First Edition Cycling News, Friday, November 11, 2011

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November 11, 2011, 12:00

• Baker calls hacking case "deeply flawed"

  

  Article published:

  November 10, 2011, 18:15

  By:

  Cycling News

  Landis coach convicted of receiving hacked documents

  Floyd Landis and his former coach Arnie Baker were convicted today in a bizarre hacking scandal involving an international conspiracy, each receiving a one-year suspended sentence for their role.

  Baker called the proceedings "deeply flawed", countering assertions of AFLD laywers that the pair had "made ​​fun of the world by not coming to trial" by stating that he had been summoned to appear in court at his own expense and then threatened with arrest if he set foot on French soil.

  "This case against me appears to be a deeply flawed process from start to finish, designed to protect a national French institution and cover up its apparent sloppy work and incompetence," Baker said in a press release.

  The case dates back to 2006, when Baker launched his "Wiki-defense", which aimed to prove that the test results showing exogenous testosterone in Landis's 2006 Tour de France samples were flawed. The pair used documents from the French anti-doping laboratory (LNDD) which performed the tests in the defense, pointing out flaws in the documentation and analysis in an attempt to discredit the results. They lost the case and Landis was ultimately stripped of his title, but that wasn't the end of the case.

  French authorities claimed Landis and Baker had hired hackers to dig into the LNDD's computers to obtain the files used in his defense, but Landis said the documents had been sent to him anonymously, .

  According to the Wall Street Journal, prosecutors were unable to establish a definite link between Lands, Baker and a French national living in Morocco named Alain Quiros, who confessed to hacking into AFLD computers at the behest of former French intelligence agent Thierry Lorho, the head of Kargus Consultants.

  Baker clarified that he had been found not guilty of hacking the LNDD computers, but was convicted of "having knowingly received hacked documents ... from the French National Anti-Doping Laboratory that tested Floyd Landis in the 2006 Tour de France".

  He said the suspended sentence, "reflects the weakness of their opinion on even this lesser charge", and said that the chargers were not true.

  "I had nothing to do with any hacking and as far as I knew, the lab documents I received while serving as an expert consultant to the legal team for Floyd Landis were obtained legally.

  "The case was initiated by the lab, which complained that I had published secret documents that reflected poorly on its work."

  The Châtenay-Malabry lab caught wind of the hacking in November, 2006, when internal documents were sent out to the UCI, IOC, WADA, disguised as having appeared to originate from the lab, but using a poorly re-created LNDD logo and improper French grammar. Authorities suspected someone in the Landis camp had been involved in sending the messages.

  Baker added that the prosecution of the case failed to follow normal protocols and "used legal theories contrary to principles of U.S. justice and law".

  "They tried me in absentia in an inquisitorial system where there is a presumption of guilt, rather than of innocence. No evidence of wrongdoing was presented; they relied on false assumptions, including my absence from the court," Baker said.

   

   

• WADA refuses funding for plasticizer test

  

  Article published:

  November 10, 2011, 19:55

  By:

  Laura Weislo

  Segura's grant declined in favor of alternative approach

  The World Anti-Doping Agency has confirmed it has denied funding for a follow-up study on a test for plasticizers which was designed to detect blood transfusions.

  The test for the chemical di-(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP) was developed by the head of the IOC-accredited laboratory in Barcelona, Professor Jordi Segura, and was studied over the past year by WADA. The chemical is used to make plastic bags and tubes used in blood transfusions, and a spike in DEHP could indicate blood manipulation in athletes.

  However, the chemical is also widely used in consumer products such as "imitation leather, rainwear, footwear, upholstery, flooring, tablecloths, shower curtains, food packaging materials, and children's toys", according to eco-usa.net. A report by Bloomberg speculated that the difficulty of proving the chemical originated from transfusion equipment and not food packaging was the reason behind the grant refusal.

  Earlier this year, researchers in Lausanne were working on validating the test, and admitted it might not be sufficient alone to support an anti-doping violation.

  Last year, WADA general director David Howman gave his support to Segura's idea to apply the test, which has been used in the food industry, to anti-doping controls, but at the time the test was not fully validated.

  Segura applied to WADA for funding of a follow-up study, but while WADA contributed funds toward the initial study, it declined to continue to fund the approach.

  "WADA's Laboratory Committee decided at the time that there were alternative ways to collect the evidence to the one proposed by Prof. Segura's research," WADA's media relations manager Terence O'Rorke said.

  "Consequently, WADA's Health, Medical and Research Committee decided not to approve funding for this specific project as presented by Prof. Segura."

  The plasticizer test was reportedly applied to samples taken from 2010 Tour de France winner Alberto Contador, and according to the New York Times, showed evidence of DEHP which Segura called "an unequivocal indication" that a transfusion took place, but admitted he hadn't seen the complete data which might have shown a sudden change in the levels that might support his theory.

• Evans can repeat Tour de France win, Burghardt says

  

  Article published:

  November 10, 2011, 22:25

  By:

  Cycling News

  BMC rider also looking to strong Classics team

  Cadel Evans could win the Tour de France again in 2012, according to BMC Racing Team teammate Marcus Burghardt. The defending champion will have a strong team supporting him, the German said.

  “The two long time trials are surely advantageous for Cadel, and as defending champion, he will be one of the top favourites anyway,” Burghardt told Radsport-News.com.  “But with 3500 kilometers, you never know what might happened. Anything can happen suddenly, as we saw this year with Contador.

  “You need a team which stands together behind you.  We had that this year.”

  In addition to his helper duties, Burghardt is a Classics specialist, who won Gent-Wevelgem in 2007. This year he didn't have the form to do well in those races, so he was satisfied with being a domestique. 

  But for the coming year he sees good chances for himself in the Spring Classics, although he knows the presence of Philippe Gilbert and Thor Hushovd might reduce him to the helper role again.

  “That can happen. But on the other hand, with those two we have better chances to ride offensively and play more options.  With Gilbert and Hushovd we can react differently and perhaps that will increase my chances. I just have to attack early enough. ... I look at this development positively.”

  BMC will have an exceptionally strong team for the Classics, but Burghardt knows that is no guarantee for success. “We were the strongest team at this year's Tour of Flanders, with an unbelievably good team. But we didn't win, instead it was Nick Nuyens, who earlier in the race had fallen back. The strongest team on paper or strongest rider doesn't always win.”

  Looking to 2012 and those very Classics, the German said that “The Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix, Harelbeke and Gent-Wevelgem will be my season highlights.”  He will open with the Tour Down Under, the Mallorca Challenge, Tour of the Algarve and Paris-Nice.  “Those are all hard races and I will get the needed race kilometers.”

• Grenfell seals move to Competitive Cyclist Racing Team

  

  Article published:

  November 11, 2011, 02:00

  By:

  Alex Hinds

  Australian hoping to help team on new NRC criterium series

  Phil Grenfell will join American continental team Competitive Cyclist Racing Team in 2012, with the 22-year-old doing enough to impress team manager Gordon Fraser in this year's Australian National Road Series to seal the move to the professional ranks.

  Grenfell rode this season with domestic team BikeBug.com, picking up wins at the Tour of Gippsland, Tour of the Murray River and Tour of Tasmania. Though there had been discussion to stay in Australia, Grenfell felt with the advent of the NRC criterium series, it was a perfect time to make the switch overseas.

  "It was a goal I had at the beginning of the year," Grenfell told Cyclingnews. "To have a good season here, get some results, and move over to the US. I just thought that the racing over there suits my characteristics and it’s also a great pathway for progression. [BikeBug.com manager Trent Wilson] thought the same thing. So to be able to actually now be doing it is perfect.

  "Going to Europe would’ve been too much too soon. This way I get to go to the US and come back late in the season for a few races in Australia as well."

  The Australian explained that Competitive Cyclist Racing's lack of sprinting depth would also allow him plenty of opportunities next seaon. The team dominated the stage racing calendar with Francisco Mancebo, but were not quite as consistent when it came bunch dashes and criteriums.

  "That was definitely something that attracted me to the team, the fact that they don’t have that many guys that can finish off a race. Gord [Fraser] was saying to me he felt the team gave away a lot of results [this season] because they lacked a sprinter. That’s a role I hope to fill."

  Grenfell will link up with the team in January but is first hoping to win the Australian criterium championship in Buninyong, a race that is likely to be see Grenfell competing against some pretty familiar faces.

  "It’ll be against pretty much all the guys from the Tour of the Murray River, Ben Kersten, Jonathan Cantwell, Steele Von Hoff etc. That’s my first big goal for the year, I’ll do Bay Crits to get some good racing in the legs before that and then hopefully I can take it out."

  The sprinter joins a growing number of Australians successfully graduating from the domestic circuit to professional careers overseas.

  Tags:

  neo-pro

  sprinter

  transfer

• Bennett to link up with RadioShack-Nissan-Trek

  

  Article published:

  November 11, 2011, 05:49

  By:

  Cycling News

  New Zealand gets another WorldTour rider with 21-year-old climber

  George Bennett has confirmed that he will ride with the RadioShack-Nissan-Trek squad next season, after earlier this year completing the Tour of Utah and USA Pro Cycling Challenge with the team as a trainee.

  The 21-year-old will become one of the team's neo-pro's, joining a star-studded roster that already includes the Schleck brothers, Chris Horner and Fabian Cancellara among others.

  His biggest result of 2011 came in the Ronde de l'Isard while riding for the Trek-Livestrong team where he picked up respectable second overall.

  Speaking to roadcycling.co.nz Bennett explained that going to the WorldTour in 2012 was something that had come earlier than expected.

  "I never really set time-specific goals, but I suppose I'd expected to be with Livestrong for two years. 21 is young to be there, but I won't be the first 21-year-old to ride in the WorldTour.

  "I'm happy [to be joining RadioShack], I'm really proud of it, it's hard to take it all in. Now I just have to step up [my level], getting a contract is only the first step of being a professional."

  Bennett joins countryman Greg Henderson (Sky) and Julian Dean (GreenEdge) in the sport's top tier. He has recently finished riding the Powernet Tour of Southland, where he also wrote a blog for Cyclingnews.

• Project 1t4i wanted to sign Tony Martin

  

  Article published:

  November 11, 2011, 09:35

  By:

  Cycling News

  World time trial champion would have fit well with team

  Team Project 1t4i has a number of Germans on its 2012 squad, including top sprinter Marcel Kittel, but it had hoped to add one more. The one that got away was World time trial champion Tony Martin.

  “We had very good talks, partially because both side have similar views of cycling, whether it is training, technical, equipment or organisation,” team manager Iwan Spekenbrink told Radsport-News.com. “We were close to an agreement. Unfortunately he decided for Quick Step. We respect that and it changes nothing about our good impression that we have of Tony as a cyclist and person.”

  Martin announced in September that he would ride for the new Omega Pharma-Quick Step team next season.

  “When it became clear that HTC would stop at the end of the season, we went after Tony,” Spekenbrink said. “He is a first-class ride and as a personality he would fit in well with us too. He has a similar background as Marcel Kittel and John Degenkolb, and was earlier with the Thüringer Energie Team.”

  1t4i, known this year as Skil-Shimano, is not giving up hope on signing Martin in the future. “In any case, Tony is a rider in whom we will continue to be interested.”

• Rohregger to RadioShack-Nissan in 2012

  

  Article published:

  November 11, 2011, 10:30

  By:

  Cycling News

  Austrian climber signs two-year contract with new team

  Thomas Rohregger will ride for RadioShack-Nissan-Trek for the next two years. The Austrian announced the news this week.

  Rohregger, 28, was with Leopard Trek this season. His future was uncertain after the announcement that Leopard Trek and RadioShack would merge for the coming year.

  “I'm very happy and proud to be part of the RadioShack-Nissan-Trek Team. What a great team and collection of riders!! Can't wait to get the new season started. Looking forward to battle with you guys on the roads!” he wrote on his Facebook page.

  “The team has shown me a lot of trust, it was already clear during the Vuelta that I could stay,” he told the APA news agency.

  Rohregger attended the team's first get-together earlier this month,and he knows what he can look forward to in 2012. “The Giro will be my first highlight, this race suits me.” In addition, “I absolutely want to be at the start at the Olympics, that is a difficult course which is often underestimated.”

  He rode for the Austrian Elk Haus team from 2005 to 2008, before joining Team Milram for two years. He won the Tour of Austria in 2008, finishing fourth in the race this year.

• Video: Beyond the Peloton and Cervelo part ways

  

  Article published:

  November 11, 2011, 10:46

  By:

  Daniel Benson

  Canadian film company to remain in cycling

  Beyond the Peloton and Cervelo have ended their partnership after three years of collaboration. The Canadian film company have vowed to keep making cycling films in the future. “We plan to bring some more content to the cycling world, so stay tuned. Cycling is passionate and dear to us and we want to continue to tell stories,” Joe Finkleman told Cyclingnews.

  Beyond the Peloton was a concept that Finkleman and Booker Sim designed in 2008 while shooting commercials for Cervelo. The pair approached then Cervelo head Gerard Vroomen with a proposal. The project grew and spanned three full seasons and ran for over 30 episodes, some of which were shown on Cyclingnews.

  “I think it was mid-November in 2008 and we got wind that Cervelo was going to create the Cervelo Test Team.  It was a perfect fit. Cervelo owned the team, I knew the cycling world and Booker had produced plenty of documentaries. We approached Gerard Vroomen with the idea and he liked it.  He saw value in producing BTP and really believed in the project and giving something back to the fans. Gerard is every bit responsible for the success of BTP as anyone, because without him being involved, it never would have come to fruition.”

  In their first season Beyond the Peloton shot 15 episodes, with 12 following in 2010 and then 7 in 2011, with the film crew moving to Garmin-Cervelo team at the start of this season. It would be their final year of collaboration but saw some of the team’s best work, some of which is still locked behind closed doors and may not be released.

  While Finkleman added that he was working on new projects he also picked out several memorable moments from the past few years.

  “Heinrich’s loss to Cavendish in the 2009 edition of Milan San Remo was special, because it sparked a storyline that we followed up until this year - you can watch those three episodes back-to-back and it's a great little story. So it doesn't have a happy ending, but it didn't need to...it shows what these guys go through in a way fans don't usually get to experience,” he said.

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  “Hanging with the classics team in Belgium every year was definitely a highlight. We stayed at the same hotel the past three years, with the team, and it was just a really special scene to be a part of.     

  “Cervelo had something really unique with Cervelo TestTeam.  Not to say that other teams don't have the same thing, but definitely 2009 was just a magical season from beginning to end.  It was a classic David vs Goliath story - we couldn't have written it any better.”

  “My favorite memory…hard to choose just one, but I think Thor's win in Barcelona in 2009 at the TDF was just electric, followed by Heinrich's emotional win on stage 13 from Vittel to Colmar. We were all so happy for him after his string of second places.  I'll never forget being there when he crossed the line...it was something special.”

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