First Edition Cycling News, Tuesday, October 11, 2011

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Date published:

October 11, 2011, 10:00

• Tour of Lombardy shifts date in 2012

  

  Article published:

  October 10, 2011, 20:00

  By:

  Cycling News

  "Race of the falling leaves" in need of a new nickname?

  The Tour of Lombardy (Il Lombardia) will move to September in 2012, the UCI announced today.

  The last Monument of the season, Il Lombardia, also known as the so-called "race of the falling leaves" because of its autumn date, will now be held on September 29, one week after the UCI road world championships.

  The new date is also one day prior to RCS Sport's presentation of the 2013 Giro d'Italia.

  "The change, which allows athletes to directly benefit from their world championship form on the WorldTour circuit, comes further to discussions held during the recent meeting of the Professional Cycling Council which took place in Copenhagen, Denmark, last month," the UCI stated in its press release.

  The Giro di Lombardia has traditionally been the grand finale of the season, having the honour not only of being the last Classic, but as the final race in the UCI's major series - the World Cup, ProTour and now WorldTour.

  With the shift in date, it will once again be adjacent to the world championships as it had been until the Worlds moved up in date, and therefore may attract a stronger field.

  However, the race loses its status as final WorldTour race, which will now go to the Tour of Beijing.

  2012 WorldTour calendar

  1	January 17-22, 2012: Tour Down Under
  2	March 4-11, 2012: Paris-Nice
  3	March 7-13, 2012: Tirreno-Adriatico
  4	March 17, 2012: Milano-Sanremo
  5	March 19-25, 2012: Volta Ciclista a Catalunya
  6	March 23, 2012: E3 Prijs Vlaanderen-Harelbeke
  7	March 25, 2012: Gent-Wevelgem
  8	April 1, 2012: Ronde van Vlaanderen
  9	April 2-7, 2012: Vuelta Ciclista al Pais Vasco
  10	April 8, 2012: Paris-Roubaix
  11	April 15, 2012: Amstel Gold Race
  12	April 18, 2012: La Flèche Wallonne
  13	April 22, 2012: Liège-Bastogne-Liège
  14	April 24-29, 2012: Tour de Romandie
  15	May 5-27, 2012: Giro d'Italia
  16	June 3-10, 2012: Critérium du Dauphiné
  17	June 9-17, 2012: Tour de Suisse
  18	June 30-July 22, 2012: Tour de France
  19	July 10-17, 2012: Tour de Pologne
  20	August 6-12, 2012: Eneco Tour
  21	August 14, 2012: Clásica Ciclista San Sebastian
  22	August 18-September 9, 2012: Vuelta a España
  23	August 19, 2012: Vattenfall Cyclassics
  24	August 26, 2012: GP Ouest France-Plouay
  25	September 7, 2012: Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec
  26	September 9, 2012: Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal
  27	September 29, 2012: Il Lombardia
  28	October 10-14, 2012: Tour of Beijing

• Jelly Belly's Dickeson set for new experience at Sun Tour

  

  Article published:

  October 10, 2011, 23:15

  By:

  Jane Aubrey

  Australian "super motivated" for result this week

  Will Dickeson is somewhat of an old hand at the Jayco Herald Sun Tour with four previous editions under his belt, but this time around, it will be an altogether different experience for the current Oceania time trial champion.

  Having ridden the UCI 2.1 race with South Australian Savings & Loans squad between 2006 and 2009, Dickeson returns with the US Continental outfit Jelly Belly presented by Kenda.

  "I know what to expect but it will be a bit of a new experience riding it for a foreign team I guess," he told Cyclingnews from his home in Adelaide where 28-year-old has been enjoying some down time after the US Pro Cycling Challenge. "In the past the race has been the focal point of the whole season for Savings & Loans, but this is part of our end of season racing block."

  Dickeson is one of two Australians in the team for the Sun Tour with Canberran Al Loutit also set for the startline in Whittlesea on Wednesday. They're joined by sprinters two-time Tulsa Tough winner Brad Huff, and former Elite USA Criterium Champion Ken Hanson along with and Nic Hamilton. Alex Hagman was a late withdrawal due to knee tendonitis.

  "We're obviously super-motivated to get results, especially me and Al being Australians," Dickeson explained. "Also, it's a chance to show Jelly Belly here in Australia. The distributer here will be coming along and doing a few things so it's also really important to show ourselves off for them. Focus, our bike supplier is just building in Australia so it's a big event for them as well with Katusha also riding. There're a few factors that will make it a pretty big week for us."

  Based in Colorado when he's back in the US and with a recent focus on his climbing, Dickeson is keen to test his form and see if he can be in the mix when it comes to the Sun Tour's queen stage on Saturday with three laps over Arthurs Seat on the Mornington Peninsula, "hopefully that will pay off a bit," he said.

  Fighting second year syndrome

  2011 has marked Dickeson's second season riding in the US and it's been a year of transition for Jelly Belly having lost three of its big names - Mike Friedman (Kelly Benefit Strategies), Canadian Road Champion Will Routley (SpiderTech-C10) and Kiel Reijnen (Team Type 1).

  "In the first year Jelly Belly had their best season ever as far as results go winning some big races and then this year we had a pretty big turnover of guys," Dickeson explained. "It took until April, May to get into sync with each other so it's been a bit of a learning experience in the last few months where we've been able to come together and start pulling off a few more results and we've been riding a lot better together."

  The learning curve continued for Dickeson with August's USA Pro Cycling Challenge in Colorado when he found himself in the day's break on the opening stage to Mt. Crested Butte but it was a case of going too hard, too early and he failed to make it to Stage 6.

  "I did a few things wrong," he laughs. "It was my first time racing at altitude and went into it a bit over-trained I guess. I'd had a good three week training camp up in the mountains so I stuffed it up a bit; I was in pretty poor shape. I was really fatigued.

  "I got into a break on the first road stage and spent two hours way above the red line and that pretty much put me in a hole that I wasn't getting out of. Every day I was waking up and just not having recovered at all, so that was a bit disappointing. I've definitely learnt from it so that was something."

  This season, racing many of the courses for the second time, and having adapted to host housing the travel, the year has been that little bit easier – but not that it was ever a problem.

  "The main thing with Jelly Belly is that the team is all about having fun and it attracts a really good bunch of guys and fans," Dickeson explained.

  "I've just signed on for another year so I'm really looking forward to that. I will probably go over a bit earlier and do the Redlands, San Dimas-type races and hopefully prepare really well for the Tour of California again."

  Following the Jayco Herald Sun Tour this week, Dickeson will finish the season by heading to the Japan Cup followed by the expanded, nine-stage Tour of Hainan.

• Gilbert on verge of WorldTour title

  

  Article published:

  October 10, 2011, 23:45

  By:

  Cycling News

  Spain and Omega Pharma-Lotto top their rankings

  Philippe Gilbert still leads the UCI WorldTour rankings, and with only one race left, will take the title this year. There were no changes in the top five riders or nations, as Spain still leads, but there was movement in the team rankings. Omega Pharma-Lotto is still tops, but Sky is now second, swapping places with Leopard Trek which fell to third.

  Gilbert has 698 points going into the season's final WorldTour race, the Giro di Lombardia on Saturday. Second-placed Cadel Evans couldn't endanger the Belgian's lead, even if he were to ride in Italy, which he is not scheduled to do. Third through fifth places are still filled by Alberto Contador, Joaquin Rodriguez and Michele Scarponi.

  Sixth is now Tony Martin, who took the overall title at the Tour of Beijing, and moved up from 13th. Rounding out the top 10, each moving down a slot, are Samuel Sanchez, Bradley Wiggins Fränk Schleck and Vincenzo Nibali.

  In the national rankings, Spain continues to lead Belgium, Italy, Australia and Great Britain. Germany moved up from seventh to sixth, swapping places with the Netherlands. The United States is eighth and Luxembourg is ninth. France moved from 11th to 10th, knocking Norway out of the top 10.

  Omega Pharma Lotto retained its hold on the team title. But with 1079 points, it is closely followed by Sky with 1059 points, which moved up from third to second. Third is now Leopard Trek. HTC-Highroad moved up to fourth, dropping BMC to fifth. Lampre held on to its sixth-place rank, but Garmin-Cervelo moved up from 10th to seventh. Liquigas, Saxo Bank-SunGard and Rabobank all dropped one place each to round out the top 10.

  WorldTour rankings as of October 9, 2011

  #	Rider Name (Country) Team	Result
  1	Philippe Gilbert (Bel) Omega Pharma-Lotto	698	pts
  2	Cadel Evans (Aus) BMC Racing Team	574
  3	Alberto Contador Velasco (Spa) Saxo Bank Sungard	471
  4	Joaquim Rodriguez Oliver (Spa) Katusha Team	366
  5	Michele Scarponi (Ita) Lampre - ISD	357
  6	Tony Martin (Ger) HTC-Highroad	349
  7	Samuel Sanchez Gonzalez (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi	307
  8	Bradley Wiggins (GBr) Sky Procycling	289
  9	Fränk Schleck (Lux) Leopard Trek	284
  10	Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale	272
  11	Edvald Boasson Hagen (Nor) Sky Procycling	260
  12	Fabian Cancellara (Swi) Leopard Trek	252
  13	Andy Schleck (Lux) Leopard Trek	252
  14	Christopher Froome (GBr) Sky Procycling	230
  15	Alexandre Vinokourov (Kaz) Pro Team Astana	230
  16	Robert Gesink (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team	222
  17	Matthew Goss (Aus) HTC-Highroad	217
  18	Andreas Klöden (Ger) Team RadioShack	207
  19	Daniel Martin (Irl) Team Garmin-Cervelo	206
  20	Damiano Cunego (Ita) Lampre - ISD	203
  21	Peter Sagan (Svk) Liquigas-Cannondale	198
  22	David Millar (GBr) Team Garmin-Cervelo	185
  23	Bauke Mollema (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team	184
  24	Ivan Basso (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale	170
  25	Rigoberto Uran Uran (Col) Sky Procycling	169
  26	Levi Leipheimer (USA) Team RadioShack	158
  27	Mark Cavendish (GBr) HTC-Highroad	152
  28	Jean-Christophe Peraud (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale	151
  29	Christopher Horner (USA) Team RadioShack	143
  30	Tom Boonen (Bel) Quickstep Cycling Team	140
  31	Jakob Fuglsang (Den) Leopard Trek	136
  32	Roman Kreuziger (Cze) Pro Team Astana	135
  33	André Greipel (Ger) Omega Pharma-Lotto	132
  34	Jurgen Van Den Broeck (Bel) Omega Pharma-Lotto	125
  35	Thor Hushovd (Nor) Team Garmin-Cervelo	123
  36	Steven Kruijswijk (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team	120
  37	Beñat Intxausti Elorriaga (Spa) Movistar Team	118
  38	John Gadret (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale	116
  39	Simon Gerrans (Aus) Sky Procycling	111
  40	Marco Pinotti (Ita) HTC-Highroad	110
  41	Tyler Farrar (USA) Team Garmin-Cervelo	108
  42	Cameron Meyer (Aus) Team Garmin-Cervelo	106
  43	Marco Marcato (Ita) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team	102
  44	Nick Nuyens (Bel) Saxo Bank Sungard	101
  45	Rui Alberto Faria Costa (Por) Movistar Team	101
  46	Johan Van Summeren (Bel) Team Garmin-Cervelo	100
  47	Alessandro Ballan (Ita) BMC Racing Team	100
  48	Jose Joaquin Rojas Gil (Spa) Movistar Team	95
  49	Daniele Bennati (Ita) Leopard Trek	94
  50	Wout Poels (Ned) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team	94
  51	Grega Bole (Slo) Lampre - ISD	91
  52	Ben Swift (GBr) Sky Procycling	91
  53	Sylvain Chavanel (Fra) Quickstep Cycling Team	90
  54	Greg Van Avermaet (Bel) BMC Racing Team	90
  55	Xavier Tondo Volpini (Spa) Movistar Team	90
  56	Mikel Nieve Ituralde (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi	86
  57	Alessandro Petacchi (Ita) Lampre - ISD	81
  58	Chris Anker Sörensen (Den) Saxo Bank Sungard	80
  59	Daniel Moreno Fernandez (Spa) Katusha Team	80
  60	Maxime Monfort (Bel) Leopard Trek	78
  61	Björn Leukemans (Bel) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team	76
  62	Michael Matthews (Aus) Rabobank Cycling Team	74
  63	Laurens Ten Dam (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team	73
  64	Stephen Cummings (GBr) Sky Procycling	71
  65	Taylor Phinney (USA) BMC Racing Team	71
  66	Janez Brajkovic (Slo) Team RadioShack	71
  67	Thomas Danielson (USA) Team Garmin-Cervelo	71
  68	Maarten Tjallingii (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team	70
  69	Igor Anton Hernandez (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi	70
  70	Francisco José Ventoso Alberdi (Spa) Movistar Team	70
  71	Gerald Ciolek (Ger) Quickstep Cycling Team	67
  72	Jurgen Roelandts (Bel) Omega Pharma-Lotto	66
  73	Luis Leon Sanchez Gil (Spa) Rabobank Cycling Team	64
  74	Carlos Barredo Llamazales (Spa) Rabobank Cycling Team	60
  75	Grégory Rast (Swi) Team RadioShack	60
  76	Jelle Vanendert (Bel) Omega Pharma-Lotto	58
  77	Kanstantsin Sivtsov (Blr) HTC-Highroad	58
  78	Borut Bozic (Slo) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team	57
  79	Pieter Weening (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team	56
  80	Simone Ponzi (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale	54
  81	Lars Ytting Bak (Den) HTC-Highroad	54
  82	Peter Kennaugh (GBr) Sky Procycling	51
  83	Dries Devenyns (Bel) Quickstep Cycling Team	50
  84	Olivier Kaisen (Bel) Omega Pharma-Lotto	50
  85	Jos Van Emden (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team	50
  86	Filippo Pozzato (Ita) Katusha Team	50
  87	Sebastian Langeveld (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team	50
  88	Rinaldo Nocentini (Ita) AG2R La Mondiale	46
  89	Bernhard Eisel (Aut) HTC-Highroad	44
  90	Fabian Wegmann (Ger) Leopard Trek	43
  91	Mathias Frank (Swi) BMC Racing Team	42
  92	George Hincapie (USA) BMC Racing Team	40
  93	Joost Van Leijen (Ned) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team	40
  94	Oscar Freire Gomez (Spa) Rabobank Cycling Team	38
  95	Pablo Lastras Garcia (Spa) Movistar Team	36
  96	Giacomo Nizzolo (Ita) Leopard Trek	35
  97	Juan José Haedo (Arg) Saxo Bank Sungard	34
  98	Tiago Machado (Por) Team RadioShack	33
  99	David Lopez Garcia (Spa) Movistar Team	32
  100	Dario Cataldo (Ita) Quickstep Cycling Team	32
  101	Lloyd Mondory (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale	31
  102	Stefan Denifl (Aut) Leopard Trek	30
  103	**	30
  104	Haimar Zubeldia Agirre (Spa) Team RadioShack	28
  105	Hubert Dupont (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale	28
  106	Manuel Antonio Leal Cardoso (Por) Team RadioShack	27
  107	Pavel Brutt (Rus) Katusha Team	26
  108	Ryder Hesjedal (Can) Team Garmin-Cervelo	26
  109	Vasili Kiryienka (Blr) Movistar Team	26
  110	Marzio Bruseghin (Ita) Movistar Team	26
  111	Romain Feillu (Fra) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team	26
  112	Eros Capecchi (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale	25
  113	Kevin De Weert (Bel) Quickstep Cycling Team	24
  114	John Degenkolb (Ger) HTC-Highroad	24
  115	Christophe Le Mevel (Fra) Team Garmin-Cervelo	23
  116	Francesco Gavazzi (Ita) Lampre - ISD	23
  117	Denis Galimzyanov (Rus) Katusha Team	23
  118	Daniele Pietropolli (Ita) Lampre - ISD	22
  119	Ben Hermans (Bel) Team RadioShack	22
  120	Thomas De Gendt (Bel) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team	22
  121	Heinrich Haussler (Aus) Team Garmin-Cervelo	22
  122	Blel Kadri (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale	21
  123	Paolo Tiralongo (Ita) Pro Team Astana	21
  124	Andriy Grivko (Ukr) Pro Team Astana	20
  125	Christophe Riblon (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale	20
  126	Lars Boom (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team	20
  127	Diego Ulissi (Ita) Lampre - ISD	20
  128	Nicolas Roche (Irl) AG2R La Mondiale	19
  129	David Arroyo Duran (Spa) Movistar Team	18
  130	Christopher Sutton (Aus) Sky Procycling	17
  131	Simon Clarke (Aus) Pro Team Astana	16
  132	Bart De Clercq (Bel) Omega Pharma-Lotto	16
  133	Michael Albasini (Swi) HTC-Highroad	16
  134	Kevin Seeldraeyers (Bel) Quickstep Cycling Team	14
  135	Sergey Lagutin (Uzb) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team	14
  136	Peter Velits (Svk) HTC-Highroad	14
  137	Alex Rasmussen (Den) HTC-Highroad	13
  138	Kristof Vandewalle (Bel) Quickstep Cycling Team	12
  139	Andrew Talansky (USA) Team Garmin-Cervelo	11
  140	Christian Vande Velde (USA) Team Garmin-Cervelo	11
  141	Davide Appollonio (Ita) Sky Procycling	11
  142	Greg Henderson (NZl) Sky Procycling	11
  143	Fumiyuki Beppu (Jpn) Team RadioShack	10
  144	Kristof Goddaert (Bel) AG2R La Mondiale	10
  145	Juan Antonio Flecha Giannoni (Spa) Sky Procycling	10
  146	Allan Davis (Aus) Pro Team Astana	10
  147	Johann Tschopp (Swi) BMC Racing Team	10
  148	Matteo Carrara (Ita) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team	10
  149	Vicente Reynes Mimo (Spa) Omega Pharma-Lotto	10
  150	Richie Porte (Aus) Saxo Bank Sungard	10
  151	Elia Viviani (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale	9
  152	Enrico Gasparotto (Ita) Pro Team Astana	9
  153	Paul Martens (Ger) Rabobank Cycling Team	8
  154	Geraint Thomas (GBr) Sky Procycling	7
  155	Alexander Kristoff (Nor) BMC Racing Team	7
  156	David Zabriskie (USA) Team Garmin-Cervelo	7
  157	Robbie McEwen (Aus) Team RadioShack	7
  158	Rémy Di Gregorio (Fra) Pro Team Astana	7
  159	Robert Kiserlovski (Cro) Pro Team Astana	6
  160	Daniel Oss (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale	6
  161	Matteo Bono (Ita) Lampre - ISD	6
  162	Sébastien Hinault (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale	6
  163	Gatis Smukulis (Lat) HTC-Highroad	6
  164	Jesse Sergent (NZl) Team RadioShack	6
  165	Jonathan Castroviejo Nicolas (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi	6
  166	Juan Mauricio Soler Hernandez (Col) Movistar Team	6
  167	Linus Gerdemann (Ger) Leopard Trek	5
  168	Mikael Cherel (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale	5
  169	Leigh Howard (Aus) HTC-Highroad	5
  170	Danilo Di Luca (Ita) Katusha Team	5
  171	Tejay Van Garderen (USA) HTC-Highroad	5
  172	Damiano Caruso (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale	5
  173	Niki Terpstra (Ned) Quickstep Cycling Team	4
  174	Thomas Löfkvist (Swe) Sky Procycling	4
  175	Stuart O'Grady (Aus) Leopard Trek	4
  176	Mathew Hayman (Aus) Sky Procycling	4
  177	Philip Deignan (Irl) Team RadioShack	4
  178	Markel Irizar Aranburu (Spa) Team RadioShack	4
  179	Sergey Renev (Kaz) Pro Team Astana	4
  180	Dominik Nerz (Ger) Liquigas-Cannondale	4
  181	Valerio Agnoli (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale	4
  182	Davide Vigano (Ita) Leopard Trek	4
  183	Graeme Brown (Aus) Rabobank Cycling Team	4
  184	Oleksandr Kvachuk (Ukr) Lampre - ISD	4
  185	Baden Cooke (Aus) Saxo Bank Sungard	3
  186	Francesco Chicchi (Ita) Quickstep Cycling Team	3
  187	Theo Bos (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team	3
  188	Jan Bakelants (Bel) Omega Pharma-Lotto	3
  189	Michel Kreder (Ned) Team Garmin-Cervelo	2
  190	Jonas Aaen Jörgensen (Den) Saxo Bank Sungard	2
  191	Artem Ovechkin (Rus) Katusha Team	2
  192	Alex Dowsett (GBr) Sky Procycling	2
  193	Kenny De Haes (Bel) Omega Pharma-Lotto	2
  194	Lieuwe Westra (Ned) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team	2
  195	Adriano Malori (Ita) Lampre - ISD	2
  196	Giampaolo Caruso (Ita) Katusha Team	2
  197	Jérôme Pineau (Fra) Quickstep Cycling Team	2
  198	Przemyslaw Niemiec (Pol) Lampre - ISD	2
  199	Ruslan Pydgornyy (Ukr) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team	2
  200	Pim Ligthart (Ned) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team	2
  201	Sep Vanmarcke (Bel) Team Garmin-Cervelo	2
  202	Mark Renshaw (Aus) HTC-Highroad	2
  203	Ruben Perez Moreno (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi	2
  204	Tomas Vaitkus (Ltu) Pro Team Astana	2
  205	Mikhail Ignatyev (Rus) Katusha Team	2
  206	Branislau Samoilau (Blr) Movistar Team	2
  207	Nelson Oliveira (Spa) Team RadioShack	1
  208	Matteo Trentin (Ita) Quickstep Cycling Team	1
  209	Vladimir Isaichev (Rus) Katusha Team	1
  210	Alexander Porsev (Rus) Katusha Team	1
  211	Jack Bobridge (Aus) Team Garmin-Cervelo	1
  212	Gustav Larsson (Swe) Saxo Bank Sungard	1
  213	Matthew Wilson (Aus) Team Garmin-Cervelo	1
  214	Alberto Losada Alguacil (Spa) Katusha Team	1
  215	Matteo Montaguti (Ita) AG2R La Mondiale	1
  216	Sergio Miguel Moreira Paulinho (Por) Team RadioShack	1
  217	Geoffroy Lequatre (Fra) Team RadioShack	1
  218	Bert Grabsch (Ger) HTC-Highroad	1
  219	Nikolas Maes (Bel) Quickstep Cycling Team	1
  220	Michal Golas (Pol) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team	1
  221	Matti Breschel (Den) Rabobank Cycling Team	1
  222	Koldo Fernandez (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi	1
  223	Yaroslav Popovych (Ukr) Team RadioShack	1
  224	Fabio Sabatini (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale	1
  225	Rick Flens (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team	1
  226	Marcel Sieberg (Ger) Omega Pharma-Lotto	1
  227	Frantisek Rabon (Cze) HTC-Highroad	1
  228	Adam Blythe (GBr) Omega Pharma-Lotto	1
  229	Andrey Amador Bakkazakova (CRc) Movistar Team	1

  Nations

  #	Rider Name (Country) Team	Result
  1	Spain	1357	pts
  2	Belgium	1164
  3	Italy	1112
  4	Australia	1082
  5	Great Britain	947
  6	Germany	798
  7	Netherlands	693
  8	United States Of America	551
  9	Luxembourg	536
  10	France	416
  11	Norway	390
  12	Switzerland	380
  13	Denmark	285
  14	Kazakhstan	234
  15	Ireland	229
  16	Slovenia	219
  17	Slovakia	212
  18	Colombia	175
  19	Portugal	163
  20	Czech Republic	136
  21	Belarus	86
  22	Russian Federation	83
  23	Austria	74
  24	Argentina	34
  25	Ukraine	27
  26	Canada	26
  27	New Zealand	17
  28	Uzbekistan	14
  29	Japan	10
  30	Croatia	6
  31	Latvia	6
  32	Sweden	5
  33	Poland	3
  34	Lithuania	2
  35	Costa Rica	1

  Teams

  #	Rider Name (Country) Team	Result
  1	Omega Pharma-Lotto	1079	pts
  2	Sky Procycling	1059
  3	Leopard Trek	1018
  4	HTC-Highroad	886
  5	BMC Racing Team	877
  6	Lampre - ISD	755
  7	Team Garmin-Cervelo	728
  8	Liquigas-Cannondale	719
  9	Saxo Bank Sungard	696
  10	Rabobank Cycling Team	673
  11	Team RadioShack	639
  12	Katusha Team	552
  13	Movistar Team	474
  14	Euskaltel-Euskadi	471
  15	Pro Team Astana	422
  16	Quickstep Cycling Team	379
  17	AG2R La Mondiale	372
  18	Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team	369

• GreenEdge adds Impey, Meier

  

  Article published:

  October 11, 2011, 00:55

  By:

  Cycling News

  South African and Canadian add international flair

  GreenEdge announced today the addition of two international riders, South African Daryl Impey and Canadian Christian Meier to its 2012 roster.

  Impey is best known as the 2009 winner of the Presidential Tour of Turkey who crashed spectacularly in the final stage after a controversial run-in with Dutchman Theo Bos.

  The South African time trial champion rode for RadioShack in 2010 and NetApp this year. Entering his fifth professional year, the 26-year-old has an eye on a Grand Tour start for 2012.

  “GreenEdge has assembled a great squad and I’m really optimistic about our chances of getting a spot in the World Tour,” Impey said.

  “I’m hoping to get a start in one of the Grand Tours for next year and aim to have a good Ardennes Classics campaign. I’ll also be aiming for my first ever win in a World Tour race along with going for the overall win in some of the smaller tours.”

  Meier hopes to move back up to the sport's top tier after riding with the Unitedhealthcare team this year, following a two season stint with Garmin, and is looking forward to teaming up with fellow Canadian Svein Tuft again with an eye on the Canadian WorldTour races and the Ardennes Classics.

  “I’m very excited about the prospect of returning to the World Tour and being part of such an ambitious project,” Meier said.

  “It will be great to race alongside some of the most experienced riders in the peloton, as I’ll be able to learn plenty from those guys and continue to develop as a rider.

  GreenEdge has so far named 27 riders of a maximum 30 allowed for the WorldTour level. Two riders must be new professionals, and the average age of the team's riders cannot exceed 28. Daniel Teklehaimanot has already been named as a neo-pro on the team.

  The UCI determines which teams earn spots in the WorldTour by taking into account points accumulated by the riders it has signed as well as financial, ethical and organisational details all included in its WorldTour application.

  The final determination of the WorldTour teams is due to be announced in November.

  GreenEdge for 2012 (incomplete)

  Michael Albasini (Switzerland), Fumiyuki Beppu (Japan), Jack Bobridge, Simon Clarke, Baden Cooke, Allan Davis, Mitchell Docker, Simon Gerrans, Matt Goss, Leigh Howard, Brett Lancaster, Robbie McEwen, Cameron Meyer, Travis Meyer, Stuart O’Grady, Matt Wilson, Wesley Sulzberger (all Australia), Julian Dean (New Zealand), Daryl Impey (South Africa), Jens Keukeleire (Belgium), Sebastian Langeveld, Jens Mouris and Pieter Weening (Netherlands), Christian Meier and Svein Tuft (Canada), Daniel Teklehaimanot* (Eritrea) and Tomas Vaitkus (Lithuania).

• Last chance saloon for Herzig at Sun Tour

  

  Article published:

  October 11, 2011, 02:00

  By:

  Alex Hinds

  Australian journeyman hopes to wind back the clock for success at five day race

  When it comes to the Australian racing scene, 33-year-old Peter Herzig has done it all. Described by many as one of the strongest guys never to have made it into the elite levels of the sport in Europe and the US, the former mountain biker has struggled to find his groove on the criterium heavy National Road Series, almost exclusively dominated by sprinters.

  Herzig's fortunes may be about to change however, with the challenging parcours awaiting the chono and climbing specialist in this week's Jayco Herald Sun Tour likely to make the Budget Forklifts rider a real dark horse for success.

  "Having looked at the course book, I was under the impression that the first few stages would really suit the sprinters, but having now ridden the course, it’s actually really undulating," Herzig said to Cyclingnews.

  "In that sense I think this year's race really suits me," Herzig said. "With guys like Brian Mcleod, Michael Cupitt and Chris Jongewaard we’re all really good on the climbs, and in a race like this that’ll help us a lot - more than say the Scody Cup or the NRS.

  "I think I’ve got a good chance for the overall, or at least having a crack on that final road stage on Arthurs Seat assuming things go well."

  Herzig is no stranger to the Sun Tour. He narrowly missed out on a stage win in the 2007 race, after being edged in a two-man sprint against Cameron Jennings. That year, while riding for the now defunct FRF team, Herzig missed the crucial first day break, costing him 12 minutes and any shot at the overall.

  In 2011, and with four years more experience under his belt, Herzig hopes to avoid repeating that scenario and give himself the best possible chance to capitalise on "some of the best form of my life".

  "Sun Tour’s in the past there’s been a tendency for a critical break to go, and more or less decide the race," said Herzig. "I think this year will be no different. You have to make 'that' move, but you just have to be attentive."

  An unrewarded show of strength in the recent Goulburn to Sydney Cycle Classic, where Herzig and Kiwi Josh Atkins forced the day's crucial selection up old Razorback Hill should be a good indication the Sydney native has timed his build up well.

  And with time running out on the 33-year-old's late-starting career this year's race may be the last throw of the dice if Herzig is going to ever break into the professional ranks and realise his goals in the sport.

  "I’ve been happy to ride with Budget and live in Australia and I’m still enjoying riding, but yeah, I’m banking on a good Sun Tour."

  The Jayco Herald Suns Tour start October 12.

• Giro d'Italia stages also leaked?

  

  Article published:

  October 11, 2011, 05:00

  By:

  Cycling News

  Michele Bufalino says stages were also made publicly available on RCS Sport

  After the earlier announcement today that ASO had inadvertently leaked the 2012 Tour de France details on the letour.fr website, the same may have also happened with the 2012 Giro details.

  According to Michele Bufalino, the man responsible for the reporting on 'motorised push bikes' scandal, the route was made available on an English section of the main Giro website.

  The first three stages in Denmark had already been officially made public last week, but the rest are yet to be officially announced.

  Cyclingnews has requested comment from RCS Sport.

  Alleged Giro d’Italia stages

  5 May: Herning – Herning ITT (8.7 km)
  6 May: Herning – Herning (206 km)
  7 May: Horsens – Horsens (190 Km)
  8 May: Rest day, transfer to Italy
  9 May: Verona – Verona TTT (32.2 km)
  10 May: Modena – Fano (199 km)
  11 May: Urbino – Porto Sant’Elpidio (207 Km)
  12 May: Recanati – Rocca di Cambio (202 km)
  13 May: Sulmona – Lago Laceno (229 km)
  14 May: San Giorgio nel Sannio – Frosinone (171 km)
  15 May: Civitavecchia – Assisi (187 km)
  16 May: Assisi – Montecatini Terme (243 Km)
  17 May: Seravezza – Sestri Levante (157 km)
  18 May: Savona – Cervere (121 km)
  19 May: Cherasco – Cervinia (205 km)
  20 May: Busto Arsizio – Lecco/Pian dei Resinelli (172 km)
  21 May: Rest day
  22 May: Limone sul Garda – Falzes/Pfalzen (174 km)
  23 May: Falzes/Pfalzen – Cortina d’Ampezzo (187 km)
  24 May: San Vito di Cadore – Vedelago (139 km)
  25 May: Treviso – Alpe di Pampeago (197km)
  26 May: Caldes/Val di Sole – Passo dello Stelvio (218 km)
  27 May: Milano – Milano ITT (31.5 km)

• Major sponsor unlikely for GreenEdge

  

  Article published:

  October 11, 2011, 08:08

  By:

  Jane Aubrey

  Financial backer Gerry Ryan confirms lack of Australian support

  GreenEdge passed another important milestone on the first of this month with the project lodging the file with the original bank guarantee for 25 per cent of the team's staffing fund requirements and the provisional list of riders and staff members, plus 15,000 Swiss francs to the UCI. However, it appears as though if successful in securing a ProTour licence, the team will be riding its first year under the GreenEdge banner alone.

  With GreenEdge principle backer Gerry Ryan also a key figure in sponsoring this week's Jayco Herald Sun Tour in the state of Victoria, Australia, as he has for well over a decade, Shayne Bannan was joined by Ryan at the Inner Spin pre-event luncheon to discuss the race and the project's progress.

  It was pointed out that GreenEdge had to wait 504 hours until being informed by the UCI whether they would be ProTour in 2012 and also that Ryan had his 'backside hanging out' if additional financial support was not secured. The financier has reportedly backed the project to the tune of $60million, however Ryan denied the figure without putting an exact number on it.

  "We haven't had a great deal of support from Australia but we are very close to a couple of Chinese companies," Ryan confirmed. "What we're trying to do, it's about a partnership, not a sponsorship. And what we want to try and do is get the sponsor, the partner to fit into the culture that we've developed.

  "I'm not concerned but my son Andrew whose role is sponsorship, has the greatest incentive to go out there and make it happen because it's his inheritance that I'm spending."

  Ryan is one of Australia's wealthiest men and is reported to be worth $180million.

  While Australia has weathered the recent financial crisis comparatively well, thanks mostly to investments in the mining industry, there are still very few multinational companies that can realistically spend around $10million per year, sponsoring any type of sporting outfit. Despite this, if an Australian company were to jump on board with GreenEdge, there would undoubtedly be a better time given the success the nation has had on the world cycling stage in 2011.

  It was no mistake that the audience at today's function, mostly from Melbourne's business community, was replayed images from Cadel Evans winning the Tour de France, and Tina Arena singing Advance Australia Fair on the Champs Elysees in Paris - despite the fact that Evans is Australia's highest profile cyclist, he will not be riding for GreenEdge in the immediate future.

  Bannan, as GreenEdge's general manager, was not concerned about the lack of sponsorship dollars that have come his way when speaking to Cyclingnews.

  "There's a couple of ways of looking at it," he said. "We probably haven't been as aggressive as we could be in that area because we're in two minds. We really want to look at our GreenEdge branding and develop the brand, develop the team which puts us in a lot better situation to find a partner.

  "We don't want to be desperate and go and knock on everyone's doors. Gerry, in his generosity, is really keen to develop the brand, develop the team which I think will put us in a good situation this time next year."

• NetApp signs Baugnies and Eichler

  

  Article published:

  October 11, 2011, 09:29

  By:

  Cycling News

  Two Classics specialists for German ProConti team

  Team NetApp has announced two more signings to strengthen their Spring Classics squad. Young Belgian Jerome Baugnies and German veteran Markus Eichler will join the German Professional Continental team in 2012.

  Baugnies, 24, has ridden for the Professional Continental Team Topsport Vlaanderen-Mercator the past two years. He has also show great promise as an amateur, finishing fifth in the under 23 World road race in 2009.

  His second-place finish at Eschborn-Frankfurt this year shows that as a professional rider he can also ride at the front of the field at important races. We're convinced that Jerome will show enormous development next year,” said NetApp team manager Ralph Denk.

  Eichler brings four years of ProTour experience to the young team. He rode for Unibet in 2007 before joining Milram. The 29-year-old rode for the German Continental-ranked Team NSP this year, winning the prologue of the Fleche du Sud.

  In addition to riding both the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a Espana with Milram, he concentrated on the Classics, and will lead NetApp in the Belgian races next spring.

  "Markus is a real classics expert. He’s raced at all the important one-day races and has been competing in the ProTour for four years. That experience is important for us – our young riders should benefit from it,” Denk said.

  “In addition, Markus has been living and training near our Belgian team base for several years now, which means he’ll fit perfectly in with our schedule and the way we do things.”