2011 Saxo Bank–SunGard season

Nick Nuyens (pictured here later in the season at the Four Days of Dunkirk event) won two single-day races in the Flanders region of Belgium, including the monument classic the Tour of Flanders.

New acquisition Nuyens took the team's first one-day win of the season at Dwars door Vlaanderen. After several chase groups attempting to catch the morning breakaway were subsequently caught by the peloton, Nuyens and Team Sky's Geraint Thomas caught up with the last two 20 km (12 mi) from the finish line. They eventually dropped both, and contested the win between themselves despite nearly being caught in turn. Nuyens and Thomas never had more than 20 seconds' advantage, and no appreciable time gap at the finish, but Nuyens just managed to hang on for the win.[23] Nuyens' win made him a pre-race contender at the monument classic the Tour of Flanders, though he was not seen as a true favorite ahead of riders like Fabian Cancellara and Tom Boonen.[24][25][26] Nuyens rode a largely defensive race. One photographer remarked after the race that he had not taken any pictures of Nuyens until he and Sylvain Chavanel bridged up to an attack by Cancellara on the Bosberg, the eighteenth and final cobbled climb on the day's parcours. He had been gapped off on the Kwaremont, but made a bridge back to the leading group along with Stijn Devolder.[27] As he had much of the day, Nuyens stayed within the slipstreams of the other riders to the finish. Cancellara led out the sprint, but Nuyens maneuvered around him at the finish, taking the biggest win of his career.[28] Riis praised Nuyens' ride after the race, but also admitted that the Belgian had been a bit lucky to win.[29] Cancellara, for his part, blasted Nuyens and the other riders in the race for riding, as Cancellara saw it, only to ensure that he did not win.[30]

Cooke was the team's leader at the third monument classic, Paris–Roubaix, the first time the veteran Aussie had ever held such a mantle. He did not expect to contend for victory, but was confident of a top-ten placing.[31] Cooke ended up having a difficult race, crashing twice and breaking his shoe after the second impact. His team car brought him a new bike, but they were not at first aware that he needed a new cleat, so he rode for several kilometers with one foot bare. This effectively ended his race, and he finished in 22nd place, almost four minutes behind the winner Johan Vansummeren.[32] Riis nonetheless praised his team's efforts, saying the support riders had rallied well around Cooke, but the Aussie sprinter's bad luck had doomed his chances.[33]

The team also sent squads to the Classic Loire Atlantique, Milan–San Remo, Cholet-Pays de Loire, the E3 Prijs Vlaanderen – Harelbeke, the Scheldeprijs, the Amstel Gold Race, La Flèche Wallonne, Gullegem Koerse and Halle–Ingooigem, but placed no higher than 11th in any of these races.

The team also sent squads to the Grand Prix José Dubois, the Clásica de San Sebastián, the Vattenfall Cyclassics, the GP Ouest-France, the Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec, Paris–Brussels, the Grand Prix de Fourmies, the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal, the Grand Prix de Wallonie, the Giro dell'Emilia, the Grand Prix Bruno Beghelli, the Giro di Lombardia, the Japan Cup and the Noosa Grand Prix, but finished no higher than 12th in any of these races.

Alberto Contador won the Overall classification for Saxo Bank-SunGard in 2011.

While riding for Astana in the 2010 Tour de France, Contador tested positive for clenbuterol, a bronchodilator and stimulant specifically banned by UCI anti-doping rules. Due in large part to the tiny amount of the substance present in his urine sample, 50 picograms per milliliter, Contador believed the positive was the result of eating contaminated beef.[47] While the result was discovered in August, and Contador was informed shortly thereafter, it did not become public knowledge until late September, a point at which Contador had already been announced as signing for Saxo Bank–SunGard for the 2011 season.[48] Though provisionally suspended with immediate effect by the UCI,[49] he attended the team's first training camp in December, still unsure what his status for the 2011 season would be.[50] After months of deliberation, the Spanish cycling federation handed Contador a formal one-year suspension on January 26.[51] Two days later, he announced his intention to appeal,[52] and this appeal was accepted; the Spanish federation went back on their own decision and on February 15 cleared Contador of any wrongdoing.[53] He was cleared to return to competition immediately, and started the Volta ao Algarve the next day, finishing fourth.

On March 24, the UCI confirmed that they would appeal the ruling to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, feeling that the highest legal body should hear the case.[54] They waited the maximum amount of time possible before announcing their appeal.[55] The World Anti-Doping Agency decided on March 29 to appeal separately the Spanish federation's decision.[56] The appeal casts doubt on Contador's potential presence in the 2011 Tour de France, as a member of the court stated that he is pessimistic that the case will be decided before July.[57]

It was not until February 2012 that the case was resolved, when Contador was given a two-year backdated ban and was stripped of both his 2010 Tour de France win for Astana, and his 2011 Giro d'Italia win for Saxo Bank–SunGard.[58]