Juan Antonio Flecha

Belgian Tom Boonen has been given ample warning not to expect an easy six hours in the saddle when he puts his title, and his pride, on the line at the prestigious Paris-Roubaix classic on Sunday. Boonen's Quick Step team appear to be one of the strongest on paper, but a handful of rivals - including notably George Hincapie, Juan Antonio Flecha and Fabian Cancellara - are in no mood for allowing that to ruin their plans. Of the three, Cancellara has the best record in the notoriously difficult cobblestoned classic, the Swiss Saxo Bank rider powering to victory at the Roubaix velodrome finish ... Read Full Story

Belgian star Tom Boonen joined an elite club of three-time Paris-Roubaix winners by surviving one-day cycling's toughest battle of the fittest here on Sunday. In a race marked by a dramatic finale in which three big favourites hit the cobblestones one after the other, Boonen fought off a desperate challenge from Italian Filippo Pozzato to claim his third win here after 2005 and 2008. Becoming the first rider since compatriot and former teammate Johan Museeuw in 2002 to win cycling's toughest one-day classic three times, Boonen admitted it had been his toughest ever Roubaix. "Without a doubt this has been the hardest," said Boonen, ... Read Full Story

Belgian star Tom Boonen, riding for Quick Step, won the 259km Paris-Roubaix classic race for the third time on Sunday. Boonen came through in a dramatic finale which saw three potential champions crash inside the final 18km. He made the decisive break with 46km to go, then overcame a mechanical problem to see off Italian Filippo Pozzato by some 47sec and Norwegian Thor Hushovd by over one minute. Australian-born German contender Heinrich Haussler, of Cervelo and Quick Step leader Boonen were pivotal in the final third of the race where they took turns in forcing the pace in a bid to drop their respective ... Read Full Story

A motorcycle crashed into fans watching the Paris-Roubaix cycling race, a one-day classic won by Belgium's Tom Boonen. The motorcycle appeared to lose control and swerved sideways into the side of the road Sunday. Television images showed several spectators on the ground. It was not immediately known how many were injured or if the injuries were serious. Boonen broke away from the pack about 10 miles from the finish and comfortably won one of cycling's toughest classics a third time. Italy's Filippo Pozzato was 47 seconds behind, and Norway's Thor Hushovd was third, 1 minute, 17 seconds back. Last year, Boonen beat former champion ... Read Full Story

March 11 (Reuters) - Provisional result and standings of the 173.5-km fourth stage of the Paris-Nice race from Vichy to St Etienne on Wednesday Stage result 1. Christian Vande Velde (U.S. / Garmin ) 4 hrs 01 min 31 secs 2. Jonathan Hivert (France / Skil - Shimano ) +14 secs 3. Mirco Lorenzetto (Italy / Lampre ) same time 4. Christophe Moreau (France / Agritubel ) 5. Jens Voigt (Germany / Saxo Bank ) 6. Amael Moinard (France / Cofidis ) 7. Jakub Fuglsang (Denmark / Saxo Bank ) 8. Maxime Monfort (Belgium / Columbia ) 9. Fraenk Schleck (Luxembourg / Saxo Bank ... Read Full Story