Cadel Evans sealed victory in the 2011 Tour de France after a trouble-free final stage to Paris that saw Mark Cavendish take his third consecutive sprint win on the Champs-Élysées.
In the finishing sprint, Cavendish enjoyed a fine lead-out from his HTC-Highroad squad across the Place de la Concorde.
Cadel Evans is set to become the first Australian winner of the Tour de France after overcoming his overnight deficit to Andy Schleck in the penultimate stage time trial Saturday.
BMC leader Evans started the 42.5km race against the clock with a 57-second deficit to Schleck in the overall standings but easily erased that on his way to second place behind stage winner Tony Martin of Germany. Last years winner Alberto Contador had a strong ride for third in the stage.
Andy Schleck closed to within 15 seconds of the yellow jersey with an audacious breakaway victory on the Col du Galibier in the Tour de France.
Schleck was only denied the overall lead by a late surge up the climb from yellow jersey wearer Thomas Voeckler.
Team Leopard-Trek is a new professional road racing team from Luxembourg led by the brothers Andy Schleck and Fränk Schleck, with Brian Nygaard and Kim Andersen as team managers. Other senior riders include veterans Jens Voigt, World Time Trial Champion Fabian Cancellara and Stuart O’Grady.
Michael Rogers has signed a two-year deal with Team Sky. The 30-year-old will join up with the likes of Bradley Wiggins and Edvald Boasson Hagen, and spearhead the team in week-long stages races and the Tour de France. In other news, seasoned Tour de France campaigner Stuart O’Grady has confirmed his departure from Saxo Bank by signing with the Luxembourg Cycling Project being led by Schleck brothers Andy and Frank.
Luxembourg’s Andy Schleck, who finished second on the Tour de France, will not take part in the UCI road world championships in Melbourne next month.
When I was a young lad my maths teacher asked me what I wanted to do when I grew up. I was 14 and thought I knew it all. At that age studying took a back seat and when you’re in love with cycling as much I as was back then, there’s only one distraction on your mind: Girls.
I digress. So, for whatever reason the teacher pulled me up for misbehaving in class and when he asked, I replied, ‘win the Tour de France.’
Brothers Andy and Frank Schleck are leaving their Saxo Bank team and are set to join a home brewed Luxembourg outfit next season.
“It’s official that we will not be riding with Bjarne next season,” Andy Schleck said. “We are going to leave at the end of the year,” he added.