Rose Cantine

Wim Vansevenant is still the Lanterne Rouge going into the Alps. He is a comfortable six minutes behind the second to the last in the general classement.

After today’s stage (number 16 from Cuneo to Jausiers), Frank Schleck is now wearing the yellow jersey but he is only 7 seconds ahead of Bernard Kohl and 8 seconds ahead of Cadel Evans, former holder of the yellow jersey. The race continues to be a tight one. Tomorrow’s dreaded Embrun to Alpe d’Huez stage (see official Tour de France video below) will probably determine who will win the Tour. Stay tuned!

Riccardo Ricco is out of the Tour de France. He tested positive for erythropoietin (EPO) and his team, Saunier-Duval, has pulled out of the Tour. Ricco won two mountain stages in this year’s Tour and wore the red peas jersey until today.

In today’s stage from Lavelanet to Narbonne, Mark Cavendish came in first, but Cadel Evans retained his overall lead and remains the holder of the yellow jersey. Wim Vansevenant is still the Lanterne Rouge and if he ends the Tour as the Lanterne Rouge, that makes it three years in a row - a record!

What an exciting finish! Cadel Evans (Silence-Lotto) has taken the yellow jersey, only one second ahead of Frank Schleck. In third place overall is Christian Vandevelde. This is the first of the mountainous stages in the Pyrenees (from Paul to Hautacam), a beautiful but forbidding region, especially if you are on a bike. Kim Kirchen, former holder of the yellow jersey, could not keep up with the other leaders. Alejandro Valverde might be out of contention for good as he suffered bike problems on the final climb.

Wim Vansevenant remains the Lanterne Rouge. If he maintains this position, he will be the only rider in history to get the Lanterne Rouge in three consecutive Tours.

Caisse d’Epargne rider Luis Leon Sanchez took the seventh stage of the Tour de France, so far, the most difficult stage with a steep climb at the end followed by a treacherous descent in the fog on wet roads. A number of riders had difficulty keeping their bikes on the slippery surface. But our Lanterne Rouge, Wim Vansevenant, is doing very well, coming into last place again. Kim Kirchen keeps the yellow jersey.

This year’s Tour de France is radically different from past Tours in that there is no prologue time-trial and very few flat stages. Read William Fotheringham’s commentary on why this year’s Tour de France, organized by Christian Prudhomme, is so different and more exciting.

Kim Kirchen (Columbia) took the yellow jersey in the classement général with Cadel Evans (Silence-Lotto) and Stefan Schumacher (Gerolsteiner) coming in second and third. Meanwhile, two-time Tour de France Lanterne Rouge, Wim Vansevenant, is securing his position in last place. The winner of this sixth stage is Riccado Ricco (Saunier Duval).

Tomorrow, stage 7, sees the riders going through the Massif Central, going up the Puy Mary, then down to Aurillac.

Another very exciting stage in the Tour de France! Mark Cavendish (Columbia) won it, with Oscar Freire (Rabobank) and Erik Zabel (Milram) coming in second and third. Stefan Schumacher is the overall Tour leader (with the yellow jersey). A bit of unfortunate news: Mauricio Soler has dropped out of the Tour because of injuries from a fall in second stage.

Meanwhile, the two-time Lanterne Rouge winner, Wim Vansevenant, finished 177th today. He’s hanging in there, doing an excellent job for his team, Silence-Lotto. For more on Vansevenant, go to Nancy Toby’s Lanterne Rouge blog.