First Edition Cycling News, Sunday, January 24, 2010

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Date published:

January 24, 2010, 23:06

• Jonathan Page peaking at right time

  

  Article published:

  January 24, 2010, 21:27

  By:

  Brecht Decaluwé

  Top-10 finish at World Cup finale bodes well for Worlds

  Jonathan Page (Planet Bike) powered to an eighth place finish today at the ninth and final round of the UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup in Hoogerheide, The Netherlands, the second top-10 World Cup finish of the season for the American. The 33-year-old Page made the lead group and is pleased with his form one week prior to the world championships in Tabor, Czech Republic on January 31.

  "I spent a lot of time in being ready for these two weeks and so far it's paying off," Page told Cyclingnews. "It was a difficult course today. Luckily I was in front at the start and ended up riding at the ribbon of comfortable and uncomfortable in that lead group."

  "I switched bikes together with Vervecken to get rid of the mud and lost some time but that didn't make the difference today."

  Next week the world championship course promises to be icy and thus very slippery, something that suits the three-time US champion. "Normally it's great for me. The [2005] world championships in Sankt-Wendel had a similar course and that would have been the start of the JP-special but I flatted out of the front group. Anything is possible," Page said.

  The European-based Page is the first North American to stand on the elite men's cyclo-cross world championship podium, after he claimed the silver medal at the 2007 cyclo-cross Worlds in Hooglede-Gits, Belgium.

• Hoogerheide decides World Cup Champions

  

  Article published:

  January 24, 2010, 17:25

  By:

  Cycling News

  Stybar, Van den Brand, Meeusen, Van der Poel crowned in The Netherlands

  After the final round in Hoogerheide, The Netherlands, Zdenek Stybar, Daphny Van den Brand, Tom Meeusen and David Van der Poel emerged from the 2009/2010 Cyclo-cross World Cup as the champions of their respective categories.

  While Stybar and Meeusen were able to hold on to existing leads, Van den Brand's and Van der Poel's wins came as their rivals fell by the wayside on the final hurdles of the World Cup season. While Dutchman Van der Poel was the only overall Champion to record victory over the weekend, with a win in the junior men's race, his fellow title winners all faced hard-fought finales.

  "I'm hurting all over," Fidea's Zdenek Stybar told Sporza. "It was a tough race. Niels [Albert] rode very strongly today; it was like day and night compared to last week [at the Roubaix World Cup round]. I did not feel very well today and made many mistakes."

  Despite his assessment of the race, Stybar's second place was enough to secure a four-point victory over Albert in the World Cup standings. While the Belgian's win in The Netherlands saw him finish with a 4-3 advantage in terms of World Cup race victories, Stybar's consistency in the remaining events was the key to his title.

  With US rider Katie Compton absent from the final two rounds of the women's World Cup series, Dutchwoman Van den Brand was able to assume an unassailable lead. Podium positions in all but two rounds put her in a position to contend for the title, and despite a late charge by her compatriot Marianne Vos - who claimed the final round on Sunday - Van den Brand's third was enough to secure the title with a five-point margin.

  In contrast to the tight contests of his fellow title winners, Meeusen's victory was commanding, 70 points clear of Slovakia's Robert Gavenda. A race winner in Roubaix last week and Zolder in December, Meeusen was upstaged by Kacper Szczepaniak (Poland) in the final round, but will now head into the elite category with the under-23 World Cup title stamped on his palmares.

  Van der Poel's victory in the junior men's race in Hoogerheide turned into a double celebration as his closest rival in the title race, compatriot Gert-Jan Bosman, faded to sixth.

  World Championship favourite tag begins

  With the World Cup finale doubling as a final hit-out for next weekend's Cyclo-cross World Championships in Tabor, Czech Republic, the favourites for the elite men have also started to jostle for the underdog tag.

  World Cup winner Stybar will be charged to take a home championship victory, but pointed to Belgian rival Sven Nys as the man most likely to perform on what will be an icy Czech course.

  "I hope to recover properly for the World Championships," Stybar told Sporza after today's race. "Sven Nys is the main favorite for me there. He is the strongest on ice."

  Nys himself surprised observers with a fifth place finish in Hoogerheide, but deflected attention for next week's Worlds towards his compatriot and reigning champion, Albert. "It is clear that Albert is also a favorite in Tabor," he said. "He was very strong [today], but I hope I will play a role. It will be an exciting World Championships."

  Men's UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup final standings

  1	Zdenek Stybar (Czech Republic)	635	pts
  2	Niels Albert (Belgium)	631
  3	Sven Nys (Belgium)	535
  4	Klaas Vantornout (Belgium)	517
  5	Kevin Pauwels (Belgium)	440
  6	Gerben De Knegt (Netherlands)	428
  7	Bart Aernouts (Belgium)	399
  8	Erwin Vervecken (Belgium)	376
  9	Francis Mourey (France)	366
  10	Christian Heule (Switzerland)	350
  11	Enrico Franzoi (Italy)	345
  12	Radomir Simunek (Czech Republic)	309
  13	Martin Zlamalik (Czech Republic)	307
  14	Steve Chainel (France)	300
  15	Dieter Vanthourenhout (Belgium)	282
  16	Petr Dlask (Czech Republic)	276
  17	Martin Bina (Czech Republic)	270
  18	Jonathan Page (United States Of America)	269
  19	Mariusz Gil (Poland)	258
  20	Thijs Al (Netherlands)	256
  21	Sven Vanthourenhout (Belgium)	253
  22	Thijs Van Amerongen (Netherlands)	251
  23	Bart Wellens (Belgium)	250
  24	Marco Bianco (Italy)	218
  25	John Gadret (France)	182
  26	Kamil Ausbuher (Czech Republic)	172
  27	Marcel Wildhaber (Switzerland)	161
  28	Laurent Colombatto (France)	158
  29	Nicolas Bazin (France)	152
  30	Wilant Van Gils (Netherlands)	151
  31	Patrick Van Leeuwen (Netherlands)	142
  32	David Derepas (France)	129
  33	Jan Verstraeten (Belgium)	126
  34	Ondrej Bambula (Czech Republic)	120
  35	Eddy Van Ijzendoorn (Netherlands)	116
  36	Philipp Walsleben (Germany)	113
  37	Luca Damiani (Italy)	107
  38	Jérome Chevallier (France)	106
  39	Fabio Ursi (Italy)	106
  40	Christoph Pfingsten (Germany)	103
  41	Alessandro Gambino (Italy)	98
  42	Ian Field (Great Britain)	74
  43	Jonathan Lopez (France)	71
  44	Milan Barenyi (Slovakia)	70
  45	Lukas Flückiger (Switzerland)	64
  46	Jean-Pierre Drucker (Luxembourg)	62
  47	Rob Peeters (Belgium)	59
  48	Joachim Parbo (Denmark)	57
  49	Ivar Hartogs (Netherlands)	56
  50	Egoitz Murgoitio Rekalde (Spain)	54
  51	Johannes Sickmueller (Germany)	53
  52	Marco Aurelio Fontana (Italy)	52
  53	James Driscoll (United States Of America)	52
  54	Arnaud Labbe (France)	47
  55	Robert Glajza (Slovakia)	44
  56	Javier Ruiz De Larrinaga Ibanez (Spain)	43
  57	Pawel Szczepaniak (Poland)	41
  58	Marek Cichosz (Poland)	40
  59	Vaclav Metlicka (Slovakia)	37
  60	Robert Gavenda (Slovakia)	35
  61	Lukas Kloucek (Czech Republic)	30
  62	Elia Silvestri (Italy)	29
  63	Sascha Weber (Germany)	28
  64	Martin Haring (Slovakia)	28
  65	Vladimir Kyzivat (Czech Republic)	27
  66	Bram Schmitz (Netherlands)	26
  67	Roy Van Heeswijk (Netherlands)	26
  68	Sascha Wagner (Germany)	26
  69	Isaac Suarez Fernandez (Spain)	25
  70	Constantino Zaballa Gutierrez (Spain)	24
  71	Magnus Darvell (Sweden)	24
  72	René Lang (Switzerland)	23
  73	Marco Ponta (Italy)	21
  74	Jan Soetens (Belgium)	20
  75	Troy Wells (United States Of America)	20
  76	Timothy Johnson (United States Of America)	19
  77	Jody Crawforth (Great Britain)	17
  78	David Seco Amundarain (Spain)	16
  79	Andreas Moser (Switzerland)	16
  80	Unai Yus Kerejeta (Spain)	15
  81	Daniel Ruiz Echeandia (Spain)	14
  82	Jaroslav Kulhavy (Czech Republic)	13
  83	Zdenek Mlynar (Czech Republic)	13
  84	Ryan Trebon (United States Of America)	12
  85	Keiichi Tsujiura (Japan)	11
  86	Tommy Nielsen (Denmark)	11
  87	Gusty Bausch (Luxembourg)	11
  88	Julien Pion (France)	10
  89	Jens Westergren (Sweden)	10
  90	David Lozano Riba (Spain)	9
  91	Clément Bourgoin (France)	9
  92	Mike Garrigan (Canada)	7
  93	Paul Voss (Germany)	6
  94	Peter Presslauer (Austria)	4
  95	Marek Canecky (Slovakia)	3
  96	Paul Oldham (Great Britain)	2
  97	Zoltan Tisza (Hungary)	2
  98	Jean-Eudes Demaret (France)	1
  99	Rafael Visinelli (Italy)	1

  Women's UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup final standings

  1	Daphny Van Den Brand (Netherlands)	330	pts
  2	Marianne Vos (Netherlands)	325
  3	Sanne Van Paassen (Netherlands)	268
  4	Katherine Compton (United States Of America)	260
  5	Hanka Kupfernagel (Germany)	235
  6	Christel Ferrier-Bruneau (France)	203
  7	Caroline Mani (France)	184
  8	Sanne Cant (Belgium)	176
  9	Katerina Nash (Czech Republic)	135
  10	Pavla Havlikova (Czech Republic)	131
  11	Helen Wyman (Great Britain)	126
  12	Linda Van Rijen (Netherlands)	110
  13	Eva Lechner (Italy)	106
  14	Elisabeth Brandau (Germany)	103
  15	Reza Hormes (Netherlands)	95
  16	Lucie Chainel-Lefevre (France)	91
  17	Gabriella Day (Great Britain)	89
  18	Sophie De Boer (Netherlands)	84
  19	Nadia Triquet-Claude (France)	79
  20	Jana Kyptova (Czech Republic)	78
  21	Joyce Vanderbeken (Belgium)	77
  22	Nikki Harris (Great Britain)	71
  23	Arenda Grimberg (Netherlands)	61
  24	Amy Dombroski (United States Of America)	59
  25	Maureen Demaret Guichardot (France)	55
  26	Katrin Leumann (Switzerland)	43
  27	Evelyn Staffler (Italy)	38
  28	Pauline Ferrand Prevot (France)	34
  29	Meredith Miller (United States Of America)	30
  30	Rosa Maria Bravo Soba (Spain)	29
  31	Saskia Elemans (Netherlands)	29
  32	Veronica Alessio (Italy)	29
  33	Martina Zwick (Germany)	22
  34	Sabrina Schweizer (Germany)	22
  35	Jasmin Achermann (Switzerland)	20
  36	Nancy Bober (Belgium)	18
  37	Maureen Bruno Roy (United States Of America)	16
  38	Annie Last (Great Britain)	15
  39	Susan Butler (United States Of America)	14
  40	Camille Darcel (France)	11
  41	Francesca Cucciniello (Italy)	10
  42	Marlène Morel Petitgirard (France)	8
  43	Nicole De Bie - Leyten (Belgium)	8
  44	Suzie Godart (Luxembourg)	7
  45	Sabrina Stultiens (Netherlands)	6
  46	Veerle Ingels (Belgium)	6
  47	Elke Riedl (Austria)	6
  48	Nikoline Hansen (Denmark)	6
  49	Martina Mikulaskova (Czech Republic)	5
  50	Rebecca Talen (Netherlands)	4
  51	Stefania Vecchio (Italy)	4
  52	Agnes Naumann (Germany)	3
  53	Ayako Toyooka (Japan)	3
  54	Nicoletta Bresciani (Italy)	3
  55	Birgit Hollmann (Germany)	3
  56	Vicki Thomas (Canada)	3
  57	Christine Vardaros (United States Of America)	2
  58	Marzena Wasiuk (Poland)	1
  59	Ellen Van Loy (Belgium)	1

  Under-23 men's UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup final standings

  1	Tom Meeusen (Belgium)	250	pts
  2	Robert Gavenda (Slovakia)	180
  3	Arnaud Jouffroy (France)	164
  4	Tijmen Eising (Netherlands)	162
  5	Pawel Szczepaniak (Poland)	131
  6	Micki Van Empel (Netherlands)	124
  7	Jim Aernouts (Belgium)	120
  8	Marek Konwa (Poland)	117
  9	Joeri Adams (Belgium)	114
  10	Cristian Cominelli (Italy)	112
  11	Jan Denuwelaere (Belgium)	108
  12	Kacper Szczepaniak (Poland)	93
  13	Vincent Baestaens (Belgium)	88
  14	Matthieu Boulo (France)	85
  15	Lubomir Petrus (Czech Republic)	84
  16	Lars Van Der Haar (Netherlands)	83
  17	Jiri Polnicky (Czech Republic)	77
  18	Elia Silvestri (Italy)	71
  19	Sascha Weber (Germany)	65
  20	Kenneth Van Compernolle (Belgium)	59
  21	Arnaud Grand (Switzerland)	53
  22	Corne Van Kessel (Netherlands)	53
  23	Mitchell Huenders (Netherlands)	42
  24	Wietse Bosmans (Belgium)	37
  25	Kevin Cant (Belgium)	30
  26	Marcel Meisen (Germany)	30
  27	Ole Quast (Germany)	30
  28	Karel Hnik (Czech Republic)	28
  29	Matthias Rupp (Switzerland)	25
  30	Matteo Trentin (Italy)	21
  31	Kevin Eeckhout (Belgium)	18
  32	Alessandro Calderan (Italy)	18
  33	Luca Braidot (Italy)	17
  34	Stef Boden (Belgium)	16
  35	Valentin Scherz (Switzerland)	15
  36	Ramon Sinkeldam (Netherlands)	12
  37	Bryan Falaschi (Italy)	12
  38	Twan Van Den Brand (Netherlands)	11
  39	Nico Brüngger (Switzerland)	11
  40	Melvin Rulliere (France)	11
  41	Irwin Gras (France)	10
  42	Sven Beelen (Belgium)	8
  43	Michael (Jr) Schweizer (Germany)	7
  44	Daniel Summerhill (United States Of America)	7
  45	Fabian Danner (Germany)	6
  46	David Menger (Czech Republic)	6
  47	Vinnie Braet (Belgium)	5
  48	Filip Adel (Czech Republic)	5
  49	Mattias Nilsson (Sweden)	4
  50	Aurelien Gizzi (France)	4
  51	Max Walsleben (Germany)	4
  52	Zach Mcdonald (United States Of America)	3
  53	Jimmy Turgis (France)	2
  54	Ruben Veestraeten (Belgium)	2

  Junior men's UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup final standings

  1	David Van Der Poel (Netherlands)	223	pts
  2	Gert-Jan Bosman (Netherlands)	207
  3	Jens Vandekinderen (Belgium)	165
  4	Michiel Van Der Heijden (Netherlands)	154
  5	Emilien Viennet (France)	146
  6	Mike Teunissen (Netherlands)	143
  7	Julian Alaphilippe (France)	135
  8	Laurens Sweeck (Belgium)	124
  9	Danny Van Poppel (Netherlands)	117
  10	Emiel Dolfsma (Netherlands)	115
  11	Matej Lasak (Czech Republic)	105
  12	Michael Boros (Czech Republic)	100
  13	Gianni Vermeersch (Belgium)	100
  14	Jens Adams (Belgium)	99
  15	Tomas Paprstka (Czech Republic)	94
  16	David Menut (France)	89
  17	Tim Merlier (Belgium)	82
  18	Radek Polnicky (Czech Republic)	72
  19	Vojtech Nipl (Czech Republic)	67
  20	Bart De Vocht (Belgium)	59
  21	Fabio Alfonso Todaro (Italy)	50
  22	Rudy Lorenzon (Italy)	40
  23	Lukas Müller (Switzerland)	37
  24	Frederik Geerts (Belgium)	34
  25	Diether Sweeck (Belgium)	30
  26	Andrea Righettini (Italy)	29
  27	Yannick Eckmann (Germany)	24
  28	Wenzel Böhm-Gräber (Germany)	23
  29	Clément Lebras (France)	19
  30	Clément Venturini (France)	17
  31	Michael Casagrande (Italy)	16
  32	Joeri Hofman (Belgium)	15
  33	Xandro Meurisse (Belgium)	14
  34	Jannick Geisler (Germany)	14
  35	Lars Forster (Switzerland)	13
  36	Anthonin Didier (France)	12
  37	Floris De Tier (Belgium)	10
  38	Julian Levasseur (France)	8
  39	Andrea Sottocornola (Italy)	7
  40	Bastien Duculty (France)	5
  41	Dries Heylen (Belgium)	5
  42	Lorenzo Samparisi (Italy)	5
  43	Joey Van Rhee (Netherlands)	4
  44	Kévin Bouvard (France)	4
  45	Jakub Skala (Czech Republic)	4
  46	Hendrik Sweeck (Belgium)	3
  47	Francesco Acqvaviva (Italy)	3
  48	Julian Lehmann (Germany)	3
  49	Vincent Louiche (France)	2
  50	Enrico Scapolan (Italy)	2
  51	Douwe Verberne (Netherlands)	1
  52	Luca Guerrini (Italy)	1

• Germany top team in track World Cup

  

  Article published:

  January 24, 2010, 15:54

  By:

  Cycling News

  Dutch and Chinese show strong signs two months prior to World Championships

  Germany closed the International Cycling Union's (UCI) Track Cycling World Cup Classics season as the top team throughout the four events of the 2009/2010 series. Despite claiming just two medals at the final round in Beijing, China, Germany finished safely clear of Australia with The Netherlands overtaking Great Britain for third after a late charge in China.

  While the home nations performed strongly in each of their own World Cup rounds, the Germans' consistency through the first three events – Manchester, Melbourne and Cali – allowed them take their foot off the gas for the finale in Beijing. Miriam Welte and Joachim Eilers claimed silver medals in the women's keirin and men's kilo, respectively. A moderate success by their previous standards, it was enough to see Germany finish with a total of 342 points.

  China and Australia dominated the final round, as the Chinese sprinters and Australian endurance riders saw results largely distributed between the two nations. With victory in both the men's and women's team pursuit finals, silver in both the men's and women's individual pursuit events and Megan Dunn's gold in the women's points race, Australia finished the World Cup season with a 325 point total.

  China's dominance of the women's and men's sprints over the weekend boosted them to the top of the round standings, but wasn't enough to finish higher than fifth overall.

  The absence of Great Britain's main track stars over the final three rounds showed as they slipped to fourth with 223 points, after what had been an auspicious start in Manchester in November. The Britons' relative inattention to the Cali and Beijing rounds allowed The Netherlands to leapfrog into third, just two points clear on 225. Vera Koedooder's gold in the women's scratch race and Willy Kanis' upstaging of the local hopes for the same result in the 500m time trial, was the basis for the Dutch squad's late ascension.

  With the World Cup Classics now finished, the countries will have two months to regroup before the Track World Championship in Copenhagen, Denmark (March 24-28).

  Team Jayco were the highest non-national team throughout the series, in tenth overall. With the trade teams to give way to national squads for the Worlds, Australia's sprinting stocks will be bolstered in time for the Championships, which are expected to be attended by a full-strength British squad.
   

  UCI Track Cycling World Cup Classics - Final overall team standings

  1	Germany	342	pts
  2	Australia	325
  3	Netherlands	225
  4	Great Britain	223
  5	China	208
  6	New Zealand	183
  7	France	160
  8	Lithuania	140
  9	Ukraine	132
  10	Team Jayco	126
  11	Russia	122
  12	Canada	114
  13	Italy	113
  14	Cofidis	106
  15	Colombia	98
  16	Spain	95
  17	Team Sky + HD	81
  18	Belgium	80
  19	Poland	79
  20	Greece	75
  21	Belarus	68
  22	Cuba	66
  23	Czech Republic	65
  24	Lokomotiv	56
  25	United States	55
  26	Japan	55
  27	Denmark	39
  28	Hong Kong Pro Cycling	37
  29	Hong Kong	37
  30	Austria	30
  31	Max Success Pro Cycling	30
  32	Switzerland	29
  33	Argentina	28
  34	Ireland	23
  35	Bike Technologies Australia	22
  36	Korea	22
  37	Malaysia	19
  38	Verducci Breakaway	17
  39	Mexico	16
  40	Moscow Track Team	14
  41	Gruppo Sportivo Fiamme Azzurre	11
  42	Azerbaijan	10
  43	Rodin	10
  44	Giant Pro Cycling	10
  45	Alks Stal Grudziaduz	10
  46	Katyusha	9
  47	Catalunya	9
  48	Proman Racing Team	8
  49	Verducci Breakaway	8
  50	Chile	7
  51	South Africa	6
  52	US Creteil	4
  53	Grace Institute	3
  54	Calapiereyno De Navarra	3
  55	Chinese Taipei	1

• Wilier-Triestina owner killed while riding in Italy

  

  Article published:

  January 24, 2010, 13:39

  By:

  Cycling News

  Lino Gastaldello dies after being struck by car in Treviso

  Lino Gastaldello, owner and chairman of Italian bicycle manufacturer Wilier-Triestina, was killed on Saturday morning when hit by a car while on his regular ride in Treviso, Italy.

  Italian website ilgiornaledivicenza.it reported that the 71-year-old was struck at approximately 10:30am by a vehicle driven by a Macedonian citizen who lived nearby. After receiving emergency treatment at the scene, Gastaldello was rushed to hospital in Castelfranco Veneto, where he passed away two hours later.

  Gastaldello had been a key figure in rebuilding the Wilier brand after it suffered a decline in fortunes throughout the 1950s and 1960s. One of Italy's most recognisable marques, he led the company to its 100th anniversary in 2006.

  Wilier has been associated with some of Italy's highest profile cyclists, with Marco Pantani, Damiano Cunego and Alessandro Ballan among the riders to have raced on their products in the past twenty years.

  Wilier's highest profile partner, Lampre-Farnese-Vini, issued a statement expressing their sadness at the news of Gastaldello's passing.

  "The news of the death of Lino Gastaldello, owner of Wilier company, has shocked the team Lampre-Farnese Vini," it said. "In this sad moment, all the cyclists, managers, staff and our patron, Galbusera, would like to say farewell and thanks to Lino, a good friend of the fucsia-blue squad who lived with the team through fantastic moments. A hug to the Gastaldello family and to Wilier company workers."

  Gastaldello is survived by his four children. Cyclingnews extends its deepest condolences to the friends and family of Lino Gastaldello.
   

• Bruyneel happy despite leaving Tour Down Under empty handed

  

  Article published:

  January 24, 2010, 08:44

  By:

  Greg Johnson

  Belgian impressed by Sky, Greipel accomplishments

  RadioShack team manager Johan Bruyneel will leave Australia happy with the squad’s ProTour debut, despite leaving Tour Down Under empty handed. The Belgian had spoken, as had key rider Lance Armstrong, about the importance of RadioShack securing a stage victory at its debut event, something that the outfit was unable to achieve.

  “I’m happy with the way the team worked together,” said Bruyneel. “We saw a few good things, we had a plan every single day and we tried to execute that plan but of course you know in bike racing it doesn’t always work. But overall I’m happy. I’m happy with the physical condition of everybody.”

  Despite his pre-race comments Bruyneel was quick to point out the team’s first season is still in its early phases and the team has plenty of time to achieve results. He praised Team Sky, which was also making its debut in Adelaide, South Australia, for its results which included two victories in the pre-race criterium and the Adelaide circuit race.

  “All the guys did the perfect job, everybody did their best and let’s not forget it’s only January so it’s very early in the season,” he said. “Some of the sponsors were here, the big wigs of RadioShack were here so it was good to see them really involved in the team.

  “But overall I think it’s been good, it’s been good,” said Bruyneel. “I’m happy with the team. I’m very impressed with Andre Greipel and also with Team Sky. In their first race as a new team two times they were one and two; very impressive. They’ve obviously done their homework and were ready for this race.”

  RadioShack had several members of its executive team in Australia to see the team debut. Throughout the week Bruyneel had its Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer and Marketing Officer in the team car.

  “It’s their first experience in a race so close by and they were really having a good time,” said Bruyneel. “I think it’s good to see sponsors who are really involved and want to come and see what we’re doing with the sponsorship and what they can do with the sponsorship. They’re learning of course but it’s a good feeling.”

  RadioShack’s chances of securing a stage victory at Tour Down Under were hampered by the team’s lack of a leadout train of the quality of a Team Sky and HTC-Columbia for sprinter Gert Steegmans. Bruyneel said the riders will now return home to prepare for the European season.

  “Now everybody is obviously ready to go back to Europe, some of them to the United States and really prepare for the season because Tour Down Under is an exception," he said. "We normally start racing in February and now we have a training camp. Our big training camp is about to start and it’s a bit weird to see us starting our training camp but yet we have our first race already behind us.”

• McQuaid: Sun Tour unlikely to get February slot

  

  Article published:

  January 24, 2010, 00:53

  By:

  Greg Johnson

  No formal request made over Australian race move

  International Cycling Union boss Pat McQuaid believes it’s unlikely the Herald Sun Tour would be granted a February date change for fear of it trying to compete with the Tour Down Under for a ProTour licence. No formal request has been made by the Herald Sun Tour organiser, although there has been an informal exchange with the governing body over the race’s desire to change dates.

  McQuaid unknowingly landed in a media storm when he arrived at the Tour Down Under on Thursday evening. Local media in Adelaide had built the issue up as an attempt by Melbourne to steal its ProTour race, with the city perhaps still reeling over its loss of the Formula One Grand Prix to Melbourne in 1996, however the hope would be that tailing on the Tour Down Under’s end would help it attract bigger teams to compete in the race.

  “To put the Tour Down Under and Herald Sun Tour back-to-back, what would happen there I think is they will end up fighting each other; one will try to outdo the other,” said McQuaid. “The Herald Sun Tour will think if we really do a better performance, better event, better organisation then maybe we could take over the roll of the ProTour race. I don’t want two racing fighting for position. It doesn’t make sense that we should end up in a situation where two races are fighting each other because they’d both lose in the end.”

  While McQuaid admitted the international federation wouldn’t be keen on moving it, he said there would be a discussion held if a formal application ever appeared. “It would depend on how it was approached to the UCI in terms of what is good for the elite level sport in this country and the development of this sport in this country,” said McQuaid. “It will be within that context that anything will be considered.”

  Suggestions that Australia could have two ProTour races were quickly quashed by McQuaid. The calendar is supposed to be a limited once, according to McQuaid.

  “I didn’t actually realise coming out here I was stepping into a local controversy, but it wasn’t long here before I found out that I was,” he said. “The situation is that first of all the UCI has absolutely no intentions of having two ProTour races in Australia. The Tour Down Under has just been given a licence until 2013, so it remains ProTour until 2013.

  “So the view of the UCI remains that the Tour Down Under remains a ProTour event, we do encourage, are encouraging and I’ve been in discussions with Cycling Australia about getting new events in Australia to assist in the development of cycling,” he added. “But as in the pyramided system of the cycling calendar, any other races would be more aimed at Continental Professional teams and Continental teams – the development of cycling as such. From that point of view in the short term there’s no reason this race should go anywhere outside of where it is.”

  McQuaid believes that the Herald Sun Tour’s position as a season-closing race should remain and that it’s up to organisers to make their own race attractive for teams to participate in. He has suggested that the UCI World Road Championships being held in its backyard this year could be the perfect opportunity to promote the race to international riders.

  “I did have an informal e-mail from the organiser of the Herald Sun Tour some months ago, thinking that maybe a move into immediately after the Tour Down Under might benefit the race,” he said. “My response was that I don’t think it would do. I think each race has its own characteristics. My suggestion to them was that for instance this year the Herald Sun Tour takes place immediately after what is one of their own events, which is the world championships being organised in Melbourne, and why not capitalise on that. Build the reputation of the Herald Sun Tour by holding on to some high quality teams that will be taking part in the world championships and use that to make the Herald Sun Tour attractive.

  “There’s no reason they can’t continue in those dates except if they have the ambition to become a ProTour race or something like that, in which case they have all the ProTour teams, but that’s not on the cards for the moment,” he added.

• German Federation opens doors to 29ers

  

  Article published:

  January 23, 2010, 18:00

  By:

  Sue George, Mountain Bike Editor

  Larger wheels could change German mountain bike scene

  The German Cycling Federation, Bund Deutscher Radfahrer (BDR), will allow 29er mountain bikes in future races which it sanctions according to The Revolution Sports Blog. In contrast with current UCI regulations, Germany had previously banned the use of 29ers in its nationally-sanctioned races.

  The UCI has allowed 29ers since 2004, thanks in part to a petition from mountain bike legend Gary Fisher, whose Trek-owned brand played an early role in developing and selling 29ers.

  29ers are already popular in races in other nations, such as the United States. Bronze medallist at the cross country World Championships, Willow Koerber, converted from the 26-inch platform to the 29-inch platform in 2009, and has said she has no intention of switching back. In addition to cross country races, 29ers are frequently raced in marathons. 

  Many racers notice the effect of rolling more easily over obstacles and technical features with the larger wheels, though some also report the experience of slower accelerations.

  The new regulations mean that the next German national champions may ride to their titles on the bigger wheels.

  Olympic champion Sabine Spitz, who is also the current marathon World Champion, considered the change. "Mountain biking has always been an innovative part of cycling. So I think it is good and important to open new options," Spitz told Cyclingnews. "But I don't know if it's real progress. At the moment I don't see it."

  Spitz doesn't think allowing 29ers will change much in the German race scene, but would consider trying the platform.

  "It's a new opportunity for each racer... especially in marathon racing. It could be that the future is 29er bikes. For the cross country racing I don't think so. But who knows?

  "So far, I've had no experience with 29er bikes," said Spitz, who added that she would test one should the opportunity arise.

  When a similar rule change was effected in Holland, some racers chose to show up on 'cross bikes, much to the chagrin of those on 26ers.

• Colorado Springs US Pro XCT gets a UCI points upgrade

  

  Article published:

  January 23, 2010, 17:30

  By:

  Sue George, Mountain Bike Editor

  CTS International Classic serves as US national series finale

  The Carmichael Training Systems (CTS) International Classic will wrap up the 2010 US Pro XCT on July 9-11. The race had been scheduled as a category 2 UCI-sanctioned cross country mountain bike event, but the UCI has upgraded its status to a stage race category event.

  Sand Creek Sports, Inc. will run the event in Cheyenne Mountain State Park in Colorado Springs, Colorado. With 655 UCI points available for the pro men and women, the race will offer nearly half of all UCI points on offer for the year in the US.

  The men and women who are crowned champions of the US Pro XCT at the event will earn an automatic qualification for the 2010 US World Championship Team. The race also serves as the final national championships qualifier weekend before the US National Championships, to be held that next weekend in Granby, Colorado.

  Stage one will feature the Encantadas Time Trial and may use the locally infamous and highly technical Medicine Wheel trail. Stage two on the second day will see a return to the 2009 cross county country course followed. The short track, modified to UCI Mountain Bike criterium rules, will happen on the final day. All stages are at Cheyenne Mountain State Park and use the same basic start and finish.

  Additional races will be held for most USA Cycling classes/categories.

  The CTS International Classic is just one the many races in the 2010 Carmichael Training Systems Summer of Cycling Presented by Kenda USA and Ascent Cycling.

  For a complete calendar of Sand Creek Sports events for 2010, visit www.sandcreeksports.com.