Sugoi Releases "Green Machine" Peter Sagan Signature Jersey

The Tour de France may be a month and a half away just yet, but its never too early to start thinking about the greatest cycling event on the planet. Especially as the AMGEN Tour of California is going on right now, with some of the best cyclists in the world tuning up for the big events that lie ahead.

Amongst them is the brash young sprinter Peter Sagan, who has captured a big international following over the past few years thanks to his incredible bursts of speed, well-rounded cycling skill set, and often over-the-top antics on the bike. That unique combination has already won him back-to-back Green Jerseys at Le Tour, and he'll be looking to earn a third sprinter's title on the roads in France in July.

Last week, in preparation for the cycling season ahead, Sugoi launched a signature Peter Sagan jersey that fans are sure to love. Riding with the "Green Machine" of Team Cannondale, Sagan has earned himself the nicknames the "Tourminator," which is well represented on the jersey. It not only sports the team's traditional colors, but gives us a glimpse of the Tourminator character that is often displayed on Sagan's bike when he is competing. The new jersey is on sale at the Tour of California right now, and should be appearing in stores across North America in June with a $100 price tag.

Right now, the Tour of California is led by Bradley Wiggins, who is rounding back into form quite nicely after an injury kept him out of the Tour de France last year. The sprinters are led by William Routely, of Optum Pro Cycling. Sagan's arch-rival Mark Cavendish lurks in second place with the same point total. Sagan is 9 points off the lead in 8th place at the moment, but with plenty of points to still be earned out on the course.

While I enjoy following the Tour of California, it just reminds me of what is to come. The Tour de France is one of my favorite events each year, and I'm looking forward to its return soon.

Video: Lance Armstrong Talks To Outside Magazine

Lance Armstrong has maintained a relatively low profile over the past year, during which he admitted to using performance enhancing drugs while competing in, and winning, seven Tour de France races. Over the months since his confession, he has started to come clean about those transgressions, and he has been very open and frank about the nature of cycling in that era, and his own involvement. In the video below, he continues to speak candidly, this time with Outside magazine, about the situation. When asked if he feels he won the those seven Tour titles, that have since been stripped from him, he unequivocally says yes. It is an interesting, and straight forward interview, that fans of cycling and Lance should see. And for the record, I agree with him. He won those races on the road.

2014 Tour de France Route Revealed!

The route for the 2014 Tour de France was unveiled in Paris yesterday, giving fans an opportunity to catch a glimpse at what we can expect next summer when the race returns for its 101st edition. As expected, Tour organizers have put some challenging elements into the various stages as they work hard to keep things very interesting for the riders and spectators alike.

Next year's TdF will begin a bit later than we're use to, getting underway on July 5 from Yorkshire in the U.K. After two stages across the Channel, the riders will head to Northern France where they'll have no less than nine sections, totally 15.4 km on cobblestones. Fans of the sport know that the cobbles are extremely dangerous and not especially popular with the Peloton. More than one rider has had their Tour dreams smashed on those rough roads in the early going, where most of the contenders just hope to survive.

With the rise of some exceptional climbers over the past few years the route planners are making sure they keep the riders challenged. There will be five mountain top finishes in the Alps and the Pyrenees, giving this year's champ Chris Froome and past champion Alberto Contador – both of whom were on hand for the course reveal – a chance to show off their climbing legs. The toughest of those days may be a slog up the Hautacam. The entire stage is just 145 km (90 miles) in length, but 40 km (24 miles) of that will be spent climbing.

Also a bit surprising is that there is only one individual time trail on the schedule. That leg is 54 km (33 miles) in length and will take place on the second to last day. As usual, the final day will belong to the sprinters on the streets of Paris and along the Champs Elysees.

I know that the race is still nine months off, but it's hard not to get excited when you hear about what's in store. I'm already looking forward to July!

Tour de France 2013: Is The Race Forever Tainted By Doping?

So another Tour de France has come and gone and I find myself already going through withdrawals. This year's race was a special one for a lot of reasons and now that it has come and gone, I'm already missing it. The 100th edition of Le Tour had plenty of excitement both on and off the road and it also introduced us to some rising stars who are likely to be names that we'll be hearing for many years to come. In fact, the podium featured 28-year old Chris Froome in the Yellow Jersey and runner up Nairo Quintana, who is just 23 and went home with both the Polka Dot Jersey for the King of the Mountains competition and the White Jersey awarded to the race's best young rider under the age of 25. Green Jersey winner Peter Sagan is just 23 years old as well and already showing the savvy of a veteran rider in the Tour.

This year's race featured a great deal of pomp and circumstance, with celebrations for the 100th edition of the Tour taking part nearly every day. That was even more evident yesterday with the start of the race taking place at the Palace of Versailles and rolling up the Champs Élysées at dusk in front of a cheering crowd. Afterwards there was a lavish display for this year's top riders as well as a tip of the hat to previous winners such as Miguel Indurain, Bernard Hinault and the incomparable Eddy Merckx.

Not so conspicuously absent from that line-up was Lance Armstrong, who you know would have been on that stage if it weren't for the events that have transpired over the past year. Even though he wasn't in Paris, Armstrong's shadow still loomed over the event. The former pro-rider who had his seven wins stripped from him earlier this year was quoted in an interview before the race began as saying that it would have been impossible to win back in his day without doping. The implication was that doping was so prevalent in the sport and that everyone was using some form of performance enhancing substance, that if you didn't dope, you weren't even going to be able to hang with the peloton. In a sense, it was the culture of the sport at the time and if you couldn't beat the cheaters out on the road, you might as well join them in the lab.

While I think what Lance said is absolutely true, the timing of the statements didn't sit well with some in the press. Regardless, I don't think it was Armstrong's quotes that put the use of performance enhancing substances back on their collective radars, but doping was once again a popular topic throughout the race. Considering how well Chris Froome performed in the mountains, usually blowing just about everyone else away, it was almost inevitable that questions about whether or not he was doing it clean were going to arise. Froome had to field those questions often after his performance in the Pyrenees, prompting team management to share data showing his performance over the past three years with little difference in his output. They were trying to show that he has consistently performed at a top level for years and that his performance in the Tour was nothing new. He also hasn't failed a drug test, although that was Armstrong's defense for years as well.

As these inquiries continued to come up I couldn't help but wonder if this is what pro cycling had come to. The sport is trying desperately to clean up its image and with some excellent young riders on the rise, they have a new crop of stars to help with that project. But cycling's sordid past continues to haunt it, and those young riders will now have to face increased scrutiny thanks to the sins of those that have come before them. Froome fielded the questions on an almost daily basis and he answered them with patience and conviction. That was in contrast to last year's champ Bradley Wiggens, who bristled at the mere suggestion of the possibility that he was doping.

I fear that this will be the norm moving forward. Cycling must now deal with it's long history of doping issues and considering how often we as fans have been burned, I think a healthy dose of skepticism is to be expected. It took the sport a long time to dig this hole it now finds itself in and it's going to take a long time to dig itself out. It is just a shame that the current crop of riders will now be met with suspicion, even though they may not have done anything wrong, while riders in the past got a free pass at the time.

The Tour is one of my favorite annual sporting events and I have a great deal of respect for the riders. Hopefully there will eventually come a day where I no longer need to defend the race to my friends who just want to dismiss it as being full of cheaters. I'm sure the riders would like to put that part of the race's history behind them as well and move forward with a clean slate. They're going to have to earn that trust and respect however and that is going to take some time.

Fortunately, they are off to a good start so far and the future looks bright. Here's to another 100 years of racing. Vive Le Tour!

Tour de France 2013: Battle For The Podium Heats Up, Froome Cruising In Yellow

It was another big day in the Alps for the 2013 Tour de France, but as expected there were no real challengers for the Yellow Jersey. Today's stage featured plenty of climbing but with a fast descent to the finish it was hard for anyone to really gain much time. With just two days to until Paris, Chris Froome is in complete control but the battle for second and third is just heating up.

Today the riders took to the course to cover a 204 km (126.75 mile) stage that ran from Bourg d'Oisans to Le Grand Bornand. The stage featured two tough Beyond Category climbs early on than added a Category 2 and two Category 1 climbs near the end. That was enough to shake things up and allow a break to succeed but not enough to put Froome in any kind of real danger, especially since the finish line was at the bottom of steep descent.

Team Europcar's Pierre Rolland put in a valiant effort out in front in an attempt to win the stage and earn France a second stage win at this year's Tour, but his legs couldn't quite deliver him to the finish line ahead of the pack and he was caught 5 km (3.1 miles) out and ended up finishing 16th on the day. The winner was Rui Costa of Movistar who finished a full 48 seconds ahead of Andréas Klöden who surged near the end as well. It was an impressive win from Costa, who isn't a threat in any way to the GC contenders.

The real battle out on the course came between four riders who are all hoping to find a way onto the podium in Paris. Just 47 seconds separated these men, of whom the closest to to Froome is Alberto Contador who sits 5:11 behind the leader. Behind Contador in third is Nairo Alexander Quintana Rojas of Movistar. Lurking just slightly back are Roman Kreuziger, Contador's teammate on Saxo-Tinkoff and Joaquin Rodriguez Oliver of Team Katusha. A little advantage out on the road for any of these men could see them reverse their fortunes and end up on the podium with Froome, and they all know it. Late in the stage today there was some jousting between them to see if something could shake out, but there was no change in the standings at the end of the day. That should bring at least a little drama tomorrow however when these four could really be fighting it out on the final climb of the day and the Tour itself.

Speaking of tomorrow, it is the penultimate stage of the race and will once again be a tough day in the mountains. It is a 125 km (77.66 mile) ride from Annecy to the summit of Annecy Semnoz, a Beyond Category climb with a the finish line right on top. Earlier in the stage there are several Category 2 and 3 climbs and a single Cat. 1, but considering the amount of climbing the riders have done in the Alps this week, their legs are likely to be quite tired. The push up that final hill will determine the final rankings of this year's race. Since no one will attack the Yellow Jersey on the way into Paris, Sunday will be a day for the sprinters. Tomorrow will decide second and third place since the winner is already in the bag.

Once again today there was no change in who holds the various Tour jerseys. Froome stays in Yellow of course, and Peter Sagan is in Green as the top sprinter. He won't give that title up in the next few days either. The White Jersey for the best young rider is still on the back of Quintana Rojas who has looked fantastic at just 23 years of age. The battle for the Polka Dot Jersey for the King of the Mountains is still up in the air however with a number of possible winners. Currently that jersey is also held by Froome, but Pierre Rolland is just one point back. It is likely that his legs are shot after today's effort, and Mikel Iturralde of Team Euskaltel-Eusadki and Quintana Rojas are both within striking distance, as is Christophe Riblon. The winner of this title will obviously be decided on the climbs tomorrow as well.

I haven't mentioned the team competition much this year but it has been a good battle too. Team Saxo-Tinkoff is in the lead at the moment and the entire squad has performed very well throughout the race. Their closest rival is Radioshack Leopard who are about three and a half minutes back. It is possible that they could overtake Saxo tomorrow, but it doesn't seem likely, especially with two members of the team looking to get onto the podium.

The official outcome of the race will actually be decided tomorrow, so if you're a fan of the race you'll certainly want to tune in. Sunday is largely a ceremonial ride into Paris for the Yellow Jersey during which he can take in the scenery and wave to the fans. This year's final day should be a special one however, as it will be an evening ride into Paris and will start in the gardens at Versailles and cover 118 km (73.31 miles) into Paris where the peloton will pass through the courtyard of the Louvre. As always, the race will end on the Champs Élysées but instead of turning in front of the Arc de Triomphe as is traditional, the riders will actually race around that monument. It should make for an exciting finish and we'll have to see if Mark Cavendish is able to once again claim victory on the final stage.

Tour de France 2013: Yellow Jersey Under Attack In The Alps

Today was a big day in the 2013 Tour de France, but we knew it would be back when the course was originally announced. The 168 km (104.38 mile) stage ran from Gap to the summit of the famed Alpe d'Huez, which had to be climbed not once but twice in the same stage. If you're a fan of the Tour, you already know the historical importance of that mountain, with its 21 switchbacks, each of which bears the names of former Tour winners who also prevailed on the historic climb. Heading into the day, we wondered if race leader Chris Froome would also carve his name onto one turns, but by the end we were left wondering how much the Sky rider still had left in the tank. For the first time in the race he actually looked vulnerable.

Early in the day a group of breakaway riders made a move to claim glory on the stage. That breakaway included the likes of Tejay Van Garderen and Christophe Riblon, the two men who would ultimately battle it out for the stage win. Van Garderen looked great throughout the stage but a mechanical issue with his bike on the descent of the first ascent of Alpe d'Huez forced him to the side of the road to wait for assistance, When he finally got back going again he expanded a lot of energy catching up with the other breakaway riders. Eventually he would leave them in his wake however and ride on alone, only to be caught by Riblon on the approach to the summit finish. The American had no more kick in his legs and even though he rode hard the entire day, he wasn't able to hang on for the stage win. Instead it was Riblon who looked fresh at the top of the mountain as he earned France it's first victory in this year's race.

Late in the race, Froome made his own move on the final climb in an effort gain more time on Alberto Contador, who sits in second place, now more than five minutes off the pace. The Brit was also looking to limit the damage that would be done by Movistar's young rider Nairo Alexander Quintana Rojas, who looked strong on the climb and pulled back more than a minute on the leader, even though he doesn't appear to be a major threat for the Yellow Jersey. During that climb however, Froome clearly looked like he was struggling, perhaps for the first time in the past two Tour de France races. Thankfully his teammate Richie Porte was there to help him up to the line, but it was unusual to see vulnerability in the man who has been in Yellow for more than a week now.

The next two days are going to be interesting. While I don't think Froome was close to cracking today, he clearly showed the strain of the big climb. Tomorrow will be a 204 km (126.75 mile) ride from Bourg d'Oisans to Le Grand Bornand that will feature more big climbs, including two Beyond Category monsters in the early going, but it has a down hill finish which should limit the damage unless someone decides to challenge early. Saturday's stage will end with another massive climb on a BC summit, which could be the place for someone to challenge the standings. Realistically speaking though, it will still take some monumental effort for Froome to not ride into Paris on Sunday in the Yellow Jersey. He seems a lock to win provided something drastic doesn't happen. Still, with Quintana Rojas now in third place and looking strong today, who knows what he'll do. He may at least challenge Contador for second place considering just 21 seconds separate the two men.

There was no major changes to the standings in the Green Jersey today. Peter Sagan continues to hold a commanding lead and should also arrive in Paris with that jersey on his back. Froome still leads in the King of the Mountain competition as well, although only a few points now separate him from Quintana Rojas. The battle for the Polka Dot Jersey will be settled over the next two days too. The Colombian rider has a stranglehold on the White Jersey that goes to the best rider under the age of 25 as well, so honestly there isn't much drama left in the Tour, other than watching individual efforts out on the course.

The next two days should still be a lot of fun to watch as they riders continue through the Alps. On Sunday, they'll turn towards Paris and the sprinters will get one last chance to flash their speed on the Champs Élysées. That's always a wild and chaotic affair that makes for entertaining television. This year that will take place in the evening, giving it a much different feel in than it has it the past.

I can't believe we're almost through another Tour. It seems like it goes way too quickly and since I haven't had the chance to follow it as closely this year as I have in years past, I'm feel particularly sad that it is already about to go away again. Lets hope these final three days are good ones.

Tour de France 2013: Froome Dominates Individual Time Trial

Heading into today's individual time trial at the Tour de France I predicted that Chris Froome would win the stage thanks to his impressive climbing abilities that have been unmatched so far this year. Turns out that prediction proved accurate as the man in Yellow continued to dominate the race and gained yet more time over his rivals, although a familiar name now sits in second place heading into tomorrow's crucial stage.

Today's stage was just 32 km (19.88 miles) in length, which is plenty for an individual time trial. The course designers through in a couple of Category 2 climbs to make things interesting as well, which surely sapped the legs of some of those looking to gain time. That could be costly over the next few days, when some big climbs will ultimately determine the standings heading into Paris, but unless something dramatic happens, we already know who our winner is. Froome completed today's stage in 51 minutes, 33 seconds, which was 9 seconds faster than Alberto Contador who managed to move up to second place in the General Classification. That would normally seem like a good place to be moving into the final mountain stages, but considering the fact that he is 4 minutes, 34 seconds behind Froome, it seems unlikely that he'll be able to close the gap. Roman Kreuziger, Contador's teammate on Team Saxo-Tinkoff is now in third place an additional 17 seconds off the pace.

Since there were no sprint points up for grabs today, Peter Sagan remains in the Green Jersey and Froome holds onto the Polka Dot, which is worn on the course by Mikel Nieve of Euskaltel-Euskadi, who is actually in third place in the King of the Mountains competition. In second is Nairo Quintana Rojas of Movistar, but he doesn't wear the Polka Dots because he is also in the White Jersey as the our's best rider under the age of 25.

Tomorrow promises to be one of the most epic days in the history of the Tour and is certainly the one that fans of the race have been anticipating since the course was announced a few months back. It isa 168 km (104.38 mile) stage that begins in Gap and ends on the fabled summit of Alpe d'Huez, a mountain that has had a major impact on the TdF over the years. But this year the riders won't be clawing their way to the top just once, they'll have to go up the mountain twice, which is sure to shred the peloton and create massive time gaps once again. If Contador looks to make up time, he'll need to make a move tomorrow, but considering how well Froome is climbing, it'll be a tough go. Alpe d'Huez is a beyond category climb of course, but the riders will also face a Cat 3 and three Category 2 climbs along the way as well. There will be a few sprint points to grab as well, but really this is all about the climbers. It should be thrilling and agonizing to watch.

If there is going to be any drama in the final few days of the race, it'll come tomorrow. If Froome cracks (doesn't seem likely!), then Contador has the chance to gain substantial time and take the lead. There just hasn't been any indication that anyone will be able to challenge the Kenyan-born British cyclist thus far and I don't expect that the change to tomorrow either. But this is professional cycling and anything can happen.

Tour de France 2013: Catching Up With Le Tour

While I absolutely loved my time in Australia the trip also coincided with the Tour de France, one of my favorite annual events. While the sports-mad Aussies do follow the race, it doesn't come on the telly until 10:00 PM each night, which meant that on the few days that I actually had access to watch it, I was practically ready to crash just as the race was starting to get rolling. Still, I did my best to keep up with what was happening and stay informed of the standings whenever I could. It seems I missed a lot of action but not necessarily a lot of intrigue.

As expected, pre-race favorite Chris Froome has taken a commanding leading in the race and continues to fend off all challengers in the mountains. The Team Sky rider threw down the gauntlet in the first stage of the Pyrenees and hasn't let up much since, although Alberto Contador did take advantage of an opportunity to get himself back onto the podium when winds split the peloton in a stage last week. Still, the Spanish rider currently sits in third place, 4:25 off the pace set by Froome but just 11 seconds behind Bauke Mollema of Team Belkin who is currently in third.

After a rest day yesterday the riders returned to the roads today for their first taste of the Alps. It was 168 km (104.38 mile) slog from Vaison-la-Romaine to Gap that featured plenty of climbing, even if they weren't the really big mountains that are yet to come. The course featured a Category 3 climb and two Category 2 climbers, but finished with a fast descent to the finish line. It was a day made for a breakaway and a rather large contingent of riders did leave the peloton behind to make a move for the stage win. Ultimately that went to Rui Costa of Movistar, who rode to the finish alone, 42 seconds ahead of his closest rivals.

That sets the stage for tomorrows second individual time trial that will like allow Froome to extend his lead even further. He has been dominant on the climbing stages thus far and looked great in the first ITT last week. Tomorrow's course will run from Embrun to Chorges and is just 32 km (19.88 miles) in length but features two Cat. 2 climbs, which will be a good challenge for the riders to ascend completely on their own. Considering how the first two weeks have gone, it wouldn't be a stretch to see  Froome win this stage in convincing fashion.

With just a few more days to go until the riders turn to Paris, this race is all but over. Personally, barring any type of catastrophe, I feel like Froome has this completely locked up. Make no mistake, there are some tough stages yet to come, but it'll take a herculean effort on someone's part to try to close any gaps with the leader. Thursday stage, which features two climbs of the infamous Alpe d'Huez, would be the one to make a move, but it'll be tough to shake Froome who hasn't looked vulnerable in the mountains this year or last.

In addition to wearing the Yellow Jersey, Froome also has the Polka Dot Jersey that goes to the best climber in the Tour. Cannondale's Peter Sagan has a commanding lead in the race for the Green Jersey that goes to the top sprinters. With not many sprint points left to be claimed, he is in front of Mark Cavendish by 99 points. They will likely battle it out in Paris on Sunday, where Cav has been all but unbeatable the past few years. The White Jersey for the Tour's best young rider is worn by Rojas Quintana of Movistar who is having an excellent race thus far and is sitting in 6th place heading into the  final days.

The next few days of the race should be exciting ones, even if it feels like this one has all but been decided. Thursday's showdown in the Alps should be terrific and now that I'm home to watch it all unfold, I can't wait to see how it turns out.

Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About The Tour de France In An Animated Video

New to the Tour de France this year? Have lots of questions about what is going on? Then check out this fun animated video. Even if you're a long time fan of the Tour, you'll probably learn a thing of too as well. Fun stuff.

Tour de France 2013: Manx Missile Hits Mark In Marseille

With yesterday's Team Time Trial now behind them the riders in the Tour de France returned to the roads today for a 219 km (136.06 mile) stage that ran from Cagnes-sur-Mer to Marseille. The route wound its way through the scenic French countryside and featured a single Category 3 climb and three Category 4 climbs as well. That gave the riders in the hunt for the King of the Mountain jersey a chance to earn some points, while an intermediate sprint put the Green Jersey contenders on the attack. Meanwhile, the main peloton was content to just ride through the hills at a steady pace with no one really threatening the Yellow Jersey at all.

Once again today an early breakaway made things a bit interesting with a group of riders working together to try to survive to the end of the stage. The peloton didn't panic however and the last of the stragglers were gathered up just a few miles from the finish line. That allowed the sprinters to jockey for position and the fastest riders in the world moved into place to go head-to-head for the stage win. Several of the big names were there at the end including Cannondale's Peter Sagan, André Greipel of Lotto-Belisol and Edvald Boasson Hagen from Team Sky. But in the end no one could catch Mark Cavendish who earned the 24th stage win of his career.

For the most part, there wasn't a lot of drama in today's race. None of the big names are ready to put in an attack so early on and if they did, it isn't likely that they would succeed anyway. These stages are on the course to let riders with other skills show off their talents while the GC contenders bide their time for the mountain stages to come. There were a couple of major crashes near the end that left a couple of dozen riders sprawled out on the ground. The last of those crashes occurred just before the finish line and appeared more serious than the first. I haven't seen any reports of injuries, but I wouldn't be surprised if a rider or two didn't get hurt in the fall. There were several riders who were sitting prone for a considerable amount of time after the accident.

With the action confined to the closing minutes of the stage there was no change in the standings today nor was there any impact on the various Jerseys. Simon Gerrans of Orica Greenedge remains in the Yellow Jersey and will probably be able to defend for a couple of more days. Sagan held on to the Green Jersey while Pierre Rolland kept the Polk Dots that go to the top climber. Belgian rider Michal Kwiatkowski keeps the White Jersey as the best young rider on the tour this year as well.

Barring any unforeseen accidents the standings will remain rather static tomorrow as well. The ride covers 176 km (109.35 miles) and begins with a bit of a downhill run that leads to an intermediate sprint point followed by a single Category 4 climb. After that, it's almost completely flat all the way to the finish. The riders will start the day in Aix-en-Provence and end in Montpellier in what promises to be another showdown for the sprinters. Can Cavendish pull out back-to-back wins? We'll just have to wait and see.

The first big test looms on Friday with two major climbs in the Pyrenees. That stage will feature both a Beyond Category climb and a mountaintop finish on a Category 1 climb. Following that test, we'll truly know who are the real contenders this year.

Video: Peter Sagan Trades "Tourminator" For Incredible Hulk

Last year, Cannondale Pro Cycling Team rider Peter Sagan made headlines with his "Tourminator" bike as he went on to win multiple stages at the Tour de France on his way to claiming the Green Jersey. This year Sagan is back and we can tell he's still thinking Green. This year's bike features an Incredible Hulk theme that is just as flash and fun as his previous ride. At it's core, the bike is a Cannondale SuperSix EVO, although the customized paint job sure helps it standout even further from the crowd.

Tour de France 2013: Team Trial Puts Gerrans In Yellow

The Tour de France moved off the island of Corsica today and onto the mainland for the first time as the riders took to the streets of Nice for the team time trial. The course was a mostly flat 25km (15.5 miles) that was rather non-technical and offered few challenges other than racing the clock. For the most part, there were few turns to difficult turns to negotiate and with the weather being relatively bright and clear, the action came fast and furious. Heading into the day, only one second separated the Yellow Jersey from the field, which meant that it was possible for any number of riders to claim it. In the end though, it went to Simon Gerrans, who won yesterday's stage, as his Orica Greenedge team rode to victory.

The winning team completed their ride in a time of 25:56 with second place Omega Pharma-Quickstep just one second off the pace. The Sky train came in third, three second behind, while Team Saxo Bank and Lotto Belisol rounded out the top five, nine and 27 17 seconds behind respectively.

Todays results started to shake up the leader board a bit, putting a few seconds of time between contenders. But none of the big names are in any kind of serious jeopardy yet. Sky's Chris Froome is just three seconds behind the Gerrans and Alberto Contador is another six seconds back. Gerrans isn't a threat to hold on to the maillot jaune for too long, although if he can survive a few climbs tomorrow, he should have a chance to hold onto it for a couple of days.

Following three fantastic days of racing, the team time trial was a good way to bring the race to the mainland. Personally, I'm not as big a fan of the TTT as I am the individual time trials, so I'm glad to have it behind us and getting into the true meat of the race. There is still a long way to go in this year's Tour and much to be sorted out yet of course, but the next few stages will certainly be more traditional than what we've seen so far.
Tomorrow the riders will cover 219km (136.06 miles) between Cagnes-sur-Mer and Marseille. The stage profile features a single Category 3 climb and three Category 4's. An intermediate sprint section will give the contenders for the Green Jersey a chance to earn some points, but overall I suspect we'll see very little shake-up in the standings. The finish line comes at the end of a descent, which will give those lagging on the hills a chance to close the gaps. A strong breakaway could make some noise however, provided a group works well together.

Since today was the team time trial, there has been no change in the standings for the jerseys other than the Yellow. Peter Sagan remains in Green, Pierre Rolland has the Polka Dot and Michal Kwiatkowski is in White as the Tour's best young rider. Each of those could potentially change tomorrow although I believe Sagan will have little difficult keeping his Green Jersey.

We're just starting to get rolling now. Stay tuned for lots more action to come, including some early mountain stages coming on the weekend. We may get our first glimpse of who are the true contenders at that time, although I have to say that a number of the riders look very comfortable so far. A wide-open Tour is much more fun to watch, so hopefully it'll be very competitive throughout the remaining three weeks.

Video: Peter Sagan Parking His Bike

Over the course of the next three weeks you're likely to hear the name Peter Sagan quite regularly. He is the brash, but super-talented, young rider on the Cannondale Pro Cycling Team who is poised to win a few stages this year and contend for the coveted Green Jersey awarded to the Tour de France's best sprinter. The video below shows Peter's impressive cycling skills as he not only pulls a wheelie on his road bike but also manages to park it quite nicely on top of the team car. Short but fun. Don't try this at home kids.

Tour de France 2013: Off To A Roaring Start!

The organizers of the Tour de France promised us a more demanding and dramatic course this year, in part because they wanted to respond to the lack of drama in 2012, but mostly because they wanted to do something special for the 100th anniversary of the race. Three days into the competition and I'd say that the 2013 edition of Le Tour is living up to the hype, offering us all kinds of excitement already. The race has been frenetic at times with some unusual and unexpected moments, all set against the amazingly beautiful backdrop of the island of Corsica, which may be the real winner of this year's Tour since I'm sure there are more than a few people booking passage to visit the place for themselves.

Things got off to a great start on Saturday with a full stage as opposed to a traditional prologue. The day featured a 213 km (132 mile) ride from Porto-Vecchio to Bastia that was mostly flat and was expected to be a day for the sprinters to show off the power in their legs. But a couple of nasty crashes near the finish took the big names out of contention and allowed Marcel Kittel of Team Argos-Shimano to claim the stage victory and put on the Yellow Jersey.

The day will go down in the annals of Tour history not because of that surprise result however but because the team bus for Orica Greenedge got stuck while trying to cross under the finishing gate. For a time it looked as if the bus would block the finish and the riders were told they would end at the 3km mark, but the original finish line was cleared in time and the race proceeded as originally planned. Still, the conflicting messages left the peloton confused and may have contributed to the crashes.

Day two brought some tough climbing to the early stages of the Tour, something that hasn't been typical in recent years either. These weren't the big ascents that will come in the Pyrenees or Alps but they were certainly enough to test the legs of the riders and stretch out the Peloton across the course. The 156km (97 mile) route ran from Bastia to Ajaccio through some medium sized mountains that looked spectacular. Near the end of the stage a breakaway group managed to get ahead of the main group and while the break didn't manage to survive, it did allow Jan Bakelants of Radioshack Leopard to win the stage by a single second, which was enough to put him into Yellow heading into today.

Today's third and final stage on Corsica was a 145.5km (90 mile) ride that included yet more climbing up and down the slopes of the island between Ajaccio and Calvi. For the most part, it was a more by the numbers stage with the riders staying close to one another until the final few climbs, which stretched the Peloton once again. But it was fast descent to the finish line, which allowed some strategy to come into play as teams worked to get their sprinters into contention. For a time it looked like Peter Sagan, the fast young rider for Cannondale Pro Cycling, would earn his first stage win but he was edged ever so slightly at the line by Australian Simon Gerrans of Orica Greenedge.

Tomorrow the race will transfer over to the mainland where the riders will take part in a 25km (15.5 mile) team time trial through the streets of Nice. The short stage will let them get their legs back under them before things start to heat up again on Wednesday. The time trial will give us an opportunity to see where the squads that support the top contenders are standing at the moment and will give us an indication of who to keep an eye on as the race unfolds.

With three days of racing now behind us the Yellow Jersey sits on the shoulders of Jan Bakelants. Peter Sagan of Cannondale earned some solid points today to put him squarely in the Green Jersey or the sprinters, while Pierre Rolland of Team Eurocar wears the Polka Dots of the King of the Mountain competition. The White Jersey currently belongs to Michal Kwiatkowski of Omega Pharma-Quickstep as the best young rider in the competition.

I have to say, I'll be sad to see the race leave Corsica. The Tour has never been to the island in the history of the event, but it sure made a great backdrop for the first three days. The setting was simply spectacular and it really was very enjoyable to watch the events unfold long stunning beaches, fantastic mountains and lush fields. I'm looking forward to the sunflower-lined roads of France as well, but Corsica will be missed.

The 2013 Tour de France Begins Tomorrow!!

It is like Christmas Eve at the Adventure Blog World Headquarters (read my apartment) today as tomorrow marks the start of the best three week period of the year. Thats when the 2013 Tour de France gets under way in grand fashion on the isle of Corsica. From there things will only get better as we celebrate the 100th anniversary of the race with all kinds of pomp and circumstance. But this year's Tour promises to be quite a grueling affair with more big climbs than last year and some classic stages that will test the endurance of the riders almost from day one.

Speaking of day one, the race kicks off with the Grand Start in Porto-Vecchio with the riders setting out on a 213km (132 mile) ride to Bastia. The course will be undulate some with some solid hills to test their legs on the first day but nothing that will be too serious. There will be some sprint points up for grabs of course and the faster riders will be certainly be looking to claim a big win on the first day.

Rumor has it that Mark Cavendish, who is riding for Omega-Pharam-Quicksetp this year, is hoping to grab the stage win that would give him the 24th of his career and put him in Yellow for the first time. He isn't a GC contender of course, but the Manx Missile has all the skills necessary to pull of this feat and wear the leader's jersey for a few days. That would be a change of pace from recent years when Fabian Cancellara as traditionally taken the first stage and worn Yellow for the first few days. But Spartacus has elected to sit out this year's Tour to concentrate on the World Championships. He will be missed.

The real GC contenders won't show themselves for the first week or so, but they will have to be careful to not let themselves fall too far off the pace either. Last year's champ Bradley Wiggins is out due to health issues, but even before his knee started giving him problems, Wiggins wasnt' exactly riding like a  defending champ. This has cleared up a potential problem for Team Sky, as they can now put all of their efforts behind young Chris Froome, giving him a real shot at winning the race. Some believe Froome could have won last year, although he wisely elected to ride in support of his teammate Wiggins.


Froome will face a challenger unlike any that Wiggins had to deal with last year however. Former Tour winner Alberto Contador, now with Team Saxo Bank, is returning to form and looking strong heading into the race. Contador has won seven Grand Tours in his career (five officially!) and is one of the best riders of the past decade. It is hard to believe he is only 30 and when in top form he is relentless in the mountains. Wiggins didn't have to face anything like an in shape and determined Contador last year.

Other potential contenders include 2011 winner Cadel Evans who suffered all kinds of bad luck last year. Spanish rider Alejandro Valverde could be in the mix as well and Andy Schleck is back in the race after sitting out last year with an injury. Young Tejay van Garderen looked like he was a rider on the brink last season too and if Evans falters early, he could step in to fill the lead position for Team BMC.

We could also have an excellent showdown between Cavendish and Cannondale Pro Cycling's Peter Sagan. They seem to be the top contenders for the Green Jersey, which Sagan took home last year. Both are fiery personalities and neither likes to lose. Considering how fast they both are, it should be fun to watch them duel it out on the road.

The organizers of the Tour de France have gone to great pains to make this year's race a very special event. The course has been carefully crafted to make the 100th anniversary a ride to remember. This is somewhat seen as an attempt to heal some of the issues that have hit cycling over the past year or so as well as a way to turn the page on one century and start a new one. It should be an excellent Tour to follow and I think fans of the race are in for quite an event this year. I believe that complaints that last year's race was a bit lackluster have not been ignored and we'll see more drama this time out. And I'm not talking about the kind of drama that comes along with someone throwing tacks out on the road. The real kind of drama as these supreme athletes push each other to the edge to find out who is the best rider.

I cant' wait for things to get started. Stay tuned for more.

Team Cannondale Launches Cannondale Gazette Just In Time For Tour de France

With the 2013 Tour de France now just two days away the riders are busy getting themselves ready for the grueling three-weeks of riding ahead. In these final days they're continuing to fine-tune their bikes and bodies in what promises to be one of the more special Tours in recent memory. This year marks the 100th anniversary of the race and to celebrate Tour organizers have pulled out all the stops, both in terms of the course and the pomp and circumstance that will go along with the ride.

The Cannondale Pro Cycling Team is amongst those that are getting ready for Le Tour and on the eve of the race getting under way, they have launched the second issue of the Cannondale Gazette with an issue dedicated to the greatest pro cycling event in the world that was made in partnership with peloton magazine. The digital mag, which also has editions available for iOS, Android and Kindle devices, features introductions to the team's riders, a look at the bikes they'll be riding and a preview of some of the more important stages. There are also insights into traveling in France including a selection of the best wines to be found there.

The 32-page e-magazine is slick and well done and serves as a great primer for getting you in the mood for the Tour. Excellent photography is featured throughout the Gazette and there are even some historical shots from early editions of the race that will give you a new found respect for the riders of by-gone eras.

Cannondale has a lot to be excited about heading into this year's Tour. Their brash young rider Peter Sagan emerged from last year's race as a true force to be reckoned with, claiming the Green Jersey and three stage victories in just his first foray into the Tour. As a former Junior World Champion in mountain biking he has also shown that he can climb. With this full skill set, he could one day be a contender for the Yellow Jersey as the overall winner of the race.

As you can probably tell, I'm getting excited for the start of this year's Tour. Only a couple of days to go now. I can't wait!

Video: 2013 Tour de France Course In 3D!

We are now just five days away from the start of the 2013 Tour de France or as I like to call it "the most wonderful time of year." Le Tour will get underway on Saturday with the riders skipping the traditional prologue and going straight for a 213 km (132 mile) opening stage that runs from Porto-Vecchio to Bastia on the isle of Corsica – a destination in France that has never played host to the race before. From there, it'll only get better. Since this is the 100th Anniversary of the world's biggest bike race, you can expect all kinds of pomp and circumstance, not to mention grueling riding, throughout the three week event. Personally, I can't wait for it to begin!

U.S. Justice Department Sues Lance Armstrong For Millions

Yesterday the U.S. Justice Department announced its intentions to recoup millions of dollars that were paid to Lance Armstrong by the U.S. Postal Service when it sponsored his team from 1998 to 2004. During that period, the team received more than $40 million, of which $17 million went to Armstrong who rode to six of his seven Tour de France wins under the USPS banner. 

 In the lawsuit the Justice Department says the former pro cyclist was "unjustly enriched" by using performance enhancing drugs to win the Tour. Furthermore, they point out that the sponsorship agreement prohibits the use of banned substances and that Armstrong committed fraud by agreeing to those terms and yet knowingly used PED's anyway. The suit looks to reclaim triple the damages that could be awarded by a jury. Johan Bruyneel, the USPS team director and  management company Tailwind Sports were also named as defendants.

This new case joins a federal whistle-blower lawsuit that has been brought against Armstrong by former team-mate Floyd Landis, who also tested positive for high levels of testosterone in the 2005 Tour de France, and subsequently had his titled stripped at the time. Tuesday was the deadline for moving forward with the case. 

It'll be interesting to see how this all plays out. On the one hand, Lance clearly knew he was doping while he was taking the USPS money, but on the other hand it'll be difficult to prove any damages. Clearly all of Armstrong's sponsors benefited by being associated with him at the time, probably to the benefit of far more cash than they actually paid him. But in this case, we are talking about U.S. tax dollars and a breach of contract. How a jury will be swayed on this one way or another could be fascinating to watch.

This isn't the only legal headache that Armstrong is facing at the moment. Sports-promotions company SCA of Dallas, TX is also suing to get $12 million in bonuses back, while the Sunday Times of London is hoping to recover $500,000 paid out in the settlement of a libel case that later proved to be true. With all of these mountain financial issues, it's no wonder that Lance recently sold his home here in Austin. 

And I thought I was having a rough year. 

Greg LeMond Wants To Be President Of The UCI

For years three-time Tour de France winner Greg LeMond has been an outspoken critic of the International Cycling Union (UCI) and its methods for handling doping scandals and testing of riders on the professional circuit. Now he wants to be a part of the process of cleaning up that institution and the sport that he dearly loves.

Yesterday it was revealed that Lemond has said that he would be willing to step in as the interim president of the UCI while investigations proceeds over the Union's relationship with Lance Armstrong, who some allege current UCI President Pat McQuaid, and his predecessor Hein Verbruggen, conspired to protect.

Last week the UCI announced that a three-person panel would investigate McQuaid and Verbruggen's dealings with Armstrong to look for any impropriety that may have occurred over the years. In the past, Armstrong had donated large sums of money to the organization, which it has been alleged were payoffs to cover up failed drug tests or to get investigators off the now-disgraced cyclist's back. For his part, Armstrong has always said that those donations were to help fund the UCI and support efforts for cleaning up the sport, something that seems particularly odd considering recent revelations.

At a recent meeting of the Change Cycling Now organization, LeMond questioned how McQuaid could continue to run the UCI while the investigation into any wrong doing was under way. He felt that having an interim president step in to run the Union while things are sorted out was in the best interest of the sport, and while he says he isn't campaigning for the job, he has offered to step into the role if necessary.


Now that Armstrong has been stripped of his Tour de France titles, LeMond is the only American to have ever officially won that race. The two men have sparred with one another in recent years with LeMond urging Armstrong to come clean about his use of performance enhancing drugs while competing. Armstrong always denied those allegations of course, saying that LeMond simply had an axe to grind because he was no longer seen as America's top cyclists.  It wasn't until the past few months that we saw Armstrong's house of cards collapse that we began to see the full picture of what was happening during those seven Tour wins.

Whether or not LeMond will actually become the UCI president remains to be seen, but he does seem like the right man for the job. He has been an outspoken critic of the sport of cycling for quite some time and he has always been committed to helping clean it up. It is hard to say how much he could do serving in an interim role, but if the job were to become more permanent, I believe we'd see some drastic changes.

Tour de France Declares No Winner From 1999-2005

The fallout over the Lance Armstrong doping scandal continues as the Tour de France has declared that there will be no winners of the race from 1999-2005, the seven years that Armstrong dominated the event. The announcement came last Friday, just days after the International Cycling Union (UCI) stripped the cyclist of all of his wins and banned him from competition for life. That followed a damning report from the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency in which former teammates came forward to testify that Armstrong used performance enhancing drugs throughout his career.

Considering the size of this scandal and the amount of doping that has gone on in the sport, the Tour had little choice but to leave the wins during the Armstrong era vacant. Lance was hardly the only rider that was doping at the time, as nearly every other rider that stood on the podium with him has since tested positive or been named in other scandals. In some cases, Tour organizers would have had to go as deep as the 7th or 8th place to find someone who hadn't been implicated in similar doping rings. Those riders that are clean wouldn't likely to have wanted to retroactively win a Tour de France in that fashion anyway.

As part of their decision to strip Armstrong of the titles, the UCI and Tour de France management teams have ordered him to return his prize money. It is believed that Lance won as much as $3.7 million in his seven wins and other Tour placements. I suspect they won't be the only organizations to ask Armstrong for a refund.

So now cycling's greatest and most well known event has a gaping hole in its history. Not surprising considering the way things have played out over the past few months and the past few weeks in particular. It is a real shame that it has come to this, but as a fan of cycling I do think the UCI is working hard to clean up the sport. Next year will mark the 100th running of the Tour de France and I suspect it will focus on new beginnings and restoring the luster to race.

Meanwhile, the UCI World Road Race Championships will take place in Italy in 2013 and the organization has announced their official mascot for the competition. That mascot is none other than Pinocchio, the famous wooden-puppet whose nose grew whenever he told a lie. Read into that what you will.