Road

Andrew Hood weighs in with another in his series of Tour de France notebooks.

No one was more surprised that Thomas Voeckler (Europcar) kept the yellow jersey Saturday than Voeckler himself.

Casey B. Gibson and his camera bag were on hand as the peloton tackled a tough 14th stage of the 2011 Tour de France.

Colombian Rigoberto Uran boosted the fortunes of British outfit Team Sky by taking over the Tour de France white jersey after the tough 14th stage on Saturday.

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Alberto Contador warned yellow jersey rivals Andy and Fränk Schleck that his campaign is alive and kicking after surviving the tough 14th stage of the Tour de France Saturday.

• 1. Jelle Vanendert, Omega Pharma - Lotto, at
• 2. Samuel Sanchez, Euskaltel - Euskadi, at
• 3. Andy Schleck, Team Leopard-Trek, at 00:46
• 4. Cadel Evans, Bmc Racing Team, at 00:48
• 5. Rigoberto Uran, Sky Procycling, at 00:48

Tejay Van Garderen will join BMC Racing beginning in 2012. A source confirmed Friday that the 22-year-old has signed a three-year contract to join the American squad at the close of the year.

Jelle Vanendert (Omega Pharma-Lotto) won the mountainous 14th stage of the Tour de France on Saturday as Thomas Voeckler mounted a surprising, spirited and successful defense of his yellow jersey.

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LOURDES, France (VN) — Will Plateau de Beille once again play king-maker at the Tour de France?

LOURDES, France, July 15, 2011 (AFP) - Andy Schleck insists the winner of Saturday's 14th stage on the Tour de France to Plateau de Beille will not necessarily be crowned yellow jersey champion this year.

July 16 Stage 14: St. Gaudens to Plateau de Beille, 168.5km (104.7 miles)

Andrew Hood talks to Frank Schleck after stage 13

LOURDES, France (VN) - Thor Hushovd called his improbable stage 13 win in Lourdes, on the hip of the Pyrénées, his most important at the Tour de France to date. Previously an eight-time stage winner, Hushovd surprised his Garmin-Cervélo teammates and even scared director Lionel Marie, who followed him on the breakneck descents of the cols d’Aubisque and du Soulor Friday afternoon.

Andrew Hood and Brian Holcombe wrap up stage 13 and look ahead to Saturday's tough stage

LOURDES, France (VN) — Jeremy Roy (FDJ) won a consolation prize by earning the day's most combative award, but French riders have come up empty so far in the 2011 Tour de France.

Ben Delaney walks us through the start village at the Tour de France

David Moncoutié’s LOOK 695 IPACK

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LOURDES, France (VN) - A 39-year-old German father of six tore the Tour de France apart Thursday on its second major climb, the Col du Tourmalet. Leopard-Trek’s Jens Voigt called Thursday one of his best days on the bike and said his team leaders, Andy and Fränk Schleck, need at least three minutes on Alberto Contador (Saxo Bank-Sungard) before the penultimate day time trial in Grenoble.

LOURDES, France (AFP) — HTC-Highroad manager Bob Stapleton said he would not rule out merging with another team if he fails to find a major sponsor before the end of the year.

LOURDES, France (VN) — Tony Martin denied rumors Friday morning that he is set to join Bjarne Riis at Saxo Bank-Sungard in 2012. French daily L’Equipe reported Friday that the German is in discussions with Riis as the title sponsorship of his current squad, HTC-Highroad, is set to expire at the close of the year.

LOURDES, France (AFP) - RadioShack's Tour de France hopes suffered a huge blow on the second day in the high mountains when Andreas Kloden pulled out during Friday's 13th stage.

• 1. Thor Hushovd, Team Garmin - Cervelo, in 3h 47' 36"
• 2. David Moncoutie, Cofidis Le Credit En Ligne, at 00:10
• 3. Jérémy Roy, Fdj, at 00:26
• 4. Lars Bak, Htc - Highroad, at 05:00
• 5. Jérôme Pineau, Quick Step Cycling Team, at 05:02

World champion Thor Hushovd (Garmin-Cervelo) won Friday's 13th stage of the 2011 Tour de France in solo breakaway after outracing the members of an early breakaway.

Breakfast with Bernie, stage 13

“First uphill finish you get an idea of how everyone’s going, who’s really climbing good, who’s climbing okay, who’s going bad and where I fit in amongst it all," said Cadel Evans after stage 12. The jury is still out, but what we do know is that the unfortunate Andreas Klöden, Robert Gesink, Tony Martin and Christian Vande Velde no longer fit into the mix of favorites.

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Check out CyclingTips's author page.

ESPN commentator Michael Smith entered treatment Wednesday for what network executives have identified as Cranio-Rectal Syndrome. The rare condition is characterized by impaired vision, a heightened sense of smell and the ill-advised use of smart phones.

How a skilled PR man and former Riis Cycling insider polished an entrepreneur’s idea, snagged Spartacus and the Schleck brothers, and built the world’s No. 1 team

LUZ-ARDIDEN, France (VN) — It's not the 13 seconds that Alberto Contador lost in Thursday's summit finish at Luz-Ardiden to Andy Schleck that everyone was talking about. It was how he looked.

LUZ ARDIDEN, France (AFP) - German Tony Martin refused to blame flu as his hopes of remaining in contention for a top overall place at the Tour de France were severely compromised on Thursday.

Garmin-Cervélo’s climber, on the form of his life, climbed with the best at Luz-Ardiden

Brian Holcombe chats with HTC-Highroad's Bernie Eisel

Finish-line analysis, stage 12: It keeps adding and adding ...

LUZ-ARDIDEN, France (VN) - Ivan Basso confirmed his place among the overall favorites Thursday on the first mountaintop finish of the 2011 Tour de France, at Luz-Ardiden.

LUZ-ARDIDEN, France (VN) - Geraint Thomas has had his best Tour de France to date, but the 25-year-old’s race nearly ended Thursday when he left the road twice on the wet, technical descent of La Hourquette d’Ancizan.

Stage 12 winner Sammy Sanchez's Orbea

The weight of steel, pro warm-ups, UCI rules and more

CUGNAUX, France (VN) — Tejay Van Garderen (HTC-Highroad) was a bundle of nerves at the start line of Thursday's 12th stage. After riding through the first half of the Tour de France unscathed, the Tour rookie was looking down the gauntlet of the Tour's first major climbs.

Stage

• 1. Samuel Sanchez, Euskaltel - Euskadi, in6h 01' 15"
• 2. Jelle Vanendert, Omega Pharma - Lotto, at 00:07
• 3. Frank Schleck, Team Leopard-Trek, at 00:10
• 4. Ivan Basso, Liquigas-Cannondale, at 00:30
• 5. Cadel Evans, Bmc Racing Team, at 00:30

• 1. Thomas Voeckler, Team Europcar, in 51h 54' 44"
• 2. Frank Schleck, Team Leopard-Trek, at 01:49
• 3. Cadel Evans, Bmc Racing Team, at 02:06
• 4. Andy Schleck, Team Leopard-Trek, at 02:17
• 5. Ivan Basso, Liquigas-Cannondale, at 03:16

Sammy Sanchez (Euskaltel-Euskadi) won the first mountain stage of the 2011 Tour de France on Thursday, on a day when a view of the top of general classification finally became clear.

A fresh Evans faces challenges from Contador and the Schlecks in the Pyrenees

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Instead of a traditional rider diary, this month Team RadioShack's Ben King is sharing his race report from the Tour of Austria, which wrapped up Sunday.

... Thursday looks to be the 2011 Tour’s first true GC selection day as the peloton begins the first of 3 days in the Pyrenees. Covering 211km from Cugnaux to Luz Ardiden (best known as the site of Lance Armstrong’s brazen 2003 attempt to snatch a spectator’s purse with his handlebars) the stage ends with a pair of killer HC climbs ...

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Check out CyclingTips's author page.

Finish-line analysis: Storm clouds looming

Off the radar and unnoticed; that sums how the first half of the 2011 Tour has gone for HTC-Highroad's two-pronged GC attack. And that's just fine for them.

LAVAUR, France (VN) — It was raining at the start of Wednesday’s stage 11 in Blaye-les-Mines, a down-on-its-luck coal-mining town on the southern edge of the Massif Central. Riders stayed in their team buses as long as possible. Some ventured outside to give hurried interviews in the shelter of their bus’s canopy or a journalist’s umbrella.

LAVAUR, France (VN) — HTC-Highroad team owner and manager Bob Stapleton is always proud of his riders, and he said it was just good luck that he made his first appearance at this year’s Tour de France on the day that his super-sprinter Mark Cavendish took his third stage win of the race. “That was all Mark Cavendish and good teamwork. I can’t take any credit for that,” he said Wednesday after the stage 11 finish.

We take a look at the bike of another unfortunate early Tour retiree, Brad Wiggins

LAVAUR, France (VN) — Nicolas Roche (Ag2r-La Mondiale) crashed a lot during his run-up to the Tour de France this year, but he's largely avoided the disasters that have struck other top contenders in the first half of the race.

LAVAUR, France (AFP) - Reigning champion Contador said his painful right knee was "feeling good" ahead of what could be his first big test of the Tour de France.

Breakfast with Bernie, stage 11: Riding for the kids, and sticky bidons

LAVAUR, France (AFP) - Britain's Mark Cavendish moved to quash speculation of another sprint clash with Frenchman Romain Feillu after claiming his third stage win of this year's Tour de France Wednesday.

LAVAUR, France (AFP) - Olympic champion Samuel Sanchez says he is hoping to put his disappointing start to the Tour de France behind him with a stage victory in the Basque stronghold of the Pyrenees.

Lennard Zinn visits Specialized and reports back on his coolest finds and observations

Stage

• 1. Mark Cavendish, Htc - Highroad, in 3h 46' 07
• 2. André Greipel, Omega Pharma - Lotto, at s.t.
• 3. Tyler Farrar, Team Garmin - Cervelo, at s.t.
• 4. Denis Galimzyanov, Katusha Team, at s.t.
• 5. Boasson Hagen Edvald, Sky Procycling, at s.t.

• 1. Thomas Voeckler, Team Europcar, in 45h 52' 39
• 2. Luis-leon Sanchez, Rabobank Cycling Team, at 1:49
• 3. Cadel Evans, Bmc Racing Team, at at 02:26
• 4. Frank Schleck, Team Leopard-Trek, at at 02:29
• 5. Andy Schleck, Team Leopard-Trek, at at 02:37

Mark Cavendish (HTC-Highroad) won Wednesday's stage 11 of the 2011 Tour de France, a 168km sprinters' stage that concluded in Lavaur, the final stage before the Tour enters the Pyrenees on Thursday.

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AURILLAC, France (VN) – Brent Bookwalter never expected to be on the front row for a yellow jersey push for Cadel Evans in the Tour de France.

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Team RadioShack’s Bruyneel and Leipheimer have some answers

CARMAUX, France, July 12, 2011 (AFP) - Frenchman Thomas Voeckler said he is under no illusions over his guardianship of the Tour de France yellow jersey as the race heads steadily towards the Pyrenees mountains.

He may be gone from the Tour, but Vino's Specialized Tarmac SL4 still deserves a look

A record-low 16 riders began Tuesday’s stage 10 after a crash-filled rest day served only to further decimate the peloton. Notable abandons included Team Sky’s Rigoberto Uran (who swerved to avoid a litter of kittens during his team’s recovery ride), AG2R’s Blel Kadri (who attempted to change his bib shorts while on a gently sloping descent) and Liquigas-Cannondale leader Ivan Basso (who was momentarily distracted by his own handsomeness). Also scratched were all nine members of the Saur-Sojasun squad, whom race officials now admit have actually been missing since stage 3.