The 2012 Tour deFrance continues as the riders have now completed Stage 9 of 20. And through the first nine stages, the US teams are looking for a break to get back into the competition. The American group BMC Racing Team sits at sixth place currently, 17 and half minutes behind the leading Radioshak-Nissan team, but Colorado-based team Garmin-Sharp has fallen almost an hour and a half behind the leader.
After a major crash in Stage 6, Garmin-Sharp CEO Jonathan Vaughters admitted the team no longer competed for the General Classification championship, but was instead focusing on stage wins and smaller achievements.
Here is a look at the full standings, courtesy of LeTour.com:
| RANK | NAT | TEAM | TIMES | GAP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | LUX | RADIOSHACK-NISSAN | 117h 36' 25'' | |
| 2. | GBR | SKY PROCYCLING | 117h 37' 50'' | + 01' 25'' |
| 3. | BEL | OMEGA PHARMA-QUICK STEP | 117h 49' 50'' | + 13' 25'' |
| 4. | ITA | LIQUIGAS-CANNONDALE | 117h 52' 31'' | + 16' 06'' |
| 5. | RUS | KATUSHA TEAM | 117h 52' 48'' | + 16' 23'' |
| 6. | USA | BMC RACING TEAM | 117h 53' 57'' | + 17' 32'' |
| 7. | ESP | MOVISTAR TEAM | 117h 59' 04'' | + 22' 39'' |
| 8. | KAZ | ASTANA PRO TEAM | 117h 59' 12'' | + 22' 47'' |
| 9. | FRA | AG2R LA MONDIALE | 118h 00' 53'' | + 24' 28'' |
| 10. | FRA | FDJ-BIGMAT | 118h 03' 17'' | + 26' 52'' |
| 11. | FRA | COFIDIS LE CREDIT EN LIGNE | 118h 03' 50'' | + 27' 25'' |
| 12. | FRA | TEAM EUROPCAR | 118h 09' 29'' | + 33' 04'' |
| 13. | BEL | LOTTO-BELISOL TEAM | 118h 13' 05'' | + 36' 40'' |
| 14. | NED | VACANSOLEIL-DCM | 118h 14' 27'' | + 38' 02'' |
| 15. | ESP | EUSKALTEL - EUSKADI | 118h 15' 23'' | + 38' 58'' |
| 16. | FRA | SAUR-SOJASUN | 118h 20' 40'' | + 44' 15'' |
| 17. | DEN | TEAM SAXO BANK-TINKOFF BANK | 118h 21' 50'' | + 45' 25'' |
| 18. | NED | RABOBANK CYCLING TEAM | 118h 22' 33'' | + 46' 08'' |
| 19. | ITA | LAMPRE - ISD | 118h 26' 57'' | + 50' 32'' |
| 20. | AUS | ORICA GREENEDGE | 118h 27' 08'' | + 50' 43'' |
| 21. | USA | GARMIN-SHARP | 119h 02' 07'' | + 01h 25' 42'' |
| 22. | NED | TEAM ARGOS-SHIMANO | 119h 22' 45'' | + 01h 46' 20'' |
SB Nation Denver is your source for 2012 Tour de France updates on Team Garmin-Sharp, and be sure to visit cycling blog Podium Cafe as well.
