SB Nation Denver - Cadel Evans Wins 2011 Tour De France

2011 Tour De France Results: Cadel Evans Wins Tour

2011-07-24T18:41:50Z

As expected Australian cyclist Cadel Evans won the 2011 Tour de France on Sunday after a 2:27:02 ride to the Champs-Élysées in Paris. He defeated the Schleck Bros., as Andy was 1:34 behind and Frank had a 2:30 gap at the end of the race. Evans holds the maillot jaune/yellow jersey for the next year.

Mark Cavendish won the final stage in Paris, which should be no surprise, for the third time in his career. This was his fifth stage win this year and his 20th overall, just two behind Lance Armstrong. Cavendish won the maillot vert/green jersey over Jose Joaquin Rojas.

Samuel Sanchez is the King of the Mountain, though the red polka dot jersey had been decided days ago in the Alps. Pierre Rolland captured the white jersey for best young racer.

Boulder's Team Garmin-Cervelo had the best overall team time at 258:18:49, an 11-plus-minute advantage over Team Leopard-Trek. Thor Hushovd of Garmin-Cervelo had two stage wins and wore the yellow jersey for several days before the mountains hurt him.

Hushovd's teammate, Tom Danielson, finished ninth overall, a +8:15 gap behind Evans. He was the top American finisher.

Here is the top 10 leaderboard for the general classification (full one here):

1.	EVANS Cadel	141	BMC RACING TEAM	86h 12' 22"
2.	SCHLECK Andy	11	TEAM LEOPARD-TREK	86h 13' 56"	+ 01' 34"
3.	SCHLECK Frank	18	TEAM LEOPARD-TREK	86h 14' 52"	+ 02' 30"
4.	VOECKLER Thomas	181	TEAM EUROPCAR	86h 15' 42"	+ 03' 20"
5.	CONTADOR Alberto	1	SAXO BANK SUNGARD	86h 16' 19"	+ 03' 57"
6.	SANCHEZ Samuel	21	EUSKALTEL - EUSKADI	86h 17' 17"	+ 04' 55"
7.	CUNEGO Damiano	161	LAMPRE - ISD	86h 18' 27"	+ 06' 05"
8.	BASSO Ivan	91	LIQUIGAS-CANNONDALE	86h 19' 45"	+ 07' 23"
9.	DANIELSON Tom	52	TEAM GARMIN - CERVELO	86h 20' 37"	+ 08' 15"
10.	PERAUD Jean-Christophe	108	AG2R LA MONDIALE	86h 22' 33"	+ 10' 11"

For in-depth coverage of the race, visit out cycling blog, Podium Cafe, and our SB Nation StoryStream.

2011 Tour De France: Cadel Evans Ready To Become 1st Australian Winner

2011-07-24T11:30:31Z

The 2011 Tour de France comes to an end on Sunday when the cyclists begin in Créteil and ride to Paris for the Champs-Élysées. Cadel Evans, barring any accidents or strange happenings on the course, will win the race and become the first Australian to do so. He leads Andy Schleck by +1:34 and Frank Schleck by +2:30.

Mark Cavendish will be one of the other jersey winners, as he holds 285 points for the green jersey. Samuel Sanchez is the King of the Mountains leader and will wear the red polka dot jersey at the end of Sunday. Pierre Rolland, Stage 19 winner, holds a 46 second lead over Rein Taaramäe for the white jersey as the best youth racer.

Tom Danielson of Durango, CO, and Boulder, CO-based Team Garmin-Cervelo will likely hold ninth overall place and be the highest-finishing American in this year's tour. He is +8:15 behind Evans.

Turn to VERSUS at 6 a.m. MT to catch the end to this year's exciting Tour de France!

For in-depth coverage of the race, visit out cycling blog, Podium Cafe, and our SB Nation StoryStream.

2011 Tour De France Results: Tony Martin Wins Time Trial; Cadel Evans Gains Yellow Jersey

2011-07-23T18:39:53Z

Barring a bizarre finish to the 2011 Tour De France, Australian cyclist Cadel Evans will wear the yellow jersey at the end of the overall race. Evans, 34, placed second in the individual time trial at Grenoble, losing by seven seconds to Tony Martin's 55:33.

Evans entered the day 57 seconds behind Andy Schleck, who had picked up the yellow jersey on Friday. Schleck was 2:38 off the pace on Saturday. He brother, Frank, finished three second later. Evans holds a +1:34 lead over Andy and a +2:30 gap over Frank. Thomas Voeckler, who led the race for over a week, is in fourth with a 3:20 gap ahead of him.

Alberto Contador made a late charge over the last several stages to move up in the standings. He finished third at Grenoble, +1:06 behind Martin. Contador is in fifth at +3:57.

On Sunday, Evans should make his triumphant entrance into Paris and reach the Champs-Élysées as the 2011 Tour de France victor.

For in-depth coverage of the race, visit out cycling blog, Podium Cafe, and our SB Nation StoryStream.

2011 Tour De France Route: Andy Schleck Looks To Still Wear Yellow Jersey After Time Trial At Grenoble

2011-07-23T11:30:29Z

The 2011 Tour de France could be decided on the Stage 20 individual time trial in Grenoble. It's just a 42.5 kilometer race that travels along a rolling path with some climb, but no rated climb sections. This will be the only individual time trial in this year's race, as Stage 2 was a team time trial that Boulder, CO's Garmin-Cervelo won.

Grenoble is the birthplace of the yellow jersey (maillot jaune). In 1919, the yellow jersey was given to the leader to signify his status in the tour. Andy Schleck holds a 53 second lead over his brother, Frank, and a 57 second lead over Cadel Evans. Thomas Voeckler, who lost the yellow jersey on Friday, is next with a 2:10 gap ahead of him. Tom Danielson is the highest-ranked American cyclist at +7:11, good for ninth overall.

Grenoble will be a stage for the sprinters to win and any wrong move by the riders at the top will likely put them out of contention. Tune into VERSUS at 6 a.m. MT for what could be the decisive stage.

For in-depth coverage of the race, visit out cycling blog, Podium Cafe, and our SB Nation StoryStream.

2011 Tour De France Results: Pierre Rolland Wins Stage 19 Battle At Alpe d'Huez

2011-07-22T16:17:36Z

The 2011 Tour de France saw battle after battle on this last mountain stage. Ultimately, though, Frenchman Pierre Rolland took control of the race within the final few kilometers to the finish line at the Alpe d'Huez. This was his first victory in the Tour de France.

Alberto Contador early on challenged the others racers, taking chances that, according to VERSUS' announcers, hadn't been seen since the 1960s and 1970s. He was battling Andy and Frank Schleck as well as Cadel Evans at that point. He did drop back, but he took over the race when he made his way up toward the summit on the Alpe d'Huez to win the stage. Rolland took advantage over Contador on a late turn to take the lead. Contador finish in third (+0:23), behind Rolland and Samuel Sanchez (+0:14).

Cadel Evans rook fifth place in the stage, finishing with Peter Velits at +0:57. The Schleck Bros. finished 57 seconds behind Rolland as well. Ryder Hesjedal and Tom Danielson of Team Garmin-Cervelo finished 10th (+1:15) and 11th (+1:15), respectively.

Thomas Voeckler lost the maillot jaune to Andy Schleck, losing three minutes on the stage, but he toughed it out across the entire course. Schleck, who took first on the Col du Galibier over Contador, now leads by 53 seconds over brother Frank.

The top 10 leaderboard:

1. Andy Schleck 82:48:43
2. Frank Schleck +0:53
3. Cadel Evans +0:57
4. Thomas Voeckler +2:10
5. Damiano Cunego +3:31
6. Alberto Contador 3:55
7. Samuel Sanchez +4:22
8. Ivan Basso +4:40
9. Tom Danielson +7:11
10. Pierre Rolland +8:57

The riders will take part in a individual time trial at Grenoble on Saturday before they make their way into Paris on Sunday for the finale.

For in-depth coverage of the race, visit out cycling blog, Podium Cafe, and our SB Nation StoryStream.

2011 Tour De France Route: Stage 19 Is Last Mountain Test For Cyclists

2011-07-22T11:30:34Z

The 2011 Tour de France encounters the last of its mountain stages when it travels from Modane Valfréjus to Alpe-d’Huez in the Alps. The cyclists cover a short distance of 109.5 kilometers, but the three climbs that they face on the heels of the other climbs since Tuesday could provide a tough contest this day.

The first climb, Col du Télégraphe, comes at just 26.5 kilometers into the race. Then 20 kilometers they will face the Col du Galibier again, racing to a summit of 2,556 meters. The Alpe d'Huez comes at the very end, a 13.8 kilometer climb to the finish line.

The riders will have the sprint just before they reach Bourg-d'Oisans, at which point the course begins to twist and turn up the Alpe d'Huez toward the finish line. If there's any point in this stage to watch, it's when the riders make the final climb. VERSUS has complete coverage beginning at 6 a.m. MT.

Thomas Voeckler lost a large portion of his lead and is just 15 second ahead of Andy Schleck. Tom Danielson of Garmin-Cervelo is the highest-ranked American. He is in ninth place and 7:08 behind Voeckler.

For in-depth coverage of the race, visit out cycling blog, Podium Cafe, and our SB Nation StoryStream.

2011 Tour De France Results: Andy Schleck Dominates Stage 18, Voeckler Keeps Yellow

2011-07-21T17:01:16Z

26 year-old rider Andy Schleck blew by the other rider to take Stage 18 by two minutes and seven seconds in the 2011 Tour de France. The second of three straight climbs, Stage 18 finishes at the point of highest altitude over this year's course. Shleck's brother Frank finished in second.

Andy Schleck shortened the gap between him and leader Thomas Voeckler by under two minutes and 30 seconds by the end of the stage. Voeckler is holding onto the yellow jersey by 15 seconds. Over at SBNation.com, Kevin McCauley believes that Voeckler's strangle hold over the maillot jaune will be coming to an end soon.

It would be shocking to see Voeckler keep his yellow again on Alpe d'Huez, but then again, it was shocking to see him stick with Evans, Frank Schleck, Basso and Cunego on Thursday's stage. He even beat Contador and Sanchez while he exerted less energy than Evans and Andy Schleck, so who knows what might happen on Stage 18.

For in-depth coverage of the race, visit out cycling blog, Podium Cafe, and our SB Nation StoryStream.

2011 Tour De France Route: From Pinerolo Back To The French Alps

2011-07-21T11:00:47Z

The 2011 Tour de France picks right up where it left off on Wednesday: in Pinerolo, Turin, Italy. The Alps. The brief excursion in Italy comes to an end on Thursday when the riders leave there and race for Galibier Serre-Chevalier.

Before the grinding portion of the race, the cyclists will first run into the sprint at Verzuolo 43 kilometers into the race. Stage 18 features three Category H climbs, the first at Agnel. It's a 23.7 kilometer climb at a 6.5 percent incline. Then the Col d'Izoard comes at 145.5 kilometers. It's the shortest of the three climbs at 14.1 kilometers.

Col du Galibier will become the point of highest elevation at the finish line in the history of the race. It's a 22.8 kilometer climb to the finish line, which is 2,645 meters above sea level.

Thomas Voeckler still wears the yellow jersey, but he lost precious seconds in his lead when he went off the course and into a yard on Stage 17. Will the Schleck Bros., Cadel Evans or someone else make a move on Voeckler on Thursday?

VERSUS begins its coverage at 5 a.m. MT for this alpine stage.

For in-depth coverage of the race, visit out cycling blog, Podium Cafe, and our SB Nation StoryStream.