Tour de France 2011
We tracked the fortunes of our five British riders in this year's thrilling Tour de France, following their on-road exploits and their social media outbursts, through the highs and lows of the world's greatest bicycle race. Relive the Tour, stage by stage, right here.
Sky Procycling's Ben Swift Recounts His First Tour de France: Ben Swift's love affair with the Tour de France has barely started, but 24 hours after leading the peloton onto the Champs Elysees and cycling's most famous finish, the Sky Procycling rider can reflect on completing the world's biggest bike race. Ben Swift Interview
Stage 21: As Cadel Evans sewed up the maillot jaune, Mark Cavendish ripped up the cobbles of the Champs Elysee, taking stage victory and with it, the coveted green points jersey, rounding out a great Tour for the British contingent. Stage 21 Following the Brits
Stage 20: The final competitive stage in terms of GC, and Evans produces a storming TT performance to become 2011 winner elect. Meanwhile, Cav moves closer to green jersey victory, praises teammate Tony Martin's stunning stage win while David Millar has a poignant encounter with defeated hero Voeckler. Stage 20 Following the Brits
Stage 19: The final day in the mountains and David Millar suffers, but makes a new friend; Cav' is docked more points, but so are his rivals; and Geraint and Eddy discuss winning stages and finding a date for the Norwegian in their latest video blog: Stage 19 Following the Brits
Stage 18: One of the best stages ever according to Chris Boardman - including an easy-to-miss but high quality ride from Geraint Thomas. Plus Peta Todd's agonies over Cav's fate: Stage 18 Following the Brits
Stage 17: Boasson Hagen has taken a second victory for himself and for Sky Procycling, riding into Pinerolo alone and claiming a second consecutive stage win for Norway. Stage 17 Following the Brits
Stage 16: The element of surprise - a bike racer's most powerful weapon - and on stage sixteen of the 2011 Tour de France beautifully exposed by both Thor Hushovd for the stage win and Alberto Contador who regained over a minute of arrears on Andy Schleck.Stage 16 Following the Brits
Stage 15: A long tough day after all the recent mountain stages, saw Mark Cavendish claim his fourth win of this year's race after some fine work by his team: Stage 15 Following the Brits
Stage 14: On paper a huge day in the Pyrenees, but somehow it didn't really catch fire. Still there was plenty to appreciate and some interesting insights into how the race is panning out. Stage 14 Following the Brits
Stage 13: The second day in Pyrenees saw a memorable ride from World Champion Thor Hushovd and a strong ride from his countryman, Team Sky's Edvald Boasson Hagen. We follow the fortunes of the British riders on the road between Pau and Lourdes. Stage 13 Following the Brits
Stage 12: As the race went into the Pyrenees, Geraint Thomas took flight and enjoyed a lengthy ride off the front of the main field. Stage 12 Following the Brits
Stage 11: Mark Cavendish returned to his favoured position at the top of the podium on stage 11 of the Tour de France, reversing yesterday's result against Andre Greipel. Stage 11 Following the Brits
Stage 10: A seemingly unbeatable Mark Cavendish took a rare sprint defeat on stage ten of the Tour. On the receiving end of a devastating attack by former team-mate Andre Greipel, Cavendish was left to rebuff media comment claiming he started the sprint too soon; offering no excuses and congratulating the man who used to be his number two. Stage 10 Following the Brits
Stage 9: More unwanted drama as crashes again took their toll on a hard stage through the heart of france. We have news on the 4 British riders still in the race. Stage 9 Following the Brits
Stage 8: A quieter day for the four remaining British riders as the first serious climbing of the Tour put the spotlight on the potential winners and the yellow jersey. Geraint Thomas had a solid day, including some good news on the Welsh cakes front: Stage 8 Following the Brits
Stage 7: Disaster for Bradley Wiggins as a crash puts him out of the race with a shoulder injury. Some consolation for British fans is another superb win for Mark Cavendish: Stage 7 Following the Brits - We also have a Bradley Wiggins fact-file, looking at the great man's career to date.
Stage 6: Edvald Boasson Hagen secured a landmark win for the Sky Pro Cycling team, taking the sixth stage of the 2011 Tour de France in an action-packed and rain-soaked finish in Lisieux. Stage 6 Following the Brits - We also have a separate article on the reaction of team boss Dave Brailsford to the win, in which he hails it as "a huge moment for the team" and pays tribute to Geraint Thomas, saying "there is no better leadout man in the world".
Stage 5: Mark Cavendish overcame another difficult stage, full of crashes and with a lumpy, exposed run-in, to claim one of his best stage wins to date: Stage 5 Following the Brits
Stage 4: A tough finish, inclement weather and a canine death for Cav' to cope with: we look at the British contingent's stage and their reaction to it on Twitter & in video: Stage 4 Following the Brits
Stage 3: An apparently minor racing incident mid-stage becomes the talking point of the race - we trace how the riders and pundits reacted on Twitter - Stage 3 Following the Brits
Stage 2: A short but intense day in the saddle tackling the team time trial. All the British riders finished the stage in the top 24 in the race. More Twitter highlights, Ben Swift's video diary and Geraint Thomas's video guide to the Sky Team's bus - Stage 2 Following the Brits
Stage 1: Top tweets of the day, cracking podium shot of Geraint Thomas in the white jersey and an end of stage video diary from Ben Swift - Stage 1 Following the Brits
FEATURES
Tour de France and "Luck" - we examine the close relationship between sporting achievement and "luck" and how success in the Tour de France relies less on the roll of a dice than it does in most one-day races: Feature: Luck and the Tour
Images: Brits at the 2011 Tour de France - all the best images of the British riders in this year's Tour collected together - Images Following the Brits
Boardman: Thomas has Tour potential - Chris Boardman hopes Team Sky explore Geraint Thomas' potential to the full after the Welshman played a pivotal role in a ‘phenomenal' Tour de France for the British squad. Feature: Boardman: Thomas has Tour potential
Support the Brits - buy the newly released adidas GB Cycling Team kit - Full Details
