First Edition Cycling News, Tuesday, March 9, 2010

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Date published:

March 9, 2010, 12:00

• Boom shows his class in the crosswinds

  

  Article published:

  March 8, 2010, 18:46

  By:

  Jean-François Quénet

  Paris-Nice leader extends his overall lead

  Lars Boom continued to show his immense talent to the cycling world in Paris-Nice today, when he jumped across solo to the front split created by the Caisse d'Épargne riders with 15km to go into stage 1.

  The day after winning the prologue in Monfort-L'Amaury, the 2008 time trial world champion looked at ease in defence of his yellow jersey as he powered across the gap in the strong crosswinds on the way to Contres. "It might have looked easy but it did really hurt," Boom told Cyclingnews after receiving all the jerseys – yellow, green, polka dot and white – at the podium ceremony.

  "I was only in 40th position in the peloton when Valverde attacked," he added. "It was a very good attack from him. I waited for one moment to go to the left side of the road because of the crosswinds. I took some riders with me. I pushed myself into the wire. But it was important to keep the jersey today.

  "To wear the yellow jersey in a ProTour race makes the effort special. It gives a little bit more of a morale when it's hard. I jumped to the front because of having the yellow jersey but maybe also because I'm OK."

  When Boom is "OK," it means he's absolutely amazing on a bike. But he maintains that his goal for Paris-Nice hasn't increased since he won the prologue and said he came to the French race to prepare for the classics. However, while Romain Feillu and Albert Timmer were up the road, Boom sprinted for the third place that awards one second bonus in the intermediate sprints. "It's pretty good to have gained two seconds on Jens [runner up Voigt]," he commented. "I still want to keep the jersey until Mende. If I didn't jump today, I would have lost the jersey to Jens."

  Rabobank's directeur sportif Nico Verhoeven maintained Boom is not capable of winning the overall in Paris-Nice this year. "On a good day uphill in Mende, Lars would finish about 30th," the Dutchman said. "It's too difficult for him to win Paris-Nice. Today's result with 17 seconds gained on Contador doesn't change anything."

  Boom, the former cyclo-cross world champion, gave up his ambitions for the winter in order to focus his efforts on the road season, and his next target is the Flemish classics in April.

• Australian killed in crash during training

  

  Article published:

  March 8, 2010, 19:28

  By:

  Cycling News

  21-year-old Tasmanian dies after collision with bus

  Tasmanian officials have identified the cyclist who was killed in a head-on collision with a bus on Saturday.

  William Alexander Robinson, 21, the winner of the prestigious Burnie Wheelrace in January, was killed when he crossed the center line on a steep descent in North-West Tasmania and collided with the front of a motor coach traveling in the opposite direction.

  Two other riders also hit the bus, but were treated at a local hospital and released.

  Robinson received medical attention but died at the scene shortly after 11am on Saturday morning. According to reports, he was wearing a helmet when the crash occurred.

  Robinson, survived by his parents David and Pennie, and three brothers, Tom, Edward and James, was remembered by his father in an interview with the Examiner.

  "We are so close and so supportive of each other - and the main part of our family has been torn away from us," Robinson's father said, recalling his victory in the Burnie Wheelrace as the proudest moment of his son's cycling career.

  "We have to keep Will's memory alive and remember him the way he was - and the champion he was."

• Petacchi injured in run-in with planter

  

  Article published:

  March 8, 2010, 19:46

  By:

  Cycling News

  Lampre sprinter uncertain for Tirreno-Adriatico

  Italian Alessandro Petacchi's participation in the upcoming sprinter's showdown at Tirreno-Adriatico may be in doubt after the Lampre-Farnese Vini rider injured his leg during training.

  Petacchi was out training with his teammate Lorenzo Bernucci when he struck a planter that was placed near the roadside and crashed.

  The 36-year-old sprinter received five stitches to his chin and also suffered a bruised right leg and a severely swollen right ankle. In trying to disengage his shoe from the pedal, he also experienced pain in his groin.

  The Lampre team doctor will evaluate Petacchi's injuries tomorrow and make his recommendation on whether he can participate in Tirreno-Adriatico, which begins in Livorno on Wednesday.

  Petacchi also suffered a dramatic crash in the final sprint of the fourth stage of last month's Giro di Sardegna, but was relatively unscathed and went on to finish the race and claim second place on the last stage.

• Contador bruised in Paris-Nice tumble

  

  Article published:

  March 8, 2010, 20:58

  By:

  Cycling News

  Astana leader concerned about blow to his leg

  Alberto Contador was one of several riders to fall victim to crashes on the wind-swept first stage of Paris-Nice today. The Spaniard tumbled to the ground along with Cervelo rider Heinrich Haussler near the 3km to go mark of the stage to Contres.

  "What worries me most is the blow to the leg," Contador said in a press release. "I have a pretty good bruise and it's still burning. I hope to continue the race tomorrow."

  The Astana leader went down as the peloton was chasing flat out after a 15-man move containing overall leader Lars Boom of Rabobank, making the effort to regain the peloton frantic. He was able to regain the main chase group, but dropped from fourth place overall to eighth after losing time to riders in the front group.

  “It happened in a split second," said Contador. “I was on the left riding relatively normally when someone was hooked and pulled me to the left. I've completely broken the front wheel and I've taken a good hit."

  Luckily his teammate Gorazd Stangelj was nearby and gave up his bike to Contador so he could get back to the main group.

  Contador said he will rethink the overall situation, but said he was not concerned about the 17 seconds he lost to Boom. "I'm more concerned about the consequences of the fall. It would have been better not to have lost time, but more important is to see how I recover."

• Wiggins looks to prove the critics wrong in Tour de France

  

  Article published:

  March 8, 2010, 23:20

  By:

  Stephen Farrand

  Team Sky rider happy with early-season form

  Bradley Wiggins was perhaps disappointed not to win the time trial stage and secure overall victory at the Tour of Murcia but after a month of early-season racing he must be quietly satisfied with his early form and that he looks set to build on his fourth place in last year's Tour de France.

  This time last year Bradley Wiggins still thought he was only a track world champion and time trial specialist, who was happy to help to help his Garmin teammates target the Tour de France. Now, after his bitter divorce from Jonathan Vaughter's team, he is leader at Team Sky and the hope that he can be the first ever British Tour de France winner.

  Many do not believe Wiggins can improve on his performance last year, but he and everyone at Team Sky are out to prove everyone wrong and they are not bothered who they may upset during the process.

  "Last year was my third Tour and was the first time I'd gone for GC in any stage race. This year… who knows? Let's see how far I can push it. Just having the confidence to go for it makes a difference," he told Cyclingnews during a long interview.

  "Contador is by far the outright favorite for the Tour de France. If he is in the form he was in last year, he is always going to be the favorite, because he’s the best climber in the world. Behind him, Andy Schleck is probably the second best in the world on the climbs and he’s only going to get stronger every year. But behind them, there is this group of riders: Cadel, Frank Schleck, Lance and myself, who could all possibly get on the podium in Paris."

  "But if something happened in the Tour, if Contador crashed out or got sick, there’s always the chance that I could win the Tour de France. I never discount winning the bike race. Who knows what’s going to happen this year. Lance and Contador are on different teams. That rivalry will maybe come out more. Christian Vande Velde will be back in form. RadioShack is going to be strong. We’re going to bring a strong team.

  "It’s going to be quite an interesting Tour. It’s not all going to be decided on the mountains. That first week is going to be decisive. It’s going to be exciting. It’s going to be a difficult first week, that’s for sure."

  "I want to see how much better I can be at the Tour this year. If I'd said last year I want to be top five nobody would have given me a chance in hell. So who knows what this year holds, with a full committed programme and the training, and knowing mentally that I can do it in the Tour."

  From the track to a Tour contender

  Many people were surprised by Wiggins transformation from track rider and time trialist to Tour contender. But he also proved, especially to other English-speaking riders that Tour success is no longer out of reach if you have the physiological and psychological strength to go for it.

  "I think a lot of people still think I’m a bit of a fraud. I know one rider in particular who is adamant that I was on drugs last year at the Tour. I don’t know if that’s a general sentiment. Some don't think that but a lot of the French riders do," he said.

  "But now the young riders know that success on the road is an achievable goal. For years we were always told by French teams: 'You'll never do anything at the Tour. How can we possible compete with these guys, they've got another gear.' You actually start believing that crap after a while. I believed that there was no way of getting top ten in the Tour if you didn't take drugs. But then when I saw Christian Vande Velde get fifth in 2008, that Tour changed everything for me."

  Physiological edge

  Wiggins and the Team Sky performance physiologists are leaving no stone unturned as they prepare for the Tour de France. Some people don’t like Team Sky's more modern, hard-nosed, methodical approach, but Wiggins knows that any technical advantage could help him gain a few seconds.

  "There’s a whole team of video analysis guys the English Institute of Sport that have broken down all the footage from last year’s race. They've measured out the length of the attacks on climbs and the average length between attacks on the climbs," he reveals.

  "It could all be irrelevant, because that was last year’s race and that might not happen this year. But you have to cover every area. Anything can happen during the race, so there’s no harm in doing your homework, and really having a look at everything and just being as knowledgeable as you can about everyone you’re riding against."
  
  "I know Cav does the same with the sprints and his rivals. You never know how people are feeling, or how they’re going to climb. In the bike races you just see their arses, you don’t see their faces.

  "On the Col de la Romme, where they kept attacking last year, I thought I could do one more acceleration, but I didn’t, I stayed with Lance and Andy, Frank and Contador gained time. It's only when you look at the videos you actually see how hard Andy and Frank were trying. And you think, well, maybe if I had just gone one more, maybe they wouldn’t have had another attack in them.

  "That’s quite interesting to see, because you just have the assumption at the time that, shit, they’re better climbers, they’ve lost me. But perhaps they're not and that gives you reassurance. In this year's Tour I'll feel more confident to push the envelop out further, knowing I won't crack. That'll make a difference."

• Boonen motivated by new, strong rivals in the peloton

  

  Article published:

  March 9, 2010, 09:00

  By:

  Richard Tyler

  Belgian sets his sights on record-equalling Classics season

  Quick Step's Tom Boonen says the entry into the peloton of new professional squads such as Team Sky has served to increase his motivation - and satisfaction – for winning.

  The Belgian's season will once again orbit around this year's cobbled Classics, but he has already secured a strong start with number of confidence-boosting victories over Classics rivals like Heinrich Haussler (Cervelo TestTeam) and Edvald Boasson Hagen (Sky).

  "[The new teams] only make it more interesting," Boonen told Sporza's Sportweekend. "I get a lot of motivation from having these men to beat. It used to be only two or three top guys, but now you have more. It is fun to race against those squads. And if I win, it gives me more satisfaction."

  Boonen admitted that this year's Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix will be prioritised above all else this season. The Quick Step captain stands to equal records in both events, with a third Flanders title and fourth Roubaix triumph within his reach.

  "If I can win the Tour of Flanders win again, I would stand on a par with Johan Museeuw, who also won it three times. That would please me," said Boonen, who would join Belgians Museeuw, Achiel Buysse, Eric Leman and Italian Fiorenzo Magni on the list of three-time winners.

  Boonen also paid homage to four-time Paris-Roubaix winner Roger De Vlaeminck, whose record he would emulate with victory on April 11. "That's not motivation, but it would be an honour. He is Monsieur Paris-Roubaix."

  Before his rendezvous in Flanders (April 4) and Roubaix, Boonen will tackle Milan-Sanremo for the eighth time in his career. Despite near misses in the past (fourth in 2006, third in 2007), he said a maiden win at Italian Classic would continue to play second fiddle to his beloved cobbles.

  Despite his nonchalant attitude to success at Sanremo, Boonen admitted that it could play into his favour. "I'm not overly concerned about [Sanremo]. Maybe that's an advantage. I will not disturb the neighbours if I do not win there," he said. "Milan-Sanremo is a very difficult race in which luck also comes into play."

  Boonen also explained his recent decision to move back to Monaco, where he lived for several years before returning to his home town of Mol in his native Flanders in 2008. The decision of Belgium's top sports stars – such as Boonen and tennis player Justin Henin – to live outside Belgium in tax havens such as Monaco is a hugely divisive issue in their home country.

  Financial benefits aside, Boonen's return to the municipality was also motivated by a desire to re-focus and re-build after a 2009 season beset by problems off the bike.

  "I live near 35 top riders. If I train with them, I'll get better," he said. "Every top rider looks for somewhere warmer to train in the winter. I also thought about spending a few months training in Spain, but Monaco is more of a home; I knew the area here. This is an advantage, otherwise I wouldn't have [moved back here]."
   

• Evans, Ballan and Hincapie join forces for Tirreno

  

  Article published:

  March 9, 2010, 10:06

  By:

  Richard Tyler

  BMC signal aggressive strategy in Italian stage race

  BMC Racing Team has signalled that it will go on the attack at this week's Tirreno-Adriatico after it named a strong line-up for the seven-stage Italian race.

  The event will mark the first time the US squad's three marquee signings, Cadel Evans, Alessandro Ballan and George Hincapie, will have raced together under the BMC banner. While it will be Evans' first participation at Tirreno-Adriatico, both Ballan and Hincapie have recorded top-ten finishes in the race, including a third place result for Ballan in 2006.

  Ballan's podium finish in 2006 came as a result of a strong performance in that race's stage five time trial. This year, organisers have removed the test against the clock, a decision that has prompted BMC Sports Director John Lelangue to forecast an aggressive strategy for his riders.

  "I think there are three difficult stages – four, five and six – which are a little bit more hilly and selective. Knowing there is no time trial this year, every stage will be a little bit tricky," Lelangue said.

  Alongside Evans, Ballan and Hincapie, Marcus Burghardt and Karsten Kroon will provide the squad with further potency on the long, hilly stages that will punctuate the race's passage to the Adriatic coast. Burghardt, in particular, has shown strong signs of good form already this year after he finished fifth and seventh in the Tours of Qatar and Oman, respectively.

  Brent Bookwalter, Mathias Frank and Thomas Frei round out BMC's eight-man team.

  The 2010 Tirreno-Adriatico begins in Livorno on Wednesday. Last year's edition of the race was won by Michele Scarponi (Serramenti PVC Diquigiovanni - Androni Giocattoli), ahead of Stefano Garzelli (Aqua & Sapone) and Andreas Kloden (Astana).

  Hincapie was the highest 2009 finisher in the current BMC roster, having recorded a 17th place result for former team Columbia-HTC.
   

• Sinkewitz settles suit with former sponsor

  

  Article published:

  March 9, 2010, 10:53

  By:

  Susan Westemeyer

  German makes unspecified payment

  Patrik Sinkewitz has agreed to settle a suit with a former private sponsor, which had sued him after his suspension for doping. The details of the settlement have not been made public.

  Förstina, a soft drink company based in central Germany, was a private sponsor of Sinkewitz and was running an advertising campaign featuring him when his positive test for testosterone was announced in July 2007. It sued him for more than 300,000 Euros in damages.

  In January, a court in Kassel, Germany, suggested a settlement under which Sinkewitz would pay the firm 80,000 Euros. Although Sinkewitz has now agreed to settle the case, neither side would confirm what the final payment amount was.

  “That is not the public's business,” Sinkewitz' lawyer Axel Scheld van Alt told the dpa press agency. “It only concerns the two parties.”

  Förstina only commented that it was “satisfied” with the outcome.

  Sinkewitz tested positive for testosterone at an out-of-competition doping control in June 2007. The news of the positive control was announced while he was in hospital after a collision with a spectator at that year's Tour de France. He was suspended and later fired by his team, T-Mobile.

  The now-29 year-old co-operated with authorities and received a one-year suspension. Sinkewitz rode for the Professional Continental team PSK-Whirlpool in 2009, but is yet find a team for the current season.