The peloton begins climbing on stage nine, a 184.5km stage between Bourg d'Oisans and Gap
Overall leader Lance Armstrong rides safely in the middle of the peloton as he aims to protect the yellow jersey
The peloton remain bunched along the Lautaret pass as no-one seems prepared to attempt a decisive break
The route takes the riders via a tunnel through the mountain on the way to the day's biggest climb, the Col d'Izoard
Richard Virenque is amongst a small group who try a tentative early attack but they are soon swallowed up by the peloton
ONCE's Joseba Beloki and Jan Ullrich of Team Bianchi toil in the heat as they try and mount a challenge to Armstrong's lead
ONCE's Jorg Jaksche and Colombian Ivan Parra are amongst a breakaway quartet but are caught by the peloton on the final climb
Drama on the final descent as Lance Armstrong is forced to take evasive action when Beloki's tyre bursts and he falls heavily
Beloki's ONCE team-mates stop to try and help him before the Spaniard is taken away by ambulance, his Tour over
Team Telekom's Alexandre Vinokourov is already away ahead of the crash and holds on to finish 36 seconds ahead of the field
Armstrong retains the yellow jersey but his overall lead is cut to 21 seconds by Vinokourov, who moves into second place
|
~RS~a~RS~International~RS~q~RS~~RS~z~RS~36~RS~){kind=small}
E-mail this to a friend
