Tour de France winner Vincenzo Nibali’s Astana team avoided having their WorldTour licence withdrawn last month after cycling’s Licence Commission deemed that the punishment would be disproportionate to the doping offences committed by some of their riders last season, it has been revealed.

Vincenzo Nibali completed victory in the 101st Tour de France in Paris yesterday as Marcel Kittel won the final stage on the Champs-Elysees-

Vincenzo Nibali looks to have secured his first Tour de France title today after completing the penultimate stage of the race.

Vincenzo Nibali has vowed to "honour the yellow jersey" by going all out for stage victory in today’s time trial on the penultimate day of the Tour de France.

Vincenzo Nibali wsays anted to show he was "the boss" in winning his fourth stage of the 101st Tour de France yesterday to all-but seal overall victory.

Poland’s Rafal Majka was thrilled with his second victory of the 2014 Tour de France as Vincenzo Nibali further enhanced his hold on the race leader’s yellow jersey after stage 17.

Michael Rogers claimed a first ever Tour de France stage victory as he outsprinted Thomas Voeckler.

Vincenzo Nibali is refusing to take anything for granted despite seizing control of this year’s Tour de France with his third stage victory yesterday.

Irish cycling legend Stephen Roche believes disgraced American cyclist Lance Armstrong should be given back the seven Tour de France jerseys he was stripped of after being found guilty of taking performance enhancing drugs throughout his career.

German powerhouse Tony Martin stormed to his maiden road stage victory at the Tour de France yesterday — and his Omega Pharma-Quick Step team’s second win in three days.

There was a home winner on the eighth stage of the Tour de France while Vincenzo Nibali remains in the yellow jersey after a thrilling battle with Alberto Contador.

German sprinter Andre Greipel believes he answered his critics after extending the country’s Tour de France sprint supremacy with victory on stage six yesterday from Arras to Reims.

SERIOUSLY awkward moment

Cycling: Vincenzo Nibali bared his teeth and savoured a first Tour de France stage win of his career on another memorable day of racing in Yorkshire yesterday.

Italy's Vincenzo Nibali launched a late attack to win stage two of the Tour de France in Sheffield today and claim the race leader's yellow jersey.

It’s about 9.30am on Sunday morning and our 16-seater bus has turned left onto the Via Borgo Palazzo in Bergamo.

Ireland’s Dan Martin expects Sunday’s Road World Championships road race in Florence to come down to the survival of the fittest.

Ireland’s Nicolas Roche notched a career-best Grand Tour finish securing fifth place overall at the end of the Vuelta a Espana in Madrid yesterday.

Chris Horner extended his overall lead in the Vuelta a Espana after winning a dramatic battle with nearest rival Vincenzo Nibali during a brutal finish to the penultimate stage.

Chris Horner has wrestled the race leader’s red jersey from the shoulders of Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) following a brilliant 19th stage of the Vuelta A Espana yesterday.

Ireland’s Nicolas Roche turned in a brilliant performance on yesterday’s 11th stage of the Vuelta a Espana, finishing sixth in yesterday’s time trial to climb one place into second overall.

Ireland’s Nicolas Roche won a four-man sprint at the end of the second stage of the Vuelta a Espana from Pontevedra to Baiona.

Mark Cavendish sprinted to victory in Brescia to take the red jersey in the Giro d’Italia and become only the fifth-ever rider to win the points classification in all three of cycling’s Grand Tours.

Bradley Wiggins admitted his disappointment after being forced to abandon the Giro d’Italia, a race the Olympic champion had made his number one priority this season.

Bradley Wiggins has pulled out of the Giro d’Italia because of a chest infection.

Mark Cavendish claimed the 100th stage victory of his career over the 134km 12th stage of the Giro d’Italia from Longarone to Treviso today.

British time-trial champion Alex Dowsett claimed stage eight of the Giro D’Italia today as Bradley Wiggins closed the gap on his general classification rivals.

Bradley Wiggins is on the brink of becoming Britain’s first ever winner of the Tour de France after a solid display on the last mountain stage of this year’s race yesterday.

Challengers to Tour de France leader Bradley Wiggins left it late to launch an attack on stage 17 in the Pyrenees.

On a day when the defending champion, Cadel Evans’ defence of his Tour de France title disintegrated on the perilously steep slopes of the Pyrenees, Ireland’s Dan Martin turned in one of the performances of his career to finish seventh on yesterday’s 16th stage from Pau to Bagnères-de-Luchon.

Cadel Evans’ Tour de France title defence appeared to be in tatters on stage 16 as Bradley Wiggins sought to retain the race leader’s yellow jersey for a 10th day.

Andre Greipel claimed a third victory of the Tour de France with a stage 13 success to Le Cap d'Agde.

A counter attack from yellow jersey Bradley Wiggins and Team Sky colleague Chris Froome saw them move into first and second place overall after stage 11 of the Tour de France as the race entered the high Alps.

Irish cycling legend Stephen Roche predicts Alpine fireworks over the coming days as Bradley Wiggins’ Tour de France lead is set to come under attack — and anticipates the race leader’s Team Sky colleague and fellow Briton Chris Froome could be the major beneficiary.

Bradley Wiggins took possession of the Tour de France race leader's yellow jersey after a dominant performance from Team Sky today, capped by a stage seven success for fellow Briton Chris Froome.

ASTANA rider Paolo Tiralongo edged Spaniard Alberto Contador to win the 19th stage of the Giro d’Italia yesterday.

Astana rider Paolo Tiralongo edged Spaniard Alberto Contador to win the 19th stage of the Giro d’Italia today.

Spain’s Alberto Contador put in a stunning mountain time trial to win his second stage of this year’s Giro d’Italia this afternoon and strengthen his grip on first place.

Vincenzo Nibali retained the lead in the Vuelta a Espana as Peter Velits won today’s individual time trial in Penafiel, his first stage win of the season.

Mikel Nieve claimed the 16th stage of the Vuelta a Espana today while his fellow Spaniard Joaquin Rodriguez regained the overall lead.

Overall leader Igor Anton crashed out of the Vuelta a Espana today as Joaquin Rodriguez raced to victory on an action-packed 14th stage.