are 1’50" ahead of peloton which is being led by the CSC team of yesterday’s stage winner Dave Zabriskie.

The four leaders are 1’30" ahead of the peloton at the 28km mark.
The riders on the attack are: Laszlo Bodrogi (HUN - C.A), Thomas Voeckler (FRA - BTL), Sylvain Calzati (FRA - A2R) and David Canada (ESP - SDV).

The four escapees are now 1’10" ahead of the peloton. This means that Laszlo Bodrogi is the virtual leader of the 92nd Tour.

The advantage of the four escapees has grown to 50". The best-placed of the leading quartet in the general classification is Laszlo Bodrogi who began the stage in fifth place, 59" behind Dave Zabriskie.

The group of 14 escapees has been reduced to just four. The riders on the attack are Canada (SDV), Bodrogi (C.A), Voeckler (BTL) and Calzati (AA2R). They are 40" ahead of the peloton.

The points for the intermediate sprint in Orouet were won by:
1. Robbie Hunter (RSA - PHO) 6pts/6"
2. Fabian Wegmann (GER - GST) 4pts/4"
3. Philippe Gilbert (BEL - FDJ) 2pts/2"

We still don’t have the names of the 14 riders in the lead group but we can report that they lead a group of four chasers (Canada, Bodrogi, Voeckler and Calzati) by 10".

There has been a crash at the back of the peloton but all the riders are okay and back on their bikes and racing to rejoin the main group.

The leaders are now less than 1,000m from the site of the intermediate sprint in Orouet. Their advantage on the peloton is 18".

The 14 escapees are nearing the site of the first intermediate sprint. They are currently 18" ahead of the peloton.

The rider who began the attack near the 10km mark of today’s stage was Joost Posthuma of the Rabobank team.

There are 14 riders at the head of the stage at the 14km mark. We await the names of the group which is now 10" ahead of the peloton.

There are three intermediate sprints in today’s stage. They are in Orouet (at the 17.5km mark), Talmont-Saint-Hilaire (at 69.5km) and Chateau-Guibert (at 150.0km).
There are points for the green jersey and time bonuses on offer for the first three riders. The allocation of points and time bonuses for each sprint is 6pts/6", 4pts/4" and 2pts/2".

There are a number of riders now trying to establish an escape group. Riders from the Rabobank are being particularly aggressive.

At the 10km mark there are 10 riders on the attack. But even before the riders’ names could be given, they were caught by the peloton.

There has been an attack from Sylvain Calzati of the AG2R team. No time check has been given but we can report that the CSC team is at the head of the peloton at the moment.

All the riders in the Tour de France must undertake a medical examination before the start of the race. These tests were conducted on Thursday and Friday. Here is a summary of some of the information collected.
The tallest rider is Johan van Summeren (BEL – DVL) – 198cm
The shortest rider is Samuel Dumoulin (FRA – A2R) – 158cm
The heaviest rider is Magnus Backstedt (SWE – LIQ) – 95kg
The lightest rider is Leonardo Piepoli (ITA – SDV) – 57kg
The riders with the lowest resting heart rate are Chris Horner (USA – SDV) and Laurent Lefevre (FRA – BTL) – 35bpm
The riders with the largest lung capacity are Christophe Moreau (FRA – C.A) and Mikel Astarloza (ESP – A2R) – 7.66 liters

The bunch is still all together as they pass the seven kilometer mark. There have been no early attacks in stage two.

The peloton is all together early in the second stage. The bunch will see the Atlantic coast at the 12km mark in the town of Saint-Jean-de-Monts. From here the course aims in a sourtherly direction and the riders will appreciate the light tailwind (of about 15 to 20km/h).

The official start time for stage two was 1.01pm. There were 189 riders at the sign on, meaning there were no overnight retirees.

The sun is shining over the 181.5km course from Challans to Les Essarts. The second stage will be raced in warm conditions. At the start of the stage, the temperature in the air is 29 degrees Celsius. At road level it is 36 degrees.

The riders are currently rolling through the neutral zone on the way to the site of the official start.
The winner of yesterday’s stage, Dave Zabriskie became only the third American rider to claim the yellow jersey. He leads the defending Tour champion Lance Armstrong by two seconds.
As the runner-up in the time trial of stage one, Armstrong will wear the green jersey although Zabriskie also leads the points classification (with 15 points, three more than Armstrong).