Irish & International Sports News, Fixtures & Results

Alberto Contador would represent Oleg Tinkov should the Real Three Grand Tours challenge go ahead

Tinkov challenges top four to Grand Tours battle

Oleg Tinkov, the Russian multimillionaire owner of the Tinkoff-Saxo team, has challenged the four best riders in the world to contest all three Grand Tours in 2015 for €1million.

Cycling • 08 Oct 14

Aru wins stage as Froome gains ground on Contador

Chris Froome maintained his slim hopes of claiming the Vuelta a Espana title despite missing out on victory on stage 18 atop Monte Castrove on Thursday.

Cycling • 11 Sep 14

Chris Froome (right) shows the signs of his crash on stage four

Froome out of Tour de France after falling again

Chris Froome's Tour de France title defence is over after the Team Sky leader abandoned the race on the cobbled fifth stage following three crashes in two days.

Cycling • 09 Jul 14

Chris Froome managed to not lose any time to his main competitors

Froome given all clear to continue

Defending champion Chris Froome has been given the all-clear to continue in the Tour de France after a bruising first day in France.

Cycling • 08 Jul 14

Andy Schleck was awarded the 2010 Tour de France after Alberto Contdor was stripped of the title for doping

Injured Schleck out of Tour de France

Former champion Andy Schleck of Luxembourg has pulled out of the Tour de France following a crash in the third stage, while Chris Froome rides on after a fall in today's stage.

Cycling • 08 Jul 14

Chris Froome looks on while race leader Vincenzo Nibali talks to the press

Froome glad to have survived Grand Depart

Chris Froome was already looking ahead to the battles to come after negotiating a memorable Grand Depart unscathed.

Cycling • 08 Jul 14

Mark Cavendish and his team-mates are greeted by supporters as they ride through Millennium Square in Leeds ahead of the start of the Tour

Cavendish aiming for Yorkshire yellow

Mark Cavendish has tried to downplay the importance of his taking the yellow jersey when the Tour de France takes off in Yorkshire on Saturday, but admitted wearing the maillot jaune “would be nice”.

Cycling • 04 Jul 14

Bradley Wiggins and Chris Froome have had disagreements in the past

Froome: Sky Tour team stronger without Wiggins

Chris Froome believes he will launch the defence of his Tour de France title alongside the best Team Sky squad ever assembled - even without Bradley Wiggins.

Cycling • 03 Jul 14

Bradley Wiggins won his third British national time trial title on Thursday

No place for Wiggins in Sky Tour de France squad

Defending Tour de France champion Chris Froome will be Team Sky's undisputed leader for the 101st edition of the race, with his predecessor as champion Bradley Wiggins omitted from the squad.

Cycling • 27 Jun 14

Chris Froome: 'I'm here to win the race and we're going to do everything we can'

Froome claims opening Criterium stage

Chris Froome got his Tour de France preparations off to a flying start with victory in the opening stage of the Criterium du Dauphine.

Cycling • 08 Jun 14

Chris Froome voiced his concerns through Twitter

Froome unhappy with lack of training dope tests

Tour de France champion Chris Froome has expressed disappointment that he and leading rivals were not subjected to out-of-competition dope tests during recent training in Tenerife.

Cycling • 29 May 14

Chris Froome: 'I am ahead of where I was last year at the same time'

Froome ahead of schedule as Tour looms

Although his preparations have been hampered by a back injury and a chest infection, Chris Froome claims he is ahead of schedule as the Briton gears up for his Tour de France defence.

Cycling • 05 May 14

Christopher Froome's intensity clear during the final stage of the Tour de Romandie

Roche 19th as Froome defends Romandie title

Nicolas Roche finished in 19th place overall as Chris Froome won the final stage of the Tour de Romandie to successfully defend his title in Switzerland on Sunday.

Cycling • 04 May 14

Chris Froome with the yellow jersey in France

Froome wins prestigious Velo d'Or award

Tour de France champion Chris Froome has won the prestigious Velo d'Or award as the best rider of 2013.

Cycling • 30 Oct 13

2014 Tour de France route revealed

Starting in northern England on July 5, the Tour de France features stretches of dangerous cobbled roads in northern France, a treacherous crossing of the Vosges mountains and only one time trial.

Cycling • 23 Oct 13

Wiggins (r) accused Froome going back on agreement

Wiggins-Froome rift detailed in new book

Bradley Wiggins felt that Chris Froome "stabbed him in the back" during last year's Tour de France, former Team Sky general manager Sean Yates said.

Cycling • 12 Sep 13

Chris Froome in the famous yellow jersey rounds the Arc d'Triomphe on his way to winning in Paris

Froome now wants to be world champion

As Chris Froome collected the yellow jersey now his to keep as the winner of the 100th Tour de France he was already plotting a way to follow it with the rainbow stripes of the world champion.

Cycling • 22 Jul 13

Rui Alberto Costa is now a double stage winner in the 2013 Tour

Costa takes second Tour de France stage victory

Rui Costa raced clear to win his second stage of the 100th Tour de France in the rain in Le Grand-Bornand, while Chris Froome retained the race leader's yellow jersey.

Cycling • 19 Jul 13

Chris Froome (yellow): 'It's not the first time in my career I've run out of sugar'

Froome increases lead despite 'bad day'

Chris Froome appears to be living a charmed life at the Tour de France after increasing his lead on yesterday's double ascent of the Alpe d'Huez, despite picking up a time penalty.

Cycling • 19 Jul 13

Christophe Riblon overtook Tejay van Garderen in the final kilometres to win the stage

Riblon wins stage 18 as leader Froome penalised

Chris Froome was penalised 20 seconds for taking an illegal feed inside the final five kilometres on today's stage 18 of the Tour de France, which was won by Frenchman Christophe Riblon.

Cycling • 18 Jul 13

Chris Froome has won a third stage in the 100th Tour de France

Froome wins Tour stage 17 to Chorges

Chris Froome has taken his third stage win of the 100th Tour de France to strengthen his hold on the yellow jersey.

Cycling • 17 Jul 13

Chris Froome (in yellow) won the 15th stage and extended his overall lead

Froome wins Stage 15 and extends Tour lead

Chris Froome won stage 15 of the Tour de France on Mont Ventoux to extend his overall lead in the race.

Cycling • 14 Jul 13

$Edvald Boasson Hagen crosses the line holding his fractured shoulder$

Boasson Hagen abandons Tour de France

Race leader Chris Froome lost another valuable team-mate on the Tour de France when Norway's Edvald Boasson Hagen pulled out with a shoulder injury on Thursday.

Cycling • 11 Jul 13

Marcel Kittel (second from right) beats Mark Cavendish (far left) and Peter Sagan (far right) to the line

Kittel wins Tour stage 12 from Cavendish

German Marcel Kittel has won the 12th stage of the Tour de France, overpowering Mark Cavendish in a photo finish at the end of 218km from Fougeres to Tours.

Cycling • 11 Jul 13

Chris Froome continues to lead the Tour de France

Kelly - Froome's rivals missed a big chance

Sean Kelly believes Chris Froome's rivals will be kicking themselves for not having done more to take the yellow jersey off his shoulders during yesterday's dramatic stage nine of the Tour de France.

Cycling • 08 Jul 13