Movistar 2012 Season in review

In 2011 the team which first entered the peloton under the name of Reynolds begun the next chapter in its long existence with a new title sponsor. Movistar replaced the Spanish bank Caisse d'Epargne which had sponsored the team since 2005. One of the team’s stars under the Caisse name and most successful Spanish riders of his generation was Alejandro Valverde. Valverde was implicated in Operación Puerto and after a protected legal battle with various courts and cycling bodies he received a two year doping ban backdated from January 1st 2010. Due to the successes of the Spaniard his team had promised a place on the team once his suspension had been served. With the ban ending in 2012 Valverde rejoined the team and rode the first World Tour race of the year as the team leader. Although the team name is different, with El Bala back in the fold in 2012 the changes in structure where to a degree made redundant by the return of the prodigal son. 

2012: Another Tumultuous & Exciting Edition

The 2012 season will be defined by pictures of cyclists on the road as much as cyclists off the road. Bradley Wiggins became the first British rider to win the Tour de France, Alberto Contador made a winning return after his doping suspension, Philippe Gilbert won his maiden worlds rainbow jersey and Tom Boonen owned the cobbles. Yet for all the excitement and dominance of Team Sky plus individual and collective feats of the peloton, it was the USADA investigation into US Postal which lifted the lid on Lance Armstrong and Johan Bruyneel as the masterminds behind the most organised doping practise the sport has ever seen. As the season comes to a close there are trails that seem only destined to be endlessly consumed with chasing the murky past down rabbit hole after rabbit hole. There has been no admission by Armstrong and the 1990s culture of Omerta has lessened but still exists among the peloton and with two major Italian investigations now looking like handing down their findings in 2013, this is certainly a tumultuous time for the sport. However there were brilliant rides full of bravery, panache and courage across the season. Looking back to the seasoning races in January of this year, it becomes apparent several of those rides will become timeless images of the sport, as well as part of cycling’s folklore for the years to come. 

Lotto-Belisol 2012 Season in Review

With one of the most prolific sprinter on its books over the last few seasons, Lotto-Belisol weren’t going to struggle for wins in 2012. André Greipel has been one the most consistent sprinters in the peloton since 2008 and since leaving the Highroad team to join Lotto has continued his winning ways as the number one sprinter on the team. At Highroad there was a two way tussle between Mark Cavendish and Greipel with the Isle of Man rider the star sprinter. In his debut Tour de France last year Greipel took one stage win on Stage 10 showcasing his talent and skill as a sprinter as if it wasn’t known already due to his prolific winning ways. Knowing Greipel was a known quantity on the world’s biggest stage, the expectations upon the German would be even higher in 2012. Besides the German gorilla, Jürgen Roelandts chipped in with several wins as did Lars Bak in a season where the Tour was the highlight. Besides Greipel winning three stages, Jurgen Van Den Broeck finished fourth overall.

Liquigas-Cannondale 2012 Season in Review

The 2012 Liquigas-Cannondale season saw Peter Sagan, the terminator, come to the fore as superstar of the sport while Vincenzo Nibali finished third in the Tour with Moreno Moser and Elia Viviani highlighted the depth of the Italian squad in a year of great success. Nibali moves onto Astana in 2013 and his loss will be felt but with Sagan remaining on the team’s books, there will be no lack of wins in 2013. Nibali has moved on as wanted a team which could guarantee total support in a tilt for Grand Tour success. Although Nibali finished third at the Tour this season the team had split loyalties with Sagan taking three stages and the points classification as well as team resources away from Nibali. Ivan Basso’s season objective was another Giro d’Italia win and would ride in support of Nibali at the Tour where he finished 25th riding as a super domestique but his season was largely disappointing with only one win. Besides the Nibali and Sagan show, Liquigas notched up wins with Viviani and Moser impressively winning stage races overall for the first time. 

World Tour Licenses Awarded

The final World Tour licenses have been awarded with one shock decision. Team Katusha who have the UCI number one rider Joaquim Rodriguez on their books have been denied a license for next season. For a team which had a rider on two Grand Tour podiums along with several big wins across the season and finished third on the UCI World Tour team rankings will now be riding at a Pro Continental. The team had initially been listed along with 15 other teams which had met the sporting criteria for a license but now are unsure why they have missed out. The UCI have said that indeed Katusha do not know why they have missed out but will be formally informed in the coming days.

Katusha 2012 Season in Review

Grand Tour classification jerseys and stage wins, one day classics and the UCI World Tour win would be more than enough to suggest that Katusha had a standout 2012. However 2012 was close to Grand Tour dominance for the Russian team as Joaquim Rodriguez lost the Giro d’Italia on the final day and was in a commanding position until Stage 17 of the Vuelta de España when Alberto Contador pulled off an escape ride to snatch the win from his compatriot. Rodriguez was once again the UCI rider of the season as he repeated his 2010 antics as the highest ranked rider due to his best Grand Tour result and his first Ardennes classic win. For Katusha their suburb season may have been overshadowed by Sky’s dominance but 2012 will be a season the team can look back fondly upon. 

Orica-GreenEdge 2012 Season in Review

In 2012 the Australian dream of having a national team compete in the Grand Tours and One day classics of Europe was realised. Since Phil Anderson brought to attention the glory of the Tour de France by winning the white jersey in 1982, Australian cycling has growth as a cycling powerhouse has justified calls for a nation trade team. Until 2012 there was no national team, Australian’s instead were riding for the mostly European teams of the peloton besides a few exceptions, with clusters found of them across the peloton. For riders who had first made a name for themselves in the 1990s the opportunity to finish their career at an Australian team was too good an opportunity to turn down. One off the doyens of Australian cycling, Stuart O’Grady had ridden on Tour de France winning teams and enjoyed both personal and team success riding for Bjarne Riis’s CSC and Saxo Bank teams before a final year with the Leopard team. He has recently announced he has no plans for retirement and is a blessing for the younger riders to have a rider who has experienced Olympic Gold medal success and has 15 plus years of experience in the peloton to guide them and offer advice. Robbie McEwen rode the early season before pulling up stumps and relocating to the comfort of the car.

2013 Tour of California Route

Lampre-ISD 2012 Season in Review

Lampre-ISD’s 2012 season was largely underwhelming with not a single World Tour win and will end the season with a cloud of uncertainty engulfing the team. With only three riders winning races in 2012 this was a poor season for a team that regularly wins Grand Tour stages and is noticed in the peloton for more than just their pink jerseys. Michele Scarponi who finished second on the road in the 2011 Giro d’Italia inherited the maglia rosa after Alberto Contador was stripped of his results from the 2010 Tour de France but ends 2012 winless and suspended by his team for his meetings with the disgraced Italian doctor Michele Ferrari. Compatriot Filippo Pozzato was recently given a six month suspension for meeting with doctor and Scarponi looks likely to receive at least the same sentence. A new sponsor and team name in 2013 could see a rejuvenated Lampre team who will also be riding Merida bikes but two investigations into doping practices could derail the team’s preparation or season next year. 

2013 Giro d'Italia Route

Garmin-Sharp 2012 Season in Review

Season 2012 would again welcome a new season, a new sponsor for the American Garmin team. Initially Barracuda came on board as a new co-sponsor with Cervélo as last season’s co-sponsor downgraded their sponsorship to supplying team bikes. Before the Tour de France Sharp was announced as a new co sponsor and the team jersey for the rest of the season had Garmin, Sharp and Barracuda as sponsors. The change of sponsors and departure of almost all the Australian riders on the team to GreenEdge as well as the departure of Thor Hushovd to BMC had relatively little impact as Ryder Hesjedal became the first Canadian and Garmin rider to win a Grand Tour. With several distraction across the season Hesjedal's Giro win was confirmations of Garmin's place as one of the top Pro Tour team.

Orica-GreenEdge Sever Ties with Matt White

Matt White has been sacked by the Australian cycling team GreenEdge after his admission of doping when riding on the US Postal team. He had previously been sacked from his Cycling Australia role after his admission. 

FDJ-BigMat 2012 Season in Review

The season begun for FDJ in a rather complicated manner as BigMat had all but signed on as a co sponsor for Garmin only to withdraw and pledge their allegiance and dollars to the French lottery team but this was no gamble. Two stage wins at the Tour de France and the emergence of Thibaut Pinot as the next French cycling star was the tip of the iceberg in 2012. Nacer Bouhanni won his first French road race title to add an extra layer of French pride to the team who won 21 races in 2012, asserting themselves as the premier French team of the year. Bouhanni and Arnaud Démare were the two biggest winners of the season but there was plenty of other riders with one or two wins such as a rejuvenated Perrick Fédrigo, Kenny Elissonde in a breakout year and the departing Yauheni Hutarovich. 

Euskaltel-Euskadi 2012 Season in Review

Euskaltel-Euskadi in 2013 will be a team whose value set will have drastically changed from its previous incarnations from 1994 till the present. Funding will be cut by the Basque government although the team was already operating on a budget of €1 Million less than last year. Besides the reduced funding that has forced changes structurally the team will for the first time have riders with no Basque connection. When previously only Basque riders or those who are familiar with the culture have been offered contracts, in 2013 the team will have a continental feel to it as riders with no Basque connection will be welcomed into the team. Whether or not these changes had affected the riders in 2012 is unclear as season 2012 was largely devoid of any significant results in comparison to previous seasons. 

BMC 2012 in Review

BMC had an ambitious recruitment policy at the end of the 2011 season in which they snared several big name riders, making headlines for the expensive outlay in acquiring Thor Hushovd and Philippe Gilbert. Along with the two big riders the collapse of HTC-Highroad allowed for the capture of up and coming American Tejay Van Garderen as well as the Italian veteran Marco Pinotti. The team had stage wins at the Giro and Vuelta and several other stage races across the season but it was again the Tour de France that was the focus of the teams GC ambition in 2012. The two big name recruits were to deliver the early season classics but it would take until May at the Giro when the team had its first significant wins in 2012. 

Astana 2012 in Review

Astana had significant off season changes regarding personal as they began the season with a mix of new faces who replaced the three cyclists who moved to the new GreenEdge team as well as four retiring cyclists at the end of 2011. The big recruit was that of Janez Brajkovic who moved across from the RadioShack team, a casualty of the merger with RadioShack and Leopard and was joined by his old team mate Dimitry Muravyev. Brajkovic repaid the team immediately by taking the first win of the season at the Volta a Catalunya which was to kick start a string of victories. Astana has had quite a successful 2012 and currently are ranked 11th out the 18 World Tour Teams. 2013 looks to be the dawning of a new era for the Kazakh team with Vincenzo Nibali moving to ht team and Alexander Vinokourov retiring. Vinokourov’s retirement could see the next wave of Kazakh riders impress on the big stage in his absence as Astana looks to win its first Grand Tour General Classification since Alberto Contador’s Giro d’Italia and Vuelta de España double in 2008. 

2013 Tour de France: 100th Edition

letour.com

The Damnatio Memoriae of Lance Armstrong

When looking back at the year by year winners of the Tour de France there are two significant time periods when no there was no winner. Theses gaps are the years of the 21st century world wars. No race was run between 1914-1918 and 1940-1945. On Friday the UCI will meet to make a decision on whether they will award the seven Tour titles that had been previously awarded to Lance Armstrong to second place or strike a line through the period as cycling’s ‘dark ages.’ Christian Prudhomme as head of the ASO has already said he’d prefer this period had no winner and leaving the space for the winners name will be a reminder of the brazen doping that took place. If this is to be the route that UCI take, when looking back upon the history of the Tour in 20 years, to an unknowing eye, these missing years may be seen to represent World War Three. 

Pulling the Plug: Nike,Trek and Giro End Armstrong Support

As of today Lance Armstrong is no longer sponsored by the companies that came to define his Tour winning years. Trek, Nike and Giro have withdrawn their support for the accused doper as they have cited the overwhelming evidence against Armstrong as the reasoning behind their decisions. As well as the big three, Anheuser-Busch has decided to stop their sponsorship of the American. These companies are the biggest of the Armstrong sponsors but with companies such as Zipp wheels and Sram yet to comment it still could get worse.

Armstrong also stood down as chairman of Livestrong to make it a miserable day. Nike will continue to support the cancer foundation and with Armstrong standing down from Livestrong they won't be directly affiliated with one of the athletes that defined the company. With the imminent downfall of Armstrong, Nike will have suffered from  two of its biggest stars falling from grace after Tiger Woods infidelity came to public awareness recently.

USADA Saga Claims Two in One Day

Matt White and Levi Leipheimer have both lost their jobs today as the fallout from the USADA reasoned decision continues.  Lance Armstrong has confessed no guilt in the accusations while Johan Bruyneel will face the Court regarding his charges. Bruyneel and RadioShack-Nissan has already parted ways.This is going to be a messy affair with cyclists implicated or otherwise slowly coming forward with statements or simply their opinion on the matter. These two will not be the only ones to lose their jobs as the important matter of sponsors is considered. The team names in 2013 may just be very different indeed  as sponsors decide if their money could be spent better and distance themselves from endless doping scandals that rock the sport.

Lance Armstrong’s Tour de France Stage Wins

Below is a list of stages that Armstrong won at the Tour over the seven years he won the GC with the second place rider on the stage in italics.There is also the TTT he won with Astana in 2009. Jan Ullrich, Alex Zülle and Ivan Basso would be the cyclists who would benefit the most from the results being reassigned to the second place getter however all three have been implicated in doping. 

The Problems of Reassigning Results After Admissions of Doping

After the recent USADA reasoned decision which contained the affidavits of several Garmin-Sharp riders who were teammates with Lance Armstrong in his Tour winning days have had their results voided for the years they admitted doping. Christian Prudhomme who is the head of the ASO has admitted that no rider should inherit the Tour titles that Armstrong looks likely to lose. Instead he has said that “If it’s a question that we would declare that era as a black era, then I’m not afraid to do so” as in many of the years the riders in the top ten have, if not tested positive been implicated, been tainted by doping scandals.

USADA lifts the lid on Armstrong Case: Several Teammates Testify

USADA has released its Reasoned Decision on the Armstrong doping affair. Several of Armstrong's teammates from his US Postal Team and its incarnations have confessed to doping and been banned and had results disqualified retroactively. While for some they have been banned from the 1st September this year till March 2013. This is the just the beginning of what will certainly be a messy fallout but final decision and possibly word on the Armstrong era.
Below is the full USADA Reasoned Decision
http://d3epuodzu3wuis.cloudfront.net/ReasonedDecision.pdf

Ag2r-La Mondiale 2012 in Review

The first of the 2012 team reviews begins with Ag2r-La Mondiale who have been a stable of the peloton since 1992 but in the past few seasons their presence on the podium has diminished. With only a handful wins in 2012 Ag2r find themselves second last on the team classification in the World Tour standings. With Nicholas Roche and Sébastien Hinault leaving for greener pastures in 2013, next season will be on of change for the French outfit who have also brought in some exciting new riders to chase those elusive wins.

Upcoming Posts as the Season Winds Down

Over the next month or so I will be posting team by team analysis of the 2012 season. Who were the surprise packets, who failed to live up the hype, who will be the teams and riders to watch in 2013?
As well as a team analysis I will also be posting a bit of a season review and what made the headlines in 2012.
The road cycling season may be coming to a close which means there won't be as much material being posted over the off season. However the season in review will be an ongoing series until the UCI World Tour teams have been reviewed and possibly some Continental teams as well. Thanks for reading....

Gilbert Delivers after Fearless Attack on the Cauberg

Philippe Gilbert had pencilled in September 23rd 2012 as the day he would win the rainbow stripes. When the parcours for the 2012 worlds was announced, Gilbert was installed as the favourite. 2009 and 2010 had been close with Gilbert in contention until the final kilometres in both those races. 2011 was the flat track that had Mark Cavendish pencilled in as the favourite just as Gilbert was for 2012.

UCI World Championships Men's Road Race Route

Courtesy of UCI

2012 World Championships Medal Tally

Place	Nation				Total
1	Germany	3	0	1	4
2	Belgium	2	0	1	3
3	Great Britain	2	0	0	2
4	Norway	1	2	0	3
5	Netherlands	1	0	2	3
6	Kazakhstan	1	0	0	1
	Russia	1	0	0	1
8	Australia	0	3	2	5
9	United States	0	3	0	3
10	Denmark	0	1	0	1
	France	0	1	0	1
	Slovenia	0	1	0	1
13	Italy	0	0	2	2
14	Belarus	0	0	1	1
	New Zealand	0	0	1	1
	Spain	0	0	1	1
Total		11	11	11	33

Team time trials are included under the UCI registration country of the team.

Men's Road Race Starting List: 207 Riding for the Rainbow

Mark Cavendish will be wearing the number one dossard as he looks to defend his title. Cavendish is unlikely to go back to back with Belgian Phillipe Gilbert the number one favourite. Cavendish has said the course is too hard for a sprinter such as himself and a select group will most likely arrive at the finish together. That group looks like containing Gilbert, Simon Gerrans (Australia), Alejandro Valverde (Spain), Peter Sagan (Slovakia), Vincenzo Nibali (Italy) and a dark horse or two. Spain and Belgium have the strongest teams for the Road Race but Australia and Italy have the class to spring a surprise. For the smaller nations, it will be hard to work against 9 man teams but there is always the possibility of a two or three man team benefiting from trade team allegiances or simply being opportunistic at the right time.

2012 Men's ITT World Championships: 58 Riders Battle for the Rainbow

Tony Martin will roll down the ramp at 3:24pm today with 57 riders having gone before him. Second last in the order is the recent Vuelta a España champion Alberto Contador who was the 2009 Spanish ITT Champion. Martin's teammate on Omega Pharma-Quick Step Sylvain Chavanel will be riding in the French colours and may just challenge the reigning champion for the rainbow stripes. 

Specialized - lululemon win Women's TTT WC Event

The Specialized - lululemon team has taken out the first event of teh 2012 UCI World Championships. In second place 24 seconds off the pace was Orica-AIS who were the only team to come within a minute of Specialized-luluemon. In third was AA Drink - Leontien.NL Cycling who were a distant 1:59 minutes off the winners.

2012 UCI World Championships Women's TTT Results

1st Team Specialized - lululemon 46:31

2nd Orica-AIS + 24

3rd AA Drink - Leontien.NL Cycling + 1:59

4th Rabobank Women Cycling Team + 2:20

5th Rusvelo + 2:30

6th Be Pink + 3:15

7th S.C. Michela Fanini Rox + 4:37

8th Hitec Products-Mistral Home Cycling Team + 4:38

9th Dolmans-Boels Cycling Team + 5:00 

10th Lotto-Belisol Ladies + 5:32

11th Skil-Argos +5:33

12th Sengers Ladies Cycling Team + 5:45

The Men's TTT begins shortly with BMC, Orica-GreenEdge, Team Sky and Garmin-Sharp favourites for the first TTT world title in 17 years. Start list for the 2012 UCI World Championships Men's TTT event

http://www.limburg2012.nl/upload/documents/06_ROA_CM2012_Startinglist_TTT_ME.pdf

Contador wins his Second Vuelta de Espana

Alberto Contador wrapped up his fifth Grand Tour win on the streets on Madrid. The Spaniard won by 1:16 over compatriot Alejandro Valverde and showed the peloton he is back in business. Valverde snatched the  points classification off Joaquim Rodríguez as well as the combination classification on the final day. Joaquim Rodríguez seems to be making it a habit to lose jerseys on the final day. Simon Clarke became just the second Australian to win a Grand Tour KOM jersey after he secured the polka dots on Stage 20. The Orica-GreenEdge Vuelta didn't go particularly to plan with Alan Davis narrowly missing stage wins but Clarke's efforts more than make up for close finishes.

Final General Classification Standings at the 2012 Vuelta de Espana

Alberto Contador (Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank) 84:59:49
Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) + 1:16
Joaquim Rodríguez (Katusha + 1:37
Chris Froome (Sky) + 10:16
Daniel Moreno (Katusha) + 11:29

Audacious Contador Takes Control

Alberto Contador make a successful break to win the stage and take over the GC from Purito. Contador had looked like a shadow of his former self after the months off the bike for his doping suspension. No matter how hard he tried, he seemed unable to shake off his competitors and ride away like he has so many times before.  Contador won his third Vuelta stage which just about ensures he will  ride into Madrid wearing red.

Froome's GC hope dashed on Queen Stage

Chris Froome couldn't match the pace set by Alberto Contador and co on Stage 16 and now sits almost 5 minutes behind Rodriguez in fourth place. Alejandro Valverde was the big winner on the stage as a podium position now looks like it's his to lose. Italian Dario Cataldo won the queen stage on the steep ramps of Cuiti Negru for the biggest win of his career. Rodriguez now looks to be in the box seat for his maiden Grand Tour win which would go some way to erase the disappointment of losing the Giro on the final day earlier this year.

Stage 16 Results

Dario Cataldo (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) 5:18:28

Thomas De Gendt (Vancansoleil-DCM) +7'

Joaquin Rodriguez (Katusha) +2:39'

Alberto Contador (Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank) +2:41'

Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) +2:58'

General Classification

Joaquin Rodriguez (Katusha) 63:38:24

Alberto Contador (Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank) +28'

Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) +2:04'

Chris Froome (Sky) +4:52'

Daniel Moreno (Katusha) +6:58'

Vuelta Standings: Stage 15

With two out of the three consecutive mountain stages completed tonight’s Stage 16 may see the leaders jersey change hands. Joaquím Rodríguez held on after numerous attacks by Alberto Contador to continue his stint in red. He leads Contador by 22 seconds and Alejandro Valverde by 1:41 minutes. Chris Froome has dropped off the pace to sit 2:16 minutes down in fourth place with the Tour de France and Olympics appearing to have taken their toll on the Sky rider.

The Four Amigos

After nine days of racing and several GC stages four contenders have risen to the top. In the red jersey is 2012 Giro runner up Joaquim Rodriguez who leads past Vuelta winners Alejandro Valverde and Alberto Contador but it is the 2011 runner up Chris Froome in second place. On three stages so far the top three has been a combination of these four riders. Once the roads have gone up, these four have come to the front and ridden away from the peloton. Valverde has three stage wins after his Movistar team won the opening TTT in Pamplona before outsprinting Rodríguez to take two individual stages. Of the four, Froome and Contador are the best places due to their time trialling prowess. However with Froome at 53 seconds and Contador at 1 minute to Rodríguez, they will need to put serious time into the Katusha rider on the only ITT of the race. Valverde has been the main protagonist in the opening nine stages followed by Rodríguez who also has a stage win to his name but expect Froome and Contador to take it up a notch in the next few days.

Current Race Leaders and Results: Aug 20th-25th

Vuelta de España 
18th August-9th September 

Stage 1 (TTT): Movistar 18:51
                                Omega Pharma-Quick Step +10
                                Rabobank +10 

Jonathan Castroviejo (Movistar)  18:51

Stage 2: John Degenkolb (Argos-Shimano)  4:38:40

                  Alan Davis (Orica-GreenEdge) st
                  Ben Swift (Team Sky) st 
Jonathan Castroviejo (Movistar) 4:57:31 

Stage 3: Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) 3:49:37
                 Joaquím Rodríguez (Katusha) st
                 Chris Froome (Team Sky) st 
Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) 8:46:56  

Stage 4: Simon Clarke (Orica-GreenEdge) 4:30:26
                Tony Martin (Omega Pharma-Quick Step)+02
                Assan Bazayev (Astana) +22
Joaquím Rodríguez (Katusha) 13:18:45

Stage 5: John Degenkolb (Argos-Shimano) 4:10:37
                  Danielle Bennati (RadioShack-Nissan) st
                  Gianni Meersman (Lotto-Belisol) st
Joaquím Rodríguez (Katusha) 17:29:22

Stage 6: Joaquím Rodríguez (Katusha) 4:35:22
                 Chris Froome (Sky) +5
                 Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) +10
Joaquím Rodríguez (Katusha) 22:04:32

Stage 7: John Degenkolb (Argos-Shimano) 3:48:30
                  Elia Viviani (Liquigas-Cannondale) st
                  Allan Davis (Orica-GreenEdge) st
Joaquím Rodríguez (Katusha) 25:53:04

Stage 8: Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) 4:06:39
                  Joaquím Rodríguez (Katusha) st
                  Alberto Cntador (Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank) st
Joaquím Rodríguez (Katusha) 29:59:35

Stage 9: Philippe Gilbert (BMC) 4:45: 28
                  Joaquím Rodríguez (Katusha) st
                 Paolo Tiralongo (Astana) +7                  
Joaquím Rodríguez (Katusha) 24:44:55

USA Pro Cycling Challenge
August 20th -26th

Stage 1: Tyler Farrar (Garmin-Sharp) 4:42:48 
                 Alessandro Bazzana (Team Type 1-Sanofi) st
                 Damiano Caruso (BMC) st

Tyler Farrar (Garmin-Sharp) 4:42:48 

Stage 2: Tejay Van Garderen (BMC) 3:52:24
                 Christian Vande Velde (Garmin-Sharp) st
                 Ivan Rovny +6
Tejay Van Garderen (BMC) 8:35:12

Stage 3: Tom Danielson (Garmin-Sharp) 5:02:06
                  Damiano Caruso (Liquigas-Cannondale) +02
                 Jakob Fugsang  (RadioShack-Nissan) st
Christian Vande Velde 13:37:20

Stage 4: Jens Voigt (RadioShack-Nissan) 3:54:00
                 Andreas Kloden (RadioShack-Nissan) +2:58
                 Tejay Van Garderen (BMC) st
Tejay Van Garderen (BMC) 17:34:18

Stage 5: Tyler Farrar (Garmin-Sharp) 3:58:27
                 Taylor Phinney (BMC) st
                 Alessandro Bazzana (Team Type 1-Sanofi) st
Tejay Van Garderen (BMC) 21:32:45

Stage 6: Rory Sutherland (United Healthcare) 4:06:12         
                  Fabio Aru (Astana) +20
                  Jens Voigt (RadioShack-Nissan) +26
Levi Leipheimer (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) 25:39:50

Stage 7: Taylor Phinney (BMC) 17:25
                  Christian Vande Velde (Garmin-Sharp) +10
                  Tejay Van Garderen (BMC) +19
Overall GC: Christian Vande Velde (Garmin-Sharp) 25:57:34
points classification: Tyler Farrar (Garmin-Sharp) 33 points
mountains classification: Jens Voigt (RadioShack-Nissan) 55 points                  
team classification: RadioShack-Nissan 77:52:16

Tour of Denmark

August 22nd-27th

Stage 1: Andre Greipel (Lotto-Belisol) 4:55:06

                 Alexander Kristoff (Katusha) st

                 Theo Bos (Rabobank) st  
Andre Greipel (Lotto-Belisol) 4:55:06

Stage 2: Andre Greipel (Lotto-Belisol) 5:12:22
                  Michael Van Staeyen (Topsport Vlaanderen-Mercator) st
                  Steele Von Hoff (Garmin-Sharp) st
Andre Greipel (Lotto-Belisol) 10:07:08

Stage 3: Lars-Petter Nordhaug (Sky) 4:43:01
                  Wilco Kelderman (Rabobank) st
                  Ramunas Navardauskas (Garmin-Sharp) st
Lars-Petter Nordhaug (Sky) 14:50:19

Stage 4: Alexander Kristoff (Katusha) 2:02:35
                  Andrew Fenn (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) st
                  Theo Bos (Rabobank) st
Lars-Petter Nordhaug (Sky) 16:52:54

Stage 5: Lieuwe Westra (Vacansoleil-DCM) 16:36
                 Geraint Thomas (Sky) +18
                 Manuele Boaro (Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank) +21
Lieuwe Westra (Vacansoleil-DCM) 17:09:51

Stage 6: Mark Cavendish (Sky) 3:31:56
                  Matteo Pelucchi (Europcar) st
                  Andre Greipel (Lotto-Bellisol) st
Final GC: Lieuwe Westra (Vacansoleil-DCM) 20:41:47
points classification: Alexander Kristoff (Katusha) 44 points
mountains classifiction: Nikola Aistrup (Concordia Forsikring-Himmerland) 84 points
young rider: Wilco Kelderman (Rabobank) 20:42:18

Tour du Poitou Charentes

August 21st-25th

Stage 1: Aidis Kruopis (Orica-GreenEdge) 4:41:54

                 Yauheni Hutarovich (FDJ-BigMat) st

                 Evaldas Siskevicius (La Pomme Marseille) st

Aidis Kruopis (Orica-GreenEdge) 4:41:54

Stage 2: Aidis Kruopis (Orica-GreenEdge) 5:08:53

                 Adrien Petit (Cofidis) st

                 Yauheni Hutarovich (FDJ-BigMat) st

Aidis Kruopis (Orica-GreenEdge) 9:50:27

Stage 3: Giacomo Nizzolo (RadioShack-Nissan) 2:14:37

                 Dennis Flahaut (Roubaix Lille Metropole) st

                 Maxime Le Montagner (Veranda Rideau-Super U) st

Aidis Kruopis (Orica-GreenEdge) 12:05:04

Stage 4: Luke Durbridge (Orica-GreenEdge) 26:30

                 Jeremy Roy (FDJ-BigMat) +09

                 Lazlo Bodrogi (Team Type 1-Sanofi) +17

Luke Durbridge (Orica-GreenEdge) 12:31:54

Stage 5: Francisco Ventoso (Movistar) 4:05:19
                 Thomas Voeckler (Europcar) st
                 Marco Haller (Katusha) st

Overall GC: Luke Durbridge (Orica-GreenEdge) 16:37:13
Points Classification: Aidis Kruopis (Orica-GreenEdge) 50 points
Mountains Classification: Gaylord Cumont (Veranda Rideau-Super U) 26 points
Young Rider:Luke Durbridge (Orica-GreenEdge) 16:37:13
Team Classification: Movistar 49:53:53

Final Teams for the 2012 Vuelta de España

Ag2r La Mondiale

Maxime Bouet (FRA)

John Gadret (FRA)

Ben Gastauer (LUX)

Blel Kadri (FRA)

Lloyd Mondory (FRA)

Matteo Montaguti (ITA)

Rinaldo Nocentini (ITA)

Christophe Riblon (FRA)

Nicolas Roche (IRL) 

2012 Vuelta de España Preview

The return of Alberto to Grand Tour racing has many excited but it is not a foregone conclusion that the Spaniard will finish in Madrid atop the podium. The GC contenders in 2012 are of a high calibre and they will pose individual threats to Contador winning the race. Two riders who finished on the podium last year return as do past winners of the Vuelta. The favourites for the race this year as Juanjo Cobo, Chris Froome, Jurgen Van Den Broeck, Igor Anton, Joaquím Rodríguez, Andrew Talanksy and Robert Gesink although behind these riders are a second tier of favourites who look more likely to challenge for stage wins than the red jersey.

Froome is coming into the Vuelta in 2012 as a known force. In 2011 he was able to deflect attention from himself onto Wiggins if necessary as he riding in support of his teammate. This year will be a different story as Froome finished second behind Wiggins at Le Tour de France and bagged a bronze medal In the ITT at the London Olympics. Froome’s ability to time trial will be detrimental to Contador's attempt at winning the GC. Froome can match the Spaniards climbing prowess as well as his time trialling so it could come down to seconds in Madrid.

UCI World Tour Standings: Wiggins and Sky lead the way

Standings after Clàssica San Sebastian

Individual 

1st Bradley Wiggins (UK) Team Sky 601 Points
2nd Joaquim Rodriguez (ESP) Katusha 414 points
3rd Vincenzo Nibali (ITA) Liquigas-Cannondale 400 points
4th Tom Boonen (BEL) Omega Pharma-Quick Step 370 points
5th Peter Sagan (SVK) Liquigas-Cannondale 351 points
6th Simon Gerrans (AUS) Orica-GreenEdge 270 points
7th Chris Froome (UK) Team Sky 266 points
8th Samuel Sánchez (ESP) Euskaltel Euskadi 252 points
9th Jurgen Van Den Broeck (BEL) Lotto-Belisol 237 points

2012 Clasica Ciclista San Sebastian Start list

Defending champion Philippe Gilbert has decided to skip the 2012 edition of the 2012 Clasica Ciclista San Sebastian and his BMC team will now be lead by Greg Van Avermaet. Past winners of the race in the this years edition include the 2010 winner Luis Leon Sanchez, 2008 winner Alejandro Valverde and the 2006 winner Xavier Florencio. 

                                                                                               ©

Full start list after the jump

Contador Returns to the Vuelta de Espana in 2012

Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank 

Alberto Contador
Nicki Sorensen
Matteo Tosatto
Rafal Majka
Sergio Paulinho
Bruno Pires Benjamin Noval
Jesus Hernandez Dani Navarro

Remaining Races in the 2012 Season

14th August: Clàssica San Sebastian (Spain)
-Tre Valli Varesine (Italy)
14th-17th August: Tour of Limousin (France) stage race
15th August: Coppa Ugo Agostoni (Italy)
15th-26th August: Volta a Portugal (Portugal)  stage race 
16th August: Coppa Bernochi (Italy)
-GP Capodarco (Italy)
17th August: Dutch Food Valley Classic (Netherlands)
18th August: Trofeo Melinda (Italy)
18th August-9th September: Vuelta de España (Spain)  stage race 
19th August: Vattenfall Cyclassics (Germany)
19th August: Chateauroux Classic (France)
20th-26th August: USA Procycling Challenge (USA)  stage race 
21st August: GP Stad Zottegem (Belgium)
21st-24th August: Tour du Poitou-Charentes (France)  stage race 
22nd August: Druivenkoers Overijse (Belgium)
22nd- 26th August: Danmark Rundt (Denmark)
23rd August: GP Industria e Commercio Artigianato Carnaghese (Italy)
25th August: Giro del Vento (Italy)
26th August: Schaal Sels (Belgium)
26th August: GP Ouest-France (France)
27th August: -1st September: Settimana Ciclistica Lombarda (Italy)  stage race 
31st August- 1st September: World Ports Cycling Classic (Belgium/Netherlands)  stage race 

Current Race Leaders and Results: August 13th

Eneco Tour 6th-12th August 

Stage One: Marcel Kittel (Argos-Shimano)
Stage Two (TTT): Orica-GreenEdge
Stage Three: Theo Bos (Rabobank)
Stage Four: Marcel Kittel (Argos-Shimano)
Stage Five: Giacomo Nizzolo (RadioShack-Nissan)
Stage Six: Svein Tuft (Orica-GreenEdge)
Stage Seven: Allessandro Ballan (BMC)
GC: Lars Boom (Rabobank) Overall winner of the 2012 Eneco Tour

Tour of Utah 7th-12th August 

Stage One: Rory Sutherland (Unitedhealthcare)
Stage Two (TTT): Garmin-Sharp
Stage Three: Michael Matthews (Rabobank)
Stage Four: Jacobe Keough (Unitedhealthcare)
Stage Five: Johann Tschopp (BMC)
Stage Six: Levi Leiphiemer (Omega Pharma-Quick Step)
GC: Johann Tschopp (BMC) Overall Winner of the 2012 Tour of Utah

Tour de L’Ain 7th-11th August 

Stage One: Hutarovich (FDJ-BigMat)
Stage Two a: Hutarovich (FDJ-BigMat)
Stage Two b (TTT): Omega Pharma- Quick Step
Stage Three: Daniel Navarro (Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank)
Stage Four: Andrew Talanksy (Garmin-Sharp)
Stage Five: Thibaut Pinot (FDJ-BigMat)
GC: Andrew Talanksy (Garmin-Sharp) Winner of the 2012 Tour de L'Ain

Note: Current GC leaders in italics

Current Race Leaders and Results: August 10th

Eneco Tour 6th-12th August 

Stage One: Marcel Kittel (Argos-Shimano)
Stage Two (TTT): Orica-GreenEdge
Stage Three: Theo Bos (Rabobank)
Stage Four: Marcel Kittel (Argos-Shimano)
GC: Tom Boonen (Omega Pharma- Quick Step)

Tour of Utah 7th-12th August 

Stage One: Rory Sutherland (United Healthcare)
Stage Two (TTT): Garmin-Sharp
Stage Three: Michael Matthews (Rabobank)
GC: Christian Vande Velde (Garmin-Sharp)
 

Tour de L’Ain 7th-11th August 

Stage One: Hutarovich (FDJ-BigMat)
Stage Two a: Hutarovich (FDJ-BigMat)
Stage Two b (TTT): Omega Pharma- Quick Step
Stage Three: Daniel Navarro (Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank)
GC: Daniel Navarro (Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank)

Note: Current GC leaders in italics

Current Cyclists Days in Yellow at Le Tour de France

Rank	Rider (Overall Rank)	Country	Yellow Jerseys	Years Rider Wore Yellow
1st	Fabian Cancellara (12)	Switzerland	28	2004, ’07, ’09, 2010, 2012
2nd	Thomas Voeckler (=20)	France	20	2004, 2011
3rd	Bradley Wiggins (=35)	Great Britain	14	2012
4th	Andy Schleck (=41)	Luxembourg	13	2010, 2011
5th	Alberto C0ntador (=53)	Spain	11	2007, 2009
6th	Thor Hushovd (=57)	Norway	10	2004, '06, 2011
7th	Stuart O'Grady (=60)	Australia	9	1998, 2001
=7th	Michael Rasmussen (=60)	Denmark	9	2007
9th	Cadel Evans	Australia	8	2008, 2010, 2011
10th	Tom Boonen	Belgium	4	2006

Note: Years in bold indicate when the rider also won the general classification.