ϳԹ Magazine, Jul 2004
Stories
POSTs
Lance's 2003 Tour victory was almost a loss–in his own words, he "dodged a bullet." This year the Tourminator is plenty fit, a little less furious, and hungrier than ever. A revealing interview with the greatest rider on earth.
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's plane wreckage answers a 60-year-old riddle. Or does it?
How I honored tradition by taking a vicious beating in the East's toughest rowing race
With Lance Armstrong shooting for a history-making sixth Tour de France victory, scores of off-and-on Tour watchers will find themselves glued to the 91st running of cycling’s gnarliest race. But it’s not always easy—even for gung-ho weekend roadies—to tell what’s going on. The bluffing stops here, with ϳԹ‘s [guide] to…
Victor Hugo Peña grinds for U.S. Postal and Lance, but make no mistake: Ultimately he pedals for the pride of his country, the violent and tumultuous Andean nation of Colombia Victor Hugo Peña Update
Once and for all, why do pro cyclists shave their legs? 2004 Tour de France Backstage2004 Tour de France Backstage2004 Tour de France Backstage2004 Tour de France Backstage2004 Tour de France Backstage2004 Tour de France Backstage2004 Tour de France Backstage2004 Tour de France Backstage Despite what your silky-smooth cycling…
Hideous crashes? Shattered bones? Tyler Hamilton smiles through it all—which is just what he needs to beat you-know-who.
A guy named Lance has a date with history at the 91st Tour. Will Armstrong win his sixth in a row and triumph as the greatest cyclist of all time? Dive into our jam-packed Tour guide and find out why the Texan has no doubt. Then share the pain with…
Don't know a peloton from an echelon? Relax-the Tour is complicated. Here's a fast and light summary of how cycling's greatest race is run.
Holy bitumen! It's Phil and Paul, the excitable Brits who give le Tour its champagne gush.
Eddy Merckx (Belgium) Tour de France 2004 CLICK HERE for ϳԹ’s Guide to the 2004 Tour de France, follow the race July 3-25 with our SPECIAL ONLINE COVERAGE.Tour de France Eddy Merckx Age: 59 Tour Wins: 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1974 Wore Yellow: 96 days…
Living well is a European tradition, but playing hard is the continent's secret passion. We discover five towns where you'll be both challenged and charmed.
It's climbing season again on Everest. And as hundreds of summit hopefuls converge at Base Camp, the great debate persists: Has the Big E become the Big Easy? Alpinists Greg Child and Dave Hahn take sides.
For decades, no one has dared to run the treacherous lengths of the waters that helped launch the modern age of exploration. Civil war, freelance rebels, capricious bandits, irascible hippos, surly crocs, billions of malarial mosquitoes, and scores of rapids so deadly they're rated a suicidal Class VI—all have conspired…
An innovative dive outfitter lays plans to build a futuristic platform resort—right next to the reef
Give your barking dogs some luxe love with the new generation of super socks
Steve Galster and his comrades at WildAid do–and they're taking drastic action: going undercover, busting the traffickers, and poaching the poachers. It's high time wildlife conservation started fighting mean and dirty. Can you handle that?
Stacy Peralta, the director of "Dogtown and Z-Boys," is about to drop his next boarding epic, "Riding Giants," into a theatre near you—and now the Hollywood big time is calling. Josh McHugh rolls up on the auteur of the stoked set.
We’re not talking fries and fat, with fresh nowhere in sight. We’re talking about smart nutrition to help you charge up, trim down, and get the most out of mealtime. We picked the brains of top athletes for their favorite full-flavored quick-and-easy recipes. Prep time is less than ten minutes;…
06.12–19 GIRAGLIA ROLEX CUP ST.-TROPEZ, FRANCE A 243-mile sailing race from St.-Tropez to Genoa, Italy, around the island of Giraglia. The shoreside scene in St.-Tropez is peppered with the Bain de Soleil beautiful. 07.03–11 ALLIANZ SUSSE OPEN GSTAAD, SWITZERLAND At 3,000 feet,…
Here's the deal: Ten breakthrough workouts from the best fitness experts and coaching pros around. Great tips for nutrition, gear, and fine-tuning your form. Killer ideas to keep you motivated. Ten high-performance meals you can prepare in less than ten minutes. It's everything you need to start fresh, keep your options wide open, and realize your fitness dream
With these intelligent devices, going digital is the fastest way to hotwire that great big analog world outside
Lose the contacts and get visionary with the first prescription sunglasses designed for a multisport lifestyle
F E A T U R E S
Tyler Hamilton thrives on pain that would flatten lesser riders. Even if he never wins the Tour, he’s earned his place among the immortals.
By Daniel Coyle
Ullrich, Mayo, Vinokourov … You’ve seen the sweaty challengers snarling behind Lance’s wheel. We pick the ones who could chomp the champ this year.
U.S. Postal’s Colombian powerhouse, Victor Hugo Peña, wants to build a dream team of fellow countrymen. Could it be the next force de Tour?
By Bill Gifford
Announcers Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwen shout the action from send-off to Champs-Élysées. Meet the buoyant Brits who make spinning sound cool.
By Will Palmer
Lance Armstrong offers ϳԹ a nakedly honest Q&A about last year’s close call, this year’s challenge, and a game plan that hasn’t failed him yet.
By Hampton Sides
PLUS: a trio of handicap this year’s race; our downloadable ; a user’s guide to ; a tour ; why racers and other mysteries, explained.
D E P A R T M E N T S
Get into the flow this summer with North America’s finest blue-ribbon river trips. We scouted out perfect currents, from a Class V roller-coaster ride on to the Class II bliss of . PLUS: Three weeks of high-intensity lunch-hour workouts are all you need to put into your paddle stroke and the latest in for creek, river, lake, and beach.
DISPATCHES
Mystery solved: The sunken wreckage of a WWII plane off the coast of France explains the 1944 disappearance of adventure pilot and Little Prince author . PLUS: Be the first in your marina to launch your own superbad, spec’d-out , the Hummer of the high seas and : summer is the new prime time at mountain resorts..
Do plants go potty? Why do loons have red eyes? Where can you see the North Star and the Southern Cross at the same time? Was there ever a mountain higher than Everest?
By Brad Wetzler
Rough seas ahead: The annual —Gloucester, Massachusetts’s 23-mile open-ocean rowing race—separates the salty dogs from the swamped and the sunk.
By Rob Buchanan