Team Columbia-HTC’s Mark Cavendish sprinted to his third stage win at this years Tour de France at the end of a technology free stage 10. Lead out by Mark Renshaw, Cavendish admitted even he thought he may have started the sprint too soon, but it didn’t matter, because green jersey holder Thor Hushovd could only follow Cavendish to the line.

Rinaldo Nocentini remains in the Maillot Jaune.

Stage 10 Results
1 Mark Cavendish (GBr) Team Columbia - HTC - 4:46:43
2 Thor Hushovd (Nor) Cervelo Test Team
3 Tyler Farrar (USA) Garmin - Slipstream
4 Leonardo Duque (Col) Cofidis, Le Credit en Ligne
5 Jose Joaquin Rojas Gil (Spa) Caisse d’Epargne
6 Lloyd Mondory (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale
7 Kenny Robert van Hummel (Ned) Skil-Shimano
8 William Bonnet (Fra) BBOX Bouygues Telecom
9 Daniele Bennati (Ita) Liquigas
10 Saïd Haddou (Fra) BBOX Bouygues Telecom

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Team Columbia-HTC takes advantage of a lax peloton and breaks away. Delivering their sprinter Mark Cavendish to the line for another win, Cavendish’s second win in just as many days.

Lance Armstrong finished with the break away group and moves up 7 spots to third overall. Fabian Cancellara remains in the Maillot Jaune.

Prior to the race, Astana was fined 65 Euros for not signing in on time. Race director Jean-Francois Pescheux had this to say, “How typical that this team were late. It is disrespectful to the public who came here just to see Armstrong, the money makes no difference to them. We will ask the UCI (the sport’s governing body) to make the fines harder.”

Stage 3 Results
1 Mark Cavendish (GBr) Team Columbia - HTC - 5:01:24
2 Thor Hushovd (Nor) Cervelo Test Team
3 Cyril Lemoine (Fra) Skil-Shimano
4 Samuel Dumoulin (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit en Ligne
5 Jérôme Pineau (Fra) Quick Step
6 Fabian Cancellara (Swi) Team Saxo Bank
7 Fabian Wegmann (Ger) Team Milram
8 Fumiyuki Beppu (Jpn) Skil-Shimano
9 Maxime Bouet (Fra) Agritubel
10 Linus Gerdemann (Ger) Team Milram
11 Yaroslav Popovych (Ukr) Astana
12 Thierry Huppond (Fra) Skil-Shimano
13 Ruben Perez Moreno (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi
14 Stéphane Auge (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit en Ligne
15 Tony Martin (Ger) Team Columbia - HTC
16 Mark Renshaw (Aus) Team Columbia - HTC
17 George Hincapie (USA) Team Columbia - HTC
18 Kim Kirchen (Lux) Team Columbia - HTC
19 Lance Armstrong (USA) Astana
20 Koen de Kort (Ned) Skil-Shimano
21 Maxime Monfort (Bel) Team Columbia - HTC
22 Christophe Kern (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit en Ligne
23 Simon Geschke (Ger) Skil-Shimano
24 Haimar Zubeldia Aguirre (Spa) Astana
25 Michael Rogers (Aus) Team Columbia - HTC

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By Stepahnie Gutowski

Kim Kirchen (Team Columbia-HTC) had an incredible 2008. Not only did he win Fleche Wallone, but he wore the coveted yellow jersey at the Tour de France for three stages.

In 2009, he fell during the 4th stage of the Tour of California after the sleeve of his jacket got caught in the spokes of his wheel as he was trying to remove the garment. He fractured his shoulder and collarbone. Kirchen’s injury prevented him from racing in his favorite Ardennes Classics. He was the defending Fleche Wallone champion. After going through shoulder surgery and recuperating his injuries, Kirchen came back to win stage 7 of the Tour de Suisse last month.

We spoke prior earlier in the season about his successes in 2008 and about riding the Tour de France in 2009.

The successes of 2008….
I have always been focused on the Classics. I was really close two years ago in Fleche Wallone. For me it’s always a goal of mine to get better each year. I know what I need to do physically and the team is also maturing. We do work a lot on working as a team. I am 30 years old and have a lot of experience now. All of these factors together allowed me to be successful last year.

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Team Columbia-HTC’ will ride the 2009 Tour de France under new three-year sponsorship agreement

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. and Taoyuan, Taiwan, June 29 — High Road Sports, Inc., the owner of Team Columbia-Highroad and HTC Corporation, a designer of mobile phones, today announced a three-year sponsorship agreement that prominently places the HTC brand at the starting line of the 2009 Tour de France on July 4 in Monaco.

“High Road Sports is elated to be partnering with HTC, a recognized leader and growing global brand in mobile phones,” said Bob Stapleton, Owner, Team Columbia-HTC. “Team Columbia-HTC is now sponsored by two leading companies in their related industries and we are ready to show the growing power of our partnership at this year’s Tour de France.”

The team currently called Columbia-Highroad, and known in 2008 and 2009 as the team with the most victories in professional cycling, will compete as “Team Columbia-HTC” and will present the new team uniform in Monaco on July 3, the day before the start of the 96th Tour de France.

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