First Edition Cycling News, Tuesday, August 18, 2009

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Date published:

August 18, 2009, 10:00

• Farrar flies up UCI World rankings after Vattenfall win

  

  Article published:

  August 17, 2009, 15:49

  By:

  Richard Tyler

  Contador still leads individual, but Farrar's win brings US up to eighth

  Tyler Farrar's win in the Vattenfall Cyclassics on Sunday saw him jump more than thirty places up the International Cycling Union's (UCI) Individual World rankings, released on Monday.

  The Garmin-Slipstream rider had been sitting 57th on the UCI list prior to Sunday's race, but today moved up to 25th as a result of his victory in the ProTour event. The win also saw him move ahead of Lance Armstrong as the United States' most prolific UCI point scorer this season. Farrar has now amassed 153 individual points to Armstrong's 150.

  Farrar's movement up the World rankings was also mimicked by the place-getters in the Vattenfall Cyclassics. Runner-up Matti Breschel (Saxo Bank) moved from 64th to 37th, while Gerald Ciolek moved from 109th to 59th.

  Australian Allan Davis continued his consistent season on Sunday to finish fourth. The result moved him from 12th to sixth.

  Alberto Contador (Astana) continues to lead the individual rankings ahead of Andy Schleck (Saxo Bank) and Roman Kreuziger (Liquigas). The UCI has removed Danilo Di Luca's name from 17th position. The Italian tested positive for EPO-CERA on two seperate occasions during this year's Giro d'Italia. Last week Di Luca was dismissed by his team, LPR-Brakes, after confirmation of the Italian's positive B-sample for the illegal blood booster.

  There was little change to the team rankings with Astana still top of the list. Ciolek's podium in Hamburg did see Milram trade places with Cofidis to fill 19th and 20th, respectively.

  Spain retained its position at the top of the nation rankings. Though, by virtue of Farrar's Vattenfall win, the United States moved from tenth to eighth. Great Britain and Norway slipped one place each, but remained inside the World's top-ten.

  Below is the complete list of the latest UCI World individual, team and nation rankings.

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

  UCI World Rankings - Individual

  1	Alberto Contador (Spa) Astana	527	pts
  2	Andy Schleck (Lux) Team Saxo Bank	334
  3	Roman Kreuziger (Cze) Liquigas	310
  4	Mark Cavendish (GBr) Team Columbia - HTC	304
  5	Alejandro Valverde (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne	295
  6	Allan Davis (Aus) Quick Step	249
  7	Andreas Klöden (Ger) Astana	232
  8	Cadel Evans (Aus) Silence-Lotto	219
  9	Denis Menchov (Rus) Rabobank	218
  10	Heinrich Haussler (Ger) Cervelo Test Team	217
  11	Thor Hushovd (Nor) Cervelo Test Team	216
  12	Frank Schleck (Lux) Team Saxo Bank	212
  13	Damiano Cunego (Ita) Lampre - N.G.C.	202
  14	Edvald Boasson Hagen (Nor) Team Columbia - HTC	198
  15	Davide Rebellin (Ita) Serramenti PVC Diquigiovanni-Androni Giocattoli	194
  16	Luis Leon Sanchez Gil (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne	189
  17	Rider removed from rankings due to ongoing doping investigation
  18	Philippe Gilbert (Bel) Silence-Lotto	187	pts
  19	Mikel Astarloza (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi	178
  20	Stefano Garzelli (Ita) Acqua & Sapone - Caffe Mokambo	170
  21	Serguei Ivanov (Rus) Team Katusha	164
  22	Vladimir Karpets (Rus) Team Katusha	157
  23	Franco Pellizotti (Ita) Liquigas	156
  24	Filippo Pozzato (Ita) Team Katusha	154
  25	Tyler Farrar (USA) Garmin - Slipstream	153
  26	Lance Armstrong (USA) Astana	150
  27	Fabian Cancellara (Swi) Team Saxo Bank	148
  28	Antonio Colom (Spa) Team Katusha	145
  29	Robert Gesink (Ned) Rabobank	145
  30	Michele Scarponi (Ita) Serramenti PVC Diquigiovanni-Androni Giocattoli	139
  31	Ivan Basso (Ita) Liquigas	138
  32	Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Liquigas	135
  33	Carlos Sastre (Spa) Cervelo Test Team	134
  34	Samuel Sanchez (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi	133
  35	Bradley Wiggins (GBr) Garmin - Slipstream	130
  36	Tony Martin (Ger) Team Columbia - HTC	125
  37	Matti Breschel (Den) Team Saxo Bank	117
  38	Michael Rogers (Aus) Team Columbia - HTC	115
  39	Alessandro Ballan (Ita) Lampre - N.G.C.	110
  40	Sylvain Chavanel (Fra) Quick Step	107
  41	Tom Boonen (Bel) Quick Step	104
  42	Stijn Devolder (Bel) Quick Step	104
  43	Alessandro Petacchi (Ita) LPR Brakes - Farnese Vini	102
  44	Rein Taaramae (Est) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne	98
  45	Haimar Zubeldia (Spa) Astana	94
  46	Thomas Lövkvist (Swe) Team Columbia - HTC	90
  47	Jose Joaquin Rojas Gil (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne	89
  48	Stuart O'Grady (Aus) Team Saxo Bank	87
  49	Joaquin Rodriguez (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne	87
  50	Daniel Martin (Irl) Garmin - Slipstream	87
  51	Daniel Moreno (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne	84
  52	Jakob Fuglsang (Den) Team Saxo Bank	82
  53	Carlos Barredo (Spa) Quick Step	80
  54	Simon Gerrans (Aus) Cervelo Test Team	80
  55	Levi Leipheimer (USA) Astana	79
  56	Christian Vande Velde (USA) Garmin - Slipstream	78
  57	Tadej Valjavec (Slo) AG2R La Mondiale	77
  58	Martin Elmiger (Swi) AG2R La Mondiale	74
  59	Gerald Ciolek (Ger) Team Milram	70
  60	Martijn Maaskant (Ned) Garmin - Slipstream	64
  61	Pieter Weening (Ned) Rabobank	62
  62	Aleksandr Kuschynski (Blr) Liquigas	61
  63	Daniele Bennati (Ita) Liquigas	61
  64	Karsten Kroon (Ned) Team Saxo Bank	60
  65	Leif Hoste (Bel) Silence-Lotto	60
  66	Christophe Le Mevel (Fra) Française Des Jeux	58
  67	Koldo Fernandez (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi	56
  68	Matthew Goss (Aus) Team Saxo Bank	54
  69	Sandy Casar (Fra) Française Des Jeux	54
  70	Francesco Reda (Ita) Quick Step	52
  71	Peter Velits (Svk) Team Milram	51
  72	Lars Ytting Bak (Den) Team Saxo Bank	51
  73	Mickael Delage (Fra) Silence-Lotto	50
  74	Ryder Hesjedal (Can) Garmin - Slipstream	50
  75	Wesley Sulzberger (Aus) Française Des Jeux	50
  76	Johan Van Summeren (Bel) Silence-Lotto	50
  77	Rigoberto Uran (Col) Caisse d'Epargne	50
  78	Angel Gomez (Spa) Fuji-Servetto	50
  79	Kevin Seeldraeyers (Bel) Quick Step	49
  80	Marcus Burghardt (Ger) Team Columbia - HTC	45
  81	Juan Antonio Flecha (Spa) Rabobank	44
  82	Oscar Freire (Spa) Rabobank	44
  83	Jens Voigt (Ger) Team Saxo Bank	42
  84	Mathew Hayman (Aus) Rabobank	40
  85	Kanstantsin Siutsou (Blr) Team Columbia - HTC	40
  86	Marzio Bruseghin (Ita) Lampre - N.G.C.	39
  87	Sylvester Szmyd (Pol) Liquigas	36
  88	Alexandr Kolobnev (Rus) Team Saxo Bank	33
  89	David Arroyo (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne	33
  90	Pierrick Fedrigo (Fra) BBox Bouygues Telecom	32
  91	Thomas Voeckler (Fra) BBox Bouygues Telecom	32
  92	Andreas Klier (Ger) Cervelo Test Team	30
  93	Aitor Galdos (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi	30
  94	Alexsandr Dyachenko (Kaz) Astana	30
  95	Linus Gerdemann (Ger) Team Milram	30
  96	Rinaldo Nocentini (Ita) AG2R La Mondiale	26
  97	Brice Feillu (Fra) Agritubel	26
  98	Jonathan Hivert (Fra) Skil-Shimano	25
  99	Davide Vigano (Ita) Fuji-Servetto	24
  100	Marco Marcato (Ita) Vacansoleil Pro Cycling Team	22
  101	Enrico Rossi (Ita) Ceramica Flaminia - Bossini Docce	22
  102	Jose Serpa (Col) Serramenti PVC Diquigiovanni-Androni Giocattoli	22
  103	Jurgen Van Den Broeck (Bel) Silence-Lotto	22
  104	Xavier Tondo (Spa) Andalucia Cajasur	21
  105	Francesco Gavazzi (Ita) Lampre - N.G.C.	21
  106	Juan Manuel Garate (Spa) Rabobank	21
  107	Mauro Santambrogio (Ita) Lampre - N.G.C.	20
  108	Benoît Vaugrenard (Fra) Française Des Jeux	20
  109	Björn Leukemans (Bel) Vacansoleil Pro Cycling Team	20
  110	Nicki Sørensen (Den) Team Saxo Bank	20
  111	Michael Albasini (Swi) Team Columbia - HTC	19
  112	Fabio Sabatini (Ita) Liquigas	18
  113	Yury Trofimov (Rus) BBox Bouygues Telecom	18
  114	André Greipel (Ger) Team Columbia - HTC	18
  115	Kim Kirchen (Lux) Team Columbia - HTC	17
  116	Graeme Brown (Aus) Rabobank	17
  117	Mikhail Ignatiev (Rus) Team Katusha	17
  118	Manuel Quinziato (Ita) Liquigas	16
  119	Yaroslav Popovych (Ukr) Astana	16
  120	Leonardo Bertagnolli (Ita) Amica Chips - Knauf	16
  121	Ignatas Konovalovas (Ltu) Cervelo Test Team	16
  122	David Millar (GBr) Garmin - Slipstream	15
  123	Nicolas Roche (Irl) AG2R La Mondiale	15
  124	Mark Renshaw (Aus) Team Columbia - HTC	15
  125	Christophe Riblon (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale	14
  126	Stéphane Goubert (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale	14
  127	Marco Pinotti (Ita) Team Columbia - HTC	12
  128	Angelo Furlan (Ita) Lampre - N.G.C.	12
  129	Greg Henderson (NZl) Team Columbia - HTC	12
  130	Fredrik Kessiakoff (Swe) Fuji-Servetto	11
  131	Luca Paolini (Ita) Acqua & Sapone - Caffe Mokambo	11
  132	Frantisek Rabon (Cze) Team Columbia - HTC	11
  133	Ben Swift (GBr) Team Katusha	11
  134	Nick Nuyens (Bel) Rabobank	10
  135	Tom Leezer (Ned) Rabobank	10
  136	Pablo Lastras (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne	10
  137	Jussi Veikkanen (Fin) Française Des Jeux	10
  138	Jacopo Guarnieri (Ita) Liquigas	10
  139	Jurgen Roelandts (Bel) Silence-Lotto	10
  140	Laurent Lefevre (Fra) BBox Bouygues Telecom	10
  141	Christophe Kern (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne	10
  142	Robert Hunter (RSA) Barloworld	10
  143	Amets Txurruka (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi	10
  144	David De La Fuente (Spa) Fuji-Servetto	9
  145	George Hincapie (USA) Team Columbia - HTC	9
  146	Yauheni Hutarovich (Blr) Française Des Jeux	9
  147	Francesco Masciarelli (Ita) Acqua & Sapone - Caffe Mokambo	8
  148	Janez Brajkovic (Slo) Astana	8
  149	Alexandre Botcharov (Rus) Team Katusha	8
  150	Jérôme Pineau (Fra) Quick Step	8
  151	Serge Pauwels (Bel) Cervelo Test Team	8
  152	Félix Cardenas (Col) Barloworld	8
  153	Rubens Bertogliati (Ita) Serramenti PVC Diquigiovanni-Androni Giocattoli	8
  154	Marco Bandiera (Ita) Lampre - N.G.C.	7
  155	Johannes Fröhlinger (Ger) Team Milram	7
  156	Jérémy Roy (Fra) Française Des Jeux	7
  157	David Moncoutie (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne	7
  158	Ruben Perez (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi	6
  159	Rider removed from rankings due to ongoing doping investigation
  160	Niki Terpstra (Ned) Team Milram	6	pts
  161	Borut Bozic (Slo) Vacansoleil Pro Cycling Team	6
  162	Hayden Roulston (NZl) Cervelo Test Team	6
  163	Stef Clement (Ned) Rabobank	6
  164	Nikolay Trusov (Rus) Team Katusha	6
  165	Bert Grabsch (Ger) Team Columbia - HTC	6
  166	Cyril Lemoine (Fra) Skil-Shimano	6
  167	Bernhard Eisel (Aut) Team Columbia - HTC	6
  168	Julien El Fares (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne	6
  169	Julian Sanchez (Spa) Contentpolis-Ampo	6
  170	Robbie McEwen (Aus) Team Katusha	6
  171	Francesco Chicchi (Ita) Liquigas	6
  172	Romain Feillu (Fra) Agritubel	6
  173	Leonardo Duque (Col) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne	5
  174	Mikael Cherel (Fra) Française Des Jeux	4
  175	Maxime Monfort (Bel) Team Columbia - HTC	4
  176	Bert De Waele (Bel) Landbouwkrediet - Colnago	4
  177	Maxim Iglinsky (Kaz) Astana	4
  178	Greg Van Avermaet (Bel) Silence-Lotto	4
  179	Christopher Sutton (Aus) Garmin - Slipstream	4
  180	Markus Fothen (Ger) Team Milram	4
  181	Pavel Brutt (Rus) Team Katusha	4
  182	Egoi Martinez (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi	4
  183	Gustav Larsson (Swe) Team Saxo Bank	4
  184	Danny Pate (USA) Garmin - Slipstream	4
  185	Lloyd Mondory (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale	4
  186	Samuel Dumoulin (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne	4
  187	Vladimir Efimkin (Rus) AG2R La Mondiale	4
  188	Timothy Duggan (USA) Garmin - Slipstream	4
  189	Jurgen Van De Walle (Bel) Quick Step	4
  190	Ludovic Turpin (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale	4
  191	Markus Zberg (Swi) BMC Racing Team	4
  192	Vladimir Duma (Ukr) Ceramica Flaminia - Bossini Docce	4
  193	Mirco Lorenzetto (Ita) Lampre - N.G.C.	4
  194	Danilo Napolitano (Ita) Team Katusha	3
  195	Oliver Zaugg (Swi) Liquigas	3
  196	Jeremy Hunt (GBr) Cervelo Test Team	2
  197	Sebastian Langeveld (Ned) Rabobank	2
  198	Grégory Rast (Swi) Astana	2
  199	Murilo Fischer (Bra) Liquigas	2
  200	Christian Knees (Ger) Team Milram	2
  201	Sébastien Hinault (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale	2
  202	Pablo Urtasun (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi	2
  203	Assan Bazayev (Kaz) Astana	2
  204	Wouter Weylandt (Bel) Quick Step	2
  205	Juan José Haedo (Arg) Team Saxo Bank	2
  206	Evgeny Petrov (Rus) Team Katusha	2
  207	Dario Cataldo (Ita) Quick Step	2
  208	Yukiya Arashiro (Jpn) BBox Bouygues Telecom	2
  209	Christophe Moreau (Fra) Agritubel	2
  210	Sébastien Minard (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne	2
  211	Thomas Dekker (Ned) Silence-Lotto	2
  212	Xavier Florencio (Spa) Cervelo Test Team	2
  213	Sébastien Joly (Fra) Française Des Jeux	2
  214	Baden Cooke (Aus) Vacansoleil Pro Cycling Team	2
  215	Igor Abakoumov (Bel) ISD	2
  216	Mauricio Soler (Col) Barloworld	2
  217	Alexandre Usov (Blr) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne	1
  218	Steve Chainel (Fra) BBox Bouygues Telecom	1
  219	Marcel Sieberg (Ger) Team Columbia - HTC	1
  220	Tom Veelers (Ned) Skil-Shimano	1
  221	Nico Sijmens (Bel) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne	1
  222	Matthe Pronk (Ned) Vacansoleil Pro Cycling Team	1
  223	Adam Hansen (Aus) Team Columbia - HTC	1
  224	Marco Marzano (Ita) Lampre - N.G.C.	1
  225	Rémi Pauriol (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne	1
  226	Sébastien Rosseler (Bel) Quick Step	1
  227	Stéphane Auge (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne	1
  228	Eros Capecchi (Ita) Fuji-Servetto	1
  229	Rider removed from rankings due to ongoing doping investigation
  230	Matthieu Ladagnous (Fra) Française Des Jeux	1
  231	Gilberto Simoni (Ita) Serramenti PVC Diquigiovanni-Androni Giocattoli	1
  232	Philip Deignan (Irl) Cervelo Test Team	1
  233	Dmytro Grabovskyy (Ukr) ISD	1
  234	Alessandro Bertolini (Ita) Serramenti PVC Diquigiovanni-Androni Giocattoli	1
  235	Dominique Rollin (Can) Cervelo Test Team	1

  UCI World Rankings - Teams

  1	Astana	1082	pts
  2	Team Saxo Bank	898
  3	Team Columbia - HTC	832
  4	Liquigas	800
  5	Caisse D'epargne	744
  6	Cervelo Test Team	697
  7	Quick Step	644
  8	Team Katusha	637
  9	Silence-Lotto	566
  10	Rabobank	513
  11	Garmin - Slipstream	512
  12	Euskaltel - Euskadi	407
  13	Lampre - N.G.C	392
  14	Serramenti Pvc Diquigiovanni-Androni Giocattoli	379
  15	Lpr Brakes Farnese Vini	290
  16	AG2R La Mondiale	206
  17	Française Des Jeux	192
  18	Acqua & Sapone - Caffe Mokambo	189
  19	Team Milram	164
  20	Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne	126
  21	BBox Bouygues Telecom	94
  22	Vacansoleil Pro Cycling Team	51
  23	Fuji-Servetto	45
  24	Agritubel	34
  25	Skil-Shimano	32
  26	Ceramica Flaminia - Bossini Docce	26
  27	Andalucia Cajasur	21
  28	Barloworld	20
  29	Contentpolis-Ampo	6
  30	Landbouwkrediet - Colnago	4
  31	Bmc Racing Team	4
  32	ISD - Neri	3

  UCI World Rankings - Nation

  1	Spain	1334	pts
  2	Italy	910
  3	Australia	750
  4	Germany	689
  5	Russian Federation	590
  6	Luxembourg	563
  7	Belgium	505
  8	United States of America	469
  9	Great Britain	462
  10	Norway	414
  11	Netherlands	341
  12	Czech Republic	321
  13	France	301
  14	Denmark	270
  15	Switzerland	253
  16	Belarus	111
  17	Sweden	105
  18	Ireland	103
  19	Estonia	98
  20	Slovenia	91
  21	Colombia	87
  22	Slovakia	51
  23	Canada	51
  24	Poland	36
  25	Kazakhstan	36
  26	Ukraine	21
  27	New Zealand	18
  28	Lithuania	16
  29	Austria	12
  30	Finland	10
  31	South Africa	10
  32	Brazil	2
  33	Argentina	2
  34	Japan	2

   

• Carlström could assume Finnish national title

  

  Article published:

  August 17, 2009, 17:46

  By:

  Richard Tyler

  Liias tests positive for testosterone

  Liquigas rider Kjell Carlström could assume the Finnish national road title after Toni Liias tested positive for testosterone at Finland's national championships in June. According to Finnish news agency YLE.fi Liias has blamed the positive result on a nutritional supplement.

  "I have not used doping products," Liias told YLE.fi, on Friday. "It is a food supplement. You would need to be a chemist to understand what the substance actually contains. I had no idea that the substance may cause a false positive."

  Liias is currently awaiting the results of a test on his B-sample. If the positive is confirmed, the Finnish Cycling Federation will begin disciplinary action. If found guilty of doping, Liias, who races as an amateur, is likely to be stripped of the national road title he won in Kuusamo, Finland on June 28.

  "Doping cases are, in particular, very disappointing," said Markku Nieminen, executive director of the Finnish Cycling Union. "They are always a shock when athletes are assumed to be clean."

  Finnish anti-doping agency (ADT) cautions athletes about the use of nutritional supplements. The ADT explains that the supplements are interpreted as a doping product in the event of a positive test

  The results of Liias' B-sample are expected this week.

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

   

• Soler signs on with Caisse d'Epargne for 2010

  

  Article published:

  August 17, 2009, 19:43

  By:

  Richard Tyler

  Colombian to leave Barloworld after three seasons

  Juan Mauricio Soler will ride for Caisse d'Epargne in 2010. Colombian Spanish language newspaper El Tiempo reported on Monday that the climber has signed a contract with the Spanish ProTour squad.

  El Tiempo reported that Saxo Bank and Cervélo TestTeam had also been interested in signing the 26-year-old, but Soler had reached an agreement with Caisse d'Epargne team director, Eusebio Unzué.

  Riding for his current team, Barloworld, Soler most recently finished fifth overall at Vuelta a Burgos, behind winner and future teammate, Alejandro Valverde. The race marked an impressive return to competition for Soler who missed two months of the season due to tendonitis that had forced him out of the Giro d'Italia in May.

  Soler had hoped for a strong performance at the Italian Grand Tour after a second place finish at the Settimana Lombarda, a month before the Giro. He finished fourth on the Giro's first mountain stage to San Martino di Castrozza [he may be promoted to third on the stage after Danilo Di Luca tested positive for EPO-CERA during the Giro – ed.], before withdrawing on stage 16.

  Soler will leave Barloworld after three seasons. He began racing with the British registered Pro Continental squad in 2007, after starting his professional career at Italian squad Acqua & Sapone - Caffè Mokambo in 2006.

  He won a stage and the mountains classification at the 2007 Tour de France.

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

• McEwen to miss Eneco with knee pain

  

  Article published:

  August 18, 2009, 01:09

  By:

  Greg Johnson

  Aussie to undergo surgery next week

  Australia’s Robbie McEwen won’t contest this week’s Eneco Tour after experiencing further knee pain. McEwen had hoped to contest the Belgian/Dutch race to salvage some of the 2009 season, during which he has been plagued by injury.

  "Doctors can't guarantee him that his knee will support the intense, repetitive efforts of racing," Katusha’s Bart Leysen told AFP.

  McEwen is due to undergo surgery to have one of the two screws in his tibia removed on August 25. He will have the second removed after his final race for the season in mid-October.

  McEwen suffered a broken leg in an accident during stage two of the Tour of Belgium, his return to racing after being forced to miss the Giro d'Italia through injuries sustained in a crash during the Scheldeprijs Vlaanderen. McEwen has competed once since the Belgian accident, finishing second to Mark Cavendish at a post-Tour criterium in Aalst.

  Despite being in the later years of a decorated career, McEwen has no intention of easy up just yet. He is intent on beating star sprinter Cavendish before hanging up the bicycle, and recently announced the extension of his contract with Katusha.

  “Signed with Katusha for 2010. Hope to push out one more season after that in 2011,” McEwen wrote on his Twitter.

  The Eneco Tour starts today with a 4.4 kilometre prologue in Rotterdam. The event covers 1128.1 kilometres before ending in Amersfoort next Tuesday.

  Katusha’s Eneco roster includes: Laszlo Bodrogi (Hun), Nikita Eskov (Rus), Alexander Markov (Rus), Guennadi Mikhailov (Rus), Alexander Serov (Rus), Nikolai Troussov (Rus), Stijn Vandenbergh (Bel) and Maxime Vantomme (Bel).

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

• Mosquera makes final preparations for Vuelta

  

  Article published:

  August 18, 2009, 01:48

  By:

  Les Clarke

  Another strong showing on the cards for Spaniard

  The surprise packet of last year's Vuelta a España, Ezequiel Mosquera, has begun final preparations for this year's edition of the race, which begins August 29 in Assen, The Netherlands. Xacobeo Galicia's captain has been riding in the Peña Trevinca, the highest mountain in the Galician region, according to Europa Press.

  Fourth overall in the 2008 Vuelta, Mosquera has enjoyed mixed fortunes during the 2009 season, being forced to miss the Giro d'Italia in his team's debut at the Italian race, although luck is on his side leading up to his biggest race of the year on home soil.

  A victory in the queen stage of the Vuelta a Burgos en route to a fourth place finish on general classification was an indication that he possesses fine form heading into this year's edition of Spain's grand tour. Alejandro Valverde took out the title in Lagunas de Neila, and the Caisse d'Epargne rider will also be lining up for another crack at his national tour.

  "This [training] is to maintain the form I had in the Tour of Burgos, where I felt very good and I could push myself to the limit," Mosquera told reporters. "Gradually I will increase the intensity but I will adapt my body to that higher level."

  Mosquera finished second on stage seven to Andorra during last year's Vuelta and backed it up with a strong showing on the following day to Pla de Beret, mixing it with the likes of Alberto Contador, Carlos Sastre, Valverde and Levi Leipheimer in what was a breakthrough performance for the 33-year-old Spaniard. While he could use the element of surprise in last year's event it's likely that he'll be a marked man during this year's race.

  Xacobeo Galicia's Vuelta a España squad: Ezequiel Mosquera, David Garcia Da Pena, Gustavo Cesar Veloso, Gustavo Dominguez, Serafin Martinez, Juan Francisco Mouron, Alejandro Paleo, Alberto Fernandez and Eduard Vorganov.

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• UCI confirms USA, Great Britain's top allocations for worlds

  

  Article published:

  August 18, 2009, 02:10

  By:

  Greg Johnson

  France, Netherlands miss out on nine man teams

  France and the Netherlands will field reduced squads at this year’s UCI World Road Championships, with the countries failing to secure the results necessary to earn a nine-man team for next month’s race. The two countries will be forced to field only six riders after the final elite men allocations for this year’s race were released by the International Cycling Union on Monday.

  Strong results by Mark Cavendish and Thor Hushovd this season has seen Britain and Norway move in to the top 10, while the United States of America has benefited from Lance Armstrong’s Grand Tour outings to also secure a top 10 place.

  Despite only qualifying for three positions via the UCI Europe Tour, host nation Switzerland will field six riders thanks to article 9.2.010, which allows the host to enter six riders. The Mendrisio, Switzerland race will be staged on September 27 with nations required to submit their rider selections by September 16.

  Qualified nations by the World Classification

  1 Spain (9)
  2 Italy (9)
  3 Australia (9)
  4 Germany (9)
  5 Russia (9)
  6 Luxembourg (9)
  7 Belgium (9)
  8 Great Britain (9)
  9 Norway (9)
  10 United States of America (9)

  Qualified nations by the UCI Africa Tour

  1 South Africa (6)
  2 Tunisia (3)

  Qualified nations by the UCI America Tour

  1 Colombia (6)
  2 Venezuela (6)
  3 Argentina (3)
  4 Brasil (3)
  5 Canada (3)

  Qualified nations by the UCI Asia Tour

  1 Kazakhstan (6)
  2 Iran (3)
  3 Japan (3)

  Qualified nations by the UCI Europe Tour

  1 France (6)
  2 The Netherlands (6)
  3 Slovenia (6)
  4 Poland (6)
  5 Ukraina (6)
  6 Denmark (6)
  7 Portugal (3)
  8 Estonia (3)
  9 Austria (3)
  10 Switzerland (6)
  11 Slovakia (3)
  12 Croatia (3)
  13 Hungria (3)
  14 Sweden (3)
  15 Serbia (3)
  16 Latvia (3)

  Qualified nation by the UCI Oceania Tour

  1 New Zealand (3)

  Qualified Countries by the UCI World individual Ranking

  Nations which have one rider in the first 100 at World Individual Ranking

  Czech Republic (3)
  Ireland (3)
  Belorussia (3)

  Nations which have one rider classified in the World Individual Ranking

  Lituania (1)
  Finland (1)

  Nations qualified by the individual ranking of the UCI Continental Circuits
  

  Namibia (1)
  Cuba (1)
  Chili (1)
  Costa Rica (1)
  Ecuador (1)
  Uruguay (1)
  Bulgaria (1)

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• Sella returns to competition today

  

  Article published:

  August 18, 2009, 06:57

  By:

  Les Clarke

  Suspension over, it's back to business for Italian rider

  After serving a one-year suspension for doping, Italian rider Emanuele Sella will return to competition today in the Tre Valli Varesine.

  Sella tested positive to the latest-generation variant of EPO, CERA, in an out-of-competition test last year. At the 2008 Giro d'Italia he won two Alpine stages and the mountains classification.

  He received a 12-month ban rather than the mandatory two-year sanction due to an admission that he used performance-enhancing products and his co-operation with the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) in relation to its anti-doping investigations.

  Having been signed for Continental squad Carmiooro Style-A, the rider from Vicenza will ride the Tre Valli Varesine as his comeback race before competing in the Coppa Agostoni, Coppa Bernocchi and Trofeo Melinda over the next five days.

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• Lövkvist tuning for Worlds at Eneco

  

  Article published:

  August 18, 2009, 09:21

  By:

  Daniel Benson

  Columbia-HTC's Swedish rider aims for strong season finish

  Thomas Lövkvist will start today’s Eneco Tour hoping to build his form for the World Championships and help his team secure the overall classification. The 24-year-old will line up with a strong Columbia-HTC team, including Edvald Boasson Hagen and Michael Rogers. The squad will be looking to improve on last year’s performance, where they managed to place three riders in the top seven and win two stages.

  "My number aim one is to try and get through Eneco without crashing but we have a strong team here and I’ll be looking to support them as much as possible. But if there a stage where I can get myself in a good position then I might go for a stage win," Lövkvist told Cyclingnews on the eve of the race, which kicks off with a 4.8km prologue on Tuesday.

  Despite confirming that he will leave the team at the end of the season for pastures new, Columbia will be looking to ride for Boasson Hagen. The race features two short time trials that suit his skills. "He is really going well and showed that in Tour of Pologne and in Hamburg [at the Vattenfall Cyclassics] on Sunday. If he can keep himself out of trouble I think he has a good chance of doing well on the general classification," Lövkvist added.

  Lövkvist has already had a demanding season, having started racing in March and competing in the Giro d’Italia for the first time in his career. He won the opening team time trial in the Italian race and backed that up by holding the leader’s jersey for several days before succumbing in the high mountains. "The form is coming along nicely. I had a break after the nationals in June and trained really well and now I’m seeing the benefits of that."

  "I did the Giro and I had big hopes for doing the Tour but it didn’t happen and I had to reschedule my season. Hopefully I can have a good second half of the season as I normally I perform all year round. I feel fresher and that might be good for the Worlds. That’s the big aim."

  With no contract for 2010, Lövkvist will use the remainder of the season to resolve his future, having spent the last two seasons with Columbia. "I’ve not signed a contract with Columbia yet so there is a possibility of a change but nothing has been confirmed in either direction."

  However any contract distractions haven’t affected his dedication or training, with the Swede having already profiled the World championship road course. "I’ve been down to look at the course already. It will be a very demanding race but I hope I’ll be on my best day. I’m pleased with my season. I took two wins and led the Giro, where I was up there with the big guys for quite a while. I’m happy and I’ve taken a step in the right direction."