Although the 2012 Tour de France includes a prologue and two individual time trials, the 10,000 cycling enthusiasts who take to the l'Etape du Tour will be challenged by two standard road routes.

The two bicycle rides will let citizen cyclists test themselves against the pros on actual routes from that year's Tour de France, albeit on different days.

Tour de France organizers historically chose the mountainous "queen stage" for each year's l'Etape. Last year, they broadened the participation base by announcing a second, less debilitating route.

Unfortunately, the Tour didn't produce route profiles ....   more »

In the immediate slipstream of the 2012 Tour de France route announcement came speculation that the route favors Cadel Evans and Alberto Contador.

Why? They're good all around cyclists who excel in the time trial events, and the 2012 Tour just happens to have three such races-against-the-clock events.

The Tour de France, which rolls out from June 30 to July 22, will open with a prologue and tack on an individual time trial for Stage 9 and another on Stage 19, the penultimate stage. That's 96.1km of time trials, about double ...   more »

Mark Cavendish rocketed to the front of the peloton on Champs-Élysées in Paris to win his fifth stage of the 2011 Tour de France on Sunday.

Somewhere behind him, Cadel Evans was mobbed by his teammates as he crossed the finish line to become the first Australian ever to win the Tour.

He'd been protected throughout the 95km (58.9 mile) stage by his BMC Racing teammates to ensure he retained the yellow jersey after winning it in the individual time trial on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Cavendish became the first Briton to win the green points jersey at the Tour. His Paris win marked his 5th in this Tour and 20th in his career. ....   more »

Cadel Evans finally achieved success in his seven-year battle to win the Tour de France on Saturday as his main rivals fell off his pace in the individual time trial in Grenoble.

The 34-year-old BMC Racing cyclist overcame a 57-second deficit to pass the Brothers Schleck - Andy and Frank - to become the first Australian to win the Tour.

Although there is still the race into Paris on the Champs Elysees on Sunday, that's mainly ceremonial for the top riders. The sprinters take control in the final circuits ...   more »

After 19 stages of the Tour de France, Andy Schleck finally grabbed the yellow jersey from Thomas Voeckler in the bike race's final day in the Alps on Friday.

The big question now is whether the cyclist from Luxembourg can hold the lead for more than a day. Accomplished time trialist Cadel Evans (BMC), trailing by 57 seconds, must be licking his chops for the chance to overtake him in the penultimate stage in Grenoble on Saturday.

Asked about his chances against Evans in the time trial, Schleck (Leopard-Trek) said:

"Many riders say the yellow jersey gives you wings, and I hope that's the case tomorrow."   more »

Biking Bis is out on the road, biking. See previous post. This is Mrs. Biking Bis filling in for all you TdF fans who need your morning fix.

Today's stage, the second day in the Alps, separated the men from the boys, as my father would say. Andy Schleck stole the show but could not take the yellow jersey from Thomas Voeckler, who finished 2:21 minutes after the No. 1 Schleck rider, who needed to gain at least 2:37 on the race leader.

Lots of dancing in the pedals today. Biking Bis would never say this, but I rather enjoyed watching Alberto Contador crack in what is his strong suit -- mountain stages. Contador, a three-time winner of the tour, finished 15th on the day, 3:50 back.

Please come back later tonight/tomorrow for the authoritative take of Biking Bis.

It will be very interesting to is see who has anything left Friday when the tour tackles the  historic L'Alpe d'Huez.

The cyclists in the peloton are likely to feel a little light-headed on Thursday, and it won't be from the exhilaration of riding in the Tour de France.

The Stage 18 route visits two "beyond category" and a mountain top finish that is at  2,645 meters -- about 8,600 feet where the air is starting to get a little thin.

This is a great way to celebrate the 100-year anniversary of the Tour's first visit to the Alps, although the cyclists will be too winded to blow out the candles.

There's only one more Alpine stage ...   more »

Norway's Edvald Boasson Hagen won his second stage at this year's Tour de France on Wednesday after attacking a breakaway on the final climb of the day.

The Sky cyclist has been beaten at the line on Tuesday by fellow countryman and breakaway companion Thor Hushovd, but on Stage 17 he crossed the line solo, 40 seconds ahead of the closest chaser.

Meanwhile, the contenders for the yellow jersey gained nearly half-a-minute on Frenchman Thomas Voeckler, who survived for his ninth day in the lead. He didn't show any weakness on the final climb, but he lost time as he ran off the road into a driveway on the way down.

Defending champion Alberto Contador showed some life again by attacking on the final climb ...   more »

Stage 17 boasts five major climbs on Wednesday -- two Category 3s, two Category 2s, and a Category 1.

With Alberto Contador more than 3:30 behind the yellow jersey and still trailing the Schlecks, it's possible he'll choose one of the mountains late in the 179km (111 miles) bike race from Gap to Pinerolo (Italy) to make his move.

The Category 1 Sestrieres is the penultimate climb, cresting about 37 miles (60km) from the finish. The final climb ....   more »

Defending champion Alberto Contador finally attacked his rivals at the Tour de France on Tuesday, but it was Cadel Evans, left, who gained the most as the Brothers Schleck fell off the pace.

Meanwhile, Norway's Thor Hushovd (right, Garmin Cervelo) took the final sprint in a three-man breakaway on Stage 16, winning his second stage of the Tour de France this year with the help of Canadian teammate Ryder Hesjedahl.

In spite of the fireworks on the rain-slicked Category 2 Col du Manse on Tuesday, overall leader Thomas Voeckler valiantly held onto the yellow jersey, losing a few seconds to Evans and Contador but gaining time over Andy Schleck ...   more »

With their rest day behind them and the peloton facing the last week of the Tour de France on Tuesday, I make just one request:

Would one of the favorites please act like they want to win this championship other than by default?

We had three hard days in the Pyrenees last week, and all I remember are a number of short and all but inconsequential attacks by the Brothers Schleck, a couple by Ivan Basso and one by Cadel Evans. The only change in the leaders occurred when Frank Schleck took a flyer at the end of Stage 12 and snuck into second place ahead of Evans ....   more »

Just when it looked like the HTC-Columbia cycling team had been lost in the mass sprint, Mark Cavendish emerged from behind Mark Renshaw to win his fourth stage at the Tour de France on Sunday.

American Tyler Farrar (Garmin-Cervelo) was gaining on Cavendish at the finish, but he didn't have enough distance left to beat him. In interviews after the race, the Wenatchee, Washington, sprinter was clearly disappointed.

Meanwhile, France's Tom Voeckler finished in the peloton to survive another day in the yellow jersey. Certainly he'll lose it in the Alps next week, but that's what everything thought would have happened already in the Pyrenees.

Speaking of survival, Cavendish was luck to be in the stage at all ....   more »

The tradition that the winner on Plateau de Beille continues to win the Tour de France will probably end this year.

Saturday's winner for Stage 14 was Belgian cyclist Jelle Venendert, who started the day in 30th place and had never before won a professional bike race.

Meanwhile, the favorite contenders attacked, marked and matched each other all the way up the final climb. The cat and mouse enabled France's Thomas Voeckler to survive for another day in the yellow jersey. With two flat stages coming up, there's no reason he can't hold onto the jersey into the Alps. ...   more »

The last Tour de France stage set in the Pyrenees throws six category climbs at the peloton in Stage 14 on Saturday.

The cyclists must cross the Col de Portet-d’Aspet (Category 2), the Col de la Core (Category 1), the Col de Latrape (Category 2), the Col d’Agnes (Category 1), and the Port de Lers (Category 3) before racing up the mountaintop finish at the Plateau de Beille (beyond category).

Although individually the ascents are easier than others like the Tourmalet and the Aubisque, taken together...   more »

The US-based cycling team that started the Tour de France with four cyclists aiming for the podium is now down to just one -- Levi Leipheimer.

Andreas Kloden withdrew from the Tour de France early in the race on Friday, suffering from injuries he received in a crash the day before when he had risen to 8th overall in the standings, just 2:43 behind the leader.

The 36-year-old German cyclist had finished 2nd in the Tour de France in 2004 and 6th in 2009.

This year he was one of four that RadioShack had picked as potential team leaders. Others were Leipheimer, American Chris Horner and Slovenian Janez Brajkovic ...   more »