First Edition Cycling News, Sunday, November 8, 2009

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Date published:

November 9, 2009, 08:23

• Nibali satisfied with 2009 season

  

  Article published:

  November 8, 2009, 23:27

  By:

  Cycling News

  Italian looks forward to Grand Tour, Classics opportunities in 2010

  As Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas) heads into his sixth year as a professional, the 24-year-old Italian believes 2010 could be a decisive season. In 2009 Nibali won both the Giro dell'Appennino and the Gran Premio Città di Camaiore, finished 10th overall at the Tirreno-Adriatico and sixth overall at the Tour of California. He was second in the best young rider classification at the Tour de France and seventh place overall. His 2009 season, however, was cut short after he fractured his collarbone in stage five of the Eneco Tour in late August.

  "I'm still happy with my 2009 season because I made progress," Nibali told Tuttobiciweb. "In each year as a professional I have always improved."

  In particular, a comparison to teammate Ivan Basso is noted by Nibali. "At the age of 24 Ivan Basso, who is a great champion, finished 11th in the Tour de France. I got a better place and I think it's significant."

  Along with Nibali, Liquigas has a wealth of stage racing talent in Ivan Basso, Franco Pellizotti and Roman Kreuziger and the opportunity to have more leadership opportunities led Nibali into discussions with Team Sky. "I've always dreamed of becoming the most important part of a team, so I asked Liquigas to be released a year early. However, since my contract with Liquigas expires in December 2010 and does not provide am out clause, it was not possible to sign an agreement with Sky."

  Nibali is still looking forward to his next season with Liquigas, although at this point he's not sure of his race schedule for the Grand Tours. "At least for another season I will try to give my best for Liquigas, it is an ambitious and organized team" said Nibali. "Perhaps there are too many captains, but I do not think I will encounter problems from riders in the Liquigas jersey.

  "I do not know yet if I will race only the Giro, the Tour only, or both," said Nibali, who stated a decision would be made in December or January.

  One day races are also important for Nibali, with several spring Classics and the world championships most prominently on his mind. "I'm especially interested in the Amstel Gold Race and Liège-Bastogne-Liege. Also, as reigning World Champion and having the next championship in his homeland, [Cadel Evans] has to convince the organizers to make the route more selective."

  The world time trial championship, however, also intrigues Nibali as well as the traditional finale in his native Italy. "It's a prestigious title and the time trial fascinates me. Despite being only 50 kilometers it requires much specific training. I'll talk with the staff at Liquigas. And I hope to get to the end of the season still motivated and in shape to play my chances in the Giro di Lombardia. It's a race for me."

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• Adageo Energy joins the pros in 2010

  

  Article published:

  November 8, 2009, 20:06

  By:

  Kirsten Frattini

  Continues to seek co-title sponsor

  Adageo Energy Pro Cycling manager Josh Horowitz is a busy man in search of a second sponsor to bolster his Southern California-based UCI Continental team in 2010 while continuing to find ways to support the local US racing scene at the club level. The former amateur team was recently announced as one of the 11 Continental teams registered in the United States next year.

  Co-founder of Adageo Energy, Clay Womack, joined forces with Horowitz's coaching company, Liquid Fitness, in 2008 to create the elite team Liquid Cycling. After a successful two seasons at the amateur level, Adageo Energy increased its funding to bring the team in line with its vision of joining the professional ranks.

  "That was the thought all along, to develop something bigger," Horowitz said. "I coach Clay's three kids. We've known each other for a long time. There was a lot of excitement about the team in 2008. We decided to bring more riders in and do more races. It was really just a smooth progression."

  Horowitz admitted the squad has left space on the jersey for an additional financial sponsor to support hiring additional riders and bringing the team to more events across the United States. Regardless, he assured that the team will run smoothly in its first season under UCI status.

  "We've got the budget set, the contracts signed and I never promised the riders anything that I don't have," Horowitz said. "We have enough money to do a good program. We left it open to bring on a co-sponsor. That would enable us to hire a few more riders and we would like to expand the race schedule to do eastern races."

  Not only does Horowitz manage the squad, he is also listed as a member of the 10-man roster. The team includes young Americans Eric Bennett, Bennet van der Genugten, Tim Farnham, Danny Finneran, Matt Landen, Alexi Martinez, Tommy Nelson along with Australian Cody Stevenson and Swiss rider Tobias Eggli.

  "My main focus is to handle sponsor relations and communicate with them well," said Horowitz, who was inspired to start racing at the age of 13 after spectating at the USPRO Cycling Championships held in Philadelphia. "But, I still have a passion to race and that is a big reason why I'm doing this, so I can get the chance to actually do a race like Philly. I've been racing for 20 years but have never had a pro license. In 2011 I will step back from racing and make this my full-time job."

  Horowitz has his feet planted firmly on the ground with regards to setting goals for the team's debut at the professional level. "If you only count a success of a team on a day you win a race, then there might be a whole lot of unsuccessful weekends. We want to be the team that people talk about even if we don't get a top 10. We want to make an impression by our teamwork and sportsmanship. My goal is to leave an impression that we have our stuff together."

  The team's preliminary race calendar includes a mix of regional and national-level events, including the San Dimas and Redlands Classic stage races in March, the Ventura County Stage Race in May, the International Championship in Philadelphia in June, the Bend Memorial Clinic Cascade Cycling Classic in July and the Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah in August. He also expressed the value of keeping the Liquid Fitness/Adageo Energy Elite Team and the 400-member Liquid Cycling Club.

  "It's just as important to our sponsors that we have a good presence on the local scene," Horowitz said. "We want to have the national presence but we also want to support those local races. The club will continue because I believe it is the core of US cycling. We will have category four, category three and masters plus we will expand the non-racing side of the club. It gives my sponsors an added value."

  Financial sponsors include Adageo Energy, Wonderful Pistachio and equipment sponsors are Leopard Bikes, Selle Italia saddles and Smith Optics. Other support sponsors include Ultimate Sports Psychology, Liquid Fitness Coaching, Dr. Richard Hyman, Twinlab, Gordon Edelstein Krepack, Pactimo, American Classic, Exustar, Skins and PowerBar.

  Adageo Energy Pro Cycling Team will come together for a preliminary training camp set to take place at the end of January in Southern California. They will follow up with a second training camp held in Los Vegas at the end of February that will coincide with the Callville Bay Classic.

  "We want to open our camps up to the club, the sponsors and the public," Horowitz said. "It's a good way to introduce the community to the pro team. The Callville Bay Classic was the race that set the tone of the season for us this year because we won one of the stages and placed second overall. It has a special memory for us so we wanted to start the season there again next year."

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• UCI appoints new members to ProTour Council

  

  Article published:

  November 8, 2009, 20:03

  By:

  Cycling News

  New commission appointees named for Olympic and Paralympic disciplines

  The International Cycling Union (UCI) has announced changes to the composition of the UCI ProTour Council (UPTC) and the commissions responsible for Paralympic and Olympic cycling disciplines.

  Four new members were named to the UPTC: Roger Legeay, Ramon Mendiburu, Stephen Roche and Erik Zabel. These new appointees replaced Felice Gimondi, Miguel Indurain, Rudolf Scharping and Hein Verbruggen.

  The new composition of the UPTC is as follows:

  President: Vittorio Adorni (Ita)
  Member: Rocco Cattaneo (Swi) appointed by the UCI
  Member: Roger Legeay (Fra) appointed by the UCI
  Member: Ramon Mendiburu (Spa) appointed by the UCI
  Member: Stephen Roche (Irl) appointed by the UCI
  Member: Erik Zabel (Ger) appointed by the UCI
  Member: Michael Hinz (Ger) organisers' representative
  Member: Charly Mottet (Fra) organisers' representative
  Member: Roberto Amadio (Ita) teams' representative
  Member: Jonathan Vaughters (USA) teams' representative
  Member: Dario Cioni (Ita) riders' representative
  Member: Cédric Vasseur (Fra) riders' representative

  Regarding the commissions for Paralympic and Olympic cycling disciplines, Joop Atsma (Ned), Mike Turtur (Aus), David Lappartient (Fra), Brian Cookson (GBr), Abe Schneider (Aus) and Louis Barbeau (Can) preside respectively over the road, track, mountain bike, cyclo-cross, BMX and para-cycling commissions.

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• Sanremo: Napolitano keeps dreaming

  

  Article published:

  November 8, 2009, 15:57

  By:

  Gregor Brown

  Four wins and 11 times runner up for Katusha's Italian sprinter

  Italian Danilo Napolitano (Katusha) is moving closer to his dream of winning Milano-Sanremo. He looks ahead to next season and another chance at winning Italy's biggest one-day sprinters' classic.

  "Sanremo was a dream of mine when I was younger and saw Mario Cipollini winning on the Via Roma. Now I am there racing, and I have the possibility to realise that dream," Napolitano told Tuttobiciweb.

  He placed fifth in 2006 and 11th in 2007, and this year's results show he can be back at the top next year. He won four times this season and 11 times finished second.

  "It has been a positive year," he continued. "It would have been better to have turned some of those second places into wins, but I am happy nonetheless. I will try for more in 2010."

  Napolitano shares the role as sprint captain on Russia's Katusha team with Aussie Robbie McEwen and 2006 Sanremo winner, Italian Filippo Pozzato. The trio accounted for 11 of Katusha's wins this season.

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• Chris Sørensen aims for 2010 Tour de France ride

  

  Article published:

  November 8, 2009, 11:19

  By:

  Gregor Brown

  Goal: 'Be a greater help to Andy'

  Chris Anker Sørensen looks forward to his winter break after his win in the Japan Cup. His goal is to return even stronger for 2010 in order to help Saxo Bank teammate Andy Schleck at the 2010 Tour de France.

  "My main objective is the Tour de France as I hope to get another chance in the line-up," he said in a team press release. "I expect to become even stronger so I can be an even greater help for Andy."

  Denmark's Sørensen, 25, competed in his first Tour de France this season. He helped Schleck place second overall, 4'11" behind winner Alberto Contador.

  "The Tour de France was a childhood dream come true for me and it was much bigger than I ever dreamed of. The number of spectators and especially the number of Danes, journalists and the fact that just a few weeks on the bike made me world famous was slightly surreal."

  Sørensen had his chances to win in the 2009 season and came close several times. He placed fifth overall in the Tour du Haut Var and second in the national road championships. He finally succeeded in the last race of the season, the Japan Cup, October 25.

  "The season has been great and full of amazing experiences, where I have helped teammates to great achievements. But there was still a large and gaping 0 next to 'number of victories' this season. So it was such a satisfying moment crossing the finish line in solitude."

  Sørensen will meet Schleck and the rest of his teammates at a training camp next month. They will have time to talk about the season's experiences and look ahead to 2010.

  His experiences at the Tour de France were captured by sports journalist, Dennis Ritter. Ritter wrote a book Debutantens dagbog ("Diary of a Debutant"), which will be released in two weeks, November 23.

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• Ullrich had Fuentes' telephone numbers, magazine claims

  

  Article published:

  November 8, 2009, 09:49

  By:

  Susan Westemeyer

  Asterix and Obelix code names for Spanish doctors

  More details about Jan Ullrich's relationship with Dr. Eufemiano Fuentes, centre of Spanish doping investigation Operación Puerto, have emerged. The former Tour de France winner knew the code names and telephone numbers for Fuentes and his assistant Merino Batres, according to news magazine Focus.

  The German federal police (BKA) found a CD with telephone numbers during a search of Ullrich's house in Scherzigen, Switzerland, in 2006. The CD contains numbers for individuals identified as Asterix and Obelix, the former referring to Fuentes and Batres, respectively.

  The code names were known only to insiders. German cyclist Jörg Jaksche, who was involved with Fuentes and served a suspension, confirmed to the BKA that the doctors used the French comic book characters' names.

  Last month, German magazine Spiegel said that Ullrich visited Fuentes in Madrid 24 times from 2003 to 2006, with the trips planned by former Team T-Mobile director Rudy Pevenage. Evidence of the trips was found on on Pevenage's computer, which the BKA had seized.

  Pevenage told German investigators that the trips were aimed at helping Ullrich's weight problems and that he was unaware of any doping which may have taken place.

  Ullrich stopped racing in 2006 and retired February 2007. He has consistently denied ever having doped.

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