With Sunday's Chicago Criterium dishing out $2,800 in primes, Brad Huff (Jelly Belly) said it felt like a field sprint on every lap, but the Midwestern sprinter saved himself for when it counted, successfully launching a flier from more than a kilometer out to take victory and a $5,000 pay day. "Guys are jockeying for position, guys are being aggressive. I was like, 'Good lord, can everyone just calm down? We still have 30 laps!'"
This updated story corrects an earlier mistranslation of a key quote. - Editor Tour de France winner Alberto Contador on Monday launched a stinging attack on teammate Lance Armstrong, saying relations between the two were tense throughout the race. "My relationship with Lance is zero. He is a great champion and has done a great Tour, but on a personal level I have never had a great admiration for him and I never will," the Spaniard told a news conference in Madrid.
Anthony Colby (Colavita-Sutter Home p/b Cooking Light) attacked a nine-man break that had been out since the third of five laps in Sunday’s final stage, and soloed across the line for the biggest NRC win of his career. He was followed seconds later by fellow breakaway partners Taylor Shelden and Alex Howes, both of Felt-Holowesko Partners-Garmin. Oscar Sevilla (Rock Racing) held onto the yellow jersey and also succeeded in helping teammate Francisco Mancebo gain enough time to jump ahead of Jeff Louder (BMC) on GC for second.
There’s more to racing than the Tour de France and there’s no rest for the weary as the cycling circus keeps on truckin’. The Tour of Denmark and the Clásica San Sebastian are the main events this week as the cycling calendar switches gears after the most important stage race of the year. The women’s World Cup also clicks back into gear, with two events in Sweden this weekend. 19th Tour of Denmark
Tour de France chief Christian Prudhomme credited Lance Armstrong for adding an interesting element to this year's race after the American came out of retirement to finish a commendable third overall. Armstrong finished more than five minutes behind Astana teammate Alberto Contador, who proved unbeatable over three weeks of tough racing on his way to his second victory since his maiden win in 2007. However, on more than one occasion, the 37-year-old seven-time champion showed that his sense for racing is still up there with the best.
The Spanish press hailed Alberto Contador as a "king" on Monday after the 26-year-old won the Tour de France for the second time after an intense rivalry with his Astana teammate Lance Armstrong. "The new king of the Tour is called Contador," top-selling daily El Pais wrote on its front page below a picture of a smiling Contador receiving his trophy on Sunday as Armstrong looked on beside him on the podium. "This is the second Tour of the fittest," the newspaper added.
Tour de France chief Christian Prudhomme was cautiously optimistic in celebrating a scandal-free 96th edition on Sunday. For the first time in recent history the world's biggest bike race avoided being dragged through the mire by drugs cheats. On this year's race only the sublime performances of Contador in the grueling mountain stages prompted some experts to raise eyebrows. However Contador, who won with a comfortable lead over his rivals, insists he is a clean Tour champion.
Adding to the list of mountain bike stage races dotting this year’s off-road racing calendar is the inaugural Intermontane Challenge, which begins today. The five-day race starts and ends in Kamloops, British Columbia; in fact, every stage starts and ends in the town, making the event logistically simple for organizers and athletes alike. Promoters have enhanced the event’s appeal further by offering $10,000 Canadian each to the winners of the men’s and women’s solo categories.
Ace shooter Casey B. Gibson finally got to drop that massive camera bag in Paris, but he sent along a few final pix before grabbing some downtime.