2012 Tour de France Stage 19, 7/21/12

July 21, Stage 19: Bonneval - Chartres (ITT) 53.5km

Wiggins wins Tour's final time trial in Chartres

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/tour-de-france/stage-19/results)

Bradley Wiggins was in a class of his own as he claimed his second time trial victory in this year’s race and with it cleared the final hurdle on his way to becoming the first British rider to win the Tour de France. Fastest at all of the intermediate check points, Wiggins completed the 53.5km course between Bonneval and Chartres in 1:04:13, putting him 1:16 ahead of his Sky teammate Chris Froome, who consolidated his position in second place overall.

Third place on the day went to Rabobank’s Luis León Sánchez, who held the lead for a substantial part of the afternoon but ended up 1:50 down on Wiggins. Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas) produced another competitive performance to cement his grip on the third spot on the podium. But there was a significant change further down the top 10 as defending champion Cadel Evans finished outside the top 50 on the day to drop to seventh place overall behind Haimar Zubeldia.

As has been the case so often during this race, the day was all about Team Sky and, of course, Wiggins. “This is what I wanted to do, to go out with a bang,” said the Briton, who is set to be crowned Tour de France champion in Paris tomorrow afternoon. “The Tour isn’t over until now, but this is what I do best. I came out here in March with Sean to look at the course and I knew it would suit me.”

Wiggins has looked stronger than all of his rivals during the Tour’s final week and said that he knew from his first pedal stroke as he warmed up that he was going to perform well.

“I knew I was on it when I went down the start ramp. In the last 15-20k I knew what my advantage was and I was thinking about my wife and kids, my mum, all of the people who’ve helped me get to where I am… I know it sounds cheesy but I was thinking about the fact that I’ve spent my whole life working to get to this point – this is the defining moment. It’s all been summed up today.” 

Team Sky boss Dave Brailsford, whose daily mantra has been “We’re taking it one day at a time”, acknowledged: “We can start thinking about winning this race barring accidents.”

Brailsford was fulsome in his praise for his team leader and the rest of the Sky team. “I think Brad showed today why he is the leader of this team. He smashed the best time and Froomey did the same as well. It’s good to have two guys who can top the world in a sport that, quite honestly, we weren’t all that good at not so long ago. For Brad as a British rider to win this race in a British team with a British sponsor is a fantastic achievement,” said Brailsford.

He added: “People laughed when I said that our aim was to win the Tour within five years with a clean British rider. But I wouldn’t underestimate the effect that our Olympic experience has had. But this is a different sport on a very different playing field. But today is all about Bradley Wiggins and his incredible achievement.”

 Gretsch and Sánchez set early pace

Argos-Shimano’s Patrick Gretsch set the fastest time for the 53.5km course among the early starters. Almost two hours passed before Luis León Sánchez clipped 38 seconds off Gretsch’s mark, the Spaniard crossing the line in 1:06:03.

The Rabobank rider remained in pole position for another two-and-a-half hours. During that period Peter Velits came closest to Sánchez’s time, finishing 12 seconds down just as Froome and Wiggins were making their final preparations before taking to the start ramp.

There were huge cheers when Wiggins set off down the ramp. Up ahead of Wiggins, Froome and Nibali, best young rider Tejay van Garderen (BMC Racing) set the fastest time at the first check point, but that mark lasted just a matter of minutes. Froome went through 23 seconds quicker, then Wiggins followed another 12 seconds faster.

By the second check, Van Garderen’s fast start appeared to be taking a toll as he went through fourth fastest. However, by that point the young American had his team leader Evans in his sights and seemed to get a lift as he blasted by the defending champion. Froome also looked to be slipping slightly as he came through just four seconds faster than Sánchez. Wiggins, though, was unstoppable. Now 54 seconds up on Froome, he had his second stage win in his sights.

Wiggins fastest from first to last

Froome picked up his pace again coming into the final quarter of the test. He went through the third time check 22 seconds up on Sánchez. However, Wiggins was still pulling away. Now 1:15 up on his team-mate, he looked as smooth and faultless as ever.

At the line, Froome was not far off catching his three-minute man, Nibali, as he bettered Sánchez’s mark by 34 seconds. But Froome’s lead lasted little more than 90 seconds.

Wiggins powered relentlessly on towards the line, only sitting up out of his tuck in the very final metres to punch the air and celebrate his victory. It had been a superbly judged ride rounding off a fantastic performance over the whole three weeks. Chapeau, Brad!

Full Results

1	Bradley Wiggins (GBr) Sky Procycling	1:04:13
2	Christopher Froome (GBr) Sky Procycling	0:01:16
3	Luis Leon Sanchez Gil (Spa) Rabobank Cycling Team	0:01:50
4	Peter Velits (Svk) Omega Pharma-QuickStep	0:02:02
5	Richie Porte (Aus) Sky Procycling	0:02:25
6	Patrick Gretsch (Ger) Argos - Shimano	0:02:28
7	Tejay van Garderen (USA) BMC Racing Team	0:02:34
8	Vasili Kiryienka (Blr) Movistar Team	0:02:46
9	Rein Taaramae (Est) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne	0:02:50
10	Jérémy Roy (Fra) FDJ-Big Mat	0:03:05

 

One of the best things about today was when Tejay van Garderen caught up and PASSED his team leader, and last year's winner, Cadel Evans in the individual time trial of the Tour, overcoming a deficit of 3 minutes. (Evans started the ITT 3 minutes before van Garderen.) Tejay is also taking the Best Young Rider Jersey into Paris tomorrow.

 

2012 Tour de France Stage 18, 7/20/12

July 20, Stage 18: Blagnac - Brive-la-Gaillarde 222.5km

Cavendish sprints to stage 18 victory in the Tour de France

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/tour-de-france/stage-18/results#5)

Mark Cavendish (Team Sky) stormed to his second stage win in this year's Tour de France with another superb sprint finish on stage 18. The world champion showed his tactical nous to reel in a late break and to beat Matt Goss (Orica-GreenEdge) and Peter Sagan (Liquigas-Cannondale) on the line.

Sky had led a relatively easy life on the undulating stage, posting Edvald Boasson Hagen in the early break, while Bradley Wiggins continued his march towards Paris. But in the closing stages, with a sprint chance for Cavendish in the cards, Sky called back its Norwegian star as Wiggins himself lead the pursuit of a last ditch six-man break.

Cavendish has certainly lacked his usual, supreme leadout in this year's Tour, but it has at least allowed him to demonstrate to the global audience just how exceptional his sprint is. With Nicholas Roche (AG2R La Mondiale) ahead, and a poised looking Luis Leon Sanchez (Rabobank) tucked behind the Irishman, Cavendish surged from the bunch in the final 200 meters, not just leaving the two leaders behind but distancing his main sprint rivals.

"I don't know how much I won by, but I had to go early. I haven't done anything this Tour because I saved so much energy. I knew I'd be able to go long. I knew I'd get it. I felt really good today," the Sky sprinter said on the line.

"I said earlier on in the Tour, we looked at the files and the reason I wasn't winning sprints was because I was training in the mountains. I wasn't able to show anything in this Tour because we had the yellow jersey. Today we spoke with the boss at the start, and I said please give me a chance, and the guys were like, 'Ok we're going to make a sprint today.' I'm so happy."

Sky's sprint chances looked out of the picture earlier in the stage. A large group containing Yaroslav Popovych (RadioShack-Nissan), Yukiya Arashiro (Europcar), Davis Millar (Garmin-Sharp), Julien Fouchard (Cofidis), Edvald Boasson Hagen (Sky), Adam Hansen (Lotto Belisol), Jelle Vanendert (Lotto Belisol), Kris Boeckmans (Vacansoliel-DCM), Luca Paolini (Katusha), Jeremy Roy (FDJ-Big Mat), Rui Costa (Movistar), Karsten Kroon (Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank, Nick Nuyens (Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank), Alexandre Vinokourov (Astana), Michael Albasini (Orica-GreenEdge) and Patrick Gretsch (Argos-Shimano) escaped on the first climb after 67 kilometres.

It was a collective bound by convenience and necessity. With just one open stage remaining and 13 teams yet to win a stage, the day's racing began with a flurry of attacks. Rider after rider, fuelled by a desire to rescue their Tour and that of their teams, jettisoned from the front. But it took almost an hour for the final selection to settle. The majority of teams was represented but with the demoralized Cofidis and AGR2 two of the notable exceptions.

With the stakes so high, the gap was never going to remain out of reach and despite relative organisation in the break the margin of acceptance never crept above four minutes.

With the gap at just over a minute, Millar was the first to attack, splitting the group inside the final 43 kilometers. The evergreen, ever-present Vinokourov was the first rider to match the Scot. Albasini and Boasson Hagen also reacted, but it was the Norwegian, with the bit between his teeth, who pressed on alone, unleashed from his burdening duties as Sky's all-round dogsbody. He was soon closed down but marshalled by Vinokourov, the gap increased to nearly 1:40.
The pace increased and the desperation was palpable; the next phase of the race became critical as the bunch strained to a breaking point in a bid to hold onto the break.

Second by second, the gap came down. 1:09 as Millar and company passed under the 30-kilometre-to-go banner.
The break needed another injection of pace. Too many riders were hanging on without taking a turn. It failed to materialise, and the peloton with the likes of ten Dam (Rabobank) won the tug of war.

Gretch, Vinokourov, Millar, Costa kept the fires burning but with 20 seconds shaved off, the possibility of the Sagan sprint show increased but with a fourth category climb inside the last 10 kilometres, all was still possible. Millar hadn't given up hope though, again accelerating in a bid to dislodge the dead wood and ad impetus to the break's chances.
Liquigas could smell blood massing near the front of the bunch. Millar's efforts had failed again but Hansen accelerated. Roy was attentive enough to follow, as Arashiro led a counter attack.

GreenEdge soon allied with the chasers, and Sky, with Wiggins leading Cavendish, also sensing a rare chance for the world champion in this year's Tour.

Roy and Hansen had 30 seconds, but were soon joined by Vinokourov, Nuyens and Paolini: the last stand from the early break. Vinokourov, in his last Tour led affairs berating his accomplices as they reached the foot of the last climb, still with 30 seconds.

Weening with Goss in mind set the pace for the bunch as Roy and Nuyens cracked to leave Vinokourov, Hansen and Paolini ahead. GreenEdge replaced Weening. The Australian team is looking for its first stage win.

Just 12 seconds ahead, Vinokourov, still leading the trio, accelerated again and with nine kilometres to go a win seemed possible. Kloden, Roche and Luis Leon Sanchez led a counter.

Paolini missed a turn, and Vinokourov flapped his arms as Hansen, the best sprinter kept his head down. The Sanchez group latched on with six men holding an eight-second lead with four kilometres to go. Roche, sensing the lack of collaboration, accelerated.

Behind, just by six seconds, Wiggins moved to the front, Boasson Hagen on his wheel, with the world champion in attendance. Roche led out, still in search of his maiden Grand Tour stage but as Wiggins and then Boasson Hagen faded, Cavendish's rainbow jersey burst through.

Full Results

#	Rider Name (Country) Team	Result
1	Mark Cavendish (GBr) Sky Procycling	4:54:12
2	Matthew Harley Goss (Aus) Orica GreenEdge Cycling Team
3	Peter Sagan (Svk) Liquigas-Cannondale
4	Luis Leon Sanchez Gil (Spa) Rabobank Cycling Team
5	Nicolas Roche (Irl) AG2R La Mondiale
6	Tyler Farrar (USA) Garmin - Sharp
7	Borut Bozic (Slo) Astana Pro Team
8	Sébastien Hinault (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale
9	Daryl Impey (RSA) Orica GreenEdge Cycling Team
10	Samuel Dumoulin (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne

2012 Tour de France Stage 4, 7/04/12

July 4, Stage 4: Abbeville - Rouen 214.5km

Greipel wins Tour de France stage in Rouen

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/tour-de-france/stage-4/results)

Andre Greipel (Lotto Belisol) opened his account at the 2012 Tour de France with a sprint victory in Rouen. The German came off the wheel of lead-out man Greg Henderson and powered to the stage win ahead of Alessandro Petacchi (Lampre-ISD) and Tom Veelers (Argos-Shimano).

However, the build-up to the sprint was marred by a crash with 2.5km remaining as several sprinters hit the tarmac, including world champion Mark Cavendish (Sky). Bernhard Eisel, Cavendish's teammate and Robbie Hunter (Garmin-Sharp) also hit the deck, with Peter Sagan (Liquigas-Cannondale) and Fabian Cancellara (RadioShack-Nissan) lucky to escape the carnage.

But Lotto made their own luck, controlling the peloton through the final few kilometres and delivering Greipel to a winning position. It drew memories of HTC's former dominance, not just in the fact that five of Lotto's current cast came through the Highroad ranks but also in their efficient nature. While they assumed the mantle of responsibility the other sprinters, including Cavendish, were left fighting for their positions.

"I'm so happy today. I am so happy to have those guys on my side, such strong riders to lead me out. This is what we wanted to reach today, winning a stage," Greipel said at the finish.

Greipel, it must be noted, was the only top level sprinter to pass on competing in the intermediate sprint but Peter Sagan consolidated his lead in the battle for green with a sixth place in Fécamp. He also navigated through the crash to finish 5th on the stage, just one place behind Matthew Goss, who was never able to come on terms with his ex-teammate. Sagan now leads the race for green with 147 points with Goss next on 92.

The top of general classification remains unchanged as Fabian Cancellara continues in the yellow jersey with a seven-second lead over Bradley Wiggins (Sky) and Sylvain Chavanel (Omega Pharma-QuickStep).

Battered riders welcome calm start

After yesterday's chaos came the calm, with a 214 kilometre stage from Abbeville to Rouen. With no wind and only four fourth categorised climbs the peloton was in no mood to see a repeat of yesterday's events. So there was little surprise when a three-man break, comprised of Yukiya Arashiro (Europcar), Anthony Delaplace (Saur-Sojasun) and David Moncoutie (Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne), was allowed to escape.

With no GC threat in the break's ranks the trio was allowed to build its lead to over 8 minutes while the bunch meandered along the French coastline. RadioShack-Nissan, with Cancellara in yellow, was obliged to keep the gap in check and dutifully set tempo on the front.

At the back of the bunch Tony Martin (Omega Pharma-QuickStep), Luis Leon Sanchez (Rabobank) and Tom Danielson (Garmin-Sharp) nursed their broken bones, riding in single file with the sole ambitions of finishing. The gradual pace was a godsend.

At the intermediate sprint in Fécamp, Arashiro took the maximum points but the race behind briefly came to life when the peloton approached. Cavendish showed a clean pair of heels to Goss and Renshaw, with Sagan sweeping up a consolatory 9 points. Greipel's absence from the action was an ominous sign, though, and in his post-stage press conference he confirmed that the battle for green was of no interest.

With RadioShack-Nissan having performed the majority of the chase work it was the sprinters' teams who finished off the break's last ray of hope with 8.5 kilometres to go. FDJ-Big Mat, Katusha, Orica GreenEdge and Lotto Belisol showed their intentions while Sky and Rabobank briefly sat back.

An immediate counter-attack containing Samuel Dumoulin (Cofidis), Sylvain Chavanel (Omega Pharma-QuickStep), only seven seconds off the race lead of Fabian Cancellara, plus Wout Poels (Vacansoleil-DCM) gained a small advantage, but this trio, too, was neutralised with 3.5 kilometers to go.

And then the crash: Cavendish, Eisel and Hunter were among those involved, the Austrian left with a gash on his forehead, while the world champion was left sitting on the French tarmac, his stage hopes and green jersey aspirations almost over.

Sagan and Cancellara avoided the bodies and bikes but the peloton was shattered to pieces. Argos-Shimano, Lotto Belisol and Orica GreenEdge had virtually intact lead-outs but Lotto, with Henderson, Hansen, Roelandts and Sieberg, had the survivors in check.

"We had Lars [Bak] up at the front working," Hansen said at the finish. "Towards the end there was a bit of a climb and Lars held his position well. Then we had Jelle doing the climb. Then from the top of the climb, it was my job to keep them in front, using the guys from the other teams and sitting on them, always keeping a good position and then I let go about two and a half and there were two guys behind me from different teams and that was good. And behind them there was Sieberg, Roelandts, then Greg did his work and André finished it off. It was perfect."

Goss and Petacchi, the latter racing without a final lead-out man, were left to fight it out for Greipel's rear wheel but this was textbook Greipel. Often he can go missing in the messy sprints but if delivered to the final 200 meters he is Cavendish's closest rival. Petacchi made a late surge on the German's right but it wasn't enough, the Italian no longer the sprinter he once was.

Full Results

 

1	André Greipel (Ger) Lotto Belisol Team	5:18:32
2	Alessandro Petacchi (Ita) Lampre - ISD
3	Tom Veelers (Ned) Argos-Shimano
4	Matthew Harley Goss (Aus) Orica GreenEdge Cycling Team
5	Peter Sagan (Svk) Liquigas-Cannondale
6	Jonathan Cantwell (Aus) Team Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank
7	Daryl Impey (RSA) Orica GreenEdge Cycling Team
8	Kris Boeckmans (Bel) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team
9	Edvald Boasson Hagen (Nor) Sky Procycling
10	Ruben Perez Moreno (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi

2012 Tour de France Stage 2, 7/02/12

July 2, Stage 2: Visé - Tournai 207.5km

Cavendish claims first Tour de France stage win of 2012

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/tour-de-france/stage-2/results)

Mark Cavendish (Team Sky) claimed the honours in the first mass sprint of the 2012 Tour de France. The Manxman came around arch rival Andre Greipel (Lotto Belisol) to claim his 21st Tour stage win in a photo finish. Third place went to Orica-GreenEdge's Matthew Goss. Fabian Cancellara (RadioShack-Nissan) finished in the group to easily maintain his overall lead.

Cavendish proved he could win alone, as he came into the finale without his sprint train. "I knew that there was some headwind, and it was clear to me that I could also have a chance if I started from a bit further back," he said.

He was more than satisfied with his victory, noting that he had come to the race as an auxiliary to team captain Bradley Wiggins, which meant he would have to be opportunistic and take other riders' wheels. Interestingly, it was his first Tour stage win outside of France.

Lotto Belisol looked to have everything under control, as they led the charge into the final km, espeically since Cavendish was on his own and far enough back to be almost unnoticeable. Greipel was in the best position, with the ever-dangerous Peter Sagan on his wheel.

Greg Henderson, in his first Tour de France, pulled hard and delivered Greipel to the 200m marker. Then the mighty German took off on his own, grinding away with his powerful legs.

But he was not alone. Cavendish had come up behind him, picking out the perfect wheel to be on. He didn't panic at being without his sprint train, or attempt to go too early. The world champion pulled out and went for the finish line. It was neck and neck, with both sprinters giving their all. At the end it was Cavendish who had his wheel forward.

"I was alone in the last kilometre. I told Edvald [Boasson Hagen] with five kilometres to go just do your own thing. We haven’t worked enough together when it's so hectic like that. If it had just been the sprinters then it would have been okay but there were climbers and GC riders at the finish. I’d rather just go alone,” he said on the team's website.

"I knew (Oscar) Freire always goes up in the last kilometre so I stayed [with him] and it was just perfect - with the headwind I knew you could come from behind."

Cancellara called it "business as usual" and was happy there were no crashes. "We spent as little energy as possible. The final was pretty intense, pretty hard. I didn't have my best day, but I think that is normal."

Use this on all articles. The player is narrow enough to fit next to the article gallery images box on the right.

All 198 riders were again at the start of the stage in Vise, including several wearing splints, braces and bandages. The biggest name invalids included Tony Martin (Omega Pharma-QuickStep) who suffered a fractured scaphoid in his crash early in Sunday's stage, and Luis Leon Sanchez of Rabobank, with a brace on his left hand, where he also had a broken bone.

It took about 24km for the day's break group to form. It was a small one, with only three riders: Anthony Roux (FDJ-Big Mat), Christophe Kern (Europcar) and once again, Michael Morkov (Saxo Bank-Tinkoff). Roux was another of the wounded, and noticeably rode one-handed over the many cobblestone passages.

The gap jumped quickly to 7:40, but that was enough. The field brought it back to the five-to-six minute mark, and let it stay there for a long time. Even the climb up to the magnificent citadel in Namur brought no changes.

There was one ranked climb on the day, that same Cote de la Citadelle de Namur at 82.5km Morkov went over the top first, to cement his lead in the King of the Mountains competition. From there, the gap started slowly coming down.

The first real action of the day came in the day's only intermediate sprint at 153km. There was a wild sprint for points from the field. After the three leader calmly rolled through, the sprinters from the peloton showed their stuff. Not all of them though - Andre Greipel (Lotto Belisol) and Marcel Kittel (Argos-Shimano) didn't participate in the intermediate sprint.

Daniel Oss led the way for Liquigas teammate Peter Sagan, but he didn't have a chance against Matthew Goss (Orica-GreenEdge), Mark Renshaw (Rabobank) and Mark Cavendish (Sky), who crossed the line ahead of the previous day's stage winner.

From there the job was to bring the gap down and catch the break group at the proper moment. That moment came with 29.7km to go. Roux had jumped earlier, leaving his two companions to fade back into the field. He held on to a 45 to 50-second lead, but finally he too was caught and passed with just over 14km left.

Immediately the sprint teams started forming,with Orica-GreenEdge and Omega Pharma-QuickStep at the head of things. Argos-Shimano's Marcel Kittel, said to be having stomach problems, was back amongst the team cars and out of contention.

Lotto Belisol led the way under the flamme rouge, Greipel took off from Greg Henderson's lead and drove hard. Cavendish came around and the two fought for the win in a photo finish, with the Briton taking the win. Goss was a distant third.

About four minutes later, Martin and Sanchez, with their broken bodies, rolled across the finish line.

Full Results

#	Rider Name (Country) Team	Result
1	Mark Cavendish (GBr) Sky Procycling	4:56:59
2	André Greipel (Ger) Lotto Belisol Team
3	Matthew Harley Goss (Aus) Orica GreenEdge Cycling Team
4	Tom Veelers (Ned) Argos-Shimano
5	Alessandro Petacchi (Ita) Lampre - ISD
6	Peter Sagan (Svk) Liquigas-Cannondale
7	Yauheni Hutarovich (Blr) FDJ-Big Mat
8	Juan José Haedo (Arg) Team Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank
9	Mark Renshaw (Aus) Rabobank Cycling Team
10	Tyler Farrar (USA) Garmin - Sharp

Other favorite picture of the day:

Sagan and Cancellara before the start of the stage

Dauphine, Wiggins, Tour de Suisse, Schleck, & Trek

Today was another great day for cycling news. Hence another long post.

Last stage in the Criterium du Dauphine:

June 10, Stage 7: Morzine - Châtel 126km

Bradley Wiggins retains his Critérium du Dauphiné title

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/criterium-du-dauphine-2012/stage-7/results)

Daniel Moreno (Katusha) won the final stage of the Criterium du Dauphine, whilst Bradley Wiggins (Team Sky) easily secured his second consecutive overall title. Moreno slipped by Rabobank's Luis Leon Sanchez just before the finish line to take the win, with Cadel Evans of BMC Racing Team third.

The final stage with its five ranked climbs and category three mountaintop finish did not change the final podium. Wiggins took the overall win, with teammate Michael Rogers second and Evans third. Christopher Froome was fourth, giving Team Sky three of the top four slots.

Wiggins's lead was never in doubt over the stage, with Sky keeping a close eye on both the day's escape group and the competition for yellow. The dominant performance by both the captain and the team now make Wiggins the top favourite for the Tour de France.

Five more climbs and a mountaintop finish

The final stage of the Dauphine was anything but a simple run-in to the finish. Five ranked climbs were along the way, including the category one Col du Corbier only 24km from the finish.

Several small groups got away early on, before merging into a group of eight: Dmitriy Fofonov (Astana), Pierre Rolland (Europcar), Yaroslav Popovych (RadioShack), Christophe Le Mével (Garmin), Sylvain Chavanel and Stijn Vandenbergh (Omega), Jerome Coppel (Saur) and Lieuwe Westra (Vacansoleil-DCM). They never had much of a lead, and with 35km to go, only Chavanel, Rolland, Coppel and Westra were still away, with Chavanel the next to be dropped.

The trio took a 1:44 lead up the Corbier. Behind them, Samuel Sanchez (Euskaltel-Euskadi) was dropped on the climb, as he continued to struggle with injuries from a crash earlier in the race. Earlier Thomas Voeckler of Europcar had abandoned with knee problems.

Sky worked to protect Wiggins's lead, moving to the front of the field. BMC had the same idea, hoping to not only hold on to Evans's third place but perhaps also with a stage win in mind.

As the field neared the summit, a handful of riders tried to get away. They never really got away and eventually Wiggins himself calmly led the chase and catch.

It was a reduced field which flew down the many switchbacks of the descent. Vincenzo Nibali of Liquigas-Cannondale was at the head of things, and, after having been dropped the previous day, took off in an apparent attempt to salvage what he could.

Westra seemed to be struggling on that climb, and fell back for good on the descent, leaving Coppel and Rolland alone in the lead. Nibali was rapidly approaching, and the field wasn't far away either.

Nibali and Westra joined forces, but the Italian was unable to hold on, soon dropping back to the field. Westra was soon caught by the BMC-led field, as well, and with 13km to go, the gap was down to about 30 seconds to the two leaders.

With the two leaders in sight, Alexandre Geniez of Argos-Shimano took off out of the field. With some 6km to go, he caught them, but the field was only a few second back.

By then Katusha had moved to the head of the field, and with 5km to go, Rolland and Coppel shook hands and resigned themselves to their fate. They still took a minimal lead up the closing climb, but with 2.4km to go, they were all caught.
Katusha roared up the climb, with Evans noticeably close to the front in his green points jersey.

Evans made his move, but it was Luis Leon Sanchez who looked to have made the decisive move with 250m to go. But Moreno went with him and was able to slip past him at the last second for the win. Evans took third.

Stage Results

#	Rider Name (Country) Team	Result
1	Daniel Moreno Fernandez (Spa) Katusha Team	2:59:37
2	Luis-Leon Sanchez (Spa) Rabobank Cycling Team
3	Cadel Evans (Aus) BMC Racing Team
4	Edvald Boasson Hagen (Nor) Sky Procycling
5	Rinaldo Nocentini (Ita) AG2R La Mondiale
6	Pieter Weening (Ned) Orica GreenEdge
7	Jurgen Van Den Broeck (Bel) Lotto Belisol Team
8	Dries Devenyns (Bel) Omega Pharma-Quickstep
9	Richie Porte (Aus) Sky Procycling
10	Michael Rogers (Aus) Sky Procycling	0:00:07

Final general classification

#	Rider Name (Country) Team	Result
1	Bradley Wiggins (GBr) Sky Procycling	26:40:46
2	Michael Rogers (Aus) Sky Procycling	0:01:17
3	Cadel Evans (Aus) BMC Racing Team	0:01:26
4	Christopher Froome (GBr) Sky Procycling	0:01:45
5	Jurgen Van Den Broeck (Bel) Lotto Belisol Team	0:02:12
6	Vasil Kiryienka (Blr) Movistar Team	0:02:58
7	Janez Brajkovic (Slo) Astana Pro Team	0:03:07
8	Wilco Kelderman (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team	0:03:26
9	Richie Porte (Aus) Sky Procycling	0:03:34
10	Haimar Zubeldia (Spa) Radioshack-Nissan	0:03:50

 

 

So Bradley Wiggins won overall. It was a great race for him and Team Sky! However, some people are saying that Wiggins hasn't even peaked yet, so I guess we'll see what he can do at the Tour de France:

 

Yates: Wiggins hasn’t peaked yet

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/yates-wiggins-hasnt-peaked-yet)

Team Sky’s Sean Yates believes that Bradley Wiggins has yet to hit top form, with plans for the Criterium du Dauphine leader to reach optimal condition at the Tour de France this year.

Yates, a former professional and now a team director at Sky, spoke after Sky demonstrated their stranglehold over the Dauphine field with a resounding performance on the Joux Plane on stage 6.

Today was also Stage 2 of the Tour de Suisse:

June 10, Stage 2: Verbania - Verbier 218.3km

Costa steals Schleck's thunder in Verbier

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/tour-de-suisse-2012/stage-2/results)

Rui Costa (Movistar) delivered a master class in timing to win stage 2 of the Tour de Suisse with an attack on the final slopes up to Verbier. The Portuguese rider attacked inside the final two kilometres of the climb, reeling in Frank Schleck (RadioShack-Nissan) who had attacked with six kilometres to go. After making the catch inside the final 200 meters Schleck had little energy for the sprint and was forced to settle for second. Mikel Nieve (Euskaltel) finished third.

Costa’s win shifted him into the race’s overall lead after stage 1 winner Peter Sagan (Liquigas-Cannondale) sat up with 12 kilometres to go.

Unlike the Dauphine, a race that this year shied away from a mountain top finish, the Tour de Suisse made no bones about including such stage conclusions, with a climb to Verbier featuring on the second stage.

Alessandro Bazzana (Team Type 1 – Sanofi) and Ryan Anderson (Spidertech powered by C10) were the early breakaway and it took a concerted effort from a number of teams, including a clearly motivated RadioShack, to bring them in check.

The pair were brought to check inside the final 30 kilometres as rain began to fall and the final climb loomed over the GC pretenders. On the early slopes RadioShack began unsettling a number of riders. As expected, Peter Sagan and his sprint rivals were quickly eliminated as Linus Gerdemann, Jakob Fuglsang and Maxime Monfort set the pace.

With 6 kilometres to go and the leading group already thinned to less than 40 riders, Schleck attacked. Within one kilometre the climber had established a 22 second buffer as Lampre struggled to mount a significant chase for Damiano Cunego.

John Gadret (AG2R) in his pink overshoes became frustrated, flying from the struggling bunch in a  bid to match and catch Schleck but all his move proved to do was drop Robert Gesink (Rabobank).

Tom Danielson (Garmin-Barracuda) took off and found himself alone, rather than initiating a serious attack, but he briefly persisted as the race went under the 2km to go banner. His move was the catalyst for Costa, who closed the gap and quickly dismantled Schleck’s lead.

The Portuguese rider, the only cyclist allocated Olympic funding for 2012, and winner of a stage in last year’s Tour ,caught the RadioShack rider inside the final 200 meters and as the line approached was the first to open his sprint. Schleck attempted to respond but was no match for the Movistar man.

 

Full Results

#	Rider Name (Country) Team	Result
1	Rui Alberto Faria Da Costa (Por) Movistar Team	6:21:13
2	Frank Schleck (Lux) RadioShack-Nissan	0:00:04
3	Mikel Nieve Ituralde (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi	0:00:12
4	Giampaolo Caruso (Ita) Katusha Team	0:00:13
5	Thibaut Pinot (Fra) FDJ-Big Mat
6	Nicolas Roche (Irl) AG2R La Mondiale	0:00:16
7	Chris Anker Sörensen (Den) Team Saxo Bank
8	John Gadret (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale
9	Alejandro Valverde Belmonte (Spa) Movistar Team	0:00:18
10	Roman Kreuziger (Cze) Pro Team Astana	0:00:22

 

 

Trek Bikes also released their new Madone for the RSNT team:

 

Trek's new aero Madone for RadioShack-Nissan

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/treks-new-aero-madone-for-radioshack-nissan)

Trek's next-generation Madone isn't set for official release for another two weeks but RadioShack-Nissan riders were racing on it at the Critérium du Dauphiné. This new version borrows several key design features from the company's Speed Concept time trial machine, giving the Wisconsin company the aero road bike they’ve been missing for the past few years.

Much like Scott's Foil, the new Madone doesn't actually look all that slippery with its broad tubes and relatively shallow profiles. However, markings on the frame – not to mention strategically applied paint – point to a Kamm tail design with truncated airfoils that are said to mimic the aerodynamic benefits of a much deeper profile without violating UCI technical guidelines or sacrificing chassis weight and ride quality.

Trek have taken the radical step of moving the rear brake down below the chain stays. Just as significant, Trek has wholly adopted Shimano's new direct-mount interface, which does away with the traditional center mounting holes in the frame and fork and replaces them with twin posts on which the newly symmetrical calipers attach directly. In some ways, this is similar to the U-brake posts of old mountain bikes.

In theory, this design could save a few grams by virtue of the omitted caliper parts but the bigger expected benefit is a more direct lever feel and increased power thanks to reduced flex. In addition to locating the caliper arms closer to the base of the frame, the pivots themselves look to be adjustable for play for truly slop-free action.

Another side benefit is the more slender seat stay design. In contrast to the current version's wishbone layout, the new Madone stays are fully separate from dropout to seat tube and there's no bridge whatsoever. These changes could yield a more comfortable ride.

Given the more complicated position, the rear brake is built with a more convoluted X-shaped scissor linkage and the housing runs through the down tube. There's no barrel adjuster built into this end but seeing as how no rider would be able to safely use it anyway Trek has wisely opted to integrated one into the stop on the head tube.

Speaking of routing, Trek maintains fully internal paths throughout but with new easy-to-access ports on the head tube that provide a clea look with optional flush-fit plugs when using electronic transmissions.

Carryover features from the current Madone include a tapered 'e2' head tube, Trek's no-cut seatmast design, a pocket in the chain stay for a Bontrager Duotrap wireless speed and cadence sensor, and a 90mm-wide bottom bracket shell with correspondingly broad down tube and chain stay spacing and direct press-fit bearings.

And finally, how could I forget our buddy Andy Schleck? I have a new word to add to the dictionary:

Schleck: (verb) to give up because you aren't winning or getting your way. Ex: I 'schlecked' finishing this puzzle because it was too hard.

Andy Schleck: You can do a lot in three weeks

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/andy-schleck-you-can-do-a-lot-in-three-weeks)

Despite another disappointing display, Andy Schleck (RadioShack-Nissan) is hoping he can turn around his Tour de France preparations with training camps in the Alps and Pyrenees. The 2010 Tour de France winner abandoned midway through stage 6 of the Critérium du Dauphiné due to injuries sustained in a crash 48 hours previously.
He had already pulled out of Paris-Nice after just two stages and the Volta a Catalunya. A knee injury in May also affected his training.

“In bad things I always try to find the good things. The good thing is that I have done six stages. Some people will say ‘It is only three weeks till the Tour’ but you can also say it is ‘still’ three weeks to the start in Liège. You can do a lot in three weeks. That is my strength. I’ve shown it in the last years. I was not good in the Tour de Suisse but I was in the Tour de France. I won’t stop believing in it. I’ve worked hard for this.”

While Schleck has indeed shown almost miraculous turns of form before previous Tours, this year will take something truly special if he’s to stand any chance of competing with Bradley Wiggins and Cadel Evans – the two tipped favourites for July.

“It is just that bad luck is following me in the last months,” continued Andy Schleck. “I could not avoid it. Before this I had a left knee problem after my crash in a training camp in Sierra Nevada. It healed and then I improved. Even yesterday, after my crash I felt okay in the climbs. When I stayed in the saddle, my ribs hurt and I was suffering a lot but I came through the day. I was improving in the climbs and I was okay on the Grand Colombier.”

Schleck returned to Luxumbourg and will have an MRI scan on Monday in order to diagnose his injuries. Until then, his Tour participation is in question.

“After the crash we had hoped Andy could at least finish the Dauphiné because he needs the races and the efforts,” said team boss Johan Bruyneel.

“It is not good what happened today. If you are dealing with problems and trying to catch up on form and then when you start to build up and see some improvements but you have a setback again through a crash or an injury, you never have a solid foundation. Andy’s situation is not a good sign for his Tour preparation, especially if you look now at the level of his competitors. For the moment there is not much we can do. It is a difficult situation.”

2012 Dauphine Stage 4 - ITT

Well, Andy Schleck had to do another Individual Time Trial today; this one at 53km. Its hard to gauge his improvement when 12km into it, he crashes. Then he punctures once he got on the replacement bike...

I guess we'll have to see what July holds for us:

Andy Schleck crashes in Critérium du Dauphiné time trial

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/andy-schleck-crashes-in-criterium-du-dauphine-time-trial)

Andy Schleck's fitness has been a major talking point at the Critérium du Dauphiné to date, but the RadioShack-Nissan rider was denied the chance to gauge his time trialling form when he crashed early on stage 4.

The Luxembourger came a cropper in the stiff winds that buffeted the 53.5km time trial course from Villié-Morgon to Bourg-en-Bresse; rounding a sharp right hand bend 12 kilometres into his effort, a sudden gust caught his rear disc wheel, and Schleck duly took a tumble.

Although Schleck was quickly back on his spare bike, a puncture shortly afterwards added insult to injury, and he opted not to take any further risks as the wind continued to wreak havoc on his cornering.

"When we did the parcours this morning the wind wasn't like that," a dejected Schleck said afterwards. "I had a good start and good feelings until there. After that, I kept on going but I didn't have the concentration after that. I just wanted to get to the finish. I couldn't go in the [time trial] position anymore."

Addressing a group of reporters huddled around a team van near the finish line, Schleck was at least able to count his blessings as far injuries are concerned. Although his skinsuit was torn around his right hip, Schleck reported road rash but no broken bones as a result of his fall.

"After a crash you get on the bike and you have the adrenaline for the first few kilometres, but after a while my ribs hurt and my hand hurt," Schleck said. "Still, I'm sitting here and not in an ambulance, so that's a good sign."

Schleck bristled slightly when it was put to him that he may have erred in choosing disc wheels on such a windy course. "Maybe if you have 85 kilos it's easier to stay on the bike," he said tersely. "The wind was playing with me a bit out there, so it's a good warning maybe for the other guys.

"I started with the first guys and nobody was out there before me [to warn about the conditions – ed]. The wind came just as I started."

Of course, Schleck was among the early starters expressly because he had been so out of sorts in the opening days of the Dauphiné, coughing up chunks of time on the first two road stages.

But then, the 26-year-old Schleck is already an old hand when it comes to churning out sub-par performances in June before undergoing a remarkable transfiguration in July.

"Everybody is asking my form, but then every year people ask about it," he said. "In years gone by, I've always been a bit behind at the Tour de Suisse and then I've always been up there at the Tour de France. And now, [by riding the Dauphiné – ed.] I'm a week ahead, so I'm not worried at all for the Tour."

The more immediate goal is to stay in touch with the likes of Bradley Wiggins (Sky) and Cadel Evans (BMC) on the road to Morzine on Saturday: "Tomorrow, I'm probably not going to feel great on the bike, but I hope to stay with the best on the Joux Plane. Every day, I'm feeling better and better."

Bruyneel – we wanted a time trial test

Schleck and his brother Fränk's rapport with manager Johan Bruyneel has been the subject of considerable media scrutiny in recent weeks, but after phoning the start line to warn his remaining riders about the dangers of using disc wheels, Bruyneel told reporters that his rider had started Thursday's time trial at a decent tempo.

"It's a pity because I think he'd started well," he said. "We weren't expecting him to do a super time trial but the plan was for him to give a constant effort for 50km. I think physically he was going quite well today. He wasn't going to lose the kind of time that a lot of other people were."

While Schleck will continue in the Dauphiné as the race enters the high mountains, Bruyneel was disappointed that he had been denied the chance to test himself against the watch, particularly given the similarities in distance between this time trial, and the Tour de France's penultimate stage to Chartres. Forced to switch bikes following his accident, Schleck will now have no SRM data from his effort.

"He's a climber, so we know already how good he is in the mountains," Bruyneel said wistfully. "This time trial was a great test and we weren't able to do it."

(Picture: http://twitpic.com/9tr392 via @davidopoczynski - Twitter)

June 7, Stage 4 - (ITT): Villié-Morgon - Bourg-en-Bresse 53km

Wiggins takes resounding victory in time trial

 

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/criterium-du-dauphine-2012/stage-4-itt/results)

Bradley Wiggins (Sky) flew to the win of the 53km stage 4 time trial in the Criterium du Dauphine, beating world champion Tony Martin (Omega Pharma-QuickStep) by a whopping 34 seconds. Former world champion Michael Rogers, also of Sky, was third at 1:11 down.

"It was a solid time trial for everyone today, there was no way of bluffing it or fluking it," said Wiggins. "It was a real test in the conditions. It's just nice to be out there in that discipline after all the training we've spent on the time trial bike over the winter and in the last few weeks.

"To beat the world champion is a big thing as I've not finished ahead of Tony many times in the past. I beat him at Algarve at the start of the season but that was by milliseconds so to do it by a clear margin this time is a huge satisfaction.

"We've been chasing Tony for a long time – he raised the bar at the world championship last year so that was a starting point for us; to work towards trying to get close to him. It's by no means going to be the same every time trial we do from now on but it's something nice to show the kids when they are older! However I don't think you can look into it too much. It's not a form guide for the Tour de France, it's just how you happened to go on one particular day but it's definitely a nice position to be in."

Martin was pragmatic in his assessment of his runner-up result to Wiggins.

"Today I had no super legs," Martin said. "It took a while to get into the rhythm of the race. At the beginning I wasn't really concentrated, but I got better. I know when and why I lost, so it is OK for me. Bradley did a great race. As for me, maybe today I was a little bit tired. I did a lot of training for the Tour of Belgium, and a lot of training after the race to prepare for the Tour de France."

The loser of the day was Cadel Evans, who was nearly caught by his two-minute man, Wiggins. The BMC rider finished eighth on the day, and lost 1:42 on the overall rankings.

Evans in fact fell from second to fifth overall. Martin is now second, 38 seconds behind Wiggins. Rogers is third at 1:20 and Sylvain Chavanel (Omega Pharma-QuickStep) fourth at 1:38.

Wiggins covered the 53km from Villié-Morgon to Bourg-en-Bresse in 1:02:12. He almost caught Evans, who started two minutes ahead of him, as they neared the finish line.

Andy Schleck's bad luck continued as he crashed 12km into the stage, a victim of the strong winds which ruled the day. The RadioShack-Nissan rider ended the day with the eighth-slowest time, 10:47 in arrears of Wiggins.

Luke Durbridge (Orica-GreenEdge) set the early best times at both intermediate time checks and the finish, and remained in the hot seat for a long time. But then along came young Wilco Kelderman of Rabobank, who set better times all along and in fact finished an impressive fourth on the day. The Dutchman nearly came to grief in sight of the finish, narrowly escaping a crash on the final corner as he came into the left hand turn carrying too much speed.

After Kelderman the best times kept changing rapidly. Michael Rogers (Sky), who is enjoying a comeback this year after several rather invisible seasons, took his turn atop the leader's board. Martin then roared in with a new best time.

But the sensation of the day was the overnight race leader, Wiggins. The Briton was third at the first intermediate time check, at 11 seconds down, but charged up to lead Martin by 36 seconds at the 40km time check, before cruising in to win easily.

Interestingly, Great Britain and Australia both claimed three spots in the day's top ten, and Sky took three spots: first, third and sixth.

 

 

Full Results

1	Bradley Wiggins (GBr) Sky Procycling	1:03:12
2	Tony Martin (Ger) Omega Pharma-Quickstep	0:00:34
3	Michael Rogers (Aus) Sky Procycling	0:01:11
4	Wilco Kelderman (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team	0:01:26
5	Sylvain Chavanel (Fra) Omega Pharma-Quickstep	0:01:33
6	Christopher Froome (GBr) Sky Procycling
7	Luke Durbridge (Aus) Orica GreenEdge	0:01:38
8	Cadel Evans (Aus) BMC Racing Team	0:01:43
9	David Millar (GBr) Garmin - Barracuda	0:01:51
10	Luis-Leon Sanchez (Spa) Rabobank Cycling Team	0:01:54