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Stage 5

• 1. Oscar FREIRE GOMEZ, (ESP) Rabobank Cycling Team, in 3:46:12
• 2. Samuel SANCHEZ GONZALEZ, (ESP) Euskaltel-Euskadi, at 0
• 3. Jonathan HIVERT, (FRA) Saur-Sojasun, at 0
• 4. Davide APPOLLONIO, (ITA) Team Sky, at 0
• 5. Rigoberto URAN URAN, (COL) Team Sky, at 0

• 1. Markel IRIZAR ARANBURU, (ESP) Team RadioShack, in 16:27:21
• 2. Jurgen VAN DEN BROECK, (BEL) Omega Pharma-Lotto, at 1
• 3. Levi LEIPHEIMER, (USA) Team RadioShack, at 2
• 4. Jerome COPPEL, (FRA) Saur-Sojasun, at 3
• 5. Luis PASAMONTES RODRIGUEZ, (ESP) Movistar, at 8

What do mechanics do on long, boring stages? Will Boardman's hour record be broken? And more

MADRID (AFP) — RadioShack's Markel Irizar (Radioshack) secured overall victory in the Ruta del Sol Thursday after the fifth and final stage, won by Oscar Freire of Rabobank.

Experienced Australian Luke Roberts returns to Riis Cycling. Saxo Bank-SunGard also signs Polish talent Rafal Majka.

Is the extravagant price of a ballistics-grade wheelset worth it? Singletrack.com looks to find out

Check out CyclingTips's author page.

Xavier Tondo is sleeping at 2,300 meters this week in Spain’s high-altitude training facility in the Sierra Nevada mountains, but he probably wishes he could even be further away from the spotlight after a wild week that saw him “outed” as the source in Spain’s latest doping investigation.

In the five months since 1984 Olympic road champion Alexi Grewal announced he was making a comeback to racing at age 50, he has been hard at work. “There’s all the things you’ve got to do if you’re a privateer bike rider,” Grewal told VeloNews ahead of his comeback race this week. “I’ve been busy. Good busy.”

Omloop Het Nieuwsblad preliminary startlist

Past winners of Het Volk/Omloop Het Nieuwsblad

Past winners of Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne

Official start list for Sunday's Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne

South African Darren Lill was third in the fourth stage of his country's home tour on Wednesday.

Stage 4:

• 1. Davide Torosantucci, (DAN), in 03:30:22::
• 2. Kévin Reza, (EUC), in 03:30:40::
• 3. Darren Lill, (DCM), in 03:30:40::
• 4. Johann Rabie, (BNT), in 03:30:44::
• 5. Jempy Drucker, (VWA), in 03:30:44::

• 1. Kristian House, (RCS), in 11:18:14::
• 2. Daryl Impey, (MTN), in 11:20:36::
• 3. Johann Rabie, (BNT), in 11:20:36::
• 4. David George, (LIF), in 11:20:36::
• 5. Rensburg Jacques Janse Van, (VMC), in 11:20:36::

Must Reads: French agency to share Armstrong's 1999 samples; Inside Contador's defense and more

Stage 2:

• 1. Damiano CUNEGO, (ITA) Lampre-Farnese Vini, at 5:21:26
• 2. Jose Rodolfo SERPA PEREZ, (COL) Androni Giocattoli-Serramenti PVC Diquigiovanni, at s.t.
• 3. Emanuele SELLA, (ITA) Androni Giocattoli-Serramenti PVC Diquigiovanni, at 2
• 4. Peter SAGAN, (SVK) Liquigas-Doimo, at 2
• 5. Ben HERMANS, (BEL) Team RadioShack, at 2

• 1. Damiano CUNEGO, (Italy) Lampre-Farnese Vini, in 8:56:41
• 2. Peter SAGAN, (Slovakia) Liquigas-Doimo, at 2
• 3. Jose Rodolfo SERPA PEREZ, (Colombia) Androni Giocattoli-Serramenti PVC Diquigiovanni, at 4
• 4. Emanuele SELLA, (Italy) Androni Giocattoli-Serramenti PVC Diquigiovanni, at 8
• 5. Eros CAPECCHI, (Italy) Liquigas-Doimo, at 12

The European racing calendar gets busier with each passing week and this weekend sees the opening of the Belgian racing season with two important semi-classics that will see the top guns sharpening their form with the northern classics just around the corner.

CORDOBA, Spain (VN) – Óscar Freire (Rabobank) stayed clear of a finish-line crash at the end of stage 4 to charge to his first win on the 2011 season and claim his seventh career stage victory at the Vuelta a Andalucia Ruta Ciclista del Sol.

RENNES, France (AFP) — Anthony Charteau, winner of the climber's competition at the 2010 Tour de France, has been sidelined for three weeks by a shoulder injury, his team, Europcar, said Wednesday.

Lack of sponsorships, other issues KO June 18 cross-country event

A reader asks if a product long used by pros is only now coming to the market, how can it be 'legal' under UCI rules?

Lennard Zinn says you can use your 3x shifters on a 2x drivetrain.

Leopard-Trek has announced the signing of Austrian rider Thomas Rohregger, who last rode for Milram.

Dave Brailsford had a full plate in 2010 as he created Great Britain’s first major professional cycling team. After steering the British track team to dominance in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, Brailsford turned his attention to the road.

More than 1,200 athletes will race California and Washington leagues come spring 2011

Felt Bicycle is recalling about 1,550 of its 2011 road bikes because the carbon fiber fork on the bikes can break. The F3, F4, F5 and F75 bike models are affected by the recall, which is being conducted with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

• 1. Peter SAGAN, (SVK) Liquigas-Doimo, in 3:35:25
• 2. Alessandro BALLAN, (ITA) BMC Racing Team, at s.t.
• 3. Daniel OSS, (ITA) Liquigas-Doimo, at s.t.
• 4. Oscar GATTO, (ITA), at s.t.
• 5. Daniele PIETROPOLLI, (ITA) Lampre-Farnese Vini, at s.t.

Stage:

• 1. Francisco José VENTOSO ALBERDI, (ESP) Movistar, in 4:21:53
• 2. Juan Jose LOBATO DEL VALLE, (ESP), at s.t.
• 3. Davide APPOLLONIO, (ITA) Team Sky, at s.t.
• 4. Giacomo NIZZOLO, (ITA) Leopard-Trek, at s.t.
• 5. Thierry HUPOND, (FRA) Skil-Shimano, at s.t.

• 1. Markel IRIZAR ARANBURU, (ESP) Team RadioShack, in 8:51:46
• 2. Jurgen VAN DEN BROECK, (BEL) Omega Pharma-Lotto, at 1
• 3. Levi LEIPHEIMER, (USA) Team RadioShack, at 2
• 4. Jerome COPPEL, (FRA) Saur-Sojasun, at 3
• 5. Luis PASAMONTES RODRIGUEZ, (ESP) Movistar, at 8

A look at some new gear from DT Swiss and FSA at the Frostbike show

SRAM adds new color option for its Red groupset

André Greipel is not one for emotional outbursts, but the usually stoic German sprinter was downright ecstatic with his season-debut victory at the Volta ao Algarve on Saturday.

The blogosphere is wondering about another vaunted new team, Leopard-Trek, which up until Monday had not registered a single victory since it debuted at the Tour Down Under just over a month ago.

JAEN, Spain (VN) – A day after losing in a photo-finish, Fran Ventoso (Movistar) got it right to claim victory in Tuesday’s stage 3 at the 57th Ruta del Sol.

El Pistolero’s Shiv

Richmond, Virginia, is competing with Oman and Quebec to host the 2015 UCI road world championships, the UCI announced Tuesday. At the Tour of Oman last week, the Sultanate of Oman announced its bid to host the event; Richmond announced its bid in December.

Video-based contest offers all-inclusive training camp with Dave Wiens' Team Topeak-Ergon in Sedona

Spencer Paxson is new, Barry Wicks returns to XC squad; gravity team gets new riders

Check out CyclingTips's author page.

The French wave continued Monday as Jonathan Hivert delivered Sojasun-Saur its second consecutive win in a bunch sprint when he out-kicked the fastest of the Spanish armada in the second stage at the Ruta del Sol.

The UCI on Monday said its frame and fork approval program is not intended to be a money maker for the organization.

Stage 2:

• 1. Jonathan HIVERT, (FRA) Saur-Sojasun, in 4:20:25
• 2. Francisco José VENTOSO ALBERDI, (ESP), at s.t.
• 3. Oscar FREIRE GOMEZ, (ESP) Rabobank Cycling Team, at s.t.
• 4. Stijn DEVOLDER, (BEL), at s.t.
• 5. Serguei IVANOV, (RUS) Team Katusha, at s.t.

• 1. Markel IRIZAR ARANBURU, (ESP) Team RadioShack, in 4:29:53
• 2. Jurgen VAN DEN BROECK, (BEL) Omega Pharma-Lotto, at 1
• 3. Levi LEIPHEIMER, (USA) Team RadioShack, at 2
• 4. Jerome COPPEL, (FRA) Saur-Sojasun, at 3
• 5. Luis PASAMONTES RODRIGUEZ, (ESP), at 8

Caley Fretz takes a look at Hutchinson's Pro Tour tires — just like Lance used —  and examines the benefits of aging tires.

This fall, my neighbor Don Powell and I sat down over a beer, and decided to start a team focused on mentoring young riders and helping them develop into better cyclists and people.

After a day and night's worth of racing, 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo is done

We present the VN Bike Lab — data from two labs, long-term ride testing and expert analysis — in the April issue of VeloNews.

Singletrack.com's Caley Fretz ventures to Frostbike in Minnesota for some MTB goodness

Check out CyclingTips's author page.

Andrew Hood sends some snaps from the final stage of the Volta ao Algarve.

“Just being here is a victory,” said Alberto Contador after finishing fourth overall in the Volta ao Algarve.

Sarah Hammer of the United States wins the women’s omnium at the UCI World Cup track cycling meet in Manchester, England.

Jimmy Engoulvent wins the opening time trial by a fraction of a second as the 57th Vuelta a Andalucia Ruta Ciclista del Sol gets under way.

Stage 1

• 1. Jimmy Engoulvent (Fra), Saur-Sojasun, 9:28
• 2. Markel Irizar Aranburu (Esp), Team RadioShack, same time
• 3. Jurgen Van Den Broeck (Bel), Omega Pharma-Lotto, at 0:01
• 4. Levi Leipheimer (Usa), Team RadioShack, at 0:02
• 5. Jerome Coppel (Fra), Saur-Sojasun, at 0:03

Stage 2

• 1. Julien Antommarchi (Fra), 5:14:07
• 2. Thomas Voeckler (Fra), same time
• 3. Jose Joaquin Rojas Gil (Esp), at 0:29
• 4. Julien Simon (Fra), Saur-Sojasun, at 0:29
• 5. David Moncoutie (Fra), Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne, at 0:29

Final overall

• 1. Thomas Voeckler (Fra), 9:14:13
• 2. Julien Antommarchi (Fra), at 0:08
• 3. Rinaldo Nocentini (Ita), Ag2r La Mondiale, at 0:28
• 4. Jose Joaquin Rojas Gil (Esp), at 0:29
• 5. Rémi Pauriol (Fra), Française Des Jeux, at 0:37

GvA Trofee-Oostmalle

• 1. Niels Albert (Bel)
• 2. Zdenek Stybar (Cze)
• 3. Bart Aernouts (Bel)
• 4. Sven Nys (Bel)
• 5. Bart Wellens (Bel)

Thomas Voeckler wins the Tour du Haut Var after finishing second in the final stage.

Stage 5

• 1. Tony Martin (Ger), HTC-Columbia, 20:53
• 2. Lieuwe Westra (Ned), at 0:05
• 3. Tiago Machado (Por), Team RadioShack, at 0:26
• 4. Jesse Sergent (Nzl), Team RadioShack, at 0:27
• 5. Andreas Klöden (Ger), Team RadioShack, at 0:30

Final overall

• 1. Tony Martin (Ger), HTC-Columbia, 18:48:45
• 2. Tejay Van Garderen (USA States), HTC-Columbia, at 0:32
• 3. Lieuwe Westra (Ned), at 0:39
• 4. Alberto Contador Velasco (Esp), at 0:41
• 5. Andreas Klöden (Ger), Team RadioShack, at 0:46

Sven Nys (Landbouwkrediet) clinched the overall victory in the GvA Trofee series on Sunday as Belgian champion Niels Albert (BKCP-Powerplus) won the finale in Oostmalle.

Stage 6:

• 1. Mark Cavendish, HTC-Highroad, in 3:39:58
• 2. Denis Galimzyanov, Katusha, same time
• 3. Andrea Guardini, Farnese Vini-Neri Sottoli, s.t.
• 4. Matteo Pelucchi, Geox-TMC, s.t.
• 5. Francesco Chicchi, Quick Step, s.t.

• 1. Robert Gesink, Rabobank, in 20:24:36
• 2. Boasson Hagen Edvald, Sky, at 1:13
• 3. Giovanni Visconti, Farnese Vini-Neri Sottoli, at 1:19
• 4. Michael Albasini, HTC-Highroad, at 1:52
• 5. Christian Vande Velde, Garmin-Cervelo, at 2:04

HTC-Highroad's Mark Cavendish scored a sprint victory in the final stage of the 2011 Tour of Oman as Robert Gesink wraps up the overall.

Check out CyclingTips's author page.

Eddy Merckx has added his support to Oman's bid to host cycling's annual world road race championships in 2015.

Check out CyclingTips's author page.

Sir Chris Hoy escapes a spectacular crash to win the World Cup keirin in Manchester. Azizulhasni Awang takes the overall title and collects a seven-inch splinter in one leg to go with it.

ALBUFEIRA, Portugal (VN) – There are not that many fans that come to watch the five-day Volta ao Algarve, but a good-sized crowd waited outside the Saxo Bank-Sungard team bus Saturday morning to catch a glimpse of Alberto Contador.

Stage 1

• 1. Samuel Dumoulin (Fra), Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne, 4:00:05
• 2. Rinaldo Nocentini (Ita), Ag2r La Mondiale, at 0:00
• 3. Thomas Voeckler (Fra), at 0:01
• 4. Jose Joaquin Rojas Gil (Esp), at 0:01
• 5. Cédric Pineau (Fra), Française des Jeux, at 0:01

Samuel Dumoulin snatches the Haut Var opener from Rinaldo Nocentini.

Stage 4

• 1. André Greipel (Ger), Omega Pharma-Lotto, 3:56:55
• 2. Michael Matthews (Aus), Rabobank, s.t.
• 3. Anthony Ravard (Fra), Ag2r La Mondiale, s.t.
• 4. Tyler Farrar (USA), Garmin-Cervélo, s.t.
• 5. Allan Davis (Aus), Astana, s.t.

Overall standings

• 1. Stephen Cummings (Gbr), Team Sky, 18:27:42
• 2. Alberto Contador Velasco (Esp), at 0:06
• 3. Tony Martin (Ger), HTC-Columbia, at 0:10
• 4. Tejay Van Garderen (USA), HTC-Columbia, at 0:12
• 5. Rein Taaramae (Est), Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne, at 0:18

André Greipel wins stage 4 of Algarve while Stephen Cummings leads the overall.

Cauberg Cyclocross

• 1. Bart Wellens (Bel), 1:02:44
• 2. Philipp Walsleben (Ger), 1:03:16
• 3. Niels Albert (Bel), 1:03:41
• 4. Bart Aernouts (Bel), 1:03:58
• 5. Sven Nys (Bel), 1:04:07