Taking place over twenty-three days in July and across more than 2,100 miles of smooth blacktop, rough cobblestones, and punishing mountain terrain, the Tour de France is the most grueling sports event in the world. And in 2004, five-time champion Lance Armstrong set out to achieve what no other cyclist in the 100-year history of the race had ever done: win a sixth Tour de France. Armstrong had four serious challengers who wanted nothing more than to deny the man the French call Le Boss from achieving his goal. The major threat among them was the only other former Tour de France champion in last year's race, Germany's Jan Ullrich- The Kaiser. But when the race was over, Lance Armstrong once again wore the yellow jersey of victory. 作者简介: John Wilcockson reported on his first Tour de France in 1968. He has written for Outside and Men's Journal and reported on major cycling events for NPR, the BBC World Service, and the New York Times. His many books include John Wilcockson's World of Cyclin
Supermodels are a new breed of celebrity who have eclipsed pop stars and movie stars as today's modern icons. Today, such models as Naomi Campbell and Claudia Schiffer are household names whereas, only a decade ago, models were anonymous outside the circuit. These superstars have expanded their careers beyond the runways, as modelling has given them the recognition required to conquer the world. The new renaissance models are astute business women, having built their names into international brands and multi-million-dollar empires.