2011 Saxo Bank–SunGard season

2011 roster

Ages as of January 1, 2011.

;Riders who joined the team for the 2011 season

;Riders who left the team during or after the 2010 season

One-day races

Spring classics

New acquisition Nuyens took the team's first one-day win of the season at Dwars door Vlaanderen. After several chase groups attempting to catch the morning breakaway were subsequently caught by the peloton, Nuyens and 's Geraint Thomas caught up with the last two 20 km from the finish line. They eventually dropped both, and contested the win between themselves despite nearly being caught in turn. Nuyens and Thomas never had more than 20 seconds' advantage, and no appreciable time gap at the finish, but Nuyens just managed to hang on for the win.{{cite web |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110404124241/http://bicycling.com/news/pro-cycling/tour-flanders-favorites-cancellara-and-boonen-set-epic-duel |archive-date=2011-04-04 |url-status=dead |archive-date=2011-04-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110405170148/http://velonews.competitor.com/2011/04/news/tour-of-flanders-can-fabian-cancellara-do-what-eddy-merckx-couldn%E2%80%99t_166475 |url-status=dead

Cooke was the team's leader at the third monument classic, Paris–Roubaix, the first time the veteran Aussie had ever held such a mantle. He did not expect to contend for victory, but was confident of a top-ten placing.{{cite web |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110412011131/http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/paris-roubaix-his/results |archive-date = 2011-04-12 |url-status = dead

The team also sent squads to the Classic Loire Atlantique, Milan–San Remo, Cholet-Pays de Loire, the E3 Prijs Vlaanderen – Harelbeke, the Scheldeprijs, the Amstel Gold Race, La Flèche Wallonne, Gullegem Koerse and Halle–Ingooigem, but placed no higher than 11th in any of these races.

Fall races

The team also sent squads to the Grand Prix José Dubois, the Clásica de San Sebastián, the Vattenfall Cyclassics, the GP Ouest-France, the Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec, Paris–Brussels, the Grand Prix de Fourmies, the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal, the Grand Prix de Wallonie, the Giro dell'Emilia, the Grand Prix Bruno Beghelli, the Giro di Lombardia, the Japan Cup and the Noosa Grand Prix, but finished no higher than 12th in any of these races.

Stage races

Contador returned to racing after being reinstated from a provisional doping suspension at the Volta ao Algarve, an event where he was the defending champion. He finished fourth overall, having slipped from second in the final day's time trial, bettered in both the time trial and the overall standings by 's Tony Martin.{{cite web |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110314170831/http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/46th-tirreno-adriatico-his/stage-3/results |archive-date = 2011-03-14 |url-status = dead

Contador entered the Vuelta a Castilla y León as the defending champion and winner of three of the last four editions of the race, but he came in having battled a cold over the two days previous to the event and with his Court of Arbitration for Sport looming in the near future. He said it would be difficult to ensure victory since the race's one summit finish was not especially difficult, and its time trial was short, at only 11.2 km in length.{{cite web

Chris Anker Sørensen also won the mountains classification for the team at the Tour de Romandie. The team also sent squads to the Tour Down Under, the Tour Méditerranéen, Tour du Haut Var, Paris–Nice, the Tour of the Basque Country, the Tour of Turkey, the Four Days of Dunkirk, the Tour of California, the Critérium du Dauphiné, the Tour de Suisse, the Tour of Slovenia, the Tour of Austria, the Tour de Pologne, the Eneco Tour, the USA Pro Cycling Challenge, the Tour de Wallonie-Picarde and the Tour of Beijing, but did not achieve a stage win, classification win, or podium finish in any of them.

Grand Tours

Giro d'Italia

Alberto Contador won the Overall classification for Saxo Bank-SunGard in 2011.

Tour de France

Vuelta a España

Away from competition

Ongoing resolution of Alberto Contador clenbuterol case

While riding for in the 2010 Tour de France, Contador tested positive for clenbuterol, a bronchodilator and stimulant specifically banned by UCI anti-doping rules. Due in large part to the tiny amount of the substance present in his urine sample, 50 picograms per milliliter, Contador believed the positive was the result of eating contaminated beef.{{cite web |archive-date=2011-07-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110710071433/http://velonews.competitor.com/2010/09/news/contador-tests-positive-for-clenbuterol_143791 |url-status=dead

On March 24, the UCI confirmed that they would appeal the ruling to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, feeling that the highest legal body should hear the case.{{cite web

It was not until February 2012 that the case was resolved, when Contador was given a two-year backdated ban and was stripped of both his 2010 Tour de France win for , and his 2011 Giro d'Italia win for .

Season victories

Victories originally obtained by Contador but vacated

Footnotes

References

References

1. (6 February 2012). "CAS 2011/A/2384 UCI v. Alberto Contador Velasco & RFEC; CAS 2011/A/2386 WADA v. Alberto Contador Velasco & RFEC: Arbitral Award". [[Court of Arbitration for Sport]].
2. (3 August 2011). "Ran Margaliot Stagiaire At Saxo Bank-SunGard". [[Bjarne Riis.
3. Farrand, Stephen. (3 November 2010). "Denifl, Clarke and Feillu join the Luxembourg Pro Cycling Project". Future Publishing Limited.
4. (20 October 2010). "Danish Talent Signs With Saxo Bank-SunGard". [[Bjarne Riis.
5. (3 August 2010). "Contador to ride with Riis in 2011". Future Publishing Limited.
6. Pelkey, Charles. (4 November 2010). "Volodimir Gustov returns to Saxo Bank". Competitor Group, Inc..
7. (12 August 2010). "Saxo Bank-SunGard signs Contador's top Spaniards". Future Publishing Limited.
8. (24 February 2011). "Roberts and Majka sign for Saxo Bank-SunGard". Future Publishing Limited.
9. Gruber, Jered. (18 December 2010). "Saxo Bank's Nick Nuyens: "I'm starting from zero, albeit with a bag full of experience and maturity."". VeloNation LLC.
10. (7 September 2010). "Riis says it is time for Schleck to attack". Future Publishing Limited.
11. Farrand, Stephen. (23 November 2010). "Tosatto critical of Lefevere after Quick Step departure". Future Publishing Limited.
12. Westemeyer, Susan. (25 October 2010). "Vandborg happy to return to Saxo Bank". Future Publishing Limited.
13. (9 August 2010). "Breschel signs for Rabobank". Future Publishing Limited.
14. Farrand, Stephen. (27 October 2010). "Cancellara set to join Luxembourg Pro Cycling Project". Future Publishing Limited.
15. (29 October 2010). "Gerdemann, Wegmann and Fuglsang join Luxembourg team". Future Publishing Limited.
16. Ryan, Barry. (28 September 2010). "Høj announces retirement". Future Publishing Limited.
17. (30 November 2010). "Cancellara confirmed with Luxembourg Pro Cycling Project". Future Publishing Limited.
18. Farrand, Stephen. (5 November 2010). "Luxembourg Pro Cycling Project announce three more riders". Future Publishing Limited.
19. (1 November 2010). "O'Grady to Luxembourg Pro Cycling Project". Future Publishing Limited.
20. (21 September 2010). "Alex Rasmussen joining HTC-Columbia for 2011". Competitor Group, Inc..
21. Benson, Daniel. (29 July 2010). "Fränk and Andy Schleck to leave Saxo Bank". Future Publishing Limited.
22. Johnson, Greg. (24 September 2010). "Luxembourg team looking likely for Voigt". Future Publishing Limited.
23. (1 May 2011). "Sky's Geneva convention guides Swift to victory". Future Publishing Limited.
24. (6 February 2012). "CAS sanctions Contador with two year ban in clenbutorol case". Future Publishing Limited.