This week’s European cycling menu consists primarily of events that are already under way. The Tour of Portugal and the Tour de l’Ain and the Route de France Féminine, both in France, kicked off last week and wrap up later this week. Then this weekend, the Vattenfall Cyclassics in Hamburg brings big-time cycling back to Germany. 21st Tour de l’Ain (Fra, 2.1) August 9-12
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Aldo Ino Ilesic (Team Type 1) and Brooke Miller (Tibco) both took wins at the 22nd annual running of the Hanes Park Classic on Sunday in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. It was the second consecutive Hanes Park win for Miller and the second win of the weekend for the U.S. national criterium champion. For Ilesic, the win was sweet retribution for his heartbreaking second-place finish during the previous evening’s NRC battle 80 miles south at the Presbyterian Hospital Invitational Criterium in Charlotte.
Canadian Geoff Kabush (Maxxis-Rocky Mountain) and Czech Katerina Nash (Luna) won Sunday's short-track races at the U.S. Cup/PROXCT event at Mt. Snow, Vermont. Kabush's win — following victories in Saturday's cross-country and last week's World Cup at Bromont, Quebec — confirmed his wave of good form, which he's hoping to ride into the world championships in Australia next month.
Geoff Kabush and Catharine Prendel, Canada's XC national champs, score wins in Kenda Cup East/PROXCT event Saturday at Mount Snow, Vermont. Kabush repeats win in Sunday short-track race while Katerina Nash makes up for XC showing.
Portugal's Joao Cabreira (Loulé-Louletano) won Sunday’s fourth stage of the Volta a Portugal, while Nuno Ribeiro (Liberty Seguros) finished second to take the leader’s yellow jersey André Cardoso crossed third in the 158.1km stage from Trancoso to Mondim de Basto. In the overall standings, Ribeiro leads Cabreira by two seconds with David Bernabeu third at 46 seconds. After a rest day Monday, the race resume Tuesdays with a 184.6km stage from Felgueiras to Fafe.
Mickael Buffaz (Cofidis) won the first stage of the Tour de l‘Ain on Sunday. Remi Cuzin (Agritubel) and Floris Goesinnen (Skil-Shimano) finished second and third in the 146.5km stage from Bourg-en Bresse to Saint-Denis-les-Bourg.
Alejandro Valverde (Caisse d'Epargne) won the Tour of Burgos on Sunday. Ezequiel Mosquera (Xacobeo Galicia) won the fifth and final stage, raced over 155km between Vilviestre del Pinar and Laguna de Neila. Valverde went into the finale in third overall, one second behind Danny Pate (Garmin-Slipstream) and five behind Pate’s teammate Tom Danielson, winner of the stage-4 individual time trial. But the Spaniard leapfrogged both men to take the final overall. Danielson fell to third at 12 seconds back, while Pate plummeted to 45th at 9:27.
Lance Armstrong has another championship jersey to add to his collection — this one for winning the Colorado state pro men’s cross-country championship at Blast the Mass on Saturday in Snowmass Village. Jay Henry (Tokyo Joe’s) finished second with Len Zanni (Honey Stinger-Trek) third.
Canadian David Veilleux (Kelly Benefit Strategies) and Tibco’s Brooke Miller scored solid wins in the sixth annual Presbyterian Hospital Invitational Criterium in Charlotte, North Carolina, Saturday. Veilleux rolled the dice during the final laps of the men’s race on Saturday night and came up a winner. Veillieux leapt off the front of a strong 10-man breakaway, where he was the sole Kelly rider, to hold a 14-second gap throughout the remaining three laps of racing.
Canadians don't often get a chance to race at Mt. Snow, since the venue is so often used for the U.S. national championships. But when they get a chance they make the most of it, as they did Saturday when Canada's men's and women's national champions came south of the border to score wins at the Kenda Cup East/PROXCT event.
France’s WADA-certified anti-doping laboratory at Châtenay-Malabry have confirmed positive test results from two of Danilo Di Luca’s B samples from this year’s Giro d’Italia. Di Luca twice tested positive for the the third generation of EPO, called a Continuous Erythropoiesis Receptor Activator (CERA), during the Giro in May. Di Luca has denied doping and is likely to challenge any suspension that results from the confirmed tests. Di Luca’s attorney has already publicly challenged laboratory procedures at the French lab.
Tom Danielson (Garmin-Slipstream) has moved into the overall lead in Spain’s Tour de Burgos, after winning the 15km fourth stage time trial on Saturday. Danielson covered the 15km course in 17:09, edging out teammate Danny Pate by 10 seconds. Pate is now in second place in the overall standings, trailing Danielson by four seconds and one second ahead of Alejandro Valverde (Caisse d’Epargne). Stage 4[nid:96487] 1. Tom Danielson (USA), Garmin-Slipstream, 15km in 17:09 2. Danny Pate (USA), Garmin-Slipstream, at 0:10 3. Alexei Markov (RUS), Katusha, at 0:16
World champion Alessandro Ballan (Lampre) won the 66th edition of the Tour of Poland on Saturday after the seventh and final stage. The 136km stage, from Rabka to Krakow, was won by Germany's André Greipel of the Columbia-HTC squad. Ballan wasn't assured of victory before Saturday's mountainous finale having only an 11-second lead over closest rival Advald Boasson Hagen (Columbia-HTC), who had won the two of the earlier stages of the race.
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