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USA Pro Cycling Challenge
The USA Pro Cycling Challenge, also known as USA Pro Challenge, was an annual multi-day professional road bicycle racing stage race that first took place in Colorado in 2011. Originally announced on August 4, 2010 by Colorado Governor Bill Ritter and Lance Armstrong as the Quiznos Pro Challenge, the event carried on the state's cycling legacy, which was most notably highlighted by the Coors Classic that ran from 1980 to 1988. On February 4, 2011 Richard E. Schaden, former owner of Quiznos and the event's co-chairman, announced the investment of an initial $10 million to secure the initial growth and longevity of the race. The USA Pro Cycling Challenge was one of only three current 2.HC rated races in the United States (along with the Tour of California, and the Tour of Utah), and was considered one of the most important pro cycling races in the U.S. After the 2015 edition, Schaden was unable to find a title sponsor for the 2016 edition, and subsequently left as an investor. The org ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Road Bicycle Racing
Road bicycle racing is the cycle sport discipline of road cycling, held primarily on Road surface, paved roads. Road racing is the most popular professional sport, professional form of bicycle racing, in terms of numbers of competitors, events and spectators. The two most common competition formats are mass start events, where riders start simultaneously (though sometimes with a Handicapping, handicap) and race to a set finish point; and time trials, where individual time trial, individual riders or team time trial, teams race a course alone against the clock. Stage races or "tours" take multiple days, and consist of several mass-start or time-trial stages ridden consecutively. Professional racing originated in Western Europe, centred in France, Spain, Italy and the Low Countries. Since the mid-1980s, the sport has diversified, with races held at the professional, semi-professional and amateur levels, worldwide. The sport is governed by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI). As w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
2012 USA Pro Cycling Challenge
The 2012 USA Pro Cycling Challenge was the second edition of the USA Pro Cycling Challenge stage race. The race took place from August 20–26, and was rated as a 2.HC event on the UCI America Tour. The race began in Durango, wound its way through the Rocky Mountains at heights of up to , and finished in the streets of downtown Denver. Americans swept the podium, with Christian Vande Velde winning the race, Tejay van Garderen finishing second, and Levi Leipheimer finishing third. Participating teams Included in the participating team rosters were many of the top 2012 Tour de France riders; Vincenzo Nibali (3rd), Tejay van Garderen (5th), Cadel Evans (7th), Janez Brajkovic (9th), Andreas Klöden (11th), Chris Horner (13th), Levi Leipheimer (32nd), and Christian Vande Velde (60th). The USA Pro Cycling Challenge invited six UCI ProTeams, and UCI Professional Continental Teams; as well as five UCI Continental Teams. ;UCI ProTeams * * * * * * ;UCI Professional Continental ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bob Roll
Bob "Bobke" Roll (born July 7, 1960 in Oakland, California) is an American former professional cyclist, author, and television sports commentator. He was a member of the 7-Eleven Cycling Team until 1990 and competed for the Motorola Cycling Team in 1991. In 1992 Roll moved to Greg LeMond's Z team and added mountain biking to his racing accomplishments. Roll continued racing mountain bikes professionally through 1998. Roll is known in the cycling world, and to his global cable television fans, as "Bobke". He has written ''Bobke: A Ride on the Wild Side of Cycling'', ''Bobke II'', and two ''Tour de France Companion'' volumes. ("Bobke" is Southern Dutch for "Bobby".) He has also had many columns published in ''VeloNews''. He is credited with suggesting that Joe Parkin, professional cyclist and author, move to Europe and wrote the foreword for Joe's first book. In 1998 a young Lance Armstrong, continuing to recover from testicular cancer remediation, had recently dropped out of th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Phil Liggett
Philip Alexander Liggett (born 11 August 1943) is an English commentator and journalist who covers professional cycling. He currently commentates on the Tour de France and bike races for ITV and NBC Sports, and was previously associated with Australia's SBS. He is a former amateur cyclist and received a professional contract in 1967; instead of turning professional, he saw a future in sports journalism after writing articles in cycling magazines about races in which he participated. Journalism Liggett initially wrote for ''Cycling'' magazine, and moved on to do freelance work for ''The Guardian'', the '' Daily Telegraph'' and ''The Observer''. In 1997, he was appointed ''Cycle Sport'' magazine's international editor. He has also written books on cycle racing. Liggett has reported on 15 Olympic Games and 50 Tours de France, generally alongside fellow veteran cycling commentators and former cyclists Paul Sherwen (UK) and Bob Roll (US). Liggett has covered other sports ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Paul Sherwen
Paul Sherwen (7 June 1956 – 2 December 2018) was an English professional racing cyclist and later a broadcaster on cycling, notably the Tour de France. He raced in seven editions of the Tour, finishing five, and gained a reputation for his ability to suffer over long mountain stages. Early life and early career Born on 7 June 1956 in Widnes, Lancashire, Sherwen was brought up in Kenya, where his father ran a factory that produced fertiliser, paint and insecticides. He started his sporting life as a swimmer, finishing second in the under-14 Kenyan swimming championship. Upon returning to Britain, he won the regional under-18 championship for Runcorn and District. However, at 16, he turned to cycling and rode for the Weaver Valley CC in Cheshire, receiving guidance from Manchester coach Harold Nelson, and trained regularly with other local riders destined for professional careers, notably Graham Jones, John Herety and Ian Binder. Cycling career At 19, riding for Altrincham ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tour De France
The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage bicycle race primarily held in France, while also occasionally passing through nearby countries. Like the other Grand Tours (the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España), it consists of 21 stages, each a day long, over the course of 23 days, coinciding with the Bastille Day holiday. It is the oldest of the Grand Tours and generally considered the most prestigious. The race was first organized in 1903 to increase sales for the newspaper '' L'Auto'' and is currently run by the Amaury Sport Organisation. The race has been held annually since its first edition in 1903 except when it was stopped for the two World Wars. As the Tour gained prominence and popularity, the race was lengthened and its reach began to extend around the globe. Participation expanded from a primarily French field as more riders from all over the world began to participate in the race each year. The Tour is a UCI World Tour event, which means that th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
NBC Sports Network
NBCSN was an American sports television channel owned by the NBC Sports Group division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It originally launched on July 1, 1995, as the Outdoor Life Network (OLN), which was dedicated to programming primarily involving fishing, hunting, outdoor adventure programs, and outdoor sports. By the turn of the 21st century, OLN became better known for its extensive coverage of the Tour de France but eventually began covering more "mainstream" sporting events, resulting in its relaunch as Versus in September 2006. In 2011, Comcast, the original owner of the network, acquired a majority stake in NBCUniversal. As a result, Comcast merged the operations of its pay channels with those of NBC. In particular, it aligned the operation of its sports channels with NBC's sports division, NBC Sports. On January 1, 2012, Versus was rebranded as the NBC Sports Network. The branding was later shortened to NBCSN. By September 15, 2014, most of NBC Sports' oper ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Versus (TV Channel)
NBCSN was an American sports television channel owned by the NBC Sports Group division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It originally launched on July 1, 1995, as the Outdoor Life Network (OLN), which was dedicated to programming primarily involving fishing, hunting, outdoor adventure programs, and outdoor sports. By the turn of the 21st century, OLN became better known for its extensive coverage of the Tour de France but eventually began covering more "mainstream" sporting events, resulting in its relaunch as Versus in September 2006. In 2011, Comcast, the original owner of the network, acquired a majority stake in NBCUniversal. As a result, Comcast merged the operations of its pay channels with those of NBC. In particular, it aligned the operation of its sports channels with NBC's sports division, NBC Sports. On January 1, 2012, Versus was rebranded as the NBC Sports Network. The branding was later shortened to NBCSN. By September 15, 2014, most of NBC Sports' operat ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fränk Schleck
Fränk René Schleck (born 15 April 1980) is a Luxembourgish former professional road bicycle racer, who rode professionally between 2003 and 2016, for and . Schleck is the older brother of Andy, winner of the 2010 Tour de France. Their father, Johny Schleck, was a professional road bicycle racer between 1965 and 1974, as was their grandfather, Gustave Schleck, who contested events in the 1930s. Schleck's greatest achievements include five national road race championships, winning the Queen stage of the 2006 Tour de France, which finished on the Alpe d'Huez, the 2006 edition of the Amstel Gold Race classic, and an alpine stage of the 2009 Tour de France, finishing in the sole company of his brother Andy and Alberto Contador. On 30 January 2013, Schleck was suspended for 12 months following a positive test for xipamide at the 2012 Tour de France. The ban, backdated to the date of the positive test, expired on 13 July 2013. Career After riding for the Luxembourg military spo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Andy Schleck
Andy Raymond Schleck (; born 10 June 1985) is a Luxembourgish former professional road bicycle racer. He won the 2010 Tour de France, being awarded it retroactively in February 2012 after Alberto Contador's hearing at the Court of Arbitration for Sport. He has also been the runner-up at the Tour twice; in 2009 and 2011. He is the younger brother of Fränk Schleck, also a professional rider between 2003 and 2016. Their father Johny Schleck rode the Tour de France and Vuelta a España between 1965 and 1974. Early years and family Andy Schleck was born in Luxembourg City, Luxembourg, and is the youngest of Gaby and Johny Schleck's three sons. His older brother Fränk Schleck was also a cyclist on Trek Factory Racing, and his oldest brother Steve Schleck is a politician in Luxembourg. Andy's father, Johny Schleck, is a former professional cyclist and rode the Tour de France at the service of 1968 winner Jan Janssen and 1973 winner Luis Ocaña, and also managed to finish in the top ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cadel Evans
Cadel Lee Evans (; born 14 February 1977) is an Australian former professional racing cyclist, who competed professionally in both mountain biking and road bicycle racing. A four-time Olympian, Evans is one of three non-Europeans – along with Greg LeMond and Egan Bernal – to have officially won the Tour de France, winning the race in 2011. Early in his career, he was a champion mountain biker, winning the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup in 1998 and 1999 and placing seventh in the men's cross-country mountain bike race at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. Evans is a four-time Olympian. Evans turned to full-time road cycling in 2001, and gradually progressed through the ranks. He finished second in the Tour de France in 2007 and 2008. Both of these 2nd place finishes are in the top 10 of the closest Tours in history. He became the first Australian to win the UCI ProTour (2007) and the UCI Road World Championships in 2009. After finishing outside the top twenty in 2009 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
2011 Tour De France
The 2011 Tour de France was the 98th edition of the race. It started on 2 July at the Passage du Gois and ended on the Champs-Élysées in Paris on 24 July. The cyclists competed in 21 stages over 23 days, covering a distance of . The route entered Italy for part of two stages. The emphasis of the route was on the Alps, commemorating the 100th anniversary of the mountain range first being visited in the Tour. Cadel Evans of the won the overall general classification. Andy Schleck of was second, with his brother and teammate Fränk third. The general classification leader's yellow jersey was worn first by Philippe Gilbert of , who won the opening stage. In the following stage, 's victory in the team time trial put their rider Thor Hushovd into the overall lead. He held the yellow jersey until the end of the ninth stage when it was taken by Thomas Voeckler (), who went on to hold it throughout the stages in the Pyrenees and up until the end of the final Alpine stage. Andy Schl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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