Road

Tour of Flanders winners, 1913-2011

Most of this year's Flanders peloton opted to ride straightforward race bikes, mostly using 25mm tubulars.

Nick Legan snaps some pre-race shots of Flanders machinery.

Preliminary Results

• 1. Nick Nuyens (B), Saxo Bank-Sunguard, 256.3km in 6:00:42
• 2.Sylvain Chavanel (F), Quick Step, s.t.
• 3. Fabian Cancellara (Swi), Leopard-Trek, s.t.
• 4. Tom Boonen (B), Quick Step, at 0:02
• 5. Sebastian Langeveld (Nl), Rabobank, at 0:08.
• 6. George Hincapie (USA), BMC, at 0:08
• 7. Björn Leukemans (B), Vacansoleil-DCM, at 0:08
• 8. Staf Scheirlinckx (B), Veranda's Willems-Accent, at 0:08
• 9. Philippe Gilbert (B), Omega Pharma-Lotto, at 0:08
• 10. Geraint Thomas (GB), Sky, at 0:08

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Nick Nuyens wins a hard-fought Tour of Flanders as Fabian Cancellara (Leopard-Trek) finally proves himself mortal on the steeps of the Muur.

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Roman Van Uden wins the stage-two downtown criterium at the Redlands Bicycle Classic.

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Gran Premio Miguel Indurain

• 1. Samuel Sanchez Gonzalez (Esp), Euskaltel-Euskadi, 4:42:47
• 2. Alexandr Kolobnev (Rus), Team Katusha, at 0:02
• 3. Fabian Wegmann (Ger), Leopard-Trek, at 0:07
• 4. Ryder Hesjedal (Can), Garmin-Cervélo, at 0:07
• 5. Angel Madrazo Ruiz (Esp), Movistar, at 0:07

The American U-23 squad is showing strength at the Triptyque Mont et Chateaux in Belgium.

Amgen Tour of California organizer AEG appears set to launch a women’s elite time trial alongside the men’s event in Solvang, with sources saying the purse will be paid based on the number of men the women beat.

The VeloNews crew eyeballs Leopard-Trek's prototype Bontrager wheels before Tour of Flanders.

Fabian Cancellara prefers a bit more rake in his fork and is using a mechanical group instead of Shimano's Di2 Dura-Ace group.

Tech editor Nick Legan checks out Fabian Cancellara's Flanders bike.

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.

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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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