LOURDES, France — Reigning world titlist Thor Hushovd of Norway, the former race leader, claimed a solo win in stage 13 while teammate Tyler Farrar of Wenatchee finished as expected near the back of the field for the second straight day Friday at the Tour de France. Hushovd (Garmin-Cervelo), who assumed the race lead with [...]
Greetings from James Raia
As a journalist since 1976, I contribute sports, business, travel and lifestyle articles to newspapers, magazines and web sites. Many examples of my work from Tour de France to my syndicated car review column The Weekly Driver to golf to lifestyle features are on this site.
I own and maintain the web sites: golftribune.com (All about golf); montereypeninsula.org (All about the Monterey Peninsula); theweeklydriver.com. (All about cars). My articles will also appear in my Twitter and Facebook pages.
E-mail: james@byjamesraia.com
Most Recent Stories
Thor Hushovd solos to stage 13 stage win; Thomas Voeckler retains Tour de France race lead
Tyler Farrar third as Mark Cavendish claims third win Tour de France stage 11
LAVAUR, France — Tyler Farrar was foiled again Wednesday and finished third in the rainy and overcast stage 11 of the Tour de France as Mark Cavendish claimed his third sprint win of the race. With a heavy downpour beginning with about nine miles left, Cavendish (HTC-Highroad) of Great Britain moved wide right in the [...]
Tour de France, 2011: Podium Girls and other pretty women
SAINT-FLOUR, France — Pretty women are as much a part of the Tour de France as the yellow jersey, sunflowers and riders’ epic treks into the Alps and Pyrenees. The women who give stage winners and jersey competition leaders awards each day are called the Podium Girls, and they’re photographed hundreds of times during the [...]
Crashes again dominate Tour de France in stage 9
SAINT-FLOUR, France — Every rider knows it, and every rider has experienced it. But even if they haven’t crashed hard and broken bones yet, they likely will. It’s the reason for the axiom that there are two kinds of cyclists — those who have fractured their clavicles and those who are about to. Crashes have [...]
Chris Horner hurt in crash-crazy Tour de France stage 7
CHATEAUROUX, France — Chris Horner’s quest for a top finish is over and his chances of continuing aren’t much better after he tumbled hard Friday and finished last among 190 riders in the seventh stage of the crash-heavy Tour de France. Horner (RadioShack) began the day in 13th position overall and trailing race leader Thor [...]
Celebrating 25 Years of Americans in the Tour de France
LISIEUX, France — In slightly more than two weeks, when the Tour de France arrives in Paris for the 98th edition finale, the occasion will also mark 25 years since Greg LeMond became the first American to win the event. LeMond, who turned age 50 last month, was also victorious in the Tour de France [...]
Tour de France, 2011: Showmanship at the finish line
How a cyclist celebrates a win as he crosses the finish line can be premeditated or a split-second decision. And there are occasions in mass sprints when a photo finish determines the victor, there’s no time for showmanship. Tyler Farrar has twice in the past three weeks, including his first career stage Monday in the [...]
Tyler Farrar claims emotional first Tour de France stage win
REDON, France — Greg LeMond, Lance Armstrong, Tyler Hamilton and Floyd Landis have for reasons on and off their bicycles made Americans prominent at the Tour de France. They’ve won races and been controversial in their private lives. But despite the trio’s notoriety, Americans winning stages in cycling’s biggest race is still rare. Tyler Farrar [...]
Tour de France, 2011: Stage 2, Chris Horner content, sort of
LES ESSARTS, France — Two days into the Tour de France, Chris Horner is within 10 seconds of the race lead, but it’s still 10 days from when he believes the competition for the overall title will begin. Horner, 39, is competing in his fifth Tour de France and with a top-three overall finish as [...]
Tour de France, 2011: Philippe Gilbert wins crash-plagued stage 1
MONT DES ALOUETTES, France — Philippe Gilbert of Belgium won the opening stage and assumed the race lead as the crash-marred 98th edition of the Tour de France began unexpectedly Saturday. Gilbert (Omega Pharma-Lotto), the current Liege-Bastogne-Liege titlist, powered to the front in the final kilometer to claim the 191.5-kilometer Passage Gu Gois-Mont de Alouette [...]