2011 Tour de France – Stage 4 Wrap-up

Pavé would like to thank Handspun, Clément, and Laekhouse for supporting our coverage of the 2011 Tour de France.

You could be forgiven for waking up late to just watch the final 10k of today’s stage. The preceding 160k didn’t have a whole lot to offer, and after a couple of anxious and exciting days in this year’s Tour I’m sure that many riders, considering the grey and wet weather, were content to chill out for most of today’s stage. Particularly considering Stage 4′s finishing climb, which at 2km at 7% would be a bit more challenging than Stage 1′s, while also...Continue Reading

2011 Tour de France Preview – Spain & Portugal

One recurring theme in contemporary Tour de France coverage is the decline of French cycling. The story that’s written less often is the rise of Spanish riders in the pro ranks, led, of course, by SaxoBank-Sungard’s Alberto Contador, winner of last year’s Tour, this year’s Giro, and most of the other races he’s entered. Contador is, like Armstrong and Indurain before him, the dominant big tour rider of his generation. Unlike his American predecessor though, Contador races (and wins) smaller races throughout the year, so that by the age of 28, he has already established a palmares to rival the...Continue Reading

The Sticky Bidon – June 22, 2011

Interesting cycling items from across the Internet, June 22, 2011

• Saxo Bank increase cash flow for Riis
• Alberto Contador named in Saxo Bank-SunGard's team for Tour de France – Telegraph
• Team Movistar holds off on final Tour de France selection

Rider/Team of the Month – May

This month’s Rider and Team of the Month comes a bit late as yours truly took his time to get it edited. Special thanks to Julius and Cog for their teamwork in composing it! ~WY

With the largest race in the month of May being the Giro d’Italia, this month’s Rider of the Month award goes deservedly to maglia rosa winner Alberto Contador. ‘El Pistolero’ dominated the race from early on with a savage display of strength on the slopes of Mt Etna, leaving nearly all of his rivals coughing in the volcanic dust from his explosive attack.

After the Giro’s tragic start (the...Continue Reading

The Sticky Bidon – June 13, 2011

Interesting cycling items from across the Internet, June 9, 2011

• Evans ‘reasonably pleased’ with Dauphiné runner-up slot
• Oscar Freire to undergo nasal surgery once more
• Alberto Contador 2011 Tour de France reconnaissance trip