Tour de France 99th edition kicks off June 30, 2012 - 18:28 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The 99th edition of the Tour de France has started with Tom Veelers of the Netherlands rolling off the starter's ramp first in the 4-mile opening time trial, AP reports. Defending champion Cadel Evans of Australia will be the last to start on the route through the streets of Liege, Belgium. Four-time time trial world champion Fabian Cancellara of Switzerland goes off before Evans with the aim of repeating his 2004 triumph, when he won the prologue on a similar course in the same city. He has since won every Tour opening time trial on foreign soil, a run that includes wins in London (2007), Monaco (2009) and Rotterdam (2010). Evans' main challenger this year, Bradley Wiggins, is among the contenders for the stage win.   Top stories Armenian gymnast, Olympic bronze medalist Artur Davtyan has reached the finals of the World Cup. Gor Manvelyan has denied reports alleging that he has expressed a desire to one day play for the French national team. Roma midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan is not considering FC Spartak Moscow as his next haven, according to fresh reports. 10 Armenian lifters will compete in the 2021 World Championships scheduled to be held from 7 to 17 December in Tashkent.   Partner news |  Latest news Czech-Armenian military cooperation discussed in Yerevan  A delegation led by the Director General for the Industrial Cooperation Division of the Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic visited Armenia.U.S. welcomes efforts to define Armenia-Azerbaijan border The United States welcomes efforts to define the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan, says Vedant Patel.Biden honors resilience of Armenian people on April 24 U.S. President Joe Biden has issued a statement on the 109th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.Ex-Karabakh leader moved to solitary confinement cell in Baku, his son says David Vardanyan is the son of former Karabakh leader Ruben Vardanyan who who is currently imprisoned in Azerbaijan. |
