Cycling Evening News 24.04.12

Romandie underway - Tour of Turkey - McEwen to retire late May - GreenEDGE/NetApp Giro rosters - Cav confident for Tour double - Giro di Lombardia to honour Gimondi - No birthday luck for Taaramäe - Addison Lee protest - Cycling Newswire

Racing
Tour di Romandie gets underway with a good day for Sky

Geraint Thomas

The Tour di Romandie started today with a 3.34km individual time trial in the ancient Swiss city Lausanne, running partly along the Quai d'Ouchy and Quai de Belgique on the banks of Lake Geneva - one of the most beautiful city roads in Europe.

Rain had been coming and going throughout the morning before the first riders set out on the course, the first third or so getting a slight advantage from relatively dry conditions before it began drizzling again. Sky's Geraint Thomas looked like a probable winner when he set a time of 3'29" - team mate Mark Cavendish had ridden the course with him this morning and was predicting victory...

Mark Cavendish ‏ @MarkCavendish
Little ride this morning with @GeraintThomas86, including a few laps of #TourDeRomandie time trial course. 3.5km. Boom. Bet on the Welshman.

...and, when the rain turned heavier shortly after he'd clcked in, nobody was able to beat him; though RadioShack-Nissan's Giacomo Nizzolo came close with +4", as did Cav with +5" - which brought about an amusing change of heart from the English commentators who dismissed the Manxman's chances almost as soon as he'd left the ramp. Bradley Wiggins' chances were severely curtailed by the weather and he finished just outside the top ten after recording 3'38" for 11th place. However, with Michael Rogers equalling Cav's time for 4th, it was a very good day for Sky indeed.

Top 10

  1.  Geraint Thomas Sky Procycling 3'29"
  2.  Giacomo Nizzolo RadioShack-Nissan +4"
  3.  Mark Cavendish Sky +6"
  4.  Michael Rogers Sky ST
  5.  Kristof Vandewalle Omega Pharma-Quickstep ST
  6.  Julien Vermote Omega Pharma-Quickstep +7"
  7.  Bauke Mollema Rabobank +8"
  8.  Stef Clement Rabobank ST
  9.  Manual Boaro SaxoBank +9"
  10.  Alex Rasmussen Garmin-Barracuda ST (Full results when available)


Tomorrow, the riders face a 184.5km parcours beginning at Morges. Flat for the initial 70km, it then swings sharply upwards for a climb to Rochefort at 750m above sea level before reaching Category 2 Les Bugnenets after 90km (1,116m), Cat 2 Haut de la Cote at 156km (1,035m) and Cat 3 Le Communal de la Sagne at 171km (1,158m) on the way to the finish line at La Chaux-de-Fonds.

Tour of Turkey
Stage 3 at the Tour of Turkey featured a tough 152km parcours starting at the coastal resort of Antalya before heading west and inland to the mountains with three points along the way surpassing 1,600m in altitude. 34-year-old Bulgarian Ivaïlo Gabrovski - who won this race overall in 2007 and holds a record five victories in the Tour of Bulgaria - left his rivals standing on the final climb to 1,850m on the Göğübeli Mountain Pass, crossing the line alone with a comfortable lead of 1'26" to take the stage win for his Turkish Konya Torku Sekerspor team - their first ever in their home nation and sufficient to place him at the top of the General Classification.

Tomorrow, riders face 132km along the craggy south-western coast of Muğla Province where the highest climb is only 300m but has a leg-cracking gradient.

Top 10  
1.  Ivailo Gabrovski Konya Torku Sekersport  
2.  Alexandr Dyachenko Astana +1'33"  
3.  Danail Andonov Petrov Caja Rural +1'38"  
4.  Adrian Palomares Villaplana Andalucia-Caja Granada +1'44"  
5.  Romain Bardet AG2R-La Mondiale +2'01"  
6.  Alexander Efimkin Team Type 1-Sanofi +2'23"  
7.  Florian Guillou Bretagne Schuller +2'29"  
8.  Enrico Battaglin Colnago CSF Bardiani +2'48"  
9.  Michal Golas Omega Pharma-Quickstep +3'02"  
10.  Will Routley Spidertech Powered By C10 +3'05 (Full results and GC)

Robbie McEwen to retire late May

McEwen, now with GreenEDGE, has said that he will
retire after the Tour of California. He is expected to
remain with the team in the capacity of technical
supervisor

GreenEDGE's Robbie McEwen has announced that the upcoming Tour of California will be his final race as a professional. Queensland-born McEwen began his cycling career in BMX and became a National Junior Champion, then switched to road cycling in 1990 and immediately revealed himself to have talent, later going on to win the Points competition at the Tour de France in 2002, 2004 and 2006.

It was widely known that McEwen would retire at some point this year, but as of yet no date had been set. No confirmation has appeared on the GreenEDGE website; however, while speaking to Het Nieuwesblad he appears to have a date in mind: "After the Tour of California - that's it," he said. The Tour ends on the 20th of May.

GreenEDGE/NetApp Giro rosters
Meanwhile, GreenEDGE has published details of the squad it will send to the Giro d'Italia: Brett Lancaster, Jack Bobridge, Matt Goss, Christian Meier, Svein Tuft, Daryl Impey, Fumiyuki Beppu, Jens Keukeleire and Tomas Vaitkus have made the selection for what will be the team's first Grand Tour.

NetApp, one of the Pro Continental team to recieve a wildcard invitation to the race, have published a list of eight riders they'll send this year: Timon Seubert, Jan Barta, Cesare Benedetti, Matthias Brändle, Andreas Dietziker, Reto Hollenstein, Bartosz Huzarski and Daniel Schorn. It's not yet known if they'll add a ninth.

Cav confident Sky can take Tour double

(image courtesy of UCI)

"Who would have thought you’d have a British team with British backers, with two British riders going for two of the biggest prizes in the sport?" asks Mark Cavendish in the Liverpool Echo. "It’s a pretty big thing, that. It is not an easy task at all but it is definitely possible. I wouldn’t be at Team Sky if I didn’t think it was possible."

The double to which he refers is, of course, the Points competition, which he's a favourite to win, and the General Classification which team mate Bradley Wiggins will be chasing - something that has been achieved just three times since sport's greatest event reverted to trade teams in 1969 after two years in which it was open only to national teams, and a feat that would confirm Britain as a true cycling nation.

"I want to be part of that team that makes history," adds the 26-year-old sprinter and current road race champion. (More from the Liverpool Echo)

Other Racing News
The 2012 Giro di Lombardia will start from Bergamo rather Milan as a tribute to 1966/1973 winner Felice Gimondi who turns 70 on the 29th of September this year. Gimondi was the second cyclist after Jacques Anquetil to win all three Grand Tours during his career.

Poor Rein Taaramäe has missed out on his share of birthday luck this year - the Estonian rider, who turns 25 today (Tuesday 24th April), returned to competition the week before last after recovering from mononucleosis, then crashed at the Vuelta a Castilla y Leon - and x-rays have revealed "an incomplete fracture of the radial head of the left elbow," says Cofidis manager Eric Boyer. (More from Cycling News)

Tweets

Jakob Fuglsang ‏ @jakob_fuglsang
Did an x-ray of my hand Friday and the fracture is stabile. The screw is still in one piece but the bone is still not grown 100% together.

Cycling
Addison Lee "die-in"
An estimated three hundred cyclists braved the rain and oily, wet streets to attend a "die-in" protest outside the grey eyesore that is the offices of Europe's largest minicab firm Addison Lee yesterday evening, angry at comments made by the firm's chairman John Griffin - who had said that London cyclists should be held responsible for their own misfortune if injured or killed on the capital's roads because it's their own choice to ride in " some of the most congested spaces in the world...[on] a vehicle which offers them no protection except a padded plastic hat."

Beth Anderson, one of the protest organisers, used Facebook to say: "For me, tonight was something truly special. A group of cyclists went to Addison Lee's headquarters with a message and they delivered it. Unfortunately it wasn't a huge surprise to hear John Griffin repeating the same old lines but his arguments are essentially ill-founded and based on the idea that the roads are, and can only be, dangerous. It was important to tell him that they are made even more dangerous by him."

There have been calls to hold a second protest in the hope that better weather will attract more people. More information from Boycott Addison Lee.

Why did Griffin really say what he said?

Newswire
Britain: Cyclists' horror stories (The Times)

Britain: Sometimes, cyclists have to break the law to stay safe (The Times)

Britain: A memorial for a cyclist who was killed in a road accident in Belfast last year is believed to be the first of its kind in Northern Ireland (BBC)

Canada: Toronto's top doctor is recommending lowering the speed limits on residential city streets to 30 km/h in an effort to cut down on pedestrian and cyclist fatalities (CTV News)

Canada: A personal chef to one of Canada’s highest ranking diplomats claims he was pushed into oncoming traffic by an angry motorist as he cycled home from work (Ham&High)

Ghana: C2 Paracycling champion, Alem Mumuni, has once again made history as the first Ghanaian cyclist to ever qualify to the Olympics Games (Ghanaweb)

New Zealand: A lawyer for a mountain biker whose assault of a fellow cyclist was captured on camera (see: "Trail rage in New Zealand" for details and video of the assault - CP)  has warned about the growing influence of internet videos on court cases (NZHerald)

New Zealand: A woman was dragged along the train tracks after ignoring warning lights and sirens in central Auckland this morning. Police say the woman walked out onto the track pushing her bicycle, which was clipped by a passing train at a level crossing at Rossgrove Terrace, near St Luke's Rd. The bike became entangled in the train, dragging her along with it. (Auckland Now)

New Zealand: North Taranaki people appear to be divided on whether cyclists should be required to wear helmets on the Coastal Walkway. Like it or not the police have vowed to crack down on it, even threatening to give tickets of $150 to cyclists who do not comply (Taranaki Daily News)

Antigua: Veteran cyclist Robert Marsh and young female national rider Tamiko Butler, both earning nominations from the Antigua & Barbuda Cycling Association (ABCA), walked away with top honours at the National Sports Awards held at the Sandals Grande Resort & Spa on Saturday night (Observer Media Group)

Cycling News from around the World 12.04.12

G-Man says London is main goal - Tony Martin injured - Schleck brushes off Brabantse disaster - Energiewacht Tour Video Review - Provisional Amstel/Women's Fleche Wallonne start lists - Cycling Ireland receives financial boost - Cipo to open British bike show - Paul Smith opens bike shop in Harrods - MP backs Yorkshire Tour bid - Could you ride for The Clan?

Thomas: London is "main 2012 goal"

Geraint Thomas

Geraint Thomas has replied to comments made by British Cycling coach Chris Sutton, who said recently that he believed the Welsh rider had felt pressured into staying away from the Tour de France this year to concentrate on the Olympics.

Speaking to Wales Online, Thomas said: "I have always said London was my main 2012 goal and I don’t want to jeopardise my chances. But a home Olympics is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and to have a chance of winning a gold medal is amazing. Being British is part of the reason I am committing to the Games and I won’t deny that. Other nations maybe don’t see the Olympics as important as the British. Being Welsh is also an important factor and we don’t have that many gold medal prospects. To be one of those makes me massively proud." He also says that he has known Sutton since he was 14, that he knew beforehand what Sutton was going to say and that there is no rift nor secrets between them.

Tony Martin, now with Omega Pharma

Tony Martin injured
Tony Martin, World Time Trial Champion, was injured in an accident involving a car during an accident involving a car yesterday near his home in Switzerland. Early reports suggesting that he hit the car now appear to have been mistaken and it seems the car driver was at fault. Having lost consciousness, the Omega Pharma-QuickStep rider was taken to hospital where he was found to have a fractured cheekbone.

His condition is described as stable and updates will be released via the official team website. It won't be known until further tests have been carried out whether or not he'll require surgery, though a fractured cheekbone frequently does in order to prevent facial disfiguration, nor how long he'll be forced to remain away from competition.

Schleck crashes out of Brabantse Pijl
RadioShack-Nissan's Andy Schleck (our favourite for the race) crashed during yesterday's Brabantse Pijl and received a minor injury to his hand. "The doctor said if my hand still hurts tomorrow I should have it x-rayed but I feel confident that there isn't a problem," the Luxembourgian rider explained in a team press release.

However, many noted that his performance in the race was not what it has been early in recent years, leading to concerns that he will not have the form to do well in the Grand Tours this year. Andy, however, is more optimistic and brushes yesterday off as bad luck. "Three guys crashed in front of me so I couldn’t avoid it at all.  I chased back and got to the bottom of the climb, so I shifted to the small ring and realized my bike was broken. I lost the peloton again," he says. "I’ve been lucky for two years with no crashes so I hope this was the last crash of the season."

Other News
The organisers of this year's Energiewacht Tour, which was won by Ina-Yoko Teutenberg last week, have produced a video review of the race showing highlights of the event. Hailed as one of the finest showcases of women's cycling for some time, the six-stage event featured very fast and aggressive racing on a series of short circuits. The video can be seen on the official race website.

A provisional Amstel Gold start list has been published. The race is due to take place this Sunday. A provisional list for the Women's Fleche Wallonne has also been made available here.

Cipo to open bike show

Insurance provider FBD has signed a three-year sponsorship deal with Cycling Ireland, the latest gesture the company has made in its ongoing efforts to support Irish sport (it also sponsors several football leagues and is expected to also soon announce a similar deal with Irish tennis) and a huge boost for the country's cycling ambitions. Precise details have not yet been announced, but terms are thought to be sufficient to give the Federation's Talent Team 2020 - which aims to send an eight-strong team to the Olympics that year - access to top-level equipment, coaching, race experience and scientific support. (More from Sports Pro Media)

Mario Cipollini will cut the ribbon to open the new IPC Road Cycling Show at Sandowne Park on the 21st of April, say organisers, where he'll meet fans and sign autographs (unless, that is, it's raining or there's a bit of a hill on the way to the ribbon, in which case he'll probably be helicoptered away before sending back photos of himself with exotic cocktail in hand on some tropical beach somewhere). Tickets to the show are £12 in advance, £15 on the door and can be booked here. (More from Cycling Weekly.)

Fashion designer and professional cycling fan Paul Smith has opened a bike shop in the sports department of Harrods. The shop sells a selection of doubtless-not-very-cheap t-shirts, jerseys and magazines in addition to offering a custom bike building service from bike firms Mercier, Paris, Brompton and the legendary Condor.

Beverley and Holderness MP Graham Stuart has urged the people of Yorkshire to pledge support for their region's bid to host the start of the 2016 Tour de France. "The Tour de France is one of the world's top sporting events, and hosting it in our county would be fantastic. In 2007 the race visited London and the South East, bringing with it a huge boost in tourism and media coverage," he says - a statement that is almost enough to earn him forgiveness for A; spending £426 of taxpayer money on new bed linen and towels in 2007 and B; being a Tory. You can add your support to the bid here.

Could you ride for The Clan?
Requirements are simple: you'll need to be committed, brave and a skilled BMX/trials/mountain bike stunt rider.

Oh - and female. The Clan, based in Scotland, is the only stunt team in the UK with female riders; its aim, in the words of manager Iain Withers, being to teach children "cycling is cool and fun and exciting for everyone. We were going round schools for Cycling Scotland and there was a lot of research that made it quite clear that if girls are going to get into cycling they need female role models to look up to."

Originally, Withers thought it would be difficult to find suitable female riders in such a male-dominated sport and so he was pleasantly surprised when six very talented women applied. This year, ten have already applied for the place. Got the skills? More information here. (More on the team from The Guardian.)

The Clan in action

Tweets

Mark Cavendish ‏ @MarkCavendish 

Sometimes I can be such a twat. Wish I realised it before it happened!

Cycling News from around the World 10.04.12

Amstel Gold threatened by police strikes - De Vlaeminck unimpressed by Boonen triumph - G-Man Thomas should have opted for Tour says coach - Brailsford optimistic - Good news for Leukemans - Red Baron hunting new bike record

Amstel Gold Race under threat
The Amstel Gold, first run in 1966 and every year since, may not go ahead this year as police have threatened to strike over wage demands. The event is due to take place on the 15th of April, with organisers awaiting further information. (More from Wielerland)

De Vlaeminck unimpressed by Paris-Roubaix

Roger de Vlaeminck won four editions of cycling's
hardest race in the 1970s

Omega Pharma-QuickStep's Tom Boonen is doubtless ecstatic after winning a fourth edition of Paris-Roubaix, one of the most legendary races in cycling and arguably the toughest. However; Roger de Vlaeminck - the only other man to have won four - is not as impressed, though he doesn't blame Boonen for what he describes as a victory against third-rate riders.

"Tom can't help it that he had no opposition in this race," says 64-year old De Vlaeminck, who won his first Paris-Roubaix in 1972 and his fourth in 1977. "The competition was no obstacle to him. Probably, they could not be better. For the Belgians, it was fantastic; but for the average foreign cyclist there wasn't much excitement. A sad affair."

He takes care not to criticise Boonen, who won the race after escaping the peloton with 50km to go and then rode solo to the finish line, but feels that the race lost out through the lack of anyone willing or able to chase him. "I hope Cancellara will be there next year," he says, the Swiss star having been kept away by a quadruple fracture of the collar bone sustained at the Ronde van Vlaanderen this time around. "Then we'll see another race." (More from Sportwereld)

Geraint Thomas

Thomas should have opted for the Tour, says Sutton
British Cycling coach Shane Sutton believes that Geraint Thomas should have been more selfish and chosen to go for personal glory at this year's Tour de France rather than aiming to retain the Olympic Men's Pursuit title for his native Wales.

"I actually think G[eraint] is so iconic in this part of the world [Wales] that he feels the support he's had over the years and the support he continues to get from everybody - it's so massive I think he
feels he has to return the favour.

I think that's probably not the right reason and the pressure that must be on him not to ride the Tour, he must be killing himself. Because he is a grand tour rider, one of the best grand tour riders that we have, and he's a guy that actually I think could go a long way in a grand tour if he wanted. He can lead out, he can climb - he can do everything. He's one of the great bike riders out there at this moment in time." (More from BBC Sport)

Brailsford hopeful for London
British Cycling performance director Dave Brailsford is optimistic after the team's excellent showing at the UCI World Track Championships - British cyclists won half the medals on offer for races that also feature in the Olympics.

"We've got more to come," he says. "The dilemma is that if you select now the riders know what they are doing and can train a little bit more specifically. The downside is that in 16 weeks anyone's form might not to be the same. That is the conundrum: late for form, but early for clarity of purpose." (More from The Daily Mail)

Laura Trott

Brailsford has also made note of Laura Trott's impressive riding at the Championships, during which she took two laps at the front in the Team Pursuit helped the British squad to another gold medal and a new World Record time. "She's pretty special," he said. "She was absolutely brilliant in the team pursuit and she rode an absolutely faultless omnium. Super talent - 19 years old. Wow. It's pretty exciting." (More from Cambridge News)

Good news for Leukemans
Vacansoliel-DCM have confirmed that Bjorn Leukemans, who suffered a knee injury at the Ronde van Vlaanderen, will not require surgery to repair damage to his menisci, the two cushions of cartilage within the knee that serve to reduce friction between the femur and tibia.

Vacansoleil-DCM ‏ @VacansoleilDCM
Better news for #leukemans: No operation (k)needed!

The Red Baron hunts a new record
Eric Barone is looking to set a new World Record downhill cycling. The Frenchman, now aged 51, holds the current record of 222kph which he set on snow at Les Arcs on the 21st of April 2000. An attempt on the 9th of April this year came to nothing when he "only" reached 158kph. "I'm a little bit disappointed, but I remain optimistic," he said afterwards. "I will try again whatever happens in better conditions with a harder surface of snow." (More from Sport.fr)

Tour de France: Stage 21 Debrief - Yell for Cav 'n' Cadel!

Cavendish

The final stage of a Tour can sometimes be a little boring when we're spoiled by the superb racing and excitement that comes in the run-up to it. It looked a little like this year might turn out that way early on in the race, but it was not to be - while we all knew Andy Schleck wouldn't even dream of being so crass as to try to challenge Cadel Evans' triumph, Mark Cavendish and Jose Joaquin had every reason to fight right up to the end: all it would have taken was Rojas to win the final sprint to the finish and Cav to come fourth and the green jersey wouldn't have been coming to Britain. Then, instead of the clear-cut stage winning solo breakaway that can so easily happen, the race ended with a mass sprint; meaning massively increased chances of snarl-ups that could give a lucky chancer the opportunity to take his glory.

But with Cav defending it that obviously didn't happen, even though a mechanical problem saw him have to take a bike from a domestique and be paced back to the peloton by team mates. He crossed the line just ahead of the rest after 2h27'02", his 20th stage win and the first British rider to ever win the Points Classification in the Tour de France.

Evans

Cadel Evans crossed the line to a hero's welcome, the only type fitting for a Tour de France winner. He's the only Australian to have won a Tour and, at 34, the oldest rider to have done so since World War 2. There are several petitions currently doing the rounds in Australia with the aim of having the 24th of July declared a national public holiday - this is a perfect reason to have one.

Despite the flurry of doping scandals shortly before the Tour - Wim Vansevenant, Sven S., the BMC bus - only one rider provided a positive sample during the race and was expelled immediately. This already being hailed as the cleanest Tour in years; and that means everyone wins.

Stage 21 Results:

1. CAVENDISH Mark 2h 27' 02"  

2. HAGEN Edvald Boasson

3. GREIPEL André

4. FARRAR Tyler

5. CANCELLARA Fabian

6. OSS Daniel

7. BOZIC Borut

8. VAITKUS Tomas

9. CIOLEK Gerald

10. ENGOULVENT Jimmy (all same time)

Benjamin du Tour Arnold Jeannesson

Overall Results 2011:

General Classification:

1. EVANS Cadel 86h 12' 22"  

2. SCHLECK Andy 86h 13' 56" (+ 01' 34")

3. SCHLECK Frank 86h 14' 52" (+ 02' 30")

4. VOECKLER Thomas 86h 15' 42" (+ 03' 20")

5. CONTADOR Alberto 86h 16' 19" (+ 03' 57")

6. SANCHEZ Samuel 86h 17' 17" (+ 04' 55")

7. CUNEGO Damiano 86h 18' 27" (+ 06' 05")

8. BASSO Ivan 86h 19' 45" (+ 07' 23")

9. DANIELSON Tom 86h 20' 37" (+ 08' 15")

10. PERAUD Jean-Christophe 86h 22' 33" (+ 10' 11")

Points:

1. CAVENDISH Mark 334 pts

2. ROJAS Jose Joaquin 272 pts

3. GILBERT Philippe 236 pts

4. EVANS Cadel 208 pts

5. HUSHOVD Thor 195 pts

6. HAGEN Edvald Boasson 192 pts

7. GREIPEL André 160 pts

8. FARRAR Tyler 127 pts

9. SANCHEZ Samue 105 pts

10. CONTADOR Alberto 105 pts

King of the Mountains:

1. SANCHEZ Samuel 108 pts

2. SCHLECK Andy 98 pts

3. VANENDERT Jelle 74 pts

4. EVANS Cadel 58 pts

5. SCHLECK Frank 56 pts

6. CONTADOR Alberto 51 pts

7. ROY Jérémy 45 pts

8. ROLLAND Pierre 44 pts

9. IGLINSKIY Maxim 40 pts

10. HOOGERLAND Johnny 40 pts

Youth:

1. ROLLAND Pierre 86h 23' 05"  

2. TAARAMAE Rein 86h 23' 51" (+ 00' 46")

3. COPPEL Jérôme 86h 30' 58" (+ 07' 53")

4. JEANNESSON Arnold 86h 33' 42" (+ 10' 37") (Benjamin du Tour)

5. RUIJGH Rob 86h 45' 26" (+ 22' 21")

6. URAN Rigoberto 86h 55' 10" (+ 32' 05")

7. THOMAS Geraint 87h 13' 10" (+ 50' 05")

8. GESINK Robert 87h 17' 31" (+ 54' 26")

9. GAUTIER Cyril 87h 40' 05" (+ 1h 17' 00")

10. ZEITS Andrey 87h 44' 10" (+ 1h 21' 05")

Team Classification:

1. TEAM GARMIN - CERVELO 258h 18' 49"  

2. TEAM LEOPARD-TREK 258h 29' 53" (+ 11' 04")

3. AG2R LA MONDIALE 258h 30' 09" (+ 11' 20")

4. TEAM EUROPCAR 259h 00' 42" (+ 41' 53")

5. EUSKALTEL - EUSKADI 259h 10' 49" (+ 52' 00")

6. SKY PROCYCLING 259h 17' 13" (+ 58' 24")

7. KATUSHA TEAM 259h 28' 28" (+ 1h 09' 39")

8. SAXO BANK SUNGARD 259h 35' 01" (+ 1h 16' 12")

9. FDJ 259h 49' 05" (+ 1h 30' 16")

10. COFIDIS LE CREDIT EN LIGNE 260h 06' 18" (+ 1h 47' 29")

Combativity: To be confirmed

Lanterne Rouge Fabio Sabatini. Hurrah!

Lanterne Rouge: 167. SABATINI Fabio 90h 10' 05" (+ 3h 57' 43")

British Riders:

Stage 21

1. CAVENDISH Mark 2h 27' 02"

63. THOMAS Geraint 2h 27' 02" 

146. SWIFT Ben 2h 27' 02" 

158. MILLAR David 2h 27' 37"

Overall General Classification

31. THOMAS Geraint 87h 13' 10" 

76. MILLAR David 88h 27' 18" 

130. CAVENDISH Mark 89h 27' 27" 

137. SWIFT Ben 89h 30' 29"