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BEIJING — Time-trial world champion Tony Martin donned the overall leader's red jersey after winning the opening time-trial here on Wednesday in the inaugural Tour of Beijing.

The 26-year-old German was 17 seconds faster over the 11.3km course - between the iconic Olympic stadiums of the Birds Nest and the Water Cube - than Scottish rider David Millar.

Three other British riders filled the next spots, Alex Dowsett, recent Tour of Spain runner-up the Kenyan-born Chris Froome and Stephen Cummings.

Best of the Chinese riders was Ma Haijun, who finished 105th, a little over a minute-and-a-half slower than Martin.

Martin, who has had a season to remember also winning the overall title in Paris-Nice and time-trial stages at the Tour de France and Tour of Spain, said he hoped he could retain the overall lead even though Thursday's stage may not suit him.

"It is the first time that I have come to China, so therefore it is a good debut," he said.

"I hope I will retain the red jersey. Tomorrow (Thursday), is for the sprinters," he added.

The stage is a 137km ride from the Birds Nest to Mentougou while the race reaches its conclusion on Sunday.

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23-Aug-2011 :  Today an extraordinary Sylvain Chavanel is wearing the red jersey as the leader in the Vuelta at the arrival placed more than 2100 metres above sea level on Sierra Nevada.

The champion from Quick-Step Cycling Team completed a masterpiece of tactics and determination, managing to dole out some left over energy after his fantastic performance in yesterday’s stage, maintaining a 43” advantage in the general classification over the second place rider, Daniel Moreno, who won today’s stage.

“I came to this Vuelta highly motivated,” explained an exhausted but radiant Chavanel after the arrival. “I think I proved that both today and yesterday. Today along the climb to Sierra Nevada I saw that Lastras didn’t have a great pedal push. I knew that if I could make it past the first part of the climb I could be the leader. I counted the kilometres to go to the top, I couldn’t let a chance like that get away. For me it’s a great feeling. In 2008 I’d already worn this jersey, but this year after the bad luck I had in the Tour it has a different meaning. I’m going to try to defend it and honour it, like I always have. Tomorrow there are going to be some difficult passages but I’m going to give it my all. I had a tough Tour de France but luckily I have the capacity to turn the page quickly. I know I can have a good end of the season and even make it to the World Championships in great shape. First though, there’s the Vuelta and a jersey to honour in the best way possible.”

The team’s great day was completed by Seeldraeyers’ 10th place in the general classification, 1’04” from his team mate Chavanel.

“We’ve gotten off to a great start at the Vuelta” Seeldraeyers says. “Today my legs weren’t bad at all. I’m happy to be in the top 10, even though the road to Madrid is still long and hard. However, I’m going to try to defend this position in these next days, I’m in good shape and there will be lots of climbs in the next stages.”

General classification after stage 4

1 Sylvain Chavanel (FRA)

2 Daniel Moreno Fernandez (Spa) 43’’

3 Jakob Fuglsang (Den) 49’’?

4 Maxime Monfort (Bel) 49’’

5 Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) 53’’

10 Kevin Seeldraeyers (Bel)

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13-Jul-2011: For tomorrow “le 14 Juillet“ Sylvain Chavanel has received a special gift. An EMX-5 frame with new graphics in the colours of the French flag, bearing his Nickname, “La Machine”, which perfectly describes Sylvain when he's on the attack, that perfect style of his that doesn't betray any sign of fatigue, even when he's at maximum exertion. This trait, and Sylvain's innate niceness makes him one of the most esteemed riders in the group.  “I'd like to thank the staff at Eddy Merckx Cycles and the team for this awesome surprise," said Chavanel. “I really appreciate the efforts they put in that allowed me to celebrate my country's national holiday. Even these small details show how united this team is. I hope I can give them and my fans some satisfaction in the next few days, from the saddle of this two-wheeled jewel."

 

 

General classification after stage 11

1 Thomas Voeckler (Fra) Team Europcar 45:52:39
2 Luis Leon Sanchez Gil (Spa) Rabobank Cycling Team 0:01:49
3 Cadel Evans (Aus) BMC Racing Team 0:02:26
4 Fränk Schleck (Lux) Leopard Trek 0:02:29
5 Andy Schleck (Lux) Leopard Trek 0:02:37
6 Tony Martin (Ger) HTC-Highroad 0:02:38
7 Peter Velits (Svk) HTC-Highroad
8 Andreas Klöden (Ger) Team RadioShack 0:02:43
9 Philippe Gilbert (Bel) Omega Pharma-Lotto 0:02:55
10 Jakob Fuglsang (Den) Leopard Trek 0:03:08
11 Ivan Basso (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale 0:03:36
12 Damiano Cunego (Ita) Lampre - ISD 0:03:37
13 Nicolas Roche (Irl) AG2R La Mondiale 0:03:45
14 Kevin De Weert (Bel) Quickstep Cycling Team 0:03:47
15 Robert Gesink (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team 0:04:01
16 Alberto Contador Velasco (Spa) Saxo Bank Sungard 0:04:07
17 Thomas Danielson (USA) Team Garmin-Cervelo 0:04:22
18 Rein Taaramae (Est) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne 0:04:52
19 Christian Vande Velde (USA) Team Garmin-Cervelo 0:04:53
20 Samuel Sanchez Gonzalez (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 0:05:01
21 Carlos Barredo Llamazales (Spa) Rabobank Cycling Team 0:05:04
22 Vladimir Karpets (Rus) Katusha Team 0:05:05
23 Maxime Monfort (Bel) Leopard Trek 0:05:07
24 Thor Hushovd (Nor) Team Garmin-Cervelo 0:05:13
25 Haimar Zubeldia Agirre (Spa) Team RadioShack 0:05:14
26 Arnold Jeannesson (Fra) FDJ 0:05:21
27 Jean-Christophe Peraud (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale 0:05:32
28 David Millar (GBr) Team Garmin-Cervelo
29 Rob Ruijgh (Ned) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team 0:05:43
30 Sandy Casar (Fra) FDJ
31 Geraint Thomas (GBr) Sky Procycling 0:05:51
32 Björn Leukemans (Bel) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team 0:06:26
33 Jerome Coppel (Fra) Saur - Sojasun 0:06:35
34 Linus Gerdemann (Ger) Leopard Trek 0:06:40
35 Levi Leipheimer (USA) Team RadioShack 0:07:16
36 Rigoberto Uran Uran (Col) Sky Procycling 0:07:20
37 Edvald Boasson Hagen (Nor) Sky Procycling 0:07:45
38 Dries Devenyns (Bel) Quickstep Cycling Team 0:08:16
39 Vladimir Gusev (Rus) Katusha Team 0:08:45
40 Cyril Gautier (Fra) Team Europcar 0:09:12
41 Pierre Rolland (Fra) Team Europcar 0:09:47
42 Gorka Verdugo Marcotegui (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 0:10:32
43 Yuriy Trofimov (Rus) Katusha Team 0:11:22
44 Maciej Paterski (Pol) Liquigas-Cannondale 0:12:10
45 Egoi Martinez De Esteban (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 0:13:06
46 Jelle Vanendert (Bel) Omega Pharma-Lotto 0:13:37
47 Laurens Ten Dam (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team 0:14:41
48 George Hincapie (USA) BMC Racing Team 0:14:53
49 Jérôme Pineau (Fra) Quickstep Cycling Team 0:15:14
50 Yannick Talabardon (Fra) Saur - Sojasun 0:15:22
51 Ryder Hesjedal (Can) Team Garmin-Cervelo 0:15:32
52 Tejay Van Garderen (USA) HTC-Highroad 0:20:19
53 Adriano Malori (Ita) Lampre - ISD 0:20:53
54 Maxime Bouet (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale 0:20:59
55 Jose Joaquin Rojas Gil (Spa) Movistar Team 0:21:06
56 Hubert Dupont (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale 0:21:15
57 Anthony Charteau (Fra) Team Europcar 0:21:33
58 Kristijan Koren (Slo) Liquigas-Cannondale 0:22:02
59 Julien El Fares (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne 0:22:06
60 Rémy Di Gregorio (Fra) Pro Team Astana 0:22:20
61 Tony Gallopin (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne 0:22:50
62 David Moncoutie (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne 0:22:51
63 Bauke Mollema (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team 0:23:51
64 Egor Silin (Rus) Katusha Team 0:24:14
65 Rui Alberto Faria Da Costa (Por) Movistar Team 0:24:50
66 Andrey Zeits (Kaz) Pro Team Astana 0:25:13
67 Christian Knees (Ger) Sky Procycling 0:25:25
68 Daniel Oss (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale 0:25:26
69 Simon Gerrans (Aus) Sky Procycling 0:25:59
70 Imanol Erviti Ollo (Spa) Movistar Team 0:26:25
71 Grischa Niermann (Ger) Rabobank Cycling Team 0:26:53
72 Steve Morabito (Swi) BMC Racing Team 0:27:16
73 Sébastien Hinault (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale 0:27:30
74 José Ivan Gutierrez Palacios (Spa) Movistar Team 0:27:41
75 Nicki Sörensen (Den) Saxo Bank Sungard 0:28:05
76 Marco Marcato (Ita) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team 0:28:47
77 Jens Voigt (Ger) Leopard Trek 0:28:59
78 David Arroyo Duran (Spa) Movistar Team 0:30:05
79 Danilo Hondo (Ger) Lampre - ISD 0:30:07
80 Ruben Perez Moreno (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 0:30:41
81 Richie Porte (Aus) Saxo Bank Sungard 0:30:54
82 Jurgen Roelandts (Bel) Omega Pharma-Lotto 0:30:56
83 Chris Anker Sörensen (Den) Saxo Bank Sungard 0:31:04
84 Johnny Hoogerland (Ned) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team 0:31:26
85 Sylvester Szmyd (Pol) Liquigas-Cannondale 0:31:48
86 David Loosli (Swi) Lampre - ISD 0:32:24
87 Juan Antonio Flecha Giannoni (Spa) Sky Procycling 0:33:05
88 Sébastien Turgot (Fra) Team Europcar 0:33:08
89 Dmitriy Fofonov (Kaz) Pro Team Astana 0:33:20
90 Amaël Moinard (Fra) BMC Racing Team 0:34:17
91 Arthur Vichot (Fra) FDJ 0:34:18
92 Christophe Riblon (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale 0:34:26
93 Alan Perez Lezaun (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 0:35:17
94 Sergio Miguel Moreira Paulinho (Por) Team RadioShack 0:36:48
95 William Bonnet (Fra) FDJ 0:37:40
96 Markel Irizar Aranburu (Spa) Team RadioShack 0:38:24
97 Xabier Zandio Echaide (Spa) Sky Procycling 0:38:26
98 Ivan Santaromita (Ita) BMC Racing Team 0:38:40
99 Manuel Quinziato (Ita) BMC Racing Team 0:38:51
100 Stuart O'Grady (Aus) Leopard Trek 0:39:03
101 Alessandro Vanotti (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale 0:39:52
102 Tristan Valentin (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne 0:40:19
103 Gorka Izagirre Insausti (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 0:40:36
104 Paolo Tiralongo (Ita) Pro Team Astana 0:41:01
105 Benjamin Noval Gonzalez (Spa) Saxo Bank Sungard 0:42:21
106 Daniel Navarro Garcia (Spa) Saxo Bank Sungard 0:43:14
107 Gianni Meersman (Bel) FDJ 0:43:44
108 Alessandro Petacchi (Ita) Lampre - ISD 0:43:56
109 Sylvain Chavanel (Fra) Quickstep Cycling Team 0:44:16
110 Mark Cavendish (GBr) HTC-Highroad 0:45:42
111 Jérémie Galland (Fra) Saur - Sojasun
112 Fabian Cancellara (Swi) Leopard Trek 0:46:28
113 Francisco José Ventoso Alberdi (Spa) Movistar Team 0:46:46
114 Marcel Sieberg (Ger) Omega Pharma-Lotto 0:47:17
115 Sebastian Lang (Ger) Omega Pharma-Lotto 0:47:43
116 Ben Swift (GBr) Sky Procycling
117 Matthew Harley Goss (Aus) HTC-Highroad 0:47:47
118 Sébastien Minard (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale 0:48:00
119 Romain Feillu (Fra) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team 0:48:49
120 Matteo Tosatto (Ita) Saxo Bank Sungard 0:48:50
121 Michael Schär (Swi) BMC Racing Team 0:48:56
122 Romain Zingle (Bel) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne 0:49:01
123 Mickaël Delage (Fra) FDJ 0:49:29
124 Leonardo Fabio Duque (Col) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne 0:49:38
125 Brian Vandborg (Den) Saxo Bank Sungard 0:50:16
126 Borut Bozic (Slo) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team 0:50:24
127 Maarten Tjallingii (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team 0:50:41
128 Anthony Roux (Fra) FDJ 0:51:40
129 Matteo Bono (Ita) Lampre - ISD 0:52:02
130 Roman Kreuziger (Cze) Pro Team Astana 0:52:13
131 Leonardo Bertagnolli (Ita) Lampre - ISD 0:52:23
132 Tomas Vaitkus (Ltu) Pro Team Astana 0:52:53
133 Grega Bole (Slo) Lampre - ISD 0:52:54
134 Anthony Delaplace (Fra) Saur - Sojasun 0:52:55
135 Laurent Mangel (Fra) Saur - Sojasun 0:53:00
136 Paolo Longo Borghini (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale 0:53:06
137 Brent Bookwalter (USA) BMC Racing Team 0:53:50
138 Joost Posthuma (Ned) Leopard Trek 0:54:39
139 Gerald Ciolek (Ger) Quickstep Cycling Team 0:55:29
140 Julian Dean (NZl) Team Garmin-Cervelo 0:56:02
141 Lieuwe Westra (Ned) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team
142 Yohann Gene (Fra) Team Europcar 0:56:31
143 Denis Galimzyanov (Rus) Katusha Team 0:57:37
144 Thomas De Gendt (Bel) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team 0:59:07
145 Samuel Dumoulin (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne 1:00:23
146 André Greipel (Ger) Omega Pharma-Lotto 1:00:39
147 Lars Boom (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team 1:00:42
148 Maciej Bodnar (Pol) Liquigas-Cannondale 1:00:48
149 Maxim Iglinskiy (Kaz) Pro Team Astana 1:01:13
150 Tyler Farrar (USA) Team Garmin-Cervelo 1:01:32
151 Jonathan Hivert (Fra) Saur - Sojasun 1:01:38
152 Andriy Grivko (Ukr) Pro Team Astana 1:03:02
153 Arnaud Coyot (Fra) Saur - Sojasun 1:03:23
154 Marcus Burghardt (Ger) BMC Racing Team 1:03:32
155 Pablo Urtasun Perez (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 1:03:49
156 Blel Kadri (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale 1:05:01
157 Jérémy Roy (Fra) FDJ 1:05:20
158 Bernhard Eisel (Aut) HTC-Highroad 1:05:30
159 Mikhail Ignatyev (Rus) Katusha Team 1:06:02
160 Ramunas Navardauskas (Ltu) Team Garmin-Cervelo 1:06:21
161 Mark Renshaw (Aus) HTC-Highroad 1:06:37
162 Niki Terpstra (Ned) Quickstep Cycling Team 1:07:40
163 Danny Pate (USA) HTC-Highroad 1:07:50
164 Denys Kostyuk (Ukr) Lampre - ISD 1:07:58
165 Jesús Hernandez Blazquez (Spa) Saxo Bank Sungard 1:10:13
166 Lars Ytting Bak (Den) HTC-Highroad 1:10:37
167 Fabrice Jeandesboz (Fra) Saur - Sojasun 1:11:38
168 Mickaël Buffaz (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne 1:11:53
169 Perrig Quemeneur (Fra) Team Europcar 1:12:36
170 Jimmy Engoulvent (Fra) Saur - Sojasun 1:16:48
171 Dmitriy Muravyev (Kaz) Team RadioShack 1:18:15
172 Addy Engels (Ned) Quickstep Cycling Team 1:19:15
173 Fabio Sabatini (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale 1:20:16
174 Andrey Amador Bakkazakova (CRc) Movistar Team 1:27:59
175 Vladimir Isaichev (Rus) Katusha Team 1:28:46
176 Gert Steegmans (Bel) Quickstep Cycling Team 1:33:10
177 Vincent Jerome (Fra) Team Europcar 1:35:50

Points classification

1 Mark Cavendish (GBr) HTC-Highroad 251 pts
2 Jose Joaquin Rojas Gil (Spa) Movistar Team 235
3 Philippe Gilbert (Bel) Omega Pharma-Lotto 231
4 André Greipel (Ger) Omega Pharma-Lotto 164
5 Thor Hushovd (Nor) Team Garmin-Cervelo 163
6 Romain Feillu (Fra) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team 141
7 Cadel Evans (Aus) BMC Racing Team 135
8 Tyler Farrar (USA) Team Garmin-Cervelo 106
9 Sébastien Hinault (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale 82
10 Denis Galimzyanov (Rus) Katusha Team 81
11 Mickaël Delage (Fra) FDJ 78
12 Edvald Boasson Hagen (Nor) Sky Procycling 75
13 Borut Bozic (Slo) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team 69
14 Sébastien Turgot (Fra) Team Europcar 60
15 William Bonnet (Fra) FDJ 60
16 Geraint Thomas (GBr) Sky Procycling 58
17 Alberto Contador Velasco (Spa) Saxo Bank Sungard 51
18 Rui Alberto Faria Da Costa (Por) Movistar Team 48
19 Francisco José Ventoso Alberdi (Spa) Movistar Team 48
20 Matthew Harley Goss (Aus) HTC-Highroad 48
21 Alessandro Petacchi (Ita) Lampre - ISD 47
22 Thomas Voeckler (Fra) Team Europcar 46
23 Fränk Schleck (Lux) Leopard Trek 46
24 Luis Leon Sanchez Gil (Spa) Rabobank Cycling Team 45
25 Andreas Klöden (Ger) Team RadioShack 44
26 Sandy Casar (Fra) FDJ 42
27 Jimmy Engoulvent (Fra) Saur - Sojasun 41
28 Arthur Vichot (Fra) FDJ 40
29 Peter Velits (Svk) HTC-Highroad 40
30 Daniel Oss (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale 40
31 Samuel Sanchez Gonzalez (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 38
32 Jérémy Roy (Fra) FDJ 37
33 Arnold Jeannesson (Fra) FDJ 36
34 Anthony Delaplace (Fra) Saur - Sojasun 36
35 José Ivan Gutierrez Palacios (Spa) Movistar Team 34
36 Leonardo Fabio Duque (Col) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne 33
37 Lieuwe Westra (Ned) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team 32
38 Rigoberto Uran Uran (Col) Sky Procycling 32
39 Johnny Hoogerland (Ned) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team 31
40 Tony Gallopin (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne 29
41 Tony Martin (Ger) HTC-Highroad 28
42 Mark Renshaw (Aus) HTC-Highroad 28
43 Marco Marcato (Ita) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team 27
44 Tristan Valentin (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne 27
45 Damiano Cunego (Ita) Lampre - ISD 26
46 Julien El Fares (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne 26
47 Ruben Perez Moreno (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 24
48 Gerald Ciolek (Ger) Quickstep Cycling Team 24
49 Gianni Meersman (Bel) FDJ 23
50 Andy Schleck (Lux) Leopard Trek 22
51 Rein Taaramae (Est) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne 22
52 Christophe Riblon (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale 20
53 Anthony Roux (Fra) FDJ 20
54 Julian Dean (NZl) Team Garmin-Cervelo 18
55 Linus Gerdemann (Ger) Leopard Trek 16
56 Dries Devenyns (Bel) Quickstep Cycling Team 15
57 Yannick Talabardon (Fra) Saur - Sojasun 15
58 Niki Terpstra (Ned) Quickstep Cycling Team 15
59 Lars Boom (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team 15
60 Sébastien Minard (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale 15
61 Blel Kadri (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale 15
62 Perrig Quemeneur (Fra) Team Europcar 15
63 Samuel Dumoulin (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne 14
64 Ivan Basso (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale 13
65 Adriano Malori (Ita) Lampre - ISD 13
66 Pablo Urtasun Perez (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 13
67 Tejay Van Garderen (USA) HTC-Highroad 13
68 Juan Antonio Flecha Giannoni (Spa) Sky Procycling 13
69 Andriy Grivko (Ukr) Pro Team Astana 13
70 Gorka Izagirre Insausti (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 13
71 Christian Vande Velde (USA) Team Garmin-Cervelo 11
72 Jelle Vanendert (Bel) Omega Pharma-Lotto 11
73 Maxime Bouet (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale 11
74 Rémy Di Gregorio (Fra) Pro Team Astana 11
75 Imanol Erviti Ollo (Spa) Movistar Team 11
76 Romain Zingle (Bel) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne 11
77 Jakob Fuglsang (Den) Leopard Trek 10
78 Thomas Danielson (USA) Team Garmin-Cervelo 10
79 Jérôme Pineau (Fra) Quickstep Cycling Team 10
80 Addy Engels (Ned) Quickstep Cycling Team 9
81 Cyril Gautier (Fra) Team Europcar 8
82 Tomas Vaitkus (Ltu) Pro Team Astana 8
83 Ryder Hesjedal (Can) Team Garmin-Cervelo 8
84 Maxime Monfort (Bel) Leopard Trek 7
85 Xabier Zandio Echaide (Spa) Sky Procycling 7
86 Gert Steegmans (Bel) Quickstep Cycling Team 7
87 Grega Bole (Slo) Lampre - ISD 6
88 Vladimir Isaichev (Rus) Katusha Team 6
89 Stuart O'Grady (Aus) Leopard Trek 4
90 Bernhard Eisel (Aut) HTC-Highroad 4
91 Marcus Burghardt (Ger) BMC Racing Team 3
92 Maciej Bodnar (Pol) Liquigas-Cannondale 3
93 Nicolas Roche (Irl) AG2R La Mondiale 2
94 Jean-Christophe Peraud (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale 2
95 Paolo Longo Borghini (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale 2
96 Roman Kreuziger (Cze) Pro Team Astana 2
97 Jurgen Roelandts (Bel) Omega Pharma-Lotto 1
98 Amaël Moinard (Fra) BMC Racing Team 1
99 Alessandro Vanotti (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale 1
100 Fabian Cancellara (Swi) Leopard Trek 1
101 Fabio Sabatini (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale 1
102 Andrey Amador Bakkazakova (CRc) Movistar Team -5

Mountains classification

1 Johnny Hoogerland (Ned) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team 22 pts
2 Thomas Voeckler (Fra) Team Europcar 17
3 Tejay Van Garderen (USA) HTC-Highroad 5
4 Marco Marcato (Ita) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team 5
5 Rui Alberto Faria Da Costa (Por) Movistar Team 5
6 Sandy Casar (Fra) FDJ 5
7 Juan Antonio Flecha Giannoni (Spa) Sky Procycling 4
8 Anthony Roux (Fra) FDJ 3
9 Cadel Evans (Aus) BMC Racing Team 2
10 Lars Boom (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team 2
11 Mickaël Delage (Fra) FDJ 2
12 Philippe Gilbert (Bel) Omega Pharma-Lotto 2
13 Anthony Delaplace (Fra) Saur - Sojasun 2
14 Christophe Riblon (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale 2
15 Luis Leon Sanchez Gil (Spa) Rabobank Cycling Team 1
16 Julien El Fares (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne 1
17 Lieuwe Westra (Ned) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team 1
18 Alberto Contador Velasco (Spa) Saxo Bank Sungard 1
19 Cyril Gautier (Fra) Team Europcar 1
20 Sébastien Minard (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale 1
21 Andriy Grivko (Ukr) Pro Team Astana 1

Young rider classification

1 Robert Gesink (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team 45:56:40
2 Rein Taaramae (Est) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne 0:00:51
3 Arnold Jeannesson (Fra) FDJ 0:01:20
4 Rob Ruijgh (Ned) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team 0:01:42
5 Geraint Thomas (GBr) Sky Procycling 0:01:50
6 Jerome Coppel (Fra) Saur - Sojasun 0:02:34
7 Rigoberto Uran Uran (Col) Sky Procycling 0:03:19
8 Edvald Boasson Hagen (Nor) Sky Procycling 0:03:44
9 Cyril Gautier (Fra) Team Europcar 0:05:11
10 Pierre Rolland (Fra) Team Europcar 0:05:46
11 Maciej Paterski (Pol) Liquigas-Cannondale 0:08:09
12 Tejay Van Garderen (USA) HTC-Highroad 0:16:18
13 Adriano Malori (Ita) Lampre - ISD 0:16:52
14 Maxime Bouet (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale 0:16:58
15 Kristijan Koren (Slo) Liquigas-Cannondale 0:18:01
16 Tony Gallopin (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne 0:18:49
17 Bauke Mollema (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team 0:19:50
18 Egor Silin (Rus) Katusha Team 0:20:13
19 Rui Alberto Faria Da Costa (Por) Movistar Team 0:20:49
20 Andrey Zeits (Kaz) Pro Team Astana 0:21:12
21 Daniel Oss (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale 0:21:25
22 Arthur Vichot (Fra) FDJ 0:30:17
23 Gorka Izagirre Insausti (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 0:36:35
24 Ben Swift (GBr) Sky Procycling 0:43:42
25 Matthew Harley Goss (Aus) HTC-Highroad 0:43:46
26 Michael Schär (Swi) BMC Racing Team 0:44:55
27 Romain Zingle (Bel) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne 0:45:00
28 Anthony Roux (Fra) FDJ 0:47:39
29 Roman Kreuziger (Cze) Pro Team Astana 0:48:12
30 Anthony Delaplace (Fra) Saur - Sojasun 0:48:54
31 Gerald Ciolek (Ger) Quickstep Cycling Team 0:51:28
32 Denis Galimzyanov (Rus) Katusha Team 0:53:36
33 Thomas De Gendt (Bel) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team 0:55:06
34 Blel Kadri (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale 1:01:00
35 Ramunas Navardauskas (Ltu) Team Garmin-Cervelo 1:02:20
36 Andrey Amador Bakkazakova (CRc) Movistar Team 1:23:58
37 Vladimir Isaichev (Rus) Katusha Team 1:24:45

Teams classification

1 Team Europcar 136:55:55
2 Leopard Trek 0:00:32
3 Team RadioShack 0:01:02
4 Rabobank Cycling Team 0:01:18
5 Team Garmin-Cervelo 0:01:50
6 AG2R La Mondiale 0:04:23
7 Katusha Team 0:04:40
8 HTC-Highroad 0:04:55
9 Quickstep Cycling Team 0:06:14
10 Omega Pharma-Lotto 0:07:45
11 Euskaltel-Euskadi 0:09:23
12 Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne 0:10:45
13 Pro Team Astana 0:10:50
14 Liquigas-Cannondale 0:11:25
15 Sky Procycling 0:11:29
16 Movistar Team 0:16:42
17 Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team 0:18:26
18 BMC Racing Team 0:18:36
19 FDJ 0:20:44
20 Saxo Bank Sungard 0:23:46
21 Lampre - ISD 0:26:45
22 Saur - Sojasun 0:36:16

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Dries Devenyns 
"When Gilbert got moving on the last climb I followed him with determination. We got a good lead, but in the lead group not everyone was collaborating. Tony Martin clearly wasn’t cooperating in order to favour Cavendish’s sprint. So I preferred not to force things. In these situations it’s also important to understand if a move will be successful or not. I’m happy, anyway. My legs are spinning really well, even after the rest day. We’ll see in the next few days if there will be any other chances.” 

Jerome Pineau 
Jerome Pineau was involved in a crash that happened about 10 kilometres after the start of the stage. “I couldn’t do anything to avoid the fall. It’s never fun to wipe out, but luckily the consequences weren’t too serious. I just have some scrapes on my left side and knee, but they shouldn’t be a problem.” 

Sylvain Chavanel 
"Today I finished in the first group. It was hard for me, but the rest day surely helped me a lot. At the moment I still don’t have the energy I need to attack, but I’m hoping that in the next days I won’t have any more troubles and maybe I can try to needle my way ahead of the group.” 

Kevin De Weert 
"Again today the day went by without problems or falls. I tried to stay out in front to avoid surprises, and also because often after the rest day the legs might not be super.” 

It was a hard day for Gerald Ciolek. The team’s German sprinter is suffering from a pimple that makes it uncomfortable for him to stay on his saddle. Gert Steegmans is still experiencing pain in his left wrist; he finished the stage in 149th place at 5.59` from the winner

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Movistar Team had their minutes of podium again today at the 2011 Tour de France as José Joaquín Rojas went back to put on his green jersey as leader of the points classification in the Grande Boucle. José Joaquín Rojas gained the coveted maillot back on stage 7, a long, 218k ride through the heart of the country from Le Mans to Châteauroux, marked again by crashed which could fortunately be avoided by the lads directed by Eusebio Unzué.

 

With the daily break on front -four escapees this time-, Rojas was 2nd into the bunch sprint at the intermediate bonus, just after Cavendish and two places ahead of Belgian Philippe Gilbert, which put him as virtual maillot vert before confirming it at the proper finish with the 9th place, the Murcian now on top with nine points over Gilbert and 17 over Cavendish, who nears the Movistar Team sprinter after his win on Friday. Rojas commented on stage during the way back to the hotel: “One of the main goals on today was taking the green jersey back and we did it, but I think it was my worst sprint in this year's Tour. It was a super-nervious finish, and even though I find my place from nowhere in other sprints, I couldn't make it today. It was really hard for me to get into position, and the only positive thing I keep from today's is that I seized the jersey again. I can't ask more from the team; they are where they're supposed to be and Ventoso was at my side until the 2km banner. It might have seemed as a transition day from the television, but it was a hard day for our stamina. I hope to go through better days and, overall, making many more stages on this jersey. My biggest enemy? Maybe Cavendish more than Gilbert, because he's showing he's super strong, but there's still two weeks left and it's hard to say who will be my biggest rival to win this jersey in Paris."

 

The first real mountain-top finish of this year's French grandtour comes tomorrow at the Super-Besse ski resort (Cat. 3), which will be tackled after the Col de la Croix-de-Saint-Robert, the first Cat. 2 ascent of this tour.

 

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06-Jul-2011: At about 10 km before the feed-zone Sylvain Chavanel fell hard on his right side, ending up off road and dislocating the acromion-clavicular joint in his right shoulder. 

"In the fall I also hit my head and broke my helmet” Chavanel says. “The consequences could have been much worse. Tomorrow morning I’m lining up for the start as usual, but it’s obvious that tomorrow I can look forward to a day of suffering." 

At about 70 km from the arrival it was Boonen, Steegmans, Ciolek and Engels who bit the asphalt. The four guys were pedalling close together when someone ahead of them took a fall and they all ended up on the ground.

"To avoid the riders ahead of me I braked but my front wheel touched another athlete’s back wheel” Boonen says .“I flew over my bike in an endo and I fell, hitting my head and the right side of my body. My helmet busted on impact."

In the fall Boonen suffered a series of abrasions to his shoulder, elbow and right gluteus, which is sporting a rather deep cut. 

"After the first few minutes of shock I got back on my bike and I wanted to finish the stage” continues Boonen. “I have to thank Engels for his support. Alone I would have risked ending up outside of the maximum time. Now all I only want to recover some Energy from tomorrow."

Boonen will be starting tomorrow’s stage.

In the fall Gert Steegmans took some scrapes to his knee and his left shoulder. The Belgian rider is also suffering from pain in his left wrist. Steegmans will line up for the start tomorrow. 

Kevin De Weert also fell with Contador in a stretch about 100 km from the arrival, fortunately without any consequences.

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27 Jun-2011: Today in his own way, Sylvain Chavanel clinched his first title as French National Champion in road racing. The strong rider from Quick-Step Cycling Team stood out in a race marked by eliminations on a difficult, selective route at Boulogne-Sur-Mer. Chavanel and Pineau united against everyone, literally blowing up the race. 

Chavanel made his first attack at the 60 km mark, catching up to the break-away group. After accelerating even more, the neo French champion went on a solo ride, resisting a return by Anthony Roux and Thomas Voeckler, who finished second and third, respectively. 

“There couldn’t have been a better way to win,” Chavanel says. “Arriving solo you get the chance to savour the victory. I attacked from far away because there were many riders ahead and if I had waited any longer I would have risked getting shut out of the final. Jeje did a great job for me. The two of us made a fantastic team,” jokes Chavanel. “I’m really happy, it will be a huge honour for me to wear this jersey on the roads in the Tour. I’ll try to honour it as best I can, showing my fans a good time by attacking my way.” 



Marc De Maar Champion of Curacao

After his success in yesterday’s time trial, today De Maar also clinched the road title after a distance of 130 kilometres. 

“I’m happy,” explained De Maar. “It was a great feeling to win. The best thing is I get to wear this jersey on the road in upcoming races.” 

There’s also good news from Germany. In fact, Ciolek closed out the National Championship there in second place, only beaten by Robert Wagner in the sprint. 

“I launched a very long sprint,” explains Ciolek. “Only one rider caught up to me; I really could have won. I’m in good shape and I’m preparing to take on the Tour with determination