Flanders News

Tom Boonen is a cross between a sprinter and a strong cobbled classics rider. He's a multiple winner of both major cobbled classics, Paris-Roubaix and the Tour of Flanders.

As we found out some six weeks ago, the Midweek Classic, a/k/a the Sprinters' Classic, will cease to be either in 2010, as the venerable cobbled event Gent-Wevelgem has bagged itself a more prestigious Sunday spot on the race calendar -- March 28, a week before the Tour of Flanders -- and celebrated by tacking another 50km onto the race.

The Cervelo TestTeam was the best team in 2009. From Left to Right: Kristin Armstrong, Emma Pooley, Sarah Duster, Christiane Soeder, Kirsten Wild and Lieselot Decroix at the team presentation of the Tour of Flanders.

I am instituting a new column, the Mea Culpa Friday Report, where I apologize for any major screwups during the past week of blogging.

Tour de France champion Alberto Contador will remain with the Astana team at least until his contract expires at the end of next year, an official with the Kazakh Cycling Federation said Thursday.

One unexpected name will be on the Ronde van Vlaanderen startlist next spring: Andy Schleck.

Year's done but we still need to do some final reckoning before we start predicting next year and this post is a first stab at how the teams did.

For the Grand Tour countries , you need to be able to claim you held serve at home, and maybe grabbed a few more precious wins abroad.

As he prepares for next year's Tour de France, Armstrong will be looking for cobblestones to practice on.

It was the first time Heinrich Haussler attended the official Tour de France route presentation in Paris' Palis des Congrs yesterday, and the German-Australian rider was impressed.

Lance Armstrong's new team has been given permission to race in many of cycling's top events for the next four years.

While some of the overall contenders for the 2010 Tour de France may look with fear upon the route's early stages in Belgium and Northern France, the Quick Step team and Classics specialist Tom Boonen will certainly be aiming for victory on familiar terrain.

With the return of cobblestones and three punishing summit finishes scheduled for the 2010 Tour de France, seven-time champion Lance Armstrong called next year's race difficult and wide open.

The Spring Classic Gent-Wevelgem will get a more prestigious spot on the world calendar in 2010 when it moves from the Wednesday after the Ronde Van Vlaanderen to the Sunday before it.

First, for one last time, congratulations Cadel Evans. There. I've done it. Now let us never speak of it again.

Jose Vicente Garcia Acosta has now completed 25 grand tours -12 Tours and 13 Vueltas.

Gesink 2.45 back, Sanchez with lots of risks. he almost missed a turn. Ivan Basso in the counter attack Basso is alone Mosquera attacked earlier and now joins Sanchez and Valverde.

Norway's Edvald Boasson Hagen claimed his fourth stage win in a row to extend his lead in the Tour of Britain.

Heinrich Haussler at the Tour de France teams presentation. German champ Reimer adds another year The Cervlo TestTeam announced Wednesday that German-Australian Heinrich Haussler will remain with the team through 2012.

Russell Downing of the CandiTv-Marshalls Pasta team took victory in stage one of the Tour of Ireland after a breakaway formed on the final climb of the 196km stage from Powerscourt to Waterford, down the eastern side of Ireland.