Category — Cycling News

Cycling News: Antón found La Flèche experience vital

Igor Anton (Euskaltel-Euskadi) took victory in Valdepeñas de Jaén

Igor Anton (Euskaltel-Euskadi) after the finish

Igor-Antón-Euskaltel-Euskadi-on-the-attack-with-Ezequiel-Mosquera-Xacobeo-Galicia-Juan-Maurizio-Soler-Caisse-dEpargne-and-Alberto-Contador-Astana

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Spanish stage victor anticipates rest of Vuelta

Having finished fourth in this year’s edition of La Fléche Wallonne – behind no less than Cadel Evans, Joaquin Rodriguez and Alberto Contador – Igor Antón proved that he’s a rider to watch at this year’s Vuelta a España with victory in Valdepeñas de Jaén yesterday.

The Spanish rider was too strong for Liquigas-Doimo’s Vincenzo Nibali, HTC-Columbia rider Peter Velits and countryman Joaquin Rodriguez (Katusha), in the process putting himself in second overall and attributing his performance to thorough preparation and the experience gained in ‘La Fléche’.

“It was a finish that suited me well. We came here to see it [before the race] and we knew it had ramps up to 23 percent,” Antón told Spanish news agency Europa Press. “I had in mind to try, but seeing as they was Joaquín Rodríguez and Philippe Gilbert it wasn’t all me. Learning the course helped me as did the experience gained in the Fleche Wallonne,” he added.

There was another factor in Antón’s performance he was quick to mention – the role of Mikel Nieve. His Euskaltel-Euskadi teammate fought off attacks from Caisse d’Epargne to ensure his man would have a safe run to the finale and the best shot at victory.

“If not for him [Nieve] I would not have won. He was key to negating the attacks of both [Rigoberto] Urán and Luis León Sánchez – both from the Caisse d’Epargne,” said Antón. “It was a lucky win here at the Vuelta, I did it at Calar Alto in 2006,” he explained before adding that now he “aspires to everything”.

And at 10 seconds behind overall leader Philippe Gilbert, may well Antón dare to dream of what’s possible in this Vuelta. Omega Pharma-Lotto’s man in red paid tribute to the strength of his rivals after what was another tough day in the saddle.

“From now on I’m not ruling anything out. My participation at the moment leaves me feeling that I’ve done the homework,” said Gilbert. “The stage was very fast. In the final climb I escaped the group and I became a bit isolated. But after his strength [in the finale] Antón was exultant,” he added.

Source: cyclingnews.com

Cycling News: Boonen on course for late season return

Tom Boonen (Quick Step)

Tom Boonen (Quick Step) gets interviewed.

Tom Boonen (Quick Step)

Belgian will miss Vuelta and Worlds

Tom Boonen (Quick Step) has returned to training on the road and is aiming to make his comeback to racing at the end of September, according to Quick Step team doctor Yvan Van Mol. The Belgian underwent knee surgery on July 15 after knee ligament trouble prevented him from riding the Tour de France.

“He can now train daily and is doing rides in Monaco of two hours without pain or irritation,” Van Mol told Gazet van Antwerpen. “I had him on the phone on Tuesday and he sounded happy.” Boonen first returned to training in early August with a thirty-minute session on a stationary bike and has made steady progress since.

Boonen will miss both the Vuelta a España and the World Championships, but Van Mol anticipates that the former rainbow jersey wearer will be back in action before the end of the season. “We hope he’ll be able to ride the Circuit Franco-Belge (which starts on September 30) and Paris-Tour. If he can get back sooner, that would be a complete bonus,” said Van Mol.

It has been a difficult 2010 campaign for Boonen. He has suffered throughout the year from knee trouble and was powerless to stop Fabian Cancellara’s domination of the cobbled classics in April. His problems were compounded by crashes at the Tour of California and the Tour de Suisse.

Meanwhile, Quick Step has looked to strengthen their line-up for next season. The team was heavily linked to Riccardo Riccò before he went to Vacansoleil, and has already confirmed the signings of Marc de Maar and Francesco Chicchi for 2011. Double Tour de France stage winner Sylvain Chavanel has also re-signed with Patrick Lefevere’s outfit for next year.

Source: cyclingnews.com

Cycling News: Grand Tour Grand Slam not on the cards

Alberto Contador was easy to spot in his yellow kit.

Team CSC owner and director Bjarne Riis

Fran Contador denies reported goal of winning three Grand Tours in one year

The brother and agent of Alberto Contador has poured cold water on Saxo Bank team boss Bjarne Riis’ intentions to try for a Grand Tour Grand Slam with the triple Tour de France winner in the next two years.

Speaking to Spanish Eurosport on Wednesday, Fran Contador downplayed the Danish team manager’s announcement. “I think this must have been a translation mistake,” said Fran Contador when asked about the immensely ambitious plan to win all three Grand Tours in a single season. “To win the Giro, the Tour and the Vuelta in one year is quite simply impossible. We have always been clear: the Tour de France is the main objective and we will work towards this in the two coming years.”

In the history of cycling, a clean sweep of the three major tours has never been done, not even by Eddy Merckx who used to win many races in a season alongside his five Tour de France victories. With two more Tour victories, Contador could join the prestigious ranks of five-time winners Bernard Hinault, Jacques Anquetil, Merckx and Miguel Indurain, but it seems that he and his new team manager have yet to finalise the exact objectives of their collaboration.

Contador himself has not yet reacted to Riis’ statements. The Spaniard has raced his last event wearing Astana kit, a post-Tour criterium in Castillon-la-Bataille on Tuesday, and is now taking a holiday before preparing for next season with Saxo Bank-SunGard.

Source: cyclingnews.com

Cycling News: De Maar signs with Quick Step for 2011

Post-race interview with stage 5 winner Marc de Maar (UnitedHealthcare).

Dutchman moves on from UnitedHealthcare after successful season in the USA

Marc de Maar has signed a contract with Quick Step for 2011, ending his one-year stint in America with the UnitedHealthcare team.

The 26-year-old Dutchman had been on Patrick Lefevere’s radar since the Amgen Tour of California in May. A string of impressive performances in the US had sparked attention from a number of other teams but it was Lefevere’s persistence, coupled with the promise of a programme of high calibre races that attracted de Maar to the Belgian team.

“We had a meeting last Thursday but I officially signed the contract today,” he told Cyclingnews.

“I wanted to go back to Europe and I was waiting for answer from UnitedHealthcare. They have plans to go to Europe but it wasn’t sure what races they would do and I wanted to go back to the highest level.”

De Maar spent six years with the Rabobank team, four of which at ProTour level, but moved to the US after two injury-plagued seasons. He regained full fitness and brought home some impressive results, including the Mount Hood Classic and stages in Cascade and the Tour de Beauce.

Next year De Maar will be back on the European ProTour circuit, racing in week-long stage races like the Tour of Romandie and the hillier Classics.

“The programme was more important than the contract if I’m to honest. I’d love to do a big Tour again but I need some decent results first.”

De Maar still has a full race schedule in the US for the remainder of the season and will take part in both the Tour of Utah and the Tour of China before moving to either Italy or Spain later in the year.

“UnitedHealthcare had faith in me. They sent me to the Tour of California without any results and it was a real battle but because I only just took the final spot on the team. My good results all started from that race. The team always had faith in me.”

Source: cyclingnews.com

Cycling News: Lobato Elvira suspended for two years

Astarloa, Caucchioli, De Bonis, Serrano and Lobato Elvira were the riders named by the UCI

Ruben Lobato Elvira (Saunier Duval - Scott) was glad the previous day's rain had cleared for the time trial.

Former Saunier Duval rider sanctioned for Biological Passport violation

The International Cycling Union has announced that Spanish rider Ruben Lobato Elvira has been suspended by the Spanish Cycling Federation for two years because of a violation of the UCI’s biological Passport programme.

Lobato Elvira was part of the first group of five riders named by the UCI for violating the blood value monitoring system in June 2009. Also named at the time were Italy’s Francesco De Bonis and Pietro Caucchioli, and Spain’s Ricardo Serrano and Igor Astarloa, who was world road race champion in 2003. All the riders, except Astarloa have been given two year suspensions in recent months.

The UCI did not specify the dates of Lobato Elvira’s suspension. However other riders were banned from June 18, 2009 until June 17, 2011.

Lobato Elvira raced with Acqua & Sapone, Domina Vacanze and Saunier Duval before being named by the UCI. He officially announced his retirement in December 2008. Since then, he has been working as a directeur sportif for the amateur Sansi-Spiuk team in his town of San Sebastian de los Reyes near Madrid.

Source: cyclingnews.com

Cycling News: Menchov finally on the podium in Paris

Denis Menchov (Rabobank) secured third place

Robert Gesink (Rabobank) finds it tough to maneuver around Sammy Sanchez (Euskaltel - Euskadi) on the narrow Tourmalet ascent.

Gesink keeps sixth

After finishing two minutes ahead of Samuel Sanchez (Euskaltel) in the all-deciding time trial from Bordeaux to Pauillac, Denis Menchov (Rabobank) will be the one joining overall winner Alberto Contador (Astana) and Andy Schleck (Saxo Bank) on the podium on the Champs Elysées in Paris on Sunday.

After finishing the time trial Menchov took his time to freshen up, joining teammate Robert Gesink at the team car. Once that was done the Russian talked with the attending media.

“It was a hard time trial. It’s always hard but today’s wind made it really difficult. I had to fight hard. Looking back it was one of the best time trials of my life,” Menchov said.

Before the time trial Sanchez had a twenty-one second lead on Menchov but at the first intermediate point after eighteen kilometres the Russian had already moved past the Spaniard, taking a twenty-seven seconds bonus. “When I saw the course this morning I knew it would be good for me. I felt good right from the beginning and knew I had to start strong in order to make up time [on Sanchez].

“At the first checkpoint it was already good. The gap was already forty-seven seconds [48]. I knew that I was going well so I knew it was possible,” Menchov said.

At the second intermediate time-check the Russian had extended his lead over Sanchez to one minute and twenty-one seconds. Eventually he finished exactly two minutes ahead of Sanchez, resulting in a1:39 lead in the general classification.

“It was a very good performance and I’m very happy with it,” Menchov said.

The 32-year-old Russian is one of the few riders who finished on the podium in every Grand Tour. While racing for the Rabobank team Menchov has captured the overall victories in both the Tour of Spain (2005 and 2007) and the Tour of Italy (2009).

Back in 2008 he finished fourth in the Tour de France but due to the disqualification of Bernhard Kohl the 32-year-old moved up to third place. This year’s third place surely will feel much better, knowing he’ll be on the podium on the Champs Elysées in Paris on Sunday.

“For me this is a confirmation. I was going well and had been improving every year. I finally achieved the third place. It’s a great result. I’m very satisfied,” Menchov said.

Teammate Robert Gesink wasn’t thinking about improving his sixth place, rather hoping that he would be able to hold off Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin-Transitions) and Joaquin Rodriguez (Katusha). It was Hesjedal who became the biggest threat, eventually falling short by forty-four seconds.

“I’ve never in been in as much pain in my life. The last three kilometres Frans [Maassen, director sportif] informed me about the gap on Hesjedal and that motivated me to give that extra notch. With a hard rate of 190 you start calculating, which is not a good thing to do. By the last kilometre I had figured out that the gap was big enough but I kept going because you never know if he could’ve miscalculated,” Gesink joked.

“My front wheel almost flipped away. The wind blew hard and that hurt a lot,” Gesink said. When asked how he felt after realizing he would hold on to his sixth place the 24-year-old said he was delighted.

“Certainly, especially on this course. Fifty-two kilometres… I don’t know who invents this stuff but that’s way too long, especially with the headwind. You’re constantly counting down the kilometres, even though it’s not good to do so. I’m super satisfied and super proud with my sixth place. It’s my third Grand Tour and – looking back – my first full Tour de France.

“Sixth is fantastic and if you’ll look back you won’t find many riders who pulled that off on their maiden trip through France. Sixth place is very promising, but my results in the past were like that too; I’m content that I could continue improving,” Gesink said.

Source: cyclingnews.com

Cycling News: Italian cycling remembers Franco Ballerini

Franco Ballerini

Franco Ballerini 2

Franco Ballerini 3

Pozzato and Nibali to memorial criterium on Saturday

Italian cycling will remember former national coach Franco Ballerini on Saturday, with the first edition of the Franco Ballerini Day criterium.

Ballerini twice won Paris-Roubaix as a rider and was in charge of the Italian team that won gold in the Athens Olympics with Paolo Bettini and won three world titles with Bettini and Alessandro Ballan. He was killed in a car rally accident on February 7 near his home in Tuscany.

The 103.4km race will cover 22 laps of a 4.7km circuit around Ballerini’s home town of Cantagrillo.

Several big name riders have promised to ride including Italian national champion Filippo Pozzato (Katusha), Alessandro Petacchi (Lampre-Farnese Vini) and Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas-Doimo). Other riders who completed the Giro d’Italia are also expected to take part, especially those who rode with or under Ballerini in the Italian ‘azzurri’ team at world championships and Olympics.

Teams set to ride include Astana, Quick Step, Lampre – Farnese Vini, Liquigas, Team Katusha, ISD – Neri, De Rosa – Stac Plastic, Carmiooro, Ceramica Flaminia, Colnago – Csf, Acqua & Sapone, Androni Giocattoli, CDC Cavaliere and Amore & Vita.

Before the race a special memorial service will be held at the cemetery where Ballerini is buried.

Source: cyclingnews.com

Cycling News: Scope of US doping inquiry may be widened

Lance Armstrong responds to media questions about Floyd Landis

SCA contract could be examined too

US federal authorities are reported to be considering expanding their investigation into doping allegations laid against Lance Armstrong and other leading riders to include possible fraud and conspiracy charges. According to the New York Times, investigators looking into allegations of doping made by Floyd Landis during the recent Amgen Tour of California are attempting to establish whether Armstrong and the managers of his former teams conspired to defraud sponsors by doping to boost their performance.

After speaking to two unnamed sources close to the investigation, the New York Times indicated that federal authorities are particularly interested in establishing whether sponsorship money provided by the US Postal Service between 1996 and 2004 was used to buy performance-enhancing products. The paper points out that sentences for those convicted on fraud changes can be longer than those given for drug distribution.

The paper also said that investigators are also planning to examine the contract between Armstrong and SCA Promotions, which refused to pay out a $5 million bonus to the seven-time Tour winner following the 2004 publication of David Walsh and Pierre Ballester’s book L.A. Confidentiel, which alleged that Armstrong had doped. Armstrong successfully sued SCA, who were forced to pay out $7.5 million to cover the payment and damages.

Speaking to the New York Times, Columbia University law professor and former federal prosecutor Daniel C. Richman said of potential fraud charges: “Federal fraud charges are fairly straightforward; they apply to any scheme to acquire money or property through deceit or misrepresentation. In this case, the authorities would have to prove that Armstrong was misrepresenting himself to sponsors by saying that he was clean but was actually using performance-enhancing drugs and profiting from it.”

There are some precedents for cases of sporting fraud in cycling. The best known involved 1997 Tour winner Jan Ullrich. In 2007, Ullrich was charged with fraud by German authorities in the wake of allegations of systematic doping that emerged during the Operation Puerto blood doping investigation. In April 2008, Ullrich paid “a six-figure sum” to end a fraud case based on his alleged deception of the public, his sponsors and his team.

The New York Times also says that federal agent Jeff Novitzky, who led the 2004 Balco investigation that led to athletics training consultant Victor Conte being imprisoned for distribution of steroids, has met with Landis and is working closely with the US Ant-Doping Agency.

Source: cyclingnews.com

Cycling News: Evans not happy after Monte Grappa

Cadel Evans (BMC) leads the chase of Nibali

Ivan Basso (Liquigas - Doimo) leads Micheli Scarponi (Androni Giocattoli) and Cadel Evans (BMC).

Hopes for better on Sunday’s Zoncolan finish

Cadel Evans (BMC) confirmed he is one of the major contenders for the overall victory at the Giro d’Italia. Thanks to a strong ride on Monte Grappa, he managed to regain some of the time he lost to Carlos Sastre and new race leader David Arroyo but he still wasn’t satisfied with his ride, especially on the descent.

Evans lost contact with Vincenzo Nibali, Ivan Basso and Michele Scarponi towards the top of the Monte Grappa but got back to Basso and Scarponi on the descent. However he described the way he rode downhill as “a disgrace”.

“It hasn’t been a great day for me”, he told Cyclingnews, when he crossed the finishing line in Asolo. “I think I’ve suffered a bit. It was the first hot and humid day.”

“The Liquigas team has demonstrated to be the strongest team of this Giro d’Italia,” he then said in Italian. “Nibali rode like a beast. He took a lot of risks. It was his day. I managed to stay with these guys up the climb without feeling at my best, so the outcome is pretty good. I’m happy with my progression on GC.”

Evans moved up from 15th overall 11.10 down on the pink jersey at the start of the stage, to tenth, 7.26 behind new race leader Arroyo.

After a difficult day, he hopes to feel more at his ease on the steeper slopes of the Zoncolan on Sunday.

“I’ll only attack if I have good legs, otherwise I’d take the risk of blowing”, he warned. “But uphill finishes are definitely the places for me to regain the time lost.”

The Australian has been a bit nervous in the past few days but seems more relax as the mountains arrive in the final week of the Giro d’Italia. The weaknesses of his BMC team will be less of a problem when it comes down to individual strength on the uphill finishes.

Source: cyclingnews.com

Cycling News: UCI rejects Landis’ accusation about a concealed doping test

UCI President Pat McQuaid and RadioShack manager Johan Bruyneel

Cycling’s governing body “deeply shocked” over allegations

The International Cycling Union (UCI) rejected accusations made by Floyd Landis in an official statement released Thursday evening. In particular, it rebutted the allegation of a concealed positive doping test.

The UCI refuted “the allegation that a positive doping result by Lance Armstrong during the 2002 Tour of Switzerland was concealed after an agreement was reached between the American rider, his directeur sportif Mr Johan Bruyneel and the former UCI President, Mr. Hein Verbruggen.”

“Deeply shocked by the gravity of this statement, which considerably impinges on the honour of all persons who have dedicated themselves to the fight against doping, the UCI wishes to clearly state that it has never changed or concealed a positive test result,” read the statement.

Cycling’s international governing body pointed out that Armstrong did not participate in 2002 Tour of Switzerland.

The UCI went on to call the accusation by Landis “unfounded” and added that it was “outraged at this new attempt to harm the image of cycling”.

Landis had won the 2006 Tour de France when a urine sample showed the rider had an unusually high testosterone to epitestosterone ratio from a test taken on Stage 17. The then Phonak rider was eventually found guilty and disqualified – the first rider to be stripped of the yellow jersey – but not before a drawn out legal battle.

“Our sport has long paid a heavy price for the fraudulent behaviour of individuals such as Floyd Landis, and we cannot accept the principles governing our work being challenged in terms of their ethics and honesty by a person who has not hesitated to breach such principles,” read the UCI’s statement.

Finally, the UCI promised to “take all necessary measures” to defend the honour of itself and its executives.

This statement by the UCI followed an earlier one by the organization in which it said that it would leave it to the accused individuals to “take the position they see fit with regards to this issue” and reiterated its zero tolerance policy for doping in sport. In that same statement, the UCI had promised to investigate the accusations levelled by Landis.

Source: cyclingnews.com