Tour de Romandie

Scenes from stage 3 at the Tour de Romandie, won by Gianni Meersman. Chris Froome kept his overall lead

1. Gianni MEERSMAN, Omega Pharma-Quick Step, in 4:19:03 2. Francesco GAVAZZI, Astana, at :00 3. Michael ALBASINI, Orica-GreenEdge, at :00

Sky's Chris Froome remains the overall race leader with two days left

Gianni Meersman rings up a stage win in Switzerland

1. Gianni MEERSMAN, Omega Pharma-Quick Step, in 4:29:09 2. Giacomo NIZZOLO, RadioShack-Leopard, at :00 3. Roberto FERRARI, Lampre-Merida, at :00 4. Luka MEZGEC, Argos-Shimano, at :00 5. Kévin REZA, Europcar, at :00

1. Christopher FROOME, Sky, in 13:15 2. Andrew TALANSKY, Garmin-Sharp, at :06 3. Robert KISERLOVSKI, RadioShack-Leopard, at :13 4. Richie PORTE, Sky, at :15 5. Rui Alberto FARIA DA COSTA, Movistar, at :16

Sky leader is last to start and registers top time in Swiss opener

With a week of intermediate mountain stages, the aggressive riders should be on display in Switzerland

Garmin-Sharp is building toward the first grand tour of the season, which starts May 4 in Naples

After a stage win and second overall at Paris-Nice, a victory at the Tour de Romandie is the next big goal for Andrew Talansky

Second-year Garmin pro has the fire back after second-place ride and is aiming for California then the Tour

Stage 5 of the 2012 Tour de Romandie, through the lens of Graham Watson

Van Garderen was knocked out of the Tour de Romandie after being hit by a flying tree branch in Saturday's stage

Stage 4 of the 2012 Tour de Romandie, through the lens of Graham Watson

Luis Leon Sanchez nabs second victory in a row at the Tour de Romandie , takes over lead from Bradley Wiggins

Sanchez is now just 1sec behind Wiggins, who failed to finish in the top ten of the stage

Jonathan Hivert won Thursday's uphill sprint, Bradley Wiggins retained the overall lead

Stage 1 of the 2012 Tour de Romandie, through the lens of Graham Watson

Wiggins surprises in bunch sprint to take overall lead in Switzerland

Prologue of the 2012 Tour de Romandie through the lens of Graham Watson

Team Sky puts three riders into the top-five

American will go back to the Giro to support Hesjedal, build for the Tour after a one-year break

World champion returns to racing after month-long break

World, Tour champs headed for Switzerland ahead of season objectives

Quick Results

• 1. Ben Swift (GBR), Team Sky, in 3:50:51
• 2. Davide Vigano (ITA), Leopard-Trek, s.t.
• 3. Oscar Freire Gomez (ESP), Rabobank Cycling Team, s.t.
• 4. Fabio Sabatini (ITA), Liquigas-Doimo, s.t.
• 5. Enrico Gasparotto (ITA), Astana, s.t.

Final GC

• 1. Cadel Evans (Aus), BMC Racing Team, in 16:51:49
• 2. Tony Martin (Ger), HTC-Highroad, at 0:18
• 3. Alexandre Vinokourov (Kaz), Astana, at 0:19
• 4. Marco Pinotti (Ita), HTC-Highroad, at 0:31
• 5. Benat Intxausti Elorriaga (Spa), Movistar, at 0:41

GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) - BMC's Cadel Evans won the Tour de Romandie on Sunday after the fifth and final stage was claimed by Team Sky's British rider Ben Swift.

Stage 4 (ITT): Aubonne - Signal-de-Bougy

• 1. David ZABRISKIE (USA), Garmin-Cervelo , 27:57
• 2. Richie PORTE (AUS), SaxoBank-Sungard, at 0:02
• 3. Lieuwe WESTRA (NED), Vacansoleil-DCM, at 0:14
• 4. Bradley WIGGINS (GBR), Team Sky, at 0:18
• 5. Tony MARTIN (GER), HTC-Highroad, at 0:27

GC

• 1. Cadel EVANS (Aus), BMC Racing Team, 13:00:58
• 2. Tony MARTIN (Ger), HTC-Highroad, at 0:18
• 3. Alexandre VINOKOUROV (Kaz), Astana, at 0:19
• 4. Marco PINOTTI (Ita), HTC-Highroad, at 0:31
• 5. Benat INTXAUSTI ELORRIAGA (Spa), Movistar, at 0:41

SIGNAL-DE-BOUGY, Switzerland (VN) — U.S. national time trial champion Taylor Phinney (BMC Racing) didn’t get the result he wanted on Saturday’s stage 4 TT at the Tour de Romandie.

Quick Results

• 1. Alexander Vinokourov , (Kaz) Astana , in 3:47:55
• 2. Mikael Cherel , (F) Ag2r La Mondiale, s.t.
• 3. Tony Martin , (G) HTC-Highroad, s.t.
• 4. Ben Swift , (GB) Team Sky, s.t.
• 5. Oscar Freire Gomez , (Sp) Rabobank Cycling Team, s.t.

GC

• 1. Pavel Brutt , (Rus) Team Katusha , in 12:31:34
• 2. Alexandre Vinokourov , (Kaz) Astana, at 0:32
• 3. Damiano Cunego , (I) Lampre-Farnese Vini, at 0:38
• 4. Cadel Evans , (Aus) BMC Racing Team, at 0:42
• 5. Gorka Verdugo Marcotegui , (Sp) Euskaltel-Euskadi, at 0:46

Quick Results

• 1. Damiano Cunego (ITA), Lampre-ISD, in 4:10:53
• 2. Cadel Evans (AUS), BMC Racing Team, at 0:02
• 3. Alexandre Vinokourov (KAZ), Astana, at 0:02
• 4. Rui Alberto Faria Da Costa (POR), Movistar, at 0:02
• 5. David Lopez Garcia (ESP), Movistar, at 0:02

GC

• 1. Pavel Brutt (Rus), Team Katusha, in 8:43:39
• 2. Damiano Cunego (Ita), Lampre-ISD, at 0:38
• 3. Cadel Evans (Aus), BMC Racing Team, at 0:42
• 4. Alexandre Vinokourov (Kaz), Astana, at 0:42
• 5. Gorka Verdugo Marcotegui (Sp), Euskaltel-Euskadi, at 0:46

Leopard-Trek's Italian sprinter Daniele Bennati has been ruled out of the Giro d'Italia after breaking ribs and a collarbone in a crash at the first stage of the Tour de Romandie Wednesday.

Quick Results

• 1. Pavel Brutt (Rus), Team Katusha, in 4:27:41
• 2. Oleksandr Kvachuk (Ukr), Lampre, at 56
• 3. Branislau Samoilau (Blr), Movistar, at 1:15
• 4. Jack Bobridge (Aus), Garmin-Cervelo, at 1:23
• 5. Damiano Cunego (Ita), Lampre-Farnese Vini, at 1:59

GC

• 1. Pavel Brutt (Russia), Team Katusha , in 4:31:26
• 2. Oleksandr Kvachuk (Ukraine), Lampre, at 1:00
• 3. Branislau Samoilau (Belarus), Movistar, at 1:22
• 4. Jack Bobridge (Australia), Garmin-Cervelo, at 1:31
• 5. Alexandre Vinokourov (Kazakhstan), Astana, at 2:04

Astana’s Robert Kiserlovski was forced to pull out of the Tour de Romandie due to lingering pain dating back to his spectacular crash at Paris-Nice and is questionable to start the Giro d’Italia next month.

Graham Watson was snapping away during the prologue to the 2011 Tour de Romandie.

Prologue

• 1. Jonathan Castroviejo Nicolas (Esp), Euskaltel-Euskadi, 3:40
• 2. Taylor Phinney (USA), BMC Racing Team, same time
• 3. Leigh Howard (Aus), HTC-Highroad, at 0:01
• 4. Geoffroy Lequatre (Fra), Team RadioShack, at 0:02
• 5. David Millar (Gbr), Garmin-Cervélo, at 0:02

GC

• 1. Jonathan Castroviejo Nicolas (Esp), Euskaltel-Euskadi, 3:40
• 2. Taylor Phinney (USA), BMC Racing Team, at 0:00
• 3. Leigh Howard (Aus), HTC-Highroad, at 0:01
• 4. Geoffroy Lequatre (Fra), Team RadioShack, at 0:02
• 5. David Millar (Gbr), Garmin-Cervélo, at 0:02

Jonathan Castroviejo wins the prologue to the Tour de Romandie ahead of American Taylor Phinney and Leigh Howard.

The start list for the Tour de Romandie, April 26 through May 1.

Switzerland’s Tour de Romandie, which takes place this week, starts appropriately enough at Martigny, a town surrounded by famous alpine climbs: the Grand St. Bernard to the south, Col de la Forclaz to the east and Crans-Montana to the east. But ironically the six-day, 698.3km UCI WorldTour event is probably the least mountainous in the race’s 65-year history.

Cadel Evans ─ who was forced to skip defending his title at Fleche Wallonne and missed the start at Sunday's Liège-Bastogne-Liège ─ will mark his return to racing for the BMC Racing Team on Tuesday at the Tour de Romandie.

Alejandro Valverde (Caisse d'Epargne) wins the final stage and takes the overall victory in the Tour de Romandie.

Spilak takes stage at Romandie, Rogers keeps lead

Porte wins Romandie TT, Rogers takes over lead

Ace sprinter Mark Cavendish admitted he let emotions get the best of him Thursday when he gave an Italian version of a two-finger salute as he crossed the line victorious in the second stage at the Tour de Romandie.

Cavendish takes stage at Romandie, Sagan keeps jersey

Sagan takes over at Romandie

Results, Tour de Romandie

HTC-Columbia's Marco Pinotti won the prologue of the Tour de Romandie in Porrentruy, Switzerland, on Tuesday.

Tour de Romandie

Czech rider Roman Kreuziger (Liquigas) won the Tour of Romandie after the fifth and final stage which was won by three-time world champion Oscar Freire in Geneva on Sunday. Freire scored his second win in the Swiss stage race in bunch sprint for his Rabobank team holding off the threat of promising young American Tyler Farrar of the Garmin team. Kreuziger, an up-and-coming stage race specialist who is only 23 years old, won the Tour of Switzerland last year having finished runner-up in the 2008 edition of the Tour of Romandie.

Roman Kreuziger (Liquigas) won the 157.5km “Queen stage” of the Tour de Romandie, between Estavayer-le-Lac and Sainte-Croix, and took over the leader’s jersey for his efforts. Kreuziger, who outsprinted Estonian Rein Taaramae (Cofidis), and seven seconds ahead of Russian Vladimir Karpets (Katusha), who now sits second overall. Kreuziger emerged at the front of the field after a long day that whittled the peloton down to just 35 or 40 riders.

Columbia-Highroad won the stage-3 team time trial at the Tour de Romandie on Friday, slotting Czech Frantisek Rabon back into the leader’s jersey he first claimed in the prologue. Caisse d'Epargne finished second at 10 seconds back with Saxo Bank third a further six seconds in arrears.

Three-time world champion Oscar Freire (Rabobank) won the second stage of the Tour de Romandie on Thursday after a breakaway by teammates Cadel Evans and Philippe Gilbert (Silence-Lotto) was stifled just a few kilometers before the finish line. The Silence-Lotto duo took advantage of the hilly course around northwestern Switzerland to break away on the final climb near the town of La Chaux-de-Fonds. But Evans, the 2006 Romandie winner, and Gilbert were reeled in by the peloton led by late entry Alejandro Valverde just four kilometers from the finish.

Spaniard Ricardo Serrano (Fuji) won the first stage of the Tour de Romandie on Wednesday, a shortened 91 kilometer stage between the Swiss towns of Montreux and Fribourg. Lars Bak (Saxo Bank) was second, while Swiss rider Gregory Rast (Astana) was third and took over the leader's yellow jersey. The stage was shortened because of snow fall on the Jaunpass.

Czech rider Frantisek Rabon (Columbia-Highroad) on Tuesday won the Prologue of the Tour de Romandie, a 3.1km time-trial through the streets of the Swiss city of Lausanne. French cyclist Sandy Casar (Française Des Jeux), took second place two seconds behind. One of the favorites of the six day race in western Switzerland, late entry Alejandro Valverde (Caisse d'Epargne) of Spain, was third, while American Tyler Farrar (Garmin-Slipstream) took fourth. Prologue, Tour de Romandie
1. Frantisek Rabon (Cz), Columbia-Highroad, 3.1km in 3:45

Garmin-Slipstream sprinter Tyler Farrar will return to racing next week after recovering from a shoulder injury that sidelined him during the spring classics. Farrar suffered an AC separation during a crash at Milan-San Remo and will race the Tour de Romandie (April 28-May 3) before a likely start at the Giro d’Italia next month. “The shoulder has healed up so I’m getting back in the game,” Farrar told VeloNews. “I’m currently down to ride the Giro, so Romandie is a way to get my legs going again before Italy.”

Daniele Bennati (Liquigas) won the fifth and final stage of the Tour de Romandie as Astana’s Andreas Klöden took the overall title. Bennati proved fastest of the bunch after it swept up a late break by Nick Nuyens (Cofidis), who took off with 10km to race and was reeled in 5km from the finish of the 152.4km stage from Le Bouveret to Lausanne. Markus Zberg (Gerolsteiner) and Maxim Iglinsky (Astana) took second and third on the day while Klöden crossed with the bunch to secure the overall win ahead of Roman Kreuzger (Liquigas) and Marco Pinotti (Team High Road).

Francesco De Bonis (Gerolsteiner) pulled off a gutsy victory in the mountainous stage 4 of the Tour de Romandie, answering late charges by Manuel Beltran (Liquigas) and John Gadret (Ag2r-La Mondiale) to cross the line first in Zinal after having spent most of the day out front. Andreas Klöden (Astana) retained the overall lead by 35 seconds over Roman Kreuziger (Cze), Liquigas with Marco Pinotti (Team High Road) third at 0:43.

Andreas Klöden (Astana) won the stage 3 individual time trial and seized the overall lead of the Tour de Romandie on Friday. The 18.8km course included a dozen flat kilometers, a 266-meter climb with a pitch of 12 percent, and a rapid descent to the Place de la Planta with a twisting, turning final 500 meters that almost proved the Astana man’s undoing — Klöden clipped a barrier in the finale, but kept it upright to win the stage in 25 minutes and 32 seconds.

Robbie McEwen (Silence-Lotto) sprang from a mad dash to the line to win stage 2 of the Tour de Romandie on Thursday. The Aussie speedster free-lanced his way to the front in a chaotic bunch sprint and shot off Milram rider Björn Schröder’s wheel to claim his first victory of 2008 ahead of Daniele Bennati (Lampre) and Matti Breschel (CSC). Michael Albasini (Liquigas) retained the overall lead.

Michael Albasini (Liquigas) seized the lead of the Tour de Romandie on Wednesday as Maxim Iglinsky (Astana) won stage 1, a 182km grind from Morges to Saignelégier. The Liquigas man, third in Tuesday's prologue and second today ahead of Markus Zberg (Gerolsteiner), proved fastest of an elite group that chased down a late breakaway by Alexandre Botcharov (Crédit Agricole), Mikel Astarloza (Euskaltel-Euskadi) and Jussi Veikkanen (Française des Jeux) on the descent from the category-1 climb to Saulcy.

Mark Cavendish continued High Road's winning streak by claiming the kickoff to the Tour de Romandie on Tuesday. The Brit won the 1.9km prologue in 2:07:60 ahead of Daniele Bennati (Liquigas), who was given the same time. Michael Albasini (Liquigas) rounded out the podium at one second back.

Thomas Dekker (Rabobank) won the final time trial and the overall on Sunday at the Tour of Romandie. The lanky Netherlander, who was Dutch time-trial champion in 2005, covered the 20.4km course around Lausanne in 26 minutes and 36 seconds to leap past overnight leader Chris Horner (Predictor-Lotto) in the overall standings. Horner’s 27:31 put him in seventh position on the day and dropped him to fifth overall. He could console himself with having correctly predicted the final outcome after taking the leader's jersey in Saturday's stage. "If I had to pick someone now, I would pick

Chris Horner (Predictor-Lotto) seized the overall lead of the Tour of Romandie on Saturday as Igor Anton Hernandez (Euskaltel-Euskadi) won the penultimate stage in Morgins. "The Tour of Romandie is a great race and this was a great mountain stage, so it's a great win for a climber like me," Anton told Reuters afterward. Anton Hernandez was off the front with a lead of some 10 seconds when Horner attacked with 3km remaining in stage 4, a rain-soaked, crash-marred 155.9km leg between Charmey and Morgins. Thomas Dekker (Rabobank) and John Gadret (Ag2r) quickly grabbed his wheel, and soon

Italian rider Matteo Bono (Lampre-Fondital) won the third stage of the Tour de Romandie on Friday, but his breakaway group narrowly failed to deprive Paolo Savoldelli (Astana) of the yellow jersey after they squandered a 19-minute lead. The experienced Savoldelli held on to his overall lead by just a handful of seconds over fellow Italian Marco Pinotti (T-Mobile) after his rivals tired and hesitated in the final kilometers. Pinotti had been more than four minutes behind Savoldelli in the overall standings, in 98th place, at the start of the day. Bono and third-placed Pinotti had led for

Australian Robbie McEwen (Predictor-Lotto) won Thursday’s second stage of the Tour de Romandie in a sprint finish marred by a fall in the final yards. Italian Paolo Savoldelli (Astana) escaped unscathed to retain the leader's yellow jersey after Colombian Leonardo Duque took a tumble in the last 150 meters, bringing down several riders in the bunched pack, including Briton David Millar (Saunier Duval-Prodir). Slovenian Borut Bozic (Team LPR) was second, followed by Italian Enrico Gasparotto (Liquigas). "In the sprint I got into a good position. And I'm really happy because it's

Markus Fothen (Gerolsteiner) won the first stage of the Tour de Romandie on Wednesday. The German outsprinted Spaniards Francisco Perez and Joaquin Rodriguez (Caisse d'Epargne) to win the 157.8km stage from Granges-Paccot to La Chaux-de-Fonds. Italian Paolo Savoldelli (Astana) retained the leader's yellow jersey. Fothen's win in the northern Swiss town took him to third place in the general standings behind the 32-year-old Savoldelli and Czech Roman Kreuziger. Five riders broke away just 18km into the stage and their valiant effort only came to an end 125km later. Veteran

Italian Paolo Savoldelli (Astana) won the prologue of the Tour de Romandie on Tuesday, leaving his main rivals trailing in the hilly 3.5km time trial through the streets of Fribourg. The 34-year-old, two-time Giro winner claimed his fourth prologue win in the Swiss race, finishing with a five-second lead over Czech Roman Kreuziger (Liquigas) and seven seconds ahead of third-placed American Chris Horner (Predictor-Lotto). Complete results "I didn't come here to win but to test myself and to do the best possible," Savoldelli said after tackling the long steep climb and a flat sprint to