[N8 v2.0]

17:34 CEST
As expected, Armstrong is absolutely flying. He passes the 9.5 km check in 23'28 (24 km/h). Crikey.

Armstrong will pass Basso soon. He's on a great ride today.

Ullrich is as well - certainly on track for second best.

Ullrich is back on the bars, in the final 3 km. but today will be all Armstrong, all the way.

Ullrich is 36 seconds better than Azevedo at 12.5 km. He now has 2 km to go.

Basso is now a virtual 3'03 behind Armstrong on GC, meaning that he's lost 1'40 already today. Basso is suffering, but he's just ahead of Armstrong.

Totschnig finishes in 42'56, nearly hitting the barriers at the finish. He is followed by Azevedo, who is home in the new best time of 41'26 - 30 seconds better than Gonzalez!

Voeckler comes in in 46'17, now one of the better times.

Here comes Ullrich, big chainring, sprinting hard to finish in 40'42. New best time!

Basso is finally passed by Armstrong with a few km to the top. That's 2 minutes that the American has put into the Italian. Crowd goes wild. Basso tries to hold the rhythm of Armstrong. And they're side by side for a bit.

Armstrong is 52 seconds better than Ullrich at 12.5 km, with Azevedo third at 1'31. Baso has to let Armstrong go with 2.5 km to go.

 

[N8 v2.0]

17:35 CEST
Mancebo is getting caught by Kloden in the final kilometre, but the Spaniard will just hold him off. Kloden is on a great ride, and is now within a minute of Basso on GC.

Kloden finishes in 41'23, which means Mancebo was two minutes slower.




17 H 34 - Armstrong About To Claim His Hat-Trick This Year
Lance Armstrong is about to win his third stage of the 2004 Tour de France. He has just a bit more than 1km to race in the 16th stage. It will be his second victory at L'Alpe d'Huez, his first in the yellow jersey.

 

[N8 v2.0]

17:36 CEST
Armstrong leaves Basso in his wake as he comes in to the last kilometre, taking heed of the "rip their balls of Lance" signs painted on the road.

 

[N8 v2.0]

17 H 35 - Kloden At The Finish
Andreas Kloden almost caught his two-minute man at the end of the stage. Armstrong will be the next rider across the finish line. Kloden is 40" behind his team leader, Ullrich at the end of the stage


17:37 CEST
Ullrich will certainly be second today, but what can Armstrong do?

Btw, David Bramati will be eliminated due to the 33 percent time cut.

 

[jacksonpt]

um.. woow
43:41 @ 23.44

 

[N8 v2.0]

17 H 37 - Armstrong In Final Kilometer
Lance is still spinning an in impressive cadence. He is in the final kilometer of the 16th stage. He is still riding in the saddle, but as he takes the final turn we can expect to see him rise to ensure the maximum gain on his rivals.
The Texan is going to win the stage by a country mile!

17:38 CEST
Armstrong sprints for home with a massive effort, giving it everything to cross the line in a time of 39'41 (23.44 km/h), 1'01 faster than Ullrich!

Basso is 42'04, 8th fastest today and knackered.

 

[RideND]

You gotta love commercial free half hours. Thank you PowerBar.

 

[N8 v2.0]

17:39 CEST
Armstrong WINS his third stage in this year's Tour!! He's clearly the best rider in this edition, no doubt about that. Was the Pantani record broken? Probably not.

 

[N8 v2.0]

17:39 CEST
The time cut is 52'46, which means Bramati and Vierhouten will be on their way home (or turned into Soylent Green) tonight.

 

[N8 v2.0]

17 H 38 - Armstrong Wins The Stage!
Lance Armstrong is the only rider to finish the stage in less than 40 minutes. His final time was 39'41.27 (an average speed of 23.44km/h). This is his 21st stage victory in the Tour de France.

Basso Loses 2'22" To Armstrong...
Basso has posted the 8th best time of the stage. The rider in 2nd place overall at the start of stage 16 lost 2'22" to Armstrong.

 

[Echo]

Armstrong wins by 1:01 over Ullrich

 

[golgiaparatus]

News Flash!!!!!!

lance Is A Machine

 

[N8 v2.0]

The top 10 of the 16th stage is:
1. Lance Armstrong (USP) 15.5km in 39'41.450 (23.44km/h)
2. Jan Ullrich (TMO) at 1'01"
3. Andreas Kloden (TMO) at 1'41"
4. Jose Azevedo (USP) at 1'45"
5. Santos Gonzalez (PHO) at 2'10"
6. Giuseppe Guerini (TMO) at 2'11"
7. Vladimir Karpets (IBB) at 2'14"
8. Ivan Basso (CSC) at 2'22"
9. David Moncoutie (COF) at 2'22"
10. Carlos Sastre (CSC) at 2'27


Basso Still 2nd Overall...
Despite losing over 2 minutes to Lance Armstrong, Ivan Basso has retained his place as second overall after stage 16. Ullrich is now up to 4th place in the general classification.

 

[N8 v2.0]

Overall in the GC:

General Classification

1 Lance Armstrong (USA) US Postal p/b Berry Floor
2 Ivan Basso (Ita) Team CSC 2.23
3 Andreas Klöden (Ger) T-Mobile Team 3.48
4 Jan Ullrich (Ger) T-Mobile Team 5.03
5 Franciesco Mancebo (Spa) Illes Balears Banesto 7.55

 

[Heidi]

On the street in chalk, "RIP THEIR BALLS OFF LANCE"
LOL

 

[N8 v2.0]

On the street in chalk, "RIP THEIR BALLS OFF LANCE"
LOL

I was wondering if it was "RIP THE BALLS OFF LANCE"..??

 

[Heidi]

I was wondering if it was "RIP THE BALLS OFF LANCE"..??

Booooooooooo

 

[N8 v2.0]

Booooooooooo

oop... my error... I miss read it.

 

[Transcend]

I prefer the "go home lance" and "go epo lance" signs on the pavement. Classic.

 

[llkoolkeg]

17 H 59 - Armstrong's Climb Time 1 Second Behind Record
The time for the 13.9km ascent of L'Alpe d'Huez for the stage winner, Lance Armstrong, was 37'36". Lance's time is one-second behind the record of Marco Pantani which was set in the 203.5km stage from Saint-Etienne in 1997.

Sweet Jesus!!!

 

[N8 v2.0]

I prefer the "go home lance" and "go epo lance" signs on the pavement. Classic.

I'm sure they ment, "Go home a 6 time winner Lance"...

 

[N8 v2.0]

Lance’s 21st Stage Victory After 21 Turns
TdF Official Website

The cauldron of 21 hairpin turns from Bourg-d’Oisans to L’Alpe d’Huez was yet again transformed into the biggest sporting arena in the world. With police estimates of over a million spectators, it’s easy to understand why a rider like Lance Armstrong had more to think about than just turning over his pedals. There was a lot for the Texan to consider. Above there was one thing at the forefront of Lance’s mind. “Today I was focussed on getting to the finish safely,” said the five-time Tour champion. This was in response to a question about being the first rider to score six overall victories. Does he think about that during the race? “I try not to.” And, really, how could he?

The fans which lined the route gave Lance barely enough room to breathe in the first five kilometers. The crowd control barricades did not line the entire 15.5km stage. This offered admirers a chance to get close to their hero and critics an opportunity to try and baulk the man who eventually triumphed. Armstrong was the only rider who finished this epic time trial in under 40 minutes. The winning time was over a minute ahead of the five-time runner-up, Jan Ullrich. And, at the end of the day, none of the distractions made a dent on Lance’s resolve.

Was the crowd a factor? “Honestly,” said Lance, “that’s the way it is every day in the mountains. There was a section at Plateau de Beille that was more scary.” The very thing which makes a day on L’Alpe d’Huez so special contributes to the fear the riders experience. The atmosphere of anticipation mixed with national pride and a good dose of booze adds to the myth of the mountain. The images projected on television screens around the world are bound to be a ratings winner but Armstrong is not alone in his concern about such a potentially volatile situation. “I don’t think it’s safe,” concluded the rider about the crowd Lance now leads his nearest rival by three minutes 48 seconds. He has proven that he hasn’t slacked off despite his numerous successes in the event which, as he was quick to assure the media, has made him one of the biggest stars in world sport.

Before the stage, the Italian ‘tifosi’ weren’t the only ones who felt encouraged by Ivan Basso’s performances on the three major mountain stages before today. The CSC rider won one and was runner-up twice. He began the stage just one minute 25 seconds from the lead in general classification. Could Ivan challenge Lance in this one-on-one contest? Were Lance’s two previous victories the result of clever team work? These were quandaries to consider before stage 16. But in the post-race press conference, a reporter from a Boston newspaper posed another question all together: “Were you surprised to see Ivan?” Armstrong had caught the man who had started the time trial two minutes ahead of him. And there were still three kilometers to race. “Was I surprise? Yeah!" “It’s incredibly motivating for a rider when you see that you’re catching somebody,” responded Lance. “I still have a ton of respect for Ivan. I think he’s the biggest threat in the race.” Ivan is still second overall but Ullrich is closing in fast.

The German has been the perennial bridesmaid of the Tour since his victory in 1997. With another tough time trial to come – a 55km test that is more suited to Jan’s powerful style – there’s every chance that he’ll finish on the podium yet again. Which step is yet to be confirmed. When it comes to the battle for overall honors, that may be the only question which remains. Armstrong is clearly the strongest rider in the race. His speed up the mountain is such that he is able to cause riders to finish outside the time limit (33 per cent of the winner’s time) in 15.5km. Of course, those kilometers are far from average. The road which leads to L’Alpe d’Huez is a Mecca for cycling fans. It prompts people to pack their cars and camp on the roadside for weeks before the event is scheduled to arrive. It stirs their emotions and fuels their fanaticism. The road is decorated with the names of cycling heroes long after the race has passed. But the memories of what prompts the pilgrimage of fans each time L’Alpe is on the Tour’s itinerary remains.

Marco Pantani etched his name into the history books with his conquests at L’Alpe d’Huez. He set the record for the 13.9km ascent back in 1997. This mark of 37 minutes 35 seconds was expected to fall today because the mountain was the only challenge of the stage unlike the day ‘Il Pirata’ reached the climb after 189km were already covered. But Armstrong’s efforts, as impressive as they were, fell short. By just one second!

“Our secret,” said Armstrong when asked how he prepares for the Tour, “is that we work all year long. I hate to disappoint the skeptics but that’s what it is.” He rides the mountain when the paint has faded. He studies every kilometer. The numbered turns provide him with a guide to where he’s at. Lance might not like to think about his impact on history but with every turn carrying the name of the winners he will now be reminded of his achievements on his next reconnaissance for he now joins the elite company to win twice at L’Alpe d’Huez.

 

[Westy]

Lance will probably take his 6th, but IMO he has not accomplished anything until he takes a tour and wins the yellow, green and polka dot jersey at the same time. Of course he needs to do it old school style, on a single speed with a spare tire wrapped around his shoulders.