Race leader Alejandro Valverde and his Caisse d’Epargne team declared an unofficial rest day as Lars Boom (Rabobank) won stage 15 out of a 13-rider break. Boom attacked a large breakaway on the second of two trips up the Category 2 Alto de San Jeronimo and soloed in for the victory more than 90 seconds ahead of David Herrero (Xacobeo Galicia) with Dominik Roels (Milram) third. "This is something special and important because it is a major tour," Boom said.
Yuri Metlushenko never stuck his nose in the breeze on Sunday — until the 200 meters when it mattered the most. The powerful Ukrainian sprinter capped a perfect weekend for his Amore & Vita-Detweiler Hershey & Associates team, winning his second consecutive Univest Criterium in a field sprint. With the victory, Amore and Vita completed a sweep of the Univest Grand Prix’s three events.
Damiano Cunego’s second stage victory at this year’s Vuelta a España shows he’ll be one of the riders to beat at the world championships later this month at Mendrisio. His dramatic win up the steep La Pandera climb ahead of Jakob Fuglsang (Saxo Bank) only fuels his ambitions ahead of the worlds. “The worlds is the top goal for me and the Vuelta is ideal preparation,” Cunego said. “These victories at the Vuelta confirm that I am enjoying good form right now and I will carry that into the worlds.”
American Tejay van Garderen wrapped up an excellent Tour de l’Avenir with second place overall in the nine-stage U23 race across northern France. Despite a challenging circuit in Besançon in Sunday’s final stage, there was no shaking race winner Romain Sicard (France A). Dutch rider Van Winden won the stage. Van Garderen’s second overall was the best U.S. result at the prestigious Avenir race since Kevin Livingston was second to Frenchman Laurent Roux in 1997.
Dutch rider Marianne Vos clinched the overall title in the women’s World Cup after finishing sixth in the season finale at the Tour de Nuremberg. Compatriot Kirsten Wild won the sprint and Vos only needed to finish with the favorites to lock up her second World Cup crown of her career. The 26-year-old Wild won the 129km race ahead of Rochelle Gilmore, with Germany’s Ina-Yoko Teutenberg crossing the line third. Emma Johannson was the only threatening rider to Vos, but couldn’t get ahead of Vos and crossed the line 13th to finish second overall in World Cup points.
Australia's Chris Sutton surrendered the yellow jersey at the end of the second stage of the Tour of Britain on Sunday but still insisted his weekend could not have gone any better. The Garmin-Slipstream rider followed-up his first stage win with ninth place on day two from Darlington to Gateshead as Dutchman Kai Reus (Rabobank), a former junior world champion, won his first stage since a 2007 crash that left him in a coma. Reus' comfortable nine-second margin of victory was enough to earn him yellow and Sydney's Sutton admitted his opening exploits in York had taken their toll.
Damiano Cunego (Lampre) collected his second win of the 2009 Vuelta a España on Sunday atop the Alto Sierra de la Pandera. Cunego jumped away from a crumbling nine-man break to climb the Pandera alone to victory as the battle for the overall was fought behind him. Fellow breakaway Jacob Fuglsang (Saxo Bank) hung on for second at 2:23, with a resurgent Samuel Sanchez (Euskaltel-Euskadi) third at 3:08.
Francesco Chicchi (Liquigas) came from behind on Saturday to win a bunch sprint in stage 6 of the Tour of Missouri, sweeping around Thor Hushovd (Cervelo) and Lucas Sebastian Haedo (Colavita) in the final meters to win a Missouri stage for the second year in a row. Garmin-Slipstream's Dave Zabriskie "rode a wave of attacks" to preserve his overall lead headed into what race organizers promise is a difficult final stage on Sunday in Kansas City.
Cadel Evans just can’t seem to catch a break this season. The Australian’s chances of overall victory were torpedoed Saturday with an ill-timed puncture near the top of the decisive Alto de Monachil climb late in the five-climb 13th stage. Confusion over a wheel change cost Evans critical seconds and he lost contact with the top GC rivals just as the leaders were nearing the final charge up to the summit finish at Sierra Nevada.
America’s Tejay van Garderen narrowly missed victory in Saturday’s individual time trial at the Tour de l’Avenir, finishing second on the stage en route to climbing into second place overall. Race leader Romain Sicard (France A) confirmed his grip on the overall with a narrow, three-second victory in the 27km time trial course in Ornans. Russian rider Timofey Kritskiy, who started the day second, crashed out of the race with a broken leg and other serious cuts.
Matthew Goss (Saxo Bank) proved fastest in a bunch sprint on Saturday to win the 217.6km Paris-Brussels. The Australian crossed ahead of compatriot Allan Davis (Quick Step) and Belgium's Kristof Goddaert (Topsport Vlaanderen) to take the victory in the 89th annual classic. It was the 23-year-old Goss's fifth win of the season and his third in Belgium after two stage triumphs on the Tour de Wallonie during the summer. "It was a difficult sprint especially towards the end when it was vital not to go too early," said Goss.
Australia's Chris Sutton (Garmin-Slipstream) sealed the biggest win of his career by claiming the first stage of the Tour of Britain with a sprint finish victory in York on Saturday. Sutton, the nephew of British track cycling coach Shane Sutton, held off Barloworld's Michel Merlo and home riders Ben Swift and Russell Downing following a 172km stage from Scunthorpe to Newcastlegateshead. And he paid tribute to Garmin teammate Bradley Wiggins, fourth in the Tour de France earlier this year, for his stellar lead-out efforts.
David Moncoutie (Cofidis) padded his lead in the mountains competition by winning stage 13 of the 2009 Vuelta a Espana on Saturday. The mountains leader was the lone survivor of a break that formed up on the day’s first climb, and he set about taking the points on each of the next four categorized ascents before finally riding off the front of the crumbling break to solo in for the victory at the ski resort of Sierra Nevada, above the city of Granada.
After four days of racing that left the first two riders tied and the first 85 riders within one minute of the leader, the 2009 Tour of Missouri finally took shape Friday in the stage 5 time trial. Garmin-Slipstream's David Zabriskie demolished the field, taking the stage victory and the yellow jersey on the same day his teammate Ryder Hesjedal took a historic stage win at the Vuelta a Espana.
Tom Danielson is licking his lips ahead of Saturday’s decisive climbing stage to Sierra Nevada in the 13th stage at the Vuelta a España. The route will retrace some of the roads over the Cat. 1 Alto de Monachil where he attacked three years ago to claim his biggest win of his career into Granada during the 2006 Vuelta. Danielson has twice finished in the top 10 at the Vuelta, but is now poised to make a run for the final podium — or perhaps even more.
Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin-Slipstream) made history Friday when he became the first Canadian to win a stage at the Vuelta a España. Hesjedal also delivered Garmin’s second consecutive stage victory at the Vuelta with a gutsy late-stage performance up the grueling Velefique climb. Hesjedal spoke exclusively to VeloNews following his emotional stage victory. Here are excerpts from his post-stage reaction: VeloNews: Describe your feelings coming across the line.
There were no major shakeups in the Tour de l’Avenir on Friday and America’s Tejay van Garderen and Peter Stetina remained securely in the top 10 going into Saturday’s decisive individual time trial. The Colombian team tried to shake things up, putting two riders into the day’s main breakaway in the 182.5km run from Gérardmer to Ornans. The pack came back together for the bunch sprint, and German rider Andreas Stauff out-kicked Russian Timofey Kritskiy to take the flowers.
Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin-Slipstream) launched a desperate, last-ditch attack in the final meters to win the 12th stage of the 2009 Vuelta a España atop the Alto de Velefique on Friday.
JJ Haedo (Saxo Bank) took the yellow jersey in the 2009 Tour of Missouri on Thursday after winning a tough uphill sprint against race leader Thor Hushovd (Cervélo TestTeam) on the “capital wall” in Jefferson City. It was another mass dash after the peloton gobbled up a four-man break — Bernard Van Ulden (Jelly Belly), Bradley White (OUCH-Maxxis), Michael Creed (Team Type 1) and Jeff Louder (BMC) — as they began the first of three circuits around the Missouri Capitol.
Throughout his long career on the road and mountain bike circuits, some of the Canadian’s best performances have come in September. Part of that is purely coincidental, especially since some of mountain biking’s biggest events (World Cup finals and worlds) often fell in September. But there’s no denying the tall, all-rounder from western Canada seems to rise to the top when the leaves start falling.
Americans Tejay van Garderen and Peter Stetina confirmed their places in the top 10 overall after Thursday’s summit finish at the Tour de l’Avenir. Russian rider Timofey Kritskiy won the 146km sixth stage from Chateau-Salins to Gérardmer, just ahead of new leader Romain Sicard of France, in a race that features young talent and is contested by national teams. Sicard started the day just one second behind compatriot Julién Bérard, who fell from first to fourth at 2:12 back.
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Thor Hushovd took advantage of a difficult final 2km and a tired Columbia-HTC team on Wednesday's third stage of the Tour of Missouri to take his first stage win and the overall lead.
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Tyler Farrar got the monkey off Garmin-Slipstream’s back. After a string of close calls, with no less than nine second places in grand tours in 2009, including second by Ryder Hesjedal in Tuesday’s 10th stage, Farrar was first across the line in a major three-week race in Wednesday 11th stage at the Vuelta a España. It’s an important milestone for both Farrar and Garmin.
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America’s Tejay van Garderen slotted into the top 10 on Wednesday at the Tour de l’Avenir after sneaking into the day’s winning breakaway. Van Garderen was among 13 riders to attack early in the hilly, four-climb stage across the French Ardennes in the 166.5km fifth stage. Spanish rider Jonathan Castroviejo won out of the break and Van Garderen came across the line seventh with the same time. Overnight leader Julién Bérard retained his leader’s jersey he’s worn since stage 1 after finishing safely in the main pack, which crossed the line nine seconds in arrears.
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Tyler Farrar (Garmin-Slipstream) finally got his stage win on Wednesday at the 2009 Vuelta a Espana. It was a desperately long sprint for the American, racing in his third grand tour of the year. And he had to fight his way back to the lead group to do it, having been dropped on the final climb of the day, the Cat. 2 Alto Campo de San Juan. But Farrar gutted it out to take his first victory in a grand tour, crossing just ahead of Philippe Gilbert (Silence-Lotto) and Marco Marcato (Vacansoleil).
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Race leader Mark Cavendish (Columbia-HTC) rocketed past Cervélo's Thor Hushovd on Tuesday to win stage 2 of the 2009 Tour of Missouri. It was another chaotic finale as ProTour and domestic teams butted heads in Cape Girardeau, battling to set up their sprinters in the final miles of the 112.3-mile ride from St. Genevieve. No matter. Cav' simply attached himself to Hushovd's wheel when the Cervélo man made his dash for the line, then shot past for his second consecutive win in this year's tour. The Norwegian hung on for second with Saxo Bank's J.J. Haedo third.
Garmin-Slipstream is still waiting for that elusive individual grand tour stage victory, but no one can criticize the U.S.-registered team for a lack of trying. With second to Simon Gerrans in Tuesday’s 10th stage, Canadian Ryder Hesjedal once again put the argyle jersey at the sharp end of the action at the Vuelta a España. The squad won the team time trial at the 2008 Giro d’Italia in its grand tour debut, but has since come enticingly close to a major stage win at the grand tours in two seasons at the elite level of the sport.
It was a close call for America’s Peter Stetina, who crossed the line second in Tuesday’s fourth stage at the Tour de l’Avenir and bounced into the top 10 overall. Denmark’s Troels Vinther won with a late attack that included Stetina and another rider. Vinther sprung his winning move in the final kilometer, gapping Stetina to claim the win by seven seconds. The main pack roared across the line 11 seconds slower, with French rider Julién Bérard retaining the overall lead that he’s held since an opening stage breakaway.
Simon Gerrans (Cervélo TestTeam) wasn’t included in this year’s Tour de France, but he proved to his team that he can be counted on to win in big-time races. The Aussie played it smart to take a four-up sprint out of the day’s winning 19-man breakaway to win stage 10 of the Vuelta a España on Tuesday. The win gave Gerrans a victory in every grand tour (with stage wins in last year’s Tour and this year’s Giro d’Italia) and gave his Cervélo squad a stage victory in all three grand tours in its rookie season.
Longtime criterium stalwart Frank Travieso (Championship Porsche) scored the biggest victory of his career Monday in Marietta, Georgia, by winning the 2009 edition of the US 100K Classic. The Cuban-born rider leapt out of the slipstream of Team Type 1’s Aldo Ino Ilesic at the tail end of a blistering 90 kph downhill sprint just in time to come around the Slovenian and take his first NRC title. Jake Keough (Kelly Benefit Strategies), who still holds the lead in the USA CRITS Series, was third.
Mark Cavendish (Columbia-HTC) survived a chaotic finale to win stage 1 of the 2009 Tour of Missouri on Monday in St. Louis. Cavendish's train was derailed in the final kilometer, and a pair of crashes threw additional monkey wrenches into the works, but he managed to close the deal anyway, finishing ahead of J.J. Haedo (Saxo Bank) and Thor Hushovd (Cervélo TestTeam).
America’s Alex Howes was one of the main protagonists in Monday’s 189km third stage at the Tour de l’Avenir. Howes snuck into the day’s main breakaway, which built up a menacing lead and put pressure on the French team to work hard to neutralize the dangerous escape.
A heavy Spanish accent was back on the Vuelta a España in Monday’s wild and unpredictable seven-climb stage from Alcoy to Xorret de Catí. After a week of stages dominated by non-Spanish riders, Gustavo Cesar Veloso (Xacobeo-Galicia) found himself the sole survivor of a daylong breakaway that tore itself to shreds on the final obstacle, the Category 1 Alto Xorret de Cati at 185.6km. Veloso became the first Spanish winner so far in the 64th Vuelta, having just enough in the tank to fend off the fast-chasing GC favorites.
Messe Friedrichshafen is the name of the group of massive exposition halls in which Eurobike takes place. Each hall is about the size of an airplane hangar, and there are 14 of them, including a center courtyard and several side wings. It boggles the mind to see so many bicycles on display in one place. Each of the halls has a number and letter (e.g., A7) and each booth has a number. Finding individual booths can be hard, but fortunately most exhibitors are roughly grouped by the type of gear they are showing, country of origin or some other characteristic.
Another French rider won at the Tour de l’Avenir, taking a bunch sprint in Sunday’s second stage. Jean-Lou Paiani (France B) was first across the line in the 138km stage from Dreux to Tourville-la-Campagne, outkicking European U-23 champion Kris Boeckmans (Belgium). Compatriot Julien Bérard, winner of Saturday’s opener, retained the overall leader’s jersey in the nine-day race across France.
Damiano Cunego (Lampre) won stage 8 of the Vuelta a España on Sunday, a mountainous, six-hour slog that ended atop the fog-shrouded categoría especial Alto de Aitana. Cunego shot out of an elite group of contenders to overhaul David Moncoutie (Cofidis) in the final kilometer of the 204.7km stage. The Frenchman hung on to take second with Robert Gesink (Rabobank) third. It was a big boost for Cunego, who has been criticized in Italy for his inability to live up to his promising Giro d’Italia victory in 2004.
Fabian Cancellara (Saxo Bank) proved he’s on track to add another gold medal to his growing collection with another superb time trial victory Saturday in the rain in Valencia. With the world championships on home roads less than three weeks away, the big Swiss time machine slogged through a rain-slickened course to claim his second win in a week at the Vuelta a España and regain the golden race leader’s jersey.
Editor's note: For detailed reports on the cross-country events, including exclusive interviews with the Americans and other racers, check out singletrack.com. Swiss Nino Schurter upstaged four-time world and reigning Olympic champion Julien Absalon of France to win the world cross-country championship. American Willow Koerber finished third in the women's event, behind Russian winner Irina Kalentieva and Lene Byberg of Norway.
This week the Danish newspaper / Web site Ekstra Bladetran published an article in which physiologist Jakob Mørkeberg examined Lance Armstrong's Tour de France blood samples and said they might indicate a blood doping program.
Without a doubt, the cycling industry brings its “A” game to Eurobike in Freidrichshafen, Germany, each year. While the week-long Interbike show represents the American trade show scene, Eurobike elevates the entire game with larger booths, larger halls, and larger crowds that have no problem filling vast aisles. It's a bonanza for bike tech hounds sniffing out new and exotic stuff.
They wanted the win on home roads, but Dutch-backed Vacansoleil are still tickled pink to have a stage victory at the Vuelta a España from Slovenian ace Borut Bozic in Friday’s 175.8km wild ride into Xátiva in the sixth stage. With temperatures pushing 100F, the 28-year-old unleashed a long sprint to upset the favorites and give his underdog team a huge boost in its quest to earn an at-large bid to next year’s Tour de France, which, like this year’s Vuelta, also starts in Holland.
Australians Jared Graves and Caroline Buchanan claimed a golden double in the four-cross events at the UCI world mountain bike championships in Canberra, Australia Friday. Americans Jill Kintner and Melissa Buhl took silver and bronze, respectively, in the women's four-cross behind Buchanan. Graves and Buchanan won Australia's first medals of the championships after each went through the night session undefeated before holding firm in the medal round to claim gold at Stromlo Forest Park.
Eurobike 2009 is as big as ever. Occupying more than ten huge halls, the show dwarfs almost anything in the industry for size, scope, and attendance. Many European brands produce goods not even distributed in the United States, so for now we’ll focus on what looks good, what’s new, and what could be hot for 2010.
Singletrack.com's Zack Vestal made the long journey to Friedrichshafen, Germany to report from Eurobike. This is his first dispatch from Euro-Land. Take a look at what's hot. And keep coming back, because Zack is working overtime over there.
Reigning Olympic champion Samuel Sánchez says he doesn’t expect to, but still believes he can win the Vuelta a España. That’s how Sánchez assesses things after nearly a week of racing in the Vuelta, sitting 65th at 1:09 back. “Right now I don’t see myself winning, but I know that I am capable of doing it,” Sánchez said. “It’s the same thing as trying to finish in the top 10 at the Tour; it’s one thing to think but it’s altogether something else to actually do it.”
André Greipel (Columbia-HTC) made it look easy in Thursday’s 174km fifth stage at the Vuelta a España, winning his second consecutive stage and bouncing into the race leader’s golden jersey thanks to finish-line bonuses. Wearing the green points jersey, “André the Giant” came off Tom Boonen’s wheel with 100 meters to go at the end of frenetic final 10km to catapult into the double, with the stage win and leader’s jersey to assure plenty of podium time.
In terms of roadside spectators, the opening four stages of the 64th Vuelta a España through The Netherlands and Belgium were a huge success.. “Just like the Tour de France,” some of the riders said. But the interest in North America has been minimal, at best, even though the top U.S teams Columbia-HTC and Garmin-Slipstream are taking part.
Eurobike 2009 is as big as ever. Occupying more than ten huge halls, the show dwarfs almost anything in the industry for size, scope and attendance.
Many European brands produce goods not even distributed in the United States, so for now we’ll focus on what looks good, what’s new, and what could be hot for 2010.
Assos
Swiss clothing company Assos is well known for high quality, form fit, and function. With a new product range called Mille, Assos aims to fill a niche in its line for riders who want the function with a more forgiving fit. [nid:97355]
Retail price: $3995.00 frameset. Complete bikes available with Campagnolo Super Record or Record, SRAM Red, or Shimano Dura Ace. Web site: pantanibikes.it Sales of Pantani bikes benefit the ONLUS foundation, formed by the family of the late Marco Pantani to promote his legacy and support sports programs for troubled youth.
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Chris Horner was among the major victims of a horrible high-speed crash Tuesday as scores of riders crashed near the end of the rainy fourth stage at the Vuelta a España. The Astana captain hit the deck with dozens of riders in a pile-up caused by a narrow run through a rain-slickened traffic circle within the 3km-to-go banner. The team later announced that Horner had broken his left hand and would leave the Vuelta.
André Greipel doesn’t think there should be an asterisk next to his victory in Tuesday’s stage at the crash-marred finale at the Vuelta a España. Greipel was only one of six riders to make it past a horrible accident that wiped out nearly all of the major sprinters, including Tyler Farrar (Garmin-Slipstream) and Tom Boonen (Quick Step).
Columbia HTC's Andre Greipel scored a stage win Tuesday at the Vuelta a Espana, on long, rainy stage — 225.5km from Venlo, in the Netherlands, to Liege in Belgium. Greipel beat Belgian Wouter Weylandt (Quick Step) and his German Columbia teammates Bert Grabsch and Marcel Sieberg to the line just moments after more than 40 riders, including overall leader Fabian Cancellara of Switzerland, suffered a huge pile-up just 2.6km from the finish.[nid:97319]
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Garmin is introducing a new GPS-enabled cycling computer that the company says is smaller and lighter than its predecessors, has longer battery life and a more secure mounting system.
With both trade show season and cyclocross season just around the corner, the cycling industry is gearing up for what feels like an unprecedented onslaught of new products and technological developments. Here are just a few that we’re keeping tabs on, based on press releases pouring in the door. Look for more in the days to come, as we cover the Eurobike and Interbike trade shows, plus product intros from companies large and small.
Perhaps it’s no mistake that Greg Henderson’s biggest road win of his career comes in the Vuelta a España. Monday’s stage-3 sprint victory for the 32-year-old Henderson caps a breakthrough season that’s also included major victories on Spanish roads, at the Clásica de Almería, the Vuelta a Murcia and the Volta a Catalunya. Holland isn’t quite Spain, but it is still the Vuelta a España despite its popular start in Benelux.
Planet Energy’s Keven Lacombe emerged from a stacked field of sprinters to win Sunday’s Chris Thater Memorial, coming to the line ahead of Lucas Sebastian Haedo (Colavita-Sutter Home) and Yosvany Falcon (Champion Porsche). In Saturday's women's race, Team Tibco's Brooke Miller outsprinted Theresa Cliff_rayn (Verducci) and Tina Pic (Colavita-Sutter Home) for the win. The race was both a National Racing Calendar event and a round of the USA Crits series.