THE RACE LIVE
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With his third place in the stage, Thor Hushovd - who pulled his foot from his pedal in the closing meters - has reclaimed the yellow jersey. He leads Boonen by 5" and McEwen by 8".

1. Robbie McEwen (AUS - DVL)
2. Tom Boonen (BEL - QSI)
3. Thor Hushovd (NOR - C.A)
4. Oscar Freire (ESP - RAB)
5. Daniele Bennati (ITA - LAM)
6. Luca Paolini (ITA - LIQ)
7. Stuart O’Grady (AUS - CSC)
8. Bernhard Eisel (AUT - FDJ)
9. Erik Zabel (GER - MRM)
10. Peter Wrolich (AUT - GST)

Robbie McEwen has beaten Tom Boonen to the line to win his ninth stage of the Tour de France.

Kessler was caught with about 50m to go. The stage has been won by Robbie McEwen.

Kessler is leading with 300m to go but the Lampre team is leading the remnants of the peloton...

Kessler has a lead of 8" as he goes under the 1km to go banner. He appears destined to win the stage... but we can see the sprinters behind him.

There has been a crash in the peloton but we don’t have any information of who is involved but have of the peloton has been stopped by the incident!

Hushovd is tucked in behand two Milram riders at the head of the peloton which is now 2km from the finish.

The peloton is being controlled by the Milram team but they must capture Kessler who has a lead of 14" on the bunch with 3km to go.

Kessler’s advantage with 5km to go was 12". He is now less than 4km from the finish...

Kessler is committed to chasing a stage win. He is 10" ahead of the peloton with about 5km to go.

Kessler (TMO) is the latest rider to attack the peloton. Calzati’s effort amounted to nothing but the T-Mobile rider is now about 100m ahead of the peloton.

It’s an undulating conclusion to the 2nd stage but a betting man would nominate a sprint finish today, particularly given the domination of sprint teams at the head of the peloton. Calzati (A2R) is trying his luck in an escape but the Lampre team is in charge of the bunch.

Wegmann has lost his lead in the climbing classification and, just now, has been caught by he peloton.

One of the riders who attacked in the first kilometer, De la Fuente, has earned a prize for his efforts: the polka-dot jersey. He has a tally of 14pts in the climbing classification.

Wegmann continues to lead the stage. He has 10km to go with an advantage of 17" on the peloton.

There was a crash in the peloton on the approach to the final climb. There were two Saunier Duval riders involved as well as one of Boonen’s main lead-out men, Matteo Tosatto. All the riders involved are back on their bikes.

1. Wegmann (GST) 3pts
2. De la Fuente (SDV) 2pts
3. Lefevre (BTL) 1pts
The peloton is 35" behind Wegman with 11km to go.

An attack by Wegmann on the final climb has reeled in De la Fuente. The German rider in the polka-dot jersey now leads the stage and has collected 3pts at the top of the Cote de Volmerange-les-Mines (13.5km from the finish).

Lefevre (BTL), Wegmann (GST) and Verdugo (EUS) have opened a gap on the peloton as they set off in pursuit of De la Fuente on the final climb of the stage.

The points for the Cote de Kanfen (16km before the finish of stage two) were won by:
1. De la Fuente (SDV) 3pts
2. Wegmann (GST) 2pts
3. Lefevre (BTL) 1pt

De la Fuente has crested the summit 16km from the end of the stage. He has added another three points to his tally, enough to put him in the lead of the climbing classification with one more categorized ’cote’ to go today.

De la Fuente is 1km from the top of the 4th climb. He has a lead of 50" on the peloton. Right now he has 9pts in the climbing classification, one less than Aitor Hernandez. There are three points on offer at the top of the Cote de Kanfen... and he appears certain to add them to his tally.

The stage leader De la Fuente is on the approach to the fourth climb, the Cote de Kanfen (a 1.5km rise with an average gradient of 4.5 per cent). He is 1’05" ahead of the peloton.

The peloton has just passed under the 20km to go banner. It is 1’15" behind De la Fuente.

Riders from Lampre, Davitamon-Lotto and Liquigas are leading the peloton but not far behind are riders from CSC... De la Fuente refuses to give in with his effort; even if the sprinters’ teams are closing in... slowly but steadily.
De la Fuente has just consulted the team car. He is 1’25" ahead of the peloton. The next climb of the stage is 5km away.

The peloton is now 25km away from the finish of the stage. It is 1’40" behind De la Fuente who has been at the front of the stage since the first kilometer.

The points for the sprint in Yutz were won by:
1. De la Fuente (SDV) 6pts/6"
2. Boonen (QSI) 4pts/4"
3. Hushovd (C.A) 2pts/2"

The sprint for second place in Yutz was won by Boonen ahead of O’Grady and Hushovd. This trio was 1’50" behind De la Fuente at the 198.5km mark.

The bunch is now hunting down 2nd place points at the 3rd intermediate sprint which is 1km away. Hernandez has been caught.

Hernandez is now 1’25" behind De la Fuente. This pair cooperated for most of the way to the 3rd climb but the partnership ended after 187.5km when De la Fuente surged for points...
The peloton is now 3’20" behind as De la Fuente approaches the line in Yutz to claim six points in the sprint classification.

Riders from the Lampre team have come to the front of the peloton which is now 5km away from the site of the third intermediate sprint. Tucked in behind are men from Credit Agricole, Davitamon-Lotto... and George Hincapie.

De la Fuente is pushing on alone at the head of the stage. He has an advantage of 40" over Hernandez and 2’40" on the peloton.

Fabian Wegmann (GST) has led the peloton over the third clmb. The deficit of the bunch to De la Fuente is 2’45".
The points were won by:
1. De la Fuente (SDV) 3pts
2. Hernandez (EUS) 2pts
3. Wegmann (GST) 1pt

The two day-long escape companions have parted company. De la Fuente is now 15" ahead of Hernandez.

Hernandez was unable to match the pace of De la Fuente on the 3rd climb. The Saunier Duval rider has now raced ahead and appears to be committed to riding as far as possible on his own. Hernandez has surrendered, shaking his head after he cross the line at the top of the climb. He is now 10" behind De la Fuente.

Hernandez is not taking a turn of pace as he marks his escape companion on the approach to the summit of the third climb... expect an attack any moment now.

The leading pair are 3km from the third climb. The Cote de Kegange-sur-Canner is 1.2km long with an average gradient of 4.5 per cent. The latest time check has the peloton 3’10" behind De la Fuente and Hernandez.

The two leaders are on the approach to the third climb of the stage. David De la Fuente dropped his chain down to the small chainring for a short while as they ascended a small rise near the Cote de Kedange-sur-Canner.
There are three cat-four climbs yet to be contested in the second stage. Hernandez currently leads the climbing classification with eight points which he collected earlier today.

The pace of the main pack has dropped a little. The head of the peloton is now grouped and it appears that the sprint teams are confident that they will reel in the two escapees. De la Fuente and Hernandez have been slowly cooking in the heat of today’s long stage from Orbenai to Esche-sur-Alzette in Luxembourg.
Saunier Duval-Prodir riders are now moving to the front of the peloton which is now 3’35" behind the two escapees at the 179km mark.

The points and bonuses for the sprint in Holling were won by:
1. David De la Fuente (SDV) 6pts/6"
2. Aitor Hernandez (EUS) 4pts/4"
3. Thor Hushovd (C.A) 2pts/2" - at 3’00"

With the two seconds that he picked up by finishing third in the intermediate sprint, Thor Hushovd has nudged ahead of George Hincapie in the general classification.

As the peloton passed the site of the 2nd sprint (at 169.5km), the deficit to the two escapees was just 3’00".

The peloton is winding up the pace on the approach to the 2nd intermediate sprint. Boonen appeared to be in control... but Hushovd passed him just before the line! Make that one-all today for the Belgian and Norwegian sprinters.

The peloton is now being led by seven riders from the Quickstep team. It’s clear that Boonen is intent on chasing every time bonus on offer in today’s stage. The two escapees are about to contest the 2nd intermediate sprint, but Boonen already claimed third place at the 1st intermediate sprint.

One of the favorites should today’s stage end in a bunch sprint is Robbie McEwen. The Australian won three stages of last year’s Tour and was second to Jimmy Casper yesterday. LeTour.fr contacted the Davitamon-Lotto ’directeur sportif’ to find out what the intentions of his team is today.
"He won’t go for the intermediate sprints," said Hendrik Redant about McEwen. "The main thing is to chase the stage victory. That’s what our objective is today, not points for the green jersey... yet.
"Once we have a stage win, then we will consider if it’s worth chasing points."
McEwen was involved in the dash for the line at the first intermediate sprint but only because he was marking his main rivals, Boonen and Hushovd.
"In the Tour, those two points (for third place) could be important. But we want Robbie to conserve as much energy as possible. The last 20km are the hardest today and I want him to save his energy for that."

The leading duo covered 41.2km in the fourth hour of racing today. The average speed for the first four hours is 39.8km/h.

The peloton continues to by led by the usual suspects on a day that could potentially end with a bunch sprint (ie. Quickstep, Davitamon-Lotto and Credit Agricole). The latest deficit of the main pack to De la Fuente and Hernandez is 5’10".

The rider who instigated the escape today is Aitor Hernandez. LeTour.fr has just spoken to the manager of the Euskaltel-Euskadi team, Miguel Madariaga, to find out what prompted him to try his luck today.
"Aitor has been a professional rider for three years," said the ’directeur sportif’. "It’s his first Tour and he really wanted to do something for the team. We decided to give him the chance to try an attack.
"The team’s objective this year is the mountains classification and so, for the moment, we’re pleased that Aitor has been able to win the first two climbs of the stage. We are realistic, however, and know that it will be really difficult to stay in the lead through to the finish of such a long stage.
"In a Tour that’s as open as this one, riders like Aitor could make an impression... and today is a good test of his form."

The peloton is slowing but surely closing in on the two escapees. The latest time check has De la Fuente and Hernandez 5’55" ahead of the bunch that continues to be led by the Davitamon-Lotto, Quickstep and Credit Agricole teams.

Hernandez and De la Fuente are now 6’50" ahead of the peloton which is at the 138km mark.

The bunch is being led by Wim Vansevenant of the Davitamon-Lotto team. It is at the 133km mark and is 7’20" behind the two escapees.

De la Fuente and Hernandez are cooperating well at the front of the stage. Their tactics today are more akin to those employed by French riders in the early stages of recent Tours (ie. an early attack and hunt for climbing points with the hope of holding off the peloton before the finish). Their current advantage on the peloton, which continues to be led by the sprinters’ teams, is currently 7’35".

Although both Tom Boonen and Thor Hushovd have raced each other in other events in 2006, today’s first intermediate sprint was the first time that the pair have gone truly head-to-head in a sprint... and the Belgian nudged ahead of the Norwegian at the 107km mark of today’s stage.

The two escapees have been on the attack for 130km. They are now now less than 100km from the finish in Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg. The move was instigated by Hernandez (EUS) in the first kilometer and he was quickly joined by De la Fuente (SDV). This pair is now 7’48" ahead of the peloton that’s being led by riders from Credit Agricole, Davitamon-Lotto and Quickstep.

The peloton has just arrived in the feedzone at the 120km mark. It is 7’40" behind De la Fuente and Hernandez.

A ’directeur sportif’ for the Credit Agricole team, Serge Beucherie, has just told France Television that his squad is now prepared to cooperate with other teams at the front of the peloton in an attempt to reel in the two escapees. "Thor may have missed out on claiming a time bonus at the first intermediate sprint," he said, "but he appears to be going well and isn’t affected by the cut on his arm.
"If he’s good enough to sprint against Boonen, then we will do the honorable thing and assist the other teams with the pursuit of the two stage leaders."

The leaders covered 40.6km in the third hour. The average speed for the first three hours is 39.3km/h.

The pace of the chase has picked up significantly thanks to the efforts of riders from Credit Agricole, Quickstep and Davitamon-Lotto. The peloton is strung out in one long line and it appears that the quest to set up a bunch sprint has begun. The latest deficit of the main pack to Hernandez and De la Fuente is 7’15".

The points and time bonuses for the intermediate sprint at the 107km mark were won by:
1. De la Fuente (SDV) 6pts/6"
2. Hernandez (EUS) 4pts/4"
3. Boonen (QSI) 2pts/2" - at 7’30".
Right behind Boonen as Thor Hushovd who was part of a small group that was intent on claiming the bonuses. Boonen has moved up to be 11" shy of Hincapie’s overall lead.

The peloton has just passed the site of the first intermediate sprint 7’30" behind the two escapees. Boonen and Hushovd led the bunch to the line and it’s now apparent that the world champion is intent on chasing time bonuses whenever he can.

The two escapees are 8’10" ahead of the peloton. We can report that the first two places at the intermediate sprint in Marimont-les-Benestroff were earned by:
1. De la Fuente (SDV) 6pts/6"
2. Hernandez (EUS) 4pts/4"...

Hernandez and De la Fuente are about to contest the intermediate sprint in Marimont-les-Benestroff. Their advantage on the peloton has been hovering around 8’30".
Hernandez has been aggressive on the two climbs of the stage and he’s currently following the wheel of De la Fuenta as they approach the sprint line.

Tom Boonen was one of the favorites for yesterday’s stage. The reigning world champion begun his sprint with about 300m to go, but he said he was struck in the shoulder by the camera of a spectator. He didn’t figure in the finale and finished 13th.
Instead of searching for excuses, he explained what happened in Strasbourg by stating that his tactics weren’t ideal. "I was in the lead too early," he told reporters at the finish. "I launched my sprint too soon and didn’t have the legs to match my rivals."

The pace of the peloton is now being set by riders from the Quickstep and Davitamon-Lotto teams. Behind this pair are riders from the Discovery Channel squad who have been at the head of the main pack since the first ascent of the day at the 31km mark.

The rider who is currently in second place in the general classification, Thor Hushovd, is riding a new bike from the Credit Agricole team’s supplier, Look. The carbon-fibre creation boasts a seat tube that extends well beyond the top tube and eliminates the need for seatpost that traditional slots inside the seat tube.
It’s a design that has become popular in recent years and one used by other bike suppliers such as Giant (T-Mobile) and Time (Quickstep & Bouygues Telecom).

The peloton has recently passed the 87km mark. It is now 8’25" behind the two escapees.

Following the incident that saw the rider in the yellow jersey, Thor Hushovd, end stage one with a gash on his right arm the race organizers are insisting that the promotional ’hands’ of green jersey sponsor PMU should not to be handed out by the promotional caravan in the final two kilometers of each stage.

George Hincapie scored a coup with 9km to go in yesterday’s stage when he finished third in the intermediate sprint and claimed a two-second time bonus. It was enough to elevate him from second in general classification to first.
The New Yorker is the fourth American to lead the Tour de France. The other three are Greg LeMond, Lance Armstrong and Dave Zabriskie.
The first time that Hincapie’s former team-mate, Armstrong, earned the right to wear the yellow jersey was on 3 July 1999. Could George follow the lead of the seven-time winner and wear the yellow jersey on the US national holiday for Fourth of July? It appears as though that will depend on the enthusiasm of the sprint teams to reel in the two escapees of today’s stage Aitor Hernandez and David De la Fuente.

The Quickstep and Davitamon-Lotto teams are moving to the front of the peloton. They have two of the favorites for a bunch sprint in Tom Boonen and Robbie McEwen. Their efforts at the head of the main pack has dropped the advantage of Hernandez and De la Fuente to 9’25".

The pace has picked up a little in the second hour of racing. The average was 40.5km/h. The average for the first two hours is 38.7km/h.
The two escapees are now 10’30" ahead of the peloton.

Hernandez and De la Fuente have pushed their advantage back up to 10’35". The bunch has just passed through Rehthal at the 68km mark.

The last French rider to win the Tour de France has given www.letour.fr his throughts on the second stage of the 2006 race. "It’s clear to me that the two Spaniards (Hernandez and De la Fuente) attacked early because they knew there were some climbing points on offer today," said Bernard Hinault.
"There was little interest in the peloton to pursue the two because, well, they’re no real threat to the general classification. The Discovery Channel team moved to the front of the peloton and little has changed since."

The Discovery Channel team is now maintaining a steady tempo at the head of the peloton which is 9’50" behind Hernandez and De la Fuente. The maximum gain of the two escapees was 11’20" (when the bunch was at the 31km mark).

The points for the second climb of stage two were won by:
1. Aitor Hernandez (EUS) 4pts
2. David De la Fuente (SDV) 3pts
3. Jerome Pineau (BTL) 2pts - at 9’20"
4. Fabian Wegmann (GST) 1pt
Hernandez is now the virtual leader of the climbing classification with a total tally of eight points.

The Discovery Channel team is in charge of the peloton which is now 10’15" behind Hernandez and De la Fuente. The main pack is at the 45.5km mark.

The rider in the polka-dot jersey, Fabian Wegmann (GST) earned two points for third place at the first climb of the stage. He had three points at the start of the stage so, for the moment, he continues to lead the climbing classification.
Hernandez (EUS) has four points and is about to add to his tally at the second ascent of the stage.

The two escapees are now climbing the second categorized ascent of the stage. The Col de Valsberg is at the 50km mark.
The peloton is now at the 40km mark, 10’30" behind De la Fuente and Hernandez. Discovery Channel is leading the main pack and, since this team arrived at the head of the peloton, the advantage of the escapees has dropped from what was a maximum of 11’20".

The points for the first climb of the stage were won by:
1. Aitor Hernandez (EUS)
2. David De la Fuente (SDV)
3. Fabian Wegmann (GST)
4. Jerome Pineau (BTL)
The peloton was 10’35" behind at the 35.5km mark.

The two escapees have contested the first climb, the Col des Pandours (a cat-3 ascent at the 35.5km mark). Hernandez and De la Fuente are now at the 41km mark but we don’t have the results for the first categorized hill in stage two. Once the peloton passes the summit we will post the list of who won the points for the polka-dot jersey.

Today’s stage is being raced at a snail’s pace. It’s the first time in years that the average speed for the first hour of racing is less than 40km/h.
The leading pair have set an average of 36.9km/h. The peloton appears to be filled with apathy as it is over 11 minutes behind the two escapees.

Neither of the two escapees - David De la Fuente (SDV) or Aitor Hernandez (EUS) - have won a race in their professional careers. The two Spaniards are now 11’40" ahead of the peloton which is at the 31km mark. If the stage is going to conclude with a bunch sprint, as many pundits believed it would, then the peloton is going to have to start doing some work to reel in the two escapees who attacked in the first kilometer.
The Discovery Channel team has decided it’s time to come to the front of the peloton and limit the advantage of the break.

Hernandez and De la Fuente are now 10’20" ahead of the peloton and on the approach of the first of five categorized climbs in stage two. The ascent is ranked category-three meaning that the polka-dot jersey is likely to change today because Fabian Wegmann has only three points; but there are 4, 3, 2 and 1 points on offer at the first climb today.

The advantage of De la Fuentes and Hernandez has risen rapidly. With the peloton at the 25.5km mark, it was 9’15" behind the two who escaped in the first kilometer.

The winner of the prologue on Saturday, Thor Hushovd sustained a cut on his arm in the final sprint of stage one in Strasbourg. He was racing down the right side of the road and in a good position to try for the stage win but then problems struck. Something held over the crowd control barricade sliced his right arm just near the elbow and blood poured out of the wound. He had to get the cut stitched up after the stage; www.letour.fr contacted his team director Roger Legeay to get his thoughts on the incident and his chances in today’s stage.
"First of all we have to see if Thor can ride properly with his injuries," said Legeay. "We’ll know this in the first 50km. For the moment we can report that he had his arm stitched overnight but it’s still painful for him. He doesn’t have full use of his right arm but he has plenty of confidence despite having lost a potential 20 points. Furthermore he won’t be able to fight for points in the coming stages... when you have the goal of winning the green jersey, this is a big hindrance."

Of the two riders who attacked in the first kilometer and currently have an advantage of six minutes 35 seconds on the peloton, the best placed after stage one was Aitor Hernandez of the Euskaltel-Euskadi team. He was in 146th place at the start of the stage (48" behind Hincapie).
David de la Fuentes of Saunier Duval-Prodir was in 164th place 54" behind Hincapie.

The peloton has just passed the 17km mark. It is currently six minutes behind De la Fuentes and Hernandez.

The two Spanish escapees are being given plenty of leeway early today. De la Fuentes and Hernandez are now 4’00" ahead of the peloton which is now at the 13km mark.

Danilo Di Luca was apparently suffering a fever before the start of his second Tour de France. The Liquigas team captain was dropped by the peloton in the closing kilometers of stage one, losing 2’29" to the stage winner.
Di Luca was the last rider in the general classification after the second day of racing (3’13" behind Hincapie). He did not attend the sign-on today and is the first retiree of the 2006 Tour.

The leading pair - Hernandez (EUS) and De la Fuentes (SDV) - are at the 12km mark and have an advantage of 3’20".

The stage from Orbenai to Esch-sur-Alzette features three intermediate sprints carrying both points for the green jersey classification and time bonuses for the first three riders across the line (6pts/6", 4pts/4" and 2pts/2").
The sprints are in: Marimont-les-Benestroff (at 107.0km), Holling (169.5km) & Yutz (198.5km).

At the seven kilometer mark the peloton is 2’35" behind Hernandez and De la Fuentes.

The second stage is contested on undulating terrain, particularly when the Tour arrives near Luxembourg at the end of the day.
The categorized climbs are: Col des Pandours (cat-3 at 35.5km), Col de Valsberg (cat-3, 50.0km), Cote de Kedange-sur-Canner (cat-4, 187.5km), Cote de Kanfen (cat-4, 212.5km) & Cote de Volmerange-les-Mines (cat-4, 215.0km).

Today is the first time in George Hincapie’s long career that he will wear the yellow jersey as leader of the Tour de France. It is his 10th appearance in the race and the Discovery Channel team rider leads the winner of the prologue, Thor Hushovd (C.A), by just two seconds. In third place is Hincapie’s compatriot Dave Zabriskie (CSC).
The points classification is led by yesterday’s stage winner Jimmy Casper (COF). He earned 35 points for his victory and therefore wears the green jersey in stage two. His advantage over the points champion of last year’s Tour, Thor Hushovd, is three points.
The polka-dot jersey is being worn by Fabian Wegmann (GST). The German won the three points at the top of the only climb in stage one. This is the second time in two years that he has led the climbing classification early in the Tour. In second place is one of his escape companions from yesterday, Matthieu Sprick (BTL).
The white jersey is on the shoulders of another rider from yesterdays breakaway, Benoit Vaugrenard (FDJ). He has a seven-second advantage over Joost Posthuma (RAB) and is nine second ahead of Marcus Fothem (GST).

De la Fuentes and Hernandez have pushed their advantage up to 2’00".

After just four kilometers of racing, the two escapees have built up a lead of 1’25" on the peloton. The attack was instigated by Aitor Hernandez (EUS) in the first kilometer. He was joned by David de la Fuentes (SDV).

The action has begun early in the second stage. Aitor Hernandez (EUS) and David De La Fuente (SDV) have attacked the peloton. We await confirmation of their current advantage.

The leader of the Liquigas team, Danilo Di Luca has succumbed to a stomach complaint that has hindered him in the first two days of the 2006 Tour. He was not at the sign on today so it means there are now 175 riders still in the race.

The official start of the second stage was at 11.48am. The peloton is now on its way north to Luxembourg on what is going to be a hot day with five categorized climbs.

The peloton is currently in the neutral zone and on their way to the rallying point. Once the bunch is on the outskirts of Orbenai the flag will be waved by the race director to signal the official start.

The weather bureau has reported that the temperature at the start of the second stage in Orbenai is 26 degrees Celsius in the air and 37 degrees at road level. There is no breeze in Orbenai but the riders will face a headwind on the finishing straight in Esch-sur-Alzette.
The sun is shining and there’s barely a cloud in sight. The temperature is expected to rise up to 10 degrees by the end of the stage.

The 228.5km second stage of the 2006 Tour de France - from Orbenai to Esch-sur-Alzette in Luxembourg - is scheduled to begin at 11.40am. There is a 3.6km neutral zone before riders reach the site of the official start. (Live coverage will begin shortly.)