The indefatigable Thomas Voeckler gave home fans a boost by winning the 10th stage of the Tour de France in Bellegarde-sur-Valserine Wednesday.
Fabian Cancellara of Switzerland claimed the first yellow jersey in the 99th edition of the Tour de France with a commanding victory in the opening prologue in Liege Saturday.
Whisper it quietly in France but a trio of English speaking riders is set to dominate the 99th edition of their most famous sports event, a bike race that represents the Gallic nation's very essence.
updated: Mon Jul 25 2011 21:51:00
After two runner-up finishes, cyclist Cadel Evans became the first Australian to win the Tour de France.
Australian Cadel Evans became his country's first ever Tour de France winner after the 21st and final stage of the historic race culminated on the streets of Paris on Sunday.
Cadel Evans secured Australia's first ever Tour de France victory after the 21st and final stage of the historic race culminated on the streets of Paris.
Cadel Evans will make history tomorrow as the first Australian winner of the Tour de France after a brilliant performance in Saturday's individual time trial left him with a commanding lead over his nearest rivals.
Andy Schleck is confident he can hold on to the Tour de France's coveted yellow jersey after Saturday's decisive time trial and win cycling's biggest race for the first time.
Luxembourg's Andy Schleck dramatically revived his Tour de France hopes with a stunning victory on an epic 18th stage which finished at the summit of the imposing Col du Galibier.
Defending champion Alberto Contador is refusing to write off his victory chances in this year's Tour de France despite trailing surprise leader Thomas Voeckler by four minutes.
Samuel Sanchez finally won his first stage at the Tour de France on Thursday, but the title hopes of his fellow Spanish cyclist Alberto Contador suffered a surprise blow as the race headed into the mountains.
Young Portuguese rider Alberto Rui Costa was rewarded for his bravery in taking part in a long breakaway as he won the eighth stage of the Tour de France in Super-Besse Saturday.
Frenchman Thomas Voeckler has taken the yellow jersey from Norway's Thor Hushovd after a dramatic ninth stage of the Tour de France which was marred by a series of crashes which led to two of the race favorites pulling out.
British cyclist Mark Cavendish claimed his 17th stage victory at the Tour de France on a crash-marred seventh leg on Friday that saw title hopeful Bradley Wiggins' participation end with a broken collarbone.
Australian Cadel Evans edged out defending champion Alberto Contador in a thrilling finish to Tuesday's 172.5km fourth stage of the Tour de France from Lorient to Mur-de-Bretagne.
World champion Thor Hushovd is the new leader of the Tour de France after his Garmin-Cervelo team won Sunday's second stage team time-trial.
Belgium's Philippe Gilbert won a dramatic first stage of the Tour de France Saturday as defending champion Alberto Contador lost valuable time after being held up by a late mass crash.
Thor Hushovd won a bunch sprint from a whittled down leading peloton to claim the blue riband men's road race title at the world championships in Australia on Sunday.
Last year's runner-up Andy Schleck is the new leader of the Tour de France for the first time in his career after previous yellow jersey wearer, Cadel Evans, dramatically cracked on the mountainous 204.5km ninth stage of the race from Morzine-Avoriaz to Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne.
Lance Armstrong's bid for an eighth win in the Tour de France came to a sorry end on a dramatic eighth stage of the Tour de France won by Andy Schleck of Luxembourg.
Sylvain Chavanel reclaimed the leader's yellow jersey at the Tour de France after a bold attack in Saturday's seventh stage gave him his second victory in this year's 97th edition of cycling's premier race.
Reigning world road race champion Cadel Evans has signed for the American-based BMC Racing Team for next season.
Australia's Cadel Evans finally landed one of cycling's big prizes as he claimed the world road race championship title in Switzerland on Sunday.
Alejandro Valverde all but wrapped up victory in the Tour of Spain with a solid ride in a time trial on the 20th and penultimate stage which was won by Britain's David Millar.
Juan Jose Cobo won the 19th stage of cycling's Vuelta Espana between Avila and La Granja but Spanish compatriot Alejandro Valverde remains overall leader after he finished in second place.
Dutchman Lars Boom capped a superb solo ride with victory in the 15th stage of the Vuelta Espana, a 167.7km ride between Jaen and Cordoba on Monday.
Australian Simon Gerrans won the 169km 10th stage of the Vuelta Espana as Alejandro Valverde retained the race leader's gold jersey he took from Cadel Evans on Monday.
Pre-race favorite Alejandro Valverde took the overall Vuelta Espana lead from Australian Cadel Evans, after finishing third to compatriot Gustavo Veloso in the mountainous 188.8km ninth stage from Alcoy to Xorret del Cati.
Australian Cadel Evans took the overall lead in the Vuelta Espana after Sunday's eighth stage, the first in the mountains, won by Italian Damiano Cunego.
Alberto Contador maintained his 97-second lead over Astana teammate Lance Armstrong in the Tour de France as Mikel Astarloza claimed his first stage victory on Tuesday.
Two weeks before the start of the 96th Tour de France, 1,870 days after his last pro victory, Lance Armstrong soloed to first place in the Nevada City (Cal.) Classic, a brief but brutal 40-lap circuit in the Sierra Nevada foothills. Asked afterward about the upcoming Tour, which starts Saturday in Monaco, the Texan poor-mouthed his own chances, pointing to Astana teammates Alberto Contador and Levi Leipheimer as clear favorites. After those two, he went on, "they got an old man like me to come around and pick up the pieces."
Alejandro Valverde held off another day of repeated attacks from chief rival Cadel Evans to retain his Dauphine Libere title for a second successive year.
Frenchman David Moncoutie delighted the watching spectators with victory in the mountainous seventh and penultimate 157km stage of the Dauphine Libere from Briancon to Saint-Francois-Longchamp on Saturday.
Spain's Alejandro Valverde remains 16 seconds clear of Australian Cadel Evans following the gruelling 106km sixth stage of the Dauphine Libere from Gap to Briancon.
Spain's Alejandro Valverde is the new leader of the Dauphine Libere after a dominant display on the giant Mont Ventoux on Thursday.
Australia's Cadel Evans took the leader's yellow jersey in the Dauphine Libere cycling race with a strong performance in Wednesday's 42.4 kilometer individual time-trial in Valence.
Dutchman Nikki Terpstra relieved Australian Cadel Evans of the leader's yellow jersey on Tuesday after a dramatic third stage victory in the Dauphine Libere cycle race.
Italian Angelo Furlan snatched the second stage of the Dauphine Libere cycling race on Monday when Australian Cadel Evans of the Silence team retained the overall lead.
Veteran Italian Davide Rebellin has made history by winning his third Fleche-Wallonne one-day classic in northern Belgium on Wednesday.
Defending Giro d'Italia and Vuelta Espana champion Alberto Contador again showed he is the man to beat in this year's major stage races with an impressive win in Wednesday's 172.5km third stage of the Tour of the Basque Country.
Tour de France runner-up Cadel Evans and defending champion Denis Menchov will both not compete in this year's Tour of Spain, which starts on August 30 at Granada and finishes on September 21 in Madrid.
American cyclist Kristin Armstrong added the Olympic time trial gold medal to her 2006 world title with a triumph in Juyongguan on Wednesday.
Samuel Sanchez upstaged his hotly-tipped Spain teammates to claim cycling's men's road race gold at the Beijing Olympics on Saturday.
Tour de France runner-up Cadel Evans has withdrawn from the road time-trial at the Olympic Games because of injury.
Okay, withdrawal time. A dramatic, transformative Tour de France has been decided by one of the narrowest margins in the 105-year history of the race. Cycling fans who've been following the Tour for the last three weeks must now grapple with a void in their lives, a Bobke-less universe.
Spain's Carlos Sastre won the Tour de France for the first time as he safely negotiated the 21st and final stage into Paris which was won by Gert Steegmans of the Quick Step team.
Spain's Carlos Sastre confounded the form book to hold on to the race leader's yellow jersey in the Tour de France after an inspired performance in Saturday's 53 kilometers time trial.
It's always pleasant to poke a bit of fun at CSC-Saxo Bank, with its Outward Bound-like team-building exercises, mandated by director Bjarne Riis, an earnest Dane with a slightly checkered past. But the truth is, they're a class bunch. Davis Phinney, the ex-Tour de France stage winner with whom I happened to be watching today's stage, recalled being stiffed on the eve of the Tour of California prologue earlier this year: an American rider who was supposed to speak before a fundraiser for the Davis Phinney Foundation bailed on short notice.
Spaniard Carlos Sastre produced a stunning performance on the classic stage to Alpe d'Huez to cross the line over two minutes clear and take the Tour de France yellow jersey by one minute, 24 seconds from CSC team-mate and previous leader Frank Schleck.
Frenchman Cyril Dessel dashed to his first Tour de France stage win by leading a breakaway group of four riders to a downhill finish after the 157-kilometer trek from Cuneo, Italy to Jausiers.
Frank Schleck of Luxembourg seized the overall race lead in the Tour de France after a dramatic first stage in the Alps, won by Australian Simon Gerrans.
British sprint sensation Mark Cavendish claimed his fourth stage victory at the drug-tainted Tour de France on Friday as he snatched the 13th leg from Narbonne to Nimes.
Isle of Man sprinter Mark Cavendish made cycling history on Thursday when he became the first-ever Briton to claim three stage wins in a single Tour de France.
Saunier Duval's Leonardo Piepoli won the 10th stage of the Tour de France as Australia's Cadel Evans took over the race leader's yellow jersey in a dramatic finale on the cruel slopes of the Hautacam on Monday.
The rising young star of Italian cycling Riccardo Ricco claimed his second victory of this year's Tour de France on the first day in the Pyrenees.
The three-week Tour de France starts on Saturday with organizers hoping that cycling's most prestigious race reaches the finish line without any doping scandals.
CSC rider Chris Sorensen won the 233km sixth and penultimate stage of the Dauphine Libere after a courageous solo raid which ended in a summit finish.
Former mountain bike specialist Youry Trofimov claimed a prestigious victory on the tough fifth stage of the Dauphine Libere, finishing in the Alpine resort of Morzine.
Spaniard Alejandro Valverde held his nerve in a thrilling finish to Liege-Bastogne-Liege to claim his second career victory in cycling's oldest one-day classic.
Luxembourg cyclist Kim Kirchen claimed the biggest win of his career with victory in pouring rain in the Fleche Wallonne classic race in Huy, Belgium, on Wednesday.
Tour de France champion Alberto Contador sealed victory in the Tour of Basque Country by winning the sixth and final stage, an individual time trial.
Euskatel's Samuel Sanchez produced an epic ride to win Friday's 19th stage of the Tour of Spain between Avila and the mountain top finish at Alto de Abentos over 133 kilometers.
Colombian Leonardo Duque has won the 161km 16th stage of the Tour of Spain as Denis Menchov of Russia retained his overall race lead.
Russian Denis Menchov retained his overall lead in the Tour of Spain after winning the 214km 10th stage on Monday between Benasque and the ski station of Ordino-Arcalis.
The three-week Tour of Spain begins in Vigo this Saturday but last year's first three will be missing because of proven, or suspected doping offenses.
ANGOULEME, France -- This seamy, sordid Elmore Leonard-type Tour will end, it seems, with a chapter by John LeCarre. Alternately grand and grotesque, this race was partially redeemed Saturday by some heart-stopping drama in the brandy-making capital of the world.
Sandy Casar, riding for the Francaise des Jeux team, picked himself up after crashing into a stray dog to win the 211km 18th stage of the Tour de France from Cahors to Angoulemeon Friday.
No one was thrown out of the Tour de France on Thursday. No rider was arrested, and we finished the day with as many teams (19) as we started with. At this year's Tour, that's progress.
Denmark's Michael Rasmussen strengthened his grip on the Tour de France yellow jersey after finishing second in a drama-filled 14th stage, won by Spaniard Alberto Contador on Sunday.
ALBI, France -- I was among the score or so of reporters skulking around the lobby of the Novotel in Montpellier on Friday, hoping extract a quote from embattled race leader Michael Rasmussen of Rabobank. (The crafty Dane gave us the dodge; officials of the Danish Cycling Union, apparently, can relate). Sharing the hotel with the Rabos was Team Astana. While we loitered on the lookout for Rasmussen, Alexandre Vinokourov emerged from the dining room. With a total of 30 stitches in his knees, he made his way across the lobby with the stiff-legged gait of a man with advanced arthritis. It was clear that the podium was beyond his reach.
Alexander Vinokourov put his injury woes behind him to revive his Tour de France hopes with an outstanding victory in the individual time trial 13th stage on Saturday.
France's Christophe Moreau won the Dauphine Libere on Sunday after the final stage of this Tour de France warm-up went to Kazakh rider Alexandre Vinokourov.
French rider Christophe Moreau regained the leadership of the prestigious Dauphine Libere on Saturday as Kazakh Maxim Iglinsky won a testing sixth stage.
American Floyd Landis lost the Tour de France when he cracked on the last ascent of Wednesday's mountain stage, won by Denmark's Michael Rasmussen.
Luxemburg's Frank Schleck won the 15th stage of the Tour de France over 187 km from Gap to L'Alpe d'Huez on Tuesday and called it a "dream come true."
Australia's Cadel Evans snatched overall victory in the six-day Tour of Romandie with a fine ride in the final time-trial stage in Lausanne on Sunday.
Spain's Alejandro Valverde, of the Caisse d'Epargne/Iles Baleares team, won a sprint finish to claim the fourth stage of the Tour of Romandie over 127km around Sion on Saturday.
Australian Simon Gerrans retains a slender lead in the Tour Down Under after the 154km third stage of the race.
Australian Cadel Evans won the 177-km seventh stage of the Tour of Germany, the second mountaintop finish in the nine-day race, after an exciting battle over the final climb at Feldberg.
Danilo Di Luca won the 169km fourth stage of the Tour of Murcia, which finished with a climb up the Marco Pantani Hill named after the Italian cyclist who died last month.
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