Cyclo-cross News & Racing Round-up, Monday, August 30, 2010

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Date published:

August 30, 2010, 18:00

• Rossi's B sample negative for CERA

  

  Article published:

  April 2, 2010, 20:05

  By:

  Richard Tyler

  CONI prosecutor to re-examine Italian cyclo-cross rider's case

  The Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) announced that the examination of Italian cyclo-cross rider Vania Rossi's B sample has returned a negative result for EPO-CERA.

  CONI released the news on its website on Friday with the statement, "In the B sample analysis for Vania Rossi, conducted in the period from March 29 to April 2, 2010, the minimum levels of CERA required to meet the World Anti-doping Agency's (WADA) criteria have not been found."

  Rossi,26, tested positive for CERA in a doping control conducted at the Italian cyclo-cross national championships on January 10. The original test, carried out by CONI, satisfied WADA's criteria for a positive result, and Rossi was provisionally suspended from competition on January 29.

  Rossi, the 2007 and 2008 Italian national cyclo-cross champion, has continued to maintain her innocence since the announcement of her A sample positive.

  CONI confirmed that the results of both the A and B sample analyses had been verified by the WADA-approved laboratory in Chatenay-Malabry, France.  CONI's prosecutor will re-examine the case before deciding what further action can be taken.

  At the time of the competition and test, Rossi was the partner of Riccardo Riccò, and she is the mother of their son.  Riccò was thrown out of the 2008 Tour de France after a positive doping test for EPO-CERA. He has since served his suspension and returned to competition.

• Jouffroy confirmed as U23 'cross World Champion

  

  Article published:

  May 21, 2010, 18:37

  By:

  Richard Tyler

  Szczepaniak brothers stripped of medals, issued with heavy bans

  Frenchman Arnaud Jouffroy has been officially confirmed as Under-23 World Cyclo-cross Champion following the disqualification of Pawel and Kacper Szczepaniak. The brothers have been stripped of their medals and been handed heavy penalties by the Polish Cycling Federation (PZK).

  Jouffroy had finished third behind the Polish brothers in the World Championship race on January 30 in Tabor, Czech Republic. On March 11, the International Cycling Union (UCI) announced that Pawel, 20, and Kacper, 19, had tested positive for EPO in targeted tests carried out after the event.

  Belgium's Tom Meeusen and Poland's Marek Konwa, who finished fourth and fifth respectively, have been installed as the silver and bronze medallists.

  The UCI also announced on Friday the bans and fines issued to the Szczepaniak brothers by the PZK as sanction for their offences.

  The PZK showed little leniency to the brothers, with Kacper banned from competition for four years. Pawel was dealt with even more severity, banned for eight years. They also received respective fines of 1,680 and 750 euros.

  For Pawel Szczepaniak in particular, the ban effectively rules out a professional cyclo-cross career as he will be 28 before he is eligible to return to competition.

  Kacper, whose contract with Telenet-Fidea was dissolved following the announcement of his positive test, will be eligible to return at the age of 23.

• UCI to allow disc brakes in cyclo-cross competition

  

  Article published:

  June 18, 2010, 20:25

  By:

  Cycling News

  Other 'cross rules changed by Management Committee

  The UCI will allow disc brakes on in cyclo-cross races effective at the beginning of the 2010-2011 'cross season. The organization's management committee approved the change upon the recommendation of its Cyclo-cross Commission.

  At the same time, other changes to 'cross rules were approved. The maximum tire width has been reduced from 35mm to 33mm.

  The six-obstacle limit on courses has been changed to refer to man-made obstacles. The plank-type obstacles can be up to 40cm tall instead of having to be 40cm tall, and they must be four to six meters apart.

  Man-made sand pits are also now allowed and feeding will also be permitted if temperatures exceed 20 degrees Celsius; however, the feeding is limited to pits and can happen only after the first two laps but before the last two laps.

  Similarly to mountain biking, commissaires may now invoke the "80 percent rule" and remove a rider who is behind the leader by 80 percent of the leader's lap time. Thus, riders can be pulled before they are lapped.

• UCI allows disc brakes for cyclo-cross

  

  Article published:

  June 22, 2010, 01:14

  By:

  Matt Pacocha, Bikeradar.com

  Teams welcome new rules

  The International Cycling Union (UCI) has approved disc brakes for competition in the 2010-’11 cyclo-cross race season. The ban was lifted via a newly issued document entitled, ‘Rule Amendments for Title 1,’ which was posted to USA Cycling’s website late Friday morning.

  “I didn’t think that one was going to go through with the UCI,” said Cannondale-Cyclocrossworld.com team director, Stu Thorne. “I had heard about all the changes long ago… the biggest thing for us is the tyre width — but the brake thing kind of caught me off guard.”

  The same document also newly restricts tires used in UCI regulated competition to 33mm at their widest part and reiterates the ban on spikes and studs.

  “It’s a huge bonus for us,” said Thorne. “It means a whole bunch of wheels that we don’t have to bring over to Europe. But at the same time I’m suspect that it’s actually going make it so that Sven Nys shows up with fewer wheels. You’re going to see different compounds, different treads; tyre manufacturers are going to go crazy making different things — course specific, weather dependant — and nothing is going to change. Like I said, Sven is going to show up with 20 sets of wheels, it doesn’t really matter.”

  The basis for the rule change is to make the sport more approachable, equipment wise, to juniors. Thorne explained, in Belgium the top juniors believed they needed to mirror the iconic rider’s equipment quiver to be competitive, subsequently building a huge barrier to entry, especially on a developmental level.

  Thorne believes that whatever the tyre width regulation does to ease the financial burden on privateers will totally be undone by lifting the ban on disc brakes, at least in the short term.

  “I can tell you right now, it’s going to be more costly,” he said. “A set of [TRP] EuroX’s will cost you $100… the cost thing goes right out the window with that one.”

  Aside from the added cost when comparing the price of a disc brake to a cantilever brake, the change will likely double the number of bikes in the stables of the sport’s highest profile teams and riders.

  From a performance standpoint, however, Thorne is on board.

  “I don’t think you’re going to see a lot of them this year,” he said. “But moving forward you will; once product managers figure out how to make a lightweight carbon fork with disc tabs.”

  For manufacturers, the race is on. It will be a huge attention grab to be the first to outfit a high-profile professional team with the disc compatible frames, forks, wheels and brakes, especially if they're used in the spotlight of a national or World Cup race.

  “I hope we can do it,” says Thorne. “What I want to see for our option of the four bikes that we have on the truck [for each team rider], is two bikes with disc brakes and two bikes with cantilevers.”

  Who got through to the UCI?

  An unconfirmed report pins Shimano and LaPierre bicycles as responsible for the change. The two manufacturers reportedly approached the UCI four or five months ago with a disc equipped cyclo-cross bike and a proposal for the rule change.

  “My understanding is that they’re the ones that got this to the finish line, so if that’s the case, then good for them and thanks,” said Avid [SRAM] brake system product manager, Paul Kantor. “Obviously we need to be balls to the wall on development. We do have something scheduled for 2013 already, which seems like it’s far away, but it’s really only one cyclo-cross season away.”

  When asked if the scheduled project will be hydraulic, Kantor played coy.

  “My opinion would be, yeah,” he said. “We obviously have those mechanicals today that work, they have the right cable pull ratios for road levers, but we’d look to make a lighter version of the mechanical as well to keep the price point down. I think the elite level guys, the Fidea guys, are going to want a full hydraulic sealed system.”

  “This is super exciting to us,” said Kantor. “Obviously we’re going to want to talk to our brothers at Zipp, they’re going to be happy to see the brake track moved off the rim; lots to discuss.”

  Something to think about is what this latest rule means for all bikes. It may be a decade down the road, but you have to imagine that the UCI’s approval for disc brakes in cyclo-cross is a first step for the technology’s approval for road racing.

  “You never know what the UCI is going to do,” said Kantor. “I would have to think that if we as an industry execute this well and we can then start to transfer those performance advantages or at least explain them — why you wouldn’t see this evolve onto a ProTour bike.

  “I think of every other vehicle in the world that we make faster, at the same time we improve the braking performance,” said Kantor. “You look at times for Tour stages now and on good days those guys are putting up record average speed times, yet we’re not doing anything to [dramatically] improve their braking performance.”

  Thorne summed the situation up succinctly.

  “Whoever can get their shit together fastest will get the most out of it,” he said.

  The full text of the document, regarding equipment changes:

  Rule amendments for Title 1

  Wheels of the bicycle may vary in diameter between 70 cm maximum and 55 cm minimum, including the tyre. For the cyclo-cross bicycle the width of the tyre (measured between the widest parts) shall not exceed 33 mm and it may not incorporate any form of spike or stud.

  For massed start competitions in the disciplines road and cyclo-cross, only wheel designs granted prior approval by the UCI may be used. Wheels shall have at least 12 spokes; spokes can be round, flattened or oval, as far as no dimension of their sections exceeds 10 mm. In order to be granted approval wheels must have passed a rupture test as prescribed by the UCI in a laboratory approved by the UCI. The test results must show that the rupture characteristics obtained are compatible with those resulting from an impact sustained during normal use of the wheel. The following criteria must be fulfilled:

  •On impact, no element of the wheel may become detached and be expelled outwards.

  •The rupture must not present any shattered or broken off elements, or any sharp or serrated surfaces that could harm the user, other riders and/or third parties.

  •The rupture characteristics must not cause the hub to become separated from the rim in such a way that the wheel becomes detached from the forks.

  Without prejudice to the tests imposed by the laws, regulations or customs, standard (traditional) wheels are exempted from the rupture test referred to above. A traditional wheel is deemed to be a wheel with at least 16 metal spokes; the spokes may be round, flat or oval, provided that no dimension of their cross sections exceeds 2.4 mm; the section of the rim must not exceed 2.5 cm on each side.

  Notwithstanding this article, the choice and use of wheels remains subject to articles 1.3.001 to 1.3.003.

  (text modified on 1.01.02; 1.01.03; 1.09.03; 1.01.05; 1.07.10).

  Freewheels, multiple gears and brakes are not permitted for use on the track during competition or training. Disc brakes are allowed in cyclo-cross training and competition. For races on the road and cyclo-cross, the use of fixed sprocket is forbidden: a braking system that acts on both wheels is required.

  (text modified on 1.09.04; 1.01.05; 1.01.09, 1.07.09; 1.07.10).

  Further information concerning the rule changes can be found at USA Cycling.com.

• Štybar aiming for London mountain bike start

  

  Article published:

  June 30, 2010, 06:05

  By:

  Cycling News

  Cross world champion looking for Czech Olympic slot

  Zdeněk Štybar is expected to contest next month’s national mountain bike championships in the Czech Republic, with the cyclo-cross rider aiming to qualify for the 2012 London Olympic Games mountain bike event. The current cyclo-cross world champion has been contesting road events in Serbia and Belgium to keep up his fitness.

  “I would like to perform well so that my slecection for the 2012 Olympics in London is in place,” Štybar told Sport.be.

  While Štybar’s career to date has been heavily focused on cyclo-cross, he’s also had some success competing on the road, which he uses to maintain his fitness. In 2007 he finished second on a Tour of Qinghai Lake stage, the same year he claimed two stage podiums at Volta Ciclista Internacional a Lleida.

  Štybar’s switch to road racing was delayed this year after having an operation to remove a cyst. He is due to contest a mountain bike event in Sankt Vith, Belgium, on Friday, before contesting the national championships on July 17. His race calendar also includes the Swiss MTB World Cup round later in the month.

  Former junior European mountain bike champion Jaroslav Kulhavý represented the Czech Republic at the last games in Beijing, China. Kulhavý, who is of similar age to Štybar and dabbles in cyclo-cross racing, finished in 18th place at the 2008 event.

• USA adopts new rules for cyclo-cross

  

  Article published:

  August 18, 2010, 19:30

  By:

  Cycling News

  Disc brakes in, tires narrowed following UCI changes

  USA Cycling has agreed to follow new rules for the upcoming cyclo-cross season mirroring those adopted by the UCI for races on US soil.

  The new regulations allow for feeding during some races, change the handling of lapped riders and modify some technical regulations on equipment and course design.

  The UCI rolled out its changes to the international cyclo-cross regulations in June of this year, allowing previously banned disc brakes and narrowing the maximum tire width among other changes.

  For 'cross racers in more temperate climes of the USA, feeding will be allowed when the temperatures is at least 68 degrees Fahrenheit, will be restricted to laps other than the first and last two, and hand-ups can only take place in the service lane.

  Other changes include specifying the height of artificial barriers to be "up to 40 cm high" instead of being exactly 40 cm, and the distance between barriers may now be from four to six meters instead of exactly four.

  Previously, rules limited the number of obstacles obliging riders to dismount to six. USA Cycling will now specify only six "artificial" obstacles but still restricts total obstacle distance to 10 percent of the course.

  "The ban on artificial sand was removed and replaced with specifications that if you have artificial sand, it must be 40-80 meters long, straight, and have no lip up or down to access it," the communique stated.

  Rules restricting tires to a maximum 33mm width will only be enforced for UCI events and senior National Championships.

  "The intent was to reduce the amount of equipment that many riders feel they must bring in order to be competitive," USA Cycling stated. "This rule does not affect local events as we currently have no rules regarding tire width and the Board of Trustees is not adding any tire width requirement. However, the tire width rule will apply at National Championships for all riders 17 and over.

  USA Cycling also did not restrict the use of disc brakes for local events, and will now allow them in UCI events after the international rule change.

  The UCI requires that lapped riders not be allowed across the finishing line, but USA Cycling will allow two methods for handling lapped racers: They will either be allowed to remain in the race and finish on the same lap as the leader, or they may be removed at the entrance to the final straight after being lapped.

  Riders may be also be withdrawn using the 80 percent rule employed in most mountain bike races. This rule would require any rider dropped by more than 80 percent of the leader's lap time to be pulled. For a 10 minute lap, a rider 8 minutes or more behind would be pulled out of the race.

• CrossVegas moves to close women’s prize money gap

  

  Article published:

  August 25, 2010, 01:15

  By:

  Cycling News

  Organiser hopes to eventually offer prize equality

  CrossVegas has joined the list of particularly cyclo-cross races moving to narrow the prize money gap between the elite men’s and women’s field. Organiser Brook Watts has announced a ‘podium bonus’ for the top three finishers in this year’s women’s race, with each rider to receive an additional $500USD on top of the prize money nominated by the International Cycling Union’s management committee.

  “Would I prefer to be announcing 100 per cent equality in women’s and men’s prizes? Absolutely I would,” said Watts. “However despite our current economic climate, I’m pleased to be able to move the bar up a notch in recognition of the equal effort put in by the Elite Women’s field at CrossVegas.

  “There has been a lot of chatter in the online world in the last few days about the CrossVegas prize list,” he added. “What doesn’t get publicised is the work that goes on behind the scenes by me and other interested parties trying to raise the necessary funds to make fundamental changes like this not only for CrossVegas but other cyclo-cross races as well.”

  Watts doesn’t hide the fact that the women’s prizes – at $766, $687 and $643 respectively – are still lower than the men’s, but highlighted that he’s been instrumental in the push for equality. He helped get the NACT series prize lists equal for both men and women.

  “Changes like the NACT purse and the CrossVegas podium bonus have been in the works for some time so it makes some of the recent criticisms frustrating,” said Watts.

  Watts called on other disciplines to join cyclo-cross in the push to provide equal prize money for both genets. “It seems like ‘cross has been singled out for an issue that cuts across all cycling and in fact all sports,” he said.

  CrossVegas is held during the Interbike trade show in Las Vegas, USA. This year’s event will be staged on Wednesday, September 22.

• CrossVegas names preliminary starters

  

  Article published:

  August 30, 2010, 16:24

  By:

  Cycling News

  Strongest ever field assembled at American cyclo-cross event

  Preliminary starters for the fourth edition of CrossVegas have been announced in what is shaping up to be the strongest ever field to take part in an American cyclo-cross race.

  "The winners of the CrossVegas titles are going to come from the best field ever assembled in America," said CrossVegas organizer Brook Watts. "Whether you break it out by national champions attending where we've got eight nations covered, or if you look at the international rankings we've got three of the top 10 riders in both the elite men's and elite women's categories.

  "If you look at it from another level, you've got the returning champions from the previous editions of CrossVegas. And then to really top it off you've got a dozen 'wild card' contenders and any one of those riders could draw an ace on race day."

  The men's field features American champion Tim Johnson (Cannondale-Cyclocrossworld.com), Canadian champion Geoff Kabush (Team Maxxis-Rocky Mountain), Italian champion Marco Fontana (Cannondale Factory Racing), French champion Francis Mourey (Francaise des Jeux), Belgian elite champion Geert Wellens (Champion System), Danish champion Joachim Parbo (KCH Leopard Cycles) and Hungarian champion Zoltan Tisza (Tecnofilm Bentonexpressz 2000).

  The women's event has a pair of national champions slated to start: American champion Katie Compton (Planet Bike) plus Czech champion Katerina Nash (Team Luna Chix).

  In addition to the assortment of national champions scheduled to compete, a strong selection of riders in the top 20 of the UCI rankings will take part in CrossVegas. The men's field features fifth ranked Gerben De Knegt (Rabobank Continental Team), Francis Mouray (Francaise des Jeux) at seventh, Switzerland's Christian Heule (Rendementhypo Cycling Team) at ninth and American Jonathan Page (Planet Bike) at 18th.

  The women's field will include fifth ranked Katie Compton (Planet Bike), Katerina Nash (Team LUNA Chix) at 7th and Nash's American teammate Amy Dombroski (Team LUNA Chix) at 16th.

  Returning are 2009 CrossVegas champions Jamey Driscoll (Cannondale-Cyclocrossworld.com) and Katie Compton (Planet Bike), who also won in 2008. Ryan Trebon (Kona), winner of the 2007 and 2008 editions of CrossVegas, will also be returning. Trebon and Compton are the only two-time winners at CrossVegas.

  "Don't underestimate the other great riders who will be coming to CrossVegas," said Watts, who named men's contenders Jeremy Powers (Cannondale-Cyclocrossworld.com), Adam Craig (Rabobank-Giant), 2009 men's runner-up Chris Jones (Rapha-FOCUS), Italy's Davide Frattini (HUDZ- Subaru), Belgium's Tim Van Nuffel (Vangoethem-Prorace), Switzerland's Martin Grujan (Cannondale Factory Racing) plus women's contenders Georgia Gould (Team Luna Chix) and Meredith Miller (Cal Giant-Specialized).

  "I've probably missed a half a dozen top guys and gals that are capable of turning CrossVegas upside down," said Watts.

  Complete CrossVegas information is available at www.crossvegas.com.