Road

While the cobblestone specialists hog the spotlight ahead of tomorrow’s Tour of Flanders, riders who will take over in the Ardennes sharpened their form in an exciting battle at the GP Miguel Indurain in Spain.

Ted King's Cannondale

When Ted King signed with Liquigas/Cannondale he didn’t speak a word of Italian. That had to change and quickly. Thanks to Rosetta Stone and his move to Lucca, Italy, he’s progressing nicely. Immersion is the key to his success.

Basque squad Euskaltel-Euskadi plans to welcome back Mikel Astarloza to the team when his racing ban for EPO ends later this summer.

Stage 1, MEN

• 1. John Bennett, California Giant-Specialized, 4:40:01
• 2. Lachlan Morton, Chipotle Development, s.t.
• 3. Andres Diaz, Team Exergy, s.t.
• 4. Anibal Borrajo, Jamis Sutter Home, at 00:12
• 5. Shawn Milne, Kenda/5hr Energy/geargrinder, at 00:12

Overall Standings, Men

• 1. Fransisco Mancebo, Realcyclist.com, 4:49:52
• 2. Ben Jacques-Maynes, Bissell Pro Cycling, at 00:01
• 3. Chris Baldwin, Juwi Solar-First Solar, at 00:03
• 4. Andres Diaz, Team Exergy, at 00:06
• 5. Andy Jacques-Maynes, Bissell Pro Cycling, at 00:09

Stage 1, WOMEN

• 1. Theresa Cliff-Ryan, Colavita Forno D'asolo
• 2. Christina Gokey-Smith, Rouse Bicycles, s.t.
• 3. Jen Purcel, Danbury Audi, s.t.
• 4. Carmen Small, Team Tibco-To The Top, s.t.
• 5. Erinne Willock, Team Tibco-To The Top, s.t.

Overall Standings, Women

• 1. Amber Neben, HTC Highroad Women
• 2. Evelyn Stevens, HTC Highroad Women, at 00:08
• 3. Erinne Willock, Team Tibco-To The Top, at 00:13
• 4. Andrea Dvorak, Colavita Forno D'asolo, at 00:30
• 5. Kristen Armstrong, Peanut Butter & Co. Twenty 12 , at 00:34

BEAUMONT, California (VN) - Theresa Cliff-Ryan (Colavita-Forno-D'Asolo) took the stage 1 bunch sprint under oppressive heat at the Redlands Bicycle Classic Friday. A few minutes after the women's teams cleared out of the Beaumont, 20-year-old amateur John Bennett (Cal Giant-Specialized) took a radically different win in the men's race, topping a three-up sprint from the day's long breakaway.

BRUGGE, Belgium (VN) – Fabian Cancellara is the undisputed favorite heading into the Tour of Flanders and the reigning champion. He knows it, two-time winner Tom Boonen knows it, and the oddsmakers around cycling-mad Belgium certainly know it. But as to who has more pressure, Cancellara and Boonen both point to the other guy.

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Rapha North America has issued a recall notice on 200 cans of its chamois cream.

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Women

• 1. Amber Neben, Htc Highroad Women, in 11:12
• 2. Evelyn Stevens, Htc Highroad Women, at 0:08
• 3. Erinne Willock, Team Tibco-To The Top, at 0:13
• 4. Andrea Dvorak, Colavita Forno D'asolo, at 0:30
• 5. Kristen Armstrong, Peanut Butter & Co. Twenty 1 , at 0:34

Men

• 1. Fransisco Mancebo, Realcyclist.com, in 9:39
• 2. Ben Jacques-Maynes, Bissell Pro Cycling, at 0:01
• 3. Chris Baldwin, Juwi Solar-First Solar, at 0:03
• 4. Andy Jacques-Maynes, Bissell Pro Cycling, at 0:09
• 5. Luis Amaran, Jamis Sutter Home, at 0:10

REDLANDS, California (VN) - Francisco Mancebo (Realcyclist.com) showed the U.S. peloton he means business Thursday, topping the Sun Time Trial prologue at the Redlands Bicycle Classic.

Amber Neben is back in the driver’s seat Thursday after winning her second consecutive prologue at the Redlands Bicycle Classic.

Readers ask about treating tires, both inside and out, and protecting your knees in cold weather.

The 27th Redlands Bicycle Classic opens Thursday in Southern California with a 3.1-mile uphill prologue. Redlands pulls back the curtain on the 2011 National Racing Calendar and runs through Sunday’s stage 3 Sunset Road Race.

Unless they ride May’s Giro d’Italia, Tour de France contenders choose between June’s Critérium du Dauphiné in France and Tour of Switzerland (Tour de Suisse) to hone their form for La Grande Boucle. This year, the choice is going to be a difficult one.

PRELIMINARY RESULTS

Stage 3b (ITT): De Panne - De Panne

• 1. Sébastien ROSSELER (BEL), Team RadioShack , 18:31
• 2. Lieuwe WESTRA (NED), Vacansoleil-DCM, at 0:14
• 3. Michal KWIATKOWSKI (POL), Team RadioShack, at 0:14
• 4. Sylvain CHAVANEL (FRA), Quick Step, at 0:18
• 5. Bert GRABSCH (GER), HTC-Highroad, at 0:22
• 6. Andriy GRIVKO (UKR), Astana, at 0:24
• 7. Dmitriy MURAVYEV (KAZ), Team RadioShack, at 0:30
• 8. Rick FLENS (NED), Rabobank Cycling Team, at 0:30
• 9. Tomas VAITKUS (LTU), Astana, at 0:34
• 10. Cyril LEMOINE (FRA), Saur-Sojasun, at 0:50

Final overall standings

• 1. Sébastien ROSSELER (Belgium), Team RadioShack , 12:21:33
• 2. Lieuwe WESTRA (Netherlands), Vacansoleil-DCM, at 0:06
• 3. Michal KWIATKOWSKI (Poland), Team RadioShack, at 0:14
• 4. Sylvain CHAVANEL (France), Quick Step, at 0:18
• 5. Bert GRABSCH (Germany), HTC-Highroad, at 0:22
• 6. Andriy GRIVKO (Ukraine), Astana, at 0:24
• 7. Dmitriy MURAVYEV (Kazakhstan), Team RadioShack, at 0:26
• 8. Rick FLENS (Netherlands), Rabobank Cycling Team, at 0:30
• 9. Tomas VAITKUS (Lithuania), Astana, at 0:34
• 10. Cyril LEMOINE (France), Saur-Sojasun, at 0:50

Just how big is De Ronde van Vlaanderen in Belgium? Big enough to spawn a popular new weekly Belgian television program, titled “De Ronde,” a fictional drama, written and directed by Belgian writer/director Jan Eelen.

A keen eye may have noticed a slight change in the bib shorts and jerseys of Garmin-Cervèlo’s Tyler Farrar, Johan VanSummeren, Heinrich Haussler, and Matt Wilson at Milan-San Remo this year. That’s because they weren’t wearing bib shorts and jerseys anymore – at least not as we know them.

Stage 3a: De Panne - De Panne

• 1. Jacopo GUARNIERI (ITA), Liquigas-Doimo, 2:32:11
• 2. Denis GALIMZYANOV (RUS), Team Katusha, s.t.
• 3. Jimmy CASPER (FRA), Saur-Sojasun, s.t.
• 4. Kenny Robert VAN HUMMEL (NED), Skil-Shimano, s.t.
• 5. Alexander KRISTOFF (NOR), BMC Racing Team, s.t.

Overall Standings

• 1. Bert DE BACKER (Belgium), Skil-Shimano, 12:02:52
• 2. Lieuwe WESTRA (Netherlands), Vacansoleil-DCM, at 0:02
• 3. Arnoud VAN GROEN (Netherlands), at 0:04
• 4. Dmitriy MURAVYEV (Kazakhstan), Team RadioShack, at 0:06
• 5. Romain FEILLU (France), Vacansoleil-DCM, at 0:07

DE PANNE, Belgium (VN) - Young Italian rider Jacopo Guarnieri (Liquigas) won the bunch sprint during the morning stage of Three Days of De Panne, ahead of Wednesday’s stage winner Denis Galimzianov (Katusha).

Team Singletrack.com/Justin's Nut Butter Thomas Dooley & Mike Hogan are sending Cape Epic updates as time and energy permits.

For the June issue of VeloNews, we’re testing four endurance bikes in the lab and out on the paved, dirt and cobblestone roads.

Alberto Contador should know his fate before the start of the Tour de France. That’s according to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which promised it would make a ruling on the long-running clenbuterol case before the start of the season’s most important race.

Team Type 1 – sanofi-aventis is back in the saddle for Friday’s Route Adelie de Vitre in France just a week after thieves stole more than 30 bikes, wheels and other invaluable equipment.

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The Women's Prestige Cycling Series kicks off Thursday with the Redlands Bicycle Classic in California.

Defending champion Chris Horner (RadioShack) will line up with the No. 1 start bib for the upcoming Vuelta al País Vasco.

Stage 2: Oudenaarde - Koksijde

• 1. Denis GALIMZYANOV (RUS), Katusha, 5:08:18
• 2. John DEGENKOLB (GER), HTC-Highroad, s.t.
• 3. Peter SAGAN (SVK), Liquigas-Doimo, s.t.
• 4. Tomas VAITKUS (LTU), Astana, s.t.
• 5. Romain FEILLU (FRA), Vacansoleil-DCM, s.t.

Overall Standings

• 1. Lieuwe WESTRA (Netherlands), Vacansoleil-DCM, 9:30:43
• 2. Bert DE BACKER (Belgium), Skil-Shimano, s.t.
• 3. John DEGENKOLB (Germany), HTC-Highroad, at 2
• 4. Arnoud VAN GROEN (Netherlands), at 2
• 5. Peter SAGAN (Slovakia), Liquigas-Doimo, at 4

David Millar wouldn’t be defending his title at Three Days of De Panne this week even if Garmin-Cervélo had sent a team to the Flemish suffer-fest.

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Stage 1: Middelkerke - Zottegem

• 1. André GREIPEL (GER), Omega Pharma-Lotto , 4:22:33
• 2. Lieuwe WESTRA (NED), Vacansoleil-DCM, s.t.
• 3. Dmitriy MURAVYEV (KAZ), RadioShack, s.t.
• 4. Vladimir GUSEV (RUS), Katusha, s.t.
• 5. Romain FEILLU (FRA), Vacansoleil-DCM, s.t.

Overall Standings

• 1. André GREIPEL (Germany), Omega Pharma-Lotto 4:22:22
• 2. Bert DE BACKER (Belgium), Skil-Shimano, at 3
• 3. Lieuwe WESTRA (Netherlands), Vacansoleil-DCM, at 5
• 4. Pim LIGTHART (Netherlands), Vacansoleil-DCM, at 5
• 5. Dmitriy MURAVYEV (Kazakhstan), RadioShack, at 7

Gorilla on the Loose! Greipel wins opening stage at De Panne — from breakaway

Readers ask about getting the correct shoe and putting that cool crank set on a bike not designed to take it.

Check out Brian Holcombe's author page.

VeloNews Editor-at-Large John Wilcockson writes on the importance of teamwork in the first of the cobblestone classics and two major stage races

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Mavic has been testing prototypes of a new 40mm carbon tubular under a few of their high-profile riders this spring.

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Check out Brian Holcombe's author page.

Tour of the Battenkill organizers Anthem Sports have announced the launch of a new classics-style race and race series. The Tour of Washtenaw in Saline, Michigan, will be the second event in the new Great American Cycling Series.

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KORTRIJK, Belgium (VN) – Tuesday marks the start of the KBC-Driedaagse De Panne-Koksijde, a three-day stage race held in the Flanders region of Belgium that is used as final preparation race before Sunday’s Ronde Van Vlaanderen.

How does it feel to suffer the Cape Epic? Let Team Jamis' Jason Sager count the ways.

UCI president Pat McQuaid told The Associated Press that an appeal in Alberto Contador’s doping case was prompted by fears of political meddling within the Spanish cycling federation.

BMC team doctor Max Testa says Taylor Phinney’s early departure from the Volta a Catalunya last week doesn’t mean that he will not be able to start Paris-Roubaix next month.

The San Dimas Stage Race is becoming the Ben Day and Highroad show. Last weekend Kenda-5-hour Energy’s Day took his third consecutive overall title – and Amber Neben won the fourth overall title in a row for HTC-Highroad – in the final tune-up for the Redlands Classic.

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Final Over Standings Women

• 1. Amber Neben, Htc-Highroad Women
• 2. Heather Logan-Sprenger, Colavita/forno D'aso, at 00:08
• 3. Amanda Miller, Htc-Highroad Women, at 00:09
• 4. Kristin Armstrong, Peanut Butter & Co.t, at 00:12
• 5. Erinne Willock, Tibco/ To The Top, at 00:19

Final Overall Standings - Men

• 1. Ben Day, Kenda P/b Geargrinder, in 3:36:51
• 2. Matt Cooke, Team Exergy, at 00:14
• 3. Tyler Wren, Jamis Sutter Home Pr, at 00:17
• 4. Francisco Mancebo, Realcyclist.com Pro, at 00:17
• 5. Cesar Grajales, Realcyclist.com Pro, at 00:20

Sarah Hammer is the first American woman to earn three medals in a single cycling world championship after finishing second in the women’s omnium at the UCI track world championships.

Casey B. Gibson shoots the final day of the 2011 track world championships.

Emma Pooley (Garmin-Cervélo) rode alone for 69km to win the kickoff to the 2011 UCI women's World Cup on Sunday.

Trofeo Alfredo Binda

• 1. Emma Pooley (Gbr), Garmin-Cervélo, 3:08:17
• 2. Emma Johansson (Swe), Team Hitec Products Uck, at 1:32
• 3. Annemiek Van Vleuten (Ned), Netherlands, at 1:32
• 4. Martine Bras (Ned), Dolmans Landscaping, at 1:32
• 5. Shelley Olds (USA), Diadora Pasta Zara, at 1:32

It's been a roller-coaster seven years since Tom Boonen last won in Wevelgem.

Tour de Normandie, stage 8

• 1. Timo Thömel (Ger), 2:58:52
• 2. Laurent Pichon (Fra), Bretagne-Schuller, s.t.
• 3. Barry Markus (Ned), s.t.
• 4. Tosh Van Der Sande (Bel), s.t.
• 5. Luke Rowe (Gbr), s.t.

Final GC

• 1. Alexandre Blain (Fra), Endura Racing, 23:39:00
• 2. Mathieu Simon (Fra), at 0:05
• 3. Wesley Kreder (Ned), at 0:05
• 4. Tomasz Olejnick (Pol), at 0:13
• 5. Luke Rowe (Gbr), at 0:13

1. Tom Boonen (Bel), Quick Step, 4:35:00 2. Daniele Bennati (Ita), Leopard-Trek, s.t. 3. Tyler Farrar (USA), Garmin-Cervelo, s.t. 4. André Greipel (Ger), Omega Pharma-Lotto, s.t. 5. Lloyd Mondory (Fra), Ag2r La Mondiale, s.t.

An old injury keeps Levi Leipheimer from starting the final stage at the Volta a Catalunya.

Fränk Schleck clinches the Critérium International in Porto-Vecchio after the final stage, a 7.8km time trial through the streets of the Corsican town.

Critérium International, stage 3

• 1. Andreas Klöden (Ger), Team RadioShack, 8:46
• 2. Bradley Wiggins (Gbr), Team Sky, at 0:04
• 3. Jakob Fuglsang (Den), Leopard-Trek, at 0:10
• 4. David Zabriskie (USA), Garmin-Cervélo, at 0:14
• 5. Andrew Talansky (USA), Garmin-Cervélo, at 0:15

Final GC

• 1. Frank Schleck (Lux), Leopard-Trek, 7:13:12
• 2. Vasili Kiryienka (Blr), Movistar, at 0:13
• 3. Rein Taaramae (Est), Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne, at 0:30
• 4. Alexandre Geniez (Fra), Skil-Shimano, at 1:14
• 5. Tiago Machado (Por), Team RadioShack, at 1:15

Brent Bookwalter breaks a collarbone in Sunday’s finale at the Volta a Catalunya.

Tom Boonen (Quick Step) wins Ghent-Wevelgem.

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Stage 7: Parets del Valles-Barcelona (124.5 km)

• 1. Samuel Dumoulin (FRA), Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne, 2:33:55
• 2. Rigoberto Uran Uran (COL), Sky, s.t.
• 3. Kenny De Haes (BEL), Omega Pharma-Lotto, s.t.
• 4. Jose Joaquin Rojas Gil (ESP), Movistar, s.t.
• 5. Antonio Leal Cardoso Manuel (POR), Radioshack, s.t.

Final Overall Standings

• 1. Alberto Contador Velasco (ESP), Saxo Bank-Sungard, 29:24:42
• 2. Michele Scarponi (ITA), Lampre-ISD, at 0:23
• 3. Daniel Martin (IRL), Team Garmin-Cervelo, at 0:35
• 4. Christopher Horner (USA), Team Radioshack, at 0:35
• 5. Rigoberto Uran Uran (COL), Sky, at 0:38

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