Tour De France

BORDEAUX, France -- So who thought that Richard Virenque, with a lead of 4 minutes, 34 seconds in the Tour de France -- seemingly enough time to stroll through yesterday's stage -- would keep the leader's yellow jersey for just one day?He lost the jersey by less than a country mile -- actually about a kilometer -- to an RMO teammate, Pascal Lino, but he lost it nevertheless.Virenque, who took the mantle of leadership on Monday thanks to a long breakaway, was the victim of a similar attack yesterday.

Feeling a little winter-weary? Escape from the season of snow and ice to a refreshing look at spring at "Springtime in Paris," the 2011 Philadelphia International Flower Show that begins today at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia. Featured in "1,000 Places to Visit Before You Die," Philly's flower show is a must-see for flower and garden lovers. Each year, at least 60 florists, professional landscapers and horticultural and educational organizations create breathtaking, full-scale gardens and floral displays.

When Sean Kelly walked through BWI Airport yesterday, no one's head turned. No one rushed up and asked for his autograph. No one even looked twice.Maybe he should have flashed his American Express card.For Kelly was the No. 1 cyclist in the world from 1986 to 1990. The lack of recognition was a fact that didn't seem to bother Kelly, who was arriving with 70 other world-class competitors for the Tour Du Pont.But then, Sean Kelly has mixed feelings about being here, anyway.All things considered, he'd rather be home in Carrick-on-Suir, Ireland, resting up for the Tour de France.

News item: Terrell Suggs has signed a six-year deal with the Ravens worth a reported $63 million, making him the highest-paid linebacker in the history of the NFL. My take: I know that sounds like a lot of money to pay a guy for running into people, but Suggs is the real deal, and the Ravens are smart to lock up the nucleus of their strong defense. Bonus take: And I give both sides a lot of credit for getting through the long negotiating process without a lot of public rancor. News item: Orioles center fielder Adam Jones delivered a sacrifice fly to drive in the winning run in the 80th All-Star Game on Tuesday night at Busch Stadium in St. Louis.

American fans of one of the world's great sporting events face a good news/bad news situation this year.The good news is they can find same-day coverage of every one of the 21 stages of the Tour de France bicycle race on their television sets.The bad news is they can only watch it on cable, via the all-sports ESPN network, a basic-subscription service in most areas.The grueling endurance event began Saturday and concludes July 26 on the Champs Elysses in Paris. And midway through the first week, American Greg LeMond, a three-time winner, remains among the favorites after a seventh-place finish last year.

CORK, Ireland -- Chris Boardman, who wore the leader's yellow jersey for the first two days, crashed yesterday and fractured his left wrist, knocking him out of the Tour de France.About 90 minutes away from the finish of the 127-mile second stage, Boardman's front wheel clipped the rear wheel of teammate Frederic Moncassin's bike. Boardman's helmet hit a stone fence, cutting his forehead.Tour doctor David Curtis said Boardman, the gold medalist in the 1992 Olympics in pursuit, had a fractured left wrist, as well as cuts and bruises to his face.

Even as the bouquets of praise are piling up for Floyd Landis, in recognition of his improbable, theatrical Tour de France victory that concluded Sunday, the real flowers offering sympathy and get-well wishes aren't far away. Landis said yesterday that he hopes to have hip replacement surgery "in the next month" and admitted he is optimistic but uncertain about his cycling career after the operation. During an afternoon conference call from Paris, Landis - suddenly a sports celebrity at age 30 - acknowledged he is "a little bit" nervous about the procedure to fix his right hip bone, which has been withering from a lack of blood flow since a 2003 crash.

American Greg LeMond lost his lead in the Tour de France and French riders celebrated a fiesta in Spain when Luc Leblanc took the overall lead and Charly Mottet won his second straight stage in a surprise breakaway in the Pyrenees yesterday.Leblanc, Mottet and Swiss rider Pascal Richard gained almost seven minutes on the main peloton, which included LeMond, the defending champion, in the 119-mile stage from Pau, France, to Jaca, Spain. Leblanc, who started the day in sixth place, 4 minutes, 20 seconds behind LeMond, now leads him by 2:35.

SAINT-BRIEUC, France -- Outsider Jacky Durand of France made the most of the early dry weather yesterday to win the prologue time trial of the Tour de France as the favorites saw their hopes washed away in a rainstorm.Tony Rominger of Switzerland and four-time defending champion Miguel Indurain of Spain were unwilling to take risks during the 4.5-mile time trial, and finished well down in the provisional standings.It was a day when staying upright on the wet, slippery track was vital.Britain's Chris Boardman went all out in the rain and it was costly, as he crashed into the railings on a slow corner.

PARIS -- This was supposed to go down in the history books as a spectacular win for Miguel Indurain in the Tour de France -- making him the only rider to capture the race five times in a row. But it will be remembered for another reason, too: as the year a rider crashed and died.The death last Tuesday of Italy's Fabio Casartelli seemed to suck all the pomp and circumstance out of the 82-year-old race that has become known as the most prestigious cycling event in the world.But the Tour did retain enough pageantry yesterday for thousands of spectators to line the Champs-Elysees and welcome the racers who had been riding about 100 miles every day for the past three weeks.

Lance Armstrong's return to the race that made him a superstar reintroduces one of the touchier cases of fan-athlete rapport, the occasionally prickly interplay between the cyclist who once dominated a revered 106-year-old race in a foreign country and the citizens of the country with the revered 106-year-old race. As Tour de France participants and oglers gathered in Monaco, fans reportedly cheered Armstrong while Armstrong told the Associated Press in a telephone interview that he had seen "thousands" of supportive French fans as he made pre-race preparations in the Alps.

A speed record might topple soon in an epic cross-country bike race that is arguably tougher than the Tour de France. Adam Driscoll and Patrick Blair intend to snag first place in the two-man division of the legendary Race Across America, a 3,000-mile ultra-marathon that begins for teams June 20 in Oceanside, Calif., and ends in Annapolis on or about June 26. But as undeniably thrilling as winning would be, it is not the primary motivation for the two local contenders as they prepare to embark on six or more grueling days and nights of round-the-clock cycling.

Murder charges filed in Adenhart crash baseball A 22-year-old man was charged with three murder counts and drunken driving Friday in the crash that killed Los Angeles Angels rookie pitcher Nick Adenhart and two others. Andrew Thomas Gallo had nearly triple the legal blood-alcohol level when he allegedly ran a red light in his minivan early Thursday and broadsided a car carrying Adenhart and three friends, police said. Gallo could get almost 55 years to life in prison if convicted of all charges, Orange County (Calif.

Conception the natural way for Armstrong and his girlfriend Lance Armstrong's new baby was conceived naturally, a spokeswoman for his cancer foundation confirmed yesterday. Armstrong, who won the Tour de France seven consecutive years after overcoming testicular cancer, and his girlfriend, Anna Hansen, are expecting the baby in June. "The baby was conceived naturally," Lance Armstrong Foundation spokeswoman Rae Bazzarre said in a statement e-mailed to the Associated Press. Armstrong had three children with his ex-wife Kristin using in vitro fertilization with sperm he had banked before undergoing chemotherapy.

It might be true that it doesn't matter how virtuous Lance Armstrong really is. He has been a force of good, legitimate or not. Even if all of this has been done for the Glory of Lance, something larger has been achieved along the way. I'll pump my fist when I catch a glimpse of the 2009 Tour de France on television, fully embracing the idea, if not the man. ( For more, go to baltimoresun.com/lifeofkings)

PARIS - There was something raw and revealing about Lance Armstrong's face this year, a look that came over him when he knew he didn't have the legs to respond the way he wanted. Armstrong campaigned for a record-tying, fifth straight victory in the Tour de France with the clenched jaw of a man stacking sandbags before the floodwaters. Though he led the three-week race from its eighth day on, the 31-year-old Texan had to tread water in situations where he used to ride the waves. Depleted by illness, crashes and dehydration, and hampered by mechanical problems, Armstrong plugged the leaks, conserved his energy and won his most difficult Tour with a single, lethal strike in the Pyrenees Mountains a week ago. He finished the 2,129-mile race yesterday a mere 61 seconds ahead of rival Jan Ullrich of Germany.

NOIRMOUTIER-EN-L'ILE, France - Lance Armstrong pedaled with such ferocity that his right foot slipped off the pedal before he'd barely pushed himself out of the starting gate. Armstrong muttered something, hunched his shoulders and slammed ahead, moving with a single purpose. To send a message. Aiming to win an unprecedented seventh straight Tour de France in this retirement race, Armstrong finished two seconds behind the unlikely stage winner, David Zabriskie, in yesterday's 11.8-mile first-stage time trial at the Tour de France.