Belgian Sven Nys (Landbouwkrediet) won the first round of the UCI’s World Cup cyclocross series in Kalmthout, Belgium, on Sunday. The Belgian national champion outsprinted compatriot Niels Albert (Palman Cras) in a head-to-head charge to the line. Fidea’s Kevin Pauwels took the third spot, ahead of Czech rider Radomir Simunek and Belgian Bart Aernout. World champion, Lars Boom, was the 10th, while American Jonathan Page pulled out after seven laps.
Shedding more “largesse? in recent months than most European banks, an almost unrecognizable Eric Vanderaerden has arrived in Cairns, Australia, fit and ready to complete his long-held dream of finishing the Crocodile Trophy, the 1200-kilometer mountain bike race across Australia. Gone are the mullet and spare tire, which the 46-year-old Belgian cycling great carried as excess baggage on his last journey to Tropical North Queensland, when he drove the Crocodile Trophy course as a team assistant.
Olympic champion Samuel Sánchez will remain with the Euskaltel-Euskadi team through 2010 despite testing the waters elsewhere to cash in on his gold medal. Team manager Miguel Madariaga traveled to Italy this weekend and finalized a new accord to rework an existing contract with Sánchez to keep the all-rounder in the team’s distinctive orange jersey for two more seasons.
The Vuelta a España already has a new director. Victor Cordero, who is stepping down at the end of this season as the head of the Spanish tour, is making way for Javier Guillén. Guillén has been the secretary general at the Vuelta for the past five years and will help steer the season’s third grand tour into the future. Earlier this year, the Amaury Sport Organization (owners of the Tour de France, Paris-Nice and other major races) bought 49 percent of the race.
In a classic edition of the Cyclocross at Granogue saw a double dip of Kona as Ryan Trebon (Kona) and Dee Dee Winfield (Velo Bella – Kona) scored wins in the Autumn classic. Both wins came down to last lap moves in the UCI C1 event.
Garmin-Chipotle continues to bolster its roster for 2009 and has signed Dutchman Hans Dekkers to a deal to round out its sprinter arsenal. The news comes just as the 27-year-old Dutchman pipped Tom Boonen on Tuesday to win the final race of the 2008 Belgian calendar at the 75th Putte-Kapellen. “I think he’s a talented sprinter who hasn’t found a home yet in a team, and has battled a lot of injuries,” Vaughters told VeloNews. “We needed a guy who could help a bit with Tyler, Julian and Sutton, along with being able to play his own chances.”
Damiano Cunego won the 102nd Giro di Lombardia, the season’s final one-day classic, for the third time in his career on Saturday. Cunego – winner in 2004 and 2007 – scored the win after taking a gamble and attacking 15 kilometers from the finish at lake front of Lake Como in northern Italy. Cunego won the famed “race of the falling leaves” ahead of a hard chasing Janez Brajkovic (Astana), who reached the line 20 seconds later. [nid:84391]Cunego earned the victor’s laurels at the end of the 242-kilometer race that had been largely controlled by his Lampre team.
Spaniard Alberto Contador, reigning champion of the Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a España, on Saturday confirmed he will remain at Astana next season despite the potential problems posed by Lance Armstrong's plans to join the team. "Next year I will continue with the Astana team," said Contador. "I've studied the situation and the alternatives." The 2007 Tour de France winner said his concerns about Armstrong’s return have been addressed.
Stuart O'Grady locked up the overall title of Australia’s Herald Sun Tour on Saturday, fending off a mid-race challenge from his most serious competitor, Ben Day (Toyota United) missed a chance to score bonus seconds in an intermediate sprint in a 66-kilometer, 33-lap race through the streets of Melbourne.
This coming weekend, October 24-25, Adam Craig is strapping on the full-face helmet and body armor, climbing on his big-hit bike and competing in the Jeep 48Straight, formerly Jeep King of the Mountains competition. The competition features dual slalom racing against Greg Minnaar, Steve Peat and Brian Lopes, among others. Why would America’s top cross-country man want to go toe-to-toe with the big dogs of international gravity racing? “It’s a good excuse to ride my bike and have fun,” Craig told VeloNews when we phoned him up last week.
Of all the historic landmarks in Washington DC, none is so seldom visited by tourists as the Armed Forces Retirement Home; the site of no fewer than four National Historic Landmarks, including the Lincoln Cottage. These grounds and historic landmarks are normally accessible to tourists by appointment only. But on October 26, BikeReg.com MABRAcross racers can not only participate in the City Bikes DCCX cyclocross race, they can bring their families. And, if they schedule a tour of the Lincoln Cottage, they can have what may be the most timely historic tour of their lives.
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North American Cyclocross Trophy Series Update Trebon and Dombroski Hold Series Leads at Mid-Season At the midpoint of the U.S. cyclocross season, the North American Cyclocross Trophy has clear leaders in both the Men and Women’s categories following The Erdinger Gran Prix of Gloucester held October 11 & 12th.in Gloucester Mass. Ryan Trebon (Kona) and Amy Dombroski (Velo Bella-Kona) jumped to the top of the leader board for the national series and will start the next round wearing the NACT Leader’s Jersey
Known to many as “Toast,” Josh Tostado (no, not Tostada) smoked an all-star field at last weekend’s Suzuki 24 Hours of Moab in the solo competition. Tostado completed 17 laps of the 15.5-mile course for a grand total of 263.5 miles of riding. He opened his gap on the opening lap and then held off Tinker Juarez and the sport’s heaviest hitter, Chris Eatough.
LAMPRE (ITA)
1. Damiano Cunego (ITA)
2. Alessandro Ballan (ITA)
3. Francesco Gavazzi (ITA)
4. Paolo Tiralongo (ITA)
5. Sylvester Szmyd (POL)
6. Matteo Bono (ITA)
7. Marco Marzano (ITA)
8. Mauro Santambrogio (ITA)
Director: Maurizio Piovani
ACQUA & SAPONE - CAFFE' MOKAMBO (ITA)
11. Massimo Codol (ITA)
12. Francesco Failli (ITA)
13. Stefano Garzelli (ITA)
14. Andrea Masciarelli (ITA)
15. Francesco Masciarelli (ITA)
16. Simone Masciarelli (ITA)
17. Giuseppe Palumbo (ITA)
18.
Ivan Basso, whose Operación Puerto-related racing ban ends next week, is back in the spotlight and he’s hoping it will be for sporting reasons alone. Basso faced the media for the first time in a press conference Friday in Italy and seemed anxious to put the focus on racing and not on his links to the Puerto doping scandal. Basso’s ban officially ends October 24 and he will race for the first time since April 2007 at the Japan Cup on October 26 as part a two-year contract with Liquigas.
Stuart O’Grady won Friday's stage five individual time trial of Australia's Jayco Herald Sun Tour and took back the race leader’s yellow jersey, which he is likely to hold until the end of the week-long race. O’Grady started the day four seconds down on his CSC - Saxo Bank teammate Lars Bak, but after charging around the undulating 16km time trial course in the Yarra Valley he now holds a 17 second gap over Bak with Toyota-United’s Ben Day in third place overall at 19 seconds behind.
A new bike: It’s the time of year for new stuff. Interbike is over, but every manufacturer has something that’s still new, and they’re all excited to talk about their latest and greatest. Giant Bicycles is no exception. Andrew Juskaitis, Giant’s Global Communications coordinator, made a trip out to VeloNews’ home of Boulder, Colorado, for a fall ride on his brand’s new Anthem X performance cross-country bike, which Adam Craig rode to victory at this year’s national cross-country championships in Mount Snow, Vermont.
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Daniele Bennati (Liquigas) stormed to victory in a long sprint at the 94th Giro del Piemonte on Thursday to claim his seventh and last victory of the 2008 season. Bennati out-kicked Luca Paolini (Acqua e Sapone) to win the 199km run from Novi Ligure to Lagnasco in northern Italy with Alexandre Usov (Ag2r-La Mondiale) slotting into third. Liquigas was determined to set up its 28-year-old sprinter, reeling in a two-man breakaway and then kept on the pressure to tamp down any late attacks to set up the mass gallop.
Weight: 25 grams Fit: small to medium faces Suggested retail: $59.95 Web site: www.tifosioptics.com The Tifosi Tyrant T-V660 is a new model for 2009. The frame is composed of TR-90 nylon front and injected aluminum arms. The Tyrant’s arms allow for a semi-rigid, adjustable ear piece that once adjusted, will stay in place for a custom fit. The adjustable nose piece brings the Tyrant closer to or away from the cheeks.
Sizes: 39 to 48 Colors: black; aluminum/silver; pearly white; aluminum/dark blue; faux patent leather red Web site: www.sidisport.com Retail price: 298 Euro (About $400) Sidi's MTB Dragon 2 Carbon Srs is the shoe worn by Olympic champion Julien Absalon. The shoe features an adjustable mechanism that allows for a snugger and safer fit around the heel, preventing slippage during climbs or sprints. The Dragon 2 also includes Sidi's Mtb Carbon Srs sole, in nylon with a carbon steel core from heel to toe.
Quebecer Marie-Héléne Prémont has changed her mind about retiring at the end of the 2008 season. The 31-year-old Premont — who in 2007 announced she would hang it up after 2008 — will race the UCI World Cup and world championships. The news comes after Prémont enjoyed her best-ever season, which saw her claim the 2008 World Cup overall title.
The avalanche of positive drug tests has buried the 2009 Tour of Germany. The organizers and the German cycling federation (BDR) announced Thursday that they were canceling the nine-day event due to the recent spate of doping positives. “We regret this decision, but it had to be taken," said race organizer Kai Rapp. Linus Gerdemann (Columbia) won the 2008 edition. The 2009 race had been scheduled for August 29-September 6. On Tuesday, organizers of the Tour of Stuttgart canceled their six-day event, saying recent failed doping tests have tarnished the sport's image in Germany.
Austria's Bernhard Kohl, winner of the mountains competition at this year's Tour de France and third overall, has been sacked by Silence-Lotto after testing positive for CERA, the new generation of banned blood booster EPO. Kohl admitted to using CERA on Wednesday, 48 hours after he failed a test for the drug in retroactive controls carried out by France's national anti-doping agency. Geert Coeman, general manager of the Belgian team, confirmed Thursday that Kohl's three-year contract with the team had been canceled.
German media giants ARD and ZDF announced Thursday they will not cover the Tour de France because of the recent spate of positive drug tests. "The sporting value of the Tour de France has been reduced by the accumulation of failed drugs tests. Therefore, its broadcast value has sunk deeply,” said ARD chairman Fritz Raff after the decision was made following a meeting in Cologne. ARD, the No. 1 broadcaster in Germany, ceased broadcasting the 2007 Tour in the middle of the race after German rider Patrick Sinkewitz tested positive for testosterone.
Team Type 1 went on the attack in Thursday's fourth stage of the Jayco Herald Sun Tour, but it was Panasonic's Chris Jongeward who won what was billed as the week-long race's most decisive stage. After the mountain top stage finish, CSC - Saxo Bank's Stuart O'Grady gave up his leader's jersey to teammate Lars Bak. Team Type 1 Sport Director Ed Beamon said he was disappointed that the racing was not more aggressive on the slopes of the finishing climb to Australia's popular ski resort, Mount Buller.
The Kelly Benefit Strategies/Medifast team wraps a successful 2008 season this coming weekend with a return to France, where the squad will race the Criterium de Levallois, just outside of Paris on October 19. The race marks the second outing in France this year, with KBS/M finishing second in the Tour des Pyrenees in August where they also took first on points.
Despite trying to cash in on his Olympic gold medal, Samuel Sánchez says he’s likely to stay with Euskaltel-Euskadi for the 2009 season and beyond. What is certain is that his final race in 2008 will be at this weekend’s Giro di Lombardia, with a start in Thursday’s Giro di Piemonte thrown in for good measure. “I felt pretty good at Paris-Tours. I arrived with the front group after 252km, a good distance for me,” Sánchez told the Diario Vasco. “I will go to Lombardia with the idea of racing to win. To win? At least I will try.”
One of the important skills lawyers-in-training (a.k.a. “law students”) learn in law school is the ability to argue either side of a case. That can be tough for the average non-lawyer to wrap their mind around, but it’s an essential skill, because a lawyer has to be able to identify the legal issues at stake in any case, and to understand the arguments both for and against a particular legal point.
Jeremy Powers (Cyclocrossworld.com-Cannondale) and Katie Compton (Spike Shooter) won at Cincinnati's three-day cyclocross festival this weekend, but while Powers took over the men's lead of the USA Cycling cyclocross standings, Amy Dombroski took over the women's lead. Dombroski (Velo Bella-Kona) scored double wins at the Erdinger Gran Prix of Gloucester in Massachusetts. Kona's Ryan Trebon, who won both days at Gloucester, is now in second on the standings. After 15 contests on the USA Cycling Cyclocross National Calendar, the current standings: Men