Road Racing

Avoid these and you will be well on your way toward getting the most out of your device.

A look at some of the tweaks that HTC riders suggested for the Specialized Tarmac SL4

From the magazine: Custom clothing buyer’s guide, plus new online team stores

At last: Riding gear that's plenty good enough for the trail and doubles as a set of street duds.

As reported by VeloNews.com last week, the Angelo Zomegnan era is over at the Giro d'Italia.

PARIS (VN) ― Alberto Contador's rough and tumble Tour de France nearly ended early.

After a week in France, Velo editor in chief Ben Delaney wrote about his choice for the top-10 moments of the first week. Now with the great gift of hindsight, we'll pick the top 10 most impressive moments of weeks 2 and 3.

With the Tour de France numbers added in, Tour winner Cadel Evans has moved from fourth place to the lead of the UCI's WorldTour individual rankings.

PARIS (VN) — World champion Thor Hushovd strongly hinted that he is exploring his options for a new team in 2012.

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Brian Holcombe and Andrew Hood look back at the 2011 Tour

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Contador's young teammates finished the Tour with a strong time trial. Andy Hood talks to him in Paris.

In today’s final 2011 Tour de France edition of The Livestream Diaries we honor the best of the rest by presenting the first annual LSD Awards.

For Australians, Cadel Evans’ time-trial trouncing of the Schleck brothers on Saturday to clinch a first Tour de France victory for his country was one of those “where were you when” moments.

After Cadel Evans won the Tour de France Sunday, wearing a champion's yellow over the black and red of BMC Racing on the Champs-Élysées, BMC owner Andy Rihs called his victory honorable – and a world apart from Floyd Landis’ since-overturned victory for his Phonak squad in 2006.

Eleven North Americans started the 2011 Tour de France and 10 of them made it to Paris — although one of them used a body double.

Cadel Evans credits Miguel Indurain for inspiration and says his victory is for Australia.

Alberto Contador says he's through with the Giro d'Italia, but not with the Tour de France.

George Hincapie is proud of his record-tying 16 Tours and having played a role in nine victories.

Graham Watson captures the drama of the finale in Paris.

Sprint king Mark Cavendish (HTC-Highroad) became only the second Briton to step onto the Tour de France podium after securing the green jersey with his fifth stage win of this year's race on the final day.

1. Mark Cavendish, HTC-Highroad, 2h 27' 02" 2. Boasson Hagen Edvald, Sky Procycling, s.t. 3. André Greipel, Omega Pharma-Lotto, s.t. 4. Tyler Farrar, Team Garmin-Cervélo, s.t. 5. Fabian Cancellara, Team Leopard-Trek, s.t.

Cadel Evans (BMC Racing Team) became the first Australian to win the 2011 Tour de France on Sunday as Mark Cavendish (HTC-Highroad) took the final stage on the Champs-Élysées.

Breakfast with Bernie on the last stage of the 2011 Tour de France.

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GRENOBLE, France (VN) — “There’s a car, a car … il y a une voiture!” You could hear the panic in the voice of a television technician who was being pinned back against the trunk of a race official’s red Skoda by a solid mass of media crews. The mob was moving en masse like a giant bubble around the rider wearing a yellow skinsuit, Andy Schleck, who’d just thrown every last ounce of energy into defending (unsuccessfully) his Tour de France lead against Cadel Evans.

A peek at the BMC time trial bike that Cadel Evans rode to second in the stage-20 ITT and the yellow jersey in the 2011 Tour de France.

Does anyone know the Heimlich maneuver?

Peter Velits' and Christian Vande Velde's TT bikes.

Casey B. Gibson shoots the crucial race against the clock in the 2011 Tour de France.

n securing the first Tour de France title for Australia Saturday, Cadel Evans and his eight BMC Racing teammates silenced their critics after three weeks of seizing every opportunity they could find en route to the Champs-Élysées.

Andy and Fränk Schleck will stand on the final podium in Paris on Sunday, the first brothers to do so — but they won't occupy the top two steps, as they had hoped.

Andy Schleck paid tribute to Tour de France rival Cadel Evans as the BMC Racing team captain took the coveted yellow jersey after the penultimate stage time trial.

The green jersey remains up for grabs; Edvald Boasson Hagen is "a beast"; and Jens Voigt's good for one more year ... at least.

Graham Watson is on hand as Cadel Evans finally dons the yellow ahead of the parade stage to Paris.

UCI commissaires left their levels at home for Saturday’s stage-20 time trial, adjusting theirs methods for enforcing UCI Rule 1.3.012, which requires that the “saddle support be horizontal.”

Pierre Rolland (Europcar) reinforced his grip on the Tour de France white jersey despite being given a fright by Rein Taaramae (Cofidis) on the penultimate stage.

• 1. Tony Martin, Htc - Highroad, 55' 33"
• 2. Cadel Evans, Bmc Racing Team, at 00:07
• 3. Alberto Contador, Saxo Bank Sungard, at 01:06
• 4. Thomas De Gendt, Vacansoleil-Dcm, at 01:29
• 5. Richie Porte, Saxo Bank Sungard, at 01:30

Cadel Evans lays down the law in the Grenoble time trial — he doesn't win the stage, but he does take the yellow jersey.

After his time trial, Bernie answers reader questions

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A look at Cadel Evans' BMC time trial bike

Adriano Malori's Wilier Twinfoil

ALPE D'HUEZ, France (VN) — Cadel Evans comfortably matched Alberto Contador’s early acceleration on the Col du Telegraph Friday, at least at first. He soon realized something was wrong, looking to his rear wheel and stopping twice before eventually taking a complete bike change.

Brian Holcombe and Andrew Hood from the Alpe d'Huez finish line

ALPE d'HUEZ, France (VN) — Tom Danielson realizes he has one more hard effort before he can enjoy what's been a highly successful Tour de France debut.

ALPE D'HUEZ, France (AFP) - Tour de France leader Andy Schleck believes he still has enough juice in his legs to defy Australian Cadel Evans to secure his maiden yellow jersey on Saturday.

A look at Johnny Hoogerland's team Vacansoleil Ridley Helium

France finally scored a stage win in this Tour as Europcar's young Pierre Rolland won atop l'Alpe d'Huez, grabbing the white jersey for best young rider on the day his teammate Thomas Voeckler finally gave up the yellow jersey.

Stage

• 1 Pierre Rolland (Fra) Team Europcar 3:13:25
• 2 Samuel Sanchez Gonzalez (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 0:00:14
• 3 Alberto Contador Velasco (Spa) Saxo Bank Sungard 0:00:23
• 4 Peter Velits (Svk) HTC-Highroad 0:00:57
• 5 Cadel Evans (Aus) BMC Racing Team

• 1 Andy Schleck (Lux) Leopard Trek
• 2 Fränk Schleck (Lux) Leopard Trek 0:00:53
• 3 Cadel Evans (Aus) BMC Racing Team 0:00:57
• 4 Thomas Voeckler (Fra) Team Europcar 0:02:10
• 5 Damiano Cunego (Ita) Lampre - ISD 0:03:31

COL DU GALIBIER, France (VN) — Thursday’s gigantic stage 18 at the Tour de France was all about survival, whether that was simply to stay in the race and fight a more strategic battle to remain in the race for the yellow jersey.

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PUY SAINT PIERRE, France (VN) - As teams whose top-five GC hopes have faded often do, Garmin-Cervélo is chasing the teams classification at the Tour de France. But with four stage wins, a week in the maillot jaune and an American rookie fighting for the top-10, Garmin’s Tour has been their best ever and Tom Danielson leads the squad in a run at the final podium in the final three days of the race.

After two weeks of watching and waiting, a bike race broke out Thursday as Andy Schleck took the most important stage of his career.

COL DU GALIBIER, France (VN) — Thomas Voeckler (Europcar) collapsed on his handlebars after defending the yellow jersey by 15 seconds in Thursday's epic stage over the Alps.

Cadel Evans talks to reporters after stage 18

Brian Holcombe chats with HTC's Bernhard Eisel

Lazer Helium: Great helmet, lousy buckle

OL DU GALIBIER, France (VN) ─ Moments after crossing the finish line demoralized and exhausted, Alberto Contador admitted the obvious and said his hopes of winning the 2011 Tour de France are over.

PUYS SAINT PIERRE, France (VN) — Cadel Evans was a man on an island high above Briançon Wednesday as he pursued an audacious Andy Schleck to the summit of the Col du Galibier. After the finish Evans and his BMC Racing team management said they rode to win and were critical of the tactics of the other top GC riders.

COL DU GALIBIER, France (VN) — For days, fans, media and the peloton have been openly criticizing and questioning how Leopard-Trek was racing the 2011 Tour de France.

COL du GALIBIER, France (AFP) - British sprint king Mark Cavendish survived being eliminated from the Tour de France after the epic 18th stage to the Col du Galibier Thursday.

Cork remnants, long-low pros, and what do retired pros ride?

Stage

• 1. Andy Schleck, Team Leopard-Trek, in 6h 07' 56"
• 2. Frank Schleck, Team Leopard-Trek, at 2:07
• 3. Cadel Evans, Bmc Racing Team, at 02:15
• 4. Ivan Basso, Liquigas-Cannondale, at 02:18
• 5. Thomas Voeckler, Team Europcar, at 02:21

• 1. Thomas Voeckler, Team Europcar, in 79h 34' 06"
• 2. Andy Schleck, Team Leopard-Trek, at 00:15
• 3. Frank Schleck, Team Leopard-Trek, at at 01:08
• 4. Cadel Evans, Bmc Racing Team, at at 01:12
• 5. Damiano Cunego, Lampre - Isd, at at 03:46

Andy Schleck rode the stage of his life on Thursday, with a dramatic 60km-plus solo breakaway that put the Leopard-Trek rider into position to win the 2011 Tour de France.

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PINEROLO, Italy (VN) — When you look west from Pinerolo, your eyes are drawn to the Alps, whose majestic peaks received a new dusting of snow this week. It was in this sparkling city of the Piedmont (literally “foot of the mountain”) region where the legendary Italian rider Fausto Coppi scored one of his most famous coups: a 192km solo odyssey over five alpine passes to finish almost 12 minutes ahead of second-place Gino Bartali to clinch his overall victory in the 1949 Giro d’Italia.