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Valverde seizes lead in Vuelta
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.
Young Guns: Columbia-HTC for 2010
You may not recognize many of the new names on the Columbia-HTC 2010 squad, but take note, says team owner Bob Stapleton, as they will likely be big names in the near future. Among the 10 new riders on the men’s roster, eight are under 25. They are: twin brothers Peter and Martin Velits, 24, Slovakia Matt Goss, 23, Australia Patrick Gretsch, 22, Germany Tejay Van Garderen, 21, USA Jan Ghyselinck, 20, Belgium Rasmus Guldhammer, 20, Denmark Leigh Howard, 20, Australia
Tour of Missouri draws top-notch field
Defending champion Christian Vande Velde (Garmin-Slipstream) will be joined by three Olympic medalists, 18 current or former national champions and 10 Tour de France stage winners when the Tour of Missouri rolls out for stage 1 on Monday in St. Louis.
Eurobike: The Italians are coming!
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.
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French keep grip on Tour de l’Avenir
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.
Worlds Wrapped Up: US Medals in DH, UK’s Peat Grabs Gold
Kathy Pruitt gave the United States its fourth and final medal at the 2009 Mountain Bike World Championships in Canberra, Australia.
Cunego conquers Alto de Aitana, Evans leads
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.
Peat finally grabs the gold
Editor's note: For detailed reports on the gravity events, including exclusive interviews with the Americans and other racers, check out singletrack.com. British veteran Steve Peat finally overcame a second-place jinx to win the elite men's downhill event on the final day at the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships at Stromlo Forest Park on Sunday in Canberra. Peat, 35, has four times been a runner-up but on Sunday finally experienced the thrill of donning the rainbow jersey as world champion.
Source: Contador still fielding offers
Two-time Tour de France champion Alberto Contador, under contract with Astana until 2010, has received offers from Garmin, Caisse d'Epargne and Quick Step as well as a proposed contract extension from Astana, a source close to the rider said Saturday. The proposal from Caisse d'Epargne, which is home to several other Spanish riders including Alejandro Valverde, is the most attractive for Contador, the source told AFP. Jonathan Vaughters, CEO of the Garmin team’s management company, Slipstream Sports, has said that the team had only considered making an offer.
Tour de l’Avenir – French draw first blood
The French drew first blood in the opening stage of the Tour de l’Avenir, which clicked into gear Saturday with a 130km circuit course in Dreux. Julien Bérard (France B) won the stage ahead of compatriot Romain Sicard (France B) and grabbed the leader’s jersey. The two riders stayed clear in an all-day breakaway that pulled clear just seven kilometers into the stage. The main pack, with five of the six starting Americans, roared across the line at 1:29 back, led by Dutch rider Dennis van Winden.