2003 Tour de France
 | |||
| Route of the 2003 Tour de France | |||
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Dates | 5–27 July | ||
| Stages | 20 + Prologue | ||
| Distance | 3,427 km (2,129 mi) | ||
| Winning time | 83h 41' 12" | ||
| Results | |||
| Winner | |||
| Second |  Jan Ullrich (GER) |
(Team Bianchi) | |
| Third |  Alexander Vinokourov (Kazakhstan) |
(Team Telekom) | |
 |
Points |  Baden Cooke (AUS) |
(FDJeux.com) |
 |
Mountains |  Richard Virenque (FRA) |
(Quick-Step–Davitamon) |
 |
Youth |  Denis Menchov (Russia) |
(iBanesto.com) |
| Team | Team CSC | ||
The 2003 Tour de France was a multiple stage bicycle race held from 5 to 27 July, and the 90th edition of the Tour de France. It has no overall winner—although American cyclist Lance Armstrong originally won the event, the United States Anti-Doping Agency announced in August 2012 that they had disqualified Armstrong from all his results since 1998, including his seven Tour de France wins from 1999 to 2005; the Union Cycliste Internationale has confirmed this verdict.
The event started and ended in Paris, covering 3,427 km (2,129 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 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 the odds-on favorite. Though he did go on to win the race, it is statistically, and by Armstrong's own admission,[3] his weakest Tour from his seven-year period of dominance over the race.
Teams
The team selection was done in three rounds: in November 2002, the fourteen highest-ranking Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) teams would automatically qualify; four wildcard invitations were given in January 2003, and four more in mid-May.[4]
The teams entering the race were:
Qualified teams
Invited teams
Pre-race favourites
Some notable cyclists excluded from the race were Mario Cipollini and Marco Pantani, whose teams Domina Vacanze–Elitron and Mercatone Uno–Scanavino were not selected.[5] Especially the absence of Cipollini, the reigning world champion, came as a surprise. The Tour organisation gave the reason that Cipollini had never been able to finish the race.[6]
In the first round, the Coast team had been selected to compete, and in January 2003 they signed Jan Ullrich. Financial problems then almost prevented the team from starting, but after Bianchi stepped in as a new sponsor, Team Bianchi was allowed to take the place of Team Coast.
Route and stages
| Stage | Date | Course | Distance | Type | Winner | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | 5 July | Paris | 6.5 km (4.0 mi) |  | Individual time trial | Bradley McGee (AUS) |
| 1 | 6 July | Saint-Denis to Meaux | 168.0 km (104.4 mi) |  | Plain stage |  Alessandro Petacchi (ITA) |
| 2 | 7 July | La Ferté-sous-Jouarre to Sedan | 204.5 km (127.1 mi) | | Plain stage | Baden Cooke (AUS) |
| 3 | 8 July | Charleville-Mézières to Saint-Dizier | 167.5 km (104.1 mi) | | Plain stage | Alessandro Petacchi (ITA) |
| 4 | 9 July | Joinville to Saint-Dizier | 69.0 km (42.9 mi) | | Team time trial |  U.S. Postal Service (USA) |
| 5 | 10 July | Troyes to Nevers | 196.5 km (122.1 mi) | | Plain stage | Alessandro Petacchi (ITA) |
| 6 | 11 July | Nevers to Lyon | 230.0 km (142.9 mi) | | Plain stage | Alessandro Petacchi (ITA) |
| 7 | 12 July | Lyon to Morzine | 230.5 km (143.2 mi) |  | Stage with mountain(s) | Richard Virenque (FRA) |
| 8 | 13 July | Sallanches to Alpe d'Huez | 219.0 km (136.1 mi) | | Stage with mountain(s) |  Iban Mayo (ESP) |
| 9 | 14 July | Le Bourg-d'Oisans to Gap | 184.5 km (114.6 mi) | | Stage with mountain(s) | Alexander Vinokourov (KAZ) |
| 10 | 15 July | Gap to Marseille | 219.5 km (136.4 mi) | | Plain stage |  Jakob Piil (DEN) |
| 16 July | Narbonne | Rest day | ||||
| 11 | 17 July | Narbonne to Toulouse | 153.5 km (95.4 mi) | | Plain stage | Juan Antonio Flecha (ESP) |
| 12 | 18 July | Gaillac to Cap Découverte | 47.0 km (29.2 mi) | | Individual time trial | Jan Ullrich (GER) |
| 13 | 19 July | Toulouse to Ax 3 Domaines | 197.5 km (122.7 mi) | | Stage with mountain(s) | Carlos Sastre (ESP) |
| 14 | 20 July | Saint-Girons to Loudenvielle | 191.5 km (119.0 mi) | | Stage with mountain(s) | Gilberto Simoni (ITA) |
| 15 | 21 July | Bagnères-de-Bigorre to Luz Ardiden | 159.5 km (99.1 mi) | | Stage with mountain(s) | Lance Armstrong (USA) |
| 22 July | Pau | Rest day | ||||
| 16 | 23 July | Pau to Bayonne | 197.5 km (122.7 mi) | | Stage with mountain(s) | Tyler Hamilton (USA) |
| 17 | 24 July | Dax to Bordeaux | 181.0 km (112.5 mi) | | Plain stage |  Servais Knaven (NED) |
| 18 | 25 July | Bordeaux to Saint-Maixent-l'École | 203.5 km (126.4 mi) | | Plain stage | Pablo Lastras (ESP) |
| 19 | 26 July | Pornic to Nantes | 49.0 km (30.4 mi) | | Individual time trial |  David Millar (GBR) |
| 20 | 27 July | Ville-d'Avray to Paris (Champs-Élysées) | 152.0 km (94.4 mi) | | Plain stage | Jean-Patrick Nazon (FRA) |
| Total | 3,427 km (2,129 mi)[10] | |||||
Race overview
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The Tour proved to be one more hotly contested than the previous years. 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 from the Cote de La Rochette, shortly after passing the Col de Manse into Gap.[11] The crash was a result of a locked brake, caused by a lack of traction from melting tar on the road, which led to the tyre coming off the rim.[12] Beloki broke his right femur, elbow and wrist, and had to leave the Tour.[13] 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.
Doping
Subsequent to Armstrong's statement to withdraw his fight against United States Anti-Doping Agency's (USADA) charges, on 24 August 2012, the USADA said it would ban Armstrong for life and stripped him of his record seven Tour de France titles.[14][15] Later that day it was confirmed in a USADA statement that Armstrong was banned for life and would be disqualified from any and all competitive results obtained on and subsequent to 1 August 1998, including forfeiture of any medals, titles, winnings, finishes, points and prizes.[1] On 22 October 2012, the Union Cycliste Internationale endorsed the USADA sanctions, and decided not to award victories to any other rider or upgrade other placings in any of the affected events.[2]
Classification leadership
The team classification is based on the added time of the team's top three best riders in each stage.
The young rider classification tracks the best riders under 25 years old in the Tour de France.
In the Centenaire classification, positions from six stages involving cities (Lyon, Marseille, Toulouse, Bordeaux, Nantes, Paris) visited during 1903 were combined. Alexander Vinokourov (Team Telekom) won the super-combativity award.
- In stage 1, David Millar wore the green jersey.
- In stage 8, Rolf Aldag wore the polka-dot jersey.
Final standings
| Legend | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |
Denotes the leader of the points classification | |
Denotes the leader of the mountains classification |
| |
Denotes the leader of the young rider classification |  |
Denotes the winner of the super-combativity award |
General classification
| Rank | Rider | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| DSQ | Lance Armstrong (USA) | | |
| 2 | Jan Ullrich (GER) | Team Bianchi | + 1' 01" |
| 3 | Alexander Vinokourov (KAZ) | Team Telekom | + 4' 14" |
| 4 | Tyler Hamilton (USA) | Team CSC | + 6' 17" |
| 5 | Haimar Zubeldia (ESP) | Euskaltel–Euskadi | + 6' 51" |
| 6 | Iban Mayo (ESP) | Euskaltel–Euskadi | + 7' 06" |
| 7 | Ivan Basso (ITA) | Fassa Bortolo | + 10' 12" |
| 8 | Christophe Moreau (FRA) | Crédit Agricole | + 12' 28" |
| 9 | Carlos Sastre (ESP) | Team CSC | + 18' 49" |
| 10 | Francisco Mancebo (ESP) | iBanesto.com | + 19' 15" |
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Points classification
| Rank | Rider | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Baden Cooke (AUS) |
FDJeux.com | 216 |
| 2 | Robbie McEwen (AUS) |
Lotto–Domo | 214 |
| 3 | Erik Zabel (DEU) |
Team Telekom | 188 |
| 4 |  Thor Hushovd (NOR) |
Crédit Agricole | 173 |
| 5 | Luca Paolini (ITA) |
Quick-Step–Davitamon | 156 |
| 6 | Jean-Patrick Nazon (FRA) |
Jean Delatour | 154 |
| 7 | Stuart O'Grady (AUS) |
Crédit Agricole | 153 |
| 8 | Fabrizio Guidi (ITA) |
Team Bianchi | 122 |
| 9 | Jan Ullrich (GER) |
Team Bianchi | 112 |
| 10 | Damien Nazon (FRA) |
Brioches La Boulangère | 107 |
Mountains classification
| Rank | Rider | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Richard Virenque (FRA) |
Quick-Step–Davitamon | 324 |
| 2 |  Laurent Dufaux (SUI) |
Alessio | 187 |
| 3 | |
| |
| 4 | Christophe Moreau (FRA) |
Crédit Agricole | 137 |
| 5 | Juan Miguel Mercado (ESP) |
iBanesto.com | 136 |
| 6 | Iban Mayo (ESP) |
Euskaltel–Euskadi | 130 |
| 7 | Haimar Zubeldia (ESP) |
Euskaltel–Euskadi | 125 |
| 8 | Jan Ullrich (GER) |
Team Bianchi | 124 |
| 9 | Tyler Hamilton (USA) |
Team CSC | 116 |
| 10 | Paolo Bettini (ITA) |
Quick-Step–Davitamon | 100 |
Young rider classification
| Rank | Rider | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Denis Menchov (RUS) |
iBanesto.com | 84h 0' 56" |
| 2 | Mikel Astarloza (ESP) |
AG2R Prévoyance | + 42' 29" |
| 3 | Juan Miguel Mercado (ESP) |
iBanesto.com | + 1h 02' 48" |
| 4 | Sylvain Chavanel (FRA) |
Brioches La Boulangère | + 1h 05' 17" |
| 5 | Andy Flickinger (FRA) |
AG2R Prévoyance | + 1h 09' 09" |
| 6 | Michael Rogers (AUS) |
Quick-Step–Davitamon | + 1h 17' 44" |
| 7 | Matthias Kessler (GER) |
Team Telekom | + 1h 25' 33" |
| 8 | Evgeni Petrov (RUS) |
iBanesto.com | + 1h 32' 19" |
| 9 | Jérôme Pineau (FRA) |
Brioches La Boulangère | + 1h 51' 49" |
| 10 | Franco Pellizotti (ITA) |
Alessio | + 2h 01' 08" |
Team classification
| Rank | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Team CSC | 248h 18' 18" |
| 2 | iBanesto.com | + 21' 46" |
| 3 | Euskaltel–Euskadi | + 44' 59" |
| 4 | U.S. Postal Service | + 45' 53" |
| 5 | Team Bianchi | + 1h 12' 40" |
| 6 | Team Telekom | + 1h 38' 45" |
| 7 | Quick-Step–Davitamon | + 2h 02' 17" |
| 8 | Brioches La Boulangère | + 2h 02' 36" |
| 9 | AG2R Prévoyance | + 2h 08' 06" |
| 10 | Cofidis | + 2h 08' 56" |
Centenaire classification
| Rank | Rider | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stuart O'Grady (AUS) |
Crédit Agricole | 82 |
| 2 | Thor Hushovd (NOR) |
Crédit Agricole | 86 |
| 3 | Fabrizio Guidi (ITA) |
Team Bianchi | 103 |
| 4 | Luca Paolini (ITA) |
Quick-Step–Davitamon | 118 |
| 5 |  Gerrit Glomser (AUT) |
Saeco Macchine per Caffè | 123 |
| 6 | Jan Ullrich (GER) |
Bianchi | 165 |
| 7 | Damien Nazon (FRA) |
Brioches La Boulangère | 169 |
| 8 | Baden Cooke (AUS) |
FDJeux.com | 184 |
| 9 | Bradley McGee (AUS) |
FDJeux.com | 188 |
| 10 | Christophe Moreau (FRA) |
Crédit Agricole | 210 |
Notes and references
Footnotes
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 On 24 August 2012, the United States Anti-Doping Agency announced that they had disqualified Armstrong from all his results since 1998, including his victory in the 2003 Tour de France.[1] The Union Cycliste Internationale, responsible for the international cycling, confirmed this verdict on 22 October 2012.[2]
References
- 1 2 "Lance Armstrong Receives Lifetime Ban And Disqualification Of Competitive Results For Doping Violations Stemming From His Involvement In The United States Postal Service Pro-Cycling Team Doping Conspiracy". United States Anti-Doping Agency. 24 August 2012. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
- 1 2 "Lance Armstrong stripped of all seven Tour de France wins by UCI". BBC News. BBC. 22 October 2012. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
- ↑ "Maillot jaune Lance Armstrong speaks, July 24, 2004". Cycling News. 2004-07-24. Retrieved 2009-08-12.
- ↑ "Tour de France - July 5-27, 2003". Cyclingnews. Retrieved 15 March 2015.
- ↑ Cameron, Gordan (19 May 2003). "Tour De France Wildcards: No Cipo'!". Retrieved 15 March 2015.
- ↑ Jones, Jeff (19 May 2003). "Tour selection leaves Cipollini in the cold". Cyclingnews. Retrieved 15 March 2015.
- ↑ Historical guide 2016, p. 94.
- 1 2 "90ème Tour de France 2003" (in French). Mémoire du cyclisme. Archived from the original on 1 September 2012. Retrieved 26 September 2016.
- ↑ Zwegers, Arian. "Tour de France GC Top Ten". CVCC. Archived from the original on 2009-06-10. Retrieved 15 Aug 2011.
- ↑ Historical guide 2016, p. 110.
- ↑ Gilmour, Rod (19 July 2011). "Tour de France 2011, stage 16". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 12 July 2013.
- ↑ Samuel Abt (30 May 2004). "Effects of a Crash Landing Are Still Hampering Beloki". New York Times. Retrieved 23 August 2011.
- ↑ Chris Henry (17 November 2003). "Change and challenge for Joseba Beloki". Cycling News. Retrieved 23 August 2011.
- ↑ "Lance Armstrong will be banned from cycling by USADA after saying he won't fight doping charges". The Washington Post. 24 August 2012. Retrieved 24 August 2012.
- ↑ "USADA to ban Armstrong for life, strip Tour titles". CBS News. Retrieved 24 August 2012.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 "90th Tour de France - July 5–27, 2003". Cyclingnews.com. 2003. Archived from the original on 9 October 2009. Retrieved 7 October 2009.
Sources
- Augendre, Jacques (2016). Guide historique [Historical guide] (PDF). Tour de France (in French). Paris: Amaury Sport Organisation. Archived (PDF) from the original on 17 August 2016. Retrieved 27 October 2016.
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to 2003 Tour de France. |
- Official website at the Wayback Machine (archived 8 October 2003)
- 2003 Tour de France at Cyclingnews.com
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