2010 Tour de France Prologue News
Cancellara unleashes a perfect 10 minutes of power
"The engine, that's me," said Fabian Cancellara at the Tour de France prologue finish in Rotterdam today, when officials proceeded to scan his bike for a hidden motor. The day's winner could not have chosen a better demonstration of power to those who doubted his performances: he completed the 8.9km-course in exactly 10 minutes, averaging 53.4 km/h, topping what seemed an almost unbeatable feat by German Tony Martin (Team HTC-Columbia) who had led the time trial almost from beginning to end.
Link: Cancellara Unleashes A Perfect 10 Minutes Of Power | Cyclingnews.com
Cancellara wins Tour prologue time trial
Swiss Olympic champion Fabian Cancellara stuck with tradition by winning the opening prologue of the 97th Tour de France to take possession of the race's yellow jersey. Cancellara, the time trial champion from Beijing in 2008 who rides for Saxo Bank, claimed what was his fourth prologue win in the world's biggest race after pushing impressive German Tony Martin into second place by 10sec.
Link: Cancellara wins Tour prologue time trial; Tait bowls a thunderbolt | Courier Mail
Andy Schleck furious over Tour prologue ride
"The rain made the course completely different from the one we trained on yesterday but I had to give it everything in order not to lose too much time. I have done all I could to be prepared for the race and it's too late to do anything else than just to do the race and I am very excited about it."
Link: Andy Schleck Furious Over Tour Prologue Ride | Cyclingnews.com
Contador not happy after time trial
To finish sixth in a Tour de France prologue, 27 seconds behind the supreme Fabian Cancellara, would please most riders, yet defending Tour champion Alberto Contador was not satisfied. The result on Saturday was his worst prologue performance in a major race since 2007, and it was also the first time he has lost to rival Lance Armstrong in a time trial since the seven-times Tour de France champion returned to cycling last season.
Link: Tour de France - Contador not happy after time trial - Yahoo! Eurosport
Rogers pleased with prologue
Michael Rogers (Team HTC-Columbia) began his Tour de France with a credible performance in the prologue in Rotterdam, on Saturday. The Australian finished 14th, 35 seconds down on winner Fabian Cancellara (Saxo Bank) but told Cyclingnews that he was pleased with his performance.
Link: Rogers Pleased With Prologue | Cyclingnews.com
Cancellara wins as Armstrong-Contador duel looms
The Tour de France began on Saturday in a near carbon copy of last year's edition, with the victory of Fabian Cancellara in the prologue and the promise of a showdown between Alberto Contador and Lance Armstrong. Switzerland's Cancellara is the time-trial world and Olympic champion -- the best active prologue specialist in the peloton -- and he made a point of clocking a perfect time of 10 minutes on the 8.9-km of slippery roads in Rotterdam.
Link: Cancellara wins as Armstrong-Contador duel looms | Reuters
Steady start for Cavendish in Tour
As expected it was a steady but unspectacular start for Manxman Mark Cavendish at the Tour de France. He finished a minute and 10 seconds behind the winner of the opening prologue time-trial in Rotterdam.
Link: Steady start for Cavendish in Tour | Newsroom | isleofman.com
Millar gets time in green
After taking third place in the prologue of the Tour de France in Rotterdam on Saturday, David Millar is poised to start the first full stage in another distinctive jersey, coming 10 years after his first stint in the maillot jaune.
Link: Millar Gets Time In Green | Cyclingnews.com
Armstrong dodges dope bullets to fire warning
Lance Armstrong brushed away the stain of more damning doping allegations by making an impressive start to his bid for an eighth Tour de France yellow jersey on Saturday. Cancer survivor Armstrong, the seven-time consecutive champion from 1999-2005, is gunning for an eighth triumph in his final race campaign and began promisingly by finishing the opening prologue in fourth place.
Link: AFP: Armstrong dodges dope bullets to fire warning
Armstrong Is Surprising Fourth in Tour de France Prologue
The biggest surprise of the day, though, was the man who finished fourth: Lance Armstrong. In what he has said would be his final appearance at this race, Armstrong — a seven-time Tour winner — finished 22 seconds back. Afterward, he said, “in my heart it was a surprise,” that he had fared so well. At 38, he is one of the oldest riders competing at the Tour.
Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/04/sports/cycling/04tour.html
Armstrong content with Tour prologue result
The seven-time Tour winner clocked 10:22, 22 seconds behind winner Fabian Cancellara (Saxo Bank), but beat all of his key rivals for the yellow jersey. Defending champion Alberto Contador (Astana) finished five seconds down on the Team RadioShack American, while last year's other podium placer, Andy Schleck (Saxo Bank), finished well off the pace in 122nd, 1:09 down on Cancellara.
Link: Armstrong Content With Tour Prologue Result | Cyclingnews.com
Armstrong Addresses Latest Landis Allegations
Lance Armstrong struck back at the latest allegations of former cycling teammate Floyd Landis that Mr. Armstrong and other members of the U.S. Postal Service team taught Mr. Landis illegal doping practices when the two rode together. In a statement sent to reporters Saturday morning here before the first day of the Tour de France, cycling's premier event, he dismissed Mr. Landis's claims to The Wall Street Journal as like "a carton of sour milk: once you take the first sip, you don't have to drink the rest to know it has all gone bad."
Link: Armstrong Addresses Latest Landis Allegations - WSJ.com
Armstrong hits back at 'more false' Landis claims
Seven-time champion Lance Armstrong hit out on Saturday only hours before the start of his final Tour de France campaign at more "false" doping accusations levelled by former teammate Floyd Landis. Disgraced champion Landis was stripped of his yellow jersey in 2006 after testing positive for testosterone but spent millions of dollars trying to clear his name.
Link: AFP: Armstrong hits back at 'more false' Landis claims
Lance Armstrong as a tour de force
There are few athletes more polarizing than Lance Armstrong. Fans believe he's capable of performing miracles on two wheels while detractors are certain he doped his way to seven consecutive victories in the world's toughest bike race.
Link: TheSpec.com - Books - Lance Armstrong as a tour de force
Mark Cavendish takes a quieter approach in pursuit of green
The mobile phone company HTC recently came out with a new global campaign: "Quietly brilliant." It was hard to suppress a smile yesterday as Mark Cavendish, the star rider of the HTC-Columbia team, sat in front of a backdrop proclaiming the slogan, ahead of the 2010 Tour de France which starts in Rotterdam today.
Link: Mark Cavendish takes a quieter approach in pursuit of green | Sport | The Guardian
Bradley Wiggins 25-1 to win Tour de France
The TV audience for cycling's annual event has dwindled over the years. Britons who enjoy watching men in Lycra perform while on drugs now attend parties hosted by Tory MPs instead.
You know a sport is boring when most people watch purely in the hope of seeing a pile-up. Everyone loves to see a crash, a fact proved when in 2004 Crash won Best Picture Oscar.
Link: Bradley Wiggins 25-1 to win Tour de France - mirror.co.uk
TOUR DE FRANCE.. IT'S EASY
After finishing fourth overall last year, behind Alberto Contador, Andy Schleck and seven-times champion Lance Armstrong, Wiggins is strongly fancied to finish on the podium this time as leader of Tour virgins Team Sky's powerful team.
Link: TOUR DE FRANCE.. IT'S EASY - mirror.co.uk
Cancellara ready to seize power again at start of Tour
The Tour de France prologue, over 8.9 kms through the streets of Rotterdam on Saturday, is tailor-made for Swiss Fabian Cancellara. The world and Olympic champion, winner of the last two timed Tour openers in 2007 and 2009, is peerless in this type of endeavor, barring unforeseen disaster.
Link: Cancellara ready to seize power again at start of Tour | Reuters
Michael Rogers in HTC-Columbia's hot seat
MICHAEL Rogers has revealed HTC-Columbia will split its enviable riding riches between the Tour de France's two most coveted jerseys - the yellow and the green. Rogers, winner of the Tour of Califoria and the Ruta del Sol, is the US team's nominated rider for overall honours.
Link: Michael Rogers in HTC-Columbia's hot seat | Herald Sun
Cavendish admits to facing tough sprint challenge
Tour de France sprint king Mark Cavendish admitted he could face a tougher challenge from his rivals this year as he takes aim at more stage wins on the three-week race. Cavendish won an amazing six stages from bunch finishes in 2009, taking his tally to 10 after winning four stages on his second participation in 2008.
Link: AFP: Cavendish admits to facing tough sprint challenge
Brits on Tour
How times have changed. Five years ago there wasn't a single British rider in the Tour de France. But when the field comes to the start here in Rotterdam on Saturday, not only will Britain have its largest entry since 1968, it will also have genuine contenders for three of the main jerseys. Oh, and there's the first British-based team since the ill-fated ANC-Halfords squad in 1987.
Link: BBC Sport - Cycling - Brits on Tour
O'Grady laughs off 'bike doping' claims
Australian cycling star Stuart O'Grady has seen his sport suffer from a succession of doping scandals during his long career. The latest allegation just made him laugh. After O'Grady's Saxo Bank team-mate Fabian Cancellara surged from the field to win two big races earlier this year, speculation started about "bike doping".
Link: O'Grady laughs off 'bike doping' claims
Golden era in Australia cycling rolls on
The golden era in Australian road cycling that Stuart O'Grady helped start 13 years ago will yield more records at this Tour de France. O'Grady is among 11 Australian riders in the three-week race starting this weekend, beating the previous best of 10 in 2005. And the 36-year-old's 14th Tour start will take him past the record of another legend, Phil Anderson, for most by an Australian.
Link: Golden era in Australia cycling rolls on
