Thomas Voeckler won the fifth stage of the Tour de France as Lance Armstrong remained in second place in the overall standings behind Switzerland's Fabian Cancellara. It was a hugely popular victory for one of the heroes of French cycling, who had been part of a six-man breakaway group for much of the 196.5 km stage from Cap d'Agde to Perpignan. The 30-year-old Bouygues Telecom rider achieved cult status when he held the yellow jersey for ten days in ...

Mark Cavendish underlined his position as the fastest man in cycling by sprinting away from his rivals to comfortably take the 187km second stage of the Tour de France from Monaco to Brignoles. The Briton, who rides for the Columbia team, won four stages in last year's race -- and he continued that form into the first flat stage this year by showing devastating pace to cross the line first in a dangerous sprint marred by an accident in the ...

Local favorite Stijn Devolder retained his Tour of Flanders title under clear blue skies on Sunday, powering away from his rivals for a comfortable victory in the 261.5km spring classic in northern Belgium. The Quick Step rider made light of one of the toughest tests in cycling to break away with 15km remaining, finishing nearly a minute ahead of Germany's Heinrich Haussler (Cervelo) -- with Silence-Lotto rider Philippe Gilbert third. Belgium's premier race, which features 16 steep climbs -- many ...