Shane Sutton urges Wiggins to back Froome

Sky's Bradley Wiggins must support team-mate Chris Froome in his Tour de France bid, says coach, Shane Sutton.

"Froome has won continually this year. I think just about every race he has ridden he has won," Sutton told the Daily Mail over the weekend. "Brad hasn't had a win since last August so I think the team will very much be getting behind Chris, as Chris did with Brad last year."

Wiggins abandoned the Giro d'Italia halfway in with a chest infection. Sky issued a statement during the race that underscored Froome's Tour leadership.

Urán aims higher after Giro podium

Sky's Rigoberto Urán hopes to go one step higher in a Grand Tour after finishing second in the Giro d'Italia on Sunday.

"I hope that this won't be the last time for a Colombian on the podium," he explained. "I'm happy to get here, maybe next time I can do better."

After Brad Wiggins abandoned, Urán took over Sky's leadership in the Giro d'Italia.

"It changed completely when Brad left, he was not well, but the team was well and gave me the faith. They told me to race for the classification and do it.

"This is only the start, this gives me faith. I hope to continue work like this. If I race the Tour de France, I'll do what I do always, work as a domestique."



Tour organiser to light Arc de Triomphe yellow

Tour de France organiser ASO announced on Monday it will illuminate the Arc de Triomphe yellow for its race's finish in Paris on July 21.

The stage will arrive later than normal, at dusk. According to the AFP news agency, Race Director Christian Prudhomme said, it "will end in an exceptional sounds and lights."

McQuaid and Armstrong go back-n-forth

President of the International Cycling Union (UCI) Pat McQuaid spared with Lance Armstrong this week over cycling's doping issues.

"He has not apologised to the sport," McQuaid told Reuters. "If he has information that is valuable to the sport he has to come forward. He should sit down and work with us [US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)]."

Armstrong was found guilty of doping and cheating through much of his career and stripped of his seven Tour de France wins in October. He said he would work with the UCI, but under special circumstances.

"For this to happen the sport desperately needs a Truth and Reconciliation Commission to be convened to address multiple generations and not just a single team," he told Cyclingnews.

The UCI established an independent commission to investigate claims of corruption over the winter. The commission, along with WADA and USADA, pushed for a truth and reconciliation process. The UCI, however, disagreed and disbanded its commission in January.

AG2R-La Mondiale sits out Dauphiné after doping positives

Team AG2R-La Mondiale, which adheres to Movement for a Credible Cycling (MPCC) rules, will skip the Critérium du Dauphiné starting on Sunday. The French first division team had two doping cases - Steve Houanard and Sylvain Georges - in the last year.

"We will stand by our commitment to MPCC," Team Manager Vincent Lavenu explained, "Even if it means we can't take part in the next WorldTour event."

Sylvain Georges tested positive in the Giro d'Italia for stimulant Heptaminol.

Teams may voluntarily join MPCC and accept its standards of conduct. One rule states if the team has more than one positive case from the past 12 months it withdraws from the next WorldTour event.