Mark Cavendish answered his critics with victory on stage 13 of the Tour de France to Saint-Amand-Montrond but Chris Froome saw more than a minute of his lead over Alberto Contador blown away by the crosswinds.

Marcel Kittel won stage 10 of the Tour de France in Saint-Malo after Mark Cavendish was involved in a collision during the sprint to the line.

The organisers of the 100th Tour de France came under fire after the first stage of the showpiece event ended in chaos in Bastia.

When Great Britain’s Team Principal David Brailsford was quizzed on his team’s plans prior to Saturday’s Olympic men’s road race, his response drew as much exasperation as it did wry smiles from rivals teams.

Mark Cavendish began his bid to claim Great Britain’s first Olympic gold of the London 2012 Games today, while Irish hopes rested on Nicholas Roche, Daniel Martin and David McCann.

Mark Cavendish may be the raging hot favourite but today’s Olympic Road Race may not go according to the script, Irish team manager, Martin O’Loughlin, has warned.

World champion Mark Cavendish has described his Great Britain squad as “the dream team” but feels no additional pressure despite potentially being the first home champion of London 2012.

Tour de France champion Bradley Wiggins is to seek further success in the first week of the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Bradley Wiggins has become the first British Tour de France champion – and celebrated his success by leading Mark Cavendish to victory in Paris.

THE sterling crisis notched up a gear yesterday, as the pound edged closer to parity with the euro, sinking to a record for the ninth day.

THE dollar struck a two-month high against the euro yesterday, driven by the belief the US Federal Reserve may introduce a tough interest rate regime.

THE Martin Donnelly Junior Tour arrived in Carrick-on-Suir last night with no change to the overall positions.

The euro firmed against the dollar in midafternoon trade, buoyed by a weaker-than-expected US ISM manufacturing index for August, dealers said.

The euro ticked higher in midday London trade despite the fall in German manufacturing orders, but remains vulnerable to another move down when Wall Street opens later today, dealers said.