Pro Cycling

[pels]

Stage 6 on SBS 2 tonight from 11:10.
A little bit harder stage tonight with a few small steep hills which could eliminate the pure sprinters.
Big chance of Goss being in Pink tonight

[brod]

Paolo Tiralongo added to Team Astana's list of successes in 2012 by conquering the steep, twisting climb up to Rocca di Cambio to win the seventh stage of the Giro d'Italia. With 500 meters to go Tiralongo followed the attack of 2011 Giro winner Michele Scarponi (Lampre-ISD) and the Astana rider came around Scarponi inside of the final 100 meters to claim his second career victory. Scarponi finished second in the same time as Tiralongo while Fränk Schleck of RadioShack-Nissan finished third, only three seconds later.

Ryder Hesjedal became the first Canadian to wear the maglia rosa.

The best Aussie was Adam Hansen way back in 82nd (8min behind)

GC- best Aussie is Adam Hansen in 74th (9min 39 behind)
POINTS - Matthew Goss FIRST with also in the Top 10
Most Combative - Matthew Goss SECOND

[brod]

After Stage 8 Hesjedal remains in pink and Goss in red

[brod]

Tour of California started today with Peter Sagan from Liquigas winning the first stage.

Aussie Green Edge rider Leigh Howard was fourth, with Cam Meyer 16th, Rory Sutherland 20th, Luke Durbridge 32nd.

Aussies Heinrich Haussler is second in the points classification

[brod]

Giro d'Italia - Stage 9

Francisco Ventoso (Movistar Team) won stage 9 of the Giro d'Italia, from Giorgio nel Sannio to Frosinone, surviving a crash on the final corner to claim his first stage of the race. Fabio Felline (Androni Giocattoli) and Giacomo Nizzolo (RadioShack-Nissan) rounded out the surprise top three after the front line of sprinters was ruled out when Filippo Pozzato (Farnese Vini - Selle Italia) took out Matthew Goss (Orica-GreenEdge) as the speeding peloton attempted to deal with the final left-hand corner. As the duo crashed out, Mark Cavendish (Sky) and Mark Renshaw (Rabobank) were forced to slow, and the world champion himself came down in the aftermath.

GC Classification
1st - Ryder Hesjadal
Best Aussie -68th Adam Hansen (19min 5 sec)

Points Classification
1st - Goss (65)
2nd Cavendish (61)

[brod]

Tour of California - Stage 2

Peter Sagan (Liquigas-Cannondale) made it two from two to claim his second stage win at the Amgen Tour of California Monday. The Liquigas sprinter extended his lead in GC with the win, while Heinrich Haussler (Garmin-Barracuda) and Leigh Howard (Orica-GreenEdge) picked up second and third.

Great stuff to have two Aussies in the first three across the line

GC Classifaication
1st - Peter Sagan
Best Aussie - 2nd Heinrich Hausler (8 sec)

[brod]

Giro d'Italia - Stage 10

Spanish rider Joaquim Rodriguez (Katusha) took stage 10 of the Giro d’Italia in Assisi and also claimed the pink jersey as overall leader after an exciting climax to the afternoon’s racing in the historic Perugian town.
The final five kilometres provided some of the most intense racing of the season so far, with Rodriguez mastering the undulations best and coming home clear of Bartosz Huzarski (NetApp) and Giovanni Visconti (Movistar).
Race leader Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin-Barracuda) fought bravely to the death but could only finish sixth, and the time bonus afforded to Rodriguez for the win meant that he leapfrogs the Canadian to the top of the overall GC by 17 seconds.

GC Classification
1st Joaquim Rodriguez
Best Aussie 67th Adam Hansen (21m 33sec)

Points Classification
1st - Goss (65)
2nd Cavendish (62)

[brod]

Tour of California - Stage 3

Peter Sagan (Liquigas-Cannondale) continued his unbeaten streak at the Amgen Tour of California with his third stage victory in as many days in Livermore. The Slovak champion and Tour of California leader once again turned on the afterburners to win a field sprint finale, with Heinrich Haussler (Garmin-Barracuda) garnering his own second place result for the third straight stage. Tom Boonen (Omega Pharma-Quickstep) rounded out the top three.

GC Classification
1st - Peter Sagan
Best Aussie - 2nd Heinrich Hausler (12 sec)

Points Classification
1st - Peter Sagan
Best Aussies - 2nd Heinrich Hausler, 3rd Leigh Howard

[brod]

Giro d'Italia - Stage 11

Roberto Ferrari (Androni Giacattoli-Venezuela) who caused the major crash on stage 3 of the Giro d'Italia, won the sprint stage 11. Francesco Chicchi (Omega Pharma-QuickStep) was second, with Tomas Vaitkus (GreenEdge) third. Top favourite Mark Cavendish, who lost his teammates to a crash in the final turn, was unable to move up to the front and was fourth.

Joaquim Rodriguez defended his overall lead, and there were no changes in the top five.

GC Classification
Best Aussie - 68th Adam Hansen (22min 19sec)

Points Classification
1st - Mark Cavendish (77)
Best Aussie - 2nd Matty Goss (65)

[brod]

Tour of California - Stage 4

Peter Sagan (Liquigas-Cannondale) won his fourth stage in as many days at the Amgen Tour of California on Wednesday. Sagan sprinted to victory at the end the tour's longest day, 209.6km from Sonora to Clovis, ahead of Heinrich Haussler (Garmin-Barracuda) and Michael Matthews (Rabobank).

GC Classification
1st - Peter Sagan
Best Aussie - 2nd Heinrich Hausler (18 sec)

Points Classification
1st - Peter Sagan
Best Aussies - 2nd Heinrich Hausler, 3rd Leigh Howard

[pels]

The fun starts tonight in the giro, the 1st real mountain stage.
Love watching these awesome mountain stages
On SBS 2 at 11:10 and if you have fox on eurosport

[brod]

Tour of California - Stage 6

Sylvain Georges (AG2R La Mondiale) soloed to an incredible win on stage 6 of the Amgen Tour of California, finishing alone at Big Bear Lake.

GC Classification
1st - David Zabriskie
Best Aussie 6th Luke Derbridge (1min 1sec)

Points Classification
1st Peter Sagan
Best Aussies 2nd Haussler 3rd Howard

[brod]

Mark Renshaw has joined the list of sprinters leaving the Giro d'Italia. The Rabobank rider, who has not finished higher than third in the race, will now prepare for the Tour de France

[brod]

Matt Goss (Orica-GreenEdge) brought the curtain down on his Giro d’Italia with 6th place in the bunch sprint on stage 13, but the Australian leaves the race with his morale intact and with his sights set firmly on the Tour de France and London 2012 Olympics.

[pels]

Amador from Movistar Team wins stage 14 of the Giro
Ryder Hesjedal gains 26 seconds on all the contenders and gets the Pink Jersey back.
More fun tonight for the riders with another mountain stage on SBS 2 from 11:10

[brod]

Tour of California - Stage 7

Rabobank's Robert Gesink is back: after breaking his femur last October, the Dutch rider has regained his top form and showed it by claiming both the stage win on Mt. Baldy and the race lead of the Tour of California. Gesink out-sprinted John Darwin Atapuma (Colombia Coldeportes), while the Colombian's teammate Fabio Duarte claimed third.

GC Classification
Best Aussie - 15th Cam Mayer (2min 25sec)

[mickey]

Doesn't look like too much fun in the Giro tonight... Some nice climbs in the cold and rain!

[brod]

Robbie McEwen completed the final professional race of his long and accomplished career in California on Sunday, as the newest generation of Australian cyclists showed another tantalising glimpse of their future potential.
The Giro is obviously the biggest race of May, but this edition of the Tour of California was arguably more important for the future of Aussie cycling, as it gave Orica-GreenEDGE a chance to expose some young riders to more stage racing at a high standard.
McEwen’s transition into a coaching and development role with Orica-GreenEDGE will ensure his own wealth of knowledge isn’t lost to the next generation.

[brod]

Tour of California - Stage 8

Peter Sagan (Liquigas-Cannondale) sprinted to his fifth stage win in the Amgen Tour of California on Sunday after a short, fast stage in downtown Los Angeles. His team set him up perfectly for the bunch sprint finish and he crossed the line ahead of Tom Boonen and Gerald Ciolek (both Omega Pharma-Quickstep).

Rabobank controlled the race to protect race leader Robert Gesink, who clinched overall victory by finishing safely in the bunch

FINAL GC CLASSIFICATION
1. Robert Gesink
Aussies/GreenEDGE
10. Peter Weening (Ned) - GreenEDGE
11. Cam Meyer (Aus) - GreenEDGE
13. Rory Sutherland (Aus) - United Health Care
18. Luke Derbridge (Aus) - GreenEDGE (3rd in Best Young Rider)

FINAL POINTS CLASSIFICATION
1. Peter Sagan
Aussies
2. Heinrich Haussler - Garmin
4. Leigh Howard - GreenEDGE
8. Michael Matthews - Rabobank

[pels]

Giro Stage 17 tonight and its another beauty, maybe not for riders
On SBS 2 from 11:10 & eurosport on Foxtel

GC classifaction at the moment is

1 Joaquim Rodriguez Oliver (Spa) Katusha Team 69:22:04
2 Ryder Hesjedal (Can) Garmin - Barracuda 0:00:30
3 Ivan Basso (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale 0:01:22
4 Paolo Tiralongo (Ita) Astana Pro Team 0:01:26
5 Roman Kreuziger (Cze) Astana Pro Team 0:01:27
6 Michele Scarponi (Ita) Lampre - ISD 0:01:36

The winner is going to come from these 6 riders