France Learns to Love Lance

Here's what 9,000 calories look like

(NEWSER) - Three weeks, 2,200 miles, and a few mountains: Clearly, a few Clif bars won't hack it for Tour de France riders. LiveScience takes a look at how, and what, Lance Armstrong et al eat on race days:

• For starters, they eat often, about 6 times a day: twice before, once during, and three times after their ride.
• The grand total? About 9,000 calories.

Authorities told of elaborate regimen used by entire US team

(NEWSER) - Floyd Landis might just be the Jose Canseco of cycling. The disgraced cyclist has sent letters to the US Anti-Doping Agency and the FDA agent who broke the BALCO case outlining an elaborate doping regimen used by the entire US Postal Service Cycling Team from 2002 to 2005, the New York Daily News reports. Landis' letter implicates not just Armstrong and his fellow cyclists, but cycling officials, doctors, and team leaders. More»

Spanish cyclist eclipses Armstrong in second Tour triumph

(AP) - Alberto Contador won the Tour de France for a second time today, and Lance Armstrong capped his return to the race with an impressive third-place finish. Mark Cavendish of Britain became the first rider to win six Tour stages in a sprint, collecting his sixth stage win after the 101.9-mile course ride from Montereau-Fault-Yonne to the Champs-Elysees. More»

(NEWSER) - The Tour de France still has three days left, but nothing short of a two-wheeled miracle will give Lance Armstrong his eighth title, writes Diane Pucin in the Los Angeles Times. Armstrong is now in fourth place, and about the best he can do is push hard in the final days to earn a spot on the podium Sunday in either second or third. Teammate Alberto Contador has the No. 1 spot all but wrapped up. More»

(NEWSER) - Lance Armstrong is in third place going into the 10th stage of the Tour de France today—eight seconds behind the leader, and just two seconds behind Astana teammate Alberto Contador. The two cyclists have faced endless questions about a rift, reports the BBC, and it's unclear who will lead as the race wends its way into Paris. Recently Armstrong conceded that "the honest truth is that there is a little tension" and that third place would not be a good enough finish for him. More»