The Italian team of defending champion Danilo Di Luca, LPR, won the opening team time trial in Tuesday’s first stage of the Settimana Lombarda. The team covered the 18.7km course in 20 minutes, 54 seconds, nipping Katusha by six seconds with the Rabobank continental team, featuring Tejay Van Garderen, stopping the clock for third at 23 seconds back. LPR sprinter Alessandro Petacchi was first across the line to snag the leader’s jersey.
Austrian cyclist Bernhard Kohl, stripped of third in last year's Tour de France for drugs, faces a maximum five-year prison sentence after admitting Tuesday to blood-doping and other offences. Kohl told a press conference that he had gone to the Viennese laboratory Humanplasma for transfusions with blood supplied by his former manager Stefan Matschiner. "He (Matschiner) supplied me doping products. I did blood-doping three or four times," Kohl said.
Reigning Olympic time trial champion Fabian Cancellara is expected to start Sunday’s Tour of Flanders despite coming off an injury-plagued spring that forced him to forfeit a defense of his title at Milan-San Remo. Cancellara has suffered a string of illnesses, including an early exit from the Tour of California, and then a shoulder injury that forced him to miss nearly two weeks of training in early March. Earlier this year, Cancellara said winning the Tour of Flanders was one of his top goals of the season.
Filippo Pozzato continues on his strong pre-Flanders form, notching victory in the opening stage of the Three Days of De Panne in Belgium. Pozzato, who won the Prijs Harelbeke on Saturday, out-kicked fellow escapee Frédérick Willems (Liquigas) to win the stage and take the first leader’s jersey in the four-stage, three-day race. Greg Van Avermaet (Silence-Lotto) won the bunch sprint, some 57 seconds back to take third place.
It’s crunch time for George Hincapie and his quest to win a northern classic. The 35-year-old enters the most important week of his racing calendar more confident than ever that an elusive trophy from Flanders or Roubaix will soon be his. The Columbia-Highroad rider says he’s feeling “stronger than ever” and has enjoyed one of the best winter preparations of his career, racing in the Tour Down Under for the first time and spending most of January training in California.
Dear Lennard,
I always wondered about hanging my mountain bikes vertically too but not really worried about the shocks but about the hydraulic brakes and what that might do to the lines. Is it fine?
Paul
Dear Paul,
That’s a good question. If the bike is hanging vertically with the front wheel up, there would be no problem, because any air bubbles would gravitate toward the lever, which would be where you’d want them. But how about with the rear wheel up?
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Park Tool started in 1956 as Hazel Park Cycle Center, a bike shop on the northern edge of of the Twin Cities, adjacent a park of the same name. Owners Art Engstrom and Howard Hawkins fed themselves through the cold Minnesota winters by sharpening ice skates, and they built their own bike tools. They made the original Park Repair Stand out of old parts, and they patented the clamp’s design. The base that held it steady was a huge artillery shell casing filled with concrete attached to metal clawed chair feet. The “Hazel Park Bicycle Repair Stand Company” was born.
Geoff Kabush (Rocky Mountain-Maxxis) and Georgia Gould (Luna) took home impressive wins at the opening round of USA Cycling’s Pro Cross-country tour (ProXCT), held at Southridge Park in Fontana, California. The race was also the second round of the Kenda Cup West, the West Coast half of the ShoAir-Specialized U.S. Cup series.
It’s another busy week of racing in Europe, with stage races in Belgium, Portugal and Italy, the second round of the women’s World Cup and a smattering of one-day races in France and Spain. Without question, the main feature is the Tour of Flanders on Sunday. In cycling-crazed Belgium, this is their Super Bowl. The entire nation seems to come to a standstill to watch the 258.9km battle from Brugge to Meerbeke (with plenty of beer-drinking along the way). This year’s route features 16 of the infamous cobble-stoned climb where most of the major attacks go down.
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BMC's Jeff Louder and Columbia Highroad's Ina Yoko Teutenberg won the 2009 Redlands Bicycle Classic's overall titles Sunday, as Kyle Wamsley (Colavita) and Alison Powers (Team Type 1) grabbed the stage wins. Apparently every second does count. The overall wins came down to just 1 second for Teutenberg, and to just 5 seconds for Louder. Teutenberg accumulated enough time bonuses in the final stage to take the jersey away from Amber Neben (Nurnberger Shoair) who fell to second place, while Alison Powers (Team Type 1) took third, 27 seconds down.
Frenchman Gregory Bauge overcame a tough test against Malaysia's Azizulhasni Awang to win the world sprint crown at the world track cycling championships in Pruszkow, Poland. on Sunday. Awang took the silver medal with another Frenchman, Kevin Sireau, beating Australian Shane Perkins to take the bronze. The men's sprint tournament is traditionally the most coveted of all track cycling events, and it lived up to that billing thanks to the unexpected rise of Awang to the final.
Price: $100 to $210 Web site: www.selleitalia.com Selle Italia and Troy Lee Designs have collaborated to produce three new saddle styles. The Selle Italia Shiver Troy Lee Designs Chito Saddle weighs in at 250 grams and uses manganese alloy rails. An all around saddle, the Shiver Chito is suitable for both road and mountain biking. Retails for $99.
Editor's Note: Connie Carpenter is in Pruszkow, Poland, covering the Track World Championships for VeloNews.com while supporting her son, Taylor Phinney. Carpenter is a former world champion on the track and an avid fan of track cycling. Track cycling seems much bigger and more diverse than ever before. While some may criticize the Brits for winning just two jerseys here in Poland, most of us are admiring the fact that so many countries represented so well … with the Aussies dominating the medal tally with ten medals.
Marianne Vos out-kicked Emma Johannson to win the Trofeo Binda on Sunday and grabs the first leader’s jersey to open the 2009 women’s World Cup. Vos surged ahead of her Swedish rival in a two-up sprint to claim the opening round of the World Cup series. Olympic time trial champion Kristin Armstrong crossed the line at 3:34 back to round out the podium with third.
French rider Anthony Geslin delivered FDJeux a big victory Sunday at the Brabantse Pijl in Belgium. Geslin won out of an eight-man group that pulled clear in the closing 30km of the 193.5km circuit course. Fabian Wegmann (Milram) tried to surprise the group and sprang off the final wheel with 250 meters to go with an explosive sprint. The German opened a promising gap, but Geslin was able to recover and catch him at the line to secure victory.
Olympic road champion Samuel Sánchez (Euskaltel-Euskadi) won for the first time in 2009 after nipping David de la Fuente (Fuji-Servetto) at the line to claim Sunday’s GP de Llodio in Spain. Sánchez covered the 175.5km course in 4 hours, 3 minutes, 58 seconds, crossing the line just ahead of De la Fuente, the winner in 2007. Rounding out the podium was Ezequiel Mosquera (Xacobeo-Galicia), who came through one second back. JJ Rojas (Caisse d’Epargne) led across a dozen-strong chase group at 21 seconds slower.
Jens Voigt (Saxo Bank) was fast just enough in Sunday’s individual time trial to win the Critérium International for a record-tying fifth time. The veteran German was fifth in the 8.3km course in Charleville-Mézières and held off a challenge from Danny Pate (Garmin-Slipstream), who started the third and final stage in second place, just seven seconds off Voigt’s time.
Editor's Note: Connie Carpenter is in Pruszkow, Poland, covering the Track World Championships for VeloNews.com while supporting her son, Taylor Phinney. Carpenter is a former world champion on the track and an avid fan of track cycling.
Jeff Louder (BMC) and Amber Neben (Nurnberger Shoair) retained their yellow jerseys after the dust settled in bunch sprints for both the men’s and women’s Redlands Downtown Criteriums in Saturday’s stage 2 at the Redlands Cycling Classic. The top five in the men’s GC remained virtually unchanged, while Neben’s advantage over second placed Ina-Yoko Teutenberg (Columbia-High Road) narrowed from 14 seconds to just 2 seconds due to time bonuses.
Denmark relieved Britain of yet another world crown when they won the men's Madison gold at the world track cycling championships in Pruszkow, Poland, Saturday. Australia took the silver with the Czech Republic claiming the bronze. Defending champions Britain, featuring the two-man team of Mark Cavendish and fellow Manxman Peter Kennaugh, finished sixth at a lap down. Kennaugh suffered a crash before the seventh of the 10 sprints where points can be picked up for the first four riders over the line during the 200-lap race.
There’s a commonly held sports adage that says the best way to get better at your chosen activity is to play with people who are better than you. I certainly don’t agree with this in all cases. Hoops with LeBron would only equal thunder dunks in face. I’d probably drown in Michael Phelps’ wake. And clearly Troy Polamalu could rip all our heads off.
Lampre’s Damiano Cunego wrapped up his second Coppi e Bartali title on Saturday despite being beaten in a sprint finish by Cadel Evans (Silence-Lotto) on the fifth and final stage. Evans, the reigning champion, edged out Cunego, also the 2006 winner, and Italian Giovanni Visconti at the end of a 178.5km trek from Scandiano to Sassuolo. The Australian, who finished second overall, had begun the day 28 seconds behind Cunego with Massimo Giunti a further four seconds back.
Besson Chaussures-Sojasun’s Jimmy Casper showed off his strong early season form Saturday, winning the opening stage of France’s Critérium International , a 190km ride from Monthois to Charleville-Mézières. The 30-year-old Casper had already won two stages in Etoile de Bessèges in February. Casper said he was especially pleased to be a member of a small continental squad making a mark on a prestigious race . Casper was quick to praise Christian Prudhomme, the director of cycling at ASO, for having "invited a small team to the Critérium International.”
Filippo Pozzato (Katusha) got the big win he was looking for with victory in the E3 Prijs Harelbeke on Saturday. Considered a preview for next weekend’s Tour of Flanders, the Italian out-kicked Tom Boonen (Quick Step) to win by a bike length. Maxim Iglinskiy (Astana) came in third to round out the podium.
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Youth and wisdom. Four laps pretty much flat out. The kilo is short. Painful. Taylor rode off the track with his head down, I could tell from the stands that he was disappointed. Or as coach Neal said, “he’s stunned.” The former World Champion (2003) Stefan Nimke cranked a 1.00.666 in the ride just before T took to the track. Blazing fast. A sea level world best time. Taylor rode slightly faster than he rode in Copenhagen and set a new American record – but it was a full second behind the German. Deflated, he rolled to the infield to warmdown.
Jeff Louder (BMC) and Amber Neben (Nurnberger Shoair) emerged as the overall race leaders after a tough and windy Beaumont Circuit Race, the first stage of the 2008 Redlands Bicycle Classic on Friday. Louder followed a daring attack by Peter Stetina (Felt-Holoweko-Slipstream) over the day’s final climb, then put enough distance between himself and GC leader Ben Day (Fly V Australia) to snatch the yellow jersey, thanks to the 10-second bonus he snatched for the stage victory.
After winning gold in the 4k individual pursuit, American Taylor Phinney was second in the 1 kilometer time trial at the world track championships in Poland. Phinney rode a 1 01.611, Connie Carpenter told VeloNews in an email. That's about the same time as he did at the Copenhagen world cup last month, but a full second slower than the gold medalist, German Stefan Nimke. Mohd Rizal Tisin made history to hand Malaysia their first ever world championships medal with bronze in a time of 1:01.658.
The Saxo Bank Pro team is switching from Shimano to SRAM Red components, the component company announced Friday. "We are looking forward to racing with SRAM," said team director Bjarne Riis in a statement released by SRAM. “SRAM Red is proven reliable, remains the lightest gruppo available, and delivers perfect ergonomics. SRAM has demonstrated impressive product development, great quality and intense focus, just like our team," Riis said.
There were a few surprises Friday as race organizers released the names of 25 squads that will start Liège-Bastogne-Liège and Flèche Wallonne next month in the Belgian Ardennes. The LPR team of Danilo Di Luca, winner of Liège in 2007, was left out along with Fuji-Servetto, the Spanish ProTour team. Wild-card teams include new Dutch squad Vacansoleil, the Diquigiovanni team of Davide Rebellin, Belgian teams Landbouwkrediet-Colnago and Topsport Vlaanderen-Mercator, Barloworld and Cervélo. Agritubel and Skil-Shimano are also both in.
Nagged by lingering physical problems, Italian veteran Daniele Nardello will retire at the end of this year’s spring classics. The 36-year-old will race in Harelbeke and Brabanconne this weekend as well as the Three Days of De Panne and Tour of Flanders before hanging up the bike for good after Ghent-Wevelgem. “My recovery has been slow from my crash at Tour Down Under,” Nardello said. “And when I didn’t get as fit as I expected at Tirreno-Adriatico, and the stomach virus I suffered at Milan-San Remo, my decision became definitive.”
Ukraine's Yury Metlushenko (Amore e Vita-McDonald's) won a mass sprint finish to claim the fourth stage of the Coppi e Bartali over 162.8km from Massa Finalese to Finale Emilia on Friday. Metlushenko edged out Italian pair Danilo Napolitano (Katusha) and Francesco Chicchi (Liquigas) in the bunch sprint. Former Giro d'Italia winner Damiano Cunego (Lampre-NGC) maintained his grip on the leader's pink jersey ahead of Australian Cadel Evans, who is 28 seconds back, and Italian Massimo Giunti, at 32 seconds.
The cobbled classics in Europe are just around the corner, and ProTour team mechanics are likely to be prepping bikes in the coming weeks. In addition to fitting sturdy wheels, wider tires, and other heavy-duty parts, a common practice involves wrapping the handlebars with two or more layers of bar tape to soften the blows from rough roads.
Price: $120 to $220 Sizes: 140mm to 220mm Web site: www.sibexsports.com New for 2009 from Sibex Sports are titanium disc brake rotors. The rotors are available in eight sizes, between 140mm and 220mm, to meet the specific demands of the disc brake market. The Sibex rotors are made from hardened 6/4 titanium for maximum durability.
Two stage races and two victories, not a bad start to the 2009 season for Levi Leipheimer. The Tour of California champion finished safely in the bunch in Friday’s final stage behind winner Alejandro Valverde (Caisse d’Epargne) to wrap up the overall victory in the five-day stage race across northern Spain.
Amber Neben’s 2008 season could adequately be labeled an emotional roller coaster, full of ups and downs. After months of deliberation by USA Cycling, Neben was named to the squad for the Beijing Olympics (up). Despite her talents in time trialing, she was named to the road race team and left off the Olympic time-trial squad (down). During the Olympic road race Neben made the selection on the final climb (up), only to watch in horror as her chain shifted off of her chain ring, and the lead group sped away (down).
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While American readers saw the big news from this week's UCI world track championships to be Taylor Phinney's victory in the men's individual pursuit, there was plenty of other racing at the velodrome in Pruszkow, Poland, on Thursday, including a return to the boards for recent Milan-San Remo winner, Mark Cavendish.
Editor's Note: Connie Carpenter is in Pruszkow, Poland, covering the Track World Championships for VeloNews.com while supporting her son, Taylor Phinney. Carpenter is a former world champion on the track and an avid fan of track cycling. The beauty of that rainbow jersey — even when it’s a titch too big. The simplicity of the flowers doled out by ladies in red silky dresses. The glory of hearing your own national anthem and watching your flag raised. This is the view from the podium.
Juan José Cobo (Fuji-Servetto) attacked with just under 2km to go to win Thursday’s 145.4km “queen stage” over two first-category climbs at the 24th Vuelta a Castilla y León. Cobo, who started nearly three minutes out of the GC fight, timed it just right to bolt clear of a reduced pack of leaders to win for the first time this season.
Grimaces, frowns and faces of pain abounded during Thursday’s opening prologue at the 2009 Redlands Bicycle Classic. While the 5km journey from downtown Redlands to the top of Sunset Drive wasn’t long, it packed a serious punch in the form of 1000 feet of elevation gain, most of it within the final steep kilometer. The lion’s share of the 350 men and women racers spent the final meters out of the saddle, suffering their way to the summit.
Damiano Cunego won his second stage in a row to take the overall lead in the Coppi e Bartali race following Thursday's 163.4km fourth stage from Borgo San Lorenzo to Serramazzoni. The Lampre rider outsprinted Australian Cadel Evans to take the leader's pink jersey from Italian countryman Giovanni Visconti. The day's racing was marked by a break from Kanstantin Siutsou, Felix Cardenas and Enrico Rossi but they were caught 10km from home. With 1km left Evans made a bid for home on a steep climb but Cunego caught him and pipped him to the post.
The USA Cycling National Development Team's Cole House of Oneida, Wisconsin, won the 130km G.P. Waregem in Belgium Wednesday. Cole also is a member of the U23 BMC team. Around 50 kilometers into the UCI 1.12 race, the 20-year-old joined a 20-rider breakaway. With his teammates Austin Carroll and Taylor Shelden helping control a chase group, House's group stayed out front through several climbs and cobblestone sections. In the final kilometers House outsprinted the remaining 15 riders.
Editor's Note: Rebecca Rusch is competing in South Africa's Absa Cape Epic stage race on a Mixed team with fellow American Matthew Weatherley-White. Rusch, a two-time 24-hour mountain biking world champion, is sharing her daily diaries with VeloNews readers. This stage was reported to be an “easy” day. We are tired, bruised and the effects of this many days of racing are starting to show. Matthew and I are both feeling fine, but the legs are sore and the 5 am wake up call is taking its’ toll on me!
Teenage track sensation Taylor Phinney struck gold in the men's pursuit to end the United States' 16-year wait for the title at the world track cycling championships Thursday. Phinney, who turns 19 on June 27, fulfilled pre-race predictions to overcome a strong challenge from Australian Jack Bobridge, who finished second. Belgian Dominique Cornu won bronze after beating Volodymyr Dyudya. With 2008 world and Olympic champion Bradley Wiggins not competing, the way was open for the likes of Phinney, considered the new sensation of American cycling, to strike gold.
Carlos Sastre clipped out of his pedals following a time trial performance Tuesday at the Vuelta a Castilla y León that might have caused concern among certain quarters. While Levi Leipheimer and Alberto Contador roared to a one-two sweep in the 28.2km race of truth, Sastre was a lowly 36th at 2:32 off the pace, hardly what one would expect from the defending Tour de France champion. “Tranquilo, todo tranquilo,” Sastre said as he stopped to sign two quick autographs and disappear into a small, Cervélo TestTeam camper van. “Everything’s fine.”
The British team that has dominated track cycling at the Olympics and worlds competition in past years is set to redress the gold medals balance Thursday after missing out on victory four times on the opening day of the world championships in Pruszkow, Poland. Great Britain, which won seven of ten titles on offer at the Beijing Olympics last year, have so far lived up to claims of taking a relaxed approach to a gradual build-up to the London Olympics in 2012.
Editor's Note: Connie Carpenter is in Pruszkow, Poland, covering the Track World Championships for VeloNews.com while supporting her son, Taylor Phinney. Carpenter is a former world champion on the track and an avid fan of track cycling. Big surprises on the opening night! Yes!
Lithuanian Simona Krupeckaite won the women's 500 meter time trial in a record time of 33.296 at the world track cycling championships on Wednesday in Pruszkow, Poland Krupeckaite started second from last in the 23-strong field and powered over the two-lap event to beat the early pacesetter, Australian Anna Meares, into second place for the silver medal. In doing so Krupeckaite beat Meares' world record of 33.588, set at the 2007 world championships in Palma de Mallorca. Britain's reigning Olympic sprint champion, Victoria Pendleton, took the bronze medal in 34.102.
Former Giro d'Italia winner Damiano Cunego (Lampre) won the second stage of the Settimana Internazionale di Coppi e Bartali–Trofeo UniCredit Banca on Wednesday. Cunego edged out Colombian Jose Serpa (Serramenti PVC Diquigiovanni) in the 182.1km leg from San Lazzaro to Faenza, with third place going to Giovanni Visconti (ISD), the new overall leader. A group of nine riders broke clear on the Monte Trebbo before Cunego and Serpa separated themselves from the rest and the Italian easily took the sprint finish.
Quick Step clicked its classics program into gear Wednesday with victory by Kevin Van Impe in the 64th Dwars door Vlaanderen. Van Impe, 27, out-kicked fellow escapee Nico Eeckhout (An Post), to claim the Belgian semi-classic. The pair jumped with about 20km to go in the 200km semi-classic from Roeselare to Waregem that featured 12 climbs, including the Oude Kwaremount and several sections of cobbles, that served up as a nice appetizer for rougher things to come in the weeks ahead.
Former Austrian ski coach Walter Mayer has been remanded in custody following his arrest on Sunday on suspicion of dealing in doping substances, a Vienna court announced Wednesday. Mayer, 52, who was involved in a doping scandal at the 2006 Turin Olympics, is suspected of obtaining and providing illegal doping substances, including the banned blood booster EPO. An Austrian cyclist, Christof Kerschbaum, 32, was also arrested as part of the investigation but released on Tuesday after being held in provisional detention for 11 days.
Price: $11.75 Sizes: 2 ounces Web site: www.dumondetech.com New from Dumonde Tech, G10 Bio-Green, a 100 percent plant-based and biodegradable chain lube made entirely from plant, vegetable, or seed oil. G10 Bio-Green is currently available in a 2-ounce bottle, and eventually in 1- and 4-ounce sizes.
Price: $5,200 Weight: 26.5 pounds Sizes: 15.5, 17, 19, and 21-inch Colors: Black Web site: www.diamondback.com New from Diamondback is the five-inch travel, 26.5-pound Sortie Black trail bike. Diamondback introduced its Knuckle Box suspension platform a few years ago with the six-inch travel Mission, and then scaled down to the four-inch travel Sortie last year. Understanding the need to find a happy medium, Diamondback designed the 2009 Sortie for five inches of travel.
Alejandro Valverde (Caisse d’Epargne) sprinted to his first victory of the 2009 season in Wednesday’s third stage at the Vuelta a Castilla y León. Levi Leipheimer (Astana) crossed safely with the pack in the second-category summit finish at the San Isidro ski area to retain the overall leader’s jersey he claimed after winning Tuesday’s individual time trial.
Levi Leipheimer roared to victory in the name of Lance Armstrong a day after the seven-time Tour de France champion crashed out of the Vuelta a Castilla y León in northern Spain. Leipheimer topped Astana teammate Alberto Contador in a windy, flat 28.2km individual time trial Tuesday by 16 seconds to win in his European season debut.
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Lance Armstrong will undergo surgery Wednesday to stabilize the collarbone fracture he suffered Monday in a crash during the first stage of Spain’s Vuelta a Castilla y León. Upon returning to the United States Tuesday, Armstrong sought the advice of orthopedic surgeon Douglas Elenz who outlined the risks and benefits of inserting a plate to stabilize his mid-shaft clavicle fracture. X-rays taken in Austin showed that Armstrong’s right clavicle was more seriously damaged than indicated by films taken in a Spanish hospital.
Dear Lennard, I am considering storing my new full suspension bike using a vertical type rack that stores a single bike hanging vertically from the wheel. I was wondering if that could cause any damage to either suspension, front or rear. Does it make sense to hang the bike from the rear wheel? Nir Dear Nir, Hanging it from the front or rear wheel will not hurt it unless either of your shocks leak oil through the upper seals. In that case, hanging it could still be a good thing, because it will alert you to the problem and motivate you to fix it. Lennard
The list of past champions of the Redlands Bicycle Classic reads like a who’s who of American cycling. Thurlow Rogers, who still puts the hurt on SoCal masters and pros, took the inaugural title back in 1985, one year after finishing sixth in the Olympics.
Editor's Note: Rebecca Rusch is competing in South Africa's Absa Cape Epic stage race on a Mixed team with fellow American Matthew Weatherley-White. Rusch, a two-time 24-hour mountain biking world champion, is sharing her daily diaries with VeloNews readers. Absa Cape Epic, Stage 3
After several years of trying to make a breakthrough on the domestic cross-country racing circuit, mountain biker Ross Schnell needed just one event last season to launch his career in a new direction. Schnell’s 2008 win in California's legendary all-mountain race, the Downieville Classic, catapulted him to almost instant widespread fame in both cross-country and downhill circles.
Austrian cyclist Christof Kerschbaum, who was provisionally detained as part of an investigation into the trafficking of doping products, has been released, a judiciary source revealed on Tuesday. The former coach of the Austrian Nordic skiing team, Walter Mayer, was arrested on suspicion of involvement in the case on Monday and is still in custody. A spokesman for prosecutors said all the people suspected of trafficking doping products had been questioned.
Danilo Napolitano (Team Katusha) took a bunch sprint to win Tuesday’s kickoff to the 2009 Settimana Internazionale di Coppi e Bartali–Trofeo UniCredit Banca. Napolitano took the 81.2km stage 1a in Riccione in 1:58, trailed by Marko Kump (Adria Mobile) and Enrico Rossi (Ceramica Flaminia), who finished in the same time. In the afternoon’s stage 1b, a team time trial, ISD emerged triumphant, covering the 14.3km course in 17:17. Miche-Silver Cross-Selle Italia was second at 17 seconds with CSF Group Navigare third at 19 seconds.
Track powerhouses Britain will be without a host of big names as the four-year cycle towards the London Olympics in 2012 clicks into gear at the world championships in Poland this week. Britain claimed an astonishing seven of the ten track gold medals on offer at the Beijing Olympics last year but will be without three of the stars who, in Beijing, won six golds between them.
Lance Armstrong’s broken right collarbone won’t keep him out of the Tour de France, but being competitive in time for the May 9 start of the Giro d’Italia remains a major question mark. Whether Armstrong can recover in time to start July’s Tour is not a major concern for Astana team manager Johan Bruyneel, but he’s not so sure about the Giro with the start in Venice just six weeks away.
It’s official: Tyler Farrar will miss this year’s northern classics. The bad news was confirmed by doctors Sunday, who diagnosed an acromioclavicular (AC) separation in Farrar’s right shoulder resulting from his crash in the 100th Milan-San Remo. “It’s not severe enough to require surgery, nothing is broken,” Farrar told VeloNews by telephone. “It’s not that bad of an injury, it’s just bad enough that you couldn’t race a cobblestone classic. It’s just an inconvenient timing.”
Monumental. The night before a race, the last thing I do before I climb into bed is to prepare my bag for the next day. Each rider has a suitcase and a race bag. The suitcase travels to the finish in the team truck and we carry the race bag, which holds everything we’ll need for the day, in the bus on the way to the start. With everything ready to go, tucked in bed, I look over the race book one last time before closing my eyes.
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Morgan Chedhomme (Auber 93) won the prologue to the Tour de Normandie on Monday. The 22-year-old Frenchman covered the 5.1km course in Mondeville in 6:20, four seconds faster than Thomas Berkhout (Rabobank) and five better than Frederik Wilman (Joker-Bianchi). His average speed was more than 48 km/h. Tuesday’s second stage takes the 130 riders from Colombelles to Forges-les-Eaux.
Very few people will be talking about the biggest win of Joaquín Sobrino’s career. The Burgos Monumental rider sped to victory in the opening stage of the Vuelta a Castilla y León, but the world’s media were focused on the crash involving Lance Armstrong (Astana) with about 15km to go. The seven-time Tour de France winner went down in a nasty pileup as the peloton was completing its chase of a four-man breakaway and left the race in an ambulance (see main story).
After a relative lull in mid-March, with the European racing schedule dominated by two big races (Paris-Nice and Tirreno-Adriatico) and the first classic of the season with Milan-San Remo, the peloton is making up for lost time. There are major races this week in Spain, Belgium and Italy and the women’s World Cup begins in Switzerland. There’s a lot to cover, so let’s jump right in:
Lance Armstrong crashed hard in Monday’s opening stage of the Vuelta a Castilla y León and was transported by ambulance to a hospital in nearby Palencia, Spain. Race organizers and the Astana team doctor confirmed that the seven-time Tour de France champion had broken his right collarbone after Armstrong underwent an X-ray at a hospital in the city of Valladolid. “Lance suffered a fracture of the middle third of the right collarbone as well as some bruises on his right hip and arm,” said team doctor Pedro Celaya, who was with Armstrong at the hospital.
Fly V Australia's Ben Day turned a blistering opening time trial performance into an overall victory at the three-day San Dimas Stage Race in California this weekend. Day's teammate Jonathan Cantwell won the final stage criterium, ahead of Colavita's Lucas Haedo and OUCH-Maxxis' John Murphy. Team Type 1's Shawn Milne added to Team Type 1’s polka dot jersey collection by winning the King of the Mountains classification.
An unnamed cyclist and former Austrian Nordic ski coach Walter Mayer, who was involved in the 2006 Turin Olympics doping scandal, have been arrested in connection with new doping allegations, Vienna prosecutors said Monday. Mayer, who was arrested Sunday, is suspected of having provided a top Austrian cyclist with the banned blood booster EPO, prosecution spokesman Gerhard Jarosch said. The cyclist, who has not been named, was arrested on March 13 for trafficking.
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Stuart O'Grady, who was injured in a fall during Milan-San Remo on Saturday, will be forced to skip the Spring Classics, his Saxo Bank team said Sunday. The 35-year-old Australian fractured his right collarbone and has broken a rib. He also suffered bruising between the lungs and the ribs. "It is extremely sad to see the Classics disappear because of a crash," O'Grady said. "The past several months of hard work had a purpose and focus – the classics and especially Paris-Roubaix. Now I've seen it all crumble, but hopefully I'll get the opportunity to come back later."
Alberto Contador has downplayed the significance of his first race alongside new Astana teammate Lance Armstrong in the Vuelta a Castilla y León that gets underway on Monday. The pair will be joined by 2009 Tour of California winner Levi Leipheimer, but Contador rejected suggestions the race would be a dry-run for this summer's Tour de France. "It's a coincidence (that we're racing together), but it will help us see how things go in a race," he said on his personal website.