Tour de Clock - Will Andy Schleck be the bridesmaid again?

The hearts of both the Schleck brothers collectively dropped, when they discovered the route of the 2012 Tour de France.

Frank and Andy put on a brave face at the unveiling of the next Tour route, despite it having 100km against the clock. 2012 looks to be a very different year for the Grand Tours, with the Giro much flatter than its predecessor. The Olympic Games has probably got something to do with it, with riders not wanting to tire themselves out before the Games. The Grand Boucle will start a week earlier than normal to accommodate the games.

The funniest interview with Frank and Andy Schleck

TdF: Frank Schleck discusses the 2012 route

2012 Tour de France route accidentally revealed

The official tour website accidentally leaked what looks like next year's route map and some lucky soul got a couple of screen shots. There will be a few happy campers like Cadel Evans, Alberto Contador, Samuel Sanchez and Bradley Wiggins, with two individual time-trials and the prologue is back. The Schleck brothers won't be best pleased. Andy will have to work even harder on his TT skills, if 2012 is to be his year.

World Champs: Elite Men's Road Race 2011 Start List

1 Thor Hushovd NORWAY
2 Kurt Asle Arvesen
3 Edvald Boasson Hagen
4 Gabriel Rasch

5 Carlos Barredo Llamazeles SPAIN
6 Imanol Erviti Ollo
7 Juan Antonio Flecha Giannoni
8 Oscar Freire Gomez
9 Juan Manuel Garate Cepa
10 Pablo Lastras Garcia
11 Vicente Raynes Mimo
12 Jose Joaquin Rojas Gil
13 Luis Leon Sanchez Gil

Gretsch wins the opener in the USA Pro Cycling Challenge

Patrick Gretsch has boosted a bad week for HTC by taking the prologue of the USA pro cycling challenge.

Gretsch adjusted to the altitude the best, on the time-trial, to pip Christian Vande Velde by a mere two seconds. The 24-year-old has added this two his other two victories, as a pro rider, and will do his prospects for next year no harm. Brent Bookwalter, who finished third, was the first of three BMC riders to take a top ten position. George Hincapie and Cadel Evans finished only a second apart and seven seconds behind Gretsch.

Tour de France: Good Tour / Bad Tour - Winners

Cadel Evans

Evans became the first Australian and first Southern Hemisphere rider, to win the Tour de France’s 108 year history. It was his ability to stay with his rivals in the mountains that put him in the prime position to win. Evans knew he had superior time-trialling ability to the Schlecks and really showed it, by beating them by over two minutes. The victory has been received very well in his home country, who has declared a national holiday to celebrate it. Evans is hoping to carry his tour success to London next year, with an Olympic Gold medal.

TdF: Mark Cavendish wins on the Champs-Elysees and claims Green

Mark Cavendish took his third consecutive victory on the Champs-Elysees, to become the first British rider to win the fabled green jersey.

Cavendish launched himself from the wheel of, his lead-out man Mark Renshaw, and never looked in doubt of the victory. Edvald Boasson Hagen tried to take a third victory, but the young Norwegian just didn’t have the speed to pass the Manx missile. Boasson Hagen started to reel in the green jersey, but Cavendish gave a second kick and beat him by over a bike’s length. Cav now has six victories in the 2011 tour and 20 tour victories overall.

Video: 2011 Tour de France - Stage 20 Andy and Frank Schleck talk about the time-trial

TdF: Cadel Evans storms in to yellow as Tony Martin wins Stage 20

Cadel Evans put on a stunning performance, to become the first Australian to win the Tour de France, as Andy Schleck cracked under pressure.

Evans came in to the individual time-trial with a 57 second deficit to the younger Schleck, after failing to make any time during the mountains. Many people predicted he would overhaul the gap, but nobody would have believed how much time he did take. The Australian had already taken 30 seconds out of the Luxembourgish rider, by the 15km mark.

By the final intermediate check he was only two seconds down on, the stage’s eventual winner, Tony Martin. He eventually crossed the line seven seconds down, but put a massive 2 minutes 31 seconds on Andy Schleck. Emotional scenes on the podium followed, as Evans had tears in his eyes, while the crowd gave him a huge cheer. The Australian will be the first from the Southern Hemisphere to win the tour, if he can stay on his bike until Paris.

TdF: Pierre Rolland wins on the Alpe D'Huez as Andy Shcleck takes yellow

Pierre Rolland rode to the biggest victory of his career, on the Alpe d’Huez, as Andy Schleck finally took the yellow jersey, on stage 19.

Rolland, who has been Thomas Voeckler’s work horse in the mountains, rode away from Samuel Sanchez and Alberto Contador, in the final 3 kilometres. The young Frenchman, who is in his first tour, attacked as the main group reached the Alpe d’Huez. He was quickly followed by Ryder Hesjedal, but the Canadian couldn’t keep up with him and was soon dropped.

The Europcar rider wasn’t alone for long, as the main group began to attack each other and he soon had Contador for company. Contador looked like he was on his last legs, but put in a dig to put some time on the GC contenders. While Rolland was now trying to catch the Spaniard, the following group were trying to bridge the gap.

Video: 2011 Tour de France - Stage 18 Stuart O'Grady talks Schleck

TdF: Andy Schleck wins on the Galibier as Voeckler clings to yellow on Stage 18

Andy Schleck rode to a very tough victory on the Col du Galibier, but missed out on the yellow jersey, as Thomas Voeckler hung on to the lead.

Schleck, who finished second in last year’s tour, launched a stinging attack, as the group reached the Col d’Izoard. The younger of the two Schleck brothers has so far been in the shadow of his elder sibling, but he left the other GC contenders with no answer to his attack. With only 2 kilometres left to the top, Andy had his hands on the yellow jersey. Voeckler had to put in a massive performance to close him down.

TdF: Boasson Hagen doubles his money as Voeckler loses time on Stage 17

Edvald Boasson Hagen doubled his victory tally, to make it four for Norway this year, as Thomas Voeckler escaped two scares, to cling on to his yellow jersey.

Boasson Hagen came back from the disappointment of yesterday, after being pipped to the line by Thor Hushovd, to blow the rest of the field away. The young Norwegian left his breakaway companions, with 11km of the stage still to go, before pulling out an impressive 40 seconds. Norway have enjoyed a rich vein of form in the 2011 tour, with Boasson Hagen taking stages 6 and 17 and Hushovd winning on stages 13 and 16.

TdF: Hushovd beats Boasson Hagen in to Gap on stage 16

Thor Hushovd made it a brace of victories, after beating compatriot Edvald Boasson Hagen in the Sprint to Gap on stage 16.

Hushovd enjoyed the benefit of a lead-out man, in Ryder Hesjedal, with the Canadian the only remaining member of the original breakaway. Boasson Hagen looked to go to the left, of his more experience compatriot, but changed his mind. It seems the change in mind lost him the chance to take his second stage, of 2011.

The Norwegian pair set out to catch Hesjedal, who was out front with Mikhail Ignatyev, and used their impressive descending skills to catch the Garmin-Cervelo rider. Hushovd hasn’t had much to brag about in his usual hunting ground of the sprint, but a second victory in the rainbow jersey will prove a good enough replacement.

Video: 2011 Tour de France - Stage 14 - Frank Schleck talk about the GC

Tdf: Vanendert wins atop the Plateau de Beille as Voeckler keeps yellow on stage 14

Jelle Vanendert wins atop the Plateau de Beille, as Thomas Voeckler puts in a stunning effort to keep the yellow jersey.

Vanendert launched his attack, 7km left to go, while the big GC favourites were too busy watching each other. The Belgian tried so hard on the Luz-Ardiden, but couldn’t quite manage it and was beaten by Samuel Sanchez. The Plateau de Beille gave him the chance to get his own back and win his first major victory.

TdF: Sanchez wins on the Luz-Ardiden as Contador loses yet more time

Samuel Sanchez beat all of the other GC contenders, in the first big mountain stage, as Frank Schleck moved closer to the yellow jersey.

Sanchez began to pull away from some of the big names, with Jelle Vanendert, with around 13km to go. It was a Spaniard who had the legs, in the final couple of hundred metres and managed to pull seven seconds out on the Omega-Pharma Lotto rider. Hot on their heels was Frank Schleck, who moved himself in to second and 1 minute 49 second behind the yellow jersey of Thomas Voeckler.

Video: 2011 Tour de France - Stage 8

TdF: Cadel Evans holds off a closing Alberto Contador to take Stage 4

Cadel Evans claimed his first stage of the 2011 Tour de France on the Mûr-de-Bretagne, by the smallest of margins over Alberto Contador.

It nearly wasn’t to be for the Australian, who had to change bikes with 15 kilometres to go and had to be paced back on by his team, after problems with his rear wheel. The peloton caught the breakaway, which had been away from the start, with just over 3 km to go. With that job dealt with, it was the GC contenders who took to the front and began to play mind games with each other.