Stories by Andrew Hood

• Posted: Wed, Jul 16th
  Stage 11 - By the numbers
  Stage 11, Lannemezan to Foix, 167.5km Weather Warmer, with moderate northerly winds, highs in the upper 80s Stage winner Kurt-Asle Arvesen (CSC-Saxo Bank) shot away with under 3km to go and stabbed his bike across the line to win in a ...
• Posted: Wed, Jul 16th
  Andrew Hood's Tour de France Notebook, stage 11
  Don’t Touch His Shoulder: Cadel Evans might be a charming bloke away from the TV cameras, but it’s quickly becoming obvious that he doesn’t particularly enjoy the media duties that come along with the maillot jaune. The Australian is finding time for the media. ...
• Posted: Wed, Jul 16th
  Vande Velde off the radar
  Christian Vande Velde stepped out of the Garmin-Chipotle team bus Wednesday morning in Lannemazen to find a good-sized media scrum waiting to speak with him. The fact that a dozen scribes and a few TV camera crews wanted to learn more about the American sitting third place ...
• Posted: Tue, Jul 15th
  Andrew Hood's Tour de France Notebook, Rest Day No. 1
  Burning KohlBernhard Kohl is a man on the rise. The 26-year-old Austrian climber surged away at the base of Hautacam and rode straight into contention for the Tour de France. Kohl entered Monday’s stage quietly poised in 13th overall at 2:03 back. Many weren’t ...
• Posted: Tue, Jul 15th
  Long list of pre-race Tour de France faves are off the back
  Unpredictable. That’s just what the Tour de France wanted when it designed a wild route this year without time bonuses, shorter time trials and no prologue. Ten days into the race, Tour officials must be very happy. The first half of the 2008 Tour has delivered just ...
• Posted: Mon, Jul 14th
  Stage 10 - By the numbers
  Stage 10, Pau to Hautacam, 156km Weather Partly cloudy, moderate northerly winds, highs in 60s Stage winner Leonardo Piepoli (Saunier Duval-Scott) surged away with 7km to go up the Hautacam along with teammate Juan Cobo and Frank Schleck ...
• Posted: Mon, Jul 14th
  Vande Velde frustrated by Evans-Menchov lockdown
  Christian Vande Velde had reason to smile following Monday’s summit finish up Hautacam. The Garmin-Chipotle captain remains within striking distance of the yellow jersey in third at just 38 seconds back. Vande Velde, however, believes his day could have turned out even better ...
• Posted: Sun, Jul 13th
  Andrew Hood's Tour de France Notebook, stage 9
  Schleck moving up Andy Schleck quietly slipped into the best young rider’s white jersey in Sunday’s preview in the Pyrénées. So far, the 22-year-old Luxembourger has been riding quietly under the radar. That could change in dramatic fashion in Monday’s ...
• Posted: Sun, Jul 13th
  Stage 9 - By the numbers
  Stage 9, Toulouse to Bagneres-de-Bigorre, 224km WeatherMostly cloudy, moderate westerly, northwesterly winds up to 15kph, temperatures in the 60s
• Posted: Sat, Jul 12th
  Stage 8 - By the numbers
  Stage 8, Figeac to Toulouse, 172.5km Weather: Light rain in morning, turning to heavier showers in afternoon, temperatures in the 60s Stage winner: Mark Cavendish (Columbia) won his second stage of this Tour with a brilliant finishing kick to fend ...
• Posted: Sat, Jul 12th
  Andrew Hood's Tour de France Notebook, stage 8
  WHAT MAKES CAV SO FAST? It looks like Mark Cavendish was born to win. Despite losing the wheel of his lead-out man Gerard Ciolek after riding cautiously through the final bend with just over one kilometer to go to avoid crashing on wet roads, Great ...
• Posted: Sat, Jul 12th
  Beltrán case casts pall over Tour
  One week. That’s all it took before a doping scandal erupted on the 2008 Tour de France. Photos of Spanish veteran Manuel “Triki” Beltrán doing a perp walk as French police hauled him away in handcuffs from the Liquigas team hotel Friday evening pushed the Tour back ...