Astana’s Alberto Contador of Spain picked up his second Tour de France win today as Mark Cavendish the Brit from Team Columbia - HTC crushed the sprint to win his 6th stage of the tour.

Lance Armstrong who announced he will be riding for new American team, RadioShack next year finished on the podium as well in third place.

Stage 21 Results
1 Mark Cavendish (GBr) Team Columbia - HTC - 4:02:18
2 Mark Renshaw (Aus) Team Columbia - HTC
3 Tyler Farrar (USA) Garmin - Slipstream
4 Gerald Ciolek (Ger) Team Milram
5 Yauheni Hutarovich (Blr) Française des Jeux
6 Thor Hushovd (Nor) Cervelo Test Team
7 Jose Joaquin Rojas Gil (Spa) Caisse d’Epargne
8 Marco Bandiera (Ita) Lampre - NGC
9 Daniele Bennati (Ita) Liquigas
10 William Bonnet (Fra) BBOX Bouygues Telecom

Read the rest of this entry �

When Astana’s Alberto Contador rides into Paris today, he’ll not only be riding in with the coveted Maillot Jaune, but he’ll also be riding in on these special Alberto Contador Look Keo 2 Max Carbon Pedals.

No official word yet, on whether these will go into production or not, but would you rock yellow pedals?

More pics….

Read the rest of this entry �

Alberto Contador is within a stage of winning his second Tour de France as the much anticipated Mont Ventoux stage failed to shake up the GC standings. Tried as they may, the Schleck brothers launched attack after attack, but were not able to shake the rest of the GC contenders.

For Rabobank, Juan Manuel Garate was able to win the penultimate stage 20, staying away with an early break and finishing ahead of Tony Martin for the win. Andy Schleck and the GC leaders finished 38 seconds afterwards.

Stage 20 Results
1 Juan Manuel Garate Cepa (Spa) Rabobank - 4:39:21
2 Tony Martin (Ger) Team Columbia - HTC - 0:00:03
3 Andy Schleck (Lux) Team Saxo Bank - 0:00:38
4 Alberto Contador Velasco (Spa) Astana
5 Lance Armstrong (USA) Astana - 0:00:41
6 Fränk Schleck (Lux) Team Saxo Bank - 0:00:43
7 Roman Kreuziger (Cze) Liquigas - 0:00:46
8 Franco Pellizotti (Ita) Liquigas - 0:00:56
9 Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Liquigas - 0:00:58
10 Bradley Wiggins (GBr) Garmin - Slipstream - 0:01:03

Read the rest of this entry �

Mark Cavendish of Team Highroad - HTC sprinted to his fifth stage win at this years tour, edging out Thor Hushovd and Gerald Ciolek. This stage win breaks the British record of 8 total tour stage wins, with Cavendish’s ninth career win.

Alberto Contador remains in the Maillot Jaune leading into the mountain top finish at Mont Ventoux.

Stage 19 Results
1 Mark Cavendish (GBr) Team Columbia - HTC - 3:50:35
2 Thor Hushovd (Nor) Cervelo Test Team
3 Gerald Ciolek (Ger) Team Milram
4 Greg Van Avermaet (Bel) Silence - Lotto
5 Oscar Freire Gomez (Spa) Rabobank
6 Jérôme Pineau (Fra) Quick Step
7 Fumiyuki Beppu (Jpn) Skil-Shimano
8 Nicolas Roche (Irl) AG2R La Mondiale
9 Christophe Le Mevel (Fra) Française des Jeux
10 Martijn Maaskant (Ned) Garmin - Slipstream

Read the rest of this entry �

Overall leader Alberto Contador took a giant step towards his second Tour de France victory when he humbled the time trial specialists over 40.5-km to take the 18th stage around the lake of Annecy on Thursday.

The Spaniard, who outshone Olympic champion Fabian Cancellara by three seconds, now leads his nearest rival for final victory, Luxembourg’s Andy Schleck, by four minutes and 11 seconds, a comfortable gap three days before the finish in Paris.

Lance Armstrong, who announced he will be riding for a new American team, backed by RadioShack in 2010 is in third place and may podium.

Stage 18 Results
1 Alberto Contador Velasco (Spa) Astana - 0:48:31
2 Fabian Cancellara (Swi) Team Saxo Bank - 0:00:03
3 Mikhail Ignatiev (Rus) Team Katusha - 0:00:15
4 Gustav Erik Larsson (Swe) Team Saxo Bank - 0:00:32
5 David Millar (GBr) Garmin - Slipstream - 0:00:40
6 Bradley Wiggins (GBr) Garmin - Slipstream - 0:00:42
7 Luis León Sánchez Gil (Spa) Caisse d’Epargne - 0:00:43
8 Christophe Moreau (Fra) Agritubel - 0:00:45
9 Andreas Klöden (Ger) Astana - 0:00:53
10 David Zabriskie (USA) Garmin - Slipstream - 0:01:01

Read the rest of this entry �

As expected, Saxo Bank took to the hills today to hopefully deliver their GC hopeful Andy Schleck into a podium spot and ride they did. Frank Schleck paced his younger brother, Andy Schleck, up the final climbs shedding all other contenders. With only Alberto Contador able to hang with the pace, the elder Schleck took the stage win and with that put the two Schleck brothers in second and third respectively.

Stage 17 Results
1 Fränk Schleck (Lux) Team Saxo Bank - 4:53:54
2 Alberto Contador Velasco (Spa) Astana
3 Andy Schleck (Lux) Team Saxo Bank
4 Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Liquigas 0:02:18
5 Lance Armstrong (USA) Astana
6 Andreas Klöden (Ger) Astana 0:02:27
7 Bradley Wiggins (GBr) Garmin - Slipstream - 0:03:07
8 Christophe Moreau (Fra) Agritubel - 0:04:09
9 Christian Vande Velde (USA) Garmin - Slipstream
10 Rémi Pauriol (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit en Ligne - 0:06:10

Read the rest of this entry �

Mikel Astarloza of Euskaltel Euskadi timed his sprint just right to break away from his group and take the win at stage 16 of this year’s Tour de France. Accelerating away from Sandy Casar and Pierrick Fedrigo who ended up second and third. Nicolas Roche ended up fourth, not too far behind.

Alberto Contador and Lance Armstrong finished the stage together and remain first and second.

Near the finish, Jens Voigt of Saxo Bank crashed unexpectedly and was taken away by ambulance to a local hospital. It’s unclear what caused the accident.

Stage 16 Results
1 Mikel Astarloza Chaurreau (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi - 4:14:20
2 Sandy Casar (Fra) Française des Jeux - 0:00:06
3 Pierrick Fedrigo (Fra) BBOX Bouygues Telecom
4 Nicolas Roche (Irl) AG2R La Mondiale
5 Jurgen Van Den Broeck (Bel) Silence - Lotto
6 Amaël Moinard (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit en Ligne
7 Franco Pellizotti (Ita) Liquigas - 0:00:11
8 Stéphane Goubert (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale
9 Christophe Moreau (Fra) Agritubel - 0:00:59
10 Alberto Contador Velasco (Spa) Astana

Read the rest of this entry �

Alberto Contador of Astana rode away from all the contenders today to win the stage and take hold of the Maillot Jaune. Teammate Lance Armstrong climbed to second overall, but admitted that it was time to work for Contador.

The stage into Verbier was expected to shake up the standings and end Rinaldo Nocentini’s run in yellow.

Stage 15 Results
1 Alberto Contador Velasco (Spa) Astana - 5:03:58
2 Andy Schleck (Lux) Team Saxo Bank - 0:00:43
3 Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Liquigas - 0:01:03
4 Fränk Schleck (Lux) Team Saxo Bank - 0:01:06
5 Bradley Wiggins (GBr) Garmin - Slipstream
6 Carlos Sastre Candil (Spa) Cervelo TestTeam
7 Cadel Evans (Aus) Silence - Lotto - 0:01:26
8 Andreas Klöden (Ger) Astana - 0:01:29
9 Lance Armstrong (USA) Astana - 0:01:35
10 Kim Kirchen (Lux) Team Columbia - HTC - 0:01:55

Read the rest of this entry �

Stage 14 Results
1 Alberto Contador Velasco (Spa) Astana - 4.16.01
2 Levi Leipheimer (USA) Astana - 0.02
3 Ezequiel Mosquera Miguez (Spa) Xacobeo Galicia - 0.04
4 Robert Gesink (Ned) Rabobank - 0.20
5 David Moncoutié (Fra) Cofidis - Le Crédit par Téléphone
6 Carlos Sastre Candil (Spa) Team CSC - Saxo Bank
7 Marzio Bruseghin (Ita) Lampre - 1.00
8 Oliver Zaugg (Swi) Gerolsteiner
9 Joaquin Rodriguez (Spa) Caisse d’Epargne
10 John Gadret (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale

General classification after stage 14
1 Alberto Contador Velasco (Spa) Astana - 55.56.58
2 Levi Leipheimer (USA) Astana - 1.17
3 Carlos Sastre Candil (Spa) Team CSC - Saxo Bank - 3.41
4 Ezequiel Mosquera Miguez (Spa) Xacobeo Galicia - 4.35
5 Robert Gesink (Ned) Rabobank - 5.49
6 Alejandro Valverde Belmonte (Spa) Caisse d’Epargne - 6.00
7 Joaquin Rodriguez (Spa) Caisse d’Epargne - 6.11
8 Egoi Martinez De Esteban (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi - 8.56
9 David Moncoutié (Fra) Cofidis - Le Crédit par Téléphone - 9.32
10 Oliver Zaugg (Swi) Gerolsteiner - 10.01

Read the rest of this entry �

Stage 13 Results
1 Alberto Contador Velasco (Spa) Astana - 5.52.35
2 Alejandro Valverde Belmonte (Spa) Caisse d’Epargne - 0.42
3 Joaquin Rodriguez (Spa) Caisse d’Epargne - 0.58
4 Levi Leipheimer (USA) Astana - 1.05
5 Carlos Sastre Candil (Spa) Team CSC - Saxo Bank - 1.32
6 Robert Gesink (Ned) Rabobank - 1.56
7 Ezequiel Mosquera Miguez (Spa) Xacobeo Galicia - 2.18
8 Oliver Zaugg (Swi) Gerolsteiner - 2.28
9 Damiano Cunego (Ita) Lampre - 2.43
10 Daniel Moreno Fernandez (Spa) Caisse d’Epargne - 3.01

General classification after stage 13
1 Alberto Contador Velasco (Spa) Astana - 51.41.17
2 Levi Leipheimer (USA) Astana - 1.07
3 Carlos Sastre Candil (Spa) Team CSC - Saxo Bank - 3.01
4 Ezequiel Mosquera Miguez (Spa) Xacobeo Galicia - 4.19
5 Alejandro Valverde Belmonte (Spa) Caisse d’Epargne - 4.40
6 Joaquin Rodriguez (Spa) Caisse d’Epargne - 4.51
7 Robert Gesink (Ned) Rabobank - 5.09
8 Egoi Martinez De Esteban (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi - 6.56
9 Davide Rebellin (Ita) Gerolsteiner - 7.39
10 Oliver Zaugg (Swi) Gerolsteiner - 8.41

Read the rest of this entry �