Slovakian rider wins Stage 3 of Tour de California

The peloton pedal past a windmill farm during Stage 3 of the Tour of California in Tracy, California May 15, 2012.



The peloton climb Mount Diablo during Stage 3 of the Tour of California in Concord, California May 15, 2012.



Riders in the peloton stop for a break during Stage 3 of the Tour of California in Tracy, California May 15, 2012.



Team Liquigas-Cannondale rider Peter Sagan of Slovakia reacts after winning Stage 3 of the Tour of California in Livermore, California May 15, 2012.

(China daily)

Tony Martin wins first-ever Tour of Beijing

Germany's Tony Martin of the HTC-Highroad team (2nd L) celebrates as the overall winner with runner-up Britain's David Millar (L) of team Garmin-Cervelo and second runner-up British Chris Froome (2nd R) of team Sky Procycling during the awarding ceremony of the first UCI Tour of Beijing cycling race in Beijing, Oct 9, 2011.

BEIJING - Germany's Tony Martin of team HTC-Highroad won the first-ever Tour of Beijing as Russian star Denis Galimzyanov of team Katusha took the last stage on Sunday.

Galimzyanov sprited in the last 500 meters, snatching the fifth stage of 118km from Tian'anmen Square to the Bird's Nest Olympic Stadium.

"Of course I am very happy because it is my first victory on the pro tour. I am in good condition and I did my job but today was my last race for the season and to win the race is amazing," Galimzyanov said.

Argentina's Juan Jose Haedo of team Saxo-Bank placed second, followed by Italian Elia Viviani of Liquigas-Cannondale in third.

The German world time-trial champion Martin maintained his lead in overall standing since the first day's time trail, beating British David Millar of Garmin-Cervelo by 17 seconds, while another British Chris Froome of Sky Procycling placed third with nine seconds further back.

"It's been a fantastic year and now is a fantastic week for me, " Martin said.

"It's really nice to have a victory and it makes me so proud to win the first race in Beijing. We had a very strong team and I have to thank them for the win," added Martin.

Ben King of team Radioshacks kept his white jersey (for the young rider classification) he won in Yong Ning on Friday.

"This is really special for me. It is my first World Tour stage race and it has been an incredible experience to have my teammates taking care of me," said the 22-year old American.

Igor Anton of team Eskaltel Euskadis became the King of Mountains with a total of 22 points, beating Lloyd Mondory of team AG2R-La Mondiale by four points.

Sky Procycling topped the overall team classification in 40 hours 58 minutes and 58 seconds, followed by Omega Pharma-Lotto in 40:59:57, and the third place went to Rabobank Cycling team in 41:00:06.

The Tour of Beijing is the first of its kind in Asia. The inaugural Tour of Beijing started and finished at the Olympic Park and included international tourism landmarks such as Tian'anmen Square, the Bird's Nest Stadium, Summer Palace, Great Wall and Ming Tomb Reservoir.

The 2011 Tour of Beijing is the last stage race on the 2011 UCI World Tour calendar, finishing six days before the final event of the season, the one-day Giro di Lombardia (Italy) on October 15.

A pack of riders cycle past Tian'anmen Square during the fifth stage of the first UCI Tour of Beijing cycling race in Beijing, Oct 9, 2011.

Helicopter incident knocks rider out

A low-flying helicopter sent a sign board into the path of Yannick Eijssen and the Belgian rider was knocked out of the Tour of Beijing in the freak incident last Friday.

Eijssen was then hit by a TV motorbike that was following the peloton, his BMC Racing team said.

He suffered facial abrasions in the accident, which occurred in the final descent of the third stage, won by Ireland's Nicolas Roche.

(Xinhua)

Contador cleared off doping ban by federation

Astana team rider and Tour de France winner Alberto Contador of Spain shows his yellow jersey to the crowd during an official welcoming ceremony in his hometown of Pinto, outside Madrid, July 26, 2010. Contador won the Tour de France for the third time on Sunday.

Three-time Tour de France winner relieved about local body's decision

MADRID - Three-time Tour de France champion Alberto Contador said he was "relieved and happy" after Spain's cycling federation reversed an earlier decision and cleared him of knowingly using a banned substance.

However, the International Cycling Union, the sport's world governing body, and the World Anti-Doping Agency have a month to appeal the ruling to the Switzerland-based Court of Arbitration for Sport, which would have the final word.

The 28-year-old's future has hung in the balance since he announced last August he had tested positive for minute traces of the banned substance clenbuterol during last July's Tour de France.

The Spaniard has repeatedly denied knowingly taking any banned substances, blaming the result on a steak he says was contaminated with traces of the muscle-building drug.

The rider's Team Saxo Bank said Spain's cycling federation, the RFEC, decided to clear Contador on Tuesday based on the evidence in the case and the explanation provided by the rider about unknowingly consuming a banned substance.

The decision means Contador is free to compete for the first time for his new team. He will ride in the Tour of Algarve which gets underway on Wednesday in southern Portugal.

The decision marked an about-turn for the federation, whose competition committee last month had recommended a one-year ban for Contador, a ruling that would have stripped him of his 2010 Tour de France title.

"I'm relieved and obviously happy about this ruling. It has been some very stressful months for me, but throughout the case I have been totally available for all inquiries," Contador said after the federation's final ruling was announced.

"All the way through I have spoken in accordance with the truth," he said in a statement distributed by Team Saxo Bank.

The president of the Spanish cycling federation, Juan Carlos Castano, said he was confident the decision would stand up even if there is an appeal.

"We believe the decision which the competition committee has taken is in keeping with the rules so there will be no problem to defend it here, in Switzerland or anywhere," he said.

The rider has drawn high-profile support, including from Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero who said last Thursday "there is no legal reason to sanction Contador".

But the federation head said this had not had any influence on its final decision.

"The competition committee has acted independently, it has acted outside of all these statements," Castano said when asked if the support expressed for Contador from top officials had influenced the federation.

The online edition of daily newspaper El Mundo said the federation "accepted the theory of food contamination and the absence of any blame or negligence, based on article 296" of the International Cycling Union's (UCI) anti-doping regulations.

Spanish cyclist Albert Contador looks on before the start of the Algarve Tour in Faro Feb 16, 2011.

Article 296 effectively states that if a rider can establish that "he bears no fault or negligence, the otherwise applicable period of ineligibility shall be eliminated".

A statement released by the governing body acknowledged the decision, but said: "the UCI reserves the right to conduct an in-depth study of the reasons behind the decision before expressing its opinion".

Contador, who also won the Tour de France in 2007 and 2009, had threatened to quit the sport if he was slapped with a ban.

In an interview recorded for Spanish television before the announcement was made public, Contador said he had hoped the RFEC "would make a U-turn" and said he could never have accepted a suspension.

"When you have done nothing, and my conscience is completely clear, all that matters is that you recognize that you have done nothing, so to accept a year as was proposed was not something that I could accept because there was such a great injustice that I had to fight," he told the VEO7 channel.

Earlier this month, Contador blasted anti-doping regulations which he said were outdated.

Talking to reporters at Madrid airport before flying to Lisbon late on Tuesday, he said he hoped "standards will change" as a result of the case.

{Agence France-Presse}

Contador faces formal doping investigation

Cyclist Alberto Contador (L) of Spain gestures beside former cyclist and sports director Jesus Suarez Cueva during the "II Criterium Ciclista Ciudad de Oviedo" cycling race in Oviedo, northern Spain, October 30, 2010. The International Cycling Union (UCI) has asked the Spanish federation to open disciplinary proceedings against Tour de France winner Contador for failing a drugs test, the UCI said on November 8, 2010. Picture taken October 30, 2010.


GENEVA - Tour de France winner Alberto Contador is set to be formally investigated for doping during this year's race.

The International Cycling Union said Monday it had asked the Spanish cycling federation (RFEC) to open a case against the 27-year-old rider who tested positive for banned anabolic agent clenbuterol in the final week of his third Tour victory in July.

The RFEC said in a statement it had received the UCI's request and would follow all established protocols in order to "investigate and resolve all the issues arising from the doping control that was carried out on the cyclist."

If found guilty, Contador would be stripped of the Tour victory and banned for up to two years.

Contador denies doping and says the clenbuterol, which can be used to burn fat and build muscle, came from contaminated meat that he ate.

His spokesman Jacinto Vidarte welcomed confirmation that a case was being opened.

"If this is the news then it means we're on the way to resolving this issue," Vidarte said. "Now it will be time to either sanction or resolve Alberto of the matter."

Contador has threatened to quit the sport, regardless of the outcome of the doping investigation.

"Until the end of the proceedings and despite his provisional suspension, Alberto Contador still benefits from a presumption of innocence," the UCI said in a statement on Monday.

The UCI announced in September that Contador had been provisionally suspended after his urine sample taken on the July 21 rest day contained "very small" traces of the banned substance. It then asked WADA for "scientific support" before proceeding.

"At the end of a long and meticulous inquiry entrusted to highly qualified, WADA-accredited experts, and considering all the information currently in its possession, the UCI has concluded that disciplinary proceedings should be opened against Alberto Contador," the UCI's statement said.

"For additional safety, considering the very low concentration (of clenbuterol) detected, the UCI continued scientific investigations in collaboration with WADA. In particular, it conducted a series of new analyses on all the blood and urine samples taken from the rider in the period in question."

The UCI did not call for Contador to be investigated over alleged high levels of plastic residue found in his race urine sample, which scientists believe can indicate a rider has received a transfusion of his own blood.

Though the UCI tests riders at the Tour, national authorities have responsibility to prosecute doping cases.

If the Spanish federation decides to clear Contador, the UCI and WADA can appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Contador won the Tour riding for the Kazakh-backed Astana team, then signed a contract with the Danish Saxo Bank SunGard team.

On Sunday, Saxo Bank team owner Bjarne Riis said in a newspaper interview he believed Contador would be cleared of any doping suspicion.

Riis won the 1996 Tour de France then admitted after retiring that he used the banned drug EPO at the time.

Three-time Tour de France champion Alberto Contador of Spain attends a news conference in Herning August 13, 2010.

Tour de France champion Alberto Contador speaks during a news conference at his hometown of Pinto, near Madrid September 30, 2010.

(Agencies)

Heavy rain delays Hainan cycle race

Cyclists compete at the raining 7th stage of 2010 Tour of Hainan from Qiongzhong to Xinglong on Sunday. Kenny van Hummel of the Skil-Shimano team won the stage while Valentin Iglinskiy of the UCI world No 1 pro team, Astana, kept the yellow jersey for six consecutive stages. The previous stage from Haikou to Chengmai was canceled due to the storm.

Danzhou, Hainan – Kenny van Hummel of the Skil-Shimano team won the 7th stage of 2010 cycle Tour of Hainan from Qiongzhong to Danzhou on Sunday by 1 hr 25 min 22 seconds while Valentin Iglinskiy of the UCI world No 1 pro team, Astana, kept the yellow jersey for six consecutive stages.

Iglinskiy is now also the holder of the green jersey as the best rider of the sprint while Arkaitz Duran of the Spain's Footon-Servetto-Fuji team is by far doing best in the mountain race, wearing the polka-dot jersey.

Sunday's race was delayed for about two hours and the start point was switched to Qiongzhong from Chengmai due to heavy rain. The previous stage from Haikou to Chengmai had been canceled due to the storm.

Referees didn't exclude the possibility of canceling the two stages ahead or adjusting the route as the island is suffering some of its worst storms in 50 years, which has forced more than 440,000 residents to be evacuated.

Starting in Sanya last Monday, the race moves counter-clockwise around Hainan Island and passes through 18 cities before finishing in Sanya on Oct 19.

The event, which began in 2006, was upgraded this year from a continental 2.2 classification to 2.HC, an elite men's race one level below Europe's three Grand Tours. The only other Asian races at that level are the Tour of Langkawi in Malaysia and Tour of Qinghai Lake in China.

This year's total prize money is $280,000, thanks to 18 local sponsors, including Timton International hotel and Hainan beer.

Cyclists compete at the raining 7th stage of 2010 Tour of Hainan from Qiongzhong to Xinglong on Sunday.

Cyclists compete at the raining 7th stage of 2010 Tour of Hainan from Qiongzhong to Xinglong on Sunday.

Cyclists compete at the raining 7th stage of 2010 Tour of Hainan from Qiongzhong to Xinglong on Sunday.

Cyclists compete at the raining 7th stage of 2010 Tour of Hainan from Qiongzhong to Xinglong on Sunday.
(Xinhua)

Road Cycling World Championships in Australia

New Zealand's Linda Serup Villumsen competes in the elite women's time trial at the UCI Road Cycling World Championships in Geelong, 75 km (46 miles) Southwest of Melbourne, Australia, September 29, 2010. The Road Cycling World Championships take place from September 29 to October 3. Villumsen won bronze.

France's Jeannie Longo competes in the elite women's time trial at the UCI Road Cycling World Championships in Geelong, 75 km (46 miles) Southwest of Melbourne, Australia, September 29, 2010.

Amber Neben of the US competes in the elite women's time trial at the UCI Road Cycling World Championships in Geelong, 75km (46 miles) Southwest of Melbourne, Australia, September 29, 2010.

Germany's Marcel Kittel competes in the U23 individual time trial at the UCI Road Cycling World Championships in Geelong, 75km (46 miles) Southwest of Melbourne, Australia, September 29, 2010.

(Agencies)