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• 2011 3431km (5489.6m),180 starters, 167 finishers (93%); Winner: Cadel EVANS, 34, avg: 39.8 kph (24.9 mph)
• 2010 3642km (5827.2m),180 starters, 170 finishers (94%); Winner: Alberto CONTADOR, 27, avg: 39.6 kph (24.7 mph)
• 2009 3459km (5534.4m),180 starters, 156 finishers (87%); Winner: Alberto CONTADOR, 26, avg: 40.3 kph (25.2 mph)
• 2008 3559km (5694.4m),180 starters, 145 finishers (81%); Winner: Carlos SASTRE, 33, avg: 40.5 kph (25.3 mph)
• 2007 3570km (5712m),189 starters, 141 finishers (75%); Winner: Alberto CONTADOR, 24, avg: 39.2 kph (24.5 mph)

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

A look at some relative recent time trial results of the top 10 riders in the 2011 Tour de France after Friday's stage.

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.

Cadel Evans has the advantage, but Andy Schleck is confident

We all know you push your bike to the limit. Singletrack.com's Lennard Zinn explains how to check for wear on cogs to ensure maximum performance.

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.

L’ALPE D’HUEZ, France (VN) — On a day when all French eyes were on L’Alpe d’Huez as the pride of the country Thomas Voeckler carried the maillot jaune toward the final weekend of the Tour de France, it was his teammate Pierre Rolland who stole the show. Rolland (Europcar), long pegged as the 25-years-later successor to Bernard Hinault, silenced his doubters when he won alone atop the biggest climb in the sport.

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.

L'ALPE d'HUEZ, France (VN) —Alberto Contador was too proud to finish a frustrating and injury-plagued Tour de France lying down.

Bob Babbitt recounts his 100K ride with President Bush and the group known as Peloton One.

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

The 61-mile course runs above the north shore of Lake Tahoe in California's Sierra Nevada.

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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For 2012 SRAM is offering additional 2X10 gear options.

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?

Singletrack.com's Lennard Zinn shows how to overhaul a P Knuckle derailleur.

Check out the sights and sounds from Gwin's win at Windham.

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) — Pedro Delgado says Cadel Evans is in the driver's seat to become the first Australian to win the Tour de France.