Stage 16 | Castelsarrasin / Sarran

Long break pays off for Voight, McGee; Postal squad vigilant to keep Armstrong safe

By Bryan Jew
VeloNews Senior Writer

In late July in France, there are plenty of pleasant ways to spend a sunny summer afternoon during vacation season. Riding a bicycle for nearly six hours in 90-degree weather is not one of them. But after two-and-a-half weeks, and more than 1600 miles covered, that's what the riders in the Tour de France face for most of the final week. These are the dog days of the Tour, when many of the weary riders are just looking forward to getting to Paris. Still, even during the dog days, every day presents another chance for glory or disappointment, and Wednesday's Stage 16 from Castelsarrasin to Sarran saw a little of both.

The top positions are unchanged.

1 ARMSTRONG Lance 73h 39' 28"
2 ULLRICH Jan 05' 05"
3 KIVILEV Andrei 05' 13"
4 BELOKI Joseba 06' 33"
5 SIMON François 10' 54"

Friday's time trial will be the only significant chance for any time changes in the top 5. Unless, of course, Lances bicycle should explode.