Starting today and running through into the New Year, BikeRadar will be taking a look back at the best products, videos and moments in what has been an action-packed year for cycling.
First up, we'll be focussing on the road-related clips that have entertained and informed in 2011. From Mark Cavendish assuredly talking up his Tour de France prospects prior to him claiming his maiden green jersey to a first look at the Pinarello Dogma 2, the bike Team Sky used during the Tour, here we present a selection of our favourites.
Cav talks tough for the Tour
Prior to this year's Tour de France, Mark Cavendish sat down with Cyclingnews to discuss his prospects. After firing a warning to his rivals by calling his form the best he'd had in two years, he made good on his word a month later by capturing a maiden green jersey on the Champs-Élysées. And if his stock wasn't sky high in July, it went stratospheric in September when he won the World Championship in Copenhagen.
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Geraint's secret weapon
Another man who enjoyed his best ever Tour de France was Team Sky's Geraint Thomas, whose 31st placing was his highest in three attempts. In the video below, he reveals his secrets to peak performance in one of the toughest races on earth.
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Campagnolo's electronic shifting breaks cover
Twenty years and four generations in the making, November saw the Italian component giant finally reveal not one, but two electronic groupsets: Record EPS (Electronic Power Shift) and Super Record EPS. The video below shows the much anticipated product in action. You can also check out our initial opinion of its performance here.
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Rejigged SRAM Red revealed
Though not electronic as some may have been expecting, SRAM have been drip feeding snippets of information about the latest incarnation of their range-topping Red groupset, which we should start seeing towards the end of 2012. The video below is an ultra teaser and barely gave anything away, so it was a good job our Technical Editor James Huang's scoop on the new Red was much more revealing.
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A peak at the Pinarello Dogma 2
Team Sky enjoyed a much improved Tour de France this year compared with 2010's calamitous debut, capturing two stage wins thanks to their Norwegian powerhouse Edvald Boasson Hagen. Perhaps their new bike had something to do with it, which we caught a glimpse of at Sky's media day prior to the Tour. Decked out in Rainforest Rescue green, we took a closer look at the Pinarello Dogma 2 once the race sprung into action.
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Hincapie's record-equalling Tour de France
A less prominent Tour performer was BMC's George Hincapie. But try telling that to his team mate Cadel Evans, who was propelled to his first overall win with huge support from one of his key lieutenants. Hincapie, a workhorse for Lance Armstrong throughout his seven Tour triumphs, achieved a significant milestone of his own this July by completing his 16th race, matching that of Dutch legend Joop Zoetemelk.
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