Saturday, July 6: Live updates from Stage 7
CHAMERY, France

Recap from yesterday:

• FRIDAY'S STAGE: The sixth stage--207 kilometers (128.3 miles) from Arc-et-Senans to Aix-les-Bains--featured the first challenging climbs in this year's tour.
  
• WINNER: Michaël Boogerd (Rabobank), 5 hours, 5 minutes, 38 seconds. Average speed: 40.63 m/h (25.19 mph).
  
• YELLOW JERSEY: Stephane Heulot (GAN) for the third day.
  
• HOW THE OTHERS FARED: Alex Zülle (ONCE), 40th at one second back, 3rd overall at 4:05 back; Tony Rominger (Mapei-GB), 26th at same time, 12th overall at 4:24; Laurent Jalabert (ONCE), 3rd at same time, 4th overall at 4:06. Miguel Indurain (Banesto), 44th at same time, 8th overall at 4:17. Lance Armstrong, (Motorola), quit the Tour de France Friday.
  
• TOUR TIDBIT: Poor weather continues to plague the Tour de France. After the sixth-straight day of rain and strong winds, 14 riders abandoned the race Friday.
  
• QUOTE OF THE DAY: ``I think I've got bronchitis and even if the Olympics weren't coming up, I'd still have abandoned because I'm feeling so poor.'' -- American Lance Armstrong after quitting the Tour de France Friday.
  
• THE NEXT STAGE: The 21-stage, 3,900-kilometer (2,418-mile) Tour de France continues Saturday 199 kilometers (123 miles) from Chambery to Les Arcs with two passes topping 6,000 feet each.

11:42 a.m. (local time): At the start of today's stage, Dutch rider Erik Dekker (Rabobank) made an early attack at seven kilometers into the race. Laurent Roux (TVM) and Jacky Durand (Agrigel) gave an chase, catching Dekker and passing him. At the 24 kilometer mark, the peloton catches the break.

11:50 a.m. (local time): The riders have set an aggressive pace on this morning of heavy rains, with hints of fresh snow spread across the upper mountain reaches visible from Chambéry, the start of today's race.

11:55 p.m. (local time): The break by Durand and Laurent Roux was recovered as the riders whipped through the day's first sprint at kilometer 29.5. Germany Erik Zabel (Telekom), Dane Bo Hamburger (TVM), and Thierry Gouvenou (Aubervilliers) crossed in that order.

12:10 p.m. (local time): Race officials report that Stefano Colage (Refin Mobilvetta) has retired, as has Leon Van Bon (Rabobank).

12:32 p.m. (local time): The brutal climb of the 2,000-meter Col de la Madeleine has begun, a very wet and cold push up to snow level at 6,000 feet.

12:58 p.m. (local time): The peloton is together and climbing the first of three major climbs in today's Les Arc stage. Thousands of fans are lining today's course, the first major climbing stage in this year's Tour de France.

The peloton is without American Lance Armstrong, who pulled out of the Tour yesterday after complaining about a cold. Many of the riders are worried that persistent cool weather and heavy rains could do them in. With more than two weeks left in the Tour, the peloton is showing obvious signs of strain.

1:08 p.m. (local time): Laurent Jalabert (ONCE) has quit the Tour de France! Looks like this ONCE squad now belongs to Alex Zülle.

(Editor's note: information from the official radio report proved to be inaccurate. Hence the error, which is corrected below.)

1:13 p.m. (local time): Correction: Jalabert is still going. He's 45 seconds behind the peloton. Chris Boardman (GAN) has also fallen off the pace and is 25 seconds behind the pack.

1:23 p.m. (local time): Temperatures at the tops of today's cols are expected to be near freezing.

1:29 p.m. (local time): With 10 kilometers to go to the summit of the 2,000-meter Col de la Madeleine at the 79-kilometer mark, a group of 30 riders has put some time ahead of the peloton.

Five-time Tour de France champion Miguel Indurain and Alex Zülle, who finished second in last year's Tour, are part of the lead pack.

France's Laurent Jalabert continues to lose time, falling back to 1:25 and Chris Boardman is back 50 seconds. Overall leader Stephane Heulot is having problems, is 25 seconds behind the lead group.

1:36 p.m. (local time): At one kilometer from the summit, yesterday's stage winner Michaël Boogerd is 45 seconds back. Boardman is two minutes back. Jalabert has fallen nearly three minutes behind the lead group of riders.

1:42 p.m. (local time): There's no doubt, Big Mig has it this year. After an easy first week, the five-time defending champion is reminding the peloton he wants to win a record sixth tour.

Topping out of the 2,000-meter climb of the Col de la Madeleine--a climb that's difficulty goes off the ranking scale--comes Richard Virenque (Festina) first, followed closely by Indurain.

1:44 p.m. (local time): Motorola's Laurent Madouas is "in difficulty" according to reports from race officials. So is Mapei-GB's Abraham Olano. World champion Olano finished 3rd in this year's Giro d'Italia. Dropping out on the climb is Italy's Claudio Camin (Brescialat).

1:52 p.m. (local time): Finishing third in the climb was Switzerland's Alex Zülle of ONCE. Teammate Laurent Jalabert didn't top the summit until 4:38. Chris Boardman (GAN) is about the same time back. Yellow jersey holder Stephane Heulot is 1:35 behind Indurain, who's now hammering down the pass, heading towards today's feed zone at the 123-kilometer mark.

Today's race should finish early, with the leaders expected to arrive at the finish by 4 p.m.

1:54 p.m. (local time): On the descent, last year's third-place finisher Bjarne Riis (Telekom) is going all out on the descent, taking all kinds of crazy chances. He's gapping Indurain and the leaders. The time is unclear. It's raining and the roads are slick.

1:58 p.m. (local time): Yellow-jersey holder Stephane Heulot (GAN), who lost 1:35 on the climb, is hammering the descent and just caught the lead group of riders. The daring move keeps the Frenchman in the yellow jersey, at least halfway through today's challenging stage.

2:07 p.m. (local time): Still heading down the col, Bjarne Riis is ripping the rain-drenched course, pulling 45 seconds ahead of the lead group, with yellow-jersey holder Heulot, five-time defending champion Miguel Indurain, Alex Zülle and about 20 other riders. Jalabert has fallen back to a second group of riders 4:50 behind the lead group.

2:12 p.m. (local time): Riis just reached the bottom of the col at the 109-km mark carrying a 1:15 lead over Indurain's pack. The course flattens out heading into the feed zone at the 123-km mark in Albertville, site of the 1992 Winter Olympics. Then the peloton heads up the second major climb, a tough Category-1 (the hardest rating) climb topping out at 1,968 meters at Cormet de Roseland. Then it drops to 835 meters where the final climb begins, a 15-kilometer grind up grades up to 9 percent. The stage ends in Les Arcs, a ski station at 1,700 meters.

2:31 p.m. (local time): At the 130-kilometer mark, Tony Rominger (Mapei) just went down in a spill. No word on the extent of injuries yet. Indurain's chase group is narrowing Riis's lead as the race heads towards the second climb of the day, a Category-1 climb topping out at 1,968 meters at Cormet de Roseland. Jalabert continues to lose time, dropping back five minutes behind the leaders.

2:41 p.m. (local time): A three-man break of Italian Alberto Elli (MG-Technogym), Austrian Patrick Jonker (ONCE), and German Udo Bolts is 2:00 ahead of the chase group that includes Miguel Indurain and Stephane Heulot. No word yet on Rominger. Rain pummels the finish line ahead at the 199-kilometer mark.

2:45 p.m. (local time): Rominger is back on his bike and has chased down the Indurain group.

2:50 p.m. (local time): The three-man break of Elli, Jonker, and Bolts is now starting the climb at the 1607-meter Col du Meraillet. It's now foggy, but no rain. The trio is now 2:50 ahead of Indurain's group. Olano, who was in trouble earlier, just caught up to Indurain's group.

3:00 p.m. (local time): The trio in the lead--Elli, Jonker and Bolts--is now 3:15 ahead of Indurain's chase group and is heading up the Cormet de Roselend, a Category-1 climb with a summit of 1,968-meters. Once the riders reach the summit, it's a 20-kilometer descent into the town of Bourg-Saint-Maurice sitting at the 183-kilometer mark. Jalabert's group is 3:05 behind Indurain.

3:05 p.m. (local time): The difference between the three-man break and Indurain's group is 4:10, with 61-kilomters to go to the finish. The sun just popped out momentarily, giving riders their first break in the weather of the day.

3:21 p.m. (local time): As the climb begins, Bolts has pulled ahead of Elli and Jonker in his break, which is hanging on to a two-minute lead in front of the Indurain group. The Jalabert group has dropped four minutes behind Indurain.

3:30 p.m. (local time): Bolts in now out front by himself, 3:05 ahead of Indurain's group. Jalabert, after pulling ahead of the second chase group, is now working with Belli to cut into the 3 minute gap between them and Indurain. Watch for a serious push.

3:40 p.m. (local time): The chase is on. Indurain, Heulot, Olano, and several others in a group are trying to take over the lead. The riders are now entering the cloud zone. Jalabert is riding for his life, attempting to catch up with Indurain.

3:42 p.m. (local time): Three men attacking, trying to catch Bolt's lead: Virenque, Luc LeBlanc (Polti), and Fernando Escartin (Kelme) out of the Indurain group. Jalabert working alone is still 3:05 behind the Indurain group.

3:45 p.m. (local time): In an attack including Virenque, LeBlanc, and Escartin just passed Jonker and Elli, and are closing on Bolts. The riders are nearing the summit of Cormet de Roselend at the 163-kilometer mark. And it's starting to rain again.

3:54 p.m. (local time): Bolts is still in the lead, but the rest of the group trying to attack--including Virenque, LeBlanc and Escartin--was just absorbed by the charging Banesto squad led, of course, by Indurain. And Zülle just attacked. Jalabert's struggle to get back up seems to be weakening as he falls four minutes behind Indurain's hot-paced team of chargers.

3:57 p.m. (local time): Zülle is reeled back in by Indurain and his machine. They have now turned their sights on Bolts who is sustaining a two-minute lead.

4:01 p.m. (local time): Stéphen Heulot, overall leader of the Tour de France, has been fading for the past 20 kilometers and appears to be on the brink of abandonment.

4:04 p.m. (local time): Despite several attacks on his lead, Bolts remains in front as he approaches the summit of the Cormet de Roselend, the 163 kilometer of this 199-kilometer stage. He is followed closely by Laurent Dufaux (Festina). All bets will be off during the wild plunge toward Bourg-Saint-Maurice and the day's last points sprint. Jalabert is still working by himself, 4:30 minutes behind Indurain's group and more than 6:30 behind stage leader Bolts.

4:10 p.m. (local time): After reaching the summit of the Cormet de Roselend, Bolts and Dufaux finished first ahead of the Indurain group and its frontrunner, Virenque. Heulot has again stopped his bike and is in tears--emotional and physical agony by all appearances--halted by an aching knee. The GAN rider's time is over. The lead pack continues its final dive down the Alps.

4:12 p.m. (local time): Heulot has officially abandoned. Zülle has crashed on the descent but regained his bike. The rest are ripping down the mountain, eating up time.

4:16 p.m. (local time): Johan Bruyneel (Rabobank) just crashed on the serpentine descent, hitting a concrete barrier and flying off course into a deep ravine. No word yet on injuries. Zülle is giving chase with a teammate. Jalabert is 7 minutes back.

4:18 p.m. (local time): Zülle has crashed again! Bruyneel climbed out of the ravine and regained his bike to resume the plunge.

4:20 p.m. (local time): Bruyneel doesn't appear to be seriously injured. Zülle also appears to be okay after dodging a second "bullet". Bolts is still leading as he is nearing the beginning of the final climb of the day.

4:25 p.m. (local time): The final climb is the battle for the yellow jersey. Heulot is gone. Second-place Piccoli is back. Jalabert is out of the picture and Zülle is struggling, crashing twice on the second descent of the day. Whoever can win the climb to Les Arcs will be the new yellow jersey. In the hunt are: Indurain, Olano, Berzin, Rominger and six other riders. Everyone expected the Alps to throw the race into a frenzy, but this is incredible!

4:27 p.m. (local time): Dufaux is closing the gap on Bolts. Both are both still ahead of the Indurain group heading into the final climb to Les Arcs.

4:35 p.m. (local time): Bolts is holding his two-minute lead over the Indurain group and looks to have a lock on Stage 7. Defaux is 25 seconds behind Bolts. 4:46 p.m. (local time): LeBlanc just attacked. Indurain's group just caught Bo Hamburger (TVM) who has been engineering his own break, and have also absorbed Bolts. Dufaux is still out front.

4:54 p.m. (local time): Just passed 5-kilometer mark. Dufaux is out in first, about 1:40 ahead of Indurain's group. LeBlanc is in second, 39 seconds back. Peter Luttenberger (Carrera) and Virenque just attacked. Zülle is with the lead pack. Hamburger and Bolts are now with the Indurain group.

5:05 p.m. (local time): Indurain bonks. Luc LeBlanc wins the stage, but the big news is that Dufaux, Tony Rominger, Eugeni Berzin, and Zülle all cross the finish with Indurain trailing more than 1:40 at the 1-kilometer mark.

5:05 p.m. (local time): Indurain cracks! Indurain just crossd the line four mnutes, 19 seconds behind LeBlanc's time and dropped in the overall. In the last five kilometers, the five-time champ bonked and everyone rode past him. Rominger finished second and Berzin moves into the yellow jersey by .16 seconds ahead of Olano!

Results story

Andrew Hood, Jim Schnebly, and Andy Dahlstrom are on the road, providing up-to-the-minute updates from the Tour de France.