The Ardennes classics at Flèche Wallonne and Liège-Bastone-Liège dominate the European racing calendar this week. Race organizers wisely get out of the way and let these two behemoths take center stage in an exciting finale to the spring classics season. In Italy, the Giro del Trentino serves as a preview of who’s on form for the upcoming Giro d’Italia while the women’s World Cup continues with the Flèche Wallonne Féminine on Wednesday.
Weather always affects the racing at Sea Otter. Some years torrential rain changes the course; other years the heat and wind dish out beatings. This year organizers made the game-time decision to shorten the course due to heat. But one thing was for certain this year on the 90-degree day: Christoph Sauser and Georgia Gould were on fire.
What is one to make of a season that has involved multiple crashes while also riding on the best form of a near 20-year professional career? If you’re Chris Horner, you look at the glass half full. The always-smiling Horner, the number-three American on an all-star Astana team that also features Lance Armstrong and Levi Leipheimer, departed the Tour of the Basque Country earlier this month after a crash sent him flying over his handlebar and sliding under a guardrail, injuring his right shoulder.
Check out CyclingTips's author page.
It wasn’t a move meant to last, but when Scott Nydam, of BMC Racing, rolled across the line to win the Tour of the Battenkill pro men’s Invitational following a 112-mile breakaway — about half of it solo — the rider from Sebastopol, California, said the victory was a long time coming. “Five months of training and a lot of preparation went into this,” Nydam said. “It all came out today.”
Rock Racing on Sunday confirmed it had fired Michael Creed, Caesar Grajales and Chris Baldwin. Team owner Michael Ball said the move was made to save money.
Cross-country world champion Christoph Sauser seldom races in the United States, but he made the long trip from South Africa, site of the 2009 UCI World Cup kickoff, to tackle the short track and cross country at the Sea Otter Classic in Monterey, California. That team sponsor Specialized Bicycles sits just up the road in Morgan Hill likely influenced his travel plans.
09 Sea Otter: Wells rode Specialized's new 29er Hardtail to victory
09 Sea Otter: After riding at the front, cross-country world champ Sauser burped a tire and dropped out.
09 Sea Otter: Like many riders, Stander rode a full-suspension bike for the short track.
It’s no way to win a bike race — Daryl Impey (Barloworld) took the overall title in the 45th Presidential Tour of Turkey on Sunday despite crashing heavily in the last kilometer of the final stage after contact with former track sprinter Theo Bos (Rabobank).
09 Sea Otter: "I just had so much energy," Batty said at the finish.
09 Sea Otter: Byberg chased Batty across the line for second.
09 Sea Otter: Byberg chased Batty across the line for second.
09 Sea Otter: Batty attacked on the last lap to catch and pass Pendrel for the win.
09 Sea Otter: After a mid-race surge, Gould faded off the front group to finish fifth.
09 Sea Otter: With Pendrel solo off ahead, Irmiger chased with Batty on her wheel.
09 Sea Otter: The key five women were Luna’s Catharine Pendrel and Georgia Gould, Specialized’s Len Byberg, Subaru-Gary Fisher’s Heather Irmiger and Trek’s Emily Batty.
09 Sea Otter: Luna’s Catharine Pendrel drove the race, and ended up off the front alone in the closing laps.
09 Sea Otter: Norway’s Lene Byberg took some hard pulls at the front.
09 Sea Otter: After the race, Leipheimer hung around to sign autographs and chat with fans.
09 Sea Otter: Amaran took second.
09 Sea Otter: Leipheimer drove the chase, lap after lap.
09 Sea Otter: Leipheimer said he wasn’t bothered about being a one-man team that was heavily marked by Bissell’s machine.
09 Sea Otter: The field over the top of the corkscrew.
09 Sea Otter: Team Type 1’s Christopher Jones and Bissell’s Kirk O’Bee bridge up to Howes, but all three are eventually absorbed by the Leipheimer chase group.
09 Sea Otter: While Howes pursues the break, others are hunting him.
09 Sea Otter: The break on the climb.
09 Sea Otter: Leipheimer leads the chase over the top.
09 Sea Otter: Howes bombs the corkscrew descent.