First Edition Cycling News, Monday, October 19, 2009

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Date published:

October 19, 2009, 17:00

• Davis Phinney: 2010 Tour's first week will be stressful

  

  Article published:

  October 18, 2009, 16:30

  By:

  Peter Hymas

  Two-time Tour stage winner hopes an American can win in Bordeaux

  Former American professional Davis Phinney, who in 1986 became the first American to win a Tour de France road stage as part of the groundbreaking 7-Eleven squad, appreciates the challenge Tour director Christian Prudhomme faces in creating a balanced and fresh Tour de France route.

  "I feel like 2010 is an interesting Tour and an interesting route," Phinney told Cyclingnews. "I think that it will be extremely stressful for the overall Tour contenders the first week. The first week of the Tour is always stressful anyway, but particularly riding on roads in Holland which have traffic islands, rain, and potentially lots of wind.

  "Then, of course, you throw in other things like cobblestones and we'll see some interesting challenges. It's like putting a bomb into people's preparation."

  Phinney sees one rider as the man to beat in the opening week. "It depends on the weather conditions but the longer prologue favours [Fabian] Cancellara, [Bradley] Wiggins potentially. Cancellara would also be well-suited for the cobble section on stage three and he can climb well enough. If he wins the [yellow] jersey by enough, with no time bonuses he won't lose it until they get into the serious Alps. It could be a repetition of this year's race."

  While Phinney was no stranger to the spring Classics during his days as a European professional, he has mixed feelings about the inclusion of several sections of Paris-Roubaix cobbles. "Crashes are for sure a concern. As the fitness of the riders becomes higher and higher and the competitive pressure from the sponsors and the publicity side of the race grows, people take more and more risks. So we're seeing riders going down with greater frequency than ever which is a concern. These guys aren't gladiators, they're athletes in an endurance-based sport. This isn't the keirin.

  "I don't think it helps to have these sections from the Classics in, although it makes for exciting racing. If this Tour was in my day I probably would have enjoyed those stages that much more, but now that I'm a spectator I'm more of a fan beyond the sprinters. You just don't want to see a legitimate Tour contender lose out just for having a puncture in the wrong place or worse, crash out of the race. "

  Phinney expects two riders from the 2009 Tour de France podium to once again be among the favourites for victory next year. "I think this is a good course for strong climbers. Contador is Contador, he's a great rider, but it remains to be seen what kind of team he has behind him and where he ends up next year.

  "For Armstrong, just having another year in his comeback under his belt, he'll be much better off. He'll be much more on his game than this year. It favors Lance to have a long closing time trial because nobody knows the Tour and rides more astutely than Lance. He gets stronger throughout the race and he's proven that throughout his career. The final time trial will also help a rider like Cadel [Evans]."

  Phinney feels that it's important that the Tour pays homage to its history and legacy, but that the absence of a team time trial doesn't detract from the 2010 race. "In our day with 7-Eleven, we placed a lot on the team trials at the Tour and the Giro just because it was symbolic of having a really solid program and a good team from your best rider to your ninth rider. But, that being said, one thing I like about bike racing is the diversity and the Tour is nothing if not a diverse challenge. I think there's a place for it, but I don't think it's necessary every year."

  A legendary part of the Tour's history which is making an appearance after a protracted absence is a stage finish in Bordeaux, the first time in seven years that the Tour has returned to this city so rich in tradition for sprinters. It's a city with a warm place in Phinney's heart, as it was the scene of his second and final Tour de France stage win in 1987.

  "That will make for a really nice battle royale with all the sprinters going into Bordeaux. That's second only to Paris as the most prestigious town for sprinters to win in. I'm really psyched to be included in the pantheon of sprinters who've won in Bordeaux.

  "That is another nice way to bring back the historical context of the race and it will be neat to see if another American, Tyler Farrar, has the legs and is able to beat Cavendish."

  Follow Cyclingnews on Twitter for the very latest coverage of events taking place in the cycling world - twitter.com/cyclingnewsfeed

• Colavita steps down as pro title sponsor

  

  Article published:

  October 18, 2009, 17:27

  By:

  Kirsten Frattini

  Jamis takes over title role

  Colavita has stepped down from its title sponsorship of men’s professional cycling team Colavita-Sutter Home presented by Cooking Light, after a seven-year venture. Jamis Bicycles has taken over the title position and the American-based UCI Continental outfit is newly named Jamis-Sutter Home presented by Colavita for the 2010 season.

  “He supported the men’s team for over seven seasons, and it was time for them to leave,” Alexandre said regarding the John A. Profaci, Colavita USA’s Vice President and uber cycling supporter. “The good thing is that Jamis and Sutter Home stepped up and wanted to continue to working with us.”

  Colavita plans to continue their involvement in cycling with the sponsorship of the women’s professional cycling team along with its many club teams that span the USA. As for the men’s professional team, Profaci will continue to manage the team under Colavita Sports LLC.

  “If there were several people like John in the US there would definitely be more teams,” said Sebastian Alexandre, directeur sportif who expressed his gratitude to Colavita for its support. “He is a great guy who always wanted to support cycling, at every level, from clubs, Colavita has several regional clubs across the nation, to the pro teams. He believes in this sport and he thinks that is a great way to promote his brand.”

  The team signed nine riders to date with seven returning from 2009 to include winning Argentinean sprinters Sebastian Haedo, who placed second overall in the NRC ranking and Alejandro Borrajo a former Giro d’ Italia podium finisher. The bulk of the team returns with Cuban Luis Amaran, Argentineans Anibal Borrajo and Guido Palma, Americans Tyler Wren and Andy Guptill.

  New additions to the team include Jamey Driscoll from Rock Racing and Nick Frey from Ciclismo Racing. “Nick is a very talented time trialist and Jamey is one of the most talented cyclo-cross riders in the country so I’m confident they will work out great with our team,” said Alexandre.

  “I wanted to build a team where we can race for at least two years with the same guys,” he continued. “So I added some young guys to the core of the team from last year. In 2008 I planned the same strategy and we had a great year. After that I wanted to maintain the same guys in 2009 and the year was again great. We maintain seven riders from last year, and added some young talented riders to replace the guys who left the team.”

  After a seven-year ambition, the Colavita-Sutter Home men’s professional cycling team captured overall best team in the nation following the ‘09 NRC season. “It was John Profaci's and Colavita's goal to win the NRC and it’s nice when you finish the best season ever with a bonus of being the number one team in the country. When Profaci asked me to win the NRC, after we were second place in 2008, I tried to plan the schedule based on the riders I had and the races where we could do well. The team responded great at every event and we conquered our overall goal for the year.”

  According to Alexandre it is his goal to bring Jamis-Sutter Home presented by Colavita in to the top NRC ranking next year as well. “The 2009 season was the best year ever for Colavita, but I believe with the experience and confidence our team has gained over the past two seasons. We are ready to do a better job. This will be the third season for this group of riders racing together.”

  The strategy? The team’s main goal for 2010 is to win races and individual stages and with that, Alexandre hopes that the NRC ranking will follow suit. It ended the ’09 season with five riders placed in the top fifteen of the NRC individual ranking. “We kept our high-speed riders for the field sprint finishes, Haedo and Borrajo have proven that they are some of the fastest guys in the American racing, so there is no doubt the team will win races.” 

  Next year, the Jamis-Sutter Home presented by Colavita squad will put its best foot forward throughout the 2010 NRC events. However, it will also venture outside of the USA to possibly contend several events in Canada, Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina.

  Follow Cyclingnews on Twitter for the very latest coverage of events taking place in the cycling world - twitter.com/cyclingnewsfeed

• Kenda plans for success in 2010

  

  Article published:

  October 18, 2009, 20:52

  By:

  Kirsten Frattini

  Andreu signs on as directeur sportif

  Kenda Pro Cycling's team owner Chad Thompson went back to the drawing board after his team struggled to gain results in the National Racing Calendar (NRC) this past road season. Time-intensive brainstorming between he and the team's co-sponsors revealed two key ingredients essential for increasing its chances for victory in 2010 - funding and Frankie Andreu.

  "We met with the people at Kenda, generally, on how to improve the team," said Thompson founder of Inferno Racing LLC, Kenda Pro Cycling's management company. "It really boils down to funding because from a supply standpoint we have great sponsors. We felt that we needed to modify the direction, really follow our mission statement and progress. In order to do that we needed to get a DS that can be full time, commit all year to the team, someone with experience and who is respected and Frankie's it."

  Their working relationship began two years ago with the intention that Thompson would find the means to hire Andreu as a full time directeur sportif once the team could afford him. "Everyone knows he has a checkered history but he is a very sought-after DS," said Thompson. "He is respected, he is a mid-west guy too. I know him well, he's laid back, doesn't lose his cool and is great with the riders. That was the immediate change."

  Part of the funding required to hire Andreu came from title sponsor Kenda who doubled the cycling team's budget for the 2010 year. Furthermore, Jimmy Yang, Kenda owner, and Stefano Lumbaca, Kenda road manager, doubled the amount of technical support. The team recently announced the addition of Gear Grinders, headed by Paul Weaver, as a presenting financial sponsor. Weaver committed to provide the team with assets such as a team trailer, van and follow-car. According to Thompson there may be the addition of a surprise sponsors to be announced at a later date.

  Thompson is a former professional bike racer turned full-time fire fighter in Ohio. After an eight-year career he decided to try his hand at racing again, on a part-time basis while continuing to maintain his career and support his family life as a new father. "I joined Honey Stinger, a small local team," said Thompson. "I wanted to step it up to the next level to make it a really elite team. In 2005 it became my team. We started the company Inferno Racing which was designed to manage a cycling team."

  In its second season as a UCI Continental team, Kenda Pro Cycling will embark on it's seventh transformation since its inception in 2005 as the initial Honey Stinger-Spinergy team. Success rolled in with the addition of sprinter Mark Hekman in 2006, as the Abercrombie & Fitch Elite Cycling Team turned into a professional development team the following year. The team lost its title fashion sponsorship in 2008 and became known simply as Inferno Pro Cycling, named after its management company.

  "Kenda approached us in 2009 and Kenda's Stefano Lumbaca wanted to convince owner Jimmy Yang to have a men's pro team, to run a UCI Continental team," Thompson said. "We struggled to get results last year, our first season as a UCI outfit, because of a lot of injuries. We really want to expand on our previous success and honor that UCI license."

  Thompson has reinforced the team with 13 fresh faces preparing this off-season to take on the 2010 with a winning attitude. New riders include Philip Gaimon (Jelly Belly), Chad Hartley (BMC), Jonny Sundt and Nick Waite (Kelly Benefit Strategies), Stefano Barberi (formerly of Toyota-United), Nick Keough (BikeReg.com), Rob Bush (Texas Roadhouse) and James Stemper (Gear Grinder), Johny Parish, Chris Monteleone, Jim Baldesare, Marco Aledia and Rich Harper. Returning riders include Jake Rytlewski, Scottie Weiss, Ty Stanfield, Chad Burdzilauskas. According to Thompson there are two riders still under negotiations and will be announced at a later date.

  "We had to restructure the roster," Thompson said. "We also needed to hire riders that can ride in leadership and support roles. We have two more riders who have not signed yet but you can expect that one is an NRC level sprint finisher who is young and the other is an Italian, a good stage racer and lead-out guy. The ink's not dry yet."

  Kenda Pro Cycling team is hoping to use its new resources to achieve the success that was out of reach last season. "We want NRC victories in crits and to be competitive in all stage races. We want to be in one or all of the [US] grand tours," Thompson said regarding his vision for next year. "But, we aren't foolish and we don't expect to do well in California. There we want to present our sponsors. We do want a stage win in Missouri. Most importantly, we want to win some bike races. We want to be on the podium."

  Kenda Pro Cycling will focus on a full NRC schedule including a possible trip overseas to the Tour of Taiwan. "We just got the NRC stuff yesterday," said Thompson. "I haven't seen the UCI schedule yet but we pretty much will race the entire NRC. Should the invite to the Tour of Taiwan be extended we will start there and then go to California and finish up the spring there."

  Follow Cyclingnews on Twitter for the very latest coverage of events taking place in the cycling world - twitter.com/cyclingnewsfeed

• Encouraging signs for Martin in Lombardy

  

  Article published:

  October 19, 2009, 05:01

  By:

  Shane Stokes

  Garmin Slipstream's Irishman finishes on a high

  Eighth in Saturday's Giro di Lombardia marked a fine end of season for Irishman Daniel Martin, who was also second overall in this year's Volta a Catalunya, third in the Tour Méditerranéen and fifth in the GP Ouest-France.

  The second-year professional is regarded as a talented stage race rider but the weekend result underlines that he also has a future in Classic races. "It just confirms what happened at Plouay, that I can race over that distance," Martin told Cyclingnews.

  "Obviously there was a stronger field at Lombardy. I raced really aggressively in the event too, which made me happy."

  After an early, long-distance break involving his first cousin Nicolas Roche (Ag2r La Mondiale) was brought back, Martin then went on the attack with Johnny Hoogerland and Matteo Carrara (both Vacansoleil), Mauro Santambrogio (Lampre), Dries Devenyns (Quick Step) and Gustav Larsson (Saxo Bank). They struck out on the Ghisallo climb and remained clear until just before the final ascent.

  Martin undoubtedly used energy in the move, but played down the suggestion that he might have fared significantly better had he stayed put with the favourites

  "I don't think I would ever have been able to go with Philippe [Gilbert] on the last climb," the 23-year-old explained. "Those last two climbs are pretty short so they are not quite my scene, but I thought I'd go for a longer one...

  "If I could have got to the bottom of the last climb with a bit of an advantage, that would have been good. I knew it was going to split up behind, so maybe they would start looking at each other and perhaps I would be able to win the race," he added.

  "I am really happy with how it played out. I got back on the last descent. I kind of messed up the sprint a bit because I didn't know what it was like. I've never done the race before and I didn't know it was a downhill tailwind sprint," continued Martin.

  "It was super fast and I left it a bit late to start my sprint. But it was a good experience and I am happy. It is also good for the team to get another top 10 in a monument after Ryder [Hesjedal] got up there in Liège."

  Martin recently broke team-mate Christian Vande Velde's unofficial record on the Rocacorba climb in Girona. He is encouraged by that, the Lombardia result and the fact that he is finishing his racing year feeling fresh. He said that this will set him up for a good off-season as his morale is high and because he isn't burned out.

  Martin will next head to the Giro d'Italia presentation on Saturday and then attend the Braveheart dinner in Scotland on October 31st. He plans to spend much of the winter at his base in Girona.

• Visconti seals UCI Europe Tour title

  

  Article published:

  October 19, 2009, 10:22

  By:

  Richard Tyler

  Italian claims pro continental title with strong finish at Italian races

  Italian Giovanni Visconti has claimed the International Cycling Union's (UCI) 2009 Europe Tour. The ISD-Neri rider sealed the overall title with a series of podium results in the final races of the UCI's Europe Tour calendar to finish clear of Kenny van Hummel (Skil-Shimano) and Jimmy Casper (Besson Chaussures – Sojasun).

  Van Hummel had led the Europe Tour since May, but Visconti's second place finishes at the Coppa Sabatini and GP Beghelli provided him with enough points to overtake both the Dutchman and Casper in the final two weeks of the series calendar. He finished the season with 638 points, 37 points clear of Van Hummel (601 points) and 63 points in front of Casper (575 points).

  Sunday's Chrono des Nations marked the final race of the UCI Europe calendar. Astana's Alexandre Vinokourov won the event, however, with Visconti, Van Hummel and Casper absent,  the individual time trial had little effect on the final overall rankings.

  Agritubel closed their final season as a professional team with victory in the team rankings. The French squad finished ahead of Dutch team Vacansoleil and the now disbanded Portuguese team Liberty Seguros, who finished third.

  Italy, France and Spain were the top-three nations in the competition for pro-continental teams.

  UCI Europe Tour - Individual Rankings

  1	Giovanni Visconti (Ita) ISD	638	pts
  2	Kenny Robert Van Hummel (Ned) Skil-Shimano	601
  3	Jimmy Casper (Fra) Besson Chaussures - Sojasun	575
  4	Romain Feillu (Fra) Agritubel	488
  5	Alessandro Petacchi (Ita) LPR Brakes Farnese Vini	469
  6	David Lelay (Fra) Agritubel	446
  7	Luca Paolini (Ita) Acqua & Sapone - Caffe Mokambo	377
  8	Hector Guerra Garcia (Spa) Liberty Seguros	366
  9	Ruben Plaza Molina (Spa) Liberty Seguros	360
  10	Aleksejs Saramotins (Lat) Team Designa Kokken	348
  11	Heinrich Haussler (Ger) Cervelo Test Team	348
  12	Martin Pedersen (Den) Team Capinordic	338
  13	Francisco José Ventoso Alberdi (Spa) Carmiooro - A Style	332
  14	Xavier Tondo Volpini (Spa) Andalucia Cajasur	326
  15	Giampaolo Caruso (Ita) Ceramica Flaminia - Bossini Docce	325
  16	Borut Bozic (Slo) Vacansoleil Pro Cycling Team	320
  17	Francesco Ginanni (Ita) Serramenti PVC Diquigiovanni-Androni Giocattoli	318
  18	Niko Eeckhout (Bel) An Post - Sean Kelly Team	315
  19	Nuno Ribeiro (Por) Liberty Seguros	312
  20	Dimitri Champion (Fra) Bretagne - Schuller	307
  21	Daniele Callegarin (Ita) Centri Della Calzatura	303
  22	Romain Sicard (Fra) Orbea	302
  23	Maxime Bouet (Fra) Agritubel	299
  24	Enrico Rossi (Ita) Ceramica Flaminia - Bossini Docce	297
  25	Stefan Van Dijk (Ned) Verandas Willems	295
  26	Grega Bole (Slo) Adria Mobil	291
  27	Eric Baumann (Ger) Team Nutrixxion Sparkasse	279
  28	Danilo Hondo (Ger) PSK Whirlpool - Author	275
  29	Tiago Machado (Por) Madeinox Boavista	268
  30	Daniele Pietropolli (Ita) LPR Brakes Farnese Vini	266
  31	Kris Boeckmans (Bel)	252
  32	Egor Silin (Rus)	238
  33	Leonardo Bertagnolli (Ita) Serramenti PVC Diquigiovanni-Androni Giocattoli	237
  34	Timofey Kritskiy (Rus) Katyusha Continental Team	228
  35	Przemyslaw Niemiec (Pol) Miche - Silver Cross - Selle Italia	225
  36	Bert De Waele (Bel) Landbouwkrediet - Colnago	223
  37	Domenico Pozzovivo (Ita) CSF Group - Navigare	221
  38	Lieuwe Westra (Ned) Vacansoleil Pro Cycling Team	219
  39	Matteo Carrara (Ita) Vacansoleil Pro Cycling Team	217
  40	Tejay Van Garderen (Usa) Rabobank Continental	214
  41	Patrik Sinkewitz (Ger) PSK Whirlpool - Author	210
  42	Maurizio Biondo (Ita) Ceramica Flaminia - Bossini Docce	209
  43	Johnny Hoogerland (Ned) Vacansoleil Pro Cycling Team	209
  44	Candido Joaquim Venda Moreira Barbosa (Por) Palmeiras Resort - Tavira	209
  45	Mauro Finetto (Ita) CSF Group - Navigare	204
  46	Denis Flahaut (Fra) Landbouwkrediet - Colnago	201
  47	Stefano Garzelli (Ita) Acqua & Sapone - Caffe Mokambo	200
  48	Martin Reimer (Ger) Cervelo Test Team	196
  49	Freddy Bichot (Fra) Agritubel	193
  50	Russell Downing (GBr) Candi TV- Pinarello RT	193
  51	Volodymyr Starchyk (Ukr) Amore & Vita - Mcdonald's	191
  52	Manuel Belletti (Ita) Serramenti PVC Diquigiovanni-Androni Giocattoli	190
  53	Kevin Ista (Bel) Agritubel	188
  54	Thor Hushovd (Nor) Cervelo Test Team	187
  55	Miguel Angel Rubiano Chavez (Col) Centri Della Calzatura	185
  56	Jérémie Galland (Fra) Besson Chaussures - Sojasun	177
  57	Davide Rebellin (Ita) Serramenti PVC Diquigiovanni-Androni Giocattoli	175
  58	Jure Kocjan (Slo) Carmiooro - A Style	174
  59	Marco Marcato (Ita) Vacansoleil Pro Cycling Team	174
  60	Nicolas Jalabert (Fra) Agritubel	171
  61	Marko Kump (Slo) Adria Mobil	168
  62	Rasmus Guldhammer (Den) Team Capinordic	167
  63	Sergey Kolesnikov (Rus) Moscow	166
  64	Peter Sagan (Svk) Dukla Trencin Merida	162
  65	Fortunato Baliani (Ita) CSF Group - Navigare	161
  66	Theo Bos (Ned) Rabobank Continental	161
  67	Jimmy Engoulvent (Fra) Besson Chaussures - Sojasun	161
  68	Pasquale Muto (Ita) Miche - Silver Cross - Selle Italia	158
  69	Manuel Antonio Leal Cardoso (Por) Liberty Seguros	158
  70	Massimo Giunti (Ita) Miche - Silver Cross - Selle Italia	157
  71	Kristof Goddaert (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen - Mercator	157
  72	Radoslav Rogina (Cro) Loborika	156
  73	Robert Wagner (Ger) Skil-Shimano	155
  74	Sergey Firsanov (Rus) Team Designa Kokken	153
  75	Markus Eibegger (Aut) ELK Haus	153
  76	Vitaliy Popkov (Ukr) ISD-Sport-Donetsk	153
  77	Yann Huguet (Fra) Agritubel	152
  78	Krzysztof Jezowski (Pol) CCC Polsat Polkowice	152
  79	Anthony Ravard (Fra) Agritubel	151
  80	Mitja Mahoric (Slo) Radenska Kd Financial Point	150
  81	Ben Hermans (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen - Mercator	150
  82	Pavel Kochetkov (Rus)	148
  83	David Blanco Rodriguez (Spa) Palmeiras Resort - Tavira	148
  84	Ruslan Podgornyy (Ukr) ISD	145
  85	Ivaïlo Gabrovski (Bul) Heraklion - Nessebar	141
  86	Michel Kreder (Ned) Rabobank Continental	140
  87	Gasper Svab (Slo) Sava	139
  88	Dirk Müller (Ger) Team Nutrixxion Sparkasse	139
  89	Cyril Lemoine (Fra) Skil-Shimano	139
  90	Francisco Mancebo Perez (Spa) Rock Racing	137
  91	Roger Hammond (GBr) Cervelo Test Team	136
  92	Andriy Grivko (Ukr) ISD	135
  93	Jan Ghyselinck (Bel)	135
  94	Björn Leukemans (Bel) Vacansoleil Pro Cycling Team	135
  95	Simon Zahner (Swi)	134
  96	Janek Tombak (Est) Cycling Club Bourgas	134
  97	Alexander Kristoff (Nor) Joker Bianchi	134
  98	Francesco Masciarelli (Ita) Acqua & Sapone - Caffe Mokambo	134
  99	Maarten Neyens (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen - Mercator	132
  100	Daryl Impey (RSA) Barloworld	132

  UCI Europe Tour - Team Rankings

  1	Agritubel (France)	2088	pts
  2	Vacansoleil Pro Cycling Team (Netherlands)	1499
  3	Liberty Seguros (Portugal)	1326
  4	Cervélo (Switzerland)	1261
  5	Team Isd (Italy)	1250
  6	Skil-Shimano (Netherlands)	1224
  7	Serramenti Pvc Diquigiovanni-Androni Giocattoli (Venezuela)	1210
  8	Besson Chaussures (France)	1208
  9	Lpr Brakes Farnese Vini (Ireland)	1121
  10	Ceramica Flaminia - Bossini Docce (Ireland)	1029
  11	Rabobank Ct (Netherlands)	973
  12	Centri Della Calzatura (Italy)	955
  13	Acqua & Sapone - Caffe Mokambo (Italy)	907
  14	Team Capinordic (Denmark)	897
  15	Team Designa Kokken (Denmark)	829
  16	Adria Mobil (Slovenia)	828
  17	Topsport Vlaanderen - Mercator (Belgium)	817
  18	Csf Group - Navigare (Ireland)	792
  19	Carmiooro - A Style (Italy)	783
  20	Psk Whirlpool - Author (Czech Republic)	761
  21	Bretagne - Schuller (France)	708
  22	Miche - Silver Cross - Selle Italia (San Marino)	671
  23	Barloworld (Great Britain)	657
  24	Andalucia Cajasur (Spain)	615
  25	Landbouwkrediet - Colnago (Belgium)	604
  26	Palmeiras Resort / Tavira (Portugal)	530
  27	Elk Haus (Austria)	516
  28	Verandas Willems (Belgium)	515
  29	Team Nutrixxion Sparkasse (Germany)	503
  30	Auber - 93 (France)	485
  31	An Post - Sean Kelly Team (Ireland)	481
  32	Cycling Club Bourgas (Bulgaria)	478
  33	Madeinox (Portugal)	477
  34	Contentpolis-Ampo (Spain)	472
  35	Ccc (Poland)	456
  36	Loborika (Croatia)	436
  37	Joker Bianchi (Norway)	433
  38	Mroz Continental Team (Poland)	423
  39	Orbea (Spain)	417
  40	Katyusha Continental Team (Russia)	402
  41	Xacobeo Galicia (Spain)	401
  42	Continental Team Differdange (Luxembourg)	390
  43	Lkt Team Brandenburg (Germany)	388
  44	Team Isd Ct (Ukraine)	376
  45	Roubaix Lille Metropole (France)	374
  46	Rock Racing (United States)	370
  47	Sava (Slovenia)	358
  48	Dhl - Author (Poland)	345
  49	Moscow (Russia)	344
  50	Betonexpressz 2000 - Limonta (Hungary)	307
  50	Palmans Cras (Belgium)	307
  52	Van Vliet Ebh Elshof (Netherlands)	305
  53	Amore & Vita - Mcdonald's (United States)	302
  54	Dukla Trencin Merida (Slovakia)	293
  55	Colombia Es Pasion Coldeportes (Colombia)	286
  56	Thüringer Energie Team (Germany)	271
  57	Atlas-Romer's Hausbäckerei (Switzerland)	251
  58	Vorarlberg - Corratec (Austria)	225
  59	Team Kuota - Indeland (Germany)	224
  60	Sp. Tableware-Gatsoulis Bikes (Greece)	217
  61	Team Ais (Australia)	215
  62	Radenska Kd Financial Point (Slovenia)	208
  63	Bmc Racing Team (United States)	201
  64	Candi Tv - Pinarello Rt (Great Britain)	193
  65	Centro Cilismo De Loule - Louletano (Portugal)	192
  66	Heraklion - Nessebar (Greece)	185
  67	Boyaca Es Para Vivirla (Colombia)	181
  68	Andorra-Grandvalira (Andorra)	172
  69	Paredes Rota Dos Moveis (Portugal)	158
  70	Rapha - Condor (Great Britain)	154
  70	Sparebanken Vest - Ridley (Norway)	154
  72	Heizomat Mapei (Germany)	142
  73	Barbot - Siper (Portugal)	139
  74	Team Piemonte (Lithuania)	133
  75	Jong Vlaanderen - Bauknecht (Belgium)	124
  76	Meridiana - Kalev Chocolate Team (Estonia)	123
  77	Tusnad Cycling Team (Romania)	117
  78	Burgos Monumental - Castilla Y Leon (Spain)	116
  79	Cycling Team Jo Piels (Netherlands)	106
  80	Rc Arbö Wels Gourmetfein (Austria)	101
  81	Ac Sparta Praha (Czech Republic)	99
  82	Bkcp (Belgium)	94
  83	Letua Cycling Team (Malaysia)	92
  83	Glud & Marstrand Horsens (Denmark)	92
  85	Halfords (Great Britain)	85
  85	Team Concordia - Vesthimmerland Procycling (Denmark)	85
  87	Trek Livestrong (United States)	78
  88	Praties (Australia)	76
  89	Nazionale Elettronica New Slot - Hadimec (Switzerland)	71
  90	Krolstone Continental Team (Netherlands)	69
  91	Utensilnord (Poland)	64
  91	Eqa - Meitan Hompo - Graphite Design (Japan)	64
  93	Ck Windoor's Pribram (Czech Republic)	63
  94	Team Neotel - Stegcomputer (South Africa)	62
  95	Team Trek Adecco (Norway)	52
  95	Legia - Felt (Poland)	52
  97	Bluewater - Cycling For Health (Denmark)	51
  97	Ktm - Junkers (Austria)	51
  99	Continental Team Milram (Germany)	51
  100	Seven Stones (Germany)	48
  101	Drapac (Australia)	46
  101	Josan Isorex Mercedes Benz Aalst-Ct (Belgium)	46
  103	Cinelli-Down Under (Australia)	44
  104	Amica Chips - Knauf (San Marino)	36
  105	Revor-Jartazi Cyclingteam (Belgium)	34
  106	Worldofbike.Gr (Greece)	30
  106	Bissell Pro Cycling (United States)	30
  106	Team Stenca Trading (Denmark)	30
  109	Ride Sport Racing (Australia)	28
  110	Profel Continental Team (Belgium)	26
  110	Trek - Marco Polo Cycling Team (China)	26
  112	Azad University Iran (Iran)	21
  113	Motomat Delo Revije (Slovenia)	17
  114	Fidea Cycling Team (Belgium)	16
  115	Lotto - Bodysol (Belgium)	13
  116	Team Energi Fyn (Denmark)	12
  116	Kelly Benefit Strategies (United States)	12
  116	Sunweb Pro Job Cycling Team (Belgium)	12
  119	Tyrol - Team Radland Tirol (Austria)	11
  120	Kuban (Russia)	10
  121	Doha Team (Qatar)	8
  121	Magnus Maximus (Sweden)	8
  121	Petrochemical Tabriz Cycling Team (Iran)	8
  124	Plowman Craven (Great Britain)	6
  125	Savings & Loans Cycling Team (Australia)	5

  UCI Europe Tour - Nation Rankings

  1	Italy	3538	pts
  2	France	3159
  3	Spain	2259
  4	Netherlands	2114
  5	Germany	2101
  6	Slovenia	1854
  7	Belgium	1805
  8	Russia	1534
  9	Portugal	1455
  10	Poland	1297
  11	Ukraine	1128
  12	Great Britain	1088
  13	Denmark	1022
  14	Norway	847
  15	Switzerland	655
  16	Estonia	621
  17	Austria	578
  18	Slovakia	561
  19	Croatia	539
  20	Bulgaria	507
  21	Sweden	478
  22	Hungary	450
  23	Latvia	447
  24	Serbia	378
  25	Czech Republic	274
  26	Lithuania	250
  27	Ireland	222
  28	Luxembourg	221
  29	Greece	211
  30	Turkey	198
  31	Moldova	191
  32	Belarus	157
  33	Israel	140
  33	Albania	140
  35	Romania	128
  36	Finland	100
  37	Liechtenstein	3

  
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• Columbia-HTC women aim for return to the top in 2010

  

  Article published:

  October 19, 2009, 11:05

  By:

  Daniel Benson

  UPDATED: Stapleton's women's team bolster roster with Cantele, Stevens, Visser and Hosking

  The Columbia-HTC women's team will be going all out to reclaim the number one spot in the world next year after being beaten by Cervélo TestTeam in 2009. It was the first time in three seasons that Bob Stapleton's squad missed out on the accolade and despite a series of crashes that robbed Judith Arndt of valuable race days, the team are looking to strengthen with the signings of Noemi Cantele, Evelyn Stevens, Adrie Visser and Chloe Hosking.

  "Out biggest disappointment last year was falling from number one to number two in the world," Stapleton told Cyclingnews. Former World Champion Judith Arndt sustained three crashes in the first part of the season and didn't register her first win until June, racing just twenty days in 2009.

  However, the year was far from disastrous with the ever-consistent Ina Teutenberg picking up an impressive 24 victories, including her first German road race title. Kim Anderson also won the Route de France, while the team took the top three places in the RaboSter Tour and Arndt fought back from injury to finish fourth in the individual time trial at the World Championships, one place behind her teammate Linda Melanie Villumsen.

  As for his new signings, Stapleton believes that Cantele can build on the success she had at the Worlds this year where she won silver in the individual time trial and bronze in the road race. "[Evelyn] Stevens is going to be phenomenal next season too. She kicked ass in the Worlds and was the absolute animator in the race. Ina will be team leader and race captain. They're obviously a source of real pride for me. I love them to death."

  Columbia have also confirmed that Dutch rider Adrie Visser and Australian rider Chloe Hosking will join the team roster for 2010. Visser, 26, has transferred to the American squad from DSB Bank - Nederland Bloeit, while Hosking, 19, has signed a full contract after riding as a stagiaire with Columbia this season.

  One rider that will not be signing for the team is Britain's Nicole Cooke. The Olympic champion signed for Equipe Nürnberger Versicherung from Vision 1 Racing last week. "I like Nicole Cooke. She is a polarising figure, but one hell of a talent. The door was always open for her, let's just say that. I think some people view her as hard to work with but that doesn't trouble me. I would never say no to Cooke. I think she'll have a good year and it's good to see her active in the sport. I was worried about her this year," Stapleton said.

  One thing that won't change in 2010 is Stapleton's obvious passion for his team and women's cycling in general. Columbia-HTC's team principal shows no sign of stepping aside yet. "The thing I like about it is that women's teams are generally great in terms of teamwork and nobody is getting rich. They do it because they love the sport and I like that. It's unbelievably hard and they get through it because the work together. All of their success is magnified because the rewards are modest. It represents some of the best elements of the sport."

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• Contador awaits UCI decision on Astana

  

  Article published:

  October 19, 2009, 12:56

  By:

  Peter Cossins

  Spaniard prepared for either outcome from ProTour licence commission

  Alberto Contador should find out today whether he will be riding for Astana in 2010 or taking up one of the offers he's been made by Caisse d'Epargne, Garmin or Quick Step. His future depends on the decision that the International Cycling Union's (UCI) licensing commission reaches over Astana's ProTour status. If the Kazakh team is not authorized to remain in the ProTour, Contador will have the opportunity he needs to opt out of his contract and consider offers from other teams.

  The Spaniard will receive the news in Mexico, where he is enjoying a few days of rest of after winning Saturday's Gran Premio criterium in Cancún. After that event, he told Mexican newspaper La Verdad that he has no idea which way the verdict on Astana will go.

  "The UCI will announce its decision about Astana on Monday and will decide, I suppose, if it's a solvent and serious team," said Contador. "If they are favourable [to Astana's request] a team will have to be put together, a competitive team, based around me and focused on the Tour… It would have been better to start building a team in August and September, but that's the way things are. I am confident they can put a good team together."

  With former Festina manager Yvon Sanquer lined up as the successor to Johan Bruyneel as team boss and Marco Pantani's former directeur sportif Giuseppe Martinelli set to take on the same role at Astana, talk has started about possible rider signings. Fuji's David De La Fuente is being heavily linked with a move to the team, while Spanish daily AS claims Spanish road champion Rubén Plaza and Ceramica Flaminia's Giampaolo Caruso are in Astana's sights. The team is also reported to have a new sponsor in Samruk Kazyna, the Kazakh national welfare fund.

  With his eyes very much on next year's Tour, Contador was asked whether he regarded Lance Armstrong as his main rival, replying: "Armstrong will be one of my rivals. There are many of them at his level."

  Follow Cyclingnews on Twitter for the very latest coverage of events taking place in the cycling world - twitter.com/cyclingnewsfeed
   

• Milram may need wildcard bid for major races in 2010

  

  Article published:

  October 19, 2009, 16:01

  By:

  Shane Stokes

  18th place in 2009 World ranking hurts German team

  With the Milram team finishing eighteenth in the post-Giro di Lombardia world rankings, the team will have to rely on wild card invitations in order to ride events on the Historical Calendar next year.

  UCI ProTour manager Alain Rumpf spoke to Cyclingnews recently on the new rules of participation and confirmed again today that the top seventeen teams will have automatic entry into the events in 2010. The races concerned are Paris-Nice, Tirreno Adriatico, Milano-Sanremo, Paris-Roubaix, Flèche Wallonne, Liège-Bastogne-Liège and the Giro di Lombardia.

  He also confirmed that new ProTour teams Sky and RadioShack will have to compete for wildcard invitations to all Historic Events. Their licence will however give them the right and obligation to compete in all ProTour events.

  The Grand Tours will be the exception, and Milram is covered by the pre-existing agreement between the organisers of those events lasting until the start of 2011. Sky and RadioShack are not part of that accord, and would need wildcard bids for the Grand Tours.

  Milram has a one-year ProTour licence and while it will gain entry to the ProTour races plus the Grand Tours, it will need an invitation to ride the events listed above. It has 182 points, 24 less than 17th-ranked AG2R La Mondiale.

  Team general manager Gerry Van Gerwen said that there is a lot of uncertainty around the new system and said that he is unconvinced it will be in place for 2010.

  "We have heard nothing and we can't find any mention of these regulations on the UCI website," he told Cyclingnews today. "There is a lot of uncertainty – do the points count from this moment in time, or will the changing rankings during 2010 affect the teams that will get into the next races? Nothing has been confirmed yet and I think it could be 2011 before this all happens."

  Rumpf states otherwise, saying that the new system will be in place next season. "As it stands now, the system that I outlined before [to Cyclingnews] will stand, unless the rules are changed," he said. "The rules as of today are as explained before. The top seventeen teams are taken now, at the end of the 2009 World calendar, and those will gain entry to the Historic Events throughout 2010."

  Positive cases could affect ranking

  Gerwen emphasised that the standings today could potentially still change. "The list is not final – there are some riders such as Davide Rebellin who could end up losing points, and this will change the Diquigiovanni team's position in that list," he said. "And maybe more cases are coming [on other teams] – who knows? That would also affect the totals."

  Rebellin finished second in the Olympic Games last year but then returned a positive A sample for CERA. The B sample analysis is yet to be completed.

  Rumpf confirmed Gerwen's point that this could affect the standings. "If he is fired from Diquigiovanni then he will disappear from the rankings [for that team]," he said. "And if the final decision on his case mentions that his 2009 results must be cancelled, then he will obviously also lose his [individual] points. But for the moment none of these conditions have been met, so he is obviously still in the rankings."

  However even if he is fired, that wouldn't be enough for Milram; Serramenti PVC Diquigiovanni's points would go from 379 to 185, three more than the German ProTour team.

  Van Gerwen clearly wants to be in all the big races next year, and argues that his team deserves a place in the top events. "There are other considerations apart from just results," he said. "Points such as media value and ethics are things that we have to consider. I think that there are very, very important factors."

  UCI World Rankings - Teams

  1	Astana	1100	pts
  2	Caisse d'Epargne	1048
  3	Team Columbia - HTC	957
  4	Team Saxo Bank	946
  5	Liquigas	923
  6	Silence-Lotto	821
  7	Cervelo Test Team	804
  8	Quick Step	760
  9	Rabobank	707
  10	Team Katusha	637
  11	Garmin - Slipstream	632
  12	Euskaltel - Euskadi	631
  13	Lampre - N.G.C	465
  14	Serramenti PVC Diquigiovanni-Androni Giocattoli	379
  15	Acqua & Sapone - Caffe Mokambo	249
  16	Française Des Jeux	238
  17	Ag2R La Mondiale	206
  18	Team Milram	182
  19	Bbox Bouygues Telecom	170
  20	Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne	166
  21	Vacansoleil Pro Cycling Team	158
  22	Xacobeo Galicia	128
  23	Fuji-Servetto	114
  24	Lpr Brakes Farnese Vini	102
  25	Agritubel	34
  26	Skil-Shimano	33
  27	Ceramica Flaminia - Bossini Docce	26
  28	Contentpolis-Ampo	24
  29	Andalucia Cajasur	21
  30	Barloworld	20
  31	Topsport Vlaanderen - Mercator	11
  32	Landbouwkrediet - Colnago	4
  33	Bmc Racing Team	4
  34	ISD - Neri	3