Team News

Present from the start of camp, Retul was on-site to assist riders and mechanics in collecting data and setting up new bikes. Check out the photos of Andy and Frank Schleck as the Retul team examines their cleat placement, saddle and handlebar position, pedaling style, and overall form on the bike.

Welcome…Bienvenue, Wëllkom, Ongi Etorri, Velkommen, Welkom, Willkommen, Benvenuti, Greuzi, dobro pojalovat, Bem Vindo, or as the locals say…“Bienvenidos” to RadioShack Nissan Trek team camp in Calpe, Spain.

Tour of Lombardy
Milano to Lecco, 241km/150mi
By Cathy Mehl
If a rider is going to take the first win of his 8-year professional career, he might as well start with a big one, and that’s exactly what 30-year old Oliver Zaugg (Leopard Trek) did in Saturday’s 105th Tour of Lombardy.  Zaugg’s attack on the Villa Vergana  with under 10km to go set up the surprise win for the Swiss rider.  After more than six hours of riding, his solo victory put him in a small club of only four different Swiss men to win the Fall monument among a very large contingent of Italian riders.  Chasing Zaugg for second and third places at 8-seconds were Daniel Martin (Garmin-Cervelo) and Joaquin Rodriguez of Katusha.  The best-placed rider for The Shack was Jani Brajkovic, arriving in a group at over one-minute off the pace.  Only 63 of 195 riders completed the 241km course.

Riders from Team RadioShack and Trek-LIVESTRONG U23 team will descend upon Austin, Texas for the LIVESTRONG Challenge Austin this weekend, October 14 - 16. Tour of California champions Chris Horner and Levi Leipheimer, along with Team RadioShack teammates Jason McCartney and former American champion Ben King will join the thousands of runners and riders supporting the 28 million people around the world living with cancer.

The final race of the season is Saturday, October 15, 2011:  Tour of Lombardy (Italy)

Riders:  Jani Brajkovic, Matthew Busche, Philip Deignan, Ben Hermans, Michal Kwiatkowski, Tiago Machado, Nelson Oliveira and Haimar Zubeldia.  The riders will be directed by Team Manager Johan Bruyneel and Jose  Azevedo. 

Good luck, Team.  You've made us proud this season.

Paris-Tours
Voves to Tours, 230.5km/143mi
By Cathy Mehl
A sprint from a successful two-man breakaway gave Belgian Greg Van Avermaet (BMC) the finest win of his career.  Patiently waiting to spring in the closing meters, Van Avermaet attacked Marco Marcato (Vacansoleil-DCM), coming from behind to win in Paris-Tours with plenty of daylight between them.  Third place at 15-seconds belonged to Kasper Klostergaard (Saxo Bank-Sungard).
Team RadioShack’s Geoffroy Lequatre took seventh in the third group to cross the finish line at 22-seconds behind Van Avermaet.  Teammate Robbie McEwen led home the group another minute later.

Tour of Beijing
Stage 5:  Tian An Men Square to Bird's Nest Olympic Stadium, 118km/73mi
By Cathy Mehl
It was a successful day of defending the white jersey for Team RadioShack with Ben King winning the Best Young Rider classification in the inaugural Tour of Beijing.  King held only two seconds advantage but had the full backing of The Shack to protect his lead, marking the first jersey win for Ben in a world tour event. 

Tour of Beijing
Stage 4:  Yan Qing Gui Chuan Square to Shunyi Olympic Rowing/Canoeing Center, 189.5km/118mi
By Cathy Mehl
A day-long Team effort from The Shack helped keep teammate and former US Pro Ben King in the jersey of the Best Young rider in the Tour of Beijing with one stage remaining to race.  King wears the white jersey with a two-second margin over Bart De Clercq of Omega Pharma-Lotto.  It’s the first time for King to wear a leader’s jersey in a world tour race and he's eager to wear it all the way to the end Sunday in Beijing.  RadioShack sponsors were on hand today to congratulate Ben and cheer on the continued good work from Team RadioShack.

Tour of Beijing
Stage 3:  Men Tou Gou to Yong Ning Town, 162km/101mi
By Cathy Mehl
Team RadioShack riders were in solid form for stage 3 in the Tour of Beijing on Friday.  An early attack by team rider Jani Brajkovic showed good legs from the Slovenian rider, and later Irishman Philip Deignan attacked on the final climb to fight for the win with fellow countryman Nicolas Roche of Ag2r.  Deignan just missed the win to Roche with Chris Froome (Sky) crossing for third one-second later.

Paris-Bourges
Gien to Bourges, 190.9km/119mi
By Cathy Mehl
The day started badly and ended badly in the 61st Paris-Bourges one-day race in France on Thursday.  It rained all day and riders Ivan Rovny and stagiaire Evgeniy Shalunov were in the middle of a big early crash and had to be taken to the hospital.  Later, in the final kilometer, Ben Hermans, Manuel Cardoso and Geoffroy Lequatre also went down.
Ivan Rovny suffered an ankle fracture after he was involved in a crash early in today’s race.  The fracture is situated at the lower extremity of the right tibula. The season of the Russian rider, one of the revelations of this year’s USA Pro Cycling Challenge, is over. Also Team RadioShack’s stagiaire Evgeniy Shalunov was involved in the same crash. He suffers from contusions but is expected to be able to start in Paris-Tours on Sunday.