First Edition Cycling News, Sunday, July 26, 2009

• Previous Edition
• Next Edition

Date published:

July 26, 2009, 20:00

• British Tour de France riders pay tribute to Tom Simpson

  

  Article published:

  July 25, 2009, 20:50

  By:

  Richard Moore

  Cavendish, Millar, Wegelius and Wiggins pay respects on Ventoux

  Whenever Mont Ventoux features on the route of the Tour de France it has special significance for British riders. A memorial to their compatriot, Tom Simpson, who died during the 1967 Tour, stands at the spot where he collapsed, 1.5km from the summit.

  This year, with Bradley Wiggins attempting to become Britain’s highest ever finisher and the first Englishman to place in the top ten since Simpson, its significance was enhanced by the presence of two special guests. Simpson’s daughter, Joanne, who had travelled from her home in Ghent, and three-time Tour winner Greg LeMond.

  "It’s an important place for cycling," said LeMond. "Because of Tom Simpson’s death dope tests were introduced. Many more cyclists would have died if it hadn’t been for him."

  "A la memoire de Tom Simpson," reads the inscription on the smooth marble outline of a racing cyclist – a good likeness of Simpson, with the familiar hook nose and hunched shoulders. "Ambassadeur Sportif Britannnique."

  Some have compared Wiggins, in appearance, to Simpson. Like Simpson, he is tall – at 6ft 3ins, an inch taller than Simpson – lean, and he also has the distinctive nose. But the links, as Joanne Simpson explained, go beyond their appearance.

  "I just like to be here, I feel my dad is here rather than buried in England," she said. "For me this is his burial place."

  She has followed Wiggins’s progress with great interest. "I lived with his father, you know," she said. "Garry Wiggins lived in the same digs as me in Ghent. I remember Brad being born."

  Wiggins, when he passed the memorial and the small knot of spectators gathered there, was fully committed to his pursuit of Alberto Contador, Lance Armstrong and the Schleck brothers in defence of his fourth place overall. While Wiggins couldn’t afford even a glance at the memorial during the stage, he later communicated a message via Twitter. "Shed a tear today for Tom," read his post. "I had a little extra strength today from somewhere. Had a photo of the man on my top tube."

  The other three British cyclists in the Tour all paid their own tributes, Charley Wegelius turning towards the monument as he rode past, and throwing his water bottle towards it, to be added to the pile of cycling-related knickknacks – bidons, caps, shirts, inner tubes – gathered around it.

  Then came Mark Cavendish, who removed his helmet, and just behind him David Millar, who reached into his back pocket, removed a cotton Garmin cap, and tossed it over the fence in the direction of the statue. The gesture was clearly planned in advance. "To Tommy, RIP, David Millar," read the scrawled message.

  As Millar knows only too well, Simpson, who died with amphetamines in his pocket in an era when there were no dope tests and rampant abuse of drugs, the British rider’s legacy goes beyond his palmares. A legacy, that even in a Tour so far free of any positive drug tests, should not be forgotten.

  As Joanne Simpson also noted, with some disappointment, that it was telling that none of the Tour officials stopped to pay their respects as they passed. "They have done nothing," she said.

  Of the teams, only Marc Madiot, the director of Française des Jeux, paid any kind of tribute. Madiot stopped his car and climbed the thirteen steps to the monument to leave a bouquet of flowers.
   

• Farrar hopes for first Tour win in Paris

  

  Article published:

  July 26, 2009, 11:07

  By:

  Gregor Brown

  Paris' Champs Élysées last chance for American sprinter

  The USA's Tyler Farrar has promised to try one last time to win a stage in this year's Tour de France. The race ends today with a flat sprinter-oriented stage into the country's capital of Paris.
  
  "There is not another stage or worrying about classification for the next day, I think the team will be pretty committed to trying to set up the sprint," Farrar told Cyclingnews.
  
  Farrar, 25, has yet to win a stage in his debut Tour de France. He placed second on stage two to Brignoles and stage 11 to Saint-Fargeau, and third on stage three to Issoudun. Mark Cavendish (Columbia-HTC) beat him on all three occasions, the British rider asserting himself as the dominant sprinter of this year's Tour with five wins.
  
  "I have only got him once this year, but I am going to keep trying because I know it is possible. It will happen again eventually," said Farrar.
  
  Farrar beat Cavendish and Italy's Alessandro Petacchi (LPR Brakes) in a stage of the Tirreno-Adriatico in March. He competed in his first three-week Grand Tour in May at the Giro d'Italia. He had several high placings in the Italian race, but Cavendish or Petacchi were able to foil him on each occasion. He left the Giro after 14 days of racing to prepare for the Tour de France.
  
  "The Tour has been a chance to see how my body responds to everything. I think it has already been a successful Tour for me with my placings. A stage win would be nice and that is the goal on Sunday."
  
  Farrar's Garmin-Slipstream squad are also competing for the overall classification. Brit Bradley Wiggins finished 10th on yesterday's stage to Mont Ventoux and is fourth overall. He is the highest placed British rider in 20 years, when Robert Millar finished 10th.
   

• Putting Contador's yellow in context

  

  Article published:

  July 26, 2009, 11:48

  By:

  Shane Stokes

  Talent, turmoil and triumph at the Tour de France

  Alberto Contador effectively sealed his second Tour de France win on Saturday with a strong, calculated ride on the Mont Ventoux stage of this year's race. He coped with all the attacks of closest rival Andy Schleck and, barring accident, will stand on top of the podium today in Paris. Cyclingnews' Shane Stokes reports.

  The 2009 Tour de France will be Alberto Contador's fourth consecutive Grand Tour victory and, if you consider each of them, it's also his most important to date.

  Each triumph has had been marked by its own distinctive characteristic. In 2007 he won his first Tour de France as the only rider capable of taking the fight to a rampant Michael Rasmussen, who was later ejected from the race. In 2008 he went to the Giro d'Italia with very little notice, gradually riding himself into form and taking a narrow victory that owed huge amounts to stubbornness and determination. Later that year, he started the Vuelta a España as the clear favourite, coping well with that pressure and the call of history. In Spain he had, and took, the chance to beat Bernhard Hinault's record as quickest ever to take all three Grand Tours.

  Yet the 2009 Tour will be the best yet, for a number of reasons. Firstly, in winning this year's Tour he will extend his unbeaten streak to four consecutive Grand Tours, and all in the space of two years. Secondly, this victory will come as part of dominant season where he won the Volta ao Algarve in February, took two stages and fourth overall in Paris-Nice in March, and won the Vuelta a Pais Vasco in April. Then, following a break from competition, he came back and finished third in the Dauphiné in June. Nobody can accuse him of focussing only on the Tour de France.

  Another distinctive aspect of this Tour has been Contador's ability to overcome the pressure he faced this year, both as race favourite and the tension caused by the close relationship between Lance Armstrong and team manager Johan Bruyneel. Contrary to what the team said, there were subtle signs before and during the Tour that all was not equal; think back to Paris-Nice, and the comments from both after he lost the race lead there, or the sniping and faulting of him during this year's Tour.

  Perhaps the most revealing factor of Contador's triumph this year is the manner of his win. From his performances against the clock in Monaco and Annecy to his dominance in the mountains at Andorra Arcalis and Verbier, he gave the impression that if he had to, if he really had to, he could have taken far more time out of his rivals. Contador may look at times like a shy kid, appearing a little lost at the back of the Astana train, but there's a considerable strength of character within the 26-year-old. Otherwise, he simply couldn't have taken on a psychologically-dominating seven-time Tour winner from within his own team and come out on top.

  Click here to read the full feature
   

• 23 days in France: Look back at this year's Tour

  

  Article published:

  July 26, 2009, 12:44

  By:

  Richard Tyler

  Results and images from all 20 stages of this year's race

  Tour de France heads into Paris for its final stage on Sunday. Stage 21 will follow a now traditional procession; this year from the suburb of Montereau Fault Yonne to the centre of the French capital, before the final stampede along the Champs Élysées.

  Columbia-HTC's Mark Cavendish has claimed five stage wins in this year's Tour de France and will be a favourite to add a fifth on the cobbled boulevard this afternoon. As the Tour concludes, with Alberto Contador expected to claim his second title, the links below offer an opportunity to look back at the 2009 edition of the Grande Boucle:

  Stage 1 – Monaco individual time trial
  Stage winner: Fabian Cancellara (Saxo Bank)
  Full results of stage 1
  Images from stage 1

  Stage 2 – Monaco to Brignoles
  Stage winner: Mark Cavendish (Columbia-HTC)
  Full results of stage 2
  Images from stage 2

  Stage 3 – Marseille to La Grande Motte
  Stage winner: Mark Cavendish (Columbia-HTC)
  Full results of stage 3
  Images from stage 3

  Stage 4 – Montpellier team time trial
  Stage winner: Astana
  Full results of stage 4
  Images from stage 4

  Stage 5 – Cap d'Agde to Perpignan
  Stage winner: Thomas Voeckler (BBox Bouygues Telecom)
  Full results of stage 5
  Images from stage 5

  Stage 6 – Girona to Barcelona
  Stage winner: Thor Hushovd (Cervélo TestTeam)
  Full results of stage 6
  Images from stage 6

  Stage 7 – Barcelona to Andorra Arcalis
  Stage winner: Brice Feillu (Agritubel)
  Full results of stage 7
  Images from stage 7

  Stage 8 – Andorra La Vella to St Girons
  Stage winner: Luis León Sánchez (Caisse d'Epargne)
  Full results of stage 8
  Images from stage 8

  Stage 9 – St Gaudens to Tarbes
  Stage winner: Pierrick Fédrigo (BBox Bouygues Telecom)
  Full results of stage 9
  Images from stage 9

  Stage 10 – Limoges to Issoudun
  Stage winner: Mark Cavendish (Columbia-HTC)
  Full results of stage 10
  Images from stage 10

  Stage 11 – Vatan to St Fargeau
  Stage winner: Mark Cavendish (Columbia-HTC)
  Full results of stage 11
  Images from stage 11

  Stage 12 – Tonnerre to Vittel
  Stage winner: Nicki Sørensen (Saxo Bank)
  Full results of stage 12
  Images from stage 12

  Stage 13 – Vittel to Colmar
  Stage winner: Heinrich Haussler (Cervélo TestTeam)
  Full results of stage 13
  Images from stage 13

  Stage 14 – Colmar to Besançon
  Stage winner: Sergei Ivanov (Katusha)
  Full results of stage 14
  Images from stage 14

  Stage 15 – Pontarlier to Verbier
  Stage winner: Alberto Contador (Astana)
  Full results of stage 15
  Images from stage 15

  Stage 16 – Martigny to Bourg St Maurice
  Stage winner: Mikel Astarloza (Euskaltel-Euskadi)
  Full results of stage 16
  Images from stage 16

  Stage 17 – Bourg St Maurice to Le Grand Bornand
  Stage winner: Fränk Schleck (Saxo Bank)
  Full results of stage 17
  Images from stage 17

  Stage 18 – Annecy individual time trial
  Stage winner: Alberto Contador (Astana)
  Full results of stage 18
  Images from stage 18

  Stage 19 – Bourgoin Jalleiu to Aubenas
  Stage winner: Mark Cavendish (Columbia-HTC)
  Full results of stage 19
  Images from stage 19

  Stage 20 – Montélimar to Mont Ventoux
  Stage winner: Juan Manuel Garate (Rabobank)
  Full results of stage 20
  Images from stage 20
   

• Phinney recovering after Cascade crash

  

  Article published:

  July 26, 2009, 13:23

  By:

  Daniel Benson

  Youngster doesn't rule out racing with Lance's RadioShack

  Despite a severe crash in the Cascade Classic, Trek-Livestrong’s Taylor Phinney believes he can race again this season and hasn’t ruled out racing with Lance Armstrong’s new team, RadioShack, in the future.

  Phinney crashed on stage four of the Cascade Classic on Friday and suffered severe concussion. He spent a night in hospital and will face up to four weeks off the bike.

  "I don’t remember anything about the fall," he said. "I can recall breakfast and the first part of the race, which started on a climb. I was holding my position at the front with Bjorn [Selander] on my wheel and after that there’s no recollection in my mind as to what happened."

  "The next thing I remember was waking up in the emergency room at the hospital three or four hours later. One of my teammates said he saw me flying through the air."

  Phinney who spent the night on an intravenous drip to help his recovery has crashed heavily three times this year, hitting his head and splitting his helmet on all of those occasions. "It’s probably the worst fall I’ve had. I’ve never had to spend a night in hospital after a crash."

  His next scheduled race is the Tour of Utah, which was part of his programme building up to a possible crack at the world championships in October. However a start for Phinney in Utah will depend on the speed of his recovery.

  "The doctors told me not to race for another four weeks, but Utah is in three. Of course I’ll take all necessary precautions but I’m not going to let it ruin the rest of my season," Phinney added.

  If ruled out of the race Phinney’s season will have its first major hitch. He won the world pursuit title this spring and then captured victory in the under 23 Paris-Roubaix. "I’ve had a good season so far, but if it does ruin it I can console myself with what I’ve done this year."

  Phinney signed for Trek-Livestrong last September and has two more years on his contract. The team, which is owned by Lance Armstrong, is a hotbed for under 23 talent, with riders from the US, Australia and Japan amongst its roster.

  With Armstrong announcing his new team for 2010, RadioShack, at the Tour de France on Thursday, links with an immediate move to the pro ranks for Phinney have begun to surface. Both Armstrong and Phinney have trained together several times and it’s no secret that Armstrong’s influence was a major factor in recruiting Phinney to Trek-Livestrong.

  However Phinney doesn’t know whether his future lies with RadioShack. "I really don’t know, as I’ve not talked about it with him. I’ve signed with Livestrong for the next two years but I’m sure there will be some possibilities in the future. But I only found out about RadioShack yesterday. They are definitely a random sponsor but it’s great that they are sponsoring a team. They’re a big company and that’s cool for cycling."
   

• Contador admits Tour difficult with Armstrong

  

  Article published:

  July 26, 2009, 19:03

  By:

  Gregor Brown

  Tour winner and Armstrong part ways

  Spaniard Alberto Contador admitted on Saturday that it was tough to win his second Tour de France riding in the same team as Lance Armstrong.
  
  "It was tough to cope with because we both wanted to win the race and that just does not work within the same team," said Contador. "I had prepared for a difficult Tour and it paid off."
  
  Contador won the Tour de France today, as the final stage concluded in Paris. He finished 4:11 ahead of Andy Schleck (Saxo Bank) and 5:24 in front of his Astana teammate Armstrong.
  
  Armstrong had nearly taken the race lead from Fabian Cancellara when Astana won the team time trial on stage four in Montpellier. At that stage the American was 22-hundredths of a second shy of the race leader's yellow jersey.
  
  The two shared the leadership role until the end of the first week. Contador rode clear of his rivals, and Armstrong, on the Arcalís mountaintop finish in Andorra. He gained 21 seconds on the classification favourites, but Armstrong and Astana's director Johan Bruyneel said he disobeyed orders.
  
  Tension built within the team. "Without a doubt, the day after Andorra was the toughest," Contador said.
  
  One week later, on the next mountaintop finish, he established himself as the team's sole leader. Contador attacked with 5.6 kilometres remaining on the Tour's stage to Verbier, Switzerland, to gain 43 seconds and the leader's yellow jersey.
  
  The rivalry between the two former Tour winners started last September when Armstrong announced his comeback to cycling, within the same team as Contador. Armstrong won his seven Tours under the direction of Bruyneel, but after he retired in 2005, Contador came to the team and won the 2007 Tour.
  
  "The preparation for this win was rather tricky, I had elements working against me, but I kept focused," said Contador. "Do I think Bruyneel wanted Armstrong to win the Tour? That is a very good question."
  
  Bruyneel will part ways with Contador and head a new team with Armstrong for 2010. Armstrong announced on Thursday that American company, RadioShack, would sponsor the team for two years.
  
  "One thing is certain. I will be on a different team than Lance Armstrong. I have some different options, maybe there will be a team built around me.
  
  "I had not known Armstrong would come back to cycling. When he came back, I already had a contract in place. It's a pity to part ways now, but maybe in the future we will meet again."
  
  Contador has one more year in his contract with the Kazakh companies that sponsor Astana, but he may seek exit from it in order to join another team. He and Armstrong will likely meet again in next year's Tour de France, but as rivals.
  
  "He will certainly be a dangerous rival," said Contador. "He already showed this year that he is a clear candidate and he will again be a clear candidate next year."

  For images of stage 21 click here
   

• Sastre promises to return and fight in Tour

  

  Article published:

  July 26, 2009, 19:11

  By:

  Gregor Brown

  Last year's champion closes race in 17th

  Spaniard Carlos Sastre promised to return and fight for another Tour de France Sunday in Paris. Last year's winner ended an unexpected 17th after three weeks of racing.
  
  "My ambitions are here in the Tour de France. It is my race," Sastre said to Cyclingnews. "This year I did not go as I expected, but that doesn't mean that I don't want to come back here. I want to say good bye doing a great race, with or without a win, I want to come back and race as I expect."
  
  Spaniard Alberto Contador (Astana) won the race over Andy Schleck (Saxo Bank) and Lance Armstrong (Astana). Sastre (Cervélo TestTeam) finished 16 placings down on his win last year and was the third best Spaniard. The second best Spaniard, Mikel Astarloza (Euskaltel-Euskadi), was 11th.
  
  "Life is like this. Sometimes you are here and sometimes there," Sastre said. "I thought I was better, but I was empty before the start and I lacked a lot of things. I was not angry with myself, but a little sad inside."
  
  Sastre lost over a minute each in the opening day's time trial in Monaco, day four's team time trial in Montpellier and the first mountain top finish in Arcalís. His biggest time loses came on the Le Grand-Bornand and Mont Ventoux stages this week, around eight minutes each. He finished in Paris today 26:21 behind after racing 3459.5 kilometres.
  
  "It was a tough race. When you don't feel well everything is tough and everything is hard. Life is like this and you learn about it. That is what I did this year. I was listening, looking and if I made mistakes, I will try to repair those for next year."
  
  Sastre, 34, will race again with Cervélo TestTeam in 2010. He started his career with ONCE in 1998, raced with CSC from 2002 to 2008 and joined the newly formed Cervélo team for the start of this season.
  
  Besides his Tour de France overall win, he has three stage victories in his career thus far. He also won two stages in the Giro d'Italia this year: Monte Petrano and Vesuvio.

• Arashiro and Beppu complete their maiden Tours

  

  Article published:

  July 26, 2009, 19:35

  By:

  Daniel Benson

  Dream come true for cycling in Japan

  The Tour de France has waited 106 years for a Japanese rider to finish the event, but in 2009 Yukiya Arashiro (BBOX Bouygues Telecom) and Fumiyuki Beppu (Skil-Shimano) have both completed their maiden Tours. Their efforts raising the awareness of Japanese racing and the Japanese contingent in the press room significantly.

  Shiho Dohi, covering her tenth Tour de France for Yokohama Media crew, spoke to Cyclingnews during the race’s final week. "Before, when we didn’t have any Japanese riders in the Tour, people used to ask me why I was even here because there was no-one to write about. Now we have two riders here and it’s so special for us as a nation."

  In Japan cycling has become a regular part of the sports news coverage on both television and the internet. "There’s been a lot of interest," Dohi said. "For example my mother and father, until this Tour, weren’t interested in cycling, but now because of Arashiro and Beppu it has totally changed. Of course they’re not as big as Lance Armstrong or Alberto Contador but Japanese broadcasters like NHK are focussing on our two guys."

  When Arashiro took fifth the sprint on stage two he was the biggest sport story of the day. "In Japan baseball and soccer are the biggest sports by far, but for that one day cycling was the top story. Cycling is getting a bigger back home."

  However, the possibility of a Japanese backed team entering the race is small, at least for now, according to Dohi. While the likes of Honda and Toyota are firmly entrenched within motorsports, there’s hasn’t been any Japanese presence amongst cycling’s elite team names since the days of Panasonic and Toshiba in the 1980s.

  "Maybe one day there will be a Japanese team at the Tour but the biggest problems might not be quality or number of riders but instead attracting the sponsors. Japanese companies don’t think they can make money from cycling but with the exposure the riders are generating this year, there is a chance. Other riders in Japan can see this and realise that their dreams of riding the Tour can actually happen."