Fuck Lance Totally different ball game here. Cocaine isn't considered to be a performance enhancer (although it is a helluva pain killer). Boonen has tested positive for cocaine like 3 or 4 times. He was never suspended by the UCI though. The second time he tested positive he was suspended by his team. Also after that second time positive test the ASO, the organization that runs the TdF (amongst other big races) banned him from competition because of 'unsportsmanlike behavior' or something along those lines. The third time he was suspended immediately by his team too. cyclist, More details on the Contador ruling: * His two year suspension started on January 25th 2011 and includes the 5 1/2 month probationary period that he was suspended for after he first tested positive. So, essentially, its as if his 2-year suspension started on August 5th, 2010. As a result, he'll be able to race again on August 5th of this year, making him eligible for the Vuelta. He's gonna stomp the shit out of the field there because this years Vuelta has something like 13 mountain top finishes. * Not only was he forced to give up his 2010 TdF title but everything he's won since then, including last years dominating performance during the Giro (Michele Scarponi of Lampre now has a grand tour to his trophy shelf) and all the smaller stage races he won. *** Saxo Bank's world tour license is now going under review. This means that the UCI could strip the team of their status and they will no longer be guaranteed invitations to the big world tour events (all the classics, Giro, TdF, Vuelta, Tour de Swiss etc, etc). If they decide that their license is invalid, they will revoke it immediately and it will go into effect right away. This is happening because, basically all of Contador's points from last year are gone. If you take away Contador's points from Saxo Bank, they have nothing left (aside from Nick Nuyens' win at the Tour of Flanders). This would be a devastating blow to the team if it happened. I don't think it will happen, but it is possible. *** Apparently Saxo Bank is also reviewing Contador's contract right now to see if it is voided due to this positive test. If so, this would free up a shit-ton of capital that the team could then use to sign other guys this offseason (i.e. they're gonna go hard after Jakob Fuglsang of Radioshack-Nissan Trek). I don't think this happens either.
Tour of Qatar Stage 2 results: Spoiler 1 Garmin - Barracuda 12:38 2 Omega Pharma-Quick Step + 0:07 3 Sky Procycling + 0:09 4 Katusha Team 5 Liquigas-Cannondale + 0:13 6 RadioShack-Nissan + 0:14 7 GreenEdge Cycling Team + 0:16 8 BMC Racing Team 9 Rabobank Cycling Team + 0:17 10 Lotto-Belisol Team 11 FDJ-Bigmat + 0:23 12 Project 1t4i + 0:24 13 Farnese Vini-Selle Italia + 0:31 14 Champion System + 1:03 15 Bridgestone Anchor + 1:11 16 RTS Racing Team + 1:34 General classification after stage 2 1 Tom Boonen (Omega Pharma-QuickStep) 2 Tyler Farrar (Garmin-Barracuda)
welp, Saxo Bank is letting Contador go. Let the free agency scramble begin. Astana, Movistar, Katusha are most likely destinations.
Tour of Qatar Stage 3 Results: Spoiler 1. Mark Cavendish (Sky) 2. Tom Boonen (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) 3. Aidis Kruopis (GreenEdge) 4. Mark Renshaw (Rabobank) 5. John Degenkolb (1t4i) 6. Tyler Farrar (Garmin) 7. Rudiger Selig (Katusha) 8. David Boucher (FDJ) 9. Robert Wagner (Radioshack Nissan) 10. A. Kuschyinski (Katusha) General Classification after stage 3: 1. Tom Boonen 2. Tyler Farrar +6 3. Mark Cavendish +8
Tour of Qatar Stage 4 results: Spoiler Stage 4 results 1 Tom Boonen (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) 2 Tom Veelers (Project 1t4i) 3 Fabian Cancellara (RadioShack-Nissan) 4 Juan Antonio Flecha (Sky) 5 Gert Steegmans (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) + 0:04 6 Nikolas Maes (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) + 0:11 7 Yoann Offredo (FDJ-BigMat) + 0:14 8 Bernhard Eisel (Sky) 9 Tyler Farrar (Garmin-Barracuda) 10 Ian Stannard (Sky) + 0:36 General classification after stage 4 1 Tom Boonen (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) 2 Tyler Farrar (Garmin-Barracuda) + 0:31 3 Juan Antonio Flecha (Sky) + 0:34 Tour of Qatar Stage 5 results: Spoiler Stage 5 results 1 Mark Cavendish (Sky Procycling) 2 Daniel Oss (Liquigas - Cannondale) 3 Peter Sagan (Liquigas - Cannondale) 4 John Degenkolb (Project 1t4i) 5 Rüdiger Selig (Katusha) 6 Allan Davis (GreenEdge) General classification after stage 5 1 Tom Boonen (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) Tour of Qatar Stage 6 results: Spoiler Stage 6 results 1 Arnaud Demare (Fra) FDJ-BigMat 2:20:44 2 Denis Galimzyanov (Rus) Katusha 3 Mark Renshaw (Aus) Rabobank 4 Roger Kluge (Ger) Project 1t4i 5 Alexander Kristoff (Nor) Katusha 6 Tyler Farrar (USA) Garmin-Barracuda 7 Daniel Oss (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale 8 Allan Davis (Aus) GreenEdge Cycling Team 9 Aaron Kemps (Aus) Champion System 10 Jens Debusschere (Bel) Lotto Belisol Team Final general classification 1 Tom Boonen (Bel) Omega Pharma-QuickStep 1514 2 Tyler Farrar (USA) Garmin-Barracuda + 0:28 3 Juan Antonio Flecha (Spa) Sky Procycling + 0:33 4 Gert Steegmans (Bel) Omega Pharma-Quick Step + 0:34 5 Tom Veelers (Ned) Project 1t4i + 1:00 6 Mark Cavendish (GBr) Sky Procycling + 1:05 7 Fabian Cancellara (Swi) RadioShack-Nissan + 1:06 8 Ramunas Navardauskas (Ltu) Garmin-Barracuda + 1:09 9 Aidis Kruopis (Ltu) GreenEdge Cycling Team + 1:10 10 Adam Blythe (GBr) BMC Racing Team + 1:14
The classics start this morning with Omloop Het Nieuwsblad in Belgium. Time for cobbles, rains and crosswinds. Live stream here.
Omloop Het Nieuwsblad (Saturday) results: Last KM Spoiler 1 VANMARCKE Sep (GARMIN-BARRACUDA) 4:52:48 2 BOONEN Tom (OMEGA PHARMA-QUICKSTEP) 3 FLECHA GIANNONI Juan Antonio (SKY PROCYCLING) 4 HAUSSLER Heinrich (GARMIN-BARRACUDA) + 0:24 5 VAN AVERMAET Greg (BMC RACING) 6 MARCATO Marco (VACANSOLEIL-DCM) 7 MONDORY Lloyd (AG2R LA MONDIALE) 8 LADAGNOUS Matthieu (FDJ-BIG MAT) 9 PICHOT Alexandre (EUROPCAR) 10 SCHEIRLINCKX Staf (ACCENT JOBS - WILLEMS VERANDAS) Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne (Sunday) results: Last KM Spoiler 1 Mark Cavendish (Team Sky) 2 Yahuni Hutarovich (FDJ Big Mat) 3 Kenny Van Hummel (Vacansoleil) 4 Pascal Demare (FDJ) 5 Alexandre Serebryakov (Type 1) 6 Tom Veelers (Project) In other cycling news, Saxo Bank will meet with the UCI tomorrow to see if they keep their World Tour license for this season. It would be a huge blow for the team if they were to lose it.
Today is the Montepaschi Strade Bianche held in Tuscany, Italy. Its one of my favorite races on the calendar. The name of the race refers to the small white gravel roads that the course winds through on its way to the finish in Siena. While the race isn't that old, its only been going on for 5 years or so, it's a modern-day classic. The gravel roads are largely exposed to crosswinds and the course profile is full of rolling hills. Also, there's a nasty uphill finish into the city of Siena that usually results in one of the big name cyclists getting the win. Last year Phillipe Gilbert used this race as a tune up for the other, bigger Spring Classics getting the win in dominating fashion. Previous winners include Fabian Cancellara, Alexandr Kolobnev, Thomas Lovkvist and Maxim Iglinsky. Race Footage: 1-minute highlights Results Spoiler 2012 Strade Bianche results 1. Fabian Cancellara (RadioShack - Nissan) 2. Maxim Iglinskiy (Astana) + 00:42 3. Oscar Gatto (Farnese Vini - Selle Italia) 4. Alessandro Ballan (BMC Racing) + 00:46 5. Greg Van Avermaet (BMC Racing) + 00:48 6. Roman Kreuziger (Astana) + 01:03 7. Francesco Reda (Acqua & Sapone) 8. Francesco Ginanni (Acqua & Sapone) 9. Elia Favilli (Farnese Vini - Selle Italia) 10. Johan Vansummeren (Garmin - Barracuda)
so happy for Garmin at the Giro - Hesjedal was awesome glad to see all the new GC contenders - the new breed is refreshing
hell yea. Hesjedal was amazing. Apparently he's in the "form of his life" and he's going for the Tour too. Won't happen but I love the attitude.
A few things to resurrect this thread before the Tour: * The Dauphine is going on right now and its a sneak peek into what this years Tour will likely come down to (Cadel vs Wiggins). Wiggins is in yellow after three stages and is 1 second up on Cadel. The big mountains are yet to come though. Andy Schleck lost 3+ minutes yesterday and another 1:30 today. This Radioshack-Nissan-Trek team has been a disaster. * It looks like Liquigas and Saxo Bank might merge this offseason. Vincenzo Nibili is likely leaving Liquigas for Astana. Jacob Fuglsang might go back to Saxo Bank.
So the Tour starts in 11 days. This years tour will be without a lot of big names. Contador is suspended, Andy Schleck is injured and out, Thor Hushovd is out, Jakob Fuglsang got shafted, Thomas Voeckler might not be able to ride b/c of an injury, etc. This years course isn't really suited for pure climbers like Contador or the Schleck brothers anyway. With two long distance Time Trials and a prologue, look for a 'diesel' rider to win it all. Bradley Wiggins (Sky) is the big-time favorite to take it all. Cadel Evans (BMC) is probably #2 on most experts picks to win. I say watch out for Robert Gesink of Rabobank. The guy is a beast of a climber and he proved in the Tour of California that he's no slouch in the TT. Others to watch: Ryder Hesjedal - winner of the Giro, he's going for the rare GT double. Samuel Sanchez - maybe the best climber of the overall contenders. Vincenzo Nibali - super-talented rider but will he give it his all since he's leaving for another team? Here are the teams and starters up to this point (deadline for all teams to submit their riders is later this week). I'll update this list as the week goes on. Spoiler Teams in bold have confirmed their list of final 9 riders. AG2R-La Mondiale Confirmed: Nicolas Roche (IRL) On the bubble: Not racing: Argos-Shimano *Confirmed: Roy Curvers (NED), Koen de Kort (NED), Johannes Froehlinger (GER), Patrick Gretsch (GER), Yann Huguet (FRA), Marcel Kittel (GER), Matthieu Sprick (FRA), Albert Timmer (NED), Tom Veelers (NED) On the bubble: N/A Not racing: John Degenkolb (GER) Astana *Confirmed: Janez Brajkovic (SLO), Borut Bozic (SLO), Dmitry Fofonov (KAZ), Andriy Grivko (UKR), Maxim Iglinskiy (KAZ), Andrey Kashechkin (KAZ), Fredrik Kessiakoff (SWE), Robert Kiserlovski (CRO), Alexandre Vinokourov (KAZ) Not racing: BMC Racing Confirmed: Marcus Burghardt (GER), Steve Cummings (GBR), Cadel Evans (AUS), Philippe Gilbert (BEL), George Hincapie (USA), Amaël Moinard (FRA), Manuel Quinziato (ITA), Michael Schär (SUI), Tejay van Garderen (USA) On the bubble: Not racing: Thor Hushovd (NOR), Taylor Phinney (USA), Brent Bookwalter (USA), Steve Morabito (SUI) Cofidis le credit en ligne Confirmed: On the bubble: Not racing: Europcar Confirmed: Pierre Rolland (FRA) On the bubble: Thomas Voeckler (FRA) Not racing: Euskaltel-Euskadi *Confirmed: Egoi Martinez (SPA), Samuel Sánchez (SPA), Gorka Verdugo (SPA), Mikel Astarloza (SPA), Ruben Perez (SPA), Pablo Urtasun (SPA), Gorka Izagirre (SPA) Jorge Azanza (SPA), Amets Txurruka (SPA) On the bubble: N/A Not racing: Igor Anton (SPA) FDJ-BigMat Confirmed: On the bubble: Not racing: Garmin-Barracuda * Confirmed: Ryder Hesjedal (CAN), Christian Vande Velde (USA), David Millar (GBR), Robbie Hunter (RSA), Dan Martin (IRL), Johan Vansummeren (BEL), David Zabriskie (USA), Tom Danielson (USA), Tyler Farrar (USA) Not racing: Andrew Talansky (USA) Katusha *Confirmed: Giampaolo Caruso (ITA), Oscar Freire (SPA), Vladimir Gusev (RUS), Joan Horrach (SPA), Aliaksandr Kuchynski (BLR), Denis Menchov (RUS), Luca Paolini (ITA), Yuriy Trofimov (RUS), Eduard Vorganov (RUS) On the bubble: N/A Not racing: Joaquim Rodríguez (SPA) Lampre-ISD Confirmed: Alessandro Petacchi (ITA) On the bubble: Not racing: Liquigas-Cannondale Confirmed: Vincenzo Nibali (ITA), Ivan Basso (ITA), Peter Sagan (SVK) On the bubble: Ted King (USA) Not racing: Lotto-Belisol Confirmed: André Greipel (GER), Jurgen Van den Broeck (BEL), Jelle Vanendert (BEL), Greg Henderson (NZL), Marcel Sieberg (GER), Lars Bak (DEN), Francis De Greef (BEL), Adam Hansen (AUS), Jürgen Roelandts (BEL) On the bubble: Not racing: Jurgen Van de Walle (BEL) Movistar Confirmed: Rui Costa (POR), Alejandro Valverde (SPA) On the bubble: Juanjo Cobo (SPA) Not racing: Omega Pharma-Quick Step Confirmed: Levi Leipheimer (USA), Tony Martin (GER), Peter Velits (SVK), Sylvain Chavanel (FRA), Bert Grabsch (GER), Dries Devenyns (BEL), Jerome Pineau (FRA), Kevin De Weert (BEL), Stijn Vandenbergh (BEL) On the bubble: Not racing: Tom Boonen (BEL), Niki Terpstra (BEL) Orica-GreenEdge Confirmed: Matt Goss (AUS), Simon Gerrans (AUS), Stuart O’Grady (AUS) On the bubble: Not racing: Rabobank *Confirmed: Bauke Mollema (NED), Robert Gesink (NED), Steven Kruijswijk (NED), Laurens Ten Dam (NED), Mark Renshaw (AUS), Luis Leon Sanchez (SPA), Bram Tankink (NED), Maarten Tjallingii (NED), Maarten Wynants (BEL) On the bubble: N/A Not racing: Theo Bos (NED), Graeme Brown (AUS), Lars Boom (NED), Matti Breschel (DEN), Carlos Barredo (SPA) RadioShack-Nissan *Confirmed: Fabian Cancellara (SUI), Tony Gallopin (FRA), Chris Horner (USA), Andreas Klöden (GER), Maxime Monfort (BEL), Yaroslav Popovych (UKR), Fränk Schleck (LUX), Jens Voigt (GER), Haimar Zubeldia (SPA) On the bubble: N/A Not racing: Andy Schleck (LUX), Jakob Fuglsang (DEN) Saur-Sojasun Confirmed: Jérôme Coppel (FRA) On the bubble: Not racing: Saxo Bank *Confirmed: Juan José Haedo (ARG), Jonathan Cantwell (AUS), Nick Nuyens (BEL), Chris Anker Sørensen (DEN), Nicki Sørensen (DEN), Michael Mørkøv (DEN), Anders Lund (DEN), Karsten Kroon (NED), Sergio Paulinho (POR) Not racing: Alberto Contador (SPA) Sky *Confirmed: Bradley Wiggins (GBR), Mark Cavendish (GBR), Richie Porte (AUS), Chris Froome (GBR), Michael Rogers (AUS), Edvald Boasson Hagen (NOR), Bernard Eisel (AUT), Kanstantsin Siutsou (BEL), Christian Knees (GER). Not racing: Danny Pate (USA) Vacansoleil-DCM Confirmed: Johnny Hoogerland (NED), Wout Poels (NED), Kenny Van Hummel (NED), Marco Marcato (ITA), Lieuwe Westra (NED), Rafael Valls (SPA), Kris Boeckmans (BEL), Rob Ruijgh (NED), Gustav Larsson (SWE) On the bubble: Not racing:
no sports talk has ever well and truly lost me as much as this did I honestly had no gat dam idea cycling even worked like this
Andy crashed in the Dauphine and injured his spine. As for the top American, it's tough to say as the old crop of guys is getting rusty and the young bucks just aren't there yet. Here are the Americans to watch for: - Chris Horner (RadioShack-Trek) - one of the oldest guys in the peloton, the guy is a great climber and solid TT specialist. Will he be the team leader with Andy Schleck out? Frank has said he doesn't want to be the leader. - Christian Vande Velde (Garmin) - rode the Giro in support of Ryder and looked great. Was he using it to hone his form for the Tour? This might be his last year... - Tom Danielson (Garmin) - not announced as a member of the team yet but he'll likely be there. Is having a great year so far. - Levi Leipheimer (Omega Pharma Quick-Step) - is he back in form after a being hit by a car earlier this year? He's a solid climber and a great TTist. - Tejay VanGarderen (BMC) - will likely be riding in support of Cadel Evans' title defense. Very solid in the TT and a good climber. If/when all of the Americans are out, just pull for one of the two American teams, Garmin or BMC. It's possible they won't make it. The organizers of the Tour, the ASO, have banned individuals (riders and staff) from the race before. I think they'll make it.
this year should be really interesting. I'm pulling for Pierre Rolland this year since saxo bank doesn't have a shot at the yellow jersey. Rolland was straight nasty last year.
you have good taste. Rolland is one of my favorite riders. Don't worry about Saxo too much. Contador will be back in a month and will stomp the shit out of folks in the Vuelta.
im not hearing they're getting banned, im hearing the team might dissolve. there's rumors that checks aren't getting sent to riders and they're pissed.
This is last weeks news but its important to consider with the Tour coming up. Last week USA cycling announced the 5 riders who will represent the USA at the summer olympics. Taylor Phinney (BMC), Tejay Van Garderen (BMC), Chris Horner (RadioShack-Trek), Timmy Dugan (Liquigas-Cannondale) and Tyler Farrar (Garmin) were selected. All 5 of those riders will ride the road race. Two of those 5, Phinney and likely Van Garderen, will also ride the Time Trial. It should be noted that the day before the selection was announced, 4 huge names pulled their name out of consideration for the US Olympic team. Those riders were George Hincapie (BMC), Christian Vande Velde (Garmin), Dave Zabriskie (Garmin), and Levi Leipheimer (OPQS). Speculation is going around that these 4 were part of the 10 riders who are part of the USADA case against Lance Armstrong.
yea, you're right, they haven't been getting paid. Becca, the team owner, is pissed off with the teams early season performance and he decided to withhold pay. Lots of shit is going on within that team. Fuglsang came out last week and said that the info in the public realm is only the tip of the iceberg. That was the day after he was left off the Tour team, so take it fwiw. I think the team pretty much breaks in bunches after the end of the year. The Schlecks are going elsewhere, Fuglsang probably back to Saxo Bank, Cancellara may be back on the market, Posthuma is going to either Rabobank or Vancansoleil, etc. These guys have to perform in the Tour, their paychecks next year depend on it.
Word is starting to get out that Saxo Bank will likely name new team sponsor before the Tour. Looks like it will be a Russian-backed company. No word as to whether they'll be the primary sponsor or if it will be a hyphenated name like most of the other teams in the peloton (Garmin-Barracuda, Liquigas Cannondale, RadioShack-Trek, etc.)
yea they used to be CSC-Tiscali and other names. it's a good thing tho because it means more money. Riis is seriously the only team owner i would back with a sponsorship. the only scandal they have had is Contador and that was a tricky one, because it's not a given that he used doping.
It seems like Taylor Phinney has been the next big thing for years now. If Schleck can be a stud at 19-22, why the hell can't Phinney even be good enough to ride in the TDF? Explain this to me like I'm a child, please.
Schleck was not a stud at the age of 19-22 he was a talent not much else. remember the youth jersey is for riders younger than 26 that really does show that riders are older before they really does damage. It's extremely hard to get picked for the TDF. remember theres about 25 riders on a team and they only need 9 riders. The next thing you have to look at is: what is Phinney's team trying to do, they could be focusing on something Phinney can't help them with. another thing is the shape he's in, because you'll be pretty useless in the tour if you don't build your season around peaking in the Tour. Not all Riders does that because they like their chances/have skills better suited for other types of races.
Because BMC's goal is to help Cadel win. Phinney would be a huge asset if the Tour had a TTT. Cadel needs climbers and shepards. Phinney is a prologue and TT specialist. Phinney will never win the Tour. He can't climb worth a shit. At his absolute best, he'll be the American version of Cancellara.
USA cycling is about to go through huge change. The generation of riders that we grew up hearing about is getting really old. Hincapie is retiring after the Tour, Leipheimer is almost 40, Horner is 40, Zabriskie has a few more good years left, as does Tom Danielson, Vande Velde is pondering retirement after this season... Here are the new names to know and follow for the future: Spoiler Future GT contenders: Andrew Talansky (Garmin) - can TT with the best and is a solid climber. Joe Dombrowski (Bontrager-Livestrong-Trek) - this kid, he's 21, is the American version of Andy Schleck. He can climb with the best. He finished 4th on the Mount Baldy climb in the Tour of the California after blowing by Tom Danielson, who is a damn good climber in his own right. He'll probably be on a big-time team next year. Dunno what he's like in the TT. Tejay Van Garderen (BMC) Smaller Stage Race / Classics contenders: Taylor Phinney (BMC) - he can win a major classic if he ever gets on the right team. He'll be one of the favorites to win any TT he enters for the next 10 years. Matthew Busche (RadioShack) Alex Howes (Garmin) - was out in front for 200+ km in the Amstel Gold race and got caught in the last 10km. He's 24. Lawson Craddock (Bontrager-Livestrong-Trek) Kiel Reijnen (Team Type 1) Peter Stetina (Garmin) - incredible climber. Was one of Hejesdal's two lieutenants in the Giro. Domestiques: Brent Bookwalter (BMC) - he's been around a while but he's a great domestique. He'll be around a long time. Ted King (Liquigas) Timmy Dugan (Liquigas) - This kid was at the front of the peloton for the entire Tour of California and then won the Stars-and-Stripes jersey the next week in the US Pro Cycling Championship. Ben King (RadioShack) Jacob Rathe (Garmin) Sprinters: Jake Keough (United Healthcare) Luke Keough (Team Mountain Khakis) - Garmin is going hard after this kid.
Sky & Garmin confirmed their tour teams yesterday Edit: Saxo Bank released their team this morning... J.J Haedo, Hunter Cantwell, Nick Nuyens, Chris Anker Sørensen, Niki Sørensen, Michael Mørkøv, Anders Lund, Karsten Kroon & Sergio Paulinho. Edit 2: Astana released their team yesterday... Astana *Confirmed: Janez Brajkovic (SLO), Borut Bozic (SLO), Dmitry Fofonov (KAZ), Andriy Grivko (UKR), Maxim Iglinskiy (KAZ), Andrey Kashechkin (KAZ), Fredrik Kessiakoff (SWE), Robert Kiserlovski (CRO), Alexandre Vinokourov (KAZ) Not racing:
I recently bought a very cool electronic stationary bike that allows you to download different courses from various bike races (it changes the resistance in your bike when you are going up/down hills) including all stages of the Tour de France. So I will be able to race from home along with the pros. I can't wait for Alp d'Huez and the Champs Elysess.
Cycling News is adding stage profiles. They've got the vast majority up now. Show maps/profiles of each stage with some commentary by their reporter and a cyclist or team manager type. Pretty good way to get pumped up about this. Is there a sporting event that is more made for HDTV than the Tour? http://www.cyclingnews.com/tour-de-france - link to the stage profiles
Long ass article from CyclingNews on the top contenders. Not sure that queer Aussie leprechaun will be able to hold of Wiggo this year. Spoiler Tour de France: Top-five general classification contenders By: Alex MaloneRace:Tour de France Bradley Wiggins (Sky) and Cadel Evans (BMC) chat as race and points leaders Evans and Wiggins set to battle all the way to ParisThere’s much uncertainty leading into the 2012 Tour de France, with recent injuries and quiet showings throughout the season catapulting some of the favourites into the ‘unknown’ category. Alberto Contador is of course absent from this year’s race and this may instil confidence in a number of contenders, while others will hope to turn around a year of poor form. Some, like Bradley Wiggins will be arriving back at the Tour after being forced out last year in the crash-marred first week or from skipping last year’s race.Cadel Evans and Bradley Wiggins are the top-ranked favourites, but what about the remaining spot on the podium, top five or top ten? Many of last season’s top-ten finishers aren’t looking so sharp, with injuries preventing the likes of Thomas Voecklerfrom attending his national championships.Andy Schleck would have been one of the main protagonists but a fall in the time trialat the Critérium du Dauphiné and subsequent fractured pelvis means he will miss the race. Denis Menchov may have timed his condition perfectly as he demonstrated by winning the Russian time trial title earlier this week. Menchov often needs a pre-Tour, grand tour in his legs before being able to be competitive but with Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a’Espana titles he cannot be ruled out. His Geox-TMC team’s omission last year and disappointing Vuelta in 2011 means he is not included in the top-five. Ivan Basso has pledged his support to his teammate Vincenzo Nibali and following his assault at a second Giro title, it would appear his condition is not be up to the task regardless.With such uncertainty we look at a list of five riders who have the potential to win the race or at least finish on the podium...Name: Cadel EvansAge: 35Team: BMC Racing TeamCareer Highlights: 1st Critérium International (2012), 1st Tour de France (2011), World Road Race champion (2009)Tour debut: 2005Best Tour finish: 1st (2011)Summary: There’s no doubting Evans’ ability to lead his BMC Racing Team at this year’s Tour. This will be his eighth Tour start and despite the disappointment of 2009 and 2010, he’s proven he can climb with the best and time trial quicker than the pure climbers. Evans has received criticism over the years for not being aggressive enough but the confidence and leadership he showed last year quashed such doubts.Evans had hinted he would begin his season slowly and in his first outing of the season, Tirreno-Adriatico, he made little impression. Just a week-and-a-half later however, he turned up to Critérium International where he won the time trial on his way to the overall victory.Evans’ Ardennes campaign was cut short due to illness and he lacked the form to repeat last year’s win at Tour de Romandie. However, he showed the kind of aggressive racing often missing to win a stage and finish third overall at the recent Critérium du Dauphiné despite being off the pace in the 53km time trial against Bradley Wiggins. "I still have some improvements to make before the Tour" he said.His BMC team is specifically designed for winning the overall and unlike Wiggins, his team will have nothing but yellow in Paris on the agenda. This may prove crucial at the end of three weeks.Name: Bradley WigginsAge: 32Team: Sky ProcyclingCareer Highlights: 1st Critérium du Dauphiné (2012), 1st Tour de Romandie (2012) and 1st Paris - Nice (2012)Tour debut: 2006Best Tour finish: 4th (2009)Summary: Bradley Wiggins has the backing of what looks to be the strongest team in the race. There is a team of domestiques at the Briton’s disposal who, on any other outfit, would be worthy of a protected role. However, this year Sky is looking to secure the first ever win in the Tour by a Briton and they appear to have timed the team’s form perfectly.The way Sky led the Critérium du Dauphiné is not necessarily how the Tour will unfold but it was a controlled performance by the team which had Michael Rogers (Aus), Chris Froome (Gbr) and Richie Porte (Aus) finish inside the top-ten. These three will line up as super-domestiques and yet they could have a leader role if they were on any other team. All of them understand this Tour is about Wiggins and personal motives will not be tolerated unless approved by their directors.Wiggins is a solid bet for a top place in the general classification despite matters being complicated with the inclusion of road world champion Mark Cavendish. With ambitions to win the green and yellow jersey, it could be too much to ask from the team which may be forced into taking charge on the road from day one.Name: Vincenzo NibaliAge: 27Team: Liquigas - CannondaleCareer Highlights: 1st Tirreno-Adiatico (2012), 2nd Giro d’Italia (2011), 1st Vuelta a Espana (2010)Tour debut: 2008Best Tour finish: 7th (2009)Summary: Vincenzo Nibali has ridden enough grand tours as a young rider to prove his endurance over a three-week race. He shows initiative in the mountains when necessary and, on a good day, doesn’t need to wait for a last-minute attack to the line. His time trialling is below Wiggins and Evans but he seems to understand the importance of improving this area.He may have ‘only’ a single grand tour victory on his palmares, the 2010 Vuelta a Espana, but he has finished on the podium of the Giro d’Italia twice; 2nd in 2010 (elevated from third after Alberto Contador was stripped on the title) and 3rd in the 2011 edition.The need to be patient may be critical to his success as his number one road captain Ivan Basso will likely enforce. Basso and his domestiques took control of the race in the Giro to suit his capabilities and this leadership will be an asset. Nibali has matured in the last few seasons but there is no denying Basso’s experience on the road. If Basso has recovered successfully from his Giro campaign he will be invaluable to the "Shark of Messina".Nibali has achieved a number of wins this year, including the brutal mountain stage to Jabal Al Akhdar (Green Mountain) and second place overall at the Tour of Oman, plus the hilltop finish of stage five and the overall classification at Tirreno-Adriatico. He has also shown his endurance over longer one-day races, and was frustratingly close to winning one of the season’s Monuments at Milan San-Remo and Liege-Bastogne-Liege, where he was third and second respectively. It’s an impressive list for the Italian, who opened his season in January with the Tour de San Luis. A heavy block of training leading into the Dauphiné may excuse his lacking in the mountains but he should be fit come Tour time.Name: Fränk Schleck Age: 32Team: RadioShack-NissanCareer Highlights: 3rd Tour de France (2011), 1st Tour de Suisse (2010), 1st Amstel Gold Race (2006)Tour debut: 2006Best Tour finish: 3rd (2011)Summary: Fränk Schleck may not have the natural potential of his brother but Andy will be absent this year, leaving Fränk with a sole leadership role - a situation the older brother hasn’t been in since Andy’s debut in 2008, but even then his lead was shared with eventual winner Carlos Sastre.This will be new territory for the Luxembourger who was quick to express he didn’t want to be the designated leader at the Tour: "Because if I put in a disappointing performance, then everyone can afterwards complain that I was not good enough," he told Het Nieuwsblad.A number of riders at the Tour de Suisse believed he was one of, if not the strongest, in the race, and was seen attacking on the climbs far from the finish. Has his form peaked too soon?"I'm not a machine. You should be realistic. I am already very lean and in great shape, I cannot continue to maintain this level," he said following the completion of the eight-day race.Together, Andy and Fränk are a serious force in the mountains but you have to wonder if their talents wouldn’t be better used separately and away from each other. This year will expose Fränk’s reliance on his younger brother and will also answer the question as to whether his team problems have affected his preparation and focus.Name: Robert GesinkAge: 26Team: RabobankCareer Highlights: 1st Tour of California (2012), 1st Tour of Oman (2011), GP Montréal (2010)Tour debut: 2009Best Tour finish: 6th (2010)Summary: The 2012 Tour of California winner crushed his rivals to the top of Mount Baldy in stage seven. He caught the remnants of the early breakaway, including Chris Horner (RadioShack-Nissan), and finished ahead to two Colombians - Coldeportes climbers, John Atapuma and former U23 world road race champion Fabio Duarte.Gesink can climb. That has been proven on multiple occasions but where he excels, he also shows weakness. His descending has marginally improved since he lost the race lead in Paris-Nice - essentially on a descent - to Davide Rebellin in 2008, but his ability to stay upright has impeded his grand tour hopes in the past. The Dutchman’s slim and lanky build doesn’t do him any favours when the road heads downward. And unfortunately he won’t have the luxury of Basso’s team escorting him downhill as Nibali prefers to take opportunities and risks wherever he sees fit.Gesink came away from California on a high but arrived at the Dauphine seemingly behind expectations. His condition improved as the race progressed but it was a common sight to see him teetering off the back of the leading group, unable to cope with the accelerations and instead making his way slowly into contention. Gesink had the fifth best time in the stage seven time trial - a dramatic improvement from 26th in the opening prologue, where he lost 31 seconds to Peter Sagan (Liquigas - Cannondale) - but he will lose time to Evans, Wiggins and Menchov. With a fourth overall in Suisse one can assume is form will have progressed by the start of the Tour in Liège.
Dombrowski just won the Baby Giro (riders 24 and under or something like that) by dominating the big climb at the end. If I heard correctly, he's the first English-speaker to win either that mountaintop finish or the race itself. Bob Roll was talking him up as a huge future hope, but I don't have the expertise to know how much of what Roll said was legit vs. hot air. Talansky has been racking up some good results.
Team rosters - provisional Spoiler Provisional starters as of June 21, 2012 AG2R La Mondiale Maxime Bouet (Fra) Jimmy Casper (Fra) Mickaël Cherel (Fra) Hubert Dupont (Fra) Martin Elmiger (Swi) Sébastien Hinault (Fra) Blel Kadri (Fra) Sébastien Minard (Fra) Lloyd Mondory (Fra) Jean Christophe Peraud (Fra) Christophe Riblon (Fra) Nicholas Roche (Irl) Pro Team Astana*(confirmed) Borut Bozic (Slo) Janez Brajkovic (Slo) Dmitriy Fofonov (Kaz) Andriy Grivko (Ukr) Maxim Iglinskiy (Kaz) Andrey Kashechkin (Kaz) Fredrik Kessiakoff (Swe) Robert Kiserlovski (Cro) Alexandre Vinokourov (Kaz) BMC Racing Team* Marcus Burghardt (Ger) Steven Cummings (GBr) Cadel Evans (Aus) Philippe Gilbert (Bel) George Hincapie (USA) Amaël Moinard (Fra) Manuel Quinziato (Ita) Michael Schär (Swi) Tejay Van Garderen (USA) J Euskaltel-Euskadi* Mikel Astarloza Chaurreau (Spa) Jorge Azanza Soto (Spa) Gorka Izaguirre Insausti (Spa) J Egoi Martinez De Esteban (Spa) Ruben Perez Moreno (Spa) Samuel Sanchez Gonzalez (Spa) Amets Txurruka Ansola (Spa) Pablo Urtasun Perez (Spa) Gorka Verdugo Marcotegui (Spa) FDJ-BigMat Sandy Casar (Fra) Mickael Delage (Fra) Pierrick Fedrigo (Fra) Anthony Geslin (Fra) Yauheni Hutarovich (Blr) Arnold Jeannesson (Fra) Matthieu Ladagnous (Fra) Rémi Pauriol (Fra) Cedric Pineau (Fra) Thibaut Pinot (Fra) J Anthony Roux (Fra) J Jérémy Roy (Fra) Garmin-Barracuda* Tom Danielson (USA) Tyler Farrar (USA) Ryder Hesjedal (Can) Robert Hunter (RSA) Daniel Martin (Irl) David Millar (GBr) Johan Van Summeren (Bel) Christian Vandevelde (USA) David Zabriskie (USA) Katusha Team* Giampaolo Caruso (Ita) Oscar Freire Gomez (Spa) Vladimir Gusev (Rus) Joan Horrach Rippoll (Spa) Aleksandr Kuschynski (Blr) Denis Menchov (Rus) Luca Paolini (Ita) Yury Trofimov (Rus) Eduard Vorganov (Rus) Lampre - ISD Grega Bole (Slo) Danilo Hondo (Ger) Yuriy Krivtsov (Ukr) Oleksandr Kvachuk (Ukr) Matthew Lloyd (Aus) Marco Marzano (Ita) Manuele Mori (Ita) Przemyslaw Niemiec (Pol) Alessandro Petacchi (Ita) Morris Possoni (Ita) Michele Scarponi (Ita) Davide Vigano (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale Ivan Basso (Ita) Federico Canuti (Ita) Tiziano Dall'Antonia (Ita) Kristjan Koren (Slo) Alan Marangoni (Ita) Dominique Nerz (Ger) Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Daniel Oss (Ita) J Maciej Paterski (Pol) Peter Sagan (Svk) J Sylvester Szmyd (Pol) Alessandro Vanotti (Ita) Lotto Belisol Team* Lars Ytting Bak (Den) Francis De Greef (Bel) André Greipel (Ger) Adam Hansen (Aus) Gregory Henderson (NZl) Jurgen Roelandts (Bel) Marcel Sieberg (Ger) Jurgen Van Den Broeck (Bel) Jelle Vanendert (Bel) Movistar Team David Arroyo Duran (Spa) Juan Jose Cobo Acebo (Spa) Imanol Erviti (Spa) Rui Alberto Faria Da Costa (Por) José Ivan Gutierrez Palacios (Spa) Vladimir Karpets (Rus) Vasil Kiryienka (Blr) Ignatas Konovalovas (Ltu) David Lopez Garcia (Spa) Ruben Plaza Molina (Spa) Jose Joaquin Rojas Gil (Spa) Alejandro Valverde Belmonte (Spa) Omega Pharma - QuickStep* Sylvain Chavanel (Fra) Kevin De Weert (Bel) Dries Devenyns (Bel) Bert Grabsch (Ger) Levi Leipheimer (USA) Tony Martin (Ger) Jérôme Pineau (Fra) Stijn Vandenbergh (Bel) Peter Velits (Svk) Orica-GreenEdge Cycling Team Michael Albasini (Swi) Baden Cooke (Aus) Allan Davis (Aus) Simon Gerrans (Aus) Matthew Harley Goss (Aus) Daryl Impey (RSA) Brett Lancaster (Aus) Sebastian Langeveld (Ned) Cameron Meyer (Aus) J Stuart O'Grady (Aus) Tomas Vaitkus (Ltu) Pieter Weening (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team* Robert Gesink (Ned) Steven Kruijswijk (Ned) J Bauke Mollema (Ned) Mark Renshaw (Aus) Luis Leon Sanchez Gil (Spa) Bram Tankink (Ned) Laurens Ten Dam (Ned) Maarten Tjallingii (Ned) Maarten Wynants (Bel) RadioShack-Nissan* Fabian Cancellara (Swi) Tony Gallopin (Fra) Christopher Horner (USA) Andreas Klöden (Ger) Maxime Monfort (Bel) Yaroslav Popovych (Ukr) Frank Schleck (Lux) Jens Voigt (Ger) Haimar Zubeldia Agirre (Spa) Team Saxo Bank* Jonathan Cantwell (Aus) Juan José Haedo (Arg) Karsten Kroon (Ned) Anders Lund (Den) Michael Mørkøv (Den) Nick Nuyens (Bel) Sergio Miguel Moreira Paulinho (Por) Chris Anker Sørensen (Den) Nicki Sørensen (Den) Sky Procycling* Edvald Boasson Hagen (Nor) J Mark Cavendish (GBr) Bernhard Eisel (Aut) Christopher Froome (GBr) Christian Knees (Ger) Richie Porte (Aus) Michael Rogers (Aus) Kanstantsin Siutsou (Blr) Bradley Wiggins (GBr) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team* Kris Boeckmans (Bel) J Johnny Hoogerland (Ned) Gustav Erik Larsson (Swe) Marco Marcato (Ita) Wouter Poels (Ned) J Rob Ruygh (Ned) Rafael Valls Ferri (Spa) J Kenny Robert Van Hummel (Ned) Lieuwe Westra (Ned) Argos-Shimano* Roy Curvers (Ned) Koen De Kort (Ned) Johannes Frohlinger (Ger) Patrick Gretsch (Ger) J Yann Huguet (Fra) Marcel Kittel (Ger) J Matthieu Sprick (Fra) Albert Timmer (Ned) Tom Veelers (Ned) Team Europcar* Giovanni Bernaudeau (Fra) Anthony Charteau (Fra) Sébastien Chavanel (Fra) Damien Gaudin (Fra) Cyril Gautier (Fra) J Vincent Jerome (Fra) Christophe Kern (Fra) Pierre Rolland (Fra) Thomas Voeckler (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit en Ligne Yohan Bagot (Fra) J Rémy Di Gregorio (Fra) Samuel Dumoulin (Fra) Leonardo Duque (Col) Nicolas Edet (Fra) J Julien Fouchard (Fra) Jan Ghyselinck (Bel) Luis Angel Mate Mardones (Spa) David Moncoutie (Fra) Rein Taaramae (Est) J Tristan Valentin (Fra) Romain Zingle (Bel) J Saur - Sojasun Jerome Coppel (Fra) Anthony Delaplace (Fra) J Jimmy Engoulvent (Fra) Brice Feillu (Fra) Jonathan Hivert (Fra) Fabrice Jeandesboz (Fra) Cyril Lemoine (Fra) Guillaume Levarlet (Fra) Jean-Marc Marino (Fra) Maxime Mederel (Fra) Stéphane Poulhies (Fra) Julien Simon (Fra)
AG2R, Argos-Shimano, FDJ and Orica-GreenEdge announced their final rosters today. Everyone has named their final rosters except for Cofidis, Saur-Sojason, Movistar, Liquigas, Lampre, and Europcar Spoiler AG2R-La Mondiale *Confirmed: Maxime Bouet (FRA), Mickaél Chérel (FRA), Hubert Dupont (FRA), Blel Kadri (FRA), Sébastien Minard (FRA), Lloyd Mondory (FRA), Jean-Christophe Péraud (FRA), Christophe Riblon (FRA), Nicolas Roche (IRL) Not racing: Rinaldo Nocentini Argos-Shimano *Confirmed: Roy Curvers (NED), Koen de Kort (NED), Johannes Froehlinger (GER), Patrick Gretsch (GER), Yann Huguet (FRA), Marcel Kittel (GER), Matthieu Sprick (FRA), Albert Timmer (NED), Tom Veelers (NED) Not racing: John Degenkolb (GER) FDJ-BigMat *Confirmed: Sandy Casar (FRA), Pierrick Fé⁄drigo (FRA), Yauheni Hutarovich (BLR), Matthieu Ladagnous (FRA), Cedric Pineau (FRA), Thibaut Pinot (FRA), Anthony Roux (FRA), Jérémy Roy (FRA), Arthur Vichot (FRA) Not racing: Arnold Jeannesson Orica-GreenEdge *Confirmed: Michael Albasini (SUI), Baden Cooke (AUS), Simon Gerrans (AUS), Matt Goss (AUS), Daryl Impey (RSA), Brett Lancaster (AUS), Sebastian Langeveld (NED), Stuart O’Grady (AUS), Pieter Weening (NED) In other news: * Orica-GreenEdge will come out with a new jersey for the Tour. * Saxo Bank's new sponsor will be named tomorrow. Rumors are going around that it's either a Russian bank, a Spanish bank as a co-sponsor or a new German primary sponsor. * Today was the National Championship road races for the majority of the European countries. Winners of each countries respective national championship race get to wear a special jersey that, in some way, displays the flag of the country they represent. Here are some of today's notable winners: Tom Boonen (Belgium), Nacer Bouhanni (France - this kid is gonna be damn good), Franco Pellizotti (Italy - coming back after a 2 year doping suspension), Niki Terpstra (Netherlands), Edvald Boassen-Hagen (Norway), Peter Sagan (Slovakia). * Garmin apparently has some biiig news coming out tomorrow. It could be something as simple as Garmin, the company, re-signing as primary sponsor, or it could be a major new co-sponsor. In either case, it would be huge for the team b/c they have one of the smallest budgets in the pro-peloton. * Odds are up for the GC winner at the tour. Here are some notables: Spoiler Bradley Wiggins (Sky) 7/5 Cadel Evans (BMC) 2/1 Chris Froome (Sky) 18/1 Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas) 22/1 Denis Menchov (Katusha) 22/1 Jurgen Van Den Broeck (Lotto) 25/1 Frank Schleck (RadioShack) 25/1 Robert Gesink (Rabobank) 28/1 Samuel Sanchez (Euskaltel) 28/1 Ryder Hejesdal (Garmin) 33/1 Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) 50/1 Pierre Roland (Europcar) 50/1 Levi Leipheimer (OPQS) 66/1 Andreas Kloden (RadioShack) 66/1 Tony Martin (OPQS) 80/1 Lieuwe Westra (Vacansoleil) 200/1 Chris Horner (RadioShack) 200/1 Tom Danielson (Garmin) 250/1 Thomas Voeckler (Europcar) 250/1
Saxo Bank's new co-sponsor is Tinkoff Bank, a Russian online bank. Saxo Bank announced they will stay on as a sponsor next year too. So, the name of the team will be Team Saxo Bank - Tinkoff Bank. meh.... Movistar announced their final roster this morning: Alejandro Valverde, Ivan Gutierrez, J.J. Cobo, Ruben Plaza, Vasil Kiryenka, Vladimir Karpets, Imanol Erviti, Rui Costa and J.J. Rojas
Monday News: * New Saxo Bank - Tinkoff Bank kit * Garmin's news was that Sharp is a new co-sponsor. They will now be named Garmin-Sharp (Barricuda will remain as a co-sponsor too). They're revealing their new jerseys on Thursday. * Cofidis announced their final 9 for the Tour: David Moncoutié, Rein Taaramae, Remi Di Grégorio, Samuel Dumoulin, Nicolas Edet, Julien Fouchard, Jan Ghyselinck, Luis Angel Mate and Romain Zingle. Taaramae is their GC guy. * Europcar announced their team for the Tour: Thomas Voeckler, Pierre Rolland, Christophe Kern, Cyril Gautier, Giovanni Bernaudeau, Yukiya Arashiro, Yohann Gène, Vincent Jérôme and Davide Malacarne * Saur Sojason announced their team: Jérôme Coppel (FRA), Anthony Delaplace (FRA), Jimmy Engoulvent (FRA), Brice Feillu (FRA), Fabrice Jeandesboz (FRA), Cyril Lemoine (FRA), Guillaume Levarlet (FRA), Jean-Marc Marino (FRA), Julien Simon (FRA)
NBCSport HD is airing Tour De France previews. For the DVR inclined, there's a re-broadcast on 6/27 - 10:30 AM Mountain Time.
Anybody interested in a Fantasy Tour de France league? I set up a TMB league on Velogames.com (a legit site... they won't spam your email). All you have to do is sign up, pick your riders, and join this league. Spoiler League Name: TMB League Code: 26184914 Rouleur Derby is another fun betting site. You start out with a budget of 1000 points and if you win the TdF competition, you can win $75. All team rosters are final now. Spoiler AG2R-La Mondiale *Confirmed: Maxime Bouet (FRA), Mickaél Chérel (FRA), Hubert Dupont (FRA), Blel Kadri (FRA), Sébastien Minard (FRA), Lloyd Mondory (FRA), Jean-Christophe Péraud (FRA), Christophe Riblon (FRA), Nicolas Roche (IRL) Argos-Shimano *Confirmed: Roy Curvers (NED), Koen de Kort (NED), Johannes Froehlinger (GER), Patrick Gretsch (GER), Yann Huguet (FRA), Marcel Kittel (GER), Matthieu Sprick (FRA), Albert Timmer (NED), Tom Veelers (NED) Astana *Confirmed: Janez Brajkovic (SLO), Borut Bozic (SLO), Dmitry Fofonov (KAZ), Andriy Grivko (UKR), Maxim Iglinskiy (KAZ), Andrey Kashechkin (KAZ), Fredrik Kessiakoff (SWE), Robert Kiserlovski (CRO), Alexandre Vinokourov (KAZ) BMC Racing *Confirmed: Marcus Burghardt (GER), Steve Cummings (GBR), Cadel Evans (AUS), Philippe Gilbert (BEL), George Hincapie (USA), Amaël Moinard (FRA), Manuel Quinziato (ITA), Michael Schär (SUI), Tejay van Garderen (USA) Cofidis le credit en ligne *Confirmed: Jérôme Coppel (FRA), Anthony Delaplace (FRA), Jimmy Engoulvent (FRA), Brice Feillu (FRA), Fabrice Jeandesboz (FRA), Cyril Lemoine (FRA), Guillaume Levarlet (FRA), Jean-Marc Marino (FRA), Julien Simon (FRA) Europcar *Confirmed: Thomas Voeckler (FRA), Pierre Rolland (FRA), Christophe Kern (FRA), Cyril Gautier (FRA), Yukiya Arashiro (JAP), Giovanni Bernaudeau (FRA), Yohann Gène (FRA), Vincent Jérôme (FRA), Davide Malacarne (ITA) Euskaltel-Euskadi *Confirmed: Egoi Martinez (SPA), Samuel Sánchez (SPA), Gorka Verdugo (SPA), Mikel Astarloza (SPA), Ruben Perez (SPA), Pablo Urtasun (SPA), Gorka Izagirre (SPA) Jorge Azanza (SPA), Amets Txurruka (SPA) FDJ-BigMat *Confirmed: Sandy Casar (FRA), Pierrick Fédrigo (FRA), Yauheni Hutarovich (BLR), Matthieu Ladagnous (FRA), Cedric Pineau (FRA), Thibaut Pinot (FRA), Anthony Roux (FRA), Jérémy Roy (FRA), Arthur Vichot (FRA) Garmin-Barracuda *Confirmed: Ryder Hesjedal (CAN), Christian Vande Velde (USA), David Millar (GBR), Robbie Hunter (RSA), Dan Martin (IRL), Johan Vansummeren (BEL), David Zabriskie (USA), Tom Danielson (USA), Tyler Farrar (USA) Katusha *Confirmed: Giampaolo Caruso (ITA), Oscar Freire (SPA), Vladimir Gusev (RUS), Joan Horrach (SPA), Aliaksandr Kuchynski (BLR), Denis Menchov (RUS), Luca Paolini (ITA), Yuriy Trofimov (RUS), Eduard Vorganov (RUS) Lampre-ISD *Confirmed: Grega Bole (SLO), Danilo Hondo (ITA), Yuriy Krivtsov (UKR), Matthew Lloyd (AUS), Marco Marzano (ITA), Alessandro Petacchi (ITA), Michele Scarponi (ITA), Simone Stortoni (ITA) and Davide Viganò (ITA) Liquigas-Cannondale *Confirmed: Vincenzo Nibali (ITA), Peter Sagan (SVK), Ivan Basso (ITA), Daniel Oss (ITA), Kristijan Koren (SLO), Alessandro Vanotti (ITA), Sylvester Szmyd (POL), Federico Canuti (ITA), Dominik Nerz (GER) Lotto-Belisol *Confirmed: André Greipel (GER), Jurgen Van den Broeck (BEL), Jelle Vanendert (BEL), Greg Henderson (NZL), Marcel Sieberg (GER), Lars Bak (DEN), Francis De Greef (BEL), Adam Hansen (AUS), Jürgen Roelandts (BEL) Movistar *Confirmed: Alejandro Valverde (SPA), Juanjo Cobo (SPA), José Joaquín Rojas (SPA), Rubén Plaza (SPA), Vasil Kiryienka (BLR), Iván Gutiérrez (SPA), Imanol Erviti (SPA), Vladimir Karpets (RSA) and Rui Costa (POR) Omega Pharma-Quick Step *Confirmed: Sylvain Chavanel (FRA), Kevin De Weert (BEL), Dries Devenyns (BEL), Bert Grabsch (GER), Levi Leipheimer (USA), Tony Martin (GER), Jerome Pineau (FRA), Stijn Vandenbergh (BEL), Peter Velits (SVK) Orica-GreenEdge *Confirmed: Michael Albasini (SUI), Baden Cooke (AUS), Simon Gerrans (AUS), Matt Goss (AUS), Daryl Impey (RSA), Brett Lancaster (AUS), Sebastian Langeveld (NED), Stuart O’Grady (AUS), Pieter Weening (NED) Rabobank *Confirmed: Bauke Mollema (NED), Robert Gesink (NED), Steven Kruijswijk (NED), Laurens Ten Dam (NED), Mark Renshaw (AUS), Luis Leon Sanchez (SPA), Bram Tankink (NED), Maarten Tjallingii (NED), Maarten Wynants (BEL) RadioShack-Nissan *Confirmed: Fabian Cancellara (SUI), Tony Gallopin (FRA), Chris Horner (USA), Andreas Klöden (GER), Maxime Monfort (BEL), Yaroslav Popovych (UKR), Fränk Schleck (LUX), Jens Voigt (GER), Haimar Zubeldia (SPA) Saur-Sojasun *Confirmed: Jérôme Coppel (FRA), Anthony Delaplace (FRA), Jimmy Engoulvent (FRA), Brice Feillu (FRA), Fabrice Jeandesboz (FRA), Cyril Lemoine (FRA), Guillaume Levarlet (FRA), Jean-Marc Marino (FRA), Julien Simon (FRA) Saxo Bank *Confirmed: Juan José Haedo (ARG), Jonathan Cantwell (AUS), Nick Nuyens (BEL), Chris Anker Sørensen (DEN), Nicki Sørensen (DEN), Michael Mørkøv (DEN), Anders Lund (DEN), Karsten Kroon (NED), Sergio Paulinho (POR) Sky *Confirmed: Bradley Wiggins (GBR), Mark Cavendish (GBR), Richie Porte (AUS), Chris Froome (GBR), Michael Rogers (AUS), Edvald Boasson Hagen (NOR), Bernard Eisel (AUT), Kanstantsin Siutsou (BEL), Christian Knees (GER) Vacansoleil-DCM *Confirmed: Johnny Hoogerland (NED), Gustav Larsson (SWE), Marco Marcato (ITA), Wout Poels (NED), Rob Ruijgh (NED), Lieuwe Westra (NED), Rafael Valls (ESP), Kenny Van Hummel (NED)
Thursday updates: * New Garmin Kit Spoiler * RadioShack riders have filed a formal complaint to the UCI about unpaid wages. This team is a complete shitstorm. Fuglsang is banned from all WorldTour races for the rest of the year.... that means he's gone, likely back to Saxo Bank. * Mark Cavendish (SKY) said he isn't going after the Green Jersey this year. Could be a bluff, could be that he knows that the major focus of the team is to win the overall and that he doesn't have the support he had at HTC, or it could be the fact he's going for Olympic Gold as soon as the TdF is over. I think a lot of riders are going into the TdF with the Olympic gold in mind. If that's the case, we'll see a lot of guys taking it easy who would normally be going balls out.
Prologue Results: Spoiler Prologue 6.4 km ITT results Results 1 CANCELLARA, Fabian (RADIOSHACK-NISSAN) 7:13 2 WIGGINS, Bradley (SKY PROCYCLING) + 0:07 3 CHAVANEL, Sylvain (OMEGA PHARMA-QUICKSTEP) 4 VAN GARDEREN, Tejay (BMC RACING) + 0:10 5 BOASSON HAGEN, Edvald (SKY PROCYCLING) + 0:11 6 LANCASTER, Brett (ORICA - GREENEDGE) 7 GRETSCH, Patrick (ARGOS-SHIMANO) + 0:12 8 MENCHOV, Denis (KATUSHA) + 0:13 9 GILBERT, Philippe (BMC RACING) 10 GRIVKO, Andriy (ASTANA) + 0:15 11 FROOME, Christopher (SKY PROCYCLING) + 0:16 12 VELITS, Peter (OMEGA PHARMA-QUICKSTEP) + 0:17 13 EVANS, Cadel (BMC RACING) 14 NIBALI, Vincenzo (LIQUIGAS-CANNONDALE) + 0:18 15 HESJEDAL, Ryder (GARMIN-SHARP) 16 MILLAR, David (GARMIN-SHARP) 17 CUMMINGS, Stephen (BMC RACING) 18 VOIGT, Jens (RADIOSHACK-NISSAN) + 0:19 19 KLÖDEN, Andreas (RADIOSHACK-NISSAN) 20 NUYENS, Nick (SAXO BANK - TINKOFF BANK) + 0:20