Road

Stage 7

• 1. Andrea Guardini (ITA), Farnese Vini-Neri Sotttoli, 149.5km in 3:24:57
• 2. Robert Forster (GER), United Healthcare Pro Cycling, s.t.
• 3. Dene Rogers (NZL), Giant Kenda Pro Cycling Team, s.t.
• 4. Boris Shpilevsky (RUS), Tabriz Petrochemical Team, s.t.
• 5. Marcel Kittel (GER), Skil Shimano Cycling Team, s.t.

Overall, after stage 7

• 1. Libardo Nino Corredor (COL), Le Tua Cycling Team, 21:39:42
• 2. Jonnatha Monsalve (VEN), Androni Giocattoli, at 0:02
• 3. Emanuele Sella (ITA), Androni Giocattoli, at 0:19
• 4. Dennis Van Niekerk (RSA), Mtn Qhubeka, at 0:22
• 5. Rahim Emami (IRI), Azad University Cycling Team, s.t.

Andrea Guardini (Farnese Vini-Neri Sottoli) won his fourth bunch sprint in the Tour de Langkawi on Saturday.

The Netherlands' Lars Van der Haar took the worlds Under-23 men's title, charging to the line as teammate Mike Teunissen outsprinted the Czech Republic's Karel Hnik to take second on a muddy and slippery course in St. Wendel, Germany on Saturday.

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France's Clément Venturini led a three-up French sweep of the juniors' men's event at the 2011 world cyclocross championships in St. Wendel, Germany, on Saturday.

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The public soap opera that has developed over the past few week between Trent Lowe, Matt White and Slipstream Sports has had all the intrigue of a John Grisham novel — blackmail, betrayal, firings, lawyers and a Spanish doctor with a controversial past.

The cycling union announced Friday that non-European events must invite their regions’ top teams. For the U.S., the region is the Americas, and this means three Colombian squads may earn invites to the U.S.’s biggest races, likely displacing some U.S. teams.

MONACO (AFP) - Embattled Tour de France winner Alberto Contador was wiped from the record when his former Astana team staged its 2011 launch on Friday.

PUIGPUNYENT, Spain (VN) – Bjarne Riis said he will stick by Alberto Contador during his ongoing fight against doping charges so long as evidence suggests that clenbuterol came from accidental contamination.

MALLORCA, Spain (VN) – An angry Alberto Contador vows to fight against a doping ban and reasserted his claims of innocence against charges that he doped to win the 2010 Tour de France.

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Stage 6:

• 1. Andrea Guardini, (ITA) Farnese Vini - Neri Sotttoli, s.t.
• 2. Anuar Manan, (MAS) Terengganu Proasia Cycling, s.t.
• 3. Takashi Miyazawa, (JPN) Farnese Vini - Neri Sotttoli, s.t.
• 4. Harrif Salleh Mohd, (MAS) Terengganu Proasia Cycling, s.t.
• 5. Jae Jang Chan, (KOR) Korea National Team, s.t.

• 1. Libardo Nino Corredor, (COL) Le Tua Cycling Team, in 18h14'45"
• 2. Jonnatha Monsalve, (VEN) Androni Giocattoli, at 0:02
• 3. Emanuele Sella, (ITA) Androni Giocattoli, at 0:19
• 4. Dennis Van Niekerk, (RSA) Mtn Qhubeka, at 0:22
• 5. Rahim Emami, (IRI) Azad University Cycling Team, s.t.

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Showing that he can still compete strongly at 43 years of age, Libardo Nino Corredor (Le Tua) took over the general classification lead at the Tour de Langkawi Thursday. The veteran Colombian rider placed second on the gruelling stage to Genting Highlands, battling wind and rain to finish just behind the victorious Venezuelan rider Jonnatha Monsalve (Androni Giocattoli).

MADRID, Spain (AFP) — Spanish cyclist David Garcia has been handed a two-year doping ban following his positive test at the last Tour of Spain, the Spanish Cycling Federation said Thursday.

Quack! Nick answers questions about Q-factor, tire choices for epic rides and more

Martin Hardie, the Australian law professor representing former Garmin rider Trent Lowe, is rejecting claims made by Slipstream Sports that Lowe demanded €500,000 or he would go public with his 2009 visit to a clinic run by former U.S. Postal Service doctor Luis del Moral.

PALMA DE MAJORCA, Spain (AFP) - Tour de France champion Alberto Contador feels he has been "unfairly punished" by Spain's cycling federation, which has proposed suspending him for one year for a positive doping test, his spokesman said Thursday.

The UCI on Thursday sought to clarify that a one-year ban for Alberto Contador — announced by the rider's spokesman Wednesday — is only a preliminary proposal by the Spanish Cycling Federation.

Andy Schleck does not consider himself a Tour winner, he told the Dutch paper Wielerland. "For me Alberto is the winner of the 2010 Tour. I would love to win the Tour on my own." Schleck has said previously that he did not want to win the Tour via Contador's suspension.

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A reader wants to know why an unethical athlete would look to clenbuterol for performance-enhancement.

Now that evidence suggests the metabolites of plasticizers in Alberto Contador's urine samples a reader wants to know if that's proof of doping.

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MADRID, Spain (AFP) - The Spanish Cycling Federation will inform Tour de France champion Alberto Contador of the results of its investigation into his positive drugs test from the 2010 race very shortly, a spokesman for the federation told AFP on Wednesday.

Two weeks ago, (UnitedHealthcare) was looking for miles in the saddle ahead of the Tour of Langkawi. On Thursday he’ll be looking for the leader’s jersey when the race hits the brutal slopes of the Genting Highlands.

The curious case of Trent Lowe’s 2009 visit to Spanish doctor Luis del Moral, which cost Garmin-Cervélo director Matt White his job Sunday, added a bizarre chapter Tuesday when Slipstream Sports, the management group behind the Garmin team, issued a statement claiming that Lowe had threatened to blackmail the team for €500,000 (US$670,000) over potentially damaging information.

Stage:

• 1. Takeaki Ayabe, (JPN) Aisan Racing Team, 3h42'15"
• 2. Libardo Nino Corredor, (COL) Le Tua Cycling Team, same time
• 3. Amir Zargari, (IRI) Azad University Cycling Team, s.t.
• 4. Thomas Bonnin, (FRA) Skil Shimano Cycling Team, s.t.
• 5. Christopher Jones, (USA) United Healthcare Pro Cycling, s.t.
GC:
• 1. Takeaki Ayabe, (JPN) Aisan Racing Team, at
• 2. Libardo Nino Corredor, (COL) Le Tua Cycling Team, at 0:04
• 3. Amir Zargari, (IRI) Azad University Cycling Team, at 0:06
• 4. Hossein Askari, (IRI) Tabriz Petrochemical Team, at 0:09
• 5. Thomas Bonnin, (FRA) Skil Shimano Cycling Team, at 0:10

Asian riders showed their improving strength Wednesday when riders from that continent took the top spots on the first mountain stage of this year’s Tour de Langkawi, putting Japan’s Takeaki Ayabe into the overall lead.

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No one’s happier about growing speculation that a decision in the “caso Contador” could come as soon as Thursday than Alberto Contador.

More than two and a half years after the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, Alexander Kolobnev will finally receive his bronze medal.

South African Daryl Impey, who rode for RadioShack last year and had planned to join the troubled Pegasus team for 2011, has signed with Team MTN Qhubeka.

The event's lawyer, in a letter sent to the cycling bodies Thursday, said their recent move allowing top teams at National Racing Calendar criteriums — but not at road races like Battenkill — is "exclusionary and monopolistic."

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USA Cycling has released the selection procedures that will be used to determine the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team across all four Olympic disciplines — road, mountain bike, track and BMX.

Skil-Shimano's Marcel Kittel’s bronze medal at last year’s U23 world championship time trial marked him as a big talent against the watch, but he showed his sprinting skills in taking the third stage of the Tour de Langkawi.

Stage:

• 1. Marcel KITTEL, (GER) Skil-Shimano, in 3:14:18
• 2. Anuar MANAN, (MAS), at s.t.
• 3. Andrea GUARDINI, (ITA), at s.t.
• 4. André SCHULZE, (GER) CCC Polsat Polkowice, at s.t.
• 5. Boris SHPILEVSKY, (RUS) Petrochemical Tabriz Cycling Team, at s.t.

• 1. Andrea GUARDINI, (ITA), in 8:43:44
• 2. Anuar MANAN, (MAS), at 7
• 3. Marcel KITTEL, (GER) Skil-Shimano, at 18
• 4. Deon LOCKE, (AUS), at 20
• 5. Hamid SHIRISISAN, (IRI), at 21

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Tour de France winner Alberto Contador will reportedly face a one-year suspension as a result of his positive doping test at last year's event, Spanish newspapers said Tuesday.

Chainring flex, mid-foot cleats, bottom bracket drilling and more

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Organizers of the Nature Valley Grand Prix have announced the establishment of the "Carla Swart Sportsmanship Award" as a memorial to the racer, who was killed after being hit by a truck in South Africa last week.

Movistar's Vendoso scores the first big win on Campy's electric shifters

USA Cycling will announce Monday a new team designation, “Domestic Elite,” which national events director Micah Rice hoped would bring improved organization to elite teams in the men’s and women’s pelotons. The new category is effective immediately and will affect National Racing Calendar points standings and criteriums on the circuit.

Alberto Contador rejoins his Saxo Bank-Sungard teammates this week with a training camp on Mallorca as he waits to hear word on his ongoing doping case.

Johan Bruyneel says there’s “nothing new” to the latest round of doping allegations leveled at Lance Armstrong, who raced his final international cycling event with Sunday’s conclusion at the Tour Down Under.

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Italian rider Andrea Guardini showed that his Stage 1 victory was well deserved when he took another impressive sprint victory in the Tour de Langkawi.

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Marco Arriagada (Chile) secured the overall title at the Tour de San Luís after finishing safely in the bunch in Sunday’s seventh and final stage.

Katie Compton wins the finale as Sanne Van Paassen claims the 2010-11 World Cup.

• 1. Andrea Guardini, (ITA) Farnese Vini - Neri Sotttoli, s.t.
• 2. Sungbaek Park, (KOR) Korea National, s.t.
• 3. Harrif Salleh Mohd, (MAS) Terengganu Proasia, s.t.
• 4. Luca Barla, (ITA) Androni Giocattoli, s.t.
• 5. Kenny Van Hummel, (NED) Skil Shimano, s.t.

Niels Albert wins the finale in Hoogerheide and clinches the World Cup title.

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Stage 6:

• 1. Ben Swift, Sky, in 1:53:47
• 2. Greg Henderson, Sky, s.t.
• 3. Matthew Goss, HTC-HighRoad, s.t.
• 4. Robbie McEwen, RadioShack, s.t.
• 5. Juan Jose Haedo, Saxo Bank Sungard, s.t.

• 1. Cameron Meyer, Garmin-Cervelo, in 17:54:27
• 2. Matthew Goss, HTC-HighRoad, at 0:02
• 3. Ben Swift, Sky, at 0:08
• 4. Michael Matthews, Rabobank, at 0:09
• 5. Laurens ten Dam, Rabobank, at 0:10

Equaling the closest-winning margin 10 years ago, Cameron Meyer and his Garmin-Cervélo team held off all and sundry in Sunday’s final stage to win the 2011 Santos Tour Down Under.

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