First Edition Cycling News, Monday, August 30, 2010

• Previous Edition
• Next Edition

Date published:

August 30, 2010, 07:00

• Freire ready to take on Cavendish and Farrar in Vuelta sprints

  

  Article published:

  August 29, 2010, 13:10

  By:

  Stephen Farrand

  Milan-San Remo winner recovering from sinus operation

  Spain’s Oscar Freire is still recovering from a sinus operation but with the world championships just over a month away, the three-time rainbow jersey winner is looking to get back to his best while riding the Vuelta.

  Freire won Milan-San Remo and has totalled six victories so far in 2010, but he struggled in the sprints at the Tour de France. He was suffering with a breathing problem and underwent surgery to have polyps removed from his nose and sinuses on the Tuesday after the Tour finished in Paris. Now he hopes he can re-find his best form during the Vuelta as he takes on Cavendish and Farrar in the sprints.

  “I’m slowly improving but I was told after the operation I’d need two weeks to recover, but I think that is the time for people who don’t practice sport, because I’m still not quite right,” Freire told Spanish newspaper AS.

  “I have clocked up six wins this season. I don’t know if I'm the most successful Spanish rider in terms of the number of victories but I did win my third Milan-San Remo. That’s not bad is it? And I’ve still got the Vuelta, Paris-Tours and the world championships.”

  Most of the sprint stages at the Vuelta come early in this year’s race. Freire admits he will still be trying to find his legs and he doesn’t have a dedicated lead-out train like Cavendish and Farrar. However he still fancies his chances and can never be discounted in a sprint, especially after a hilly day in the saddle before the finish.

  “The first week might be a bit soon for me to be up there. I haven’t trained in the heat and it makes it hard for me to breath. I will try to do something as the days go by and see me if my confidence improves. The problem is that there is nothing I can do about how the race route has been designed,” he said.

  “I beat them (Cavendish and Farrar) when I didn’t have these breathing problems and we were on equal terms in the spring. They have a red carpet rolled out for them but that’s not a problem for me.”

  “My goal is to get back to more or less my best form for Australia. Things can change from one second to another in cycling but I accept that and have always managed to handle it.”

  Freire first test in a sprint against Vuelta leader Mark Cavendish (HTC-Columbia), Tyler Farrar (Garmin-Transitions), Alessandro Petacchi (Lampre-Farnese Vini), Theo Bos and Thor Hushovd (Cervelo TestTeam) will be at the end of stage two to Marbella today.
   

• Transfers: Tondo to Movistar

  

  Article published:

  August 29, 2010, 13:22

  By:

  Susan Westemeyer

  Bos said to be returning to Rabobank and the track

  Cervelo TestTeam riders are starting to make plans for their future following the surprise announcement a few days ago that the team would stop at the end of the season. Xavier Tondo announced Sunday that he will ride for the newly-named Movistar team, while Theo Bos is said to be going back to Rabobank.

  Tondo, 31, has served as a lieutenant for captain Carlos Sastre in both the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a Espana this year. He won stages in both Paris-Nice and the Volta a Catalunya, finishing second overall in the Spanish stage race.

  "It's not a new team but a new sponsor," Tondo told Cyclingnews at the start of stage 2 of the Vuelta a España in Alcala de Guadaira. "When I decided to take up cycling at the age of 14, it was because I saw Perico Delgado and Miguel Indurain on TV. I was a big fan of the Banesto team. To sign with them for two years is like a dream come true. It makes me happy after getting the sad news of Cervélo stopping the team."

  "We haven't discussed yet with Unzue which role I'll have in the team, nor the race program, but there will be a lot of opportunities for me to take part in big races," Tondo added.

  The Spaniard rode for small teams until he was attracted by Carlos Sastre to join Cervélo as a domestique. He did more than that as he won a stage at Paris-Nice and another one at Volta a Catalunya where he finished second overall.

  "Of course I'd like to ride the Tour de France," he said. "I was disappointed not to be able to do it this year because of the health problems I encountered at the Giro. I was forced to pull out with fever. It was sad because I was third on GC after two weeks." Tondo was one of the most active riders during the legendary stage 11 to L'Aquila where most of the favourites got trapped by the offensive of 56 breakaway riders.

  Sickness in Italy wasn't the end of the troubles for Tondo. "I took a rest for the Vuelta," he continued. "But I broke my collarbone at the Tour of Poland. That means I've only had four days of racing since my retirement from the Giro. Riding the Vuelta is like starting a new season. Carlos feels really good. I hope I can help him to reach his goal."

  Sastre has set the final top 3 as his objective at the Tour of Spain. "There is still a good team spirit at Cervélo," said directeur sportif Jens Zemke. "That's what we learned from the opening team time trial. The surprise came from the intermediate time check where we had the best time. It would have been great to put Iñigo Cuesta in red jersey at 41! We cheered a lot for him. Everyone in this team has been working so hard, it's sad to hear that it won't continue but everyone remains motivated for helping Sastre to make the podium in Madrid."

  Sastre had secured a deal with Geox before the announcement of the dismissal of the Cervélo Test Team.

  Tondo's Cervelo teammate Theo Bos may be returning to both Rabobank and track riding, according to Dutch Eurosport commentator Danny Nellisen.

  Nellisen, who rode professionally from 1982 to 1988, said that he had a reliable source for the possible transfer, which would include Bos riding track events at the London Olympics 2012.

  Bos concentrated on track racing until 2008, winning five world championships and an Olympic gold medal. Since then he has continued to race on the track, but switched from sprint distance events to the endurance side, which coincides better with road racing. He participated in several six-day events last winter.

  This year Bos has come into his own, with four victories for Cervelo TestTeam. He won the Clasica de Almeria and a stage at the Vuelta a la Region de Murcia, and two stages of the Vuelta a Castilla y Leon, where he wore the leader's jersey for two days.

• Hutarovitch comes of age with Vuelta stage win

  

  Article published:

  August 29, 2010, 19:56

  By:

  Laura Weislo

  FDJ sprinter "improving constantly"

  Yauheni Hutarovitch quickly made a name for himself by taking his first grand tour stage win at the Vuelta a España in Marbella, outsprinting no less than the three fastest men in the sport: Mark Cavendish, Tyler Farrar and Alessandro Petacchi.

  While "Who-tarovitch?" may have been the question on the lips of many riders and commentators as the Belarus hit the line, there was one person who expected the victory, and it was the winner himself. "It's not a surprise for me," 26-year-old Hutarovitch declared. "My stage win at the Tour of Poland gave me the confidence I needed and I was sure to win a stage during this Vuelta. It just came very quickly."

  The victory by the big man from Belarus was a surprise to many, as was evident on the face of Cavendish directly after the finish and from the comments of Garmin-Transitions directeur sportif Johnny Weltz. "We've been unlucky to come up against a rider who usually doesn't win at a high level," said Weltz.

  In defense of Cavendish, Farrar and Petacchi, FDJ manager Marc Madiot said: "'Huta' is fresh because he hasn't raced the Tour de France this year." In the Tour, FDJ focused on climbers Christophe Le Mével and Sandy Casar and did not select the Belarus rider as they did in 2009 when he collected his best result when he finished third in stage 11 in Saint-Fargeau, won by Cavendish.

  This is the first time Hutarovich has prevailed against such a quality field. He turned professional in 2007 with the Roubaix-Lille Metropole team, where he claimed his first win in the Tour du Poitou Charentes et de la Vienne. In 2008 he moved to Francaise des Jeux, coming second on stage two of the Tour Méditerranéen, before scoring his first victory and taking the race lead on the second stage of the Driedaagse van West-Vlaanderen.

  His Tour of Poland stage earlier this summer was his first victory at ProTour level and his win today was the 16th of his pro career.

  "He's improving constantly," Madiot said of the 26 year-old from Minsk. "With this win, he enters the circle of the great sprinters. He's just coming of age now."

  For now, Cavendish, Farrar and Petacchi have another foe to watch as they head into stage 3, a 157km journey over three classified climbs to Málaga. With a category 1 climb in the final 30km, the rematch may have to wait a few more days but Hutarovich is a pretty good climber and could cause another surprise on Monday.

• Cavendish suffers in the heat but holds Vuelta lead

  

  Article published:

  August 29, 2010, 20:06

  By:

  Stephen Farrand

  Farrar misses a shot at the red jersey as Dean struggles after crash

  Mark Cavendish was disappointed to be beaten by Yauheni Hutarovich in the sprint in Marbella but second place meant he was able to the hold onto the red leader’s jersey despite suffering in the scorching heat.

  Riders again faced temperatures above 40C during the first part of the stage, with temperatures only dropping as they reached the Mediterranean coast near the finish. Cavendish seemed to suffer the most, revealing he vomited several times during the stage. “It was a very difficult day, incredibly hot and the guys did an incredible job on such tough terrain,” Cavendish told the Reuters news agency.

  “I had goose bumps and I was throwing up I was that hot. It was only when we got to the coast and the weather cooled down that I started feeling a bit more normal.”

  “I’m incredibly lucky that I have such a great team of guys around me. They work so hard. I didn’t have to spend any extra energy at all. But the heat killed me. I was suffering a lot.”

  Cavendish is without his usual lead out man Mark Renshaw at the Vuelta but can count on a strong team, with recent GP Plouay winner Matt Goss acting as his lead out in the final kilometre of the sprints.

  Goss helped Cavendish hold a good position in the final kilometre and then the Manxman jumped on Tyler Farrar’s wheel before opening up his own sprint. He looked set to win the stage but then Hutarovich surged past him in sight of the line.

  “It’s always disappointing when you don’t get a win after your teammates have worked so hard, but stage five is another good opportunity and we’ll try and take it,” Cavendish said.

  “This race is the first time I’ve ridden with Matt Goss. It’s not quite the same as when I’m with Mark but we’re learning. It always takes me a couple of days to get into the rhythm of a major stage race too, so we’ll keep going and see what happens.”

  Sprinters’ confusion

  The sprint finish in Marbella was fast but no one team managed to control the lead out. Riders fought for position but lost their teammates' wheels in the hectic and dangerous high-speed finale.

  Liquigas-Doimo sprinter Daniele Bennati, the highest ranking sprinter behind the HTC-Columbia team, was only 16th in the madness and lost his chance to take the leader's jersey from Cavendish. “The team did a good job but the guys lost each other when the sprint started,” Liquigas team manager Roberto Amadio explained.

  “They hesitated a bit but they have good legs and that’s the most important thing for now. It’s hot and the course was hard today before the bunch sprint. The riders look tired.”

  Garmin-Transitions also had problems with one if its main lead-out men, Julian Dean, who struggled in the heat after his crash before the previous night's team time trial. As a result Garmin-Transition opted not to take control of the lead out.

  The team's director Johnny Weltz revealed that the day was a missed opportunity for Farrar, who was also within striking distance of the red leader’s jersey.

  “Julian had an awful day because of his crash yesterday during the warm-up before the team time trial. He suffered like hell. He managed to hang on in the hill but he got dropped with 45 kilometres to go,” Weltz said.

  “Without him, we didn’t want to work for a bunch sprint finish. We chose to try and profit from the situation that was offered by other teams leading out their sprinters. We were unlucky to be beaten by a rider who usually doesn’t win at such a high level.”

  “It’s a pity because if Tyler Farrar had won today, there was a possibility for taking the red jersey with the time bonus. It’s not quite the day we hoped for.”

• French focus for Ag2r-La Mondiale

  

  Article published:

  August 29, 2010, 22:46

  By:

  Jean-François Quénet

  Chérel the fifth recruit for Lavenu's team

  For the first time since the team was created in 1992 under the name of Chazal-Vanille et Mûre and Estonian stagiaire Jaan Kirsipuu won stage one of Paris-Bourges, there might not be a rider from Eastern Europe in Vincent Lavenu's Ag2r-La Mondiale squad next year.

  Latvia's Gatis Smukulis, Estonia's René Mandri and the Efimkin brothers are on their way out, while Tadej Valjavec's contract has little chance of being extended for 2011; although he hasn't been suspended by the Slovenian federation, the UCI has insisted he stop racing following examination of his biological passport. But for now he's not racing due to injury.

  "Vladimir Efimkin has already left the team on a mutual agreement because he wanted to rejoin his family in the United States," Lavenu told Cyclingnews. "I remain convinced that he could have had a better career. He made the top 10 of the Tour de France with us."

  In 2008, Efimkin eventually became the winner of stage nine to Bagnères-de-Bigorre after the disqualification of Riccardo Ricco, but he hasn't won a race since.

  Yuriy Krivtsov will stay with Ag2r-La Mondiale in 2011 but he's no longer Ukrainian as he recently switched to French nationality after living in France for the past decade.

  Lavenu has recruited only French riders for the coming season. After Mathieu Perget (Caisse d'Epargne), Sébastien Minard (Cofidis), Romain Lemarchand (BigMat-Auber 93) and Steve Houanard (Skil-Shimano), Mikaël Chérel (Française Des Jeux) has signed a one-year contract with Ag2r-La Mondiale.

  "I'm very happy to have sealed this deal," said the 24-year-old from Normandy who recently finished fifth in Paris-Corrèze. "I was also offered a contract by Bretagne-Schuller but I prefer to be able to take part in the same races as with Française Des Jeux."

  Former national champion as a junior, Chérel underwent surgery for a cyst twice this year. He's been off the bike for two and half months. "I hope to ride a solid Vuelta to prepare well for next season," he explained.

  Lavenu's fully French recruitment so far is still likely to be reinforced by one or two foreign riders, however. The priority of the team manager from France's Alpine region was to keep his biggest names - Nicholas Roche, Rinaldo Nocentini, Martin Elmiger, John Gadret and Tour de France stage winner Christophe Riblon - who all decided to stay.

• Andreu extends for two-years with Kenda

  

  Article published:

  August 30, 2010, 00:06

  By:

  Cycling News

  Continental team looks for additional funding

  Former professional Frankie Andreu has extended his commitment with the Kenda-Geargrinder team through 2012. The squad will enter its third year as a registered Continental team with the International Cycling Union (UCI) and has re-signed its leading rider from Italy Luca Damiani.

  The former member of Lance Armstrong's US Postal team is hoping to raise the status of Kenda Pro Cycling in the coming season with the help of some additional funding. "A lot of teams are trying to turn Professional Continental or trying to go ProTour. I would like to see Kenda with a little bit more support to build into a powerful domestic team that can race in all the races in the US and not be limited because of their status," Andreu said.

  "Eventually this year or next year, if more sponsors come on board, the objective is to get into the biggest races in the US like the Tour of California. I would like to see the team with the right type of riders so that we could go and ride those kinds of races and that is what we are shooting for in 2011."

  With the possibility of the Amgen Tour of California turning ProTour, teams like Kenda would have to step up to the next level of UCI teams in order to compete, which takes a bigger budget. Andreu admitted that the team is in search of a partner which would help bolster the roster with stronger riders and increase the number of top-level races it hopes to participate in over the next two years.

  "Kenda signed on for another two years which is great it puts us in a good position, but we will need to find an additional sponsor or partner to be able to continue to grow the team," Andreu said. "Kenda’s involvement is important because it allows us to have a team but it’s the starting point and we need other sponsors to be able to build on that.

  Italy’s Luca Damiani signed on with the team for the first time last year and has also renewed his term for two more years. He is remembered for his win at the 2008 CSC Invitational. This year he brought the team top-ten successes at Tour of the Battenkill, Athens Twilight, Joe Martin Stage Race, USA SpeedWeek series, Wilmington Grand Prix, Kelly Cup and Bike Jam, Tour of Somerville and the Nature Valley Grand Prix.

  "Luca was the first rider we signed back," Andreu said. "He was a huge part of the success we had this year. He’s a great rider and always up there and made a big difference for our team this year. Everything is there with the riders that we are putting together. It’s just that being able to move up that extra notch which we are working very hard to bring in a few big riders for 2011 which will allow us to do some of these bigger races."

  According to Andreu, Kenda-Geargrinder plans to sign on 12 to 13 riders to its Continental roster and eliminating its current Elite team. Its event schedule will focus on the National Racing Calendar along with stage races like the Amgen Tour of California and the Quiznos Pro Challenge, should they receive an invitation.

  "You have to have a strong caliber of riders with climbers, time trialists and guys that can be competitive at that top level," he added. "We need to be able to offer a decent salary for some of these guys. To get into California and Colorado you need some stronger riders and high profile names that of course require a bigger salary."

• Gerrans rubbishes Worlds rift rumours

  

  Article published:

  August 30, 2010, 05:40

  By:

  Cycling News

  Evans had team’s support in 2009, says Sky rider

  Simon Gerrans has dismissed suggestions that Cadel Evans didn’t have the support of his Australian team-mates when he claimed victory at last year’s UCI World Road Championships in Mendrisio, Switzerland. The normally reserved rider didn’t mince words when addressing rumours that of the nine man squad, eight had vowed to support himself at a pre-race meeting while only Evans voted for himself.

  "That was absolute bullshit. I don't know where that story came from," Gerrans told the The Sydney Morning Herald. "We were shocked to hear it. It couldn't have been further from the truth. We sat down, had our team meeting and discussed tactics and who were the best chances.

  ''I had a good run leading into worlds, winning the Grand Prix de Plouay and [a stage in] the Vuelta,” he added. “While Cadel and I were going for the win, we decided I would be the best [chance] to win but by natural selection he was good enough. I wasn't. We were equally protected. Cadel had the legs to finish it off. I didn't."

  The pair, who ride for BMC Racing Team and Team Sky professionally, will again join forces for the world championships this year. Evans will defend his title on home soil, with the event to be staged in Geelong, Australia, while the course is believed to be better suited to Gerrans. That will see the pair again share leadership of the Australian National Team.

  While Gerrans is contesting the Vuelta a España in Spain ahead of the event Evans will use Paris-Brussels, GP Fourmie and GP Wallone as some of his preparation events. Evans had contested the Vuelta leading into last year’s championship race but his smaller BMC Racing Team squad isn’t contesting this year’s event, having already competed at the year’s first two Grand Tours: Giro d’Italia and Tour de France.

• Fly V Australia captures 2010 NRC team title

  

  Article published:

  August 30, 2010, 06:52

  By:

  Kirsten Frattini

  Amaran crowned individual men's winner

  Fly V Australia sprinter Jonathan Cantwell put a stamp on his team's overall victory of the National Racing Calendar (NRC) series by winning the last round at the Chris Thater Memorial held on Sunday in Binghamton, New York.

  "To win the NRC team title is a huge honour and it is very prestigious to be ranked the number one team in America," said Cantwell. "It's a huge feat and we were so consistent from the start to the end. This was very important to the team and very important to the sponsors."

  Cuban all-rounder Luis Amaran (Jamis-Sutter Home p/b Colavita) was not present at the finale, having unofficially consolidated his first NRC's individual title the week prior.

  "Winning the NRC was an important goal of mine this year," said Amaran. "It was the kind of achievement that shows your consistency as a rider."

  May the best man win...

  The NRC series was held over 21 rounds that began at the Redlands Bicycle Classic in California where Fly V Australia's Ben Day kicked off the season with a victory leading the team to the top spot in both the individual and team classifications.

  "We started the season with the NRC not being a goal," said Fly V Australia's technical director Ed Beamon. "After the team came out with such a strong start at the beginning of the season we sort of let it get away. But, you start to get a taste for it and then you don't really want to let it get away.

  "We felt very strongly about how good this team is and how consistent the team has been," he added. "We felt it was important to vindicate by winning the NRC team overall. We wanted to win for our own personal satisfaction of justifying how good our team is so it made sense to try and win it."

  Last year's winning team, Jamis-Sutter Home p/b Colavita (formerly called Colavita-Sutter Home), took over the lead in the NRC team classification after the Wilmington Grand Prix in May.

  Fly V Australia's strong sprint and stage racing team regained their top rank at the Tour of Somerville in June. Cantwell's end-of-season winning streak along with his teammates' strong performances at the Sunny King Criterium, Tour of Elk Grove, Tour of Utah and the Presbyterian Invitational Criterium, among others, helped the squad distance itself from its nearest competitors Jamis-Sutter p/b Colavita Home and UnitedHealthcare p/b Maxxis.

  "The last few races have been difficult to manage from the points perspective but the guys did a good job of managing it," Beamon explained. "It was a tough battle in the last few weeks with Jamis-Sutter Home and UnitedHealthcare right there in the standings. The fortunate thing for us is that Jonathan was in such good form that he was almost unbeatable."

  Amaran surpassed Day in the NRC's individual ranking following his win at the Joe Martin Stage Race and a strong performance at the Nature Valley Grand Prix in June. Other strong contenders included Cantwell, Rory Sutherland (UnitedHealthcare p/b Maxxis) and David Veilleux (Kelly Benefit Strategies).

  Amaran finished inside the top ten in a mixture of many of the scheduled stage races and criteriums including Redlands Bicycle Classic, Tour of the Gila and the Air Force Cycling Classic Clarendon Cup, Wilmington Grand Prix and the Presbyterian Invitational Criterium. He attributes his all-round ability to his recent move to the high deserts of New Mexico.

  "This year I improved on my climbing and my time trialing," Amaran said. "I moved to Albuquerque which is at altitude and I can specifically train my climbing there. So I felt more prepared coming to the stage races, especially the ones with a lot of climbing."

  Amaran's consistent performances earned him a commanding lead in the NRC individual standings before the Tour of Utah, the final stage race of the season. He didn't finish the six-day race but unofficially consolidated the victory. His highly accomplished season resulted in tired legs and he did not attend the Chris Thater Memorial.

  "I had a good lead in the NRC before Tour of Utah," Amaran said. "I didn't feel too strong in Utah but I wanted to help my teammates there. So I didn't really have to worry about the NRC after that point."