The 2011 Tour of Britain will start in Scottland and include stages running through the regions of the Scottish Borders and Dumfries and Galloway.

The race held a stage in Scottish Borders town of Peebles in 2009. Scotland has hosted the opening stage of the race twice before. Further details of the 2011 race will be announced later. The 2010 edition gets underway this Saturday, Sept. 11.

The 2010 National Mountain Bike Championships start in Granby, Colorado

Communities in Idaho and Georgia will host the next two mountain bike and road national championships, respectively, USA Cycling announced Wednesday.

Sun Valley, Idaho, will host the 2011 and 2012 cross-country mountain bike championships and Augusta, Georgia, will host the junior, U23, elite and paralympic road nationals for those two years.

USA Cycling is splitting up the cross-country and gravity mountain bike nationals starting next year. USA Cycling has not announced the date and location of the gravity nationals.

The Sun Valley event, to be held July 14-17, 2011, will be organized by Breakaway Promotions and will include cross-country, short track cross country, and Super D competitions at the Sun Valley Ski Resort.

Augusta has hosted the USA Cycling masters road nationals and several stages of the Tour de Georgia.

Road nationals will be held June 21-26, 2011 and June 18-24, 2012. National titles will be awarded for the road race, criterium, and individual time trial.

USA Cycling announced earlier this summer that 2011 and 2012 marathon mountain bike nationals and masters road nationals will be held in Bend, Oregon.

2009 Tour of Britain winner Edvald Boasson Hagen

September is always a strange and tense time in pro road racing; it’s the time of year when riders are making a last stab to get contracts for the following season, often trying to salvage a poor year, building for the impending world championships, of simply fading into fall hybernation.

This always make it a competitive time, especially for races like the Tour of Britain, which pitch the cream of the pro peleton against smaller continental and national teams. Add in the fact that the stages are not too long, and that the terrain is not ultra tough and you get an exciting and very aggressive and open race.

(Related: 2010 Tour of Britain start list; 2011 Tour of Britain to start in Scotland.)

In past years the race has been more or less decided by a few seconds, often hung over from sprints and small opportunist escapes, but things do look tougher this year thanks to a few hilly stages.

Britain may not be renown for its marathon-length climbs, but it certainly packs a whole lot of small punches, which are often much steeper than the riders anticipate, and a lot more frequent too.

With a short and hilly opener to Blackpool it’s unlikely that an escape will be permitted to stay away, as the sprinters will want to take a firm grasp from the start. The second stage is a real rollercoaster, and open to gusty winds, and is ideal for a small breakaway. It could well set the stage for the rest of the race. Look out for the Meyer brothers, and Dan Martin of Garmin.

The Welsh stage of the race (stage 3) will be tough, and has a big and open climb late in the day, but the real action can be expected to come in the final, with a cobbled climb of the short and steep Constitution Hill. This should shred the lead group by a few bike lengths. It’s well suited to strong punchy riders, like Geraint Thomas and Dean Downing of Sky.

Heading to the deep southwest and stage 4 there are lots of small hills during the stage. This could be open to a breakaway group, but staying away in the final 10km will be tough. A strong sprinter like Heinrich Hausler could be a man to watch. There is a short climb two miles from the line, a potential opportunists’ springboard.

2009 Tour of Britain, stage 3

Heading back inland to Glastonbury and the rollercoaster ride continues, although it’s going to be hard to get rid of the stronger sprinters on this fifth stage. It is the last real chance for vital GC seconds to be gained, so it’ll be a fight all of the way.

Stages 6 and 7 run through East Anglia, and are both pan-flat, with a dose of North Sea wind thrown in. These should be well-controlled stages by the strong GC and sprinters teams. By now the GC quest should be about done — unless it’s down to a handful of seconds, making the final London criterium stage a free-for-all, and a last gap chance to get seen on TV by the smaller teams.

The stages:

Stage 1 – Sept. 11, Rochdale-Blackpool, 82.2 miles
Stage 2 – Sept. 12, Stoke-on-Trent loop, 100 miles
Stage 3 – Sept. 13, Newtown – Swansea, 93 miles
Stage 4 – Sept. 14, Minehead –Teignmouth, 106 miles
Stage 5 – Sept. 15, Tavistock – Galstonbury, 110.8 miles
Stage 6 – Sept. 16, Long’s Llyn – Great Yarmouth, 118.2 miles
Stage 7 – Sept. 17, Bury St Edmunds – Colchester, 94.7 miles
Stage 8 – Sept. 18, London criterium, 52 miles

This year’s racing will surely be exciting, and aggressive. With the home team Sky holding so many great cards, this could well provide Britain with it’s first ever winner of the race.

The Tour of Britain’s history

Although this is the seventh running of the Tour of Britain in this format, there has been a Tour of Britain of some sort (on and off) way back since 1945. From the late 50’s-70’s it was known as the Milk Race, and was a major amateur race.

Through the 80’s and 90’s Britain had the Milk Race, the Kelloggs, and then the Pru-Tour of Britain; a boom time for British racing, but in 1999 it all came to an end

It wasn’t until 2004 that the latest incarnation came around. This version carries a UCI 2.1 ranking, and attracts many major teams and riders to Britain.

Past winners of the Tour of Britain

2004 – Mauricio Ardila (Chocolade Jaques -Col)
2005 – Nick Nuynens (Quick Step – Bel)
2006 – Martin Pedersen (CSC –Den)
2007 – Romain Feillu (Agritubel – Fra)
2008 – Geoffroy Lequatre (Agritubel – Fra)
2009 – Edvald Boasson Hagen (HTC-Columbia – Nor) Some GC favorites for the 2010 Tour of Britain:

The Magnificent Seven:

Geraint Thomas (Gbr), Team Sky – British road champion Thomas has had a blistering season, and is on great form as he prepares for the Commonwealth Games. He has exactly what it takes to win this race.

Dan Martin (Irl), Garmin-Transitions – A class act, and on great form for this race. He also has the strong team backup necessary.

Heinrich Haussler (Aus), Cervelo TestTeam – The Aussie has the fast finish and punchy ability to win.

Tony Martin, (Ger), HTC-Columbia – If he gets into a break (which he will surely try) then he’ll be hard to beat. He has great form for this kind of race.

The long shots:
Russell Downing (Gbr), Team Sky – Home grown, punchy, fast finishing, and a great wild card for Team Sky.

Alex Rasmussen (Den), Team Saxo Bank – Perhaps Saxo bank’s best GC contender. The powerful Dane is a complete rider, with a liking for this rapid-fire racing style.

Bradley Wiggins (Gbr), Team Sky – Never discount such a classy rider on home turf, especially when he has a season to salvage.

Have a question for VeloNews Training Center? Send it to TrainingCenter@competitorgroup.com

Q: Dear VeloNews Training Center: I used to lift weights regularly before I took up cycling ten years ago, but stopped in an effort to lose body weight. Now I read about many pros lifting weights in the off season or even during the season and I’m wondering if it’s a good idea to break out the iron again. Can it help my cycling?
-Brad

Brad,
This is a good question and is one I am asked often in my sports medicine practice. I encourage all my cyclists, both male and female, to perform 20-30 minutes of strength training (ST), 2-3 times per week, year round. The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) supports ST as part of a well-rounded exercise routine as well. A natural part of the aging process is for muscle to decrease in size (sarcopenia) and strength, but ST has been proven to slow down, and even reverse this effect. Not only will ST improve your race performances, but it also has positive health benefits.

On the performance side, ST will increase muscle mass, which will allow you to generate more power on the bike (watts). Regular ST will also delay the onset of fatigue in your muscles, especially during longer cycling events, thus improving your overall performance. And your metabolism rate will slow as a result of decreased muscle mass. Muscle is more metabolically active than other tissues in the body, so the more muscle you have, the more calories you will burn throughout the day and that can help to maintain an ideal body weight.

On the health side, ST has been shown to increase bone density. This is a very important effect, because cycling is a non-weight bearing sport, which can lead to early osteopenia/osteoporosis. I have seen this effect of decreased bone density occur even in younger elite male cyclists. Bone density is improved as a result of the muscle-tendon-unit placing stress on the bones they attach to.

When performing ST exercises, you want to make sure they are specific to your sport. Cyclists should focus primarily on the lower extremity. However, one should not completely overlook the upper extremity either. For the lower extremity, exercises like squats, lunges, leg press, leg extension, leg curls, hip adduction/abduction, and calf raises are essential. For the upper extremity, bench press, overhead shoulder press, biceps curls, triceps extension, pull-downs, and rows are beneficial for the cyclist. Traditional free weights or machines can be used to perform these exercises.

While often disregarded, core/abdominal/low back strengthening is also effective at preventing or minimizing low back pain that may occur with cycling.

For each of the ST exercises, you want to use a weight that is “challenging” enough for 10-15 repetitions. This means the muscles should feel tired after performing the repetitions. Two to three sets of each exercise is sufficient.

The amount of ST you do will vary throughout the season. Early on during your base-building phases, you should be getting to the gym three days a week. As the season goes on, you will be spending more time on the bike, but still try to get to the gym at least two days a week.

-Matt Schneider, PA-C, ATC, MS

Matt Schneider is the current medical director at the Boulder Center for Sports Medicine in Boulder, Colorado, and is a Certified Physician Assistant specializing in primary care sports medicine. He also holds a Master’s degree in Exercise Physiology and treats several age-group and professional cyclists in his practice.

Men’s stage results
Women’s stage results
Men’s FINAL GC
Women’s FINAL GC Men’s stage result

• 1. Dirk Friel, Natural Grocers P/b Xp Companies, in 59:23 00:33 bonus
• 2. Brad Winn, Primal Racing P/b 1st Bank, at 0:00:04 00:20 bonus
• 3. Trevor Connor, Chris Cookies/swan Cycles, at 0:00:04 00:15 bonus
• 4. Fortunato Ferrara, Jackal Pack, at 0:00:04 00:01
• 5. Jake Wells, Mafiaracing.com/pabst/felt, at 0:00:04
• 6. Caleb Fairly, Holowesko Partners, at 0:00:13
• 7. Benjamin Blaugrund, Team Hotel San Jose Juwi Solar, at 0:00:13
• 8. Greg Krause, Groove Subaru, at 0:00:13
• 9. Julian Kyer, Trek-Livestrong, at 0:00:35
• 10. Yannick Eckmann, Hot Tubes Development Cycling Tea, at 0:00:35
• 11. Tyler Riedesel, Canyon Bicycles, at 0:00:35
• 12. Jesse Goodrich, Primal Racing P/b 1st Bank, at 0:00:35
• 13. Paul Esposti, Bcv Scion P/b Stevinson Auto, at 0:00:35
• 14. John Salskov, Primal Racing P/b 1st Bank, at 0:00:35
• 15. Peter Stetina, Garmin-Transitions, at 0:00:35
• 16. Jeff Perrin, Rmcef-Westside, at 0:00:35
• 17. Russell Harding, Natural Grocers P/b Xp Companies, at 0:00:35
• 18. Gregg Brandt, Grandstay Hotels, at 0:00:35
• 19. Alex Lewis, Rocky Mounts-Izze, at 0:00:35
• 20. Drew Christopher, Primal P/b 1st Bank, at 0:00:35
• 21. Gregory Daniel, Holowesko Felt Garmin Dev. Team, at 0:00:35
• 22. Kevin Nicol, Team Hotel San Jose, at 0:00:35
• 23. Barkley Robinson, Orange Peel, at 0:00:35
• 24. Chris Carr, Gs Boulder/trek, at 0:00:35
• 25. Brett Tack, Pcl, at 0:00:35
• 26. Marc De Maar, Team United Healthcare, at 0:00:35
• 27. Chris Baldwin, United Health Care, at 0:00:35
• 28. Jon Moro,, at 0:00:35
• 29. Ewam De Freitas, Primal First Bank, at 0:00:35
• 30. Kit Recca, Feedback Sports Racing, at 0:00:35
• 31. Joe Cooper, Twin Peaks Racing Team, at 0:00:35
• 32. Christop Cummings, Primal Racing P/b 1st Bank, at 0:00:35
• 33. Taylor Shelden, Team Holowesko Partners, at 0:00:35
• 34. Rory Kelly, Gs Boulder Trek, at 0:00:35
• 35. Jonathan Baker, Groove Subaru Cycling Team, at 0:00:35
• 36. Brian Bailey, Primal Racing P/b 1st Bank, at 0:00:35
• 37. Jason Anderson, Gs Boulder, at 0:00:35
• 38. Leroy Popowski, Team Hotel San Jose, at 0:00:35
• 39. Ryan Hughes, Brc Real Estate, at 0:00:35
• 40. Eddy Kwon, Prerace.com Cycling Team, at 0:01:44
• 41. Tim Srenaski, Feedback Sports Racing, at 0:01:44
• 42. Eric Jones, Unattached, at 0:01:44
• 43. Michael Hanna, Primal Racing P/b 1st Bank, at 0:02:28

Women’s stage results

• 1. Jeannie Longo, Vital Plus, in 45:00 00:31 bonus
• 2. Megan Hottman, Treads.com/dft, at 0:00:05 00:15
• 3. Kasey Clark, Treads.com/dft, at 0:00:05 00:10
• 4. Amy Gray-smith, Pro Design P/b Porche/bikesource, at 0:00:05
• 5. Toni Bradshaw, Team Vbf, at 0:00:05 00:07
• 6. Stephanie Skoreyko, Park City Iron Man, at 0:00:05
• 7. Jenner Yaeso, Gas Intrisik Cycling Team, at 0:00:28
• 8. Jane Finsterwald, Colobikelaw.com, at 0:00:28
• 9. Roberta Smith, Treads.com/dft, at 0:00:28
• 10. Angela Des Cognets, Primal/rocky Mountain Colavita, at 0:00:28
• 11. Anne Donley, Team Evergreen Racing, at 0:00:28
• 12. Elizabeth Sampey, Twin Peaks Racing, at 0:00:28
• 13. Margell Abel, Tough Girl, at 0:00:28 00:10
• 14. Jennifer Barbour, Sports Optical, at 0:00:28
• 15. Andrea Koenig, Pro Design Cycling, at 0:00:28
• 16. Nicole Duke, The Gear Movement, at 0:00:28
• 17. Stacey Schuster, Pro Design, at 0:00:28
• 18. Alis Thurston-hicks, Colobikelaw.com, at 0:00:28
• 19. Julie Emmerman, Unattached, at 0:00:28
• 20. Sarah Germundson, Pro Design, at 0:00:28
• 21. Tammy Sadle,, at 0:00:28
• 22. Anne Lannan, Tough Girl, at 0:00:28
• 23. Catherine Johnson, Rocky Mounts/ Izze, at 0:00:28
• 24. Joan Meiners, Rocky Mounts/izze, at 0:00:28
• 25. Carla Flores, Colobikelaw.com, at 0:00:28
• 26. Kristi Dallmeyer, Pro Design P/b Porsche/bike Source, at 0:03:39
• 27. Sue Stokes, Pro Design Pb Porsche/bikesource, at 0:03:39
• 28. Megan Cole, Gs Boulder Cycling, at 0:06:23

Women’s GC results

• 1. Jeannie Longo, Vital Plus, in 5:19:51
• 2. Toni Bradshaw, Team Vbf, at 0:06:54
• 3. Megan Hottman, Treads.com/dft, at 0:13:01
• 4. Kasey Clark, Treads.com/dft, at 0:13:41
• 5. Amy Gray-smith, Pro Design P/b Porche/bikesource, at 0:13:49
• 6. Andrea Koenig, Pro Design Cycling, at 0:14:05
• 7. Angela Des Cognets, Primal/rocky Mountain Colavita, at 0:15:27
• 8. Julie Emmerman, Unattached, at 0:17:55
• 9. Jane Finsterwald, Colobikelaw.com, at 0:21:38
• 10. Tammy Sadle,, at 0:23:15
• 11. Jennifer Barbour, Sports Optical, at 0:26:59
• 12. Anne Donley, Team Evergreen Racing, at 0:28:49
• 13. Stephanie Skoreyko, Park City Iron Man, at 0:28:57
• 14. Margell Abel, Tough Girl, at 0:30:50
• 15. Stacey Schuster, Pro Design, at 0:31:29
• 16. Catherine Johnson, Rocky Mounts/ Izze, at 0:32:44
• 17. Nicole Duke, The Gear Movement, at 0:37:01
• 18. Sarah Germundson, Pro Design, at 0:41:08
• 19. Alisab Thurston-hicks, Colobikelaw.com, at 0:44:26
• 20. Elizabeth Sampey, Twin Peaks Racing, at 0:46:37
• 21. Sue Stokes, Pro Design Pb Porsche/bikesource, at 0:47:45
• 22. Jenner Yaeso, Gas Intrisik Cycling Team, at 0:49:04
• 23. Carla Flores, Colobikelaw.com, at 0:51:24
• 24. Anne Lannan, Tough Girl, at 0:51:50
• 25. Roberta Smith, Treads.com/dft, at 0:56:34
• 26. Joan Meiners, Rocky Mounts/izze, at 0:57:28
• 27. Kristi Dallmeyer, Pro Design P/b Porsche/bike Source, at 1:13:50
• 28. Megan Cole, Gs Boulder Cycling, at 2:23:32

Men’s final GC

• 1. Peter Stetina, Garmin-Transitions, in 6:09:53
• 2. Chris Baldwin, United Health Care, at 0:00:24
• 3. Marc De Maar, Team United Healthcare, at 0:00:55
• 4. Benjamin Blaugrund, Team Hotel San Jose Juwi Solar, at 0:01:49
• 5. Paul Esposti, Bcv Scion P/b Stevinson Auto, at 0:01:56
• 6. Fortunato Ferrara, Jackal Pack, at 0:02:26
• 7. Greg Krause, Groove Subaru, at 0:02:40
• 8. Brad Winn, Primal Racing P/b 1st Bank, at 0:07:59
• 9. Trevor Connor, Chris Cookies/swan Cycles, at 0:08:01
• 10. Chris Carr, Gs Boulder/trek, at 0:08:12
• 11. Rory Kelly, Gs Boulder Trek, at 0:11:15
• 12. Gregory Daniel, Holowesko Felt Garmin Dev. Team, at 0:11:20
• 13. Jonathan Baker, Groove Subaru Cycling Team, at 0:11:23
• 14. Leroy Popowski, Team Hotel San Jose, at 0:11:36
• 15. Yannick Eckmann, Hot Tubes Development Cycling Te, at 0:11:38
• 16. Jake Wells, Mafiaracing.com/pabst/felt, at 0:11:48
• 17. Barkley Robinson, Orange Peel, at 0:12:27
• 18. Jesse Goodrich, Primal Racing P/b 1st Bank, at 0:15:27
• 19. Dirk Friel, Natural Grocers P/b Xp Companies, at 0:15:37
• 20. Kevin Nicol, Team Hotel San Jose, at 0:16:24
• 21. John Salskov, Primal Racing P/b 1st Bank, at 0:17:01
• 22. Brian Bailey, Primal Racing P/b 1st Bank, at 0:17:04
• 23. Caleb Fairly, Holowesko Partners, at 0:17:25
• 24. Tyler Riedesel, Canyon Bicycles, at 0:18:56
• 25. Brett Tack, Pcl, at 0:19:05
• 26. Eddy Kwon, Prerace.com Cycling Team, at 0:20:45
• 27. Julian Kyer, Trek-Livestrong, at 0:21:31
• 28. Jon Moro,, at 0:21:52
• 29. Jason Anderson, Gs Boulder, at 0:22:49
• 30. Russell Harding, Natural Grocers P/b Xp Companies, at 0:25:05
• 31. Tim Srenaski, Feedback Sports Racing, at 0:25:14
• 32. Kit Recca, Feedback Sports Racing, at 0:27:41
• 33. Ewam De Freitas, Primal First Bank, at 0:28:13
• 34. Joe Cooper, Twin Peaks Racing Team, at 0:28:35
• 35. Eric Jones, Unattached, at 0:29:31
• 36. Jeff Perrin, Rmcef-Westside, at 0:29:39
• 37. Alex Lewis, Rocky Mounts-Izze, at 0:30:06
• 38. Taylor Shelden, Team Holowesko Partners, at 0:30:18
• 39. Gregg Brandt, Grandstay Hotels, at 0:36:09
• 40. Michael Hanna, Primal Racing P/b 1st Bank, at 0:39:08
• 41. Drew Christopher, Primal P/b 1st Bank, at 0:39:16
• 42. Ryan Hughes, Brc Real Estate, at 0:47:00
• 43. Christopher Cummings, Primal Racing P/b 1st Bank, at 1:02:39

Stage results
GC standings
Race report Stage results

• 1. Anthony Delaplace, France A , in 3h 53′ 21″
• 2. Jan Lindeman Bert, Pays-Bas , at :05
• 3. Romain Hardy, France A, at 00:08
• 4. John Degenkolb, Allemagne, at 00:08
• 5. Da Mateos Rubio Vicente Garcia, Espagne, at 00:08
• 6. Pieter Serry, Belgique, at 00:08
• 7. Jonathan Fumeaux, Suisse, at 00:08
• 8. Sebastian Lander, Danemark, at 00:08
• 9. Michal Kwiatkowski, Pologne, at 00:08
• 10. Yoann Barbas, France B, at 00:08
• 11. Thomas Damuseau, France A, at 00:08
• 12. Wilco Kelderman, Pays-Bas, at 00:08
• 13. Julien Vermote, Belgique, at 00:08
• 14. Alexei Tsatevich, Russie, at 00:08
• 15. Luka Mezgec, Slovenie, at 00:08
• 16. Jon Izagirre Insausti, Espagne, at 00:08
• 17. Jan Tratnik, Slovenie, at 00:08
• 18. Blaz Jarc, Slovenie, at 00:08
• 19. Yannick Eijssen, Belgique, at 00:08
• 20. Blaz Furdi, Slovenie, at 00:08
• 21. Lou Paiani Jean, France B, at 00:08
• 22. Alex Dowsett, Grande-Bretagne, at 00:08
• 23. Christopher Juul-jensen, Danemark, at 00:08
• 24. Mikel Landa Meana, Espagne, at 00:08
• 25. Martin Grunder, Allemagne, at 00:08
• 26. Jarlinson Pantano Gomez, Colombie, at 00:08
• 27. Esteban Chaves, Colombie, at 00:08
• 28. Pawel Charucki, Pologne, at 00:08
• 29. Nelson Oliveira, Portugal, at 00:08
• 30. Higinio Fernandez Suarez, Espagne, at 00:08
• 31. Thomas Bonnin, France A, at 00:08
• 32. Christopher Butler, Etats-Unis, at 00:08
• 33. Andi Bajc, Slovenie, at 00:08
• 34. Andrei Krasilnikau, Bielorussie, at 00:08
• 35. Camilo Suarez, Colombie, at 00:08
• 36. Arnaud Courteille, France A, at 00:08
• 37. Sylwester Janiszewski, Pologne, at 00:08
• 38. Michael Matthews, Australie, at 00:08
• 39. Marek Canecky, Equipe-Mixte, at 00:08
• 40. Gregory Brenes, Equipe-Mixte, at 00:08
• 41. Jesus Herrada Lopez, Espagne, at 00:08
• 42. Luke Rowe, Grande-Bretagne, at 00:08
• 43. Alexander Quintanarojas Nairo, Colombie, at 00:08
• 44. Dmitriy Ignatyev, Russie, at 00:08
• 45. Geoffrey Soupe, France A, at 00:08
• 46. Timothy Roe, Australie, at 00:21
• 47. Pawel Poljanski, Pologne, at 00:21
• 48. Darwin Atapuma, Colombie, at 00:21
• 49. Michael Weicht, Allemagne, at 00:21
• 50. David Rosch, Allemagne, at 00:21
• 51. Jelte Slagter Tom, Pays-Bas, at 00:21
• 52. Adrian Honkisz, Pologne, at 00:21
• 53. Daniel Teklehaimanot, Equipe-Mixte, at 00:21
• 54. Loïc Desriac, France B, at 00:21
• 55. Daniil Fominykh, Kazakhstan, at 00:21
• 56. Arkimedes Argueles Rodrigues, Russie, at 00:21
• 57. Stanislau Bazhkou, Bielorussie, at 00:21
• 58. Sebastian Salazar, Colombie, at 00:21
• 59. Gaëtan Bille, Belgique, at 00:21
• 60. Romain Bardet, France B, at 00:21
• 61. Martijn Keizer, Pays-Bas, at 00:21
• 62. Jérome Cousin, France B, at 00:21
• 63. Arman Kamyshev, Kazakhstan, at 00:21
• 64. Nikita Novikov, Russie, at 00:28
• 65. Kamil Zielinski, Pologne, at 00:29
• 66. Abdraimzhan Ishanov, Kazakhstan, at 00:31
• 67. Mark Christian, Grande-Bretagne, at 00:33
• 68. Nick Aitken, Australie, at 00:41
• 69. Guilherme Lourenco, Portugal, at 01:09
• 70. Bruno Silva, Portugal, at 01:14
• 71. Amaro Antunes, Portugal, at 00:08
• 72. Andrew Talansky, Etats-Unis, at 01:23
• 73. Tom Thil, Luxembourg, at 01:27
• 74. Tom Dumoulin, Pays-Bas, at 01:38
• 75. Viacheslav Kuznetsov, Russie, at 01:38
• 76. Vladislav Gorbunov, Kazakhstan, at 01:42
• 77. Siarhei Novikau, Bielorussie, at 01:42
• 78. Pit Schlechter, Luxembourg, at 01:42
• 79. Mathias Lisson, Danemark, at 00:08
• 80. Coen Vermeltfoort, Pays-Bas, at 01:59
• 81. Sébastien Reichenbach, Suisse, at 00:08
• 82. Maximilian May, Allemagne, at 00:08
• 83. Kanstantin Klimiankou, Bielorussie, at 02:24
• 84. Domingos Goncalves, Portugal, at 02:24
• 85. Jae Jang Chan, Equipe-Mixte, at 02:44
• 86. Alexander Kholodov, Russie, at 02:44
• 87. Jelle Wallays, Belgique, at 02:46
• 88. Mads Meyer, Danemark, at 03:06
• 89. Benjamin King, Australie, at 03:06
• 90. Malcolm Rudolph, Australie, at 03:06
• 91. Joni Brandao, Portugal, at 03:06
• 92. Nicolas Capdepuy, France B, at 03:06
• 93. Silvan Dillier, Suisse, at 03:06
• 94. David Hesselbarth, Allemagne, at 03:06
• 95. Andrew Fenn, Grande-Bretagne, at 03:06
• 96. Nikita Umerbekov, Kazakhstan, at 03:06
• 97. Joel Zangerle, Luxembourg, at 03:06
• 98. Yauheni Lahun, Bielorussie, at 03:06
• 99. Erick Rowsell, Grande-Bretagne, at 03:06
• 100. Kuanysh Kylybayev, Kazakhstan, at 03:38
• 101. Joseph Lewis, Australie, at 04:07
• 102. La Cruz Melgarejo David De, Espagne, at 05:17
• 103. Ivo Lux, Luxembourg, at 08:20
• 104. Tom Schanen, Luxembourg, at 08:20
• 105. Eno Jorgensen Ricky, Danemark, at 08:20
• 106. Michael Baer, Suisse, at 08:20
• 107. Marcel Aregger, Suisse, at 08:20
• 108. Arthur Vanoverberghe, Belgique, at 08:20
• 109. Tom Kohn, Luxembourg, at 08:20
• 110. Marko Kump, Slovenie, at 08:20
• 111. Andreï Holubeu, Bielorussie, at 09:46
• 112. Ho Choi Ki, Equipe-Mixte, at 11:17
• 113. Benjamin King, Etats-Unis, at 11:17
• 114. Ian Boswell, Etats-Unis, at 11:17
• 115. Alex Howes, Etats-Unis, at 11:17
• 116. Daniel Henggeler, Suisse, at 11:17
• 117. Timothy Kennaugh, Grande-Bretagne, at 16:43
• 118. Taylor Phinney, Etats-Unis, at 19:10

GC results

• 1. Alex Dowsett, Grande-Bretagne , in 7h 39′ 35″
• 2. Michael Matthews, Australie , at :01li>
• 3. Anthony Delaplace, France A, at 00:14
• 4. John Degenkolb, Allemagne, at 00:15
• 5. Nelson Oliveira, Portugal, at 00:21
• 6. Jesus Herrada Lopez, Espagne, at 00:22
• 7. Blaz Jarc, Slovenie, at 00:24
• 8. Geoffrey Soupe, France A, at 00:24
• 9. Loïc Desriac, France B, at 00:26
• 10. Alexander Quintanarojas Nairo, Colombie, at 00:27
• 11. Jarlinson Pantano Gomez, Colombie, at 00:28
• 12. Wilco Kelderman, Pays-Bas, at 00:28
• 13. Camilo Suarez, Colombie, at 00:30
• 14. Andrei Krasilnikau, Bielorussie, at 00:30
• 15. Gregory Brenes, Equipe-Mixte, at 00:31
• 16. Michal Kwiatkowski, Pologne, at 00:36
• 17. Martijn Keizer, Pays-Bas, at 00:36
• 18. Sebastian Lander, Danemark, at 00:37
• 19. Jérome Cousin, France B, at 00:38
• 20. Romain Hardy, France A, at 00:38
• 21. Timothy Roe, Australie, at 00:38
• 22. Luke Rowe, Grande-Bretagne, at 00:39
• 23. Jon Izagirre Insausti, Espagne, at 00:39
• 24. Pieter Serry, Belgique, at 00:41
• 25. Thomas Damuseau, France A, at 00:41
• 26. Arnaud Courteille, France A, at 00:41
• 27. Da Mateos Rubio Vicente Garcia, Espagne, at 00:41
• 28. Dmitriy Ignatyev, Russie, at 00:42
• 29. Maximilian May, Allemagne, at 00:42
• 30. Esteban Chaves, Colombie, at 00:42
• 31. Jelte Slagter Tom, Pays-Bas, at 00:42
• 32. Lou Paiani Jean, France B, at 00:42
• 33. Romain Bardet, France B, at 00:43
• 34. Higinio Fernandez Suarez, Espagne, at 00:43
• 35. Gaëtan Bille, Belgique, at 00:43
• 36. Yannick Eijssen, Belgique, at 00:44
• 37. Julien Vermote, Belgique, at 00:44
• 38. Blaz Furdi, Slovenie, at 00:47
• 39. Luka Mezgec, Slovenie, at 00:48
• 40. Daniil Fominykh, Kazakhstan, at 00:48
• 41. Nikita Novikov, Russie, at 00:49
• 42. Daniel Teklehaimanot, Equipe-Mixte, at 00:50
• 43. Thomas Bonnin, France A, at 00:50
• 44. Marek Canecky, Equipe-Mixte, at 00:50
• 45. Martin Grunder, Allemagne, at 00:51
• 46. Christopher Butler, Etats-Unis, at 00:51
• 47. Sébastien Reichenbach, Suisse, at 00:52
• 48. Yoann Barbas, France B, at 00:52
• 49. Christopher Juul-jensen, Danemark, at 00:53
• 50. Mark Christian, Grande-Bretagne, at 00:53
• 51. Jan Lindeman Bert, Pays-Bas, at 00:54
• 52. David Rosch, Allemagne, at 00:55
• 53. Amaro Antunes, Portugal, at 00:55
• 54. Mathias Lisson, Danemark, at 00:56
• 55. Alexei Tsatevich, Russie, at 00:57
• 56. Mikel Landa Meana, Espagne, at 00:59
• 57. Jonathan Fumeaux, Suisse, at 01:01
• 58. Arman Kamyshev, Kazakhstan, at 01:02
• 59. Sebastian Salazar, Colombie, at 01:02
• 60. Sylwester Janiszewski, Pologne, at 01:04
• 61. Jan Tratnik, Slovenie, at 01:05
• 62. Andi Bajc, Slovenie, at 01:07
• 63. Adrian Honkisz, Pologne, at 01:13
• 64. Michael Weicht, Allemagne, at 01:16
• 65. Pawel Poljanski, Pologne, at 01:16
• 66. Pawel Charucki, Pologne, at 01:18
• 67. Arkimedes Argueles Rodrigues, Russie, at 01:29
• 68. Abdraimzhan Ishanov, Kazakhstan, at 01:37
• 69. Kamil Zielinski, Pologne, at 01:37
• 70. Nick Aitken, Australie, at 01:42
• 71. Darwin Atapuma, Colombie, at 01:48
• 72. Tom Thil, Luxembourg, at 01:49
• 73. Bruno Silva, Portugal, at 01:50
• 74. Tom Dumoulin, Pays-Bas, at 01:50
• 75. Andrew Talansky, Etats-Unis, at 01:53
• 76. Vladislav Gorbunov, Kazakhstan, at 01:58
• 77. Guilherme Lourenco, Portugal, at 02:10
• 78. Viacheslav Kuznetsov, Russie, at 02:21
• 79. Siarhei Novikau, Bielorussie, at 02:30
• 80. Coen Vermeltfoort, Pays-Bas, at 02:32
• 81. Pit Schlechter, Luxembourg, at 02:34
• 82. Domingos Goncalves, Portugal, at 03:12
• 83. Jelle Wallays, Belgique, at 03:26
• 84. Jae Jang Chan, Equipe-Mixte, at 03:35
• 85. Joni Brandao, Portugal, at 03:41
• 86. Andrew Fenn, Grande-Bretagne, at 03:42
• 87. Nikita Umerbekov, Kazakhstan, at 03:43
• 88. Benjamin King, Australie, at 03:46
• 89. Mads Meyer, Danemark, at 03:47
• 90. Kanstantin Klimiankou, Bielorussie, at 03:51
• 91. Silvan Dillier, Suisse, at 03:54
• 92. Nicolas Capdepuy, France B, at 03:57
• 93. Joel Zangerle, Luxembourg, at 04:00
• 94. David Hesselbarth, Allemagne, at 04:00
• 95. Malcolm Rudolph, Australie, at 04:02
• 96. Alexander Kholodov, Russie, at 04:02
• 97. Yauheni Lahun, Bielorussie, at 04:14
• 98. Kuanysh Kylybayev, Kazakhstan, at 04:30
• 99. Joseph Lewis, Australie, at 04:36
• 100. La Cruz Melgarejo David De, Espagne, at 05:54
• 101. Erick Rowsell, Grande-Bretagne, at 06:06
• 102. Arthur Vanoverberghe, Belgique, at 08:46
• 103. Marko Kump, Slovenie, at 09:08
• 104. Michael Baer, Suisse, at 09:13
• 105. Marcel Aregger, Suisse, at 09:22
• 106. Eno Jorgensen Ricky, Danemark, at 09:30
• 107. Tom Schanen, Luxembourg, at 09:42
• 108. Tom Kohn, Luxembourg, at 10:19
• 109. Stanislau Bazhkou, Bielorussie, at 11:18
• 110. Benjamin King, Etats-Unis, at 11:52
• 111. Ho Choi Ki, Equipe-Mixte, at 12:07
• 112. Daniel Henggeler, Suisse, at 12:28
• 113. Ian Boswell, Etats-Unis, at 13:41
• 114. Alex Howes, Etats-Unis, at 14:25
• 115. Ivo Lux, Luxembourg, at 15:08
• 116. Andreï Holubeu, Bielorussie, at 16:47
• 117. Timothy Kennaugh, Grande-Bretagne, at 17:33
• 118. Taylor Phinney, Etats-Unis, at 18:56

One-day classic specialist Philippe Gilbert will be the point man for the Belgian team at the world road race championships later this month in Geelong, Australia, it was announced on Tuesday.

The 28-year-old — a two-time winner of Paris-Tours and also winner of the Amstel Gold Race earlier this season — has shown he is in good form by wearing the overall leader’s red jersey for five days in the Vuelta a Espana.

Gilbert is joined in the nine-man team by four of his Omega Pharma teammates Mario Aerts, Jan Bakelants, Jurgen Roelandts and Greg Van Avermaet.

Frederik Willems, Stijn Devolder, Kevin De Weert and Bjorn Leukemans make up the rest of the line-up.

“We are hoping that nothing will happen to Gilbert, but I have nevertheless Devolder, Van Avermaet and Leukemans as a solution should Gilbert need to be replaced as leader,” said selector Carlo Bomans.

Belgium’s world championships teams:

Senior:

Time trial: Dominique Cornu, Stijn Devolder

Road race: Mario Aerts, Jan Bakelants, Stijn Devolder, Kevin De Weert, Philippe Gilbert, Bjorn Leukemans, Jurgen Roelandts, Greg Van Avermaet, Frederik Willems

Under-23:

Time trial: Guillaume Van Keirsbulck, Arthur Vanoverberghe

Road race: Laurens De Vreese, Yannick Eijssen, Arthur Vanoverberghe, Julien Vermote, Jelle Wallays

Women:

Time trial: Grace Verbeke

Road race: Lieselot Decroix, Liesbet De Vocht, Sofie De Vuyst, Ludivine Henrion, Grace Verbeke

A late-night beer Monday evening cost Andy Schleck and Stuart O’Grady dearly. The pair was sent home by an angry Saxo Bank team boss Bjarne Riis, who spotted them walking back into the team hotel.

Riis removed Schleck and O’Grady from the Vuelta a España ahead of Tuesday’s start of the 10th stage for violating internal team rules which outline rider conduct during races.

“It doesn’t matter if it was one drink or 10, or if he was out until five in the morning and that’s between us anyway, rules are made to be kept,” Riis told reporters after stage 10 of the Tour of Spain. “I’m not here to give any explanations or further details. What actually happened will stay between us.”

Neither Schleck nor O’Grady were at the start Tuesday and were already traveling home by the time the news spread that would not be starting Tuesday’s stage.

Riis, who showed up at the Vuelta a few days ago, said it was a “pity” to lose Schleck ahead of Wednesday’s summit finish in Andorra, but defended his decision to send the two riders home.

“That’s how it’s got to be. He didn’t follow the rules, and he’s got to take responsibility for that,” Riis continued. “We’re all professionals, I have to be responsible for the team overall. When you do something in this life, you have to assume the consequences.”

Andy Schleck’s early departure will be a blow to his brother, Frank, who will be missing his sibling as the Vuelta turns into its hardest part of the race.

Hot off second overall at the Tour de France, Andy Schleck said he wasn’t here to win the Vuelta, but instead to aid his older brother, who crashed out of the Tour this year in stage 3 with a broken clavicle.

The Schleck brothers are both leaving Riis’s Saxo Bank team at the end of the 2010 season to start their own Luxembourg-backed team. O’Grady has been linked to the move as well.

Taylor Phinney crashed at the Tour de l’Avenir in France Tuesday, finishing nearly 20 minutes behind the stage 2 winner and losing the overall lead he had held since the race’s prologue Sunday.

Phinney was taken immediatly to a hospital after finishing. His mother, Connie Carpenter, said he was not seriously injured. “He is getting cleaned up, bad road rash but no breaks,” Carpenter said in an email to VeloNews. “Lots of crazy crashes on very narrow wet roads,” she added.

She said Phinney plans to continue the race if his pain level allows.

France’s Anthony Delaplace won the stage, surviving out of a long breakaway to drop his final companion in the last kilometer and come in just seconds ahead of the field sprint. Great Britain’s Alex Dowsett, who had been second since the prologue, finished in the lead pack and took over the leader’s jersey from Phinney.

“The end of the stage was really dangerous because of the rain that made the road very slippery,” said Dowsett, who races with Phinney on Trek-Livestrong but is racing for Great Britain at this event. “It’s a shame because it was a very nice course. It’s always nice to be in yellow (but) Taylor Phinney is a very good friend and it bothers me to take advantage of his fall.”

Complete results

Brief results:
Stage:

• 1. Anthony Delaplace, France A, in 3h 53′ 21″
• 2. Jan Lindeman Bert, Pays-Bas, at :05
• 3. Romain Hardy, France A, at 00:08
• 4. John Degenkolb, Allemagne, at 00:08
• 5. Da Mateos Rubio Vicente Garcia, Espagne, at 00:08
• Complete results

GC:

• 1. Alex Dowsett, Grande-Bretagne , in 7h 39′ 35″
• 2. Michael Matthews, Australie , at :01li>
• 3. Anthony Delaplace, France A, at 00:14
• 4. John Degenkolb, Allemagne, at 00:15
• 5. Nelson Oliveira, Portugal, at 00:21
• Complete results

Alberto Contador says next year he will likely race two grand tours, with likely starts at the Tour de France and Vuelta a España.

The three-time Tour champion raced just the French tour this year and has received some criticism from some who would like to see the sport’s top GC rider start another grand tour. In an interview with the Spanish sports daily MARCA, Contador said he’s leaning towards the Tour-Vuelta double next season.

“If everything goes as planned, I will race two grand tours next year,” Contador said. “It’s not sure, but in principal, I will race the Tour and Vuelta.”

Contador is recovering at home from a training crash last week when he injured his knee. The Spanish climber said this year, he wanted to focus completely on the Tour and not think about another grand tour.

“I was going hard from the beginning of the season, from the Algarve in February,” Contador said. “I never go to a race just to ride for the simple pleasure of doing it. I always try to win.”

Contador has already put a fork in his 2010 season and said he’s looking forward to making the move to Saxo Bank next season.

The Spring Classics

VeloPress is pleased to announce the publication of a beautiful new book about cycling’s spring classics. In time for the holidays, The Spring Classics: Cycling’s Greatest One-Day Races is now available in bookstores, bike shops, and online. With insightful text from L’Équipe’s top writers and hundreds of rare and newly restored photographs, The Spring Classics delves deeply into the rich stories of cycling’s most glorious and meaningful history. Readers are invited to preview The Spring Classics at velopress.com.

For many who love cycling, the spring classics are the most anticipated races of the year, not only because they herald the start of the season, but also because they are brutally difficult and spectacularly unpredictable. These one-day races test cycling’s toughest riders with the worst conditions imaginable-sucking mud, choking dust, leg-numbing sleet, and Europe’s narrowest, most bone-grinding roads. Clattering through agrarian hamlets on roughly paved routes carved from the hills more than a century ago, the spring classics embody the soul of the sport of cycling.

The Spring Classics enshrines races such as Italy’s season-opening Milan-San Remo, which winds south toward the lumpy Ligurian coast on its way to a furious finish; Ghent-Wevelgem, Belgium’s test for sprinters, always won with a burst of lightning; the tooth-rattling Tour of Flanders, with its interminable stretches of treacherous cobblestones; and, of course, Liège-Bastogne-Liège, a monster created in 1892 whose tempestuous weather and sawtooth profile made it the dark prototype for every tough race that has followed.

In its encyclopedic embrace of Europe’s greatest one-day events, The Spring Classics also celebrates the essential races that round out the cycling year: Paris-Tours, which moved from spring to fall in 1951; the Clásica San Sebastián, which burst onto the Basque cycling calendar in 1981 and is now enshrined as August’s most important contest; and the Tour of Lombardy, “the race of the falling leaves” along the shores of Lake Como that closes the calendar in October with elegance and style.

Taken together, these are the races that truly define a year in cycling. It is from these ultimate challenges that heroes are born, legends are made, history is written, and the eternal struggle to triumph over all odds is fought, won, lost, and celebrated.

The Spring Classics offers wonderful photographs and stories of Liège-Bastogne-Liège, La Flèche Wallonne, Paris-Roubaix, the Tour of Flanders, Het Volk, Ghent-Wevelgem, Milan-San Remo, the Amstel Gold Race and of the Grand Prix of Frankfurt, Clásica San Sebastián, the Championship of Zurich, Bordeaux-Paris, Paris-Tours, Paris-Brussels, and the Tour of Lombardy.

Tom Danielson (Garmin-Transitions) made it through Tuesday’s potentially explosive 10th stage to maintain his options for a strong overall result at the Vuelta a España.

Danielson hit the midway point through the 2010 Vuelta is solid position, settling into 15th overall at 1:54 back.

“I’ve done the best I can. I am not real explosive on those short finishes. I’ve struggled a little bit, not quite (with the) fastest guys on the short finishes, but close to the GC guys,” Danielson said. “I hope to really come alive in the second part of this Vuelta.”

So far this year, Danielson’s Vuelta has gone to script. He’s been able to stay in contention throughout a string of explosive and short uphill finishes that favor the likes of Igor Antón and new leader Joaquim Rodríguez.

With the Vuelta heading into the Pyrénées Wednesday for the first summit finish of this year’s edition, Danielson is optimistic he can hit his stride as the Vuelta turns into the more difficult portion of the route.

“Those Asturias stages (in northern Spain) I am really excited about and the 50km time trial, so we’ll see,” he said. “I want to do the best Vuelta I can.”

Danielson has twice finished in the top 10 at the Vuelta (seventh in 2005, sixth in 2006 with a stage win) and was riding strong last year until he was struck with a bad stomach bug and eventually abandoned.

With an improved time trial — last year he won the individual time trial at the Vuelta a Burgos in August to end up third overall — Danielson isn’t setting any limits on how far he can go in this Vuelta.

And, as a recent father, Danielson says he has an extra motivation to dig ever deeper than before.

“I just had a baby, Stephen, he’s five months old — I always dream big, I’d really like to get him on the podium in the end,” he said. “I’m really shooting for that.”

Garmin-Transitions sport director Johnny Weltz said the team is ready for more success in the second half of the Vuelta. The team won an important stage victory with Tyler Farrar in the first week and there should be even more opportunities for Farrar in the sprints.

“We have been through nine stages of hard racing and extremely hot weather, but we still have our options for the GC and for a stage win,” Weltz said on the team’s web page. “Luckily, we have several of our riders recovered and stronger than when we started, so we are ready to confront the high mountains that await us in this second week of racing.”

Stage results
GC standings
Race report
All Vuelta results
Archived live reports
Vuelta galleries

• 1. Imanol Erviti, Caisse d’Epargne , in 4h 13′ 31′
• 2. Romain Zingle, Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne, at 37
• 3. Greg Van Avermaet, Omega Pharma-Lotto, at 37
• 4. Mauro Finetto, Liquigas-Doimo, at 37
• 5. Javier Moreno, Andalucia Cajasur, at 37
• 6. Anders Lund, Team Saxo Bank, at 37
• 7. Christophe Le Mevel, Française des Jeux, at 37
• 8. Giampaolo Cheula, Footon – Servetto – Fuji, at 37
• 9. Laurens Ten Dam, Rabobank Cycling Team, at 42
• 10. Dmitriy Fofonov, Astana, at 1:36
• 11. Daniele Bennati, Liquigas-Doimo, at 1:38
• 12. Grega Bole, Lampre-Farnese Vini, at 1:38
• 13. Philippe Gilbert, Omega Pharma-Lotto, at 1:38
• 14. Dario Cataldo, Quick Step, at 1:38
• 15. Filippo Pozzato, Team Katusha, at 1:38
• 16. Tony Gallopin, Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne, at 1:38
• 17. Josep JufrÉ, Astana, at 1:38
• 18. Enrico Gasparotto, Astana, at 1:38
• 19. David GarcÍa, Xacobeo Galicia, at 1:38
• 20. Ludovic Turpin, Ag2r La Mondiale, at 1:38
• 21. Marzio Bruseghin, Caisse D’Epargne, at 1:38
• 22. Frank Schleck, Team Saxo Bank, at 1:38
• 23. Marcos Garcia, Xacobeo Galicia, at 1:38
• 24. Vladimir Gusev, Team Katusha, at 1:38
• 25. Joaquin Rodriguez, Team Katusha, at 1:38
• 26. Peter Velits, HTC-Columbia, at 1:38
• 27. Nicholas Roche, Ag2r La Mondiale, at 1:38
• 28. Rémy Di Gregorio, Française des Jeux, at 1:38
• 29. Ruben Plaza, Caisse D’Epargne, at 1:38
• 30. Gustav Larsson, Team Saxo Bank, at 1:38
• 31. Ezequiel Mosquera, Xacobeo Galicia, at 1:38
• 32. Vladimir Karpets, Team Katusha, at 1:38
• 33. Tejay Van Garderen, HTC-Columbia, at 1:38
• 34. Juan Jose Oroz, Euskaltel-Euskadi, at 1:38
• 35. Oliver Zaugg, Liquigas-Doimo, at 1:38
• 36. Alexandr Kolobnev, Team Katusha, at 1:38
• 37. Igor Anton, Euskaltel-Euskadi, at 1:38
• 38. Vincenzo Nibali, Liquigas-Doimo, at 1:38
• 39. Amets Txurruka, Euskaltel-Euskadi, at 1:38
• 40. Alexsandr Dyachenko, Astana, at 1:38
• 41. Denis Menchov, Rabobank Cycling Team, at 1:38
• 42. Thomas Danielson, Garmin-Transitions, at 1:38
• 43. Xavier Tondo, Cervélo TestTeam, at 1:38
• 44. Luis Pasamontes, Caisse D’Epargne, at 1:38
• 45. Jean-christophe Peraud, Omega Pharma-Lotto, at 1:38
• 46. Carlos Sastre, Cervélo TestTeam, at 1:38
• 47. Rinaldo Nocentini, Ag2r La Mondiale, at 1:38
• 48. Carlos Barredo, Quick Step, at 1:38
• 49. Andrey Kashechkin, Lampre-Farnese Vini, at 1:38
• 50. Mikel Nieve, Euskaltel-Euskadi, at 1:38
• 51. Egoi MartÍnez, Euskaltel-Euskadi, at 1:38
• 52. Luis León SÁnchez, Caisse D’Epargne, at 1:38
• 53. Rigoberto Uran, Caisse D’Epargne, at 1:38
• 54. Iñigo Cuesta, Cervélo TestTeam, at 1:38
• 55. David Moncoutie, Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne, at 1:38
• 56. David Arroyo, Caisse D’Epargne, at 1:38
• 57. Jan Bakelandts, Omega Pharma-Lotto, at 1:38
• 58. Frederik Willems, Liquigas-Doimo, at 1:38
• 59. Assan Bazayev, Astana, at 1:38
• 60. Manuele Mori, Lampre-Farnese Vini, at 1:38
• 61. Kevin De Weert, Quick Step, at 1:52
• 62. Giampaolo Caruso, Team Katusha, at 2:16
• 63. Maciej Paterski, Liquigas-Doimo, at 2:25
• 64. Jurgen Van Goolen, Omega Pharma-Lotto, at 4:57
• 65. Grischa Niermann, Rabobank Cycling Team, at 4:57
• 66. Matteo Tosatto, Quick Step, at 4:57
• 67. Johannes FrÖhlinger, Milram, at 4:57
• 68. Gustavo Rodrigue Iglesias, Xacobeo Galicia, at 4:57
• 69. David LÓpez, Caisse D’Epargne, at 4:57
• 70. Rémi Pauriol, Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne, at 4:57
• 71. Paul Voss, Milram, at 4:57
• 72. Juan Manuel Garate, Rabobank Cycling Team, at 4:57
• 73. Gonzalo RabuÑal, Xacobeo Galicia, at 4:57
• 74. Delio Fernandez, Xacobeo Galicia, at 4:57
• 75. Óscar Freire, Rabobank Cycling Team, at 4:57
• 76. Martin Pedersen, Footon – Servetto – Fuji, at 4:57
• 77. Gustavo CÉsar, Xacobeo Galicia, at 4:57
• 78. Ivan Santaromita, Liquigas-Doimo, at 4:57
• 79. Xavier Florencio, Cervélo TestTeam, at 10:37
• 80. Alberto BenÍtez, Footon – Servetto – Fuji, at 10:37
• 81. Hubert Dupont, Ag2r La Mondiale, at 10:37
• 82. Juan Javier Estrada, Andalucia Cajasur, at 10:37
• 83. Christian Vandevelde, Garmin-Transitions, at 10:37
• 84. Marco Marzano, Lampre-Farnese Vini, at 10:37
• 85. Daniele Pietropolli, Lampre-Farnese Vini, at 10:37
• 86. Davide Malacarne, Quick Step, at 10:37
• 87. Guillaume Bonnafond, Ag2r La Mondiale, at 10:37
• 88. Philip Deignan, Cervélo TestTeam, at 10:37
• 89. Mauricio Ardila, Rabobank Cycling Team, at 10:37
• 90. Sebastian Langeveld, Rabobank Cycling Team, at 10:37
• 91. Nicolas Vogondy, BBox Bouygues Telecom, at 10:37
• 92. Pierre Cazaux, Française des Jeux, at 10:37
• 93. Biel Kadri, Ag2r La Mondiale, at 10:37
• 94. Roman Kreuziger, Liquigas-Doimo, at 10:37
• 95. Jelle Vanendert, Omega Pharma-Lotto, at 10:37
• 96. Dmitry Kozontchuk, Rabobank Cycling Team, at 10:37
• 97. Yauheni Hutarovich, Française des Jeux, at 12:45
• 98. Allan Davis, Astana, at 12:45
• 99. Javier RamÍrez, Andalucia Cajasur, at 12:45
• 100. Johnnie Walker, Footon – Servetto – Fuji, at 12:45
• 101. Manuel Ortega, Andalucia Cajasur, at 12:45
• 102. Vincent Jerome, BBox Bouygues Telecom, at 12:45
• 103. Sergio Carrasco, Andalucia Cajasur, at 12:45
• 104. Antonio Piedra, Andalucia Cajasur, at 12:45
• 105. J. Ángel GÓmez Marchante, Andalucia Cajasur, at 12:45
• 106. Nikolas Maes, Quick Step, at 12:45
• 107. Thomas Peterson, Garmin-Transitions, at 13:15
• 108. Fabian Cancellara, Team Saxo Bank, at 16:38
• 109. Markus Eichler, Milram, at 16:38
• 110. Robert FÖrster, Milram, at 16:38
• 111. Nick Nuyens, Rabobank Cycling Team, at 16:38
• 112. Björn SchrÖder, Milram, at 16:38
• 113. Kanstantsin Sivtsov, HTC-Columbia, at 16:38
• 114. Serafín MartÍnez, Xacobeo Galicia, at 16:38
• 115. J. Vicente GarcÍa Acosta, Caisse D’Epargne, at 16:38
• 116. Mikhail Ignatiev, Team Katusha, at 16:38
• 117. Vladimir Isaichev, Xacobeo Galicia, at 16:38
• 118. José Vicente Toribio, Andalucia Cajasur, at 16:38
• 119. Valentin Iglinskiy, Astana, at 16:38
• 120. Juan Jose Haedo, Team Saxo Bank, at 16:38
• 121. Matthew Harley Goss, HTC-Columbia, at 16:38
• 122. Niki Terpstra, Milram, at 16:38
• 123. Gorka Verdugo, Euskaltel-Euskadi, at 16:38
• 124. Perrig Quemeneur, BBox Bouygues Telecom, at 16:38
• 125. Pablo Urtasun, Euskaltel-Euskadi, at 16:38
• 126. Domenik Klemme, Team Saxo Bank, at 16:38
• 127. Alexandre Pichot, BBox Bouygues Telecom, at 16:38
• 128. Andrey Zeits, Astana, at 16:38
• 129. Lars Ytting Bak, HTC-Columbia, at 16:38
• 130. Matthieu Sprick, BBox Bouygues Telecom, at 16:38
• 131. Kasper Klostergaard, Team Saxo Bank, at 16:38
• 132. Martin Velits, HTC-Columbia, at 16:38
• 133. Dominik Roels, Milram, at 16:38
• 134. Olivier Kaisen, Omega Pharma-Lotto, at 16:38
• 135. Johann Tschopp, BBox Bouygues Telecom, at 16:38
• 136. Jacopo Guarnieri, Liquigas-Doimo, at 16:38
• 137. Angelo Furlan, Lampre-Farnese Vini, at 16:38
• 138. Sébastien Hinault, Ag2r La Mondiale, at 16:38
• 139. Christophe Riblon, Ag2r La Mondiale, at 16:38
• 140. Enrique Mata, Footon – Servetto – Fuji, at 16:38
• 141. José Luis Arrieta, Ag2r La Mondiale, at 16:38
• 142. Sergey Renev, Astana, at 16:38
• 143. Tyler Farrar, Garmin-Transitions, at 16:38
• 144. Wouter Weylandt, Quick Step, at 16:38
• 145. Gianni Meersman, Française des Jeux, at 16:38
• 146. Mikael Cherel, Française des Jeux, at 16:38
• 147. Matthew Wilson, Garmin-Transitions, at 16:38
• 148. David Millar, Garmin-Transitions, at 16:38
• 149. Hayden Roulston, HTC-Columbia, at 16:38
• 150. Danilo Hondo, Lampre-Farnese Vini, at 16:38
• 151. Mark Cavendish, HTC-Columbia, at 16:38
• 152. Theo Bos, Cervélo TestTeam, at 16:38
• 153. Arthur Vichot, Française des Jeux, at 16:38
• 154. Andreas Stauff, Quick Step, at 16:38
• 155. David Gutierrez Gutierrez, Footon – Servetto – Fuji, at 16:38
• 156. Sébastien Chavanel, Française des Jeux, at 16:38
• 157. David Zabriskie, Garmin-Transitions, at 16:38
• 158. Julian Dean, Garmin-Transitions, at 16:38
• 159. Manuel A. Leal Cardoso, Footon – Servetto – Fuji, at 16:38
• 160. Arnaud Labbe, Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne, at 16:38
• 161. Denis Galimzyanov, Team Katusha, at 16:38
• 162. Sébastien Minard, Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne, at 16:38
• 163. Nico Sijmens, Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne, at 16:38
• 164. Michel Kreder, Garmin-Transitions, at 16:38
• 165. Stefan Denifl, Cervélo TestTeam, at 16:38
• 166. Samuel Dumoulin, Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne, at 16:38
• 167. William Bonnet, BBox Bouygues Telecom, at 16:38
• 168. Beñat Intxausti, Euskaltel-Euskadi, at 16:38
• 169. Larrea Koldo FernÁndez De, Euskaltel-Euskadi, at 16:38
• 170. Leif Hoste, Omega Pharma-Lotto, at 16:38
• 171. Thor Hushovd, Cervélo TestTeam, at 16:38
• 172. Joan Horrach, Team Katusha, at 16:38
• 173. David Vitoria Cano, Footon – Servetto – Fuji, at 16:38
• 174. Jorge Montenegro, Andalucia Cajasur, at 16:38
• 175. Markus Fothen, Milram, at 16:38
• 176. Roy Sentjens, Milram, at 16:38
• 177. Daniele Righi, Lampre-Farnese Vini, at 16:38
• 178. Oscar Pujol, Cervélo TestTeam, at 16:38

• 1. Joaquin Rodriguez, Team Katusha , in 42h 11′ 49”
• 2. Igor Anton, Euskaltel-Euskadi, at 2
• 3. Vincenzo Nibali, Liquigas-Doimo, at 4
• 4. Xavier Tondo, Cervélo TestTeam, at 44
• 5. Jean-christophe Peraud, Omega Pharma-Lotto, at 54
• 6. Ruben Plaza, Caisse D’Epargne, at 1:17
• 7. Ezequiel Mosquera, Xacobeo Galicia, at 1:20
• 8. Nicholas Roche, Ag2r La Mondiale, at 1:21
• 9. Marzio Bruseghin, Caisse D’Epargne, at 1:24
• 10. Peter Velits, HTC-Columbia, at 1:28
• 11. Tejay Van Garderen, HTC-Columbia, at 1:28
• 12. Rigoberto Uran, Caisse D’Epargne, at 1:40
• 13. Frank Schleck, Team Saxo Bank, at 1:49
• 14. Philippe Gilbert, Omega Pharma-Lotto, at 1:51
• 15. Thomas Danielson, Garmin-Transitions, at 1:54
• 16. Vladimir Karpets, Team Katusha, at 1:59
• 17. Carlos Sastre, Cervélo TestTeam, at 2:13
• 18. David Arroyo, Caisse D’Epargne, at 2:17
• 19. Luis León SÁnchez, Caisse D’Epargne, at 2:23
• 20. Denis Menchov, Rabobank Cycling Team, at 3:31
• 21. David GarcÍa, Xacobeo Galicia, at 3:36
• 22. Mikel Nieve, Euskaltel-Euskadi, at 3:39
• 23. Vladimir Gusev, Team Katusha, at 4:10
• 24. Alexsandr Dyachenko, Astana, at 4:27
• 25. David Moncoutie, Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne, at 5:00
• 26. Jan Bakelandts, Omega Pharma-Lotto, at 5:18
• 27. Andrey Kashechkin, Lampre-Farnese Vini, at 5:19
• 28. Christophe Le Mevel, Française des Jeux, at 5:37
• 29. Laurens Ten Dam, Rabobank Cycling Team, at 5:45
• 30. Iñigo Cuesta, Cervélo TestTeam, at 5:58
• 31. Gustav Larsson, Team Saxo Bank, at 6:06
• 32. Alexandr Kolobnev, Team Katusha, at 6:10
• 33. David LÓpez, Caisse D’Epargne, at 6:52
• 34. Ludovic Turpin, Ag2r La Mondiale, at 7:54
• 35. Giampaolo Caruso, Team Katusha, at 7:58
• 36. Luis Pasamontes, Caisse D’Epargne, at 10:48
• 37. Egoi MartÍnez, Euskaltel-Euskadi, at 10:50
• 38. Josep JufrÉ, Astana, at 12:06
• 39. Rémy Di Gregorio, Française des Jeux, at 12:47
• 40. Filippo Pozzato, Team Katusha, at 13:21
• 41. Roman Kreuziger, Liquigas-Doimo, at 15:03
• 42. Javier Moreno, Andalucia Cajasur, at 15:15
• 43. Carlos Barredo, Quick Step, at 16:00
• 44. Guillaume Bonnafond, Ag2r La Mondiale, at 16:14
• 45. Thomas Peterson, Garmin-Transitions, at 17:18
• 46. Marcos Garcia, Xacobeo Galicia, at 18:18
• 47. Juan Manuel Garate, Rabobank Cycling Team, at 19:24
• 48. Greg Van Avermaet, Omega Pharma-Lotto, at 20:01
• 49. Marco Marzano, Lampre-Farnese Vini, at 20:05
• 50. Gonzalo RabuÑal, Xacobeo Galicia, at 21:04
• 51. Jurgen Van Goolen, Omega Pharma-Lotto, at 23:06
• 52. Juan Jose Oroz, Euskaltel-Euskadi, at 24:15
• 53. Dario Cataldo, Quick Step, at 25:04
• 54. Roy Sentjens, Milram, at 26:34
• 55. Amets Txurruka, Euskaltel-Euskadi, at 26:57
• 56. Kanstantsin Sivtsov, HTC-Columbia, at 27:52
• 57. J. Ángel GÓmez Marchante, Andalucia Cajasur, at 28:16
• 58. Maciej Paterski, Liquigas-Doimo, at 29:15
• 59. Johannes FrÖhlinger, Milram, at 29:32
• 60. Gustavo CÉsar, Xacobeo Galicia, at 30:55
• 61. Oscar Pujol, Cervélo TestTeam, at 32:21
• 62. Daniele Pietropolli, Lampre-Farnese Vini, at 32:56
• 63. Manuele Mori, Lampre-Farnese Vini, at 33:03
• 64. Enrico Gasparotto, Astana, at 33:32
• 65. Dmitriy Fofonov, Astana, at 33:42
• 66. Alberto BenÍtez, Footon – Servetto – Fuji, at 34:17
• 67. Assan Bazayev, Astana, at 35:08
• 68. Ivan Santaromita, Liquigas-Doimo, at 35:08
• 69. Mauro Finetto, Liquigas-Doimo, at 35:24
• 70. Imanol Erviti, Caisse D’Epargne, at 36:27
• 71. Delio Fernandez, Xacobeo Galicia, at 39:18
• 72. Markus Fothen, Milram, at 40:09
• 73. Rinaldo Nocentini, Ag2r La Mondiale, at 40:24
• 74. Tony Gallopin, Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne, at 41:24
• 75. Romain Zingle, Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne, at 41:29
• 76. Oliver Zaugg, Liquigas-Doimo, at 42:20
• 77. Grischa Niermann, Rabobank Cycling Team, at 44:00
• 78. Serafín MartÍnez, Xacobeo Galicia, at 44:55
• 79. Mikael Cherel, Française des Jeux, at 46:12
• 80. Matteo Tosatto, Quick Step, at 46:46
• 81. Biel Kadri, Ag2r La Mondiale, at 47:15
• 82. Joan Horrach, Team Katusha, at 47:31
• 83. Gustavo Rodriguez Iglesias, Xacobeo Galicia, at 48:32
• 84. Daniele Bennati, Liquigas-Doimo, at 48:45
• 85. Grega Bole, Lampre-Farnese Vini, at 50:11
• 86. Matthieu Sprick, BBox Bouygues Telecom, at 51:23
• 87. Sébastien Minard, Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne, at 52:08
• 88. Johann Tschopp, BBox Bouygues Telecom, at 53:28
• 89. Anders Lund, Team Saxo Bank, at 53:43
• 90. Jelle Vanendert, Omega Pharma-Lotto, at 54:10
• 91. Óscar Freire, Rabobank Cycling Team, at 54:30
• 92. Frederik Willems, Liquigas-Doimo, at 55:30
• 93. Andrey Zeits, Astana, at 56:23
• 94. Xavier Florencio, Cervélo TestTeam, at 57:26
• 95. Juan Javier Estrada, Andalucia Cajasur, at 58:05
• 96. Gorka Verdugo, Euskaltel-Euskadi, at 59:15
• 97. Arthur Vichot, Française des Jeux, at 1:00:00
• 98. Perrig Quemeneur, BBox Bouygues Telecom, at 1:00:18
• 99. Niki Terpstra, Milram, at 1:00:42
• 100. Giampaolo Cheula, Footon – Servetto – Fuji, at 1:01:12
• 101. Javier RamÍrez, Andalucia Cajasur, at 1:02:19
• 102. Paul Voss, Milram, at 1:04:04
• 103. José Luis Arrieta, Ag2r La Mondiale, at 1:04:09
• 104. Kevin De Weert, Quick Step, at 1:04:23
• 105. Christian Vandevelde, Garmin-Transitions, at 1:05:07
• 106. Hubert Dupont, Ag2r La Mondiale, at 1:06:31
• 107. Rémi Pauriol, Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne, at 1:06:32
• 108. Sergey Renev, Astana, at 1:07:29
• 109. Allan Davis, Astana, at 1:12:46
• 110. Nicolas Vogondy, BBox Bouygues Telecom, at 1:13:07
• 111. Pablo Urtasun, Euskaltel-Euskadi, at 1:13:29
• 112. Martin Pedersen, Footon – Servetto – Fuji, at 1:14:02
• 113. Björn SchrÖder, Milram, at 1:14:22
• 114. Manuel Ortega, Andalucia Cajasur, at 1:16:14
• 115. Dominik Roels, Milram, at 1:16:37
• 116. J. Vicente GarcÍa Acosta, Caisse D’Epargne, at 1:17:19
• 117. Philip Deignan, Cervélo TestTeam, at 1:17:55
• 118. Samuel Dumoulin, Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne, at 1:17:56
• 119. Vincent Jerome, BBox Bouygues Telecom, at 1:18:21
• 120. Pierre Cazaux, Française des Jeux, at 1:18:58
• 121. Sergio Carrasco, Andalucia Cajasur, at 1:19:17
• 122. Sébastien Hinault, Ag2r La Mondiale, at 1:20:29
• 123. Danilo Hondo, Lampre-Farnese Vini, at 1:20:44
• 124. Antonio Piedra, Andalucia Cajasur, at 1:22:00
• 125. Markus Eichler, Milram, at 1:22:40
• 126. Davide Malacarne, Quick Step, at 1:25:05
• 127. Mauricio Ardila, Rabobank Cycling Team, at 1:26:23
• 128. William Bonnet, BBox Bouygues Telecom, at 1:26:28
• 129. Nico Sijmens, Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne, at 1:26:48
• 130. Martin Velits, HTC-Columbia, at 1:26:57
• 131. Manuel A. Leal Cardoso, Footon – Servetto – Fuji, at 1:27:16
• 132. Thor Hushovd, Cervélo TestTeam, at 1:28:51
• 133. Leif Hoste, Omega Pharma-Lotto, at 1:29:46
• 134. Stefan Denifl, Cervélo TestTeam, at 1:30:04
• 135. David Millar, Garmin-Transitions, at 1:32:01
• 136. Daniele Righi, Lampre-Farnese Vini, at 1:32:36
• 137. Enrique Mata, Footon – Servetto – Fuji, at 1:33:05
• 138. David Gutierrez Gutierrez, Footon – Servetto – Fuji, at 1:33:38
• 139. Dmitry Kozontchuk, Rabobank Cycling Team, at 1:34:09
• 140. Gianni Meersman, Française des Jeux, at 1:34:32
• 141. Sebastian Langeveld, Rabobank Cycling Team, at 1:34:36
• 142. Yauheni Hutarovich, Française des Jeux, at 1:34:43
• 143. Alexandre Pichot, BBox Bouygues Telecom, at 1:35:43
• 144. Nikolas Maes, Quick Step, at 1:36:10
• 145. Kasper Klostergaard, Team Saxo Bank, at 1:37:27
• 146. Michel Kreder, Garmin-Transitions, at 1:37:29
• 147. Olivier Kaisen, Omega Pharma-Lotto, at 1:37:41
• 148. Hayden Roulston, HTC-Columbia, at 1:37:54
• 149. Sébastien Chavanel, Française des Jeux, at 1:37:56
• 150. José Vicente Toribio, Andalucia Cajasur, at 1:38:00
• 151. Nick Nuyens, Rabobank Cycling Team, at 1:38:57
• 152. Vladimir Isaichev, Xacobeo Galicia, at 1:39:47
• 153. Beñat Intxausti, Euskaltel-Euskadi, at 1:39:50
• 154. Larrea Koldo FernÁndez De, Euskaltel-Euskadi, at 1:40:31
• 155. Andreas Stauff, Quick Step, at 1:41:04
• 156. Christophe Riblon, Ag2r La Mondiale, at 1:41:54
• 157. Tyler Farrar, Garmin-Transitions, at 1:42:08
• 158. Wouter Weylandt, Quick Step, at 1:42:46
• 159. Robert FÖrster, Milram, at 1:43:46
• 160. Jacopo Guarnieri, Liquigas-Doimo, at 1:45:38
• 161. David Zabriskie, Garmin-Transitions, at 1:46:32
• 162. Matthew Harley Goss, HTC-Columbia, at 1:46:51
• 163. Johnnie Walker, Footon – Servetto – Fuji, at 1:47:00
• 164. Matthew Wilson, Garmin-Transitions, at 1:47:26
• 165. Lars Ytting Bak, HTC-Columbia, at 1:49:32
• 166. Angelo Furlan, Lampre-Farnese Vini, at 1:49:45
• 167. Mark Cavendish, HTC-Columbia, at 1:50:00
• 168. David Vitoria Cano, Footon – Servetto – Fuji, at 1:50:10
• 169. Jorge Montenegro, Andalucia Cajasur, at 1:50:53
• 170. Juan Jose Haedo, Team Saxo Bank, at 1:51:06
• 171. Theo Bos, Cervélo TestTeam, at 1:51:16
• 172. Denis Galimzyanov, Team Katusha, at 1:51:52
• 173. Mikhail Ignatiev, Team Katusha, at 1:51:54
• 174. Domenik Klemme, Team Saxo Bank, at 1:55:08
• 175. Fabian Cancellara, Team Saxo Bank, at 1:56:47
• 176. Valentin Iglinskiy, Astana, at 2:05:23
• 177. Arnaud Labbe, Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne, at 2:05:34
• 178. Julian Dean, Garmin-Transitions, at 2:21:00

Spain’s Imanol Erviti has only won two races in his professional career and both of those came at the Vuelta a España.

2010 Vuelta a Espana, stage 10: Imanol Erviti gets the win.

The first one was in 2008, when he out-kicked Nicolas Roche in stage 18. Flash forward to Tuesday’s rough-and-tumble 175.7km 10th stage from Tarragona to Vilanova I la Geltrú over the short but very steep Cat. 1 with 30km to go, and Erviti put his second notch in his palmares.

This time, he attacked out of a seven-man breakaway after clearing the Alt del Rat Penat and soloed home the victory. This time he could savor the moment before crossing his line victorious, 37 seconds ahead of the chasing Romain Zingle (Cofidis).

“I’ve only won twice but each time was very special here at the Vuelta. This time I could enjoy it a little more because the first win was very tight against Roche,” Erviti said. “I’m a good rolleur and I knew my best shot was to attack from afar. I had good legs and opened up a gap and held it to the line.”

The victory was also two in a row for Caisse d’Epargne, which claimed Sunday’s stage with David Lopez.

‘Purito’ gets his jersey

The hilly transition stage ahead of Wednesday’s first real summit finish of the 2010 Vuelta was hot from the gun.

Attacks were coming left and right as riders tried to escape the clutches of the peloton, but Katusha was intent on keeping things together until the day’s first hot sprint at 41.2km to give Joaquim Rodríguez to break the deadlock with overnight leader Igor Antón (Euskaltel-Euskadi).

The pair has been tied, but Antón got the jersey based on best stage finishes through the Vuelta. Because there hasn’t been an individual time trial, the tradition tie-breaker of tenths of a second could not be applied.

Rodríguez has been steaming since Saturday’s eighth stage when race officials nullified an early hot sprint just moments after dozens of riders were caught up in a crash. Rodríguez shot out to claim a two-second bonus that day and thought he would have enough to take the jersey, especially when he gapped Antón coming across the line at Xorret de Catí.

But race officials nullified the sprint and then said the pair crossed the line together at Catí, and gave Antón the jersey.

On Tuesday, just as Rodríguez was riding into his native Catalunya, Katusha made sure the bunch arrived together to contest the intermediate sprint at Valls. Mark Cavendish and Tyler Farrar finished 1-2, but Rodríguez was once again third, earning him two seconds.

That was eventually enough to earn him the leader’s jersey when the top GC contenders crossed the line together at 1:38 back, but not before Antón had one last joke for Rodríguez.

“Antón came up to me during the race and told me the judges had nullified the sprint again today,” Rodríguez recounted. “I stopped breathing for a second and then I realized he was joking. I am happy to finally get the jersey for my team. They’ve worked their tails off for me and I’m glad to get it today.”

Rodríguez and Antón swapped places on GC, with “Purito” taking the red leader’s jersey and Antón slipping to second at two seconds back. Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas) remained third, now four seconds back.

Despite the switch in the leader’s jersey, there was no major shakeup in the overall standings.

Wednesday the Pyrénées

The Vuelta hit its halfway mark Tuesday and heads into new territory with Wednesday’s 208km 11th stage from Vilanova I la Geltrú to Andorra high in the Pyrénées.

Both Tejay Van Garderen (HTC-Columbia) and Tom Danielson (Garmin-Transitions) were able to stay with the front pack Tuesday going over the Alt del Rat Penat. The lead group was whittled down to about 30 riders, but ballooned to 50 as chasing riders caught back on for the final charge across the line.

Van Garderen is 11th at 1:28 back and Danielson is 15th at 1:54 back.

Both are poised to move up as the race moves into favored terrain. Van Garderen and Danielson both say they prefer longer, steadier climbs instead of the short, explosive walls and ramps that the Vuelta’s tackled so far in its challenging route in the opening half.

Wednesday’s stage is very long and only begins to climb once the race leaves Spain and enters the principality of Andorra. The final summit to Pal/Valnord is 10km with an average grade of 6.5 percent. The road climbs nearly 2,000 vertical feet and has ramps as steep as 10 percent, enough to cause some damage among the GC contenders.

Antón was philosophical about losing the jersey and said he’s still on form as the race turns into the decisive second half.

“You have to look at the bright side of losing the jersey, now we won’t have to work as hard to control the stage tomorrow into the Pyrénées,” Antón said. “I am feeling good and the longer climbs will see some attacks. The climb tomorrow isn’t really that difficult. What’s going to be torture will be stages in the north of Spain in Asturias. That should tell us who can win this Vuelta.”

Brief results:
Stage:

• 1. Imanol Erviti, Caisse d’Epargne , in 4h 13′ 31′
• 2. Romain Zingle, Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne, at 37
• 3. Greg Van Avermaet, Omega Pharma-Lotto, at 37
• 4. Mauro Finetto, Liquigas-Doimo, at 37
• 5. Javier Moreno, Andalucia Cajasur, at 37
• Complete results

GC:

• 1. Joaquin Rodriguez, Team Katusha , in 42h 11′ 49”
• 2. Igor Anton, Euskaltel-Euskadi, at 2
• 3. Vincenzo Nibali, Liquigas-Doimo, at 4
• 4. Xavier Tondo, Cervélo TestTeam, at 44
• 5. Jean-christophe Peraud, Omega Pharma-Lotto, at 54
• Complete results

Cervelo TestTeam's Marcel Wyss, here leading Carlos Sastre at the 2010 Giro, will join his teammate on the new Geox team next year.

Team Geox, the new name for the current Footon-Servetto-Fuji squad, has contracts with at least ten young riders who will support team leaders Carlos Sastre and Denis Menchov in 2011.

The newly confirmed riders for next year:

Continuing from Footon: Spaniards Rafael Valls (23) and Arkaitz Durán (24), Swiss Noe Gianetti (20), Italians Fabio Felline (20) and Marco Corti (24), Austrian time trial champion Matthias Brandle (20) and Fabio Duarte.

New signings: Italian neo-pro Matteo Pelucchi (21, from Trevigiani Dynamon Bottoli); Slovenian Marko Kump (21, from Adria Mobil), and Swiss Marcel Wyss (24, from Cèrvelo TestTeam).

“Geox has always attempted to bring young people into the products, and the cycling team will be following that line. We want this squad to be a model for the youngsters, not only to get them to learn how to win, but also how to behave as persons: a school on life,”  said team president Roberto Palumbo.

Related: List of 2011 ProTour rider transfers

2010 NRC champion Cath Cheatley remains with the merged squad

2010’s top ranked U.S. women’s team, Colavita/Baci Women’s Cycling Team presented by Cooking Light, will merge with Italy’s ASC Chirio Forno D’Asolo Professional Women’s Cycling Team for 2011.

The team will be renamed Colavita/Forno D’Asolo Pro Cycling team.

The merger has athletic as well as culinary implications, the team said. The U.S. team’s title sponsor is the Italy-based olive oil company Colavita USA. The Italian team’s title sponsor is the Treviso, Italy-based croissant factory Forno D’Asolo SpA.

“This is a great partnership between two Italian companies which both support cycling, first and foremost, for the love of the sport,” said Colavita USA’s vp of marketing, John A. Profaci. “This was the opportunity I’ve been waiting for, namely, to get the Colavita team over to the European UCI circuit.”

The 2011 Colavita Forno D’Asolo team will field a roster in both the U.S. and Italy. Colavita/Baci Directeur Sportif Rachel Heal will coordinate an international program and continue to direct the team in the National Racing Calendar and UCI-sanctioned events held in the US while Forno D’Asolo manager Franco Chirio will guide the team in a full UCI schedule of events across Europe.

The team said the core riders from both teams will return, including NRC women’s individual champion Cath Cheatley. A full roster will be announced in coming weeks.

Hanka Kupfernagel's disc-braked Stevens

No doubt a committed ‘crosser or two noticed many deficiencies in my first cyclocross bike gallery from Eurobike. Never fear – the show is over but my laptop’s hard drive runneth over with plenty of tech still to come. Knowing that ‘cross season is but days away, I kept eyes open for more of the freaky fun bikes we love so much.

The German brand Stevens was right at home in Friedrichshafen. Their top-flight Team carbon bike doesn’t change for 2011. But almost hiding in the booth was a prototype disc-braked version built for world champ Hanka Kupfernagel. With the canti versions at eye level, it was easy to breeze right past the progressive machine.

A Stevens rep said that the bike will not be built for sale in 2011. The UCI’s rule change happened far too late in the annual product development cycle. But the company is building a few more prototypes for sponsored riders and will be looking into the bike as a 2012 model. It’s built with custom wheels, Shimano disc calipers, and a Ritchey mountain bike fork.

The disc’ed Stevens will see race duty when conditions call for it, and the riders will be tapped for testing of possible full production versions to come.

Check the gallery below for more ‘cross bikes on show in Germany. More cyclocross information is on our Cyclocross category page and there’s more Eurobike coverage on our Bikes & Tech category page.

Travis and Cameron Meyer at home in Perth

You could say that it’s been “something of a year” for Australian cycling, and not least for young Garmin-Transitions Australian brothers Cameron and Travis Meyer, who took both the national road and time trial titles between them, as well as Cameron’s world track championship triple gold medal haul (team pursuit, points race and Madison).

It was mid-week when we caught up with them as they prepared for another long day in the saddle on the roads around Girona in Northern Spain, their recently adopted home.

“I’ve got a slightly different schedule to Cameron, so I leave before him in the morning,” Travis, the younger of the two (by 18-months), told us as we continued the chat with Cameron, who’s now in his second pro season, and has had his neo-pro brother Travis for company on the team this year.

“We share an apartment together, and we train hard together, really push each other on. It’s been good for both of us, and we have Matt White (team manager and coach) in the same building too, so it fits well.”

Both brothers are the product of the strong Australian track-racing scene, which is very much the backbone of the country’s racing infrastructure, and behind the success of most top level Aussie pro’s. The Meyers are from Perth, in Western Australia, which is as close to Singapore as it is to the mainstream east coast and Sydney. This isolation has long shaped the WA riders, who are well known for their hard and aggressive racing, and are almost a breed apart from the rest of the country.

Brother acts are nothing new in cycling, although with 12 world track titles between them so far (Travis has five junior titles, Cameron has three junior and four senior), they are “a bit special.”

Cameron’s signing with Garmin in 2009, and Travis following this season, was part and parcel of the deal that track racing would remain a priority until the 2012 London Olympics, although things have changed some for both brothers in the past few months.

“The Olympics; they were my priority, but now they’ve dropped the Madison and points race — two-thirds of my events. I’ve had to re-assess, and although I’ll continue on the track and try to represent Australia and win medals, the road is now my main focus.”

The same has manifested its way unexpectedly for Travis too; “I’ve just not been able to make the team pursuit cut for some time now, so from now on it’s full-time road for me.”

Travis Meyer at the 2009 Perth GP

Talent on the road is something both brothers also possess in abundance. In January Cameron took his first elite time trial national title. “It was mid-build up for the track worlds, but I’d been just 6 seconds from the title in the past, and so we made it the first goal of the season. It was a great feeling going into the Giro as one of my TT first races of the season and wear the jersey.”

The Giro was his first “real” race of the year. “Going straight out of track training to the Giro, it took a while, but I had enough good k’s in my legs, and was pleased to finish my first grand tour.”

The race was also a huge breakthrough for young Aussie Ritchie Porte, who took the race lead. “Two years back I was taking around 1.50 out of him in a TT (nationals). He’s come a long way in a very short time, it was an amazing ride.”

Just a few days after Cameron’s TT win, his younger sibling astonished the seasoned pros when he rode away to take the national road race title, keeping things well and truly in the family.

“My focus was on the track, but I did have some good long rides in my legs. I went to the race to help the others (Cameron and Chris Sutton). I was strong, and putting in good turns and ended up winning, which was far more than I could have dreamt of. Going into my first pro year in Europe with the jersey on feels good, especially when I see that most of the other national champions are big names.”

Since joining Garmin both riders have found their way some, and the future looks like the hard stuff, as Cameron confirms. “I feel like I’ve stepped up a notch, and hope to move up another notch next year. I think I’m best suited to the grand tours, and will be working that way.”

Travis had a “pro” baptism of fire; straight from track training (and a one-day race) to the Tour of Romandie. “It was a bit of a shock! A big jump, but I had a lot of fun and handled it well. The big climbs were not too bad. I’ve learned and got better form throughout the year, and was mixing it up in the Eneco Tour the other week, which felt good and gave me some good form. I think these are my kind of races (shorter stage races and classics), and next year I’ll be on a program for the smaller northern classics and shorter stage races.”

Cameron Meyer at the 2009 Perth GP

As the twilight of the road season draws close, both brothers are adapting their track legs and gaining road form, with the Tour of Britain ahead.

“We both rode the race in 2008 (with the AIS),” Cameron said, “and I like racing in the UK. They say the race could be a bit harder than usual this year, which is better for both of us, and gives chances of a break. Garmin has a strong team, with Dan Martin on great form for the GC and Robbie Hunter for the sprints. We’ve both had a lot of racing recently, form is good.”

Travis is also relishing the chance to make his mark, and maybe cut his spurs with a stage win; “Last time we rode it was a great race, I’m looking forward to it. If it ends up in sprints, that’s just not my style. I’m not going for GC, but it would be great to have the chance to go for a stage.”

By the time the British tour is done, the season is almost cooked for the Meyers; both missed out on selection for the Melbourne world championships, and are heading to the Commonwealth Games in India instead.

“The Commonwealth Games are really important in Australia, second to the Olympics — they only come around every 4 years,” Cameron said. “I’m going for the track, and possibly the road too. I wasn’t really banking on riding the worlds. With riders like Michael Rogers, Cadel Evans and Ritchie Porte interested in the TT I was directed in the way of the Commonwealth Games. Australia has such strength in depth, and in the world’s, experience is a big factor, and that comes with age; even a rider of the stature of Robbie McEwen didn’t make the cut.”

Travis will also be Delhi-bound, and is in line to ride the road race. This will be their last race of the year, almost. “We’re both taking three weeks or so off after that, recovery!” Cameron said. “I’ll probably be doing the Melbourne track World Cup in December — as Leigh Howard and I are world champions it would be good to ride the Madison, and maybe qualify for the world champs. After that it’s all for the road and 2011.”

The Saxo Bank team has prevented Andy Schleck and Stuart O’Grady from starting the 10th stage of the Vuelta a España on Tuesday, citing an unspecified “rules violation,” according to Danish news reports.

The sporten.dk website and TV 2 Sport reported that team boss Bjarne Riis took the action Tuesday morning in advance of the day’s stage.

The news reports mentioned violations of team rules, but were not clear as to which rules were allegedly broken. Speaking with reporters at the start in Tarragona, Riis wouldn’t elaborate, but said the violations did not involve doping allegations. Later reports suggest that the two may have violated a team ban on alcohol.

Luxembourg’s Schleck was a runner-up at the 2009 and 2010 Tour de France and the 2007 Giro d’Italia. O’Grady has three Tour de France stage wins, won Paris-Roubaix in in 2007 and Olympic Madison gold in 2004. Both are expected to leave the team at season’s end to join a new squad organized and sponsored by Luxembourg-based businesses.