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Keep yourself informed about the time trials, sprints and mountains over the three weeks of the 2008 Tour, as competitors toil up mountains and race on the flat, heading for the grande finale on Paris's Champs Elysées. Philip Turle will be following the world's greatest bicycle race.
Sastre still in yellow as Schumacher wins 20th stage
Spanish rider Carlos Sastre retained the leader's yellow jersey at the end of the 53-kilometer 20th stage of the Tour de France, leaving him almost certain to win the whole race. Stefan Scumacher won the stage, while Castre managed to keep his overall lead over Australian Cadel Evans, losing just 29 seconds to give him a lead of one minute 59 seconds going into the final stage.
2008-07-27 10:02 TU
Burghardt wins stage 18 as Sastre holds on to yellow
The German Marcus Burghardt of the Columbia team won stage 18 from Bourg-d'Oisans to Saint Etienne on Thursday. He got away in a break at 60km and outsprinted the Spaniard Carlos Barredo.
2008-07-24 15:54 TU
Spain's Sastre grabs 17th stage
Carlos Sastre of Spain, riding for CSC, grabbed the 17th stage of the Tour de France on Wednesday, after completing the 210km ride from Ebrun to Alpe d'Huez. Sastre gained the lead after attacking, and conquering the 13.3 km climb to the Alpe d'Huez.
2008-07-24 10:28 TU
Frenchman Dessel wins mountainous stage
French rider Cyril Dessel had his first stage win on the 16th stage of the Tour that climbed the Alps and returned back into France from Italy. Frank Schleck keeps the yellow jersey.
2008-07-22 17:45 TU
Second and final rest day in Italy
It's the second and final rest day on this year's tour. They're resting in Italy. It's still not clear who will wear the yellow up the Champs Elysées with Schleck, Kohl and Evans all in contention. More attacks in the mountains are expected over the coming days.
2008-07-21 14:21 TU
Gerrans wins stage as Evans loses yellow
Australian Simon Gerrans won stage 15 of the Tour de France on Sunday as the race continued through the Alps. He was part of a four man breakway and when it dropped to two, he outsprinted Egoi Martinez in the last 150 metres. Luxembourg's Frank Schleck took the yellow jersey with an eight-second lead on Cadel Evans.
2008-07-20 15:31 TU
Freire wins stage 14 as Evans remains in yellow by one second
Spain's Oscar Freire took stage 14 on Saturday over the 194km from Nimes to Dignes Les Bains. The Spaniard won a sprint finish. The day's route included a climb up the 2744m of the Col Agnel and once the breakaways were reined in, Freire beat Frenchman Romain Feillu. The riders continue in the Alps on Sunday.
2008-07-24 12:59 TU
Cavendish makes it four
Britain's Mark Cavendish again proved that he is the master of the bunched sprint as he took his fourth stage of the 2008 tour. Australian rider Cadel Evans retained the leader's yellow jersey.
2008-07-18 17:29 TU
Cavendish makes Tour history with third win
The UK's Mark Cavendish made Tour de France history on Thursday as he claimed his third victory on the 12th stage. The 23-year-old, who rides for the Columbia team, became the first Briton to win three stages in a single edition.
2008-07-18 17:25 TU
Arvesen takes 11th stage, rider expelled over doping
Kurt-Asle Arvesen of Norway beat Swiss Martin Elmiger and Alessandro Ballan of Italy to the finish line of the 11th stage, held over 167.5km, to hand his ambitious CSC team their first win of this year's edition. And doping raises its ugly head again...
2008-07-17 08:24 TU
First rest day for Tour riders
Tuesday the riders took a break from the road, the first of two rest days in the mountain stages. The tour continues on Wednesday, for Stage 11, a flatter 167 kilometre ride between Lannemezan and Foix. One thing to look out for: the 1,400 metre climb up the Col de Portel mountain.
2008-07-17 08:17 TU
Piepoli takes tenth stage, Evans takes yellow jersey
Italian Leonardo Piepoli of the Saunier Duval team won the tenth stage of the Tour de France, a gruelling 156 km ride from Pau to the Pyrenees on Monday. Australian Cadel Evans took the race leader's yellow jersey from Luxembourg's Kim Kirchen.
2008-07-17 08:18 TU
Ricco takes stage nine as riders prepare for Pau to Autacam
The Italian Riccardo Ricco took the ninth stage of the Tour. He had crashed the previous day but recovered to overtake Sebastian Lang on the Col d'Aspin and finish a minute ahead of the Russian Vladimir Efimkin.
2008-07-17 08:21 TU
Cavendish takes another stage in sprint finish on day eight
The Briton Mark Cavendish took the eighth stage of the Tour de France on Saturday. The 172 km from Figeac to Toulouse weren't sufficient to sort out the riders and it came down to a sprint finish. Cavendish, riding for Columbia, edged out his German team-mate Gerald Ciolek and Frenchman Jimmy Casper riding for Agritubel. Columbia's Kim Kirchen holds on to the yellow jersey.
2008-07-14 15:59 TU
Sanchez wins dramatic seventh stage
Spanish rider Luis Leon Sanchez of the Caisse d'Epargne team won the seventh stage of the Tour de France, a 159-kilometre ride from Brioude to Aurillac on Friday. Luxembourg's Kim Kirchen retained the overall leader's yellow jersey, six seconds ahead of Australian Cadel Evans.
2008-07-18 08:31 TU
Ricco wins sixth stage, Kirchen takes yellow jersey
Italian Riccardo Ricco of Saunier Duval won the Tour de France sixth stage on Thursday, and Luxembourg's Kim Kirchen took over the yellow jersey as the previous leader, German Stefan Schumacher crashed in the final minutes, losing almost 30 seconds.
2008-07-18 08:30 TU
Cavendish scores long-awaited win
British rider Mark Cavendish won the fifth stage, a long-awaited victory for the Team Columbia sprinter. He declared his win "sensational" and added that every child who rides a bike dreams of the Tour. German Stefan Schumacher keeps the yellow jersey.
2008-07-09 16:09 TU
Germany's Schumacher grabs yellow jersey on Tuesday
Germany's Stefan Schumacher, 26, won the fourth stage of the Tour de France on Tuesday in the 29.5km time trial. He beat Kim Kirchen of Luxembourg and UK's David Millar by 18 seconds.
2008-07-18 08:30 TU
Dumoulin fufils childhood dream, wins third stage
French rider Samuel Dumoulin, of the Cofidis team, won the third stage of the Tour de France on Sunday. The stage was between Saint Malo and Nantes in Brittany. Dumoulin said winning the stage was the fulfilment of a childhood dream, for which he has trained "in the rain, in the heat, in the cold".
2008-07-08 14:28 TU
Hushovt wins second stage, Valverde overall winner so far
Norwegian Thor Hushovt of Crédit Agricole won the second stage of the Tour de France on Sunday, a 164.5km ride from Auray to Saint Brieuc in Brittany. Spaniard Alejandro Valverde, of the Caisse d'Epargne team, retained the overall lead after winning the first stage.
2008-07-18 08:28 TU
Valverde wins first stage
Spaniard Alejandro Valdeverde, riding for the Caisse d'Epargne, won the first stage of the Tour de France on Saturday. The joint favourite to win the whole race came through on a sprint ahead of Belgian Philippe
Gilbert, Frenchman Jerome Pineau and Kim Kirchen of Luxembourg.
2008-07-08 10:25 TU
