2011 roster
Ages as of January 1, 2011.
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| Manager | Johan Bruyneel | ||
| One-day victories | 2 | ||
| Stage race overall victories | 10 | ||
| Stage race stage victories | 16 | ||
| Previous season | |||
The 2011 season for Team RadioShack began in January at the Tour Down Under and ended in October with Robbie McEwen's participation in the Noosa Grand Prix. As a UCI ProTeam, they were automatically invited and obligated to send a squad to every event in the UCI World Tour.
The team merged with Leopard Trek for the 2012 season, with the resultant team based in Luxembourg, meaning this formation is considered defunct after the 2011 season.
While the team had 28 wins in 2011, and showed well enough to briefly be the leading team in the UCI World Tour rankings, they were nearly invisible in the Grand Tours, the races which have defined manager Johan Bruyneel's managerial career. A Tour de France besieged by crashes and injuries led to Haimar Zubeldia in 15th place being their best finisher, the worst showing for a Bruyneel-led team at the Tour in five years. The team's principal successes were the three major stage races in the United States, the Tour of California, the Tour of Utah, and the USA Pro Cycling Challenge. Team RadioShack fielded the overall winner in all three events, Chris Horner in California and Levi Leipheimer in Utah and Colorado. The team also won seven other stage races, easily the most of any major team on the season.
Ages as of January 1, 2011.
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Before the spring season and the races known as classics, Team RadioShack was active in the Vuelta a Mallorca series of single-day races. In the Trofeo Inca, Hermans figured into a winning breakaway that formed 40 km (25 mi) from the finish, on the Puig Major climb. When this group's lead stretched to a minute with only 10 km (6.2 mi), it was clear they would stay away. Hermans stated that he had not felt confident going into the sprint, but he proved fresher than breakaway companions Arkaitz Durán and Xavier Tondó, winning the race. [11] Later in February, Hunter won the field sprint finish to the second day of the Tour de Mumbai, restyled for 2011 as two one-day races in a similar vein to the Vuelta a Mallorca. The 11-lap 79 km (49 mi) criterium was originally meant to be a lap longer, but after the start was delayed for over an hour due to amateur riders and photographers crowding the course, it was shortened from the planned length of 108 km (67 mi). [12]
Much like the Bruyneel-led Astana teams, Team RadioShack was not a major player in the spring classics. They did, however, attain a notable result in the season's third monument race, Paris–Roubaix. After a breakaway group of ten riders had first gone clear right about the time the cobbled sectors first began, Rast worked his way into a chase group which formed at the Arenberg sector. His group caught up with the leaders, and while Garmin–Cervélo's Johan Vansummeren soloed to victory, Rast stayed with the next group on the road through to the end of the race. He, Fabian Cancellara, and Maarten Tjallingii contested the sprint for second place. Cancellara took second with Tjallingii third, leaving Rast just off the podium in fourth. [13] Thanks to this result and the team's strong showing at the Tour of the Basque Country stage race, they became the number one team in the UCI rankings after Paris–Roubaix. [14]
The team also sent squads to the Trofeo Palma de Mallorca, Trofeo Cala Millor, Trofeo Deià, Trofeo Palmanova, the Classica Sarda, Milan – San Remo, Gent–Wevelgem, the Tour of Flanders, the Brabantse Pijl, La Flèche Wallonne and Liège–Bastogne–Liège, but placed no higher than 12th in any of these races.
The team also sent squads to Paris–Brussels, the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal, Paris–Bourges and the Giro di Lombardia, but finished no higher than 12th in any of these races.
The Tour Down Under, the first stage race of the season, was Armstrong's last professional race. Despite claiming that he was "definitely not flying halfway around the world to sit in the bunch," [15] Armstrong only showed combativity at one moment during the race, during an ultimately unsuccessful breakaway attempt during stage 5 to Willunga. [16] He finished the race in 67th place, 6'42" down on overall winner Cameron Meyer. [17] Elsewhere, McEwen was, for a time, an overall contender in the race. He was third in the sprint finish to the first stage, with the time bonus affording him that same position in the first general classification standings. [18] The next day, a second place left him tied for first overall with Ben Swift and Matthew Goss, and gave him the ochre jersey as race leader. [19] After slipping slightly over the next two days, McEwen lost any chance at overall victory on the Willunga stage, finishing in the same group as Armstrong 1'48" down on stage winner Francisco Ventoso and the majority of the overall contenders. [20] He finished the race in 28th place. [17] At the Ruta del Sol in February, Irizar finished second in the short stage 1 time trial, mere tenths of a second behind stage winner Jimmy Engoulvent. [21] The next stage ended in a 43-rider sprint, and Engoulvent was dropped on the day's first climb, finishing nearly 23 minutes back. As a result, Irizar took the race leadership. [22] The remaining race stages were similar – stage 3 featured an 85-rider sprint, stage 4 a 90-rider sprint, and stage 5 a 33-rider sprint. Irizar finished safely in the bunch on each stage, winning the race overall by a single second over Jurgen Van den Broeck and two over teammate Leipheimer, who had similarly ridden good stage 1 time trials. [23] [24] The squad also won the teams classification. [25]
With a squad made up of younger riders, the team was quite successful at the Three Days of West Flanders stage race. Sergent won the prologue time trial, with Rosseler and Bewley in second and third ten seconds off his pace. Kwiatkowski also clocked in ten seconds off Sergent's time, for fifth on the day. [26] The first of the two road race stages ended in a full field sprint with little change to the overall standings, [27] and the second featured a reduced group sprint. Bewley missed an early selection and finished five minutes back, but Sergent, Rosseler, and Kwiatkowski all finished with the front group. They finished in that order in the final overall classification, giving the team a clean sweep of the event's final podium; Sergent also won the young rider classification and the squad also claimed the teams classification. At Paris–Nice in March, Klöden won the first major mountain stage, stage 5, from a very selective eight-rider group that finished together at the front of the race. [28] He took the overall race leadership with the result, eleven years after he had won Paris–Nice overall. [29] He finished fourth in the individual time trial the next day, but fourth place was a good 46 seconds down on stage winner Tony Martin, as the younger German took the race leadership. [30] Klöden was unable to make back any time in the last two road stages, finishing second overall. The squad also took the team award. [31] At Critérium International in March, Klöden won the stage 3 time trial, but managed only 22nd overall, having lost time in both the mountainous and flat road race stages. [32] At the concurrent Volta a Catalunya, the team experienced both success and hardship. Cardoso won stage 4 in a full field sprint – so full that only two riders failed to finish with the rest of the peloton. [33] Leipheimer had finished well-placed in the race's mountainous third stage, ceding 23 seconds to former teammate Alberto Contador but occupying a podium position, third, with the result. [34] He continued to hold it through the sixth stage, [35] but had to pull out of the race before the seventh and final stage due to stomach problems. He had spent the night before in the hospital with an abdominal sub-obstruction, an injury dating back to his childhood when he was kicked in the stomach by a horse. [35] Being physically unable to complete the race cost him his podium position and the team 70 UCI World Tour points. Horner was the squad's best finisher, fourth overall. [36] Rosseler won the closing time trial and, consequently, the overall crown of the Three Days of De Panne at the end of March. He had entered the stage as one of a great number of riders within ten seconds of pending race leader Bert De Backer. After teammate Kwiatkowski had first set a time solidly better than those which came before, Rosseler did him 14 seconds better to win both the stage and the race overall. Kwiatkowski took third in the stage and overall, while the squad earned the teams classification win. [37]
The team entered the Tour of the Basque Country in April with defending champion Horner heading their squad, along with Klöden. Both finished near stage 1 winner Joaquim Rodríguez, with Horner a second back and Klöden tied on the same time. [38] The race's top riders marked one another closely, and since the Tour of the Basque Country did not award bonus time anywhere in the race, these positions held through the fifth and final road race stage, with only the individual time trial remaining. [39] Rodríguez is a vastly inferior time trialist to Horner, Klöden, and the other riders who populated the top of the overall standings going in, meaning the overall victory was very much in play. The winning time came from HTC–Highroad's Tony Martin. Horner clocked in 55 seconds down on Martin in ninth place for the day. Klöden actually surpassed Martin's best time at the intermediate time check, but could not maintain his pace. He still finished very strongly, only nine seconds down for second on the day. True to reputation, Rodríguez struggled, ceding two minutes to the stage winner. Klöden's performance won him the race overall; he had previously won this race in 2000 while riding for Team Telekom. He also won the points classification. [40] Klöden turned in another fine race against the clock at the Giro del Trentino. He won the 13.4 km (8.3 mi) time trial by a single second over Lampre–ISD's Adriano Malori and eight over teammate Machado. [41] He cracked on the climb to Ledro Bezzecca in stage 2, however, losing six minutes and any chance at winning the race. [42]
Always a race which had been a target for Johan Bruyneel-led teams, Team RadioShack sent a strong squad to the Tour of California, headed by Horner and three-time winner Leipheimer. After the first stage was canceled and the first two to be run both favored sprinters, the team showed strongly in stage 4. This stage ended with a summit finish on Sierra Road. Horner won this stage 1'15" clear of any other riders, a massive time gap in a race which has historically been decided by seconds. [43] The 2011 Tour returned to Solvang for its individual time trial after the race against the clock in 2010 had been in Los Angeles. Leipheimer, three times a winner on this course, could only manage second 14 seconds the lesser of Garmin–Cervélo's David Zabriskie. Horner was sixth, 51 seconds down, but still held a lead of 38 seconds over Leipheimer and over a minute against the next highest rider. [44] The two captains dominated stage 7 to Mount Baldy. They broke away from the lead group with 3 km (1.9 mi) to go to the summit and finished 43 seconds clear of any other riders. Horner allowed Leipheimer to cross the line first – though Leipheimer had won the overall at the Tour of California three times, and similarly the Solvang time trial, this was his first road race stage win at the event. [45] The two finished safely in the peloton in the finale stage, ending the race as the first two of five Americans at the top of the overall standings. [46]
The team also won lesser classifications at the Volta ao Algarve, [47] Volta a Catalunya, [48] the Eneco Tour, [49] the Tour of Utah, [50] the Tour du Poitou-Charentes, [51] the Tour de Wallonie-Picarde, [52] and the Tour of Beijing. [53] The team also sent squads to the Tour Down Under, the Giro di Sardegna, Tirreno–Adriatico, the Tour de Romandie, the Tour de Luxembourg, the Critérium du Dauphiné and the Tour de Pologne, but did not achieve a stage win, classification win, or podium finish in any of them.
| Date | Race | Competition | Rider | Country | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 8 | Trofeo Inca | UCI Europe Tour |  Ben Hermans (BEL) |  Spain | Inca |
| February 13 | Tour de Mumbai II | UCI Asia Tour |  Robert Hunter (RSA) |  India | Mumbai |
| February 20 | Volta ao Algarve, Portuguese rider classification | UCI Europe Tour |  Tiago Machado (POR) | Portugal | |
| February 24 | Vuelta a Andalucía, Overall | UCI Europe Tour | Markel Irizar (ESP) | Spain | |
| February 24 | Vuelta a Andalucía, Teams classification | UCI Europe Tour | [N 3] | Spain | |
| March 4 | Driedaagse van West-Vlaanderen, Prologue | UCI Europe Tour |  Jesse Sergent (NZL) | Belgium | Middelkerke |
| March 6 | Driedaagse van West-Vlaanderen, Overall | UCI Europe Tour | Jesse Sergent (NZL) | Belgium | |
| March 6 | Driedaagse van West-Vlaanderen, Young rider classification | UCI Europe Tour | Jesse Sergent (NZL) | Belgium | |
| March 6 | Driedaagse van West-Vlaanderen, Teams classification | UCI Europe Tour | [N 4] | Belgium | |
| March 10 | Paris–Nice, Stage 5 | UCI World Tour |  Andreas Klöden (GER) |  France | Vernoux-en-Vivarais |
| March 13 | Paris–Nice, Teams classification | UCI World Tour | [N 5] | France | |
| March 24 | Volta a Catalunya, Stage 4 | UCI World Tour | Manuel Antonio Cardoso (POR) | Spain | El Vendrell |
| March 27 | Volta a Catalunya, Teams classification | UCI World Tour | [N 6] | Spain | |
| March 27 | Critérium International, Stage 3 | UCI Europe Tour | Andreas Klöden (GER) | France | Porto-Vecchio |
| March 31 | Three Days of De Panne, Stage 3b | UCI Europe Tour | Sébastien Rosseler (BEL) | Belgium | De Panne |
| March 31 | Three Days of De Panne, Overall | UCI Europe Tour | Sébastien Rosseler (BEL) | Belgium | |
| March 31 | Three Days of De Panne, Teams classification | UCI Europe Tour | [N 7] | Belgium | |
| April 9 | Tour of the Basque Country, Overall | UCI World Tour | Andreas Klöden (GER) | Spain | |
| April 9 | Tour of the Basque Country, Points classification | UCI World Tour | Andreas Klöden (GER) | Spain | |
| April 19 | Giro del Trentino, Stage 1 | UCI Europe Tour | Andreas Klöden (GER) |  Italy | Arco |
| May 18 | Tour of California, Stage 4 | UCI America Tour |  Chris Horner (USA) |  United States | San Jose |
| May 21 | Tour of California, Stage 7 | UCI America Tour | Levi Leipheimer (USA) | United States | Mount Baldy |
| May 22 | Tour of California, Overall | UCI America Tour | Chris Horner (USA) | United States | |
| May 29 | Giro d'Italia, Trofeo Fuga Pinarello | UCI World Tour |  Yaroslav Popovych (UKR) | Italy | |
| June 19 | Tour de Suisse, Overall | UCI World Tour | Levi Leipheimer (USA) |  Switzerland | |
| July 3 | Tour of Austria, Stage 1 | UCI Europe Tour | Robert Hunter (RSA) |  Austria | Götzis |
| July 26 | Tour de Wallonie, Stage 4 | UCI Europe Tour |  Robbie McEwen (AUS) | Belgium | Mouscron |
| August 12 | Eneco Tour, Stage 4 | UCI World Tour | Jesse Sergent (NZL) |  Netherlands | Roermond |
| August 14 | Eneco Tour, Teams classification | UCI World Tour | [N 8] | [N 9] | |
| August 14 | Tour of Utah, Overall | UCI America Tour | Levi Leipheimer (USA) | United States | |
| August 14 | Tour of Utah, Mountains classification | UCI America Tour | Levi Leipheimer (USA) | United States | |
| August 23 | USA Pro Cycling Challenge, Stage 1 | UCI America Tour | Levi Leipheimer (USA) | United States | Crested Butte |
| August 25 | Tour du Poitou-Charentes, Stage 4 | UCI Europe Tour | Jesse Sergent (NZL) | France | Châtellerault |
| August 25 | USA Pro Cycling Challenge, Stage 3 | UCI America Tour | Levi Leipheimer (USA) | United States | Vail |
| August 26 | Tour du Poitou-Charentes, Overall | UCI Europe Tour | Jesse Sergent (NZL) | France | |
| August 26 | Tour du Poitou-Charentes, Youth classification | UCI Europe Tour | Jesse Sergent (NZL) | France | |
| August 28 | USA Pro Cycling Challenge, Overall | UCI America Tour | Levi Leipheimer (USA) | United States | |
| September 29 | Tour de Wallonie-Picarde, Stage 1 | UCI Europe Tour | Robbie McEwen (AUS) | Belgium | Péruwelz |
| October 2 | Tour de Wallonie-Picarde, Stage 4 | UCI Europe Tour | Robbie McEwen (AUS) | Belgium | Tournai |
| October 2 | Tour de Wallonie-Picarde, Overall | UCI Europe Tour | Robbie McEwen (AUS) | Belgium | |
| October 9 | Tour of Beijing, Young rider classification | UCI World Tour | Ben King (USA) |  China |
The 2009 season for the Astana cycling team began in January with the Tour Down Under and ended in October with the Giro di Lombardia. As a UCI ProTour team, they were automatically invited to and obliged to attend every UCI ProTour event, and were invited to every event in the inaugural UCI World Calendar as well.
The 2008 season for the Astana cycling team began in January with the Tour Down Under and ended in October with the Giro di Lombardia. As a UCI ProTour team, they were automatically invited and obliged to attend every event in the UCI ProTour.
Team RadioShack was a professional road bicycle racing team, with RadioShack as the title sponsor, the creation of which was announced on July 23, 2009. Lance Armstrong co-owned and led the team, which raced in the Grand Tours and the UCI ProTour. The team was managed by Capital Sports and Entertainment, an Austin, Texas sports and event management group that also manages the Trek-Livestrong U23 development cycling team and that ran the former Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team.
The 2010 season for the Astana cycling team began in January with the Tour Down Under and ended in October at the Giro di Lombardia. As a UCI ProTour team, they were automatically invited and obligated to send a squad to every ProTour event.
The 2010 season for Team RadioShack, its first, began in January with the Tour Down Under and ended in October at the Giro di Lombardia. Team RadioShack rode in 2010 a UCI ProTour team, and was thus automatically invited to and obligated to send a squad to every ProTour event.
The 2010 season for the Rabobank cycling team began in January with the Tour Down Under and ended in October at the Giro di Lombardia. As a UCI ProTour team, they were automatically invited and obliged to attend every event in the ProTour.
The 2010 Volta ao Algarve was the 36th edition of the Volta ao Algarve cycling stage race. It was held from 17 to 21 February 2010, and was rated as a 2.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour. It started at the Algarve Stadium in Faro and ended with an individual time trial in Portimão.
The 2011 Tour de Suisse was the 75th running of the Tour de Suisse cycling stage race. It started on 11 June with an individual time trial in Lugano and ended with another individual time trial on 19 June, in Schaffhausen. It was the 16th race of the 2011 UCI World Tour season.
The 2011 season for Movistar Team began in January at the Tour de San Luis and ended in October at the Giro di Lombardia. As a UCI ProTeam, they were automatically invited and obligated to send a squad to every event in the UCI World Tour.
The 2011 season for the Garmin–Cervélo cycling team began in January at the Tour Down Under and ended in October at the Noosa Grand Prix. As a UCI ProTeam, they were automatically invited and obligated to send a squad to every event in the UCI World Tour.
The 2011 season for Lampre–ISD began in January at the Tour Down Under and ended in October at the Japan Cup. As a UCI ProTeam, they were automatically invited and obligated to send a squad to every event in the UCI World Tour.
The 2011 season for Liquigas–Cannondale began in January with the Tour de San Luis and ended in October at the Japan Cup. As a UCI ProTeam, they were automatically invited and obligated to send a squad to every event in the UCI World Tour.
The 2011 season for the Rabobank cycling team began in January at the Tour Down Under and ended in October with Michael Matthews' participation in the Noosa Grand Prix. As a UCI ProTeam, they were automatically invited and obligated to send a squad to every event in the UCI World Tour.
The 2011 season for HTC–Highroad began in January at the Tour Down Under and ended in October at the Chrono des Nations. As a UCI ProTeam, they were automatically invited and obligated to send a squad to every event in the UCI World Tour. This was the team's final season, as they failed to secure a new title sponsor.
The 2011 season for Team Katusha began in January at the Tour Down Under and ended in October at the Giro di Lombardia. As a UCI ProTeam, they were automatically invited and obligated to send a squad to every event in the UCI World Tour.
The 2011 season for Leopard Trek, its first, began in January at the Tour Down Under and ended in October at the Giro di Lombardia. As a UCI ProTeam, they were automatically invited and obligated to send a squad to every race in the UCI World Tour. The team formed for 2011 as a Luxembourgian national project and boasts that nation's two premier riders, Andy and Fränk Schleck. Several riders from the Schleck brothers' former Team Saxo Bank joined the new team.
The 2011 Tour of the Basque Country, was the 51st running of the Tour of the Basque Country cycling stage race. It started on 4 April in Zumarraga and ended on 9 April in Zalla and consisted of six stages, including a race-concluding individual time trial. It was the eighth race of the 2011 UCI World Tour season.
The 2011 Amgen Tour of California was the sixth running of the Tour of California cycling stage race. It was held from May 15–22, and was rated as a 2.HC event on the UCI America Tour. Originally scheduled for eight stages, the race was due to begin in South Lake Tahoe, but snow around the Lake Tahoe area led to stage 1 being delayed, shortened and ultimately cancelled. The race concluded in Thousand Oaks as planned.
The 2012 season for the RadioShack–Nissan cycling team began in January at the Tour Down Under. As a UCI ProTeam, they were automatically invited and obligated to send a squad to every event in the UCI World Tour.
The 2012 Eneco Tour was the eighth running of the Eneco Tour cycling stage race. It started on August 6 in Waalwijk in the Netherlands and ended on August 12 in Geraardsbergen, Belgium, after seven stages. It was the 20th race of the 2012 UCI World Tour season.