The Philippine Online Chronicles

Cadel Evans became the very first Australian to win the Tour de France after snatching the yellow jersey from Andy Schleck in the last leg. The 34-year old rider also became the oldest winner in 88 years, and also the first non-American and non-European winner in Tour de France history.

Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton of McLaren won the 2011 German Grand Prix after edging Fernando Alonso of Ferrari. Hamilton timed his pit stops perfectly and in the last few final laps, he stepped on the gas to prevent Alonso from getting past him.

Cycling: Cadel Evans wins 2011 Tour de France

PARIS – Cadel Evans made history earlier today after becoming the first Australian to win the Tour de France in Paris, France.

In the last few years, the 34-year-old Australian rider has had two disappointing runner-up finishes. In 2007, he came second to Alberto Contador and a year after, he lagged behind Carlos Sastre.

Just last year, a fractured elbow came between Evans and a much-needed win. The string of disappointments made this year’s win all the more memorable and heroic to Evans’ fans around the world. For loyal fans in Australia, Evans’ home country, staying up extra late to watch Evans emerge victorious in cycling’s greatest race was well-worth the wait.

It was precision, hard work, and careful planning that led to Evans’ monumental win. Although the Aussie rider won just the fourth of the 21 stages of the Tour, he made sure he never fell out of the competition.

On the last competitive leg, he snatched the Yellow Jersey from Andy Schleck. That individual time trial played to his advantage and Evans finally became Tour champ after years and years of cycling.

For many, it was a touching scene, seeing Evans with tears in his eyes as he listened to Tina Arena sing the Australian anthem after the epic race. In his yellow jersey, with the national flag wrapped around him, Evans thanked the crowd and waved to them holding the bouquet he had received. He was joined on the podium by the Luxembourg brothers Andy and Fränk Schleck, who finished second and third respectively.

Aside from being the first Australian to win the Tour, this victory also makes Evans the first non-European and non-American to win the race. At 34, he’s also the oldest man in the last 88 years to clinch the prestigious cycling event.

Unlike other race winners such as Contador and Lance Armstrong, Evans did not dominate from the start of the Tour. He quietly won the race by never being more than just a bicycle’s length away from his top rivals.

When Andy Schleck sped past the field to go up the Galibier pass last Thursday, cycling fans thought that perhaps Evans’ team had made a mistake. It seemed almost improbable for Evans to take the lead after Schleck’s move. To gain the upper hand, Evans needed to be over a minute faster than Schleck.

By Saturday’s time trial, Evans exceeded expectations. He didn’t just go faster by a minute, he finished 2.5 minutes faster than his biggest rival. Many believe that this was what sealed the deal for Evans. The next day, the Australian cyclist won the 2011 Tour de France, bringing pride and honor to Australia.

Formula 1: Hamilton dominates 2011 German Grand Prix

If there’s one thing that can be said about McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton, it’s that the 2008 Formula One World Champion still has what it takes to dominate some of the sport’s most challenging circuits.

With his spectacular drive to victory at the Nürburguring circuit, the 26-year-old former world champ showed critics why he’s still one of the top drivers in the industry. Earlier today, the 26-year old British won the 2011 German Grand Prix.

Hamilton’s amazing drive had him grabbing the lead from Red Bull’s Mark Webber as Webber’s teammate Sebastian Vettel and Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso struggled to keep up.

The track was slightly slippery after a light shower, and season’s points leader, Vettel, struggled immensely after making a crucial mistake that propelled Alonso ahead of him.

When a rear break problem put Vettel out of contention for a German Grand Prix win, the battle for first place continued between Hamilton, Alonso, and Webber.

At one point, Webber even reclaimed the lead on Lap 12 after Hamilton’s slow move from the chicane. The flying Briton overtook the Australian, but Webber eventually reclaimed the top spot after making an early pit stop on Lap 14. Suddenly, Webber was first with Hamilton hotly tailing him and Alonso aggressively making the move to claim second place.

Hamilton once again turned things around through an amazing drive coupled with superbly timed pit stops. After his final pit stop, the 2008 world champion came out first and kept the pace up to prevent Alonso from moving past him.

Hamilton sped towards the chequered flag and landed his 16th career win, and second victory this season. Alonso finished second, but ran out of fuel in the slowing down lap. The Spanish driver was then forced to hitch a ride with top rival and third placer, Mark Webber of Australia.

Other highlights of the grand prix include the exciting battle between Felipe Massa (Ferrari) and Vettel.

Vettel had found himself behind Massa but was able to reclaim fourth place after both drivers pitted at the same time. A superb stop had Vettel zooming past Massa in no time. Finishing in sixth was Adrian Sutil (Force India).

Meanwhile, Hamilton’s teammate Jenson Button (McLaren) was set to take sixth over Sutil, but had encountered hydraulic issues earlier in the race. Button was forced to retire on Lap 35.

Nico Rosberg (Mercedes) and Michael Schumacher (Mercedes) finished back-to-back, taking seventh and eighth place, respectively. Rounding up the race’s top ten point scorers were Kamui Kobayashi (Sauber) and Vitaly Petrov (Renault).

Hamilton’s win propels him to third in the F1 standings. Right now, Vettel still leads the pack with 216 points, followed by teammate Webber with 139 points. Coming in at third is Lewis Hamilton with 134 points, followed by Fernando Alonso with 130 points.