First Edition Cycling News, Tuesday, July 13, 2010

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Date published:

July 13, 2010, 04:00

• Sastre enjoying wide open Tour

  

  Article published:

  July 12, 2010, 17:50

  By:

  Cycling News

  Cervélo TestTeam's Hushovd comfortable in green

  Carlos Sastre, 2008 Tour de France winner, survived a challenging first week of the 2010 race - a hot one that was filled with crashes, cobbles and even some mountains. The 35-year-old Spaniard, enjoying a rest day on Monday, spoke at the Cervélo TestTeam's press conference in Morzine, France.

  Sastre sits contentedly in 12th place after Sunday's stage 8. "I was good enough to be with the leaders [on Sunday]. There was a lot of anticipation for the stage. No one knew what to expect. The first week was full of tension, a lot of crashes, heat, wind. I am tranquil. This Tour is just beginning.

  "I have not set any definitive objectives for this Tour," said Sastre. "I am enjoying the race from a different point of view this year. I am taking it day by day. This Tour is going to be one of resistance. If it stays hot, the Pyrénées are going to be a barbarity. If I have the opportunity, I will try something, but I haven't made any specific plan. I wasn't even sure I was going to be able to start the Tour."

  Sastre referred to back problems that plagued him during the Giro d'Italia, but he says he's no longer suffering any pain.

  He noted that the race is wide open, still with many favorites in contention. "This is the first Tour in a long time where there are so many favorites from so many teams with options to win. It's very wide open.

  "Andy Schleck proved he's the most explosive right now, I don't know if he's the strongest. Cadel Evans is very strong psychologically. It will be very hard to take the yellow jersey away from him."

  Sastre's teammate Thor Hushovd, who won stage 3, is spending his time comfortably in the green jersey of the race's points leader.

  "I won a stage and I have the green jersey, so it's been a fine start to this Tour," said Hushovd. "If I win the green jersey, I will be even happier. If not, I am still very happy with this Tour because I won the stage on the cobblestones.

  "I lost a few points in some of the sprints, but I think I will be stronger in the final week. I haven't sprinted for nearly two months because of my broken collarbone, so I am not at top speed, but I am getting better."

  Hushovd believes his chances of getting away in a break in the mountains like he did in 2009 are slim to none. "That was the first time I tried something like that. I think that was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It would be very hard to repeat it this year. Actually, it's almost impossible."

  The team's Sports Director Jean-Paul van Poppel is pleased with his riders' performance. "It's been a good Tour for us so far. At the start of the Tour, we had four goals for the first part of the race. First was to win a stage, and we've done that with Thor. Second was to be strong in the green jersey, and we have the jersey with Thor. Third was to be well-placed in GC, and Carlos is very good. And finally was to give a good team image, and we've done that with how we've raced on the road. So far, we've been very successful.

  "We've had a few crashes, but no one is seriously hurt. Another two weeks of the Tour remain, but the team is very good."

  Van Poppel cautioned reporters to watch out for Sastre. "If you know what kind of rider he is, he gets better and better as the race unfolds... If he can remain competitive like he has shown so far, we can be optimistic. He will be good in the Pyrénées."

  Van Poppel promised the squad would defend the green jersey. "They have to take it away from us. There will be a few more sprint opportunities and Thor can try to pick up sprints if he can. The further the Tour goes, the better it is for Thor. We just have to focus on our race, we're not going to worry about the others."

• Contador says he admires Armstrong more than before

  

  Article published:

  July 12, 2010, 19:31

  By:

  Jean-François Quénet

  Defending Tour champion will play with his adversaries

  Alberto Contador (Astana) lost 10 seconds to Andy Schleck (Saxo Bank) at the first uphill finish of the Tour de France in Morzine on Sunday. That comes in addition to the 20 seconds he lost in the final kilometre of stage 3 after the cobblestones, but the 27-year-old Spaniard isn't worried at all.

  "My sensations are good and I'm very happy with how things are going at the Tour so far," said the leader of Astana who is in third place overall, 1:01 down on Cadel Evans (BMC Racing Team) with Schleck 41 seconds in front of him.

  "We can't draw any conclusion from yesterday's stage because the uphill to Avoriaz wasn't steep and the attacks at the end occurred on a flat road," Contador said at a press conference during the rest day. At the back of his hotel in the mountains, he celebrated the win of the Spanish team at the football World Cup with the jersey of "La Roja" on his shoulders. He also showed that he was able to play football as well - juggling is his forte.

  "I went out to catch almost all the attackers," Contador said. "In the coming stages, I'll have to select which rider I should follow. But my legs were good and my team was very good."

  Contador suffered at the end. His breathing was short but all the people who usually have pollen allergies felt it in Avoriaz. This shouldn't affect him in the Pyrénées.

  "Maybe some riders now think they have more possibilities than before to attack me. Fine! They'll find more motivation. That's not bad for me," Contador said. "Andy Schleck has always been one of the favourites. Maybe he's psychologically a bit higher now but there is a lot of racing remaining. I don't give much importance to what happened yesterday."

  The Spaniard has learnt the game of making friends and enemies in the bunch. Does he suspect some possible alliance of Schleck and Lance Armstrong to make him lose the Tour? In any case, Contador has become very diplomatic with his former biggest threat. A few days ago, he offered him a watch to thank him for being his teammate in the Tour de France last year.

  Contador denied having put the hammer down on purpose to make the American lose the maximum amount of time. "It wasn't at all against him," Contador said. "I've seen him being dropped off. We saw that he was off the back. That was good for the race. But we have to admit that he was marred by bad luck. What happened to him hasn't changed our tactics. Now RadioShack is a bit less of a protagonist in the Tour but it's still a highly regarded team."

  The Spaniard added about Armstrong: "It's a complicated situation for him. Nobody has ever seen him like this in the past. I've watched the stage on TV last night and I've thought about the career he accomplished. I still admire him. I admire him maybe even more now than before."

  The rest day at the Tour de France is also a business day. Contador's brother and agent Fran was busy finalising details about a contract renewal with the Kazakh owners of the Astana team. "It's very likely that I'll stay here," Contador said. "This team gives me a lot of tranquillity. I have good riders around me. They are also my friends."

• Schleck confident after first week

  

  Article published:

  July 12, 2010, 20:09

  By:

  Brecht Decaluwé

  Outlook is good one day after mountaintop stage win

  Luxembourg's young star Andy Schleck currently sits in second overall after the first week of the 2010 Tour de France, trailing leader Cadel Evans by only 20 seconds. During the race's first rest day on Monday, Schleck talked with the press in the team hotel - appropriately named l'equipe [the team in French - ed.]. The leader of the Saxo Bank squad made clear that he is confident that the overall victory in this year's Tour de France is within his grasp.

  During the first mountains stage on Sunday, Schleck managed to shake off general classification rival Alberto Contador (Astana) in the last kilometer. It's been ages since Contador has failed to follow another GC-contender uphill; think back to the edition of the Tour featuring Michael Rasmussen in 2007.

  Though Contador himself felt his performance wasn't a big deal, Schleck gained a lot of confidence from the stage finish, by which he had earned 10 seconds on the Spaniard. When asked what it meant to drop Contador, Schleck passed on the question to his Spanish rival. "You should ask him what it meant to him. Of course, it was a huge boost for my morale because I've not seen him in any difficulty previously. I haven't watched it on television yet, but I heard that he really tried to follow but that he couldn't. I need to get on Youtube and check it out."

  "I was surprised he couldn't follow (me) because the day before,  I had formed an impression of him as strong. The fact that he couldn't follow me means that during the next days, hopefully the same thing can happen again," Schleck said. "It was the first real mountains stage, and also the easiest of the mountains stages."

  "The Tour has started yesterday for me. I'm second overall. Everything is going as we planned, more or less."

  In the general classification, Schleck now has a gap of 41 seconds on the Spanish favorite. Despite realizing that he needs much more or a time gap in advance of the 52km long individual time trial later in the Tour, Schleck is happy with the current standings.

  He had hesitated about whether to attack earlier. "We talked about it through the radio. But we have a plan, and I'd like to stick to it. If the plan works out, it's going to be good. Yeah, maybe I should have attacked (earlier), but then maybe they could have organized themselves behind me and caught me and then I wouldn't have had these 10 seconds. Now I have the stage victory and 10 extra seconds. I know I need more time ahead of the time trial, but there's still a long way to go," Schleck said.

  Andy's brother Fränk didn't make it through the first week. He crashed out during the stage heading toward the Arenberg forest. It is widely known that Andy and Fränk are getting were getting along well and the latter surely has been missed by Andy. "We talk three times a day on the phone. I spoke with him straight after yesterday's stage. He was full of emotion. He was really happy for me, but on the other hand also really sad that he wasn't there.

  "Every big race I have done so far, he was there. We always communicate with each other in some way. I didn't have that yesterday. I was really focused on Alberto because I really thought he would be the first to attack. I feel my brother's absence, but I didn't give up because of it. I'm not happy with his absence, but it won't affect me in my goals."

  "Crashes happen. I broke my collarbone twice already. Unfortunately he's out now. The team is there to surround me and give me super support. Yesterday, Matti was there. He's not a climber but yesterday he did fantastic work in the climb."

  When Schleck was asked whether he lacked teammates deep into the finale, said no. "Astana might have Daniel Navarro, but he's not a leader. If he attacks, I know he's not a real threat for the GC. It's up to Alberto. When the GC-riders attack, only Alberto can follow from their team," Schleck said.

  Talking about other GC riders, Schleck noted the performances of race leader Cadel Evans and others. "Cadel is certainly strong. He has a really hard Giro behind him, and I don't know if that is a good or bad thing for him. Yesterday was a hard climb but not a really steep climb. Of course he's a contender for the podium.

  "With Bradley Wiggins struggling and Lance's Tour being over, our focus is now on Alberto Contador, Cadel [Evans] and Ivan [Basso] is still up there... [Denis] Menchov, [Robert] Gesink... these guys."

  Belgian Jurgen Van Den Broeck was up there, too, even trying an attack too in the final kilometers. "He's an upcoming rider. He's my generation, even younger than me. [Van Den Broeck is actually two and a half years older. - ed.]. He looks really good. He lost - for him - quite important time in the cobblestone stage. I believe he can do a nice result, but I don't see him on the podium, not this year; for sure in the future. He's up there. He was there yesterday so he's good."

  The Schlecks had appeared to be in big trouble - losing several minutes to Cadel Evans - during the stage through the Ardennes until there was a sort of cease-fire among the favorites for the overall.

  "That's cycling," said Schleck. "One day you're on the ground, and the other day you can rise above the sky," Schleck said. "We lost Fränk during the cobblestone stage, which was really hard for the team. On the other hand, that day was a good trial for me, too. I've put it behind me. My wounds are healing."

  "I won't have any more crashes," said Schleck optimistically. "I can't promise though. I take care. I hope I can arrive healthy to Paris."

• Wiggins ready to fight on for good overall result

  

  Article published:

  July 12, 2010, 21:01

  By:

  Stephen Farrand

  Team Sky leader disappointed to lose time but bullish about rest of the Tour

  The L'Equipe newspaper used the somewhat sarcastic headline "Wiggins, bye-bye podium" after he lost time on the climb to Morzine Avoriaz on Sunday. But on the first day, the Briton refused to admit his hopes of a possible good overall result were over in this year's Tour de France.

  Wiggins lost 1:45 to stage winner Andy Schleck (Saxo Bank) after losing contact in the final kilometres of the climb to Morzine Avoriaz. He is now 14th overall, 2:45 behind race leader Cadel Evans (BMC) but is still bullish about his chances.

  "I suppose I always feel disappointed whatever the result, because I always feel I can give more," he said. "It was one of those days yesterday. It wasn't a bad day and it wasn't a great day. It was one of the days in the middle. If I keep having those middle days, I'm going to be in the ballpark in Paris somewhere in the GC.

  "Losing time is not fantastic. I'm not going to lie. But what can I do? Go home or stay here and battle for the next two weeks and see what happens. The goal now is to get the best out of me every day and we'll where we are in Paris. The Pyrenees is where it's going to be won and lost. I think the time gaps in Paris will be minutes. If we're still 2:45 down in Paris, we're going to be on the podium. We'll see."

  Like all the overall favourites, Wiggins has had to battle through a testing first week, a far harder first week than he faced in 2009. He is hoping for a more usual Tour de France in he remaining two weeks of racing.

  "It's nice to get the first week done and get into the pattern of the race," he said. "There has been a lot of difficult stages in the first week, with the prologue, the crashes and the cobbles. A month ago, if someone had said we'd be in this position time wise, we'd have taken it. There are still two weeks to go and a lot of bike racing to go."

  Of his 2:45 deficit he said, "That's the gap and you take what it is and move forward. I've done a lot of work on not getting carried way with the great days and not getting down with the bad days. I could sit here tomorrow and we could be having a totally different conversation. That's what's so great about the Tour de France."

  Wiggins and his Team Sky teammates trained for three hours on Monday before Tuesday's Alpine stage to Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne. He insisted that he is looking forward to another showdown in the mountains and the harsh truths it might confirm.

  "I'm feeling good today. We got quite organised, and the whole team went out for a decent ride. We're trying not to treat it like a rest day but an easier day. We're trying not to switch off too much with the stage coming tomorrow. We did three hours and included a good climb in there," he said.

  "Tomorrow is going to be another tough day, at least I hope it is," he said. "There will be a selection over the Madeleine. Cadel is in the jersey but hasn't really got the team that can ride. Astana has looked the strongest in the mountains.

  "The Madeleine is a proper Alpine climb and it's one of the tougher ones. And the climbs before it add up too. It's a traditional day in the mountains, compared to yesterday, when the whole peloton arrived en masse at the foot of the Ramaz which caused extra problems.

  "It should be whittled down by the time we hit the Madeleine. Tougher, the better. At least you know where you stand. After tomorrow, we'll know who is that select group."

  We will also know if Wiggins is part of it.

• Hesjedal seeks top ten overall in Tour

  

  Article published:

  July 12, 2010, 21:27

  By:

  Stephen Farrand

  GC contender role "new territory" for Canadian

  Canada's Ryder Hesjedal was able to enjoy the first rest day in the Alps as the best placed North American rider in the Tour de France.

  The lanky Canadian, who rode so aggressively and so well on the cobbles of stage three, is sixth overall, 1:11 behind Cadel Evans.

  He slipped from third overall after losing contact in the final kilometres of the stage but to put his Tour de France into real perspective, he is still ahead of Roman Kreuziger (Liquigas-Doimo), Levi Leipheimer (RadioShack), Michael Rogers (HTC-Columbia) and even Carlos Sastre (Cervélo TestTeam) and Ivan Basso (Liquigas-Doimo).

  Hesjedal, 29, seems laid back and ready to accept whatever he achieves in the Tour de France. However, Garmin-Transitions team manager Jonathan Vaughters confirms that he is determined to try and finish in the top ten in Paris.

  "We'll have to see how he goes in the Pyrenees, but it’s a little bit like with Christian [Vande Velde] two years ago and with Bradley [Wiggins] last year," Vaughters said.

  "He's never been in this position before and so we don't know what he can do. He recovers well day to day and does get stronger in the third week of races. If you combine those two things, he should be stronger in the Pyrenees. I think he will be there. The podium may be a lot to ask but we're hoping he can be up there in the top ten.

  "Ryder really wants it. Some riders have a lot of talent, panache or class. But Ryder's greatest skill is that he really wants it. He wants top ten really, really bad and he's willing to give himself a grave everyday to get it."

  Vaughters suggested on Twitter that Hesjedal hadn't had the confidence or the opportunity to go for overall success in a three-week stage race before.

  "I'm not sure about that comment," Hesjedal counters, revealing his inner confidence. "I've believed in myself a long time. I think he was referring to being in the position that I am now," he said. I think I've progressively improved since 2008 when I joined the team. I think me and the team have developed together and went through he growing pains together.

  "Right now I'm pleased with my results because it proves I would have been up there doing the support role I was supposed to be doing. There's no one to support after Christian left the race and so I'm just doing it for myself.

  "I think I've shown I can do it. I've got the needed power to weight ratio to climb pretty well. You can't finish an Ardennes classics or a tough stage race like Pais Vasco or California if you can't perform on the climbs. The only difference here is that it's for three weeks. That's something you have to prepare for."

  Hesjedal has been largely unknown in Canada but that has changed now.

  "It's pretty overwhelming what's going on back in Canada with all the attention and the support from the fans," he said. "It's frustrating when you race and well but people just aren't aware of what you're doing. The only race people in Canada really know is the Tour de France and so when you're on the leader board, they know what it means. People are watching and so it's been big.

  "Steve Bauer had the yellow jersey for ten days, so I've still got a long way to go. But he's now running a team that hopes to ride the Tour de France one day and so I hope my riding here will help that momentum grow."

  Hesjedal does not seem to feel the weight of national pride or the responsibility from his team on his board shoulders.

  "For now I just want to try and stay up there. If hadn't lost a minute it would have been better but actually only losing a minute is a plus in a situation when a lot of guys and two teams going hard," he said.

  "We'll see how harder the other big days are and especially the other mountain finishes. I'm going to try and stay as high as I can.

  "It's new territory for me. In the other Grand Tours, I've done good rides on days but I've also taken it easy or worked for other guys early on stage. Being there for the end of the stage and trying to conserve energy all day is a whole different situation. That's new for me but I'm going to try and take it through three weeks. And see what happens.

  "I haven't fixed an overall goal. It's going to be a learning experience and about get through as best I can, so that I can decide how to take my forward my career."

• Moreau announces end of career

  

  Article published:

  July 12, 2010, 22:46

  By:

  Jean-François Quénet

  Oldest Tour de France rider to retire at end of 2010 season

  Christophe Moreau organised a mini press conference with less than ten reporters attending to announce the end of his career when his contract with Caisse d'Epargne finishes at the end of this year.

  "After sixteen years as a pro, with good and bad moments, I've decided to retire very officially," Moreau said in the presence of his wife and two children. At the age of 39, he's the oldest rider at this year's Tour de France as he was born five months before Lance Armstrong and Jens Voigt.

  Armstrong's crashes during stage 8 have influenced his decision. The day before, he was still hoping that Caisse d'Epargne's team manager Eusebio Unzue would tell him he has found another sponsor and would offer him another contract. "Nobody can be sure to avoid a catastrophe, I wouldn't like to be forced to retire after a crash like Armstrong had yesterday," Moreau said. "I've always ridden my bike for being at the front of the race. During the coming two weeks, I'll look for a last emotion at the Tour."

  Moreau started his career with Festina in 1995 and was a member of the infamous team which was kicked out of the 1998 Tour de France. He won the Dauphiné twice (2001 and 2006) and the prologue of the Tour de France in 2001.

  "I'm turning the page," he said. But former double winner of the Tour de France, Laurent Fignon, was prompt to recall on the radio station Europe 1 that "he already said last year that it was his last Tour, so be careful of a possible change of mind!"

  Moreau considered retiring at the end of his contract with Ag2r in 2007 and every year since. He ruled out the option of becoming a directeur sportif.

• Australia’s Clarke lands Ag2r stagiaire role

  

  Article published:

  July 13, 2010, 03:32

  By:

  Greg Johnson

  Genesys allows rider to chase Euro dream

  William Clarke will ride with AG2R La Mondiale as a stagiaire through to October after the French ProTour approached the 25-year-old, who recently completed a block of racing in Belgium. Clarke’s Australian squad Genesys Pro Cycling has granted the rider permission to pursue his European dream, with team manager Andrew Christie-Johnston almost as excited as Clarke to hear of the offer.

  “This is great for Will, he belongs in the ProTour so hopefully this will see him gain a contract for 2011,” said Christie-Johnston. “Genesys Pro Cycling is a development team - this is what we are all about.

  “We have always been happy to see our riders grow and go on to bigger and better things and it just proves that we are succeeding in our mission and the 10 years of hard work are starting to bear fruit,” he added.

  Clarke is currently in Monaco with one of Genesys’ former riders – now Saxo Bank star Richie Porte. The Tasmanian is in just his first year as a professional with the Danish team, yet is already a household name having worn the Giro d’Italia’s maglia rosa on the way to a seventh overall finish.

  Domestically Clarke has won two stages in Cycling Australia’s National Road Series this year, at the Tours of Mersey Valley and Canberra. He also took a clean sweep at Victoria’s Tour of the Southern Grampians, winning three stages and the overall.

  During his six week block in Belgium Clarke won Londerzeel-Sint Jozef, Waasmunster-Ruiter and Wolvertem. Earlier in the season he performed strongly at the Tour de Taiwan, where he finished third overall.

• Sunderland expecting Tour showdown on Tourmalet

  

  Article published:

  July 13, 2010, 05:15

  By:

  Scott Sunderland

  Scott Sunderland's first week analysis

  I'm sure the riders were looking forward to the first rest day of the Tour de France and they must all be hoping it really helps them after a tough first week. It's probably been one of the toughest first weeks in recent history of the Tour.

  The first week used to be all about the sprinters and breakaways, but this year they've faced the pressure and the rain of the prologue, the wind and dangers of the coast road in the Netherlands, the climbs and crashes in the Ardennes, the blast over the cobbles and then the heat and the climbs of the last few days. There was drama, chaos and even discussion. It's added up to a big and brutal first week.

  We thought losing Christian Vande Velde was a big moment but now even Lance Armstrong is out of contention. Yet at the top of the general classification, things are really tight and really intriguing.

  It would be fascinating to really know how the overall contenders are feeling and what they're thinking. I haven’t been able to see many interviews on television and on the internet but I used to really try and see the riders body language and listen to see what they were saying to try and work them out.

  Of course the general classification doesn't lie either and showed that Andy Schleck is riding well. His confidence must be sky high now and while the loss of his brother might be a problem for him psychologically, I think it will also make him mature and give him the freedom to really take the race by the scruff of the neck.

  It's also going to be fascinating to see How Cadel Evans and his BMC team ride in the next few days. Evans is a different rider thanks to his new team but now we will see if that is good enough. Keeping yellow all the way to Paris is a big ask for him and the team, considering the strengths of his rivals but the Pyrenees will be the real test of his form.

  I have to say that Alberto Contador puzzled me a little bit on the climb to Morzine Avoriaz. He looked good but not as good as he normally is at the Tour. His team was super strong on the climbs but he didn’t finish it off as he so often has done. Maybe he will peak in the Pyrenees and he's also got the time trial but I bet there is a little bit of tension in Astana at the moment.

  Everyone else is behind these big three overall and it is difficult to see a different podium in Paris. However there is still a long way to go in this Tour.

  The heat seems to have been a major factor in the last few days and it could become even more important between now and Paris. The stages across the Massif Central and then in the Pyrenees are usually baking hot and that will suit the likes of Ivan Basso, Carlos Sastre and anyone who really excels in the heat. It could also be a problem for the likes of Robert Gesink and Brad Wiggins.

  The heat will make the teams' recovery strategy more of a factor. Each team does it their own way but every little detail, every extra moment of recovery could add up and make a significant difference.

  This year's Tour de France celebrates the centenary of the Pyrenees and the scene is now set for a big showdown on the Tourmalet. If the first week is anything to go by, it should be a cracker.