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.
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.
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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?
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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.
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The UCI is requiring organizers of the inaugural USA Pro Cycling Challenge to reshuffle its team lineup to honor a rule prohibiting teams under common ownership from participating in the same event.
Contador's director says he will keep attacking
Andy Schleck says stage 17 finish descent 'not really necessary'
Andrew Hood and Brian Holcombe take apart stage 17
Want to be a better climber? Or maybe a better sprinter?
PINEROLO, Italy (VN) — Jens Voigt strongly defended Leopard-Trek's tactic of riding for both Schleck brothers throughout the Tour de France rather than rally behind one of the brothers as a single leader.
PINEROLO, Italy (VN) — Alberto Contador reached across to Samuel Sánchez to shake his hand as the pair crossed the line Thursday after another daring raid that fell short.
PINEROLO, Italy (VN) - Two-time defending champion Alberto Contador has lit a fire at the front of the Tour de France in the final week ahead of the three biggest days in this year’s race. Contador’s Saxo Bank-Sungard manager Bjarne Riis said the Spaniard is recovered from the knee injury that hampered him in the Pyrénées and that he must attack every rider in the race on the road to the Col du Galibier Thursday.
Brian Holcombe checks in with HTC's Bernhard Eisel
Team Sky's Edvald Boasson Hagen won his second stage of the 2011 Tour de France on Wednesday, improving on his second place of the day before and giving Norway two stage wins in a row and its fourth stage of this Tour.
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