THE RACE LIVE
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Landis has just crossed the line with the support of several colleagues. He lost over 10 minutes to the stage winner and will slip well down the rankings of the general classification.

The top 10 in what many believe is the toughest stage of the 2006 Tour de France is:
1. Mickael Rasmussen (Denmark) Rabobank
2. Carlos Sastre (Spain) CSC - at 1’41"
3. Oscar Pereiro (Spain) Caisse d’Epargne - at 1’54"
4. Cadel Evans (Australia) Davitamon-Lotto - at 1’56"
5. Andreas Kloden (Germany) T-Mobile - at 1’56"
6. Christophe Moreau (France) AG2R - at 2’37"
7. Cyril Dessel (France) AG2R - at 2’37"
8. Pietro Caucchioli (Italy) Credit Agricole - at 2’37"
9. Levi Leipheimer (USA) Gerolsteiner - at 3’24"
10. Haimar Zubeldia (Spain) Euskaltel - at 3’42"

Pereiro has claimed third place in stage 16. He will move from second overall to first.

The rider who began the stage in fifth overall was Carlos Sastre. The Spanish CSC rider has claimed second in La Toussuire, 1’42" behind Rasmussen.

Mickael Rasmussen has won the 182km 16th stage in 5h36’04". He will wear the polka-dot jersey in tomorrow’s stage to Morzine.

Rasmussen has been on the attack since the 6km mark. He has flown into the lead of the climbing classification and is about to throw his victory salute...

Rasmussen is about to win his second Tour de France stage. He has less than 1km to go and has a lead of over two minutes to Sastre.
Rasmussen is the most aggressive rider of the 16th stage, the new king of the mountains and the stage winner...!

Landis has lost 9’25" to Rasmussen. The yellow jersey has fallen off the shoulders of the American in a dramatic manner today.

The Kloden group - Andreas, Cadel and Oscar - are 38" behind Sastre.
The yellow jersey is likely to go to Oscar Pereiro at the end of the stage.

Kloden has gotten rid of Menchov who is now riding with Dessel, Moreau and Leipheimer. The race for third place is now on for Kloden, Evans, Pereiro who are 4km from the finish.

Kloden has attacked Menchov and only Pereiro and Evans are able to respond.

Menchov has attacked the Kloden group 5km from the finish. Mazzoleni and Rogers cracked by the surge.
The Kloden group is about to catch Leipheimer.

Rasmussen is 4km from the finish. He has a lead of 3’00" on Sastre, and 3’45" ahead of the Kloden group.

The riders who are now racing fourth place are: Kloden, Rogers, Mazzoleni, Pereiro, Dessel, Moreau, Evans, Caucchioli and Menchov.

Sastre is now second in the stage. He has dropped Leipheimer and now only has Rasmussen ahead. The Danish Rabobank rider is in the final 5km of the 16th stage.

Rasmussen is 3’25" ahead of Sastre and Leipheimer. The Rabobank rider appears destined to win the stage; his second in the Tour de France.

Sastre has caught Leipheimer and is now over three minutes ahead of Landis.

With 10km to climb, Landis is 7’05" behind Rasmussen. The yellow jersey WILL change at the end of the stage...!

There are nine riders in the group with Kloden. They are: Kloden, Mazzoleni, Rogers, Evans, Moreau, Caucchioli, Menchov, Pereiro and Dessel.

Sastre is now 10km from the end of the stage. He began the day in fifth place overall, 2’17" behind Landis.
Sastre is 4’05" behind Rasmussen.
Kloden’s group is 4’35" behind the stage leader...

There are now just two riders ahead of Sastre: Rasmussen and Leipheimer.
Sastre is 1’40" ahead of Landis.

Rasmussen is 3’40" ahead of Leipheimer.
Sastre is 25" ahead of Kloden’s group...

Sastre is 55" ahead of Landis who is completely unable to respond to the attacks on the final climb. The yellow jersey is destined to change at the end of stage 16...!

Rasmussen is 10km from the finish. Sastre is still leading the chase of the favorites. Menchov is now trying to bridge the gap to Sastre who is 20" ahead of Kloden group.

Landis has no puff left. He cannot respond to the surge that was started by Sastre. He has already lost 15"...

Sastre has attacked the yellow jersey’s group. Landis has cracked and cannot match the pace of the chase.

There are three T-Mobile riders in the yellow jersey’s peloton. The third is Mazzoleni.

Azevedo, Sastre, Kloden, Rogers, Moreau, Dessel, Menchov, Evans, Cunego, Arroyo, Pereiro, Caucchioli and Zubeldia are the riders in the yellow jersey’s group.

Evans, Rogers, Menchov and Pereiro had a lead of 5" on Landis’ group but only Menchov was doing the work. This quartet have been reeled in by a chase of Mazzoleni... clearly T-Mobile is working for Kloden.

There are four riders in the group that’s just attacked the yellow jersey’s peloton. They are: Menchov, Pereiro, Evans and Rogers.

Menchov has attacked the yellow jersey’s group. Only Rogers has been able to respond. Now Evans is also chasing as is Zubeldia and Azevedo... Landis is not chasing.

Leipheimer is 4’00" behind Rasmussen. Valjavec is at 4’10"...

There are about 20 riders in the yellow jersey’s peloton which is now being led by Rogers and Boogerd. Their pace is too fast for Karpets and Schleck who have just been dropped.

Merckx has done his job of setting the tempo early on the final climb and he’s now been dropped by the yellow jersey’s peloton.

Kessler (TMO) has been dropped by the yellow jersey’s peloton as well as Camano (EUS). There are still four T-Mobile riders in Landis’ group: Kloden, Mazzoleni, Guerini and Rogers.

The race jury has asked for the top three in the stage to present their bikes for inspection at the end of the stage.

Rasmussen is 4’10" ahead of Leipheimer. The stage leader is 15km from the end of the stage.

Valjavec has not been able to match the pace of Leipheimer on the final climb.

Merckx is at the front of the peloton and setting the pace. The Caisse d’Epargne riders have dropped behind.
Calzati, Goubert and Moreau have all been dropped because of the pace being set by Merckx.
Rasmussen leads Valjavec and Leipheimer by 4’10".

The peloton is 6’15" behind Rasmussen at the start of the final climb. Immediately riders have started to get dropped from this group that includes the big favorites for the stage (except, of course, Rasmussen, Leipheimer and Valjavec).

The peloton is 6’25" behind the stage leader 20km from the finish. Two riders from the Caisse d’Epargne team are setting the pace of the chase with Merckx and Landis (PHO) tucked in behind.
Leipheimer and Valjavec are between the stage leader of the peloton (at 4’20" from Rasmussen).

This is the first time that the climb to La Toussuire has been included on the Tour de France’s itinerary. It is a 18.7km ascent that rises from an altitude of 611m to 1,705m.
Rasmussen has begun the climb. The steepest section is the second kilometer which has an average gradient of 9.0%.

Rasmussen is 20km from the finish of the 182km stage. He has been alone since dropping Valjavec on the Col de la Croix de Fer.
The former mountain bike rider is set to wear the polka-dot jersey in stage 17 after adding 50 points to his tally today.
The peloton is 6’50" behind the stage leader.

Leipheimer and Valjavec are less than 25km from the finish. They are 4’45" behind Rasmussen.

The peloton is closing in on Sandy Casar who joined Rasmussen and Valjavec on the attack at the start of the stage at the 6km mark.

The points at the top of the third climb of the 16th stage were won by:
1. Rasmussen (RAB) 10pts
2. Leipheimer (GST) 9pts – 4’45“
3. Valjavec (LAM) 8pts – 4’45“
4. Casar (FDJ) 7pts – at 7’00“
5. Zandio (CEI) 6pts – at 7’25”
6. Pereiro (CEI) 5pts – at 7’25”

At the top of the Col du Mollard, second place was taken by Leipheimer (at 4’45"), then Valjavec...

Rasmussen leads Valjavec and Leipheimer by 4’55", Casar by 6’40" and the peloton by about 7’20".
The peloton is being led by Zandio of the Caisse d’Epargne team...

Rasmussen is at the top of the third climb. We’ll report on the minor places when the other riders reach the summit... in about five minutes. Levi and Tajec continue to ride together.

Sylvain Chavanel crashed heavily on the descent of the Col du Galibier. He slammed into a concrete barrier on the side of the road but is back in the race again... LeTour.fr recently spoke to the Cofidis team manager, Eric Boyer to get his thoughts on the injuries. "He’s has a very sore shoulder and he’s trying to climb the best way he can," said Boyers.
"We’ll have an appointment with the doctors tonight to see exactly what the problem is."

Levi is setting the tempo in second place in the stage. He is being matched by Tajec Valjavec on the third climb...

Leipheimer is now in 2nd place in the stage. He is about five minutes behind Rasmussen. In third place is Valjavec who is trying to maintain the tempo being set by Leipheimer.

With 5km to climb to the Col du Mollard, Leipheimer has accelerated ahead of Casar. The American had Valjavec in his sights.

There are two riders from the Caisse d’Epargne team at the front of the peloton that’s 7’40" behind Rasmussen and about to begin the ascent of the third climb in today’s stage.

Levi and Sandy have just begun the ascent of the Col du Mollard. They are 5’25" behind Mickael Rasmussen.

Valjavec is 5’00" behind Rasmussen. The next riders are Casar and Leipheimer who are at 5’25".

Rasmussen is on the slopes of the col du Mollard - a category-two ascent that is 5.8km long with an average gradient of 6.8%.

There is a 14km descent from the top of the Col de la Croix de Fer to the village of Belleville. Then the road rises again for the Col du Mollard.

1. Rasmussen (RAB) 20pts
2. Valjavec (LAM) 18pts – 4’55“
3. Leipheimer (GST) 16pts – 5’31“
4. Casar (FDJ) 14pts – 5’31“
5. Moncoutie (COF) 12pts – 7’51”
6. Calzati (A2R) 10pts – 8’25”
7. Boogerd (RAB) 8pts
8. Zandio (CEI) 7pts
9. Menchov (RAB) 6pts
10. Pereiro (CEI) 5pts

The peloton is yet to reach the summit of the Col de la Croix de Fer but the top five are:
1. Rasmussen (RAB) 20pts
2. Valjavec (LAM) 18pts – 4’55“
3. Leipheimer (GST) 16pts – 5’31“
4. Casar (FDJ) 14pts – 5’31“
5. Moncoutie (COF) 12pts – 7’51”

Sandy Casar (FDJ) has been able to match the pace of Levi Leipheimer (GST) during the final kilometers of the 2nd climb. They are in 3rd and 4th place on the Col de la Croix de Fer.

Rasmussen has added another 20 points to his tally in the climbing classification. He was first to the top of the Col de la Croix de Fer. It’s enough to make him the virtual leader in the race for the polka-dot jersey.

Rasmussen is 4’05" ahead of Valjavec and has just 1km to climb to the top of the 2nd ’Hors Category’ summit of the 16th stage.

There are just two riders ahead of Leipheimer now. The American has just caught Casar. Rasmussen and Valjavec are the men that Levi is now hoping to catch...

The peloton has been attacked by Moncoutie (COF). No one has reacted to the acceleration.

Five kilometers from the top of the Col de la Croix de Fer Rasmussen’s advantage was:
3’25" - Valjavec (LAM)
4’20" - Casar (FDJ)
5’35" - Leipheimer (GST)
8’10" - The yellow jersey’s peloton: Azevedo (DSC), Sastre, Schleck and Vandevelde (CSC), Kloden, Guerini, Kessler, Mazzoleni and Rogers (TMO), Moreau, Calzati, Dessel, Astarloza and Goubert (A2R), Fothen (GST), Menchov and Boogerd (RAB), Evans and Horner (DVL), Moncoutie (COF), Landis and Merckx (PHO), Cunego and Vila (LAM), Arroyo, Karpets, Pereiro and Zandio (CEI), Caucchioli (C.A), Camano and Zubeldia (EUS).

Azevedo (DSC), Sastre, Schleck and Vandevelde (CSC), Kloden, Guerini, Kessler, Mazzoleni and Rogers (TMO), Moreau, Calzati, Dessel, Astarloza and Goubert (A2R), Fothen (GST), Menchov and Boogerd (RAB), Evans and Horner (DVL), Moncoutie (COF), Landis and Merckx (PHO), Cunego and Vila (LAM), Arroyo, Karpets, Pereiro and Zandio (CEI), Caucchioli (C.A), Camano and Zubeldia (EUS).

Levi is pushing on with his attack. There has been no reaction since the American began his move with about 12km to climb. He now leads Floyd’s group by 1’30".

Rasmussen is less than 5km from the top of the Col de la Croix de Fer.

Azevedo, Sastre, Schleck, Kloden, Guerini, Kessler, Mazzoleni, Rogers, Moreau, Calzati, Dessel, Goubert, Fothen, Menchov, Boogerd, Evans, Horner, Landis, Merckx, Cunego, Vila, Arroyo, Karpets, Pereiro, Zandio, Caucchioli, Camano and Zubeldia are the riders in the yellow jersey’s peloton.

Is now 5’54" behind Rasmussen and 1’10" ahead of the yellow jersey’s group.

Leipheimer is now being chased by Calzati who is being marked by Fothen. Levi’s advantage over the yellow jersey’s peloton has grown to 40".

Leipheimer is now 20" ahead of the peloton that continues to be led by riders from the CSC team.
Rasmussen is 6’00" ahead of the yellow jersey’s group.

Leiphimer’s gain on the peloton is 12".

Valjavec is 1’50" behind the stage leader. Then comes Casar at 3’40"... then Leipheimer and the peloton at around 6’40".

Vandevelde has been dropped by the yellow jersey’s group but the two remaining CSC riders in this peloton are now setting the pace.

Leipheimer has attacked the yellow jersey peloton which has just caught Astarloza.

The yellow jersey’s peloton is 6’40" behind Rasmussen and includes the following riders:
Azevedo, Sastre, Schleck, Vandevelde, Kloden, Guerini, Kessler, Mazzoleni, Rogers, Moreau, Calzati, Dessel, Goubert, Leipheimer, Fothen, Menchov, Boogerd, Evans, Horner, Landis, Merckx, Cunego, Arroyo, Karpets, Pereiro, Zandio, Caucchioli, Camano and Zubledia.

The pace of the peloton has picked up signficantly. Mercado, Sinkewitz, Fedrigo, Hincapie, Moncoutie are some of the riders now being dropped by the pack that’s about to catch Astarloza.

Rasmussen leads Valjavec by 1’20" at the front of the 16th stage. The other riders between the peloton and the stage leader are: Casar (2’20") and Astarloza. The bunch is controlled by three CSC riders... Landis is tucked into behind this trio (Sastre, Schleck and Vandevelde).

Two CSC riders have come to the front of the yellow jersey’s bunch. Sastre and Schleck have lifted the tempo. There is a third from the team also coming forward... it’s Vandevelde. Landis is marking them closely but riders are being dropped.
Popovych has slipped behind as has Garate.

At around the mid-way point of the Col de la Croix de Fer Rasmussen led Valjavec by 35"...
Casar by 1’45"
Astarloza by 6’00"
And the peloton by 7’10"

Simoni is waiting for the peloton. The Saunier Duval-Prodir leader was part of the 14-man group that hovered between the leading trio and the main pack since the early kilometers of the first climb.

Rasmussen leads Valjavec by 25". The rider who attacked the remnants of the 14-man escape group, Astarloza (A2R) is 6’00" behind the stage leader.

Rasmussen is chasing first place points for the second climb of the stage. ’Chicken’ didn’t exactly attack but his faster tempo has caused Valjavec to drop behind...
Rasmussen is currently 7’05" ahead of the yellow jersey’s peloton.

Moerenhout (PHO) has just been dropped by the yellow jersey’s peloton which now includes around 35 riders.

Rasmussen and Valjavec lead Casar by 50" and the peloton by 6’35".

Three of the riders who were in the 14-man chase group have been caught and passed by the peloton. Verdugo (EUS), Marchante (SDV) and Garcia Acosta (CEI) are those men.

There are numerous riders dropping out of the yellow jersey’s peloton. The latest victim is Stfano Garzelli.

Popovych is back with the peloton that is now 6’40" behind the three escapees.

There are two riders in the lead of the stage, Rasmussen and Valjavec have dropped Casar on the climb of the iron cross.

David Kopp (GST) is the fourth rider to abandon the 2006 Tour during the 16th stage.

The third rider to quit the Tour during the 16th stage is Steven De Jongh of the Quickstep team.

Calzati and Rubiera have attacked the 14-man chase group early on the ascent of the Col de la Croix de Fer.

The peloton is closing in quickly on Popovych’s group. The 14-man chase group was 6’20" behind Rasmussen at the 103km mark and the peloton is at 7’05".

The third rider in the lead of stage 16 is Mickael Rasmussen. The Danish Rabobank recruit was the world mountain bike champion in 1999. Since then he’s won six times... including a stage of both the Vuelta A Espana and the Tour de France as well as the King of the Mountains crown at the 2005 Tour.

The chasing group of 14 are 5’55" behind Rasmussen’s trio. The men who are in between the peloton and the stage leaders are: Rubiera and Popovych (DSC), Sinkewitz (TMO), Garcia Acosta and Arroyo (CEI), Verdugo (EUS), Astarloza and Calzati (A2R), Bruseghin and Commesso (LAM), Parra (COF), Simoni and Marchante (SDV) and Lefevre (BTL).

As the peloton reached the 98km mark, it was still being led by riders from the Phonak team. The deficit to the leading trio was 7’15".

The points at the second intermediate sprint were won by:
1. Tajec Valjavec (LAM) 6pts
2. Sandy Casar (FDJ) 4pts
3. Mickael Rasmussen (RAB) 2pts

Sandy Casar is the French representative in the leading trio. He has won 12 races in his seven-year pro career. The last two victories were in a criterium and a cyclo-cross race at the start of the year. His last road race victory was the overall title of the Rud du Sud in June 2005. He was sixth overall in the Giro d’Italia this May.

One of riders in the lead of stage 16 is Tajec Valjavec. The Lampre-Fondital rider began the stage in 22nd place overall, 11’13" behind Landis.
He has not won a race since claiming the Slovenian national champion’s jersey in 2003. His other professional victories are the overall title of the Settimano Lombarda in 2002 and the overall title of the Baby Giro d’Italia in 1999.

Rasmussen, Valjavec and Casar are 5km away from the second intermediate sprint of the 16th stage. This is in St-Etienne-des-Villards at the 103km mark.

France Television is keeping count of how long each rider in an escape group is at the front of the paceline. In the last 10km, Valjavec (LAM) has spent 42 per cent of the time in the wind; Rasmussen 35 per cent and Casar 23 per cent...

Chavanel is descending with caution after his recent crash. He is 2’30" behind the peloton which is 6’35" behind the three stage leaders...

The next challenge in the 16th stage is the 2,067m high Col de la Croix de Fer. This is a 22.7km long ascent that has an average gradient of 6.9 per cent. The summit is at the 126.5km mark. The steepest section is the 12th and 14th kilometers, which have an average gradient of 10 per cent.
The climb has been part of the Tour’s itinerary on 13 previous occasions.
The winners of this ‘Hors Category’ climb are:
1947: Camellini
1948: Bartali
1952: Coppi
1956: Marigil
1961: Ignolin
1963: Mattio
1966: Galera
1986: Hinault
1989: Theunisse
1992: Boyer
1995: Virenque
1998: Massi
1999: Heulot

The peloton is 6’35" behind Rasmussen, Casar and Valjavec at the 80km mark.
Sebastian Lang (GST) has attacked the peloton and is 6’10" behind the leading trio.

Rasmussen, Casar and Valjavec are currently 4’00" ahead of the 14-man chase group.

Chavanel is standing again after his crash. He doesn’t appear in any state to ride but the team managers are getting a spare bike off the roof of the car and he’s about to remount...

Sylvain Chavanel has crashed heavily on the descent. He slammed into the concrete wall on the side of the road and is currently receiving medical treatment.

The rider who was third in the points classification at the start of the stage, Daniele Bennati (LAM), has abandoned the Tour de France.

The peloton is currently 6’20" behind Rasmussen, Casar and Valjavec.

There has been a crash at the back of the peloton. The rider involved is Daniele Bennati (LAM).

Popovych has been caught by his former escape companions around the 68km mark.

The peloton is at the 65km mark and is 5’50" behind Rasmussen, Casar and Valjavec.

Rasmussen, Casar and Valjavec lead Popovych by 3’00" and the other escapees by 3’40".

A number of dropped riders have rejoined the peloton on the descent. The yellow, green, polka-dot and white jerseys are all in the main pack that’s 5’20" behind Rasmussen, Casar and Valjavec.

The leaders covered 34.0km in the second hour. The average for the first two hours is 33.1km/h.

At the 64km mark, the peloton was 5’20" behind Rasmussen, Casar and Valjavec.

The leading trio are back together and have begun the ascent of the Col du Telegraphe. The last time the Tour itinerary included this climb was in 2005 when Santiago Botero led. Before that it was in 2003 when the winner of the stage to Gap on Sunday, Perrick Fedrigo (BTL) was first at the summit.

The peloton is 4’55" behind the leading trio on the descent of the Col du Galibier.

Popovych is now 2’25" behind Rasmussen, Valjavec and Casar.

Valjavec (LAM) is taking plenty of risks on the descent. He has dropped Rasmussen and Casar and now leads the stage by 10".

Popovych began the 16th stage in 13th place. He is now attacking the descent, he has left his 13 escape companions behind and is now in pursuit of Rasmussen, Casar and Valjavec.
The peloton is 4’10" behind at the 50km mark.

Perdiguero, Brandt and Calvente are back on their bikes after the recent crash.

Thee has been a crash with Brandt, Calvente and Perdiguero.

1. Rasmussen (RAB) 20pts
2. Casar (FDJ) 18pts
3. Valjavec (LAM) 16pt
4. Calzati (A2R) 14pts - at 3’00"
5. Bruseghin (LAM) 12pts
6. Sinkewitz (TMO) 10pts
7. Astarloza (A2R) 8pts
8. Rubiera (DSC) 7pts
9. Popovych (DSC) 6pts
10. Parra (COF) 5pts
The yellow jersey’s group was behind by 4’40".

Mickael Rasmussen gained first-place points at the top of the Col du Galibier. The first three places went to:
1. Rasmussen (RAB) 20pts
2. Casar (FDJ) 18pts
3. Valjavec (LAM) 16pt
(Full results to follow shortly. The peloton is 1km from the summit.)

Fothen has joined the attack by Cunego at the head of the peloton.

There are already three Lampre riders ahead of the peloton - Valjavec, Commesso and Bruseghin - and now both Cunego and Vila are also on the attack.

The first rider at the top of the Col du Galibier will earn 5,000 Euros as the winner of the ’Souvenir Henri Desgrange’.
Rasmussen, Valjavec and Casar are 4’35" ahead of the peloton at the 42km mark.

The only South African rider in the race, Robbie Hunter (PHO) is currently leading the peloton.

Rasmussen, Valjavec and Casar are now 1.5km from the top of the first climb. They are 2’40" ahead of Popovych’s group of 14.

The green and polka-dot jerseys have just fallen behind the peloton which is less than 5km from the top of the Col du Galibier.

The chase group is being led by Parra of the Cofidis team. This group includes 14 riders and is 2’35" behind Rasmussen, Valjavec and Casar.

All the riders in the prize jerseys are still present in the peloton that’s 4’30" behind Rasmussen’s group... yeah, including the leader of the points classification McEwen. The Australian admits that he’s anything but a climber but he’s hanging tough with Landis (in yellow), De la Fuente (in polka-dot) and Fothen (in white) et al.

The winner of the Col du Galibier climb in 2003, Stefano Garzelli, has been dropped by the peloton. The Italian wears a red ’dossard’ (race number) because he was judged to be the most aggressive rider in stage 15.

Pena is one of the latest riders to be dropped by the peloton. The Phonak team now has five riders at the head of the chase group that’s 4’20" behind Rasmussen’s trio.

The peloton is at the 38km mark, 4’20" behind Rasmussen, Valjavec and Casar. The escape was instigated by Rasmussen who rolled ahead in a rather tranquil manner at the 6km mark.
The 14-man counter-attack is at 2’20".
The leaders are now 5km from the top of the Col du Galibier.

The peloton is being led by six riders from the Phonak team.

The riders who are in the group that’s currently in pursuit of Rasmussen, Valjavec and Casar are:
Rubiera and Popovych (DSC), Sinkewitz (TMO), Garcia Acosta and Arroyo (CEI), Verdugo (EUS), Astarloza and Calzati (A2R), Bruseghin and Commesso (LAM), Parra (COF), Simoni and Marchante (SDV) and Lefevre (BTL). They are at 2’00".
The peloton is 4’00" behind the leading trio at the 37km mark.

One of the riders who crashed in stage 15, Maxim Iglinski of the Milram team has just quit the Tour de France. There are 150 riders still in the race.

Sebastian Joly (FDJ) is the 25th rider to quit the 2006 Tour de France. There are now 151 riders still in the race.

Rasmussen’s trio are 2’35" ahead of the 14 chasers and 3’45" ahead of the peloton at the 34.5km mark.

Of the 17 riders who are ahead of the peloton, the best-placed on GC after 15 stages is Yaroslav Popovych. The Discovery Channel rider began the stage in 13th place, 7’36" behind Landis.

Floyd Landis (PHO) posted the fastest time for the final ascent of stage 15. The American clocked 38’34” for the final 14km of the stage to L’Alpe d’Huez and finished fourth, 1’10” behind Frank Schleck (CSC) who was 15th fastest up the mountain, in 40’43”.
Landis’ time was one-second faster than Andreas Kloden (TMO) but the record is still held by the winner of the L’Alpe d’Huez stage in 1995, Marco Pantani who did the final ascent in 36’50”. The 10 fastest times this year were:
Floyd Landis: 38’34”
Andreas Kloden: 38’35”
Carlos Sastre: 38’59”
Levi Leipheimer: 39’13”
Denis Menchov : 39’42”
Pietro Caucchioli: 39’43”
Mickael Rasmussen: 39’44”
Michael Rogers: 40’14”
Cadel Evans: 40’14”
Oscar Pereiro: 40’14”

The leaders covered 32.2km in the first hour of racing in stage 16.

There are now 14 riders in the group that’s in pursuit of Rasmussen, Valjavec and Casar. Calzati has bridge the gap to the chase group that’s now 2’30" behind.
The peloton is 3’17" behind.

“Like I said at the start of the Tour, Floyd Landis is the obvious favorite," said the manager of the Davitamon-Lotto team, Marc Sergeant when he spoke to LeTour.fr before the start of stage 16. "Floyd is now in the lead of the race and has shown that he can climb and time trial well enough to be the most serious candidate for victory this year. He was good on the climb yesterday and I think he has good team support.
“Cadel needs to follow Floyd,” continued the Belgian team manager. “He did that well for most of the 15th stage but just didn’t have the speed to follow Kloden and Landis near the top of L’Alpe d’Huez. He needed to let them go or else he would have put himself in trouble and instead of losing a little more than a minute and a half to Landis he risked cracking and losing something like six minutes.
“I’m sure there will be some attacks early in the stage. We’ve seen enough to know that’s what happens; but I don’t think any of the GC favorites will take the chance.”

At the 30km mark, the peloton is 2’40" behind Rasmussen’s trio.

There are now 13 riders in pursuit of Rasmussen, Valjavec and Casar. They are: Popovych, Rubiera, Sinkewitz, Astarloza, Bruseghin, Commesso, Arroyo, Garcia Acosta, Verdugo, Parra, Simoni, Gomez Marchante and Lefevre.
The counter attack group is at 1’40" and the peloton is at 2’30".

There are now 16 riders ahead of the peloton. A group of three lead, then comes eight chasers followed by another group of five.
The peloton has reeled in the escape attempt by Moncoutie, Rinero and Calzati.

There has been another attack at the head of the peloton. The riders involved in the latest move are Sylvain Calzati (A2R) and Christophe Rinero (SDV).

Rubiera, Garcia Acosta, Verdugo, Gomez Marchante, Commesso, Astarloza, Bruseghin and Lefevre were 1’20" behind at the 26.5km mark.
Popovych, Sinkewitz, Arroyo, Parra and Simoni are at 1’50".
A solo chaser, Moncoutie is at 2’15".
The peloton is at 2’30".

The points for the intermediate sprint at the 26.5km mark were won by:
1. Tajec Valjavec (LAM) 6pts
2. Sandy Casar (FDJ) 4pts
3. Mickael Rasmussen (RAB) 2pts

The leading trio is 2’25" ahead of the peloton. Rasmussen, Casar and Valjavec are about to contest the intermediate sprint in La Grave (at the 26.5km mark).

Popovych (DSC), Sinkewitz (TMO), Arroyo (CEI) and Parra (COF) have caught Simoni. This group is 1’55" behind Rasmussen, Casar and Valjavec.

Popovych (DSC), Sinkewitz (TMO), Arroyo (CEI) and Parra (COF) are the four riders in pursuit of Simoni.

There are riders from Cofidis, Discovery Channel, T-Mobile and one other team in pursuit of Simoni who is now 1’55" behind Rasmussen’s trio.

Simoni attacked the peloton at the 18km mark. He is 1’40" behind the stage leaders. The peloton is at 2’15".

Rubiera, Garcia Acosta, Verdugo, Gomez Marchante, Commesso, Astarloza, Bruseghin and Lefevre are 1’10" behind Rasmussen, Valjavec and Casar.

The yellow jersey has recently stopped to answer the call of nature. The next time check should have the peloton over two minutes behind the stage leaders - Rasmussen, Casar and Valjavec.
In between are eight riders: Rubiera, Garcia Acosta, Verdugo, Gomez Marchante, Commesso and Astarloza who have been caught recently by Bruseghin and Lefevre.

After 16 days of racing in the 2006 Tour, a total of 24 riders have abandoned the race. The 152 remaining riders represent 26 countries with the host nation boasting the most with 35 still present.
Here is a summary of which countries are still represented in the 93rd Tour de France:
France: 35 – 3 less than the start because Engoulvent (COF) abandoned in stage 10, Brochard (A2R) didn’t start stage 10 and Plouhinec (AGR) abandoned yesterday.
Spain: 29 – 6 less than the start… Valverde (CEI) abandoned in stage three, Mayo (CEI) abandoned in stage 11, Noval (DSC), Galvez (CEI), Martinez (AGR) abandoned in stage 12 and Canada (SDV) abandoned after crashing heavily in stage 14.
Italy: 19 – 5 less than the start… Di Luca (LIQ) didn’t start stage two, Sacchi (MRM) didn’t start stage six, Lombardi (CSC) abandoned in stage 11, Savoldelli (DSC) abandoned in stage 12 and Celestino (MRM) abandoned during stage 14.
Germany: 14
Belgium: 8 – 2 less than the start… Verbrugghe (COF) abandoned in stage 14 when he broke his femur in a nasty crash at the 141km mark, Boonen (QSI) abandoned during stage 15.
USA: 7 – 1 less than the start… Rodriguez (DVL) abandoned in stage three.
Netherlands: 6 – 2 less than the start… Dekker (RAB) abandoned in stage three, De Groot (RAB) abandoned after crashing at the 50km mark of stage 15.
Australia: 5
Russia: 4
Switzerland: 3 – 1 less than the start… Zberg (GST) abandoned in stage 14.
Austria: 3
Sweden: 2 – 1 less than the start… Backstedt (LIQ) abandoned during stage 14.
Ukraine: 2 – 1 less than the start… Grivko (MRM) abandoned during stage 15.
Colombia: 2
Great Britain: 2
Slovenia: 2
Venezuela: 2
South Africa: 1
Denmark: 1
Finland: 1
Kazakhstan: 1
Luxembourg: 1
Norway: 1
New Zealand: 1
Portugal: 1
Czech Republic: 1

There has been another attack at the head of the peloton. The latest is from Bruseghin (LAM) and Lefevre (BTL). They are 55" behind the leading trio at the 17km mark; the peloton is at 1’30".

Right now Rasmussen, Valjavec and Casar lead a group of six chasers: Rubiera, Garcia Acosta, Verdugo, Gomez Marchante, Commesso and Astarloza. The peloton is over a minute behind the leading trio.

At the 15.5km mark, the peloton is being led by the Phonak team. This group is 1’15" behind the three stage leaders.

Rubiera (DSC), Astarloza (A2R), Commesso (LAM), Garcia Acosta (CEI) and Gomez Marchante (SDV) are the riders between the peloton and the leading trio...

Verdugo is 7" behind the leading trio, the peloton is at 25"... in between is a group of five riders including Rubiera (DSC) who are trying to bridge the gap to Rasmussen’s trio.

There are three riders in the lead of stage 16. Casar (FDJ) has joined Rasmussen (RAB) and Valjavec (LAM). They are 25" ahead of the peloton.

Casar is seven seconds behind Rasmussen and Valjavec. The peloton is at 15". Verdugo (EUS) is the latest rider to begin a pursuit of the two stage leaders.

Casar has attacked the peloton which was 20" behind Rasmussen and Valjavec.

Arroyo is 9" behind Rasmussen and Valjavec, the peloton is at 20"... this is at the 7km mark.

Zabel and Ekimov are amongst the group of riders who have been dropped by the peloton early in stage 16.

There is one rider between the peloton and the two leaders. Arroyo (CEI) is the man who has decided to try and join the first real escape of the day.

After moving ahead of the peloton at the 6km mark, Rasmussen and Valjavec have a lead of 10".

Rasmussen (RAB) is riding ahead of the peloton at the 6km mark. He has been joined by Valjevec (LAM).

Azevedo (DSC) and Cunego (LAM) are testing the legs of others in the peloton. They were not on the attack but they are leading the bunch at the 5km mark... Azevedo appears interested in establising an escape group. He has been followed by three other riders who are about 50 meters ahead of the peloton.

Marchante and Bruseghin have caught Moreau... as has the rest of the peloton. The little escape lasted just one kilometer.

Wrolich (GST) is the first rider to be dropped by the peloton.

The leader of the Discovery Channel team, Jose Azevedo has come to the front of the peloton and started the pursuit of Moreau who was 9" ahead.

Moreau leads a chase by Bruseghin (LAM) and Marchante (SDV) by 9" and the peloton by 12".

The first attack in stage 16 has come from Christophe Moreau (A2R) at the 3.5km mark. There has been no reaction from the peloton.

The 16th stage is generally considered the most difficult stage of the 2006 Tour de France. Of the four climbs on the itinerary, two are ‘Hors Category’ and one is the highest peak of the 93rd edition. The Col du Galibier rises to 2,646 meters after a 42.8km ascent.
There is a special prize each year named after the founder of the Tour; the ‘Souvenir Henri Desgrange’ is awarded to the first rider across the summit of the highest mountain. Last year, this ‘prime’ was at the top of the Galibier and Alexandre Vinokourov claimed the 5,000 Euros bonus for his attacking efforts in the stage to Briancon which he won.
Stefano Garzelli (LIQ) won the ‘Souvenir’ during the centenary Tour (in 2003). The Italian was third in yesterday’s stage and is currently ranked eighth in the climbing classification.
In 2002, the ‘Souvenir’ winner was Santiago Botero, the Colombian who finished second to Vinokourov in Briancon last year.

The peloton is on the early slopes of the 42.8km long ascent of the Col du Galibier.

There have been no early attacks in the 16th stage. The peloton has ridden two kilometers at a relatively calm pace.

There were four riders who abandoned the Tour during the stage to L’Alpe d’Huez yesterday, including the former race leader Tom Boonen (QSI). The others to retire in the 15th stage were Bram De Groot (RAB) who crashed heavily at the 50km mark, Beat Zberg (GST) and Andriy Grivko (MRM).
There were 152 riders at the finish yesterday with the final place going to the dual stage winner and new father, Oscar Freire (RAB). His son Marco was born on Sunday and the Spaniard flew to a hospital in Lausanne on the rest day to see his family. Yesterday he finished 36’22” behind the stage winner Frank Schleck (CSC).

The official start time for the 16th stage of the 2006 Tour de France was 11.47am.

There are 152 riders still in the 93rd Tour de France, with no one not turning up for sign on after the 15th stage.

The weather bureau has reported that the temperatures at the start in Bourg d’Oisans is 30 degrees Celsius in the air and 37 degrees at road level. The sun is shining and there is barely a cloud in the sky at the start of the 16th stage.

There is a 2.7km neutral zone at the beginning of the 16th stage. The peloton is currently rolling to the site of the official start.

David De la Fuente (SDV) continues to lead the climbing classification. He has worn the polka-dot jersey since stage 11 and has a total of 108 points, 34 more than the winner of yesterday’s stage Frank Schleck (CSC).
In third place in the King of the Mountains competition is last year’s winner, Mickael Rasmussen (RAB) with 73 points.

There are four climbs in the stage from Bourg d’Oisans to La Toussuire. They are:
The Col du Galibier (‘Souvenir Henri Desgrange’ for the highest pass of the 93rd Tour: ‘Hors Category’ 2,646m high, 42.8km long with an average gradient of 4.5% with the summit at the 45.5km mark).
The Col de la Croix-de-Fer (‘Hors Category’, 2,067m high, 22.7km long, 6.9% at 126.5km).
The Col du Mollard (category-two, 5.8km long, 6.8% at 146.5km).
And the final rise to the finish at La Toussuire (category-one, 1,705m high, 18.7km long, 5.9%).

The 182.0km 16th stage of the 2006 Tour de France - from Bourg d’Oisans to La Toussuire - is due to start at 11.40am.
This is generally considered to be the toughest stage of this year’s race. The itinerary includes the highest pass of the 93rd edition, the monstrous Col du Galibier which rises to an altitude of 2,646m after a 42.8km ascent.
Live coverage will begin shortly.