16.36 Battle For Minor Placings
Five riders attacked for minor honours. Marichal, Knaven, Hamburger, Bo Larsen and Perraudeau have attacked the peloton in the closing kilometers to battle it out for 6th place.

16.33 Commesso's 2nd Tour Stage Win In 2 Years
The photo-finish shows that Commesso has won this Tour de France stage by the length of his front wheel. The 25-year-old Italian outsprinted Vinokourov in stunning circumstances with an enormous crowd on hand.

16.28 Win Still Eludes Telekom
Commesso led out the final sprint after a sensational build-up which included the two riders STOPPING on the final turn to try and avoid leading out the rush to the line. The Saeco rider won after a long, strong surge at the front. There were only a matter of centimeters in it at the finish.

16.26 Voigt 4th...
The first German to finish the stage in Fribourg was Jens Voigt who claimed 4th just ahead of Robin.

16.26 Durand 3rd
Durand has attacked the 3 chasers in the closing kilometers to take 3rd, 1'05" behind Commesso.

16.25 Commesso Takes The Day
A sensational sprint has delivered Commesso his 2nd Tour de France stage win in two years...

16.24 Last 300 meters
Commesso leads with 300m to go.

16.24 Stopped ON Final Turn
Commesso and Vino have stopped on the final turn to avoid leading the sprint out.

16.24 Commesso Leading... But Not Attacking
Commesso is being forced to the front by Vino.

16.23 1km To Go
The two leaders are almost coming to a standstill waiting for one or the other to attack. They are in the final kilometer.

16.22 Lead-Out Time
The pair are on the far right-hand side of the road trying to out-fox each other in the final 1,500 meters of the stage.

16.21 Vino Attacks: Commesso Matches
Commesso has matched Vinokourov's attack. They are back together in the final 2km...

16.21 2km To Go
The leading pair are in the final 2km of the stage... Vino has bolted.

16.20 2'05" To Chasing Three
The sprint tactics can now start coming into play. The two leaders are well clear of their nearest rivals. Still, Commesso and Vinokourov share the work up front... They have 3km to go.

16.19 Huge Crowds
The crowds are 10 deep on the sides of the road. There has been no let up in the roadside spectators for the final 25km.

16.18 Peloton At Almost 18 Minutes
The leading duo continue to share the work. They are 2'00" clear of the 3 chasers and 17'58" ahead of the peloton.

16.17 5km To Go
Vinokourov and Commesso are in the final 5km. Their lead is still 2'00".

16.16 'Vino' Stretching His Legs
The heat of the day and length of the stage is a good way of helping a riders' muscles cramp. Vinokourov has been stretching his legs throughout the last 5km...

16.15 Lead Hovers Around 2 Minutes
Vinokourov and Commesso continue to share the workload up front. Their lead is a secure 2'02" with 5.5km to race.

16.14 440 Meter Finishing Straight
The final turn to the 440 meter finishing straight is a tight one.

16.13 8km To Go
Commesso and Vinokourov are in the final 8km of the 246.5km stage.

16.12 Lead Now 2'00"
Vinokourov and Commesso have 2'00" on the three chasers.

16.10 10km To Go...
The two leaders are now in the final 10 kilometers. Their advantage over Robin, Voigt and Durand is 1'58".

16.09 Commesso Won His Tour Stage In 2-Up Sprint
Commesso, currently in the lead of the stage with Vinokourov, won a stage of the 1999 Tour in a two-up sprint with Marco Serpellini. Their lead on the chasers looks strong enough to hold through to the finish. They are currently 1'50" ahead of Voigt's group.

16.07 13km To Go
The two leaders are in the town of Schallstadt. There are now just 13km to go... They lead by 1'51".

16.05 Lead: 1'42"
Commesso and Vinokourov lead Voigt's group by 1'42" with 14km to go.

16.05 Italy Or Kazakstahn...?
At the moment, the efforts of the only German in the day long break - Jens Voigt - appear unable to catch the two leaders. Commesso and Vinokourov has less than 15km to race. It looks like it'll be a stage contested by an Italian and a Kazak...

16.02 Lead: 1'31"
Commesso and Vinokourov are 1'31" ahead of Robin, Voigt and Durand. The peloton is way back, 16'30" behind the leading pair.

16.02 No Break In The Crowds
Since the Tour rode into Germany the crowds have been phenomenal. Now in the final 20km of the stage there's rarely more than 10 meters of roadside without a spectator... At times they are four or five deep on the sides of the road.

15.58 1'19" To 3 Chasers
When Voigt, Robin and Durand passed under the 20km to go banner, they were 1'19" behind Commesso and Vinokourov.

15.58 Duo Over 1 Miniute Clear
Commesso and Vinokourov are 1'04" ahead of the 3 chasers.

15.57 Less Than 20km To Go
The leaders are in the final 20km of the stage. Vinokourov and Commesso lead Robin, Voigt and Durand by 58". The peloton is out of a stage-winning chance, 16'15" off the pace of the leading duo.

15.55 Commesso Gets Some Encouragment From Bontempi
Commesso's Saeco director, Guido Bontempi has just come up to give some final instructions to Commesso with 21km to race. Their lead over the chasing 3 has grown quickly to 52".

15.53 22" Lead
Vino and Commesso are holding onto a slender lead. The latest check has the Telekom and Saeco riders 22" clear.

15.50 25km To Go
'Vino' and Commesso are in the final 25km of the stage. Their lead is 23".

15.49 26km To Go: 20"
The two leaders - Vinokourov and Commesso - are 20" clear of the 3 chasers with 26km to race.

15.48 17" Lead
Commesso & Vinokourov have lifted their leading margin to 17".

15.46 3 Can't Seem to Catch 2
The two leaders are still holding onto their tender lead. Voigt, Durand and Robin just can't seem to make a dent on the 11" lead of Vinokourov and Commesso.

15.43 Vino & Commesso Holding On
The two leaders have held onto an 8" lead for some time now. There are 30km still to race.

15.40 Leading Two Within Sight Of Voigt's Group
Voigt, Durand and Robin have worked well together in pursuit of Commesso & Vinokourov. They are now less than 10" away from the two leaders.

15.37 35km To Go
The two leaders have 35km to race. Their lead over the other three is 11". Voigt has dominated the chase of the two leaders.

15.36 15" To 3... 15'09" To Peloton
The two leaders - Commesso & Vinokourov - are 18" clear of Robin, Voigt & Robin. The peloton is 15'09" behind.

15.34 Lead 12" For Commesso & Vino
Commesso and Vinokourov are now 12" clear.

15.32 14" Lead For 2
Commesso and Vinokourov have a lead on the 3 others of 14".

15.31 2 Leaders
Commesso and Vinokourov are now in the lead of the stage. They have a healthy lead on the three remnants of the day-long break - Voigt, Durand and Robin.

15.31 Commesso Leads The Chase
Commesso has tried to bolt free of the other four. His surge has taken 'Vino' with him. They are now passed Durand.

15.29 Durand Still Clear
Durand's attack came with 41.5km to race. He has a lead on the other four escapees of about 60 meters.

15.29 Durand Attacks
Jacky Durand has attacked up front of the race.

15.28 Four Teams Lead The Chase
The Polti, Kelme, Farm Frites and Festina teams have been in charge of the peloton's pursuit of the five leaders for most of the day. They currently have a deficit of 15'38".

15.27 Racing Near Ullrich's Home
The course today passes close to where the 1997 winner, Jan Ullrich, lives. The Telekom rider who is currently in 2nd overall spends his non-racing days in Merdingen.

15.24 15'55" Lead
Commesso, Voigt, Vinokourov, Durand and Robin lead the peloton by 15'55" just after the 2nd intermediate sprint.

15.22 Results of 2nd Intermediate Sprint
The results of the Sitzenkirch sprint (200.5km) were: 1. Durand (Lotto) 6pts 2. Commesso (Saeco) 4pts 3. Voigt (CA) 2pts.

15.19 16'10" As Peloton Passes Final Climb Today
As the peloton passed the 187km mark, the Cote de Lorrach, they were 16'10" behind the five leaders.

15.16 50km To Go
The leaders have 50km to race before the finish in Fribourg-en-Brisgau. They are 16'19" ahead of the peloton.

15.10 Peloton Now 16'50" Behind
The peloton has passed the summit of the Cote de Waidhof (180km) 16'50" behind the five leaders.

15.09 Overall Winners Without Stage Wins
Since World War 2, there have been four riders who have won the overall honors in the Tour de France without winning a stage. The last was Greg LeMond (in 1990). The others were Lucien Aimar (1966), Gastone Nencini (1960) and Roger Walkowiak (1956). Lance is still shy of a stage win... one day away from the final time trial.

15.03 The Cat-4 Points at 187km
The results of the 3rd climb are: 1. Commesso (Saeco) 5pts 2. Voigt (CA) 3pts 3. Robin (Bonjour) 1pt Next came Durand and Vinokourov.

15.02 Leaders Near Summit of Cote de Lorrach
The leading 5 riders are on the 3rd climb today. The crowds in Germany are enormous.

14.53 Peloton In Germany
The peloton has crossed the Rhine River and are now racing in Germany. They are 18'25" behind the five leaders.

14.53 Results of The Cote de Waidhof
At the summit of the Cote de Waidhof, the points were won by: 1. Commesso (Saeco) 10pts 2. Voigt (CA) 7pts 3. Robin (Bonjour) 5pts 4. Durand (Lotto) 3pts 5. Vinokourov (Telekom) 1pt

14.50 1km From Summit
The 5 leaders are 1km from the final cat-3 summit of the 2000 Tour.

14.46 Last Of The Cat-3 Climbs This Year Due Soon
The next climb, the Cote de Waidhof (at 180km), is the last of the third-category climbs for the 2000 Tour de France. The five leaders are about 3km from that summit.

14.44 Bolts & Heppner Present In Last German Stage Finish
The last Tour stage finish in Germany was stage eight of the 1992 event. Two of the Germans in this year's Telekom team, Jens Heppner and Udo Bolts, made their Tour debuts that year. They finished 10th and 35th respectively.

14.37 75km To Go
The crowds in the town of Rheinfelden (at 171.5km)are enormous. Today is the first stage finish in Germany since 1992. The leaders have 75km to go before they arrive in Fribourg-en-Brisgau.

14.35 Racing On German Soil
The five leaders are now racing in Germany. They are 20'40" ahead of the peloton.

14.32 Lead Now 20'48"
The 5 leaders have an advantage on the peloton of 20'48".

14.30 2km From Germany
The leaders are at the 168km mark. The race passes into Germany at 170km.

14.23 Results of 2nd Climb
The 5 are over the summit of the cat-3 Cote de Fullinsdorf. The results are: 1. Voigt (CA) 5pts 2. Vinokourov (Telekom) 3pts 3. Robin (Bonjour) 1pt The came Durand and Commesso.

14.21 Leaders On The 2nd Climb
The five leaders are now on the climb of the cat-4 Cote de Fullinsdorf.

14.17 22'20" Lead Now
As the peloton passed the 130km mark, the lead of the five riders is 22'20".

14.14 Escape Now 150km
The 5 leaders are at the 153km mark. They have been at the front of the stage for 150km thanks to Durand's surge at the 3km mark.

14.11 Germany 18km Away For Leaders
The leaders are now in the 151st kilometer. The Tour passes into Germany at the 170km mark of the 246.5km stage.

14.08 150km Raced
The leaders are at the 150km mark. Their advantage over the peloton is now 23'40".

13.58 25'30" Lead
The latest time check has the 5 leaders 25'30" clear of the peloton. The bunch are at the 130km mark.

13.56 Results of Cote de Oberer-Hauenstein
The 5 escapees have earned the points of the cat-3 Cote de Hauenstein (at 139km). The results are: 1. Robin (Bonjour) 10pts 2. Durand (Lotto) 7pts 3. Vinokourov (Telekom) 5pts 4. Commesso (Saeco) 3pts 5. Voigt (CA) 1pt

13.52 1km To Summit of 1st Climb
The 5 leaders are near the summit of the Cote de Fullinsdorf (161km).

13.52 Peloton Pace Picks Up Slightly
Farm Frites, Festina, Kelme and La Francaise des Jeux are now at the front of the peloton. They have picked up the pace of the chase a little in the last few kilometers.

13.43 Robin & 'Vino' In Long Escape In Stage 18 Last Year
Two of the riders who are currently in a five-man break 27'40" ahead of the peloton were involved in a long break during the 18th stage in 1999. Jean-Cyril Robin finished 2nd to Gianpaolo Mondini in the stage to Futuroscope. Alexandre Vinokourov was 3rd.

13.41 Latest Time Check: 27'40"
The group of Commesso, Vinokourov, Voigt, Durand and Robin is 27'40" ahead of the peloton.

13.40 7km From First Summit
The 5 escapees are 7km from the summit of the first of four lower-ranked climbs today. The Cote de Fullinsdorf is at the 171.5km mark.

13.38 Long, Hot Day In The Saddle...
Summer is shining on the Tour de France for today's 18th stage. The temperature at the finish in Fribour-en-Brisgau is over 30 degrees (C) with blue skies the order of the day.

13.33 Break Over 125km Long
With the five leaders around the 129km mark of today's stage, their break is now over 125km long. They escaped the peloton after an attack by Jacky Durand at the 3km mark.

13.30 '77 Fribourg Winner, Sercu, The Winner of the Most 6-Days
Patrick Sercu, who was the last winner of a Tour stage in Fribourg-en-Brisgau (in 1977), is also the winner of more Six-Day track races than anyone else in history. His tally of victories on the boards of the world's velodromes is an impressive one of 73.

13.16 10 Win-Starved Teams After 17 Stages
There are 10 teams in this year's Tour which are yet to grab a stage win this year. They are: US Postal, Telekom, Saeco, Farm Frites, Lotto, Francaise des Jeux, Memory Card, Credit Agricole, Vini Caldirola and Bonjour. Rabobank has the most with 4 wins, followed by Mapei with 3; Kelme 2, Mercatone Uno 2. And one a piece for Cofidis, ONCE, Festina, AG2R, Polti and Banesto.

13.11 Latest Lead: 27'15"
With the peloton at the 95km mark, the leading break of five riders had an advantage of 27'15".

12.55 Escape For Over 100km
The leading five are now at the 105km mark. They have been at the front of the stage for 102km. Their lead is now 25'40".

12.53 Other Winners In Fribourg
The two other riders to have previously won a stage in Fribourg were Belgian Willy Derboven in 1964 and Dutchman Gerben Karstens in 1971.

12.51 Patrick Sercu Last Winner In Fribourg
The Tour has finished in the German city of Fribourg three times before today. The last winner here was Six-Day track cycling legend, Patrick Sercu in 1977.

12.48 The Financial Gains Of Top 10 Teams
After 17 stages, the top 10 teams' prizemoney was: 1. Kelme - 473,300FF 2. Rabobank - 400,500FF 3. Mapei-Quickstep - 340,500FF 4. Deutsche Telekom - 318,800FF 5. Banesto - 254,000FF 6. Festina - 231,000FF 7. US Postal Service - 209,100FF 8. ONCE-Deutsche Bank - 194,900FF 9. Mercatone Uno-Albacom - 181,00FF 10. Cofidis - 174,400FF

12.44 Kelme's Profit From First 17 Stages
At the conclusion of the 17th stage, the Kelme team of King of the Mountains leader Santiago Botero, had earned the most prize-money. After 17 stages, Kelme had pocketed 473,300 French Francs.

12.41 Leaders Have Their First Feed
Jean-Cyril Robin, Alexandre Vinokourov, Salvatore Commesso, Jens Voigt and Jacky Durand - the five riders at the front of the stage - have just passed the first feedzone.

12.39 150km From Fribourg
The five leaders - who are 25 minutes ahead of the peloton - are 150km from the finish of the 18th stage.

12.36 Lead Up to 25 Minutes
There is little interest in a chase by the peloton today. The five riders who broke free at the 3km mark are now 25'00" clear of the bunch.

12.24 About 160km To Race
The latest time check had the five escapees 23 minutes ahead of the peloton. They have about 160km still to ride before the finish in the German city of Fribourg.

12.11 Lead Up to 23'00"
As the peloton pass the 65km mark, they are 23'00" behind the five leaders. The escape group is: Vinokourov (Telekom), Voigt (CA), Robin (Bonjour), Durand (Lotto) and Commesso (Saeco).

12.10 No Recent Time Check
The five leaders were 20'00" clear of the peloton at the last time check.

11.54 20 Minute Lead
With the peloton at the 56km mark, the five leaders were 20'00" clear of the bunch.

11.52 Back To Action At The Front
The five escapees are back working on improving their leading margin after their toilet stop.

11.51 Toilet Time...
Four of the five leaders have stopped to answer the call of nature at the 66th kilometer mark.

11.51 Vinokourov Working In The Lead Group
Vinokourov joined today's escape to simply ensure a presence for the German Telekom team. He didn't do any work for the first 27km, but now that their break is over 17 minutes clear of the peloton, he is cooperating with the escape effort. He began working in the group at the 30km mark.

11.49 Vinokourov Best-Placed Of Escape Group
Vinokourov is the best-placed overall of the 5 escapees. Although their lead is 1'730" (at the last time check) he is no real threat overall. His deficit to Armstrong at the start of the day was 40'10".

11.43 50km Raced By Peloton
The leading five are 17'30" ahead of the peloton as the bunch passed the 50km mark.

11.35 Lead Group Now 15'00" Clear
As the peloton passed the site of the first sprint (at 45km), the leaders held an advantage of 15'00".

11.34 Voigt's Stage Finishing Efforts
Jens Voigt has featured in numerous flat-stage attacks this year. His best place was in the team time trial when his Credit Agricole team finished 4th. His other stage placings have been: 13th, 65th, 115th, 34th, 156th, 79th, 12th, 143rd, 120th, 80th, 82nd, 91st, 61st, 95th, 102nd and 53rd.

11.31 Riders Up Front
There are four nations represented in the five-man escape group. There are two French riders (Durand and Robin), one Kazak (Vinokourov), one Italian (Commesso) and one German (Voigt).

11.20 Lead Over 11 Minutes At 45km
The five leaders were 11'30" clear of the peloton as they passed the site of the Dompierre sprint (45km).

11.19 Results of Dompierre Sprint
The five leaders have taken the points at the first intermediate sprint. The result at the 45km mark were: 1. Durand (Lotto) 6pts 2. Robin (Bonjour) 4pts 3. Commesso (Saeco) 2pts.

11.12 First Sprint Due At 45km
There is an intermediate sprint at the 45th kilometer mark. The five escapees are sure to absorb the points on offer in Dompierre, but Telekom's Erik Zabel already has a convincing lead in the sprint competition already. He leads yesterday's winner, Dekker, 242pts to 130pts.

11.09 Commesso & Durand Previous Stage Winners In Break
Of the five riders at the front of today's stage, Salvatore Commesso (Saeco) and Jacky Durand (Lotto) have previously won stages of the Tour de France. Commesso's win was in stage 13 last year; Durand has had 3 wins - the latest in stage eight of the 1998 Tour.

11.08 8 Minute Lead At 32km
The peloton were 8'00" behind the five leaders at the 32km mark.

11.07 32km Mark: Not 35km...
The riders are at the 32km mark - not the 35th as reported in the last flash.

11.06 At the 35km Mark
The five escapees are at the 35km mark with a 6'00" lead on the peloton.

11.05 Lead Jumps To Six Minutes
As Jean-Marie Leblanc welcomed the special guest to today's 18th stage, the five escapees pushed their leading margin up to 6'00".

10.51 Lead Grows Rapidly Now
At the 25km mark, the five leaders are 2'50" clear of the peloton.

10.51 Bolts' Best Finish: 9th
Udo Bolts' best finish in the Tour de France was in 1994 when he finished in 9th place overall. At the start of today's stage, he was in 45th overall (1h24'11" off Armstrong's lead).

10.48 Udo Bolts' 8th Tour
Udo Bolts (Telekom) is currently on track to being the German rider to have finished the most Tours de France. He is currently riding his 8th Tour. Bolts has finished all the Tours he's started. The only other German to start more Tours is Rolf Wolfshohl (with 9 starts from 1962 through 1972), but he abandoned twice.

10.45 Vainsteins Giving Up His Chase
With his lead on the peloton at 15", Vainsteins has quit his chase of the five stage leaders.

10.42 The Situation at The 18th Kilometer
Vinokourov, Durand, Voigt, Robin and Commesso lead Vainsteins by 55" and the peloton by 1'10" at the 18km mark.

10.39 Counter-Attack
Romans Vainsteins (Vini Caldirola) is now chasing the five leaders. He broke clear of the peloton at the 16km mark.

10.39 55" Lead At 16km
At the 16km mark, Vinokourov, Voigt, Robin, Commesso and Durand lead the peloton by 55".

10.37 49" Lead For 5 Escapees
The five riders are 49" clear at the 14th kilometer mark.

10.34 Durand Instigated Attack
The five riders - who are now 30" clear of the peloton - attacked at the 3km mark. Lotto's Jacky Durand was the rider who instigated the escape.

10.33 Voigt The German In Early Escape
Jens Voigt is the German represented in the five learly escapees. There is also a Telekom presence, with Alexandre Vinokourov included in the five attackers. 'Vino' isn't doing any work up front. The latest time check has them 30" clear of the peloton.

10.30 Peloton Chasing Quickly
The five riders haven't been able to increase their leading margin. They are still 20" clear with the peloton now moving quickly in their pursuit of the riders who broke free at the 3rd kilometer.

10.27 20" Lead For Five Attackers
Alexandre Vinokourov (Telekom), Jens Voigt (CA), Salvatore Commesso (Saeco), Jean-Cyril Robin (Bonjour) and Jacky Durand (Lotto) have a lead of 20" on the peloton at the 5km mark.

10.26 5 Lead By 8"
The attacking five riders are 8" clear of the peloton.

10.25 5 Riders Clear
Vinokourov, Commesso, Durand, Voigt & Robin are the riders who attacked.

10.24 Several Riders Attack
At the 3rd kilometer several riders have gone on the attack.

10.21 All Together Again
Lance Armstrong (the race leader) was the rider who chased down the early attacking riders. The peloton is now all together again.

10.20 Two Chasing Riders...
Garcia-Acosta and Pascual-Llorente are also on the attack.

10.18 Agnolutto Attacks Immediately
Agnolutto (AG2R) has attacked in the first kilometer.

10.18 Piepoli The Only Overnight Withdrawal
Leonardo Piepoli (Banesto) was the only non-starter today. There are now 129 riders in the Tour.

10.17 Racing In Stage 18
The 18th stage - from Lausanne to Fribourg-en-Brisgau - is underway. The official start time was 10.17am.

10.08 German Tour Stage Winners
The German riders who have won Tour stages are: Kurt Stoepel, Erich Bautz, Heinz Wengler & Otto Weckerling, Willi Oeberbeck, Rudi Altig, Rolf Wolfshohl, Dietrich Thurau, Klaus-Peter Thaler, Rolf Golz, Olaf Ludwig, Erik Zabel, Jan Ullrich, Jens Heppner and Marcel Wust.

10.04 45 Stage Wins For German Riders
There have been 45 stage wins by German riders in the 87-year history of the Tour de France. The last was Marcel Wust (in stage 5 this year).

9.58 Two Sprints Today
There are two intermediate sprints in today's 246.5km course. They are at Dompierre, in Switzerland (at the 45km mark) and Sitzenkirch in Germany (200.5km).

9.58 Riders In Neutral Zone
The riders are en-route to the official start. They are currently in the 7km neutral zone before.