2003 Tour de France

Tour de France standings
year = 2003
gc1 = Lance Armstrong
gc1time = 83h 41' 12"
gc2 = Jan Ullrich
gc2time = +1' 01"
gc3 = Alexander Vinokourov
gc3time = +4' 14"
pc1 = Baden Cooke
pc1points = 216 points
pc2 = Robbie McEwen
pc2points = 214 points
pc3 = Erik Zabel
pc3points = 188 points
kom1 = Richard Virenque
kom1points = 324 points
kom2 = Laurent Dufaux
kom2points = 187 points
kom3 = Lance Armstrong
kom3points = 168 points
youth1 = Denis Menchov
youth1time = 84h 00' 56"
youth2 = Mikel Astarloza
youth2time = +42' 29"
youth3 = Juan Miguel Mercado
youth3time = +1h 02' 48"
team1 = Team CSC
team1time = 248h 18' 18"
team2 = Ibanesto.com
team2time = +21' 46"
team3 = Euskaltel-Euskadi
team3time = +44' 59" The 2003 Tour de France started and ended in Paris. Lasting from July 5 to July 27 the race covered 3,350 km (2081.58 mi), proceeding clockwise in twenty stages around France, including six major mountain stages. Due to the centennial celebration, this edition of the tour was raced entirely in France and did not enter neighboring countries.

In the centenary year of the race the route recreated, in part, that of 1903. There was a special "Centenaire Classement" prize for the best-placed in each of the six stage finishes which match the 1903 tour - Lyon, Marseille, Toulouse, Bordeaux, Nantes and Paris. It was won by Stuart O'Grady, with Thor Hushovd in second place. The 2003 Tour was honored with the Prince of Asturias Award for Sport.

Of the 198 riders the favorite was again Lance Armstrong, aiming for a record equalling fifth win. Before the race, it was believed that his main rivals would include Iban Mayo, Aitor González, Tyler Hamilton, Ivan Basso, Gilberto Simoni, Jan Ullrich, and Joseba Beloki but Armstrong was odds-on favorite.

Overview

The Tour proved to be one more hotly contested than the previous years, but in the end it was indeed Armstrong who won. Tyler Hamilton and Levi Leipheimer were involved in a crash early in the Tour. Leipheimer dropped out, Hamilton continued and got fourth place in the end while riding with a broken collarbone.

In the Alps, Gilberto Simoni and Stefano Garzelli, first and second in the Giro d'Italia earlier the same year, could not keep up with Lance Armstrong and the other favorites. The same held for last year's number 4, Santiago Botero. Joseba Beloki could, and was in second-place overall (just 40 seconds behind Armstrong) when he crashed on a fast descent as a result of a blown tire caused by melting tar in the road. Beloki broke his right femur and had to leave the Tour. Armstrong made a detour through the field beside the road to avoid the fallen Beloki. Armstrong was in yellow, but Jan Ullrich won the first time trial by one minute and 36 seconds. He and Alexander Vinokourov were both within very short distance from Armstrong.

Armstrong did however withstand the attacks in the end, and took his fifth Tour de France in row, thereby equalling the record of Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain. Before him, only Indurain had won in five consecutive years. Lance Armstrong had never won a tour by less than six minutes before 2003.

tages

:"For detailed results, see: Prologue to Stage 9 and Stage 10 to Stage 20".

Points classification

Combativity classification

ee also

* List of teams in the 2003 Tour de France
* List of doping cases in cycling

External links

* [http://www.cyclingnews.com/road/2003/tour03/03index.php?id=03default Cyclingnews.com coverage of the 2003 Tour]
* [http://www.letour.fr/HISTO/TDF/2003/us/annee.html?RaceYear=2003&x=23&y=12 Letour.fr results]
* [http://www.radsport-seite.de/tour2003_etappen.html Stage victories and jersey progression de icon]
* [http://www.nos.nl/archief/2003/tour//paginas/klassementen/klassementICE0.html Youth classification and team classification progression nl icon]