Tour de France 2003

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The 90e Tour de France took place of the July 6th to the July 27th 2003 out of 20 stages for 3 426,5 km.

General information

Lance Armstrong gains its 5th Tour de France, thus enabling him to equalize the record established by Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain.
It acts of the Turn of the Centenary with a special historical animation of the caravan.
Several spectacular falls marked the test:

Joseba Beloki in the stage of Gap was constrained with the abandonment after having failed to involve Armstrong, constrained with a exercise of equilibrist in a field;
Lance Armstrong in the stage of Luz-Ardiden passed very close to of too close a young spectator and fell heavily but it was awaited by the group of head that it even succeeds in attacking then;
Jan Ullrich, not having recognized the course slipping of last the against-the-watch, fell whereas it was on the way to gain the stage (however the variations at this time indicated that even without this fall, Armstrong would have gained the Turn).

With 40,940 km/h mean velocity, Lance Armstrong beats record of the test under an overpowering heat…

Course of the race

At the beginning, Lance Armstrong is the big favorite. Among his adversaries, the Spaniard Joseba Beloki seems most dangerous, but the German Jan Ullrich, who return to the competition after a few months of suspension, the Kazakh Alexandre Vinokourov, victorious of the Tour of Switzerland, where the Basque Iban Mayo, impressive on the Dauphine one, are also awaited in great form.

After a first relatively calm week, marked by a spectacular fall on arrival of the 1st stage (which obliges Tyler Hamilton has to continue the race with a broken clavicle), by the four victories of stages of Alessandro Petacchi and by the first victory of US the team Postal in the against-the-watch by team, the battle of the Alps is awaited to elutriate the race. The shortly after the victory of Richard Virenque with Morzine at the end of a long running away, it is the rise of the Alpe d' Huez which is programmed. If the victory of Iban Mayo is in itself remarkable, it is the relative weakness of Armstrong who holds all the attention of the specialists: attacked without respite by Beloki, Hamilton and Zubeldia, the American has to let spin Mayo and Vinokourov. The Kazakh is essential besides the following day on Gap and takes the second place of the general behind Armstrong at the end of a stage marked by the impressive fall of Joseba Beloki in the descent of the coast of Rochette.

If the Alps left an impression mitigated as for the superiority of Armstrong, it against-the-watch of Cap' Découverte comes to highlight an unusual febrility at the American. On a difficult course, under a choking heat, it is the German Jan Ullrich who signs an astonishing victory, relegating Armstrong to one minute thirty, becoming again a favorite with the final victory after its small weakness of the Alps following a disease. As much to say that the Pyrenees are awaited impatiently to shelter the fight between the first three Armstrong, Ullrich and Vinokourov.

In the 14th stage, Armstrong finds himself in difficulty as of the rise of frightening the Port of Pailhères. He manages to be maintained thanks to the assistance of his team-member Roberto Heras but yields in the ultimate rise towards the Plateau of Bonascre following a starting of Ullrich. On arrival, it preserves its yellow jersey, but sees the German totaling 15 seconds to general classification. The following day, in the stage arriving at Loudenvielle, it is Alexandre Vinokourov which attacks in the last rise, the Col of Peyresourde. Incompetent to react, Armstrong profits from the hunting carried out by Ullrich to preserve his yellow jersey, but the Kazakh points from now on at 18 seconds with the general. The stage of the following day which brings the runners to Luz Ardiden after the rise of the Col of Tourmalet announces decisive. As of Tourmalet, Ullrich attacks but Armstrong follows it. Vinokourov, on the other hand, yields. In the last rise, Armstrong against an attack of Mayo and file towards the victory of stage when it falls, hung by the bag of a child. Good players, its adversaries, Ullrich at the head, lower the rate/rhythm to allow him to return, but as of his return on the head the American places a new acceleration. Ullrich shows the blow and spends on arrival forty seconds. Vinokourov is pushed back at two minutes. In only one stage, Lance Armstrong seemed to reappear.

For Ullrich, the last hope to gain the Turn lies in the against-the-watch disputed under the rain between Pornic and Nantes the day before the arrival in Paris. Conscious of his important delay, the German champion leaves very extremely and takes all the risks, without managing to outdistance the American who copies his race on his rival. With semi-course, there is no more suspense: Lance Armstrong will gain the Tour de France 2003. Ullrich, which aims at the victory of stage, continues its effort but slips under the rain, losing its last illusions. The following day, in Paris, Lance Armstrong can enjoy its fifth consecutive success in the Grande Boucle: here it is the member of the " Club of Cinq" , five to five victories (Armstrong joined Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain). Jan Ullrich and Alexandre Vinokourov supplements the podium of the Turn 2003, more disputed these last years.

Stages

Additional classifications

Leaders of the classifications to each stage

ImageSize = width: 600 height: 600 PlotArea = left: 25 right: 1 bottom: 20 signal: 10 DateFormat = yyyy Period = from: 0 till: 21 TimeAxis = orientation: vertical order: transfer ScaleMajor = gridcolor: white links: year increment: 1 start: 1

Colors = id: white been worth: rgb (1,1,1) id: yellow been worth: rgb (1,1,0.4) id: green been worth: rgb (0.7, 1,0.5) id: red been worth: rgb (1,0.5, 0.5) id: lightblue been worth: rgb (0.95, 0.95, 0.95) id: rogue been worth: rgb (1,1,0.6) id: fights been worth: rgb (0.9, 0.3, 0.3) PlotData= bar: Leader color: yellow width: 110 mark: (line, black) align: center fontsize: S shift: (0,2) from: 0 till: 3 text: Bradley McGee from: 3 till: 4 text: Jean-Patrick Nazon from: 4 till: 7 text: Victor Hugo Pena from: 7 till: 8 text: Richard Virenque from: 8 till: 21 text: Lance Armstrong

bar: Sprinter color: green from: 0 till: 1 text: Bradley McGee from: 1 till: 6 text: Robbie McEwen from: 6 till: 7 text: Alessandro Petacchi from: 7 till: 18 text: Baden Cooke from: 18 till: 20 text: Robbie McEwen from: 20 till: 21 text: Baden Cooke bar: Mountain color: red from: 0 till: 1 text: N/A from: 1 till: 5 text: Christophe Mengin from: 5 till: 6 text: Frederic Finot from: 6 till: 7 text: Christophe Mengin from: 7 till: 21 text: Richard Virenque

bar: Young person color: lightblue from: 0 till: 1 text: Vladimir Karpets from: 1 till: 2 text: Andy Flickinger from: 2 till: 4 text: Baden Cooke from: 4 till: 7 text: Vladimir Karpets from: 7 till: 21 text: Denis Menchov

bar: Equip color: orange from: 0 till: 7 text: US Postal from: 7 till: 8 text: Quick Step-Davitamon from: 8 till: 10 text: Euskaltel-Euskadi from: 10 till: 11 text: TEAM CSC from: 11 till: 12 text: iBanesto.com from: 12 till: 21 text: TEAM CSC

List runners

NP: Non-starter; A: Abandonment; HD: Except Time; E: Eliminated.

External bonds

memory of cycling/Turn 2003
the dictionary of the Turn/the Tour de France 2003
the course of the turn 2003

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