First Edition Cycling News, Saturday, October 24, 2009

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October 24, 2009, 18:00

• Duval tests positive, provisionally suspended

  

  Article published:

  October 23, 2009, 15:33

  By:

  Gregor Brown

  Frenchman Aurélien Duval fails anti-doping test for norfenfluramine

  French cyclist Aurélien Duval (Française des Jeux) failed an anti-doping test for norfenfluramine October 1 at the Franco-Belge stage race, the International Cycling Union (UCI) announced today. It provisionally suspended Duval.

  "Riders are warned, they know the consequences of their actions," Marc Madiot, Française des Jeux team manager, told L'Equipe.

  Norfenfluramine is a banned drug that acts as an appetite suppressant. Italian Marta Bastianelli tested positive for the drug in July 2008. She's serving a two-year suspension.

  Duval, 21, won the silver medal at the 2008 Under 23 Cyclo-Cross World Championships in Treviso, Italy. He has missed most of this road season due to a swollen ligament.

  A World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) accredited laboratory in Gent, Belgium, preformed the analysis of Duval's urine sample.   Duval has the right to ask for a counter-analysis of the sample.

  Duval's provisional suspension remains in force until a French Cycling Federation (FFC) disciplinarily panel meets and rules on the case.

   

• UCI waiting for more information on Losa allegations

  

  Article published:

  October 23, 2009, 18:31

  By:

  Shane Stokes

  Governing body doesn't have enough details to act

  Following reports this week that Spanish police have been investigating a possible doping ring in Spain centred around Doctor Jesus Losa, the UCI have indicated that they are studying the situation and will take action if and when they have sufficient proof.

  “Our position would be that we will wait and see what information we can get on it,” UCI President Pat McQuaid said to Cyclingnews on Friday. “Before we can do anything, we have to know more. We will get that information from the Spanish federation.”

  Over three years ago a major doping network run by Eufemiano Fuentes was uncovered, leading to the Operación Puerto affair. That still drags on to this day, with a stop-go court case frustrating most efforts to impose athletic sanctions.

  There are two differences with the alleged case involving Doctor Losa, who lost his job with the Euskaltel Euskadi team in 2004 when David Millar said that the Spaniard had supplied him with EPO.

  Firstly, Spanish law changed in 2005 and doping athletes is now a criminal offence. Secondly, McQuaid said that the Spanish federation is much more proactive than before.

  “They have moved on,” he stated. “There is a new management committee and a different president than before, and they have a different approach.” The UCI will rely on that greater co-operation if sanctions are to be imposed in this latest case.

  The news of the investigation into the activities of Losa broke when the Spanish magazine Interviu said that he had been running a doping network. He is suspected as being the supplier of Moises Dueñas and Maribel Moreno, who were positive for EPO in last year’s Tour de France and the Olympics, respectively. Dueñas has allegedly confirmed that he was given doping products by Losa.

  Interviu said that Losa was tipped off and disposed of some evidence, but that SMS messages and phone taps had linked several other professional riders to the investigation.

• Saxo Bank confirms UCI license approved

  

  Article published:

  October 23, 2009, 19:09

  By:

  Cycling News

  Team satisfies all requirements for 2010 racing license

  Team Saxo Bank and owner Riis Cycling have received confirmation from the International Cycling Union that all the required documents for its 2010 UCI license application are in order.

  The team was not on the list sent out by the UCI on Thursday of teams which had satisfied all the requirements by the October 20 notification date, leading to speculation that riders may have been free to seek other contracts.

  However, that was not the case, the team announced.

• Colnago backs new U25 team

  

  Article published:

  October 23, 2009, 19:29

  By:

  Cycling News

  Colnago CSF Inox

  Italian bicycle manufacturer Colnago announced Friday the formation of a "brand new Italian team" Colnago CSF Inox. The team is comprised of many of the riders of this year's CSF Navigare squad, but will consist only of Italian riders under 25 years of age.

  The exception is Domenico Pozzovivo, winner of a stage of the Settimana Lombarda this year, who is currently 25. Also on the roster is Marco Frapporti, a winner of a stage of the Giro della Provincia di Grosseto, and Filippo Savini who last year won a stage of the Presidential Tour of Turkey and the Tour de Langkawi.

  "The young COLNAGO CSF Inox racers all share a competitive and combative spirit, and the same impetus is behind the name written on their shirts. With these principles of courage and a solid foundation, they will build an important future," the press release stated.

  "In addition to an already packed competition schedule, their goal within the next three years is to race in the Grand Tours, the classics and the most prestigious races in the world."

  Colnago CSF Inox

  Manuel Belletti
  Alessandro Bisolti
  Gianluca Brambilla
  Federico Canuti
  Alberto Contoli
  Marco Frapporti
  Michele Gaia
  Mattia Gavazzi
  Alan Marangoni
  Sacha Modolo
  Marcello Pavarin
  Stefano Pirazzi
  Domenico Pozzovivo
  Filippo Savini
  Simone Stortoni
  Enrico Zen

• UCI confirms Contador can leave Astana

  

  Article published:

  October 23, 2009, 19:51

  By:

  Shane Stokes

  Spaniard free to go if he wishes

  The UCI has confirmed speculation that under its regulations, Spanish rider Alberto Contador is free to leave Astana and look for another team for 2010.

  The governing body announced yesterday that five teams had missed the October 20th deadline for registration. While they have a further month to ensure the necessary paperwork is in order, a rule introduced this summer allows riders to seek another team once that initial deadline has been missed.

  This interpretation was quoted by several media sources after the UCI announcement, and both Alberto Contador and his brother and agent Fran Contador said today that their lawyers were studying the rule to verify if this was indeed the case.

  The UCI have now confirmed that riders from the five teams concerned may indeed look for other teams if they so wish. "If Alberto Contador leaves tomorrow, we can only say that this option would be complying with our rules," confirmed UCI spokesman Enrico Carpani to Cyclingnews on Friday evening.

  The article in question, 2.15.139, article 8.1.f, was newly introduced in July. It states, "if, on 20 October of the year preceding a year of registration covered by the present contract, the UCI ProTeam has not submitted a registration file containing the essential documents," the rider may terminate the contract "without notice or liability for damages".

  Carpani said that it came about after the French H2O team was denied Professional Continental status last year. He explained that this refusal prompted the rule; if riders have to wait until after November 20th and then learn that the team registration has been refused, they are left in a difficult position in terms of finding an alternative deal.

  "In our opinion, if you are a rider, you have to right to know if your position is safe or not," he said. "This gives riders one extra month to decide what they have to do for their future."

  Apart from Astana, the other teams who must work towards the November deadline are Sky, Caisse d'Epargne, Saxo Bank and Euskaltel. The UCI had announced in September that Sky had been awarded a four year licence but, as Carpani clarified, the latest UCI communication refers to team registration.

  "The Ernst and Young company [who verify the documentation supplied] said that these teams were not complying 100% with the rules. However, that doesn’t meant that they will have problems at the end of the second period, which will end at the 20th of November. It could be just that they have something minor missing in their documentation."

  Saxo Bank announced Friday that the UCI had approved its application.

  Contador has said on several occasions that he wants to leave Astana. However, as he had no buy-out clause, the Spaniard appeared resigned to staying with the remaining year of his contract. He is due to have talks with Astana in the coming days but, as Carpani stated, he appears free to leave. He can thus resume negotiations with teams such as Garmin Slipstream, Quick Step and Caisse d’Epargne if he so chooses.

• Colnago sign-on with BBox Bouygues Telecom

  

  Article published:

  October 24, 2009, 07:50

  By:

  Emily Wren/www.emilywren.com

  Italian company to supply frames to French, US and Italian road teams in 2010

  After a short hiatus, legendary framebuilder Colnago will return to the top tier of the sport with not one, but three road teams for 2010, including the French BBox Bouygues Telecom squad.

  The four-year deal with BBox Bouygues Telecom will cover both road and time trial framesets beginning with the '10 season and though the team has not secured a ProTour license for next year, Colnago is confident that they will be included in both the Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia. Riders will use a mix of EPS and CX-1 models for the road and presumably Colnago's newest Flight model for time trial events.

  Colnago will also put forth a stronger presence in domestic racing as well with the signing of US-based Team Type 1 plus an all-new Italian-based and factory-backed Colnago CSF Inox squad, both of whom hope to be included in next year's tougher Tour of California.

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• Vandenbroucke laid to rest in Belgium

  

  Article published:

  October 24, 2009, 11:27

  By:

  Richard Tyler

  Family, friends and thousands of fans gather to pay their respects

  The funeral of cyclist Frank Vandenbroucke took place in his home town of Ploegsteert, Belgium, Saturday morning. Family and close family friends attended a private funeral service at the Church of Saints Peter and Paul, as fans of the Walloon rider gathered in the square outside the church to pay their respects.

  "It is a traditional funeral, delivered in French," Andre Kardinael, parish priest of Ploegsteert, told Belgian newspaper Het Nieuwsblad before the funeral ceremony began. "I personally have not met Frank Vandenbroucke, except through the media; I leave it to the family left to talk about him during the funeral."

  Vandenbroucke died on Monday, October 12, in Saly, Senegal, at the age of 34. An autopsy carried out in the African nation determined that he had passed away after suffering a pulmonary embolism. His body had been repatriated to Belgium earlier this week.

  The Belgian cycling community turned out in great numbers to celebrate Vandenbroucke's life. Patrick Lefevere, Wilfried Peeters, Johan Museeuw, Leif Hoste and Peter Van Petegem were all in attendance, while former Cofidis teammate Nico Mattan acted as a pallbearer and escorted the coffin of his close friend into the church service.

  Estimates placed the number of fans outside the church at between 1000 and 2000 people. Although a private ceremony, those gathered outside were able to observe the service on screens erected outside.

  After the ceremony Vandenbroucke's body was transported to a nearby cemetery in Ploegsteert, where he was interred at his family's burial site.

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• Zomegnan presents an all-inclusive 2010 Giro d'Italia

  

  Article published:

  October 24, 2009, 16:20

  By:

  Gregor Brown

  Next year's race to have it all: team and mountain time trial, gravel roads, legendary passes

  Giro d'Italia race director Angelo Zomegnan presented the official 2010 race route today in Milan, Italy. The three-week race, May 8 to 30, will start in the capital of The Netherlands, Amsterdam, and will end in Verona, Italy.

  The 2010 Giro will includes six mountain stages – taking in the climbs of the Terminillo, Zoncolan, Plan de Corones, Pejo Terme, Mortirolo and Gavia – and seven sprinters' stage. It will begin and end with individual time trials. It also includes a team time trial in Cuneo and a mountain time trial (Plan de Corones).

  "The Giro is suited to me: the time trial, the mountain time trial, stages to Plans de Corones, Zoncolan, Gavia and Mortirolo," said 2008 Giro d'Italia winner Alberto Contador.

  Stages of the 2010 Giro d'Italia:

  Stage 1 - Saturday, May 8, Amsterdam TT, 8.4km
  Stage 2 - Sunday, May 9, Amsterdam - Utrecht, 209km
  Stage 3 - Monday, May 10, Amsterdam - Middelburg, 209km
  Rest day, Tuesday, May 11, Savigliano
  Stage 4 - Wednesday, May 12, Savigliano - Cuneo TTT, 32.5km
  Stage 5 - Thursday, May 13, Novara - Novi Ligure, 168km
  Stage 6 - Friday, May 14, Fidenza - Marina di Carrara, 166km
  Stage 7 - Saturday, May 15, Carrara - Montalcino, 215km
  Stage 8 - Sunday, May 16, Chianciano - Monte Terminillo, 189km
  Stage 9 - Monday, May 17, Frosinone - Cava de' Tirreni, 188km
  Stage 10 - Tuesday, May 18, Avellino - Bitonto, 220km
  Stage 11 - Wednesday, May 19, Lucera - L’Aquila, 256km
  Stage 12 - Thursday, May 20, Città Sant'Angelo - Porto Recanati, 191km
  Stage 13 - Friday, May 21, Porto Recanati - Cesenatico, 222km
  Stage 14 - Saturday, May 22, Ferrara - Asolo (Monte Grappa), 201km
  Stage 15 - Sunday, May 23, Mestre - Zoncolan, 218km
  Rest day, Monday, May 24, Friuli
  Stage 16 - Tuesday, May 25, San Vigilio di Marebbe - Plan de Corones TT, 12.9km
  Stage 17 - Wednesdday, May 26, Brunico - Pejo Terme, 173km
  Stage 18 - Thursday, May 27, Levico Terme - Brescia, 151km
  Stage 19 - Friday, May 28, Brescia - Aprica, 195km
  Stage 20 -  Saturday, May 29, Bormio - Passo del Tonale, 178km
  Stage 21 - Sunday, May 30, Verona - Verona TT, 15.3km

  Amsterdam welcomes Giro d'Italia

  Giro organisers RCS Sport have chosen to begin the race outside of Italy. 45 years after its first foreign start; San Marino in 1965. It starts with three stages in The Netherlands, all based from Amsterdam: the first, a 8.4-kilometre time trial, is to be followed by two sprint stages to Utrecht and Middelburg, respectively.

  Like the Vuelta a España, the Giro d'Italia will take an early rest on day four and travel the 1200 kilometres from The Netherlands to Savigliano, Italy.

  The race resumes the next day with a 32.5-kilometre team time trial in Piemonte, from Savigliano to Cuneo. Stage five celebrates 50 years since cycling great Fausto Coppi died with a stage to his hometown of Novi Ligure.

  The white, rolling gravel roads RCS Sport uses in its Monte Paschi Eroica one-day race appear in stage seven, from Carrara to Montalcino. The stage will include approximately 15 of its 215 kilometres on gravel roads.

  The mountaintop finish to Lazio's Monte Terminillo, stage eight, will cause the first big splits in the overall classification. The 16.1-kilometre climb will see the peloton ascend to 2217 metres.

  Building to Zoncolan

  The race continues south through the Campania region and then to Puglia. The Giro d'Italia pays respect to victims of this year's earthquake in Abruzzo's L'Aquila, with a stage finish (from Lucera) and a stage start (to Porto Recanati).

  The race will travel north toward Emilia-Romagna for a stage to Marco Pantani's town, Cesenatico. The 222-kilometre stage covers the Perticara and Barbotto climbs. The next stage covers the 18.9-kilometre Monte Grappa (1675m) climb, with gravel sections. The summit of the Grappa will leave 41.6 kilometres to race.

  Monte Grappa will warm the riders' legs for two stages in the Dolomites. The riders face a 218-kilometre stage from Mestre to the mountaintop Zoncolan finish on the eve of the Giro's second rest day. The 10.1-kilometre Zoncolan climb, along with a long, narrow tunnel, contains sections of 18 to 22 percent gradients, with an average of 11.9 percent.

  Plan de Corones to Verona's arena

  The Giro d'Italia re-starts with its second visit to Plan de Corones. Like 2008, the organisers planned a mountain time trial up the gravel roads, from San Vigilio a Plan de Corones, a  climb the Giro first attempted to use in 2006, when snow prevented passage.

  Plan de Corones will establish a clear idea of the overall classification, but the Alpine mountains of Lombardia could have the last word. Following a mountain stage to Pejo Terme (1393m), the race will travel to Lombardia for a two-stage mountain finale.

  Friday's stage from Brescia takes the riders over Passo del Mortirolo (1854m) before its arrival in to Aprica, 32.6 kilometres later. The next day, riders will climb the Passo di Gavia (2618m) and finish up the Passo del Tonale (1883m).

  Riders will fight for or defend their final classification places on Sunday. The Giro, as the past two years, ends with a time trial. The 15.3-kilometre stage ends inside Verona's Arena, where in 1984 Italy's Francesco Moser won the stage and took the overall from France's Laurent Fignon.

  The 2009 Giro d'Italia, won by Russia's Denis Menchov (Rabobank), finished in the south and lacked the high mountain stages. For 2010, RCS Sport has brought the Giro d'Italia back to its standard format: a final explosive week of mountain stages through the Dolomites and Alps. 

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