Road

SAN PELLEGRINO TERME, Italy (VN) – Sometimes the best racing in the Giro d’Italia happens before RAI begins to broadcast the race. That was certainly the case in Thursday’s short but explosive 151km 18th stage from Morbegno to San Pellegrino Terme.

Road rash treatment, skewer placement, vans in the caravan and more

Stage 18

• 1. Eros Capecchi (ITA), Liquigas-Doimo, 3:20:38
• 2. Marco Pinotti (ITA), HTC-Highroad, s.t.
• 3. Kevin Seeldraeyers (BEL), Quick Step, s.t.
• 4. Gianluca Brambilla (ITA), Colnago-CSF, at 1:20
• 5. Paolo Tiralongo (ITA), Astana, at 1:20

• 1. Alberto Contador Velasco (Spain), SaxoBank-Sungard, 71:45:09
• 2. Michele Scarponi (Italy), Lampre-ISD, at 4:58
• 3. Vincenzo Nibali (Italy), Liquigas-Doimo, at 5:45
• 4. John Gadret (France), Ag2r La Mondiale, at 7:35
• 5. Kanstantsin Sivtsov (Belarus), HTC-Highroad, at 9:12

SAN PELLEGRINO, Italy (VN) — Apparent delays in Alberto Contador's hearing in his ongoing doping case could open the door for him to race this year's Tour de France despite having the risk of disqualification from last year's victory.

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Igor Anton’s Orbea Orca GDi2

• 1. Lieuwe WESTRA, (NED) Vacansoleil-DCM, in 6:36
• 2. Philippe GILBERT, (BEL) Omega Pharma-Lotto, at 1
• 3. Dominique CORNU, (BEL) Topsport Vlaanderen-Mercator, at 2
• 4. Sebastian LANGEVELD, (NED) Rabobank Cycling Team, at 5
• 5. Maarten WYNANTS, (BEL) Rabobank Cycling Team, at 7

This weekend brings in the U.S. Professional National Championships in Greenville, South Carolina, and the story is as much who will be there as who won’t.

• Jesse Anthony, Kelly Benefit Strategies-OptumHealth, Beverly, MA
• Kai Applequist, Team Exergy, Boise, ID
• Andrew Bajadali, Kelly Benefit Strategies-OptumHealth, Boulder, CO
• Andrew Baker, Bissell Pro Cycling Team, Easley, SC
• Christopher Baldwin, Bissell Pro Cycling Team, Boulder, CO

Stage

• 1. Diego Ulissi, Lampre - Isd, in 5:31:51
• 2. Pablo Lastras Garcia, Movistar Team, at s.t
• 3. Giovanni Visconti, Farnese Vini - Neri Sottoli, at s.t.
• 4. Jan Bakelants, Omega Pharma-Lotto, at 4
• 5. Fabio Taborre, Acqua & Sapone, at 8

• 1. Alberto Contador Velasco, Saxo Bank Sungard, in 68:18:27
• 2. Michele Scarponi, Lampre - Isd, at 4:58
• 3. Vincenzo Nibali, Liquigas-Cannondale, at 5:45
• 4. John Gadret, Ag2r La Mondiale, at 7:35
• 5. Kanstantsin Sivtsov, HTC-Highroad, at 9:12

FELTRE, Italy (VN) ─ Neil Stephens had a front-row seat during the Miguel Indurain era as a racer and he's seen the rise of Alberto Contador as a sport director working in the peloton. The ex-pro said the two Spanish riders have very different racing styles that result in the same thing: winning stage races.

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LZ fields questions on Mario's bikes, disc brake rotors, seized bottom brackets and power meter drag

Millar says CERA made 2008 Giro harder than this one, Contador has little to say on Hamilton, final TT shortened

Stage 16

• 1. Alberto Contador Velasco, Saxo Bank Sungard, at 28:55
• 2. Vincenzo Nibali, Liquigas-Cannondale, at 34
• 3. Michele Scarponi, Lampre - Isd, at 38
• 4. José Rujano Guillen, Androni Giocattoli - C.i.p.i, at 39
• 5. Stefano Garzelli, Acqua & Sapone, at 46

GC

• 1. Alberto Contador Velasco, Saxo Bank Sungard, at 62:43:37
• 2. Michele Scarponi, Lampre - Isd, at 4:58
• 3. Vincenzo Nibali, Liquigas-Cannondale, at 5:45
• 4. John Gadret, Ag2r La Mondiale, at 7:35
• 5. José Rujano Guillen, Androni Giocattoli - C.i.p.i, at 9:18

Alberto Contador solidified his lead in the 2011 Giro d'Italia Tuesday, after dancing to a 34-second win over Vincenzo Nibali in the stage 16 uphill time trial.

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Police carried out a search at the RadioShack team hotel in Falcade on Monday, a day after former Lance Armstrong teammate Tyler Hamilton accused him on "60 Minutes" of participating in a sophisticated doping program, according to The Associated Press

The Showers Pass VelEau 42 is a specially shaped 1.25L container that fits inside a formed, under-the-saddle bag.

Photographer Gregg Bleakney piggybacks on a leg of a Thomson Bike Tours trip to the Giro d'Italia.

Men

• 1. Francisco Mancebo , Realcyclist.com, with 575 points
• 2. Jacobe Keough , Unitedhealthcare, with 297 points
• 3. Benjamin Jacques-Maynes , Bissell Pro Cycling Team, with 222 points
• 4. Michael Northey , Pureblack Racing, with 194 points
• 5. Christopher Baldwin , Bissell Pro Cycling Team, with 170 points

Women

Roman Kreuziger looks set to top his ninth-place finish at last year’s Giro, and he’ll do so riding a Specialized Tarmac SL3.

Spanish cyclist Xavier Tondo died in a freak accident on Monday, crushed between his car and a garage door at a ski resort in southern Spain.

BELLUNO, Italy (VN) – Tuesday’s climbing time trial up to the base of the Nevegal ski area present Alberto Contador with another chance to tighten his grip on the maglia rosa.

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BELLUNO, Italy (VN) – Vicenzo Nibali vows to go down fighting in the Giro d’Italia and has no regrets about going on the attack despite losing time in Sunday’s epic trek across the Dolomites.

There was both irony and hope in the confluence Sunday afternoon of CBS’ “60 Minutes” exposé on doping in cycling and the finish of the sixth Tour of California.

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Lance Armstrong was part of a sophisticated doping program, according to former teammate Tyler Hamilton, who told "60 Minutes" that a positive test was made to "go away."

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. (VN) — Chris Horner took a trip down memory lane Sunday as he rolled toward the biggest result of his career at the close of the Amgen Tour of California. Minutes after leaving the stage in gold leader’s jersey, the RadioShack veteran took aim at the Tour de France — and his doubters.

Stage Results 1. Matthew Goss (AUS), HTC-Highroad, at 2:56:39 2. Peter Sagan (SVK), Liquigas-Doimo, s.t. 3. Gregory Henderson (NZL), Team Sky, s.t. 4. Oscar Freire Gomez (ESP), Rabobank Cycling Team, s.t. 5. Kevin Lacombe (CAN), SpiderTech-Planet Energy, s.t. Final GC 1. Christopher Horner (USA), Team RadioShack, at 23:46:41 2. Levi Leipheimer (USA), Team RadioShack, at 38 3. Tom Danielson (USA), Garmin-Cervélo, at 02:45 4. Christian Vande Velde (USA), Garmin-Cervélo, at 03:18 5. Tejay Van Garderen (USA), HTC-Highroad, at 03:23

RadioShack's Chris Horner locked up the 2011 Amgen Tour of California on Sunday as Matt Goss (HTC-Highroad) won the finale, a 129.1km leg from Santa Clarita to Thousand Oaks.

BELLUNO, Italy (VN) – Riders were coming across the finish line in Gardeccia in a daze. Some had been riding more than eight hours. Giro leader Alberto Contador called it “the hardest stage of my life.”

BELLUNO, Italy (VN) – The last kilometer of Sunday’s monster, five-climb, seven-hour 229km trek across the Dolomites may well have been the longest Mikel Nieve has ever ridden.

World road champion Georgia Bronzini (Colavita Forno d'Asolo) won the Grand Prix Cycliste Gatineau on Saturday in Quebec.

Quick Results

• 1. Mikel Nieve Ituralde (ESP), Euskaltel-Euskadi, 7:27:14
• 2. Stefano Garzelli (ITA), Acqua & Sapone-Caffe Mokambo, at 1:41
• 3. Alberto Contador Velasco (ESP), SaxoBank-Sungard, at 1:51
• 4. Michele Scarponi (ITA), Lampre-ISD, at 1:57
• 5. John Gadret (FRA), Ag2r La Mondiale, at 2:28

GC

• 1. Alberto Contador Velasco (Spain), SaxoBank-Sungard, 62:14:42
• 2. Michele Scarponi (Italy), Lampre-ISD, at 4:20
• 3. Vincenzo Nibali (Italy), Liquigas-Doimo, at 5:11
• 4. John Gadret (France), Ag2r La Mondiale, at 6:08
• 5. Mikel Nieve Ituralde (Spain), Euskaltel-Euskadi, at 7:03

Peter Kraiker sends a gallery from the Grand Prix Cycliste Gatineau in Quebec.

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Nick Legan takes a look at the bikes used in the penultimate stage of the 2011 Amgen Tour of California.

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Inside the Team RadioShack mobile kitchen

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What exactly were Hesjedal and Talansky up to in Saturday's breakaway?

Newcomers Busche and King play major role in the Horner-Leipheimer show

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Stage 7 Results 1. Levi Leipheimer (USA), Team RadioShack, at 3:33:01 2. Christopher Horner (USA), Team RadioShack, at 00 3. Laurens Ten Dam (NED), Rabobank Cycling Team, at 43 4. Tom Danielson (USA), Garmin-Cervélo, at 01:01 5. Steve Morabito (SUI), BMC Racing Team, at 01:21 General Classification 1. Christopher Horner (USA), Team RadioShack, 20:50:02 2. Levi Leipheimer (USA), Team RadioShack, at 38 3. Tom Danielson (USA), Garmin-Cervélo, at 02:45 4. Christian Vande Velde (USA), Garmin-Cervélo, at 03:18 5. Tejay Van Garderen (USA), HTC-Highroad, at 03:23

Levi Leipheimer and race leader Chris Horner finished one-two in the queen stage of the 2011 Amgen Tour of California on Saturday

MONTE ZONCOLAN, Italy (VN) – The Giro d’Italia is always a little bit crazy, but Saturday’s run up to Monte Zoncolan was a stretch even by Giro standards.

MONTE ZONCOLAN, Italy (VN) – Igor Antón had tunnel vision – literally – to claim the biggest stage of his career rocky career.

Quick Results

• 1. Igor Anton Hernandez (ESP), Euskaltel-Euskadi, 5:04:26
• 2. Alberto Contador Velasco (ESP), SaxoBank-Sungard, at 33
• 3. Vincenzo Nibali (ITA), Liquigas-Doimo, at 40
• 4. Michele Scarponi (ITA), Lampre-ISD, at 1:11
• 5. Denis Menchov (RUS), Geox-TMC, at 1:21

GC

• 1. Alberto Contador Velasco (Spain), SaxoBank-Sungard, 54:45:45
• 2. Vincenzo Nibali (Italy), Liquigas-Doimo, at 3:20
• 3. Igor Anton Hernandez (Spain), Euskaltel-Euskadi, at 3:21
• 4. Michele Scarponi (Italy), Lampre-ISD, at 4:06
• 5. John Gadret (France), Ag2r La Mondiale, at 5:23

MONTE ZONCOLAN, Italy (VN) — Igor Anton (Euskaltel-Euskadi) scored an impressive solo victory atop the brutally steep Monte Zoncolan in the 14th stage of the Giro d’Italia, his first grand tour win since crashing out of the 2010 Vuelta a España while wearing the leader’s jersey.

MONTE ZONCOLAN, Italy (VN) – An angry Giro d’Italia race director Angelo Zomegnan blasted sport directors and the UCI for forcing the cancelation of Saturday’s climb and descent of Monte Crostis.

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Five hours of bike work for 30 minutes of racing? Must be TT time.

SOLVANG, California (VN) ─ Former Lance Armstrong teammate Frankie Andreu spoke out in support of Tyler Hamilton and George Hincapie Friday afternoon, following news reports that both have testified to federal authorities about their former teammate’s use of performance-enhancing drugs.

George Hincapie, one of Lance Armstrong’s closest friends during their time together at the U.S. Postal Service and Discovery Channel teams and the only member of all seven of Armstrong’s Tour de France-winning squads, testified before a federal grand jury that he and Armstrong had supplied one another with EPO and testosterone, CBS News reported Friday afternoon.