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Why draft on the big climbs?
Dear VeloNews,
For years, I’ve been watching the Tour, the Giro and the Vuelta and can’t understand how people — especially announcers — continually refer to riders having an advantage when they have teammates setting tempo on a big climb.
While I understand that drafting is a big advantage out on the flats, surely that benefit is negated at the slower speeds on a climb.
Piepoli misses doping hearing
Former Saunier Duval climber Leonardo Piepoli failed to turn up for his Italian Olympic Committee (Coni) doping hearing on Wednesday, the Italian news agency Ansa reported. Piepoli was due to face charges that he had taken the new generation of the blood booster EPO during the Tour de France in July.
2009 Tour route revealed
The men favored to contest for the yellow jersey in the 2009 Tour de France applauded the route revealed in Paris on Wednesday, calling it “difficult, but interesting.” The 96th edition of the Tour de France will begin on July 4 in the Mediterranean Principality of Monaco, race director Christian Prudhomme announced at the Palais des Congrès of Paris on Wednesday.
Bossoni gets two years
Former Lampre rider Paolo Bossoni was handed a two-year suspension by the Italian National Anti-Doping Tribunal on Wednesday. The 32-year-old tested positive for blood-booster EPO on June 29 during the Settimana Tricolore race in Bergamo in a control conducted by the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI). He was subsequently fired by Lampre. CONI's Antidoping Commission also revealed that Italian under-23 champion Giovanni Carini's B sample from a positive test given on June 28, during the Italian under-23 championships, has also come up as positive for EPO.
Hammer Head Syndrome
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Cycling Nutrition with Monique Ryan: Your best exercise during the holidays is pushing away from the table
At this time of year, many of us will be moving our training indoors to better deal with the elements and engage in some active recovery.
McLaughlin, Much kick up the sand to victory in Chicago
Temperatures finally hit the “crispy side” of things in Chicago and it actually felt like 'cross weather had finally arrived. Cyclocrossers came out fresh and ready to tackle the newly redesigned Carpenter Park course. Jeff Provisor, owner of Main Street Bicycles and race director added two fast paved sections with a u-turn and multiple twisty areas that kept racers with their thinking helmets on alert.
VeloNews.com to stream 2009 Tour de France presentation
VeloNews.com will live stream Wednesday's presentation of the 2009 Tour de France route. The presentation will begin at 11:30 a.m. Paris time (5:30 a.m. EST). You can watch the stream here.
’09 Tour route will be revealed on Wednesday
Tour de France organizers will finally end months of waiting on Wednesday by unveiling the route that they hope will provide another exciting, albeit cleaner, race for the famous yellow jersey. In the months since Spaniard Carlos Sastre claimed overall victory, seven riders - including KOM winner Bernhard Kohl and stage winners Ricardo Riccò, Leonardo Piepoli and Stefan Schumacher - have been exposed as drugs cheats. However a bigger question on the minds of some fans will be whether seven-time champion Lance Armstrong will take part.
Czech trio leads Crocodile Trophy
VIG+ Racing dominated Tuesday’s opening stage of the 2008 Crocodile Trophy, sweeping the men’s podium. The Czech team attacked immediately following the start of the 80km leg from Mareeba to Irvinebank, using all six team members to build a stage-winning lead before the race hit the first serious off-road section.
Damage Control
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Sager, Williams repeat wins at ‘Cross Crusade
Jason Sager secured his third win in as many weeks in the River City 'Cross Crusade series in Oregon. A pack of four emerged from the frenzied start at the third installment of the series held at Ranier High School October 19. Sager (SagerSports.com), Kona/Team S&M's Erik Tonkin, Sean Babcock (Team S&M), and Ryan Iddings of (Lapiexe) jockeyed for position through five laps before dropping Iddings.
Cyclocross to be part of 2009 New Jersey State Fair
America’s fastest growing sport is joining one of America’s oldest entertainment traditions. The New Jersey State Fair/Sussex County Farm & Horse Show, Inc., in conjunction with SpectaSport LLC, has announced that the 2009 New Jersey State Fair will feature two days of cyclocross racing on next year’s opening weekend, Friday Night July 31 and Saturday August 1. Fireworks will immediately follow Friday Night’s racing.
De Stad Series Heads to Cyclocross Paradise
De Stad Series Heads to Cyclocross Paradise KANSAS CITY, MO - October 21, 2008 - The De Stad Cyclocross Van Kansas Series presented by Paceline Products is proud to present the Smithville Cyclocross Festival Oct. 25th and Oct. 26th. This years festival has moved to what will soon be known has 'Cyclocross Paradise' in the small town of Paradise, Missouri (just 25 minutes North of Kansas City). Situated along the shores of beautiful Smithville Lake is Sailboat Cove Park which offers a great venue for cyclocross with its natural obstacles,
Commuter Challenge
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Doping fatigue, bravo Lance, bravo Tyler and bravo Mr. Expainer
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Go O'Grady Editor, Brave On, Stuart O'Grady!! What a cyclist. Bravo on the TT in the Sun Tour, Australia. Nolan Winkler
Van Gilder, Powers take Wissahickon ‘cross
The winners of Pennsylvania’s Wissahickon Cyclocross, round four of the Mid-Atlantic Cyclocross (MAC) Series, served up an exhibition of different ways to win a ‘cross race on Sunday. Laura Van Gilder (C3-Sollay.com) won the women’s race in the last minute of competition, while Jeremy Powers (Cyclocrossworld.com) won the men’s race in the first minute of action.
Top 10 Around The Bay Tips
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Nys wins World Cup opener
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.
Lean and mean Vanderaerden rides in Oz
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.
Sánchez stays with Euskaltel
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.
Guillén named Vuelta director
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.
Trebon, Winfield tops in Granogue ‘cross
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 sign Dekkers
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.”
Cunego wins the Giro di Lombardia for the third time
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.
Contador will stay at Astana
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.
O’Grady locks up Sun Tour
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.
A conversation with Adam Craig
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.
Historic venue for City Bikes DCCX cyclocross race
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.
Doping, doping, doping and … no, just doping
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Our silly and trivial polls re: Reader Poll Editor,
North American Cyclocross Trophy mid-season update
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
Talking with Toast: A Conversation with Josh Tostado
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.
Start List – 2008 Giro di Lombardia
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.
Basso at ‘kilometer zero’
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.
O’Grady wins TT, re-takes lead of Herald Sun Tour
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.
Riding Giant’s Anthem X on the Picture Rock Trail
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.
‘Faux Form’ and Big Bunch Rides
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