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After beatiing cancer and winning the Tour de France seven times, Lance Armstrong is vowing to fight one more battle. In the face of persistent allegations that he used performance-enhancing drugs, Lance says he's had enough - and over the coming months he will confront his shadowy accusers in courtrooms and legal proceedings in the U.S., England, and France. W
My girlfriend and I are heading down the West Coast for a multi-week bike tour this summer. I'm trying to get some good information about the best tires for my touring bike (700c size). We want to be efficient and not get any flats. Can you help me, Gear Guy? David Seattle, Washington
Welcome to the Tour FAQ—find out how the riders go to the bathroom, what all those cycling terms actually mean, what Lance hopes to do after the race, what kind of bikes you can buy to live out your own Tour aspirations, and more...
As he rolls for number seven, wrap your mind around the life and legacy and farewell Tour de France of Lance Armstrong—hero, dad, six-time King of the World, rock-star arm candy, and (sometime after '06) the next! governor! of Texas!
U.S. Postal redefined how a Tour de France team should be built. But with new riders, new sponsorship, and new demands within the sport, can Lance and his teammates live up to their pedigree and grab a seventh yellow jersey?
From 1996 to 2004, the U.S. Postal Service pro cycling squad, a.k.a. Lance's team, was a veritable Harvard Business School for ascendant cyclists. As lieutenants and workhorses for Armstrong during his six straight Tour victories, these tenacious students learned the tactics, training, and focus it takes to win cycling's biggest competitions. Here's the lowdown
Aside from T-Mobile's Jan Ullrich and CSC's Ivan Basso, few of the riders on the 22 teams lining up for the Tour de France have a legitimate shot at winning the whole thing. But there is still the glory of stage wins and the races within the race—for the green sprinter's jersey and the polka-dot climber's jersey, among others. Whether shadowing Discovery o
Big Moments 1910 Killer Climb It wasn’t until the eighth Tour that race organizers experimented with the first big mountain stages, in the Pyrenees. The 7,000-foot climb up the now legendary Col du Tourmalet took riders along goat tracks barely passable by car. When Octave Lapize, who was…
Is there a "next Lance" in the American ranks? Meet Craig Lewis, a 20-year-old who still has a long way to go but is already turning heads with his physiological gifts and grit.
AS LANCE’S FIVE-HOUR training ride stretches into six and a half, I start getting itchy. I’ve been following in a car, handing up food, drinks, and clothes; it’s for a good cause, but I want to get some exercise, too. It’s nearing sunset as we finish, and I have 45…
Why are all biking tights and shorts black? I'm not in mourning! Where can I get more colorful red or blue ones? Rob Fairbanks, Alaska
Dr. Bob Breedlove, 53, one of the country's top endurance cyclists and one of the sport's most beloved figures, died on June 23 while competing in the RAAM transcontinental bike race. Frequent Outside contributor Stuart Stevens trained and raced with Breedlove on several occasions and spoke with him just hours before his death.
What's the best way to train for getting in and out of clipless bike pedals? New to the road bike, I'm also living in a chaotic city and terrified of falls. Thanks a million!
Name: NIKI GUDEX Niki Gudex Home: SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA Gig: MOUNTAIN-BIKE RACING Height: 5’4″ Age: 26 Gudex is the grit girl of Australian mountain biking. Since joining the national series, in 2000, she’s finished every season but one ranked first or second in downhill. Last year she…
Victor Hugo Peña grinds for U.S. Postal and Lance, but make no mistake: Ultimately he pedals for the pride of his country, the violent and tumultuous Andean nation of Colombia Victor Hugo Peña Update
Once and for all, why do pro cyclists shave their legs? 2004 Tour de France Backstage2004 Tour de France Backstage2004 Tour de France Backstage2004 Tour de France Backstage2004 Tour de France Backstage2004 Tour de France Backstage2004 Tour de France Backstage2004 Tour de France Backstage Despite what your silky-smooth cycling…
Hideous crashes? Shattered bones? Tyler Hamilton smiles through it all—which is just what he needs to beat you-know-who.
A guy named Lance has a date with history at the 91st Tour. Will Armstrong win his sixth in a row and triumph as the greatest cyclist of all time? Dive into our jam-packed Tour guide and find out why the Texan has no doubt. Then share the pain with…
Don't know a peloton from an echelon? Relax-the Tour is complicated. Here's a fast and light summary of how cycling's greatest race is run.
Holy bitumen! It's Phil and Paul, the excitable Brits who give le Tour its champagne gush.
Eddy Merckx (Belgium) Tour de France 2004 CLICK HERE for Outside’s Guide to the 2004 Tour de France, follow the race July 3-25 with our SPECIAL ONLINE COVERAGE.Tour de France Eddy Merckx Age: 59 Tour Wins: 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1974 Wore Yellow: 96 days…
Lance's 2003 Tour victory was almost a loss–in his own words, he "dodged a bullet." This year the Tourminator is plenty fit, a little less furious, and hungrier than ever. A revealing interview with the greatest rider on earth.
With Lance Armstrong shooting for a history-making sixth Tour de France victory, scores of off-and-on Tour watchers will find themselves glued to the 91st running of cycling’s gnarliest race. But it’s not always easy—even for gung-ho weekend roadies—to tell what’s going on. The bluffing stops here, with Outside‘s [guide] to…
Outside magazine, October 1995 Leeward Islands By Matthew Joyce, Tom Morrisey The islands of the Lesser Antilles' northern chain may share a location sheltered from prevailing northeasterlies, but that's about all they have in common. Name your sport, then pick your island.
Don't let Lance hog the fun. Here's how to ride your own epic stage of the world's greatest cycling race.
The growing pains of a man-child and world champion
The hottest transgender talent in professional sports is making the competition see pink
Welcome to Ghana, where commuting is a nightmare—and optimism is a bright-yellow bike of one's own
When Outside editor-at-large Hampton Sides interviewed Lance Armstrong for the July 2004 issue, the five-time Tour champion was being kneaded—buck naked—on a massage table in the Hollywood home of his rock-star girlfriend, Sheryl Crow. Here, read the complete, unabridged transcript of their discussion. OUTSIDE: Did you ever imagine that…
The Tour's new scandal: Elite cyclists are mysteriously dropping dead
Lance Armstrong in Girona, Spain “I don’t like to lose. I just despise it.” Armstrong in Girona, Spain, his spring training grounds for the 2003 Tour de France. Armstrong on a road ride in Spain, March 2003 SATURDAY AFTERNOON IN AUSTIN, TEXAS, the warm air pungent with pollen,…
In 24-hour mountain-bike races, riders bond over singletrack and sleep deprivation. What's not to like?
Rocky cliffs of the Italian Dolomites Q: Can you tell me anything about renting bikes in the Dolomites? My boyfriend and I love road biking, but we only want to spend 3-4 days on our bikes… any brilliant ideas as to specific areas to ride through?…
Nothing comes easy for the riders of the TOUR DU FASO, West Africa's tortuous answer to the Tour de France. Their bikes are beaters, the heat is infernal, la dysenterie is inevitable, and every year the locals get shown up by European interlopers looking to find an exotic thrill. But for Jérémie Ouedraogo and his teammates—proud citizens of the fourth-
He's no Lance (yet), but former U.S. Postal rider Levi Leipheimer has won the right to lead Rabobank, one of Europe's fastest squads
He's No Lance (Yet), but Former U.S. Postal Rider Levi Leipheimer Has Won the Right to Lead Rabobank, One of Europe's Fastest Squads
To make his mark in Europe's toughest races, George Hincapie needs more than guts. He needs an old friend.
Q: A few friends and I are planning a trip to Chiapas, Mexico to help build a church and would like to mountain bike a couple of days at the end of the trip. I would consider us as intermediate bikers. Any suggestions on where to go? Thanks.
What's a brilliant woman like this doing in a rough-and-tumble sport like downhill mountain-bike racing? Trying to think her way to the top of the winner's podium, that's what.
What gets the equivalent of 1,000 miles per gallon, doesn't pollute, will save the world, and transports you in breezy style? Your bike.
Escaping the artistes and poseurs on the singletrack of San Miguel
To rise from the dead, to crush those who've slighted you, to best insurmountable odds, and to make a fortune doing so, would that not be the sweetest medicine? Lance Armstrong really, really hopes so.