Tour de France: Grand Finale

Chalk up one for the good guys. The mild-mannered Australian riding for an American team, Cadel Evans finished the 2011 Tour de France as champion for the first time. He joined the other pre-race favorites in dominating the three-week competition while providing a dynamic struggle that came down to the time trial in the penultimate stage. The sprinters also fought hard in high-speed chases to the line, and Briton Mark Cavendish brought home five stage wins and the green jersey for his American team.

The outstanding results for American teams come on the 25^th anniversary of the first U.S. squad to compete in the world’s most prestigious race. In 1986, manager Jim Ochowicz brought the 7-Eleven team to France, and in 2011, he celebrates as manager of Evans’ squad, BMC Racing. The green jersey was won by Cavendish, riding for HTC-Highroad, the second of four U.S. teams competing this year. Another American squad, Garmin-Cervelo, won the team competition, and their sprinter, Tyler Farrar from Washington state, secured his first Tour de France stage win on the Fourth of July. Lance Armstrong’s former team, RadioShack, appeared to take all the bad luck for the USA, as four key riders abandoned due to injuries, including Tour of California winner Chris Horner.

Yet BMC captured top honors with Evans’ win over rivals Alberto Contador and Andy Schleck. BMC kept their leader safe from the kind of trouble which dogged three-time champion Contador. The Spaniard was booed by spectators at the race introductions because of the ongoing doping scandal, lingering from last year’s race until the appeal will be heard in August. Spent from winning the Giro d’Italia in May, he crashed four times in the first week, complained of knee problems, and was said to be riding with a sore saddle. Evans beat Contador to the line on Stage 4, demonstrating his determination and good form. While the 28-year-old Spaniard improved in the Alps and rallied at the individual time trial, he had lost too much time and finished fifth overall. Contador rides for Saxo Bank-Sungard.

Evans’ stronger rival was Andy Schleck, the 26-year-old from Luxembourg who, like Evans, was also a past two-time runner-up at the Tour de France. With big brother Frank, Andy led Team Leopard-Trek in prolonged attacks throughout the mountain stages of the Pyrenees and Alps. He won Stage 18 and eliminated Contador in a courageous ride admired by cycling legend Eddy Merckx, among others. On Stage 19, Andy attacked again, while Evans struggled to catch up following mechanical problems and a bike change. Andy snatched the yellow jersey for just one day, as his weak performance at the individual time trial on Saturday lost him the overall victory to the Australian. “I don’t feel like a loser,” said Andy, who finished in second place once again, but this time joined on the podium by brother Frank, who finished third overall.

Cadel Evans beat Contador, Schleck, and all the others with a smart, consistent, and aggressive performance. He rode at the front every day to stay clear of crashes. He attacked and took seconds on his rivals at every opportunity. He also took responsibility to chase down attacks from the other contenders, when fellow leaders failed to respond. The former mountain bike champion finally secured his win on Stage 20 at the individual time trial around Grenoble. Starting 57 seconds behind Andy Schleck, Evans raced out of the gate fighting for the greatest win of his career. An accomplished time trialer, he quickly gained back the time on Schleck plus more, creating a gap of 1 minute, 34 seconds ahead of his closest rival.

Evans had won the Tour de France, donning the yellow jersey for the final and most important stage into Paris. The last day is a ceremonial route for the general classification winner by tradition, and the win was secure.

Starting as a mountain bike rider, Evans served as two-time champion and competed in the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. In 2001, he switched to road racing, winning the Tour of Austria shortly thereafter. His wins include the Tour de Romandie (2006 & 2011), Fleche Wallonne (2010), and Tirreno-Adriatico (2011). In 2009, he became world champion wearing the rainbow jersey, and in 2010, Evans switched to the new team BMC, which built its roster to support his Tour de France aspirations. This strategy included recruiting American George Hincapie, teammate of Lance Armstrong for all seven of his victories as well as the first of Alberto Contador. Team manager Ochowicz is considered the godfather of American cycling.

From start to finish, Evans demonstrated a confidence and willingness to attack that he appeared to lack in previous attempts. He did not sit back and wait for the race to unfold; he raced forward to seize the win. At age 34, Evans is the oldest winner since World War II, though it is expected for him to attempt to defend his title next year. With big brown eyebrows and glassy blue eyes, he is a nice guy who actively supports charities and causes such as freedom for Tibet. It’s easy to cheer for Cadel Evans, the first ever Australian winner of the Tour de France.

While the Australian brought home the yellow jersey, there were several other races within the race. France’s Pierre Rolland was named best young rider for the highest finish by a rider age 25 and under. Spain’s Samuel Sanchez won the king of the mountains competition for taking the most points at hilltop summits. As mentioned earlier, the team competition was won by the American squad of Garmin-Cervelo. That race is decided by combining the cumulative times of the fastest three riders on the squad. Finally, the United Kingdom’s Mark Cavendish secured the green jersey as winner of the points competition. For the benefit of the sprinters, points are awarded at an intermediate point on the course and at the finish, with the highest rewards for the flat sprint stages. Cavendish had defend the jersey on the Champs-Elysees with Jose Joaquin Rojas unsuccessfully trying to snatch it off his shoulders.

Indeed, Cavendish and his HTC team treated us to a delicious dessert to finish the Tour de France. A line of HTC cyclists in white and yellow jerseys drove at the front of the peloton to set up the sprint finish for their man from the Isle of Man. Garmin-Cervelo worked for Tyler Farrar, and Team Sky tried to set up Edvald Boassan Hagen. Yet when the Australian Mark Renshaw launched Cavendish, the Manx Missile could not be beaten. The win marked: Cavendish’s fifth stage win in this Tour de France, his 20^th career stage win at the Tour, his third annual win on the Champs-Elysees, and the first British cyclist to win the green jersey. The results are another amazing, elevating Cavendish to the best sprinter in the post-war era of the Tour de France.

Nearly 3,500 kilometers of riding over three weeks finished in Paris on Sunday. The 2011 Tour de France is in the books. We salute all 198 riders who started the race, especially the 167 who survived to finish. Vive le Tour!

Cadel Evan’s daily diary from the Tour de France: http://www.cadelevans.com.au/cadelsdiary.aspx

Mark Cavendish’s entertaining Twitter page: http://twitter.com/#!/markcavendish

Final General Classification Standings:

1. Cadel Evans (BMC Racing) 86h 12’ 22”

2. Andy Schleck (Leopard-Trek) + 01’ 34”

3. Frank Schleck (Leopard-Trek) + 02’ 30”

4. Thomas Voeckler (Europcar) + 03’ 20”

5. Alberto Contador (Saxo Bank-Sungard) + 03’ 57”

6. Samuel Sanchez (Euskaltel-Euskadi) + 04’ 55”

7. Damiano Cunego (Lampre-ISD) + 06’ 05”

8. Ivan Basso (Liquigas-Cannondale) + 07’ 23”

9. Tom Danielson (Garmin-Cervelo) + 08’ 15”

10. Jean Christophe Peraud (Ag2r La Mondiale) + 10’ 11”

Complete final standings: http://www.letour.fr/2011/TDF/LIVE/us/2100/classement/index.html

Stay Classy, Boys

A great sprint finish at the Tour de France was marred by unsubstantiated accusations that are all too common in the sport. Stage 15 was won by Mark Cavendish of HTC-Highroad, a lightning rod for criticism like other high-performing cyclists over time. Before today’s stage, long-time rival Andre Greipel of Omega Pharma-Lotto claimed that Cavendish had broken the rules to finish yesterday’s mountain stage by hanging on to a car. After racing, an angry Tyler Farrar of Garmin-Cervelo implied a similar accusation without referring to Cavendish by name. He was also recorded on camera saying to teammate Thor Hushovd, “He shouldn’t even be racing.”

There is no evidence to back up the claims. In an unrelated interview, Bob Stapleton, owner of HTC-Highroad, stated that Cavendish had difficulty finishing the Stage 14 climbs and that the team’s sole focus was to help him make the time cut. This makes sense. Further, Versus commentators stated that they reviewed footage and found no proof of the accusations. They also reminded the audience that even when race referees are not present, the course is lined with spectators who recognize Cavendish and have cameras in their hands, yet no evidence has appeared.

The nasty comments by Greipel and Farra reflect poorly on them. Sadly, unsubstantiated accusations happen all the time in cycling, such as last year’s buzz that Fabian Cancellara had an engine hidden in his bike and the ever-present hints of doping. Cycling fans and online and print media frequently fan the flames of ugliness. All of this empty negativity hurts the sport.

To be honorable competitors, Greipel, Farrar, and all riders should run their own races and take up any grievances with race referees. For the sake of the sport we love, cycling media should always start with the facts, and fans should look to the accomplishments of these amazing athletes, rather than the spoiled sports.

Let’s get back to the world’s most amazing bike race! May the best man win.

Stage 15: Marvelous Mark

“Boom! Number4!” So Mark Cavendish celebrated his fourth stage win at the 2011 Tour de France on Twitter. At the Stage 15 sprint finish into Montpellier, the American team of HTC-Highroad drove hard all day, then launched their Manx Missile to yet another victory. After three days in the mountains, the sprinters delivered a hotly contested race, while the overall contenders plotted their strategies for the Alps.

Early in the day, the race passed the city of Carcassonne, which Cavendish called "one of the most stunning and historical places in France."

Carcassonne

For over 100 kilometers, HTC set the tempo at the front of the peloton, as rival teams did not contribute until the end. In the last 3K, the white and yellow jerseys of Tony Martin, Matt Goss, and Mark Renshaw led Cavendish in the bright green jersey as leader of the points competition. Attacks by Philippe Gilbert of Omega Pharma-Lotto and others were meant to break up the rhythm of the HTC lead-out train, but HTC remained solid. Garmin-Cervelo organized for Tyler Farrar, Lampre for Alessandro Petacchi, and Team Sky for the youngster Ben Swift.

Less than 200 meters to the line, Renshaw launched Cavendish, who was immediately shadowed by Daniel Oss of Liquigas and Farrar. With all his wins, Cavendish is a marked man, and his competitors tried to ride in his slipstream before jumping ahead of him. Yet the Manxman was too fast for them. He crossed the line first, followed closely by Farrar and Petacchi.

The win was the 19^th career stage victory for Cavendish, as well as the 50^th Grand Tour stage victory for HTC-Highroad since its launch in 2007. Headquartered in San Luis Obispo, HTC is considered the most winning pro cycling team in the world with nearly 500 victories to date. Cavendish is honing in on the record of Andre Darrigade, the most winning sprinter ever at the Tour de France with 22 wins over 14 years.

Tomorrow is a rest day. While fans watch a recap of the race on Versus in primetime, the cyclists will be on the road to keep their muscles loose. Lead-out master Mark Renshaw is looking forward to a beer. Racing resumes on Tuesday, and Stage 16 features a steady uphill ride with a moderate climb and fast descent at the end. The overall contenders will try to stay safe and prepare for the decisive stages in the Alps on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.

View Stage 15 sprint finish: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/22825103/vp/43785331#43785331

Stage 15 top finishers:

1. Mark Cavendish (HTC-Highroad)

2. Tyler Farrar (Garmin-Cervelo)

3. Alessandro Petacchi (Lampre-ISD)

4. Daniel Oss (Liquigas-Cannondale)

5. Jose Joaquin Rojas (Movistar)

Complete Stage 15 results: http://www.letour.fr/2011/TDF/LIVE/us/1500/classement/index.html

Stage 16 map & profile:

http://www.letour.fr/2011/TDF/LIVE/us/1600/etape_par_etape.html

Stage 11: Good Day at the Office

HTC-Highroad is celebrating tonight. The American team drove the peloton all day, finally launching Mark Cavendish for his third stage win at the 2011 Tour de France. Despite another day of lousy weather, Stage 11 delivered an exciting sprint finish before the race moves into the big mountains tomorrow.

Hesjedal

With their sights on the stage win, HTC took responsibility for keeping the six-man breakaway under control. They were joined by riders including Canadian Ryder Hesjedal of Garmin-Cervelo, whose team had hopes for their sprinter, American Tyler Farrar. Yet the break lasted longer than expected, and HTC squeezed its riders to the limits amid growing wind and dark rain clouds. Lars Bak and Matt Goss were among those who spent their energy in reel in the break, dropping back several kilometers before the finish.

With 2K to go, German Tony Martin and Australian Mark Renshaw led Cavendish, the 26-year-old from Britain’s Isle of Man. For Garmin, Briton David Millar and Norwegian Thor Hushovd shepherded Farrar toward the finish. At the same time, Team Sky worked for Edvald Boasson Hagen, and Omega Pharma-Lotto for yesterday’s winner, Andre Greipel. Sky tried to cut through the HTC and Garmin lead-outs, then Garmin appeared to launch Farrar too early. He could not keep pace. Cavendish soared to victory, ahead of Greipel, his former teammate and rival. The top two places were a switch of yesterday’s results, not surprising given Cavendish’s dislike for losing.

“Good day in the office,” tweeted Cav’s lead-out man, the 28-year-old Renshaw who resembles Prince Harry. “Even if it was a little wet everybody on the bus is happy. We used everybody & everything to win today. Very happy!”

With the stage win and more intermediate sprint points in the bank, Cavendish donned the green jersey, while the other jerseys remained in place. The Manxman tweeted, “(F)inally got my grubby little Manx mitts on the Green Jersey. We will try & keep it until Paris. 2 more sprints.. Montpellier & Paris!” He dedicated his win to a boy facing leukemia and was cheered on by students visiting from the Isle of Man.

The general classification (G.C.) contenders stayed out of trouble again today, and Stage 12 will mark their first true battle. Cadel Evans leads the pre-race favorites with 11 seconds ahead of Andy Schleck and 1 minute, 41 seconds ahead of Alberto Contador. Aiming to win his fourth Tour de France, Contador is eager to shake off the spate of bad luck from the first week of the race, including multiple crashes for him and his teammates. “After many troubles finally the mountain is coming!” he tweeted. “My knee is going better.” It is unclear whether the Spaniard is posturing or if the knee is actually injured.

Tomorrow, it will be Contador’s responsibility to attack. He is the defending champ, but more importantly, he is 00:01:41 behind Evans. It is up to him to take back that time. The next three stages are in the Pyrenees, and all the G.C. men will be looking for opportunities to snuff their rivals’ hopes. In addition to the Big Three, Andreas Kloden, Ivan Basso, and Robert Gesink are elite contenders, who are unlikely but still able to win.

Do not be surprised if a breakaway wins the stage. Many riders are already so far behind the G.C. contenders, that they have no chance of winning. Even if they ride ahead and gain many minutes of time, they are still no threat, so there is no reason to waste energy to chase them. On the other hand, some wildcard riders are within reach of a win, so Contador and the boys will not let them get away; examples include Peter Velits of HTC-Highroad. The general classification men are focused on the yellow jersey more than the stage win.

Stage 12 is relatively flat in the first half of the 211 total kilometers. Around 70K to the finish, the climbing begins with a Category 1 climb at 7.5% grade. (Climbs are rated from 4 for easiest to 1 for difficult and Hors Categorie for “beyond category”) The remaining two climbs are Hors Categorie. The Col du Tourmalet is over 17 kilometers, and the rapid descent will be a nail-biter. The final climb at Luz-Ardiden is 13.3 kilometers at 7.4% grade, and it will be painful to even watch on TV.

To catch the heart-stopping descent and brutal final climb, tune in to at least the last hour of racing. Each pedal stroke will be brutal.

Post-race interview with Cavendish: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/22825103/vp/43742904#43742904

Stage 11 top finishers:

1. Mark Cavendish (HTC-Highroad)

2. Andre Greiple (Omega Pharma-Lotto)

3. Tyler Farrar (Garmin-Cervelo)

4. Denis Galimzyanov (Katusha)

5. Edvald Boasson Hagen (Team Sky)

Complete Stage 11 results: http://www.letour.fr/2011/TDF/LIVE/us/1100/classement/index.html

Stage 12 map & profile: http://www.letour.fr/2011/TDF/LIVE/us/1200/etape_par_etape.html

Stage 10: Manx Missile Misfires

German Andre Greipel took his revenge on former teammate Mark Cavendish by beating the Briton to the line at Stage 10 of the Tour de France. The overall race favorites stayed out of trouble, leaving the day to a sprinters battle with another to come tomorrow.

With four categorized climbs, the route was difficult for true sprinters like Cavendish and Tyler Farrar who prefer the flats. Philippe Gilbert, the Belgian currently leading the green jersey competition, enjoys days like this, as the hills provide an opportunity to attack and speed ahead. However, Alessandro Petacchi was the only leading sprinter dropped by the climbs, though Cavendish’s teammates Mark Renshaw and Matt Goss also fell behind. As this year’s winner of Milan-San Remo, a long, fast race with an uphill finish, Goss’ performance was a disappointment for the Australian.

Cavendish was first among the sprinters to the intermediate sprint, though Vacansoleil complained that he and Renshaw blocked their acceleration. On the road, Omega Pharma-Lotto drove hard for Gilbert and Greipel, while HTC-Highroad was in front most of the day to set up Cavendish, known as the Manx Missile. In the last 10K, the teams of Sky and Garmin-Cervelo joined in to set a fast tempo, but an attack by Gilbert set five riders ahead and shook the nerves of the peloton.

The last kilometer featured narrow roads with two sharp bends. Without his favorite lead-out men, Renshaw and Goss, Cavendish fought his way through a crowd of players including Jose Joaquin Rojas and world champion Thor Hushovd. It looked like the 26-year-old from the British Isle of Man would again claw his way to the win, as on Stage 5, but Greipel had more firepower and beat him by one wheel. Farrar was missing in action, though teammate Hushovd came in fourth.

A powerful sprinter, the 28-year-old Greipel won his first stage at the Tour de France in his first appearance in the race. For years, he was Cavendish’s teammate on HTC and was frustrated when the team focused first on the Briton’s prospects. They had some personal animosity, which may have added to the team decision not to bring Greipel to the Tour. This season, he switched to Omega Pharma-Lotto, a Belgian team composed mostly of Belgian riders, and finally realized his dream of competing at the world’s biggest bike race. Greipel and teammate Gilbert have brought home most of the team’s honors, including Gilbert’s Stage 1 victory on July 2^nd.

With a body like a G.I. Joe action figure, Greipel is a strongman. His wins include stage wins at the Vuelta a Espana, Giro d’Italia, and Tour Down Under, plus Tours of Belgium, Britain, Turkey, and others. The confidence of today’s win will inspire Greipel to go for back-to-back victories on tomorrow’s flat stage to Lavaur. However, a frustrated Cavendish will be raring to go, and Farrar also seeks his second Tour win. Stay tuned in the last 10 kilometers at least. With just a few sprint finishes left in this race, it’s going to be a battle royale.

In other news, RadioShack’s Yaroslav Popovych did not start due to a fever, leaving the team with just six riders. Teammate Andreas Kloden is suffering from a back injury, probably reducing the team’s prospects to stage wins, a big disappointment for a squad starting with four possible general classification contenders. Covered in bandages and 33 stitches, John Hoogerlund impressed all by competing and completing the race today. He was catapulted onto a barbed wire fence when a television car hit a nearby rider on Sunday, but his earlier riding had earned his the polka-dot jersey of the king of the mountains, which he proudly wore today.

The first rider has left the 2011 Tour de France due to doping results. Alexandr Kolobnev of Katusha tested positive for a diuretic, where penalties range from no penalty to a two-year ban. He withdrew from the race.

Finally, defending champion Alberto Contador is complaining of a knee injury, cause by one of four crashes he has suffered thus far. The Spaniard’s comments may be a classic strategy of playing possum, hoping that competitors will underestimate his form. The truth of the matter will be revealed when the race heads to the Pyrenees on Thursday.

View Stage 10 sprint finish: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/22825103/vp/43727136#43727136

Stage 10 top finishers:

1. Andre Greipel (Omega Pharma-Lotto)

2. Mark Cavendish (HTC-Highroad)

3. Jose Joaquin Rojas (Movistar)

4. Thor Hushovd (Garmin-Cervelo)

5. Romain Feillu (Vacansoleil)

Complete Stage 10 results: http://www.letour.fr/2011/TDF/LIVE/us/1000/classement/index.html

Stage 11 map & profile: http://www.letour.fr/2011/TDF/LIVE/us/1100/etape_par_etape.html

Stage 5: Clawing Through the Stampede

Call off the vultures. Mark Cavendish secured his first victory at the 2011 Tour de France with a heated sprint finish at Stage 5. His team’s lead-out cracked again, but the man from the Isle of Man fought his way to the top of the podium on a day marked by crashes, mechanical problems, and a nervous peloton and silenced his critics.

Voeckler in the headlines in 2004

The 164.5 kilometer stage through Brittany began at Carhaix, and four men broke away at around 5K. Only France’s Thomas Voeckler survived in the break until being caught by the peloton just 1.8K to the finish. Known for valiant solo efforts, Voeckler of Team Europcar wore the yellow jersey for a week in 2004 to the delight of his countrymen.

Crashes and mechanical problems plagued riders throughout the day, most likely a result of nerves and narrow roads. The peloton was worried about wind splitting up the pack, and the first week of the Tour traditionally has riders on edge. Mark Cavendish, Levi Leipheimer, and Fabian Cancellara dealt with mechanical problems. Alberto Contador had a minor crash, which caused him to toss his bike off the road and wait for a replacement. The incident did not affect his time, but the crash added to the pile of annoyances already faced by the defending champion. Bradley Wiggins, Robert Gesink, Sylvain Chavanel, Nicki Sorensen, and others crashed today, as did Tom Boonen who was left behind by the peloton and struggled to finish within the time limits. The most serious crash was by Janez Brajkovic, the Slovenian riding for Team RadioShack. While conscious, he was bleeding and appeared to have hit his head. Brajkovic withdrew from the race.

The intermediate sprint featured the first hot contest of the stage. As the sprinters spread out across the road to fight for the points, Quick Step’s Boonen veered to the left, effectively blocking Cavendish who was coming up behind him. Romain Feillu came up on the right side to be first among the sprinters, but Boonen’s maneuver looks like a violation of the rules and should cause the judges to strip him of any points gained. The wide swing of Belgian Boonen gives the referees an opportunity to prove that they penalize sprinters fairly.

Of course, the big drama occurred in the final 10 kilometers. Cavendish’s team, HTC-Highroad, rode at the front led by Danny Pate, then Lars Bak, then Tejay Van Gardaren, Peter Velits, and Tony Martin. In the mix were Lampre for Alessandro Petacchi, Team Sky for Edvald Boasson Hagen, and others. In the last kilometer, Martin rode off the front and inadvertently created a gap to teammate Matt Goss who was ahead of Cavendish. Like on Stage 3, the HTC lead-out train cracked, a situation unthinkable two years ago when their powerful and precise teamwork literally could not be beaten.

Now on his own, Cavendish was caught in about tenth position, surrounded by the world’s best sprinters. Thor Hushovd in the yellow jersey pulled ahead and was stalked by Jose Joaquin Rojas in the green jersey, as well as Philippe Gilbert and others. From the depths of the stampede, Cavendish clawed his way past all of these rivals, tearing through the crowded field and still accelerating when he crossed the finish line in first place.

Cavendish again proved that he is one of the world’s finest, silencing critics who assail him for any missed win. “People want to write him off,” said commentator Paul Sherwin. Critics had pointed to his Stage 3 loss as well as lackluster performances in the intermediate sprints. Yet they were hounding him last year too, until he secured his first of a remarkable five stage wins in 2010. Today’s triumph is the 26-year-old’s 16^th Tour de France stage win. The record of 22 sprint stage wins held by a Frenchman is certainly within his reach by next year.

An interesting twist to the sprints was the absence of Garmin’s Tyler Farrar. He was M.I.A. at the intermediate sprint as well as the finish. Where was he?

Tomorrow, Stage 6 will be characterized by medium hills through Normandy. Three mountains are categorized climbs, which mean they are long or steep enough to be rated by the race judges. The “easiest” type of climb is rated 4, though even those are difficult for riders such as the sprinters and certainly all of us amateurs. The next level of difficulty is rated 3, and tomorrow features two of those climbs. (Harder mountains are rated 2, then 1, and the most difficult are “hors categorie” meaning so difficult that they are “beyond category.”) Watch for riders best suited for a route of rolling hills and lower categorized climbs, such as Philippe Gilbert of Omega Pharma-Lotto and Sylvain Chavanel of Quick Step. Plus, Contador needs time back on his rivals, and if he has the chance, he will go for it. The whole stage will be a surprise.

View the Stage 5 finish: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/22825103/vp/43656548#43656548

Stage 5 top finishers:

1. Mark Cavendish (HTC-Highroad)

2. Philippe Gilbert (Omega Pharma-Lotto)

3. Jose Joaquin Rojas (Movistar)

4. Tony Gallopin (Cofidis)

5. Geraint Thomas (Team Sky)

View complete Stage 5 results & overall standings: http://www.letour.fr/2011/TDF/LIVE/us/500/classement/index.html

Stage 6 map & profile: http://www.letour.fr/2011/TDF/LIVE/us/600/etape_par_etape.html

Stage 3: American Wins on the Fourth

Tyler Farrar burst over the finish line, bringing home his first Tour de France stage win and the second consecutive victory for Team Garmin-Cervelo. The win came fittingly on the Fourth of July for the American riding for an American team, while the British were disappointed with the miss for favorite Mark Cavendish, known as the Man from Man.

The intermediate sprint was again exciting, a new focus this year after a change in the rules for the points competition. Cavendish of HTC-Highroad was first among the sprinters, earning 10 points, while Farrar was not a factor. Garmin has stated that their goal is to win stages, not to pursue the green jersey awarded to the rider earning the most points at designated spots over the route.

Once a five-man breakaway was caught by the peloton, the sprinters’ teams organized at the front, and HTC laid out its famous lead-out train of riders escorting Cavendish until the last possible moment. Peter Velits drove the HTC train, then pulled off for Bernard Eisel, then Tony Martin, who appeared surprised by Eisel’s short turn at the front. Matt Goss followed Martin, but a crack in the train occurred at the 2K to go mark. The team was unable to reorganize, and Cavendish was left on his own, stuck in the middle of a group of riders and about five men back. In the meantime, Garmin gathered its lead-out men for Farrar, including Thor Hushovd in the yellow jersey as current race leader. While Hushovd will not keep the jersey for long, it was an unusual sight to see the man in yellow at the front of the brunch sprint, as race leaders normally stay out of the fast, dangerous sprint finishes.

It was a great victory for Farrar, the 27-year-old from Washington. With stage wins at the Giro d’Italia and Vuelta de Espana, he was hungry for a piece of the Tour de France. As he crossed the line, he formed a “W” with his hands, a tribute to his friend Wouter Weylandt who died in a crash at the Giro in May.

The competition between Garmin and HTC is a compelling storyline for American Independence day. These two American teams, along with BMC and RadioShack, demonstrate the flourishing world of professional cycling in the U.S. We have come a long way from the days when Lance Armstrong’s U.S. Postal and Discovery teams were the only players and were focused solely on his victories. Now, American teams are competing at sprints and time trials as well, plus a number of American cyclists are bound to impress in the mountains and the general classification (G.C.).

Indeed, the American climbers like Levi Leipheimer and Chris Horner may come out to play at Tuesday’s Stage 4. The 172.5 kilometer stage will be distinguished by the final climb into Mur-de-Bretagne. Not long, but as steep as 15% in some areas, the last few kilometers are considered as fun as riding up a wall. The G.C. contenders must stay in the front here, and someone may lose his chance for a win if he cracks. Cadel Evans is motivated to maintain his high standings, while Alberto Contador may take this opportunity to bring back the time he has already lost on his rivals. The last 5 kilometers, especially the last brutal 2K, will be the highlight.

Stage 3 Top Finishers:

1. Tyler Farrar (Team Garmin-Cervelo)

2. Romain Feillu (Vacansoleil)

3. Jose Joaquin Rojas (Movistar)

4. Sebastien Hinault (Ag2r La Mondiale)

5. Mark Cavendish (HTC-Highroad)

View complete Stage 3 results: http://www.letour.fr/2011/TDF/LIVE/us/300/classement/index.html

View map and profile of Stage 4: http://www.letour.fr/2011/TDF/LIVE/us/400/index.html

Stage 1: It Pays to Ride Out Front

Crashes, surprise splits, teamwork, sprint winners and losers, and a decent little climb all came together today to launch the Tour de France with a bit of everything, like an appetizer sampler at El Torito. Stage 1 included a taste of the many races within the big race and whet our palates for the next three weeks of competition.

While the stage was too hilly for the sprinters, the new set-up of the points competition prompted a heated race in the middle of the course. As usual, points are awarded to the stage winners, and a descending number of points are awarded to the top group of finishers. However this year, race organizers have reduced the number of opportunities to earn points over the course route to one spot. This is the intermediate sprint and is now marked on the course with a prominent green flag. The leader of the points competition wears the green jersey, one of the four jerseys awarded at the finale in Paris. (The others include the yellow jersey for the overall win, the polka dot jersey for the king of the mountains, and the white jersey for the best young rider.)

The change makes each intermediate sprint more important, and while three breakaway riders were the first to make it, an exciting sprint played out among the hottest sprinters in the world for the remaining points. HTC’s Mark Cavendish shot forward and appeared untouchable, until he missed Garmin’s Tyler Farrar coming up the side. Once Cavendish realized what was happening, it was clear he would be beaten and gave up the fight. Farrar hit the sprint point first among the bunch, earning 13 points toward the green jersey and a certain boost to his confidence. Neither Farrar nor his team has won a single stage at the Tour de France, and the points indicate they are not fooling around this year. Andre Greipel was just behind Farrar. Greipel of Omega Pharma-Lotto is Cavendish’s former teammate and long-time rival. We can expect this to make Cavendish—the Manx Missile—quite annoyed, and when he is annoyed, he can produce amazing results. Watch out for Monday’s flat stage for a rematch.

An epic crash occurred 8 kilometers to the finish line. It was epic thankfully not for any significant damage to the riders, but for splitting the peloton in half. The entire second half of the pack was stopped cold following a crash caused by a spectator standing too close to the course. Cadel Evans of BMC raced on with the front group, as he had spent the day riding at the front with his teammates around him. Their extra effort paid off when Evans finished second on the day and built a nice cushion against general classification favorite Alberto Contador. The three-time winner was caught in the first crash, then another crash less than 2 kilometers to the finish. Contador finished 1 minute 20 seconds behind the stage winner, giving Evans a 1 minute 17 second advantage over Contador. The other pre-race favorite Andy Schleck finished with the first group, securing a 1 minute 14 second advantage over the Spaniard. Remember that last year, Schleck lost the Tour to Contador by a total of 39 seconds overall, so while we have a long way to go, Evans is grinning in his sleep tonight.

So who won the stage? Phillipe Gilbert of Omega Pharma-Lotto. He was one of the favorites going in because of his good performances on the rolling type of route as seen today. Gilbert was sporting a yellow, red, and black jersey as the new champion of Belgium, though it would also blend in well at McDonald’s. With today’s victory, he will wear the leader’s yellow jersey at tomorrow’s stage.

Looking forward to tomorrow, Stage 2 will be a completely different competition. The team time trial is a gorgeous demonstration of the concept of drafting. Each team rolls out together, racing against the clock. Riders take turns at the front, while the rest of the team follows in a line behind. The front rider suffers the most, breaking the wind for the others who are resting. They are drafting behind the front man. Next, the front rider pulls off to the side, falling to the back of the line, and a fresh man takes his turn at the front. They rotate through with the strong individual time trialers and general classification riders taking the longest pulls at the front, a display of individual sacrifice for the benefit of the team.

When performed at its highest levels, team time trials are beauty in motion. The cyclists are decked out in their aerodynamic kits with long sleeves and pointy helmets. Much of their individuality is gone, and the team is one, with one rider pulling at the front, then a smooth transition to the next rider, then another. Lance Armstrong’s teams were always great at the team time trial, and they were often called Stormtroopers. The men became disciplined machines, working seamlessly together, weaving amongst each other. Lance’s teams were so good that race organizers took this discipline out of the Tour de France, and we are thrilled that it is back this year.

The favorites for Stage 2 are HTC-Highroad and Garmin-Cervelo. Garmin will certainly be looking for that first Tour stage win, and if they win, Thor Hushovd would don the yellow jersey as the race leader. HTC has group of speed demons with a record of success in this discipline, and if they take the stage, Tony Martin would get yellow. Leopard-Trek will also push hard, led by time trial phenomenon Fabian Cancellara and the motivation of Andy Schleck to capture every second possible. RadioShack is another team to watch, with Levi Leipheimer’s time trialing ability and the same culture that created Lance’s wins. Finally, Contador’s Saxo Bank and Evans’ BMC will be fighting not to lose significant time to their rivals.

Watch the whole of Stage 2, as each team that rolls out could provide a great ride. Also, watching the poorer-performing teams illuminates how beautifully the winning teams work together. Coverage continues on Versus, online, and on NBC from 12pm to 1:30pm Pacific time.

View complete Stage 1 results: http://www.letour.fr/2011/TDF/LIVE/us/100/classement/index.html

View Stage 2 map and profile: http://www.letour.fr/2011/TDF/LIVE/us/200/etape_par_etape.html

Beautiful Failure

Yesterday, I failed. The Los Angeles Gran Fondo for amateur cyclists rolled by, just a short walk from my home, and I missed it. Setting the alarm for 7am instead of 6:45 on Sunday morning may be understandable, but that miscalculation caused me to miss the whole thing. It got me thinking about how much failure there is the sport of professional cycling. Failure is everywhere. It’s every day. Perhaps we actually follow cycling not for the wins, but for the beautiful failures.

One rider crosses the finish line in first place, raising his arms in victory and followed by a field of also-rans. The next day, the slate is wiped clean, and yesterday’s winner is usually just another one of today’s failures. At the Tour de France, one bad hour of racing over the course of three weeks will rob a man of glory. Sometimes, it is one bad minute.

That was the case for Andy Schleck, who lost the Tour de France last year by 39 seconds to Alberto Contador. The gap occurred when Schleck’s chain jumped at a key mountain stage, and Contador was criticized for racing ahead at that moment. While the incident secured Contador’s eventual victory, the second-place Schleck was the compelling figure. We jumped out of our seats in shared frustration, unclear whether our anger was at a slip of the foot by Schleck, an unscrupulous move by Contador, or just bad luck. Schleck was more focused than we were, as he vowed to take his revenge in the mountains. Another rider taking his loss and moving forward to the next day, the next stage, the next race. It was not enough for Schleck in 2010, but there will be a great rematch in July, all the more thrilling because of last year’s heartbreaking loss.

Watching cycling’s superstars is also more interesting when it follows disappointment. One example is sprinter Mark Cavendish, a brash personality flashing colorful winner’s gestures across the finish line. In 2008 and 2009, it seemed he could not lose, but he had a mediocre season going into the 2010 Tour de France. Early in the race, four flat stages were taken by others—two by Alessandro Petacchi—and the questions were mounting. Was it all over for Cavendish? Had his team lost its touch? Was Petacchi replacing Cavendish as the fastest man in the world? Each stage was another missed opportunity, another failure. Finally, at Stage 5, Cavendish pulled out the win. On the podium, tears streamed down his face. Tears of relief. We watched the Manx Missile and remembered he was human. Thanks to those misses, we remembered he was just a 25-year-old kid who was outracing the best cyclists in the world.

The breakaway is cycling’s ultimate story of failure. One or a few riders launch off the front of the peloton and ride alone, often for the whole day. They give up the benefits of the group—protection from the wind, comraderie and motivation, a teammate to hand them a bottle of water. They take an unlikely chance that by suffering extra and alone, they will win the day. They rarely do. The peloton usually lets them suffer off the front before reeling them back in, often in the final kilometers, snatching the stage win right out from under them. All the effort by the breakaway is then for naught. The rider has lost the stage and expended extra energy, a disadvantage for the next day.

Jens Voigt says that he goes in the breakaway even though he knows there is a 99% chance it won’t work. He goes because he is driven by the remaining 1%. He will ride in the break, digging deep and suffering all the more, for that slim possibility of victory. If you don’t ride in the break, you have no chance to win, he says.

We watch the lone cyclist riding for hours in the saddle, expecting him to fail. We admire the nobility of the effort. It is the story of the underdog, the little engine that could, the ants moving the rubber tree plant, David versus Goliath. On the rare day when the breakaway actually succeeds, the win is even sweeter because of the trail of failed attempts.

Cycling has so much failure, and that makes the wins shine brighter, the effort speak louder, the resilience inspire us more. It's beautiful.

Twitter Round-up

Who needs Twitter? Cycling fans! Updates straight from the pros revolutionized our ability to follow the sport, as we can now hear directly from the cyclists, during competition and from all over the world, despite the limited coverage by traditional media. This is especially useful when new controversies hit the fan or following a great win, as well as understanding how frequent and invasive the anti-doping tests are from the riders' perspective. The tweets will surely be flying throughout the Tour de France.

Now that dozens of riders are on Twitter, it would be a full-time job to follow them all. To hit the highlights, a good place to start is with the cyclists best known for smack talk—the sprinters.

Mark Cavendish: http://twitter.com/#%21/MarkCavendish

By far, the most entertaining cyclist on Twitter is Mark Cavendish of HTC-Highroad, who introduces himself as “Professional cyclist from the Isle of Man. Fast sprinter, faster talker. Disclaimer: May cause offence.” It’s definitely not P.C. Cavendish praises teammates and countrymen and makes cracks at nearly every situation he encounters on the road, from pig races to hat hair. The only downside is the amount of time he spends talking about the beauty of his girlfriend.

Robbie McEwen: http://twitter.com/#%21/mcewenrobbie

This is the first place to look when controversy hits the headlines. The Australian veteran on Team Radioshack tells you how he sees it, nothing less, plus he brings some wisdom to his zingers. Even though it was just announced he will not ride the Tour de France, McEwen can still be counted on for colorful commentary.

Other sprinters are infrequent on Twitter, such as Thor Hushovd (thorhushovd), or apparently absent, as with Tyler Farrar. (If I’m wrong on this one, please let me know.)

The team leaders and general classification riders are usually more restrained than the sprinters, though fans enjoy hearing the stage by stage progress to the overall win (or loss). Language is an issue in following cyclists such as Ivan Basso (ivanbasso), who writes mostly in Italian, and Alberto Contador (albertocontador), who tweets in Spanish.

Levi Leipheimer: http://twitter.com/#%21/levileipheimer

Levi plays it pretty straight, in line with his kind, focused vibe. He keeps it to cycling and a bit of humor here and there, such as “Send me all your bald guys on Mt Baldy jokes.” The Californian rides for Radioshack.

Christian Vande Velde

Christian Vande Velde: http://twitter.com/#%21/ChristianVDV

His tweets sound like him—relaxed, positive, non-pretentious. It’s like hearing from your buddy. “Signed one of my old bikes for a speed skier here in Swiss. He races over 150mph! Insanity....ok, we went 65 down the Nuffenpass yesterday.” Originally from Illinois, Vande Velde races for Garmin-Cervelo.

Bradley Wiggins: http://twitter.com/#%21/bradwiggins

Nice, sarcastic British humor is what we can count on from Wiggins of Team Sky. For example: “Got caught with me pants down today, fortunately my Team rocks and nothing was inserted into the hole of death.”

Frank Schleck: http://twitter.com/#%21/schleckfrank

Andy Schleck: http://twitter.com/#%21/andy_schleck

Sweet, positive, occasional messages from the Brothers Schleck. Lots of congratulatory messages and thanks to the team. Nice Luxembourg boys riding for Leopard-Trek. Very nice.

Cadel Evans: http://twitter.com/#%21/CadelOfficial

The Australian leading team BMC mostly sends re-Tweets and directs fans to his web site, which features an interesting diary (http://www.cadelevans.com.au/cadelsdiary.aspx). He posts a few paragraphs on nearly every stage of important races, including opinions on competitors, relationships with his teammates, and his charity work.

Chris Horner: http://twitter.com/#!/hornerakg

Like Evans, Horner supplements his tweets with an excellent blog, now posted at http://www.cascadegranfondo.com/blog. His lengthy and detailed descriptions of last year’s Tour stages were a real insider’s view of the pain and the glory. The Oregonian rides with Levi for Radioshack.

Check out a few other wild card Tweeters.

George Hincapie: http://twitter.com/#%21/ghincapie

A man of few words, the American veteran on BMC is soft-spoken in life and Twitter. But when he speaks, it means something. Example: When he lost the US Road Race Championship to youngin’ Matthew Busche by the width of a tire, he posted: “Very tough loss today. Gave it all I had. Bike racing. Got to love it.. Congrats to Mathew.” We love Big George!

David Zabriskie: http://twitter.com/#%21/dzabriskie

From another planet. Just how we like the wild man on Garmin-Cervelo. For example: “Feels good to get the win today...podium girls are onto my antics...they handed me champagne and ran like hell.” Another day: “Delayed in atlanta...now looking for yin yang twins.  Thor wants his hammer...I want my ax...here's Johnny!”

Fabian Cancellara: http://twitter.com/#%21/f_cancellara

Check this out just to see Fabulous Cancellara’s headshot. The Swiss time trial specialist is a bad speller with mediocre Twitter English, but his updates are concise and descriptive. He was made for Twitter. Rides for Leopard-Trek.

Ted King: http://twitter.com/#%21/iamtedking

Funny frat-boy humor from the 28-year-old American on Liquigas.

These few Twitter recommendations are just the tip of the iceberg, not including teams, managers, photographers, and all sorts of cycling-focused tweeters. An interesting way to explore is to check out who your favorite rider is following. In the meantime, my home page will remain with the sport’s Twitter pioneer: Lance Armstrong.

A Week for the Brits

British cycling sure had a good week. Bradley Wiggins won the Criterium du Dauphine in France, and Mark Cavendish was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire, just the latest highlights in the story of UK cycling which is growing in number and reputation.

Despite last minute attacks, Wiggins beat out rivals Cadel Evans and Alexander Vinokourov with a steady defense of his lead through the final three mountain stages. The 31-year-old just missed the stage win at the individual time trial in Grenoble, coming in second, but won the general classification on Sunday with the lowest cumulative time over the 8-day race.

Wiggins’ victory was a double win for Britain, as his squad—Team Sky—is the country’s sole player on the Pro Tour. Wiggins helped launch the team last year, and the Dauphine demonstrated the strength of their roster. Teammates such as Edvald Boassen Hagen successfully shepherded their leader throughout the race, indicating that they may improve their Tour de France results this year.

Sprinter Cavendish was given the MBE as part of the 2011 Queen's Birthday Honours List made public Friday. Known as the Manx Missile, Cavendish holds the most stage wins by a Britain at the Tour de France with 15 to date. The 26-year-old rides for the American team HTC-Highroad and is a lively tweeter. His daily messages typically include toilet humor (literally), fawning over his girlfriend, and non-PC cursing. Looks like the Queen focused on his professional accomplishments.

Cheers, boys! You make the Empire proud.