Columbia - HTC (Page 8)

Recap - Stage 16 – Martigny, Switzerland to Bourg-Saint-Maurice 159 km, July 21

Mikel Astarloza (Euskaltel-Euskadi) used a daring last-minute break to win the 16th stage of the 2009 TdF.  The yellow jersey crossed a minute later, the balance of power unaltered between Saxo and Astana. The real loser on the day was Evans, who finished 46th on the day, nearly three minutes behind Contador.

Meanwhile, veteran rider Jens Voigt (Saxo Bank) took a horrific spill on the descent of the Col du Petit-Saint-Bernard. An ambulance transported Voigt to a hospital in Bourg-Saint-Maurice. In a statement issued late Tuesday evening, the team said the 37-year-old German is alert, but will remain hospitalized for observation.

Ruff diamond: as stage 16 is set to commence the field receives some encouragement from one of the locals

Alp is at hand: the riders traverse some stunning scenery

Powerhouses: (from right) Andy Schleck, Alberto Contador, Lance Armstrong and Bradley Wiggins

Brit quick: Wiggins chases the pack downhill in excess of 60mph

Yeah, although I remember that's the norm in the old days, and I guess on rest days they're allowed to do whatever. 

Glad to see there're helmet rules for the Tour now, esp after watching how Jens crashed, that was horrific.  Hope he recovers soon.

Hey team! I've reached 100% of my goal

Well Done!!  Go Columbia-HTC, just a few more days to Paris!

Recap - Stage 17 – Bourg-Saint-Maurice to Le Grand-Bornand 169.5 km, July 22

Saxo Bank’s Frank Schleck takes stage 17 after assisting brother and teammate Andy, while Contador keeps jersey. But Astana continued to show its might, with Lance Armstrong and Andreas Klöden riding strongly to finish fifth and sixth on the day and shedding the other GC contenders. Bradley Wiggins (Garmin-Slipstream) rode with the select Armstrong group towards the end, but lost the wheel on the final climb up the Col de la Colombiere to finish 3:10 down.

Frank and Andy Schleck of Luxemburg celebrate at the finish line of Stage 17

After Mark Cavendish (Columbia-HTC) made some noise in the press about Thor Hushovd (Cervélo) gaining an advantage in the points competition due to his stage 14 protest instead of actual riding, Hushovd answered with some impressive riding, staying clear over Cat. 1 climbs to cross the day’s two intermediate sprint lines alone.

The peloton nears the bottom of the Cote d’Araches

People that don't wear helmets are just plain stupid. I feel very strongly about the issue. Honestly, why wouldn't you??? At the end of the day, its going to be your brains splattered on the road.

Congratulations, thats awesome!!!

Recap - Stage 18 – Annecy to Annecy 40.5 km, Individual Time Trial, July 23

Yellow jersey Alberto Contador flew around the 40.5km Annecy time trial course to win the stage and cement his lead in the Tour de France. Contador beat time trial specialist Fabian Cancellara by two seconds, and put 50 seconds or more on the other GC competitors, including teammates Andreas Klöden and Lance Armstrong.

We'll Always Have Paris: Britain's Cavendish keeps fighting 

Armstrong, on his new art bike

Gold standard: Swiss Fabian Cancellara, gold medalist at the Beijing Olympics time-trial, set the best time of the day with his perfect aero position, until the last rider on the day

But nobody can beat Alberto Contador on this day (although Cancellara believed drafting off motobike may have given Contador an advantage).  (Not sure if it’s sth to do with the angle of the pic, but what an aggressive aero position, look at where the knee is relative to the elbow!)

Recap - Stage 19 – Bourgoin-Jallieu to Aubenas 178 km, July 24

COLUMBIA-HTC DID IT AGAIN!!!!!  Mark Cavendish produced a trademark stunning sprint finish to clinch his 5th stage win of the 2009 Tour and a British record ninth in total.  Norway's Thor Hushovd could not match Cavendish's surge to the line but came in second to keep the green jersey.  A split in the peloton saw Britain's podium hopeful Bradley Wiggins lose four seconds to rival Lance Armstrong. Spain's Alberto Contador retained the leader's yellow jersey finishing in the same group as Wiggins and second-placed Andy Schleck.

The breakaway group make ride together on stage 19

Sights to amaze: the riders cycle through fields of wheat...