Alberto Contador has protested his innocence over the two-year doping ban imposed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport and insisted he will return to cycling stronger than ever.

Team Sky’s Juan Antonio Flecha and Vacansoleil’s Johnny Hoogerland were today wiped out by a television vehicle as an incident-packed Tour de France suffered further casualties in the Massif Central.

British cycling fans endured a day of mixed fortunes today as Team Sky leader Bradley Wiggins crashed out of the Tour de France before Mark Cavendish enjoyed a stage seven success in Chateauroux.

MARK CAVENDISH yesterday scorched to the 16th Tour de France stage win of his career before hinting at the demons which lie beneath his combustible personality.

Great Britain's Mark Cavendish today scorched to the 16th Tour de France stage win of his career before hinting at the demons which lie beneath his combustible personality.

QuickStep tonight had their bus checked by police on the eve of the Tour de France in a move the Belgian team described as “routine”.

THREE-TIME Tour de France champion Alberto Contador is set to line up in the Tour of the Algarve today after the competitions committee of the Spanish Cycling Federation (RFEC) decided to overturn its decision to ban him for a year following his positive test for the banned substance clenbuterol.

The Sean Kelly/ An Post Professional Cycling team endured a most difficult day in the Dwars door Vlaanderen classic today in Belgium, with just one rider of the eight starters finishing the race.

BRITAIN’S David Millar came agonisingly close to a third Tour de France stage victory of his career as Norway’s Thor Hushovd won a sprint finish to win Stage Six yesterday.

MARK CAVENDISH lifted some of the gloom surrounding the Tour de France by becoming the first Briton to secure a hat-trick of stage victories in the Tour de France.

Mark Cavendish lifted some of the gloom surrounding the Tour de France by becoming the first Briton to secure a hat-trick of stage victories in the Tour de France.

THE Irish head of cycling’s world governing body believes it will take more than one scandal-free Tour de France to convince the public cycling has beaten its doping problems.

SPAIN’S Alberto Contador last night insisted he was determined to enjoy the “extraordinary” feat of winning the Tour de France despite the doping scandals which have once again plunged the sport of cycling into controversy.

TOM BOONEN produced a stunning late sprint to claim a photo-finish win in the 178-kilometre Tour de France stage 12 dash from Montpellier to Castres yesterday.

Quickstep’s Tom Boonen produced a stunning late sprint to claim a photo-finish win in today’s 178-kilometre Tour de France stage 12 from Montpellier to Castres.

Belgium’s Tom Boonen won stage six of the Tour de France after Bradley Wiggins marked the 40th anniversary of the death of the great Tom Simpson with a lengthy solo break.

Filippo Pozzato won the fifth stage of the Tour de France on a photo finish today, while favourite Alexandre Vinokourov lost significant time after crashing.

NORWEGIAN Thor Hushovd edged a tight finish to win the fourth stage of the Tour de France on the 193km route between Villers-Cotterets and Joigny.

Norwegian Thor Hushovd edged a tight finish to win the fourth stage of the Tour de France on the 193km route between Villers-Cotterets and Joigny.

Robbie McEwen of Australia produced a stunning finish to win today’s first stage proper of the Tour de France.

FLOYD LANDIS reclaimed the yellow jersey in the Tour de France with fourth place in stage 15, L’Alpe d’Huez.

Floyd Landis reclaimed the yellow jersey in the Tour de France with fourth place in stage 15, L’Alpe d’Huez.

UKRAINIAN Yaroslav Popovych won stage 12 of the Tour de France from Luchon to Carcassonne yesterday as the country celebrated Bastille Day.

DENIS MENCHOV won the 11th stage of the Tour de France by pipping Levi Leipheimer and Floyd Landis in a thrilling sprint finish.

OSCAR FREIRE claimed victory on stage nine of the Tour de France, winning a sprint finish by the narrowest of margins ahead of Robbie McEwen and Erik Zabel.

Ukrainian Serhiy Honchar moved into the overall lead in the Tour de France with an astounding performance in the individual time trial from Saint-Gregoire to Rennes.

DAVITAMON LOTTO’S Robbie McEwen made a late charge to take stage six of the Tour de France in Vitre.

OSCAR FREIRE edged a classic sprint finish to win the fifth stage of the Tour de France yesterday as Tom Boonen retained the yellow jersey.

AUSTRALIAN Robbie McEwen stole through to claim a sprint finish win on the fourth stage of the Tour de France in Saint-Quentin yesterday as world champion Tom Boonen held on to the yellow jersey.

MATTHIAS KESSLER produced a strong finish to win an action-packed third stage of the Tour de France yesterday as world champion Tom Boonen claimed the yellow jersey.

Matthias Kessler produced a strong finish to win an action-packed third stage of the Tour de France on Tuesday as world champion Tom Boonen claimed the yellow jersey.

NORWEGIAN Thor Hushovd reclaimed the yellow jersey after Australian Robbie McEwen outsprinted world champion Tom Boonen to win the second stage of the Tour de France yesterday.

DICK POUND believes cycling “is in the toilet” following the latest doping scandal to rock the sport.

LANCE ARMSTRONG retired from cycling yesterday after winning a seventh Tour de France title and still at the height of his powers.

Lorenzo Bernucci of Italy was the unexpected victor of a dramatic sixth stage of the Tour de France in Nancy as Alexander Vinokourov threw down the gauntlet to race leader Lance Armstrong.

ROBBIE McEWEN of Australia won today’s fifth stage of the Tour de France in a sprint finish.

Robbie McEwen of Australia won today’s fifth stage of the Tour de France in a sprint finish.

Belgium’s Tom Boonen won his second successive stage of the Tour de France in Tours today.

Tom Boonen of Belgium won today’s second stage of the Tour de France, a 181.5km ride from Challans to Les Essarts.

Lack of decisive climbs on stage three of the Tour of Britain yesterday ruled out the possibility of any change to the top of the leaderboard.

Ciaran Power, from Waterford, but representing his Amercan-based team Navigators, was best of the Irish yesterday in Manchester after the first stage of the Tour of Britain.

TOM BOONEN of Belgium took the sixth stage honours yesterday in another day of thrills and spills on the Tour de France.

Tom Boonen of Belgium took the sixth stage honours today in another day of thrills and spills on the Tour de France.