Tour de l'Ain

EF's Cepeda wins first European race and carries lead into final stage.

Despite attacking in the final, a freak incident in Wednesday's decisive climbing stage cost Bennett a chance to win the overall.

Guillaume Martin holds on to win the overall title in an attack-riddled finale.

The Frenchman fended off a small chasing group to win the stage, and overtakes the leader's jersey.

Promising British sprinter hits winner's circle after fighting back Crohn's disease diagnosis in the winter.

The victory is the first pro win for the 22-year-old British rider, who also takes the leader's jersey.

Check out Caley Fretz's author page.

Young Italian Andrea Bagioli took his first career victory in the uphill sprint at the Tour de l'Ain.

Leading Tour favorites squaring off for the first time in months with Grand Colombier at center-stage.

Route d'Occitanie, Tour de l'Ain and Criterium du Dauphine pack serious climbing test for those targeting the yellow jersey.

The Mont Ventoux Dénivelé Challenge and the Tour de l’Ain provide the perfect preparation for riders gearing up for the Tour de France.

Check out James Startt's author page.

Dutch rider says the presence of four countrymen helped him decide to switch to the U.S.-registered team

The Garmin-Sharp rider takes the five-stage race by 12 seconds over Movistar's Sergio Pardilla Bellon

Garmin's Andrew Talansky continues to lead the Tour de l'Ain

• 1. Wouter Poels (Ned), Vacansoleil, 3:15:39
• 2. David Moncoutie (Fra), Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne, at 0:00
• 3. Thibaut Pinot (Fra), Française des Jeux, at 0:00
• 4. Haimar Zubeldia Agirre (Esp), Team RadioShack, at 0:00
• 5. Fabrice Jeandesboz (Fra), Saur-Sojasun, at 0:03

• 1. Romain FEILLU, (FRA) Vacansoleil Pro Cycling Team, in 3:02:10
• 2. Steve CHAINEL, (FRA) BBox Bouygues Telecom, at 1
• 3. Tony GALLOPIN, (FRA) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne, at 1
• 4. Nacer BOUHANNI, (FRA) Française des Jeux, at 1
• 5. John MURPHY, (USA) BMC Racing Team, at 1

• 1. Stéphane Poulhies (Fra) Saur-Sojasun, 3:22:09
• 2. Romain Feillu (Fra) Vacansoleil Pro Cycling, same time
• 3. Jean-Lou Païani (Fra) French National Espoirs, same time
• 4. Romain Hardy (Fra) Bretagne-Schuller, same time
• 5. Greg Van Avermaet (Bel) Omega Pharma-Lotto, same time

Stephane Poulhies (Saur Sojasun) wins the first stage of the Tour de l'Ain as Romain Feillu (Vacansoleil) takes the lead.

Zubeldia scores in the 3km starter. HTC-Columbia's Tejay Van Garderen leads the Americans at eighth.

• 1. Haimar ZUBELDIA AGIRRE, (ESP) Team RadioShack, in 3:38
• 2. Wilco KELDERMAN, (NED), at 0
• 3. Laurent MANGEL, (FRA) Saur-Sojasun, at 0
• 4. Greg VAN AVERMAET, (BEL) Omega Pharma-Lotto, at 1
• 5. Matthieu BOULO, (FRA) Roubaix Lille Metropole, at 1

It's a relatively light week by European racing standards, but there are still some great events on the calendar.

Critérium du Dauphiné winner Janez Brajkovic (RadioShack) has withdrawn from France’s Tour de l'Ain

Tour de l’Ain

Rein Taaramae (Cofidis) won the final stage of the four-day Tour de l'Ain on Wednesday, snatching overall victory from Astana’s Chris Horner. Taaramae rode off to stage victory on the summit of the Grande Colombiere climb to finish ahead of teammates David Moncoutie and Damien Monier. Horner had started the 128.2km fourth stage in Belley with a 22-second lead on Taaramae but the American failed to defend his lead, finishing 37-seconds behind his Estonian rival on the stage.

It’s been a long time coming for José Rojas, but persistence paid off — the Spanish sprinter finally won his first race of 2009, taking stage 2 at the Tour de l’Ain. The oft-injured Caisse d’Epargne fastman finally got into the winner’s column in Monday’s 146.5km stage, out-kicking Belgian bomber Greg Van Avermaet (Silence-Lotto) with French rider Maxime Bouet coming through third.

Mickael Buffaz (Cofidis) won the first stage of the Tour de l‘Ain on Sunday. Remi Cuzin (Agritubel) and Floris Goesinnen (Skil-Shimano) finished second and third in the 146.5km stage from Bourg-en Bresse to Saint-Denis-les-Bourg.

Disgraced cyclist Alexander Vinokourov continues his return to competitive cycling this week hoping to show he has not lost too much form over his two-year ban for doping. Once one of the peloton's toughest competitors Vinokourov was revealed as a cheat in 2007 when he tested positive for homologous blood doping (the injection of red cells from a donor) at the Tour de France. The scandal led to the expulsion of his team Astana from the race, and a two-year ban left his career in tatters.

German rider Linus Gerdemann (Team Columbia) won the Tour de l'Ain cycling race after the fourth and final stage on Wednesday. Gerdemann clocked 14:14:03 over the four stages to finish 12 seconds ahead of French rider David Moncoutie of Cofidis, with AG2R rider Stephane Goubert of France third at 36 seconds. The 25-year-old German, holder of the yellow jersey after his victory on Tuesday, and his Columbia teammates were dominant on the hilly Bugey stage.

Tony Martin (Columbia) won the second of two stages on Tuesday in the Tour de l'Ain while teammate Linus Gerdemann retained the leader’s yellow jersey. Martin won the 8.9km time trial in the town of Saint-Genis-Pouilly, crossing the line in 10 minutes and 17 seconds. Gerdemann finished second at 10 seconds back with David Moncoutie (Cofidis) third at 18 seconds.

Belgian Greg Van Avermaet (Silence Lotto) team won the second stage of the Tour de l'Ain on Monday. The 23-year-old edged ahead of Czech Frantisek Rabon and Maxime Bouet of France in a sprint to the line after the 169km stage from Trevoux to Hauteville. Sunday's stage winner Floris Goesinnen of the Netherlands finished in 18th and slipped to second in the overall standings, now tied with Van Avermat on time.

Floris Goesinnen (Skil Shimano) sprinted to victory in the first stage of the Tour de l'Ain in eastern France on Sunday. The Dutchman took the leader's yellow jersey after crossing ahead of Paul Moucheraud (Roubaix Lille Metropole) with the peloton led by Belgian Greg Van Avermaet (Silence-Lotto) arriving close behind. A breakaway group gained a 10-minute lead ahead of the pack early in the 149km stage from Lagnieu to Montreal-la-Cluse but the gap narrowed as the course became more mountainous.

Zberg opens Tour de l’Ain with winSwiss national champion Beat Zberg (Gerolsteiner) soloed to victory on Sunday in the first stage of the Tour de l’Ain, a 154km run between Montluel and Hauteville. Zberg takes the yellow leader’s jersey going into Monday’s second stage, a 159.5km leg from Lagnieu to Bellignat. Tour de l’AinStage 11. Beat Zberg (Swi), Gerolsteiner, 154km in 3:24:502. Niels Brouzes (F), Auber 93, at 0:063. Giovanni Visconti (I), Quick Step-Innergetic, same time4. Joahnn Tschopp (Swi), Bouygues Telecom, s.t.5. Bauke Mollema (Nl), RB3, s.t.6. Stijn Devolder (B), Discovery

The road to the Vuelta a España goes through the Tour de l’Ain for Discovery Channel’s Tom Danielson. The 28-year-old is racing in the French event this week in his final competition ahead of the August 26 start of the Vuelta, where he will line up as a grand-tour team captain for the first time. "This is the best race I could do before the Vuelta," Danielson told VeloNews. "The race has shorter stages and it’s always up and down, so it’s good to get some good racing in the legs without being too taxing." Danielson won the Tour of Austria in July for his first European victory since

Jean-Patrick Nazon (Ag2r), winner of a stage in the Tour de France, won the morning sector of Thursday's action at the Tour de l'Ain in France. Nazon won the 83.5km stage from Izernore to Saint Genis Poully ahead of compatriot Jerome Pineau (Boulangère) and Saulius Ruskys. Earlier in the stage, Benjamin Noval (U.S. Postal Service) was part of a breakaway that included David Moncoutie (Cofidis) and Mikel Astarloza (Ag2r) that went over the Col de Cuvery. The trio was reeled in 9km to go to set up the mass gallop. American Tony Cruz, a winner on Wednesday, came through sixth for another fine

American Antonio Cruz (U.S. Postal Service-Berry Floor) won the second stage of the Tour de l’Ain on Wednesday, outsprinting Théo Eltink and Jerome Pineau (Brioches la Boulangère). Pineau remains the overall leader. The undulating 141.7km stage from Lagnieu to Oyonnax was marked by an 80km break that included David Moncoutié (Cofidis), Didier Rous (Brioches la Boulangere), Sylvain Calzati (RAGT Semances-MG Rove) and Pablo Lastras (Illes Balears). Once the break was caught with 20km to go, Cédric Vasseur (Cofidis) and Franck Renier (Brioches la Boulangere) tried to escape, but the

Quick Step’s Paolo Bettini saddles up for a crucial eighth leg of the World Cup in Zürich, Switzerland, on Sunday knowing that Jan Ullrich could throw a major wrench into the works and end his impressive run of victories. The 29-year-old Italian champion took the World Cup lead last week after his stunning victory in the San Sebastian Classic. That win, which Bettini timed to perfection with a winning sprint ahead of compatriot Ivan Basso - Italy's best placed rider in the recent Tour de France - gave Bettini a 97-point lead over Lotto-Domo’s Peter Van Petegem. However on Sunday Bettini's

Marlux rider Dave Bruylandts got a well-deserved victory in Wednesday'sgrueling climbing stage from Huerta del Ray to Lagunas de Neila high abovethe Spanish meseta in the third stage of the Tour of Burgos.Bruylandts, 27, has been close since finishing second in Sunday's Subidaa Urkiola behind iBanesto.com's Leonardo Piepoli. In Tuesday's climbingstage, he was second behind yet another Banesto, Chente Garcia Acosta.There was no stopping the determined Belgian, who worked himself intoa six-man break that hit the bottom of the 20km climb with an 8 minutegap on the main bunch. Bruylandts finally

Eleven riders got a 24-minute head start in the five-day Tour of Burgos in Monday's hot and sticky 177km first stage – so much so that the entire peloton was almost eliminated. The 11-rider break pulled early, and with temperatures soaring into the high 90s, a sluggish peloton wasn't interested in bringing them back. The main bunch finished so far back - 24 minutes, 51 seconds slower - the race jury had to overrule time limits that would have eliminated the entire peloton. Carlos García Quesada gave beleaguered Kelme a victory when he attacked the lead group with 2km to go to claim the