Team Sky's Edvald Boasson Hagen, newly crowned national road champion of Norway, chats with teammate and world champion Mark Cavendish on a training ride.(Image credit: AFP)
A BMC mechanic preps a time trial bike for Saturday's Tour de France prologue.(Image credit: AFP)
Garmin-Sharp's directeur sportif Allan Peiper and Giro d'Italia champion Ryder Hesjedal before the team's training ride in Liege.(Image credit: AFP)
The Lotto Belisol team on a pre-Tour de France training ride in Liege, Belgium.(Image credit: AFP)
Defending Tour de France champion Cadel Evans (BMC) logs some time on the time trial bike on Thursday in Liege, Belgium, two days prior to the Tour's start.(Image credit: AFP)
BMC's Cadel Evans makes sure his time trial bike is dialled in for Saturday's prologue.(Image credit: AFP)
2011 Tour de France champion Cadel Evans (BMC) signs an autograph after a pre-Tour training ride in Liege.(Image credit: AFP)
Defending Tour champion Cadel Evans, left, puts in some time on the time trial bike in Liege, Belgium.(Image credit: AFP)
Bradley Wiggins on a training ride in Liege, Belgium with his Sky teammates.(Image credit: AFP)
World champion Mark Cavendish (Sky) awaits the start of the 2012 Tour de France.(Image credit: AFP)
Team Sky's Bradley Wiggins, left, and Michael Rogers(Image credit: AFP)
Bradley Wiggins (Sky) on a training ride in Liege, Belgium.(Image credit: AFP)
Tour de France favourite Bradley Wiggins (Sky) is all smiles prior to a team training ride.(Image credit: AFP)
Andre Greipel (Lotto Belisol) on a training ride with his teammates.(Image credit: AFP)
The 2012 Tour de France kicks off on Saturday in Liege, Belgium, with a 6.4km prologue time trial and with the start only days away the 22 teams competing in the French Grand Tour have arrived on site.
The Grand Boucle rightly attracts a swarm of media attention for the participants and today several of the big names of professional cycling, including defending Tour champion Cadel Evans, pre-race favourite Bradley Wiggins plus teammate and world champion Mark Cavendish, as well as sprinter and 2011 Tour stage winner Andre Greipel, took part in training rides with their respective BMC, Sky and Lotto Belisol teammates with photographers in tow.
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