First Edition Cycling News, Tuesday, July 7, 2009

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Date published:

July 7, 2009, 03:00

• Sky is the limit for Brailsford's budget

  

  Article published:

  July 6, 2009, 15:48

  By:

  Richard Moore

  Speculation grows after Cavendish wins and figures fly

  After Mark Cavendish’s first stage win in Brignoles on Sunday the French newspapers were speculating as to whether the new British squad, Team Sky, might sign him for 2010.

  Since Cavendish is contracted to Columbia-HTC until the end of 2010, with an option on 2011, that seems as unlikely as the figure reported to be the Team Sky budget. In one newspaper the sum was estimated at 33 million Euros – over what timescale, they didn’t say.

  The budget for the new team, which has a four-year deal with Sky, has not been revealed – and according to Sky sources, it is not going to be made public. Estimates have ranged from six to 33 million Euros – the actual figure is likely to be closer to the first than the second. The deal between Sky and British Cycling covers grassroots cycling as well, though, again, the sum being invested by the satellite broadcaster is not being made public.

  A contingent from British Cycling, including performance director Dave Brailsford, was in Monaco for the Tour’s Grand Départ. With Brailsford was the new Team Sky operations manager, Carsten Jeppesen, who spent eight years by Bjarne Riis’s side at CSC and signed with Sky in April.

  Brailsford admitted that his visit was connected to the Team Sky set-up, though he was playing his cards close to his chest and wouldn’t reveal the nature of his business. He left the Tour on Sunday evening but is planning to return on a date still to be confirmed, when he promised to elaborate on the new team's plans for 2010 and beyond.

  
   

• Differing accounts from Cavendish and Rogers on stage 3

  

  Article published:

  July 6, 2009, 18:29

  By:

  Richard Moore

  Columbia-HTC and Armstrong seize their opportunity

  Mark Cavendish claimed that there had been no Columbia plan and no attack as the wind whipped off the Mediterranean and blew across the Camargue marshlands. But the stage three winner’s version of events was contradicted by his Columbia-HTC teammates Michael Rogers and George Hincapie, who were both key protagonists in the great escape.

  According to the rider himself, it was Rogers who instigated the move that forced the split. "The other teams weren’t going to help us close the gap [to the break] but with 40km {actually at 32km to go - ed.] to go we made a right [turn] and the wind was coming from the left hand side,” explained the Australian. “I asked the guys to just do 5km as hard as they could. We opened up an echelon and the rest was done."

  This area is notorious for vicious crosswinds – two years ago, on a stage into Montpellier, the Alexandre Vinokourov-led Astana team adopted an identical tactic on these pan-flat, wind-battered roads. On that occasion there was only one big loser, Christophe Moreau.

  Two years on, despite the fact that the wind was a light breeze compared to last time, there was carnage, with Alberto Contador, Cadel Evans, Carlos Sastre and the Schleck brothers among the overall favourites to concede valuable time.

  Columbia-HTC seemed to find willing allies in Astana, despite the fact that Contador and Andreas Kloden were missing. Lance Armstrong, though, was there, prompting speculation that he might have had prior knowledge of the attack.

  Hincapie, who rode by Armstrong’s side for all seven of his Tour wins, was asked that question, and he responded initially with a blank expression, as though weighing his words carefully. “I saw Lance,” he shrugged. “I mean, he was obviously excited [to be in the move] but we were there, just doing our job.

  "We had Mick Rogers there," Hincapie continued, "and people were just sitting back [not helping with the chase]. But we saw a moment to attack and we took it."

  Coming just 24 hours before the team time trial, for which Columbia-HTC and Astana are favourites, it was perhaps surprising to see both teams working so hard. "No," said Rogers when asked whether he thought the other teams had expected such a move. "But we’ve got nothing to lose, and we had nothing to prove here. We spent some energy, but so did the guys behind chasing us, so everyone’s going to have sore legs tonight."

  Rogers was the last rider in the lead group to be credited with the same time as Cavendish after puncturing in the final kilometre.
   

• Second victory for 'Cav' and Columbia-HTC

  

  Article published:

  July 6, 2009, 19:25

  By:

  Hedwig Kröner

  Manxman takes two for two

  In what looked like a perfect training ride for the collective race against the clock in Montpellier on Tuesday, Team Columbia-HTC impressively delivered Mark Cavendish to the line for his second Tour de France stage victory this year.

  Today, the Manxman did not only reiterate his supremacy in fast finishes but his team showed that it had the power to split the bunch in two, isolating Cavendish from his rivals with 30 kilometres to go - well before the finishing straight.

  Chasing the day's early breakaway, the outfit managed by Bob Stapleton put on a fierce pace along the Mediterranean coastline, strung out in front of the peloton. When the direction changed, the wind took many riders by surprise, and those who hadn't paid attention had to settle for the second group.

  "There was no tactic to split the field," Cavendish said in the finish in La Grande-Motte. "We knew it was going to be windy, so it was a case of staying in the front. Saxo Bank rode all day, they did a perfect job, and there was no other team of sprinters who wanted to take the race on. It was lucky for us."

  Cavendish insisted the split had not been part of the team's objectives for the day. "We didn't plan it, it just so happened that we were at the front when the wind changed. At that time, it seemed like the perfect moment, so we went. But it wasn't planned 10 minutes before, or even 30 seconds before, it just happened at the right time and that's when we hit it."

  The man who scored his sixth Tour de France victory today couldn't help but smile, enjoying another well-deserved moment. "The other sprinters' teams were saving themselves for the team time trial tomorrow," he supposed.

  "You could really appreciate how strong we were as a squad and we took a lot of time out of the guys behind. In the end, if you take it on, you're going to succeed. And that's what we did. We were riding for the win, and we can be content now. It makes it all the more sweeter that the riders of the teams who wanted to ride like juniors got results like juniors," he added.

  Again, Mark Renshaw was the last man riding the Columbia train to another day of perfection. "It was hard as there was a headwind, and we had used all our guys up with Tony Martin, George Hincapie and Michael Rogers," Cavendish said, praising his team-mate and making it sound as easy as a Sunday's stroll around the park.

  "So it was left to just me and Mark Renshaw, and Mark showed his experience as the best lead-out man in the world. He took me to 200 metres to go in the headwind, and he didn't slow down at all, he kept the pace and I was able to swing right off his wheel to take my win."

• Armstrong gains time on Contador, team dispels talk of rivalry

  

  Article published:

  July 6, 2009, 20:02

  By:

  Richard Moore

  7-time winner was smart, lucky

  Lance Armstrong (Astana) was arguably the only overall favourite to benefit from the crosswind-inspired attack mounted by all nine riders in the Columbia-HTC team with 32km remaining of Monday's third stage of the Tour de France. Despite speculation from the pundits, the Astana team insists Armstrong's gains on Alberto Contador were not taken due to a power struggle within the team

  Contador was missing from the move, and the supposed team leader had been sitting second overall at the start of the day. Yet also absent from the front group were rivals Cadel Evans (Silence-Lotto) and the Schleck brothers (Saxo Bank), to name just three overall contenders.

  And that, said Armstrong and manager Johan Bruyneel afterwards, explains why the two Astana riders in the front group, Yaroslav Popovych and Haimar Zubeldia, were sent to the front to assist the Columbia effort to distance the chasing group.

  Bruyneel added that the presence in the front group of the yellow jersey, Fabian Cancellara, was another a factor in his tactics. "Strategically it would be a good situation for us if Cancellara could stay in the jersey," said the Astana director. "That would help us a lot in the days after [Tuesday's] team time trial."

  Armstrong: Why wouldn't you ride at the front?

  Yet the tactic inevitably raised eyebrows. Is it the first sign that Armstrong could usurp the Spaniard as team leader, if other situations favourable to the American arise? Are there echoes of 1986, when Bernard Hinault went back on his promise to help Greg LeMond by initiating attacks, and gaining time whenever he could, before eventually the young American prevailed?

  Armstrong insisted not, and that he had merely been in the right place at the right time. "You know what the wind's doing, you see a turn [in the road is] coming, so it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that you have to go to the front," he said at the finish.

  On Contador's absence, he noted: "That's not my objective, but generally I was surprised there was a split.

  "I wasn't waiting [for the attack]," he added. "I was just trying to stay up front, out of trouble. [Columbia] were on the front, chasing the breakaway. It wasn't an attack: they turned, saw the wind and accelerated. It wasn't as if it was an ambush – they were already [at the front], so if anything it was an acceleration.

  "We didn't ride for a long time, then at the end we put some guys on the front to ride, but the vast majority of the work was done by other people," Armstrong continued.

  He then deviated a little from the line that he had merely been fortunate, and gave the clearest hint yet that he is here to try and win. "I've won the Tour de France seven times, why wouldn't you ride at the front? It makes no sense that you wouldn't ride there.

  "It's good positioning, experience, a little bit of luck," he said of his ability to make the split. "Just before that corner I was twenty guys back and I just decided when I did to move up to be on that if it went.

  "It was not a typical day. It had a lot of open areas with a lot of seafront. Those days, you've got to stay up the front."

  After the stage, Contador was measured in his response to speculation that he had been 'flicked' by his own teammate.

  "I do not want to assess the tactics of the team, everyone can form his own conclusions. The Tour is not going to be decided on what happened today, it is just another part of the race," he said, adding that his time loss was insignificant.

  Split was "a surprise" says Bruyneel

  Bruyneel explained why he had ordered his two domestiques to the front in the closing stages. "We knew today and the day after tomorrow could be dangerous with the wind," said Bruyneel.

  "During the stage it became clear that it was not as dangerous as we thought; the wind was not exactly doing what we expected, and a lot of times when we changed direction [the road] was protected.

  "But all of a sudden, at an unexpected moment, the bunch split and we had three guys up there. So first, we tried to see who was there, and apart from Lance [there was] no one from the other favourites. At first we let Columbia do the work with Skil-Shimano, who surprisingly had six riders there; and then we saw that all the other teams were pulling in the peloton.

  "It was thirty seconds then it came down to eighteen and at that moment I was convinced the peloton was going to come back. So at that moment, with 10km to go, we decided it was a good moment for Popovych and Zubeldia to help at the front, first of all to make it hard on the other teams, and also, strategically for us, it would be a good situation if tomorrow, after the team time trial, Cancellara could stay in the jersey. That would help us a lot in the days after the team time trial.

  "Sometimes things like that happen," added Bruyneel. "It was a surprise moment, [and it's] not normal that all the favourites are surprised. No one expected it. We were studying the map all day, and the wind direction was the opposite of what we expected all day, then, all of a sudden, it was there. Most were caught by surprise. It was definitely not a plan for us to be at front: it just happened."

  Crunch time tomorrow in TTT

  In moving up to third overall – and leapfrogging Contador – Armstrong rode himself into contention to take over the yellow jersey in Tuesday's team time trial, if he can overcome a forty-second deficit on Cancellara, not to mention the seven seconds on Tony Martin of Columbia-HTC.

  "I think Saxo will be strong," said Armstrong of his yellow jersey prospects. "Cancellara was there [in the front group] and he has quite a few seconds. But never say never."

  On the team time trial course, he added: "It's tough, technical. Unlike most team time trials we've done in the past, it's very complicated. We'll have to be more cohesive than we've been in the past, and very considerate of the seventh and eighth and ninth guy, not the fifth guy."

  Armstrong seemed to imply again that as a seven-time winner he deserves to be regarded as an overall contender, admitting that his move up general classification "changes the dynamic for the team time trial."

  "I'd prefer to stay out of the drama of who's the leader of the team. I've won the Tour seven times, I think I deserve a little bit of credit. But Alberto's a great rider too and we've got to go with the two leaders, but that doesn't mean you can't take advantage of opportunities like today."

• Zirbel takes men's NRC lead

  Article published:

  July 7, 2009, 01:55

  By:

  Cyclingnews

  Powers continues hold on women's title

  Despite missing out on victory at the weekend's Fitchburg Longsjo Classic, Tom Zirbel (Bissell) moved into USA Cycling's National Racing Calendar lead. The rider from Boulder, Colorado holds a 17 point lead over Sebastian Haedo from Colavita-Sutter Home. Alison Powers (Team Type 1) continues to lead the women's individual standings over Kristin Armstrong (Cervelo TestTeam), who has contested her final race on home soil and will likely drop down the order as the season progresses.

  Zach Bell (Kelly Benefit Strategies) won the men's pro overall in the USA Cycling National Racing Calendar's 16th event, the Fitchburg Longsjo Classic. Evelyn Stevens (Team Lip Smacker) pulled out the women's pro overall victory in Fitchburg. Without claiming a stage victory, both Bell and Stevens used consistent performances to grab the overall after four stages.

  Men's Individual Standings
  1 Tom Zirbel (Bissell)                      847
  2 Lucas Sebastian Haedo (Colavita-Sutter)   830
  3 Rory Sutherland (OUCH-Maxxis)             785
  4 Ben Jacques-Maynes (Bissell)              421
  5 Alejandro Barrajo (Colavita-Sutter)       403
  
  Men's Team Standings
  1 Colavita-Sutter Home                     2229
  2 Bissell Pro Cycling                      1815 
  3 Ouch presented by Maxxis                 1372
  4 Team Type 1                               812
  5 Jelly Belly Cycling Team                  801
  
  Women's Individual Standings
  1 Alison Powers (Team Type I)              1145
  2 Kristin Armstrong (Cervelo-Lifeforce)     905
  3 Shelly Olds (Proman)                      532
  4 Catherine Cheatley (Colavita-Sutter Home) 487
  5 Katherine Carroll (Team TIBCO)            459
  
  Women's Team Standings
  1. Team Type 1                             1730
  2. Team Tibco                              1477
  3. Colavita-Sutter Home                    1445
  4. Webcor Builders Women's Team            1202
  5. Valuact Capitol Cycling Team             966

• Ciolek: "Cav not unbeatable"

  

  Article published:

  July 7, 2009, 01:58

  By:

  Hedwig Kröner

  Milram sprinter to seize his chances

  Amongst the handful of fast men waiting for bunch sprint finishes at this Tour de France, Germany's Gerald Ciolek is one of the challengers of stage winner Mark Cavendish (Columbia-HTC). The Milram rider is back at the Grand Tour after his first participation last year, when he was still a lead-out man for the Manxman, racing with him at Columbia.

  In today's stage three through the flat marshes of the Camargue region, Ciolek got trapped by the crosswind and his former team's impressive drive towards the finish on the waterfront of La Grande-Motte - but he was right up there with his former teammate on Sunday when 'Cav' took his first stage win at the Tour this year.

  "Yesterday, my team rode a perfect finale for me, and I was in a really good position in the end," the former German and U23 world champion told Cyclingnews before the start of the stage in France's second capital, Marseille. "Unfortunately, I got delayed because of the crash in the last bend - and then it just wasn't enough for a better placing any more." Ciolek finished sixth in Brignoles the day before.

  His good result comes after several months of setback. After winning the Trofeo Calvia in Mallorca early this year, the German wasn't his former self during quite a while. "I had a difficult season start," he admitted. "I got ill with the flu before Tirreno-Adriatico, and then just didn't get really healthy again for quite a while. So I never got up to a good level again and this overshadowed the whole spring. I just didn't have the necessary shape at the races."

  Ciolek's lack of results then weighed on his confidence. But he managed to overcome his difficulties by the month of May, and now feels well.  "I came out of the Tour de Suisse and the Tour of Bavaria in good shape, and therefore I think I had a good preparation for the Tour."

  Even though Mark Cavendish's supremacy at the race may seem out of reach at this point, Team Milram supports its rider in the fast finishes - rightfully so, according to Ciolek, who isn't afraid to challenge the Manxman. "Mark dominated the sprints last year, and continues to do so this year. He's just really hard to beat. But nobody is unbeatable. If we continue to work as hard as we do, then we certainly have a realistic chance."

• Wind, attacks and the ascension of an old stager

  

  Article published:

  July 7, 2009, 02:06

  By:

  Cyclingnews

  Reaction from stage three

  Thor Hushovd (Cervelo Test Team) - second on stage, 40th overall @ 2:02

  "Today was a perfect opportunity for us. I was closer, but I will have to take a bigger chance if I want to beat Cavendish. I've started this Tour in good shape, but Mark is just faster right now. But I hope that I get the possibility to beat him in this Tour de France, because Cavendish is not unbeatable."

  Fabian Wegmann (Milram) - seventh on stage, 55th overall @ 2:12

  "Shortly before the group got away, I told Linus that we should move up to the front. With that extreme wind condition I expected an attack. A few seconds later I turned around and we were away. In the break, I did everything for Linus, so that he could make up time in the overall rankings."

  Carlos Sastre (Cervelo Test Team) - 94th on stage, 26th overall @ 1:47

  "I committed an error by staying back at the least opportune moment and my teammates stayed back with me to wait for me. It wasn't a dangerous situation, because I was in the second group, but we could have easily all moved together at the front.

  "I was thinking to myself that I just have to forget about it when I looked around and saw all the important general classification riders back, except Armstrong. I didn't give too much importance to the situation and I finished the race surrounded by my teammates, turning my attention towards the team time trial, which is very important for the coming days.

  Cadel Evans (Silence-Lotto) - 32nd on stage, eighth overall @ 1:04

  "How I feel? Poor. But that's the Tour, every day something may happen. The most dangerous days are those on which you do not expect [anything]."

  "It is unfortunate that throughout the day we were on the front and then everything happens in a few seconds. Lance Amstrong, the men of Columbia say thank you. He had perfect allies to suddenly turn 'alive and kicking'. I rode a little too far to the rear, 40th or so, when the break went. Subsequently, only Silence-Lotto chased, I saw nothing from other teams.

  "Fortunately for the final rankings only Armstrong really benefitted. We rode in the chase because we don't want to give the Americans two miuntes. Apparently the other teams see him as an opponent... we do." (Sporza.be)

  Linus Gerdemann (Milram) - 10th on stage, seventh overall @ 1:03

  "Fabian Wegmann sacrificed himself for me today and worked very hard. He had the right sense for this race situation. Today's results are extra motivation for the whole team going into tomorrow's team time trial."

  Hayden Roulston (Cervelo Test Team) - 26th on stage, 48th overall @ 2:08

  "Everybody knew the wind was going to play a factor today. Columbia moved to the front and as soon as they turned a right corner they turned on the gas. It was good that I was there with Thor. It was good that Thor was second, but we have to say that Cavendish was just faster. You have to be smart to beat him."

• Armstrong tactics leave Contador reeling

  

  Article published:

  July 7, 2009, 02:38

  By:

  Richard Moore

  Spanish hope stranded during stage three finale

  Alberto Contador cut an anguished figure at the finish of stage three, having conceded 41 seconds to one of his main rivals for overall victory at the Tour de France - his Astana team-mate, Lance Armstrong.

  While Armstrong and Johan Bruyneel, the Astana director, played down the significance of the move - which saw Astana domestiques Yaroslav Popovych and Haimar Zubeldia on the front, driving the escape - Contador was clearly unhappy. To add to his woes, he had a near miss with a rival team car, which almost squashed him against a team bus as he made his way to the Astana compound.

  "I don't want to express an opinion on the tactics of the team," said Contador. "I'll let everyone draw their own conclusions. In any case, the Tour is not going to be decided by what happened today. It was just another race situation."

  It's a testing time for Contador, who has been forced to deal with constant speculation that Armstrong - with six more Tour de France titles than the Spaniard and over 10 years difference in age - wants the Astana leadership in an attempt to win his eighth Tour crown.

  Yesterday's move was seen by many as a not-so-subtle attempt to convey this message, although Contador refused to be drawn into publicly airing any grievances against the American's presence in the move initiated by Columbia-HTC.

  "When the split occurred I was riding back to the front with a team-mate, and suddenly we were in no-man's land," explained Contador. "In front, Columbia got organised very well, as they have a super strong team. We weren't too badly represented as we had three riders there, but the responsibility was on the others."

  The resulting time differences, said Contador, are "insignificant - they might give me more space to manoeuvre."