First Edition Cycling News, Wednesday, August 12, 2009

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Date published:

August 12, 2009, 11:00

• Transfer news continues for Sky, Garmin, Cofidis, AG2R, Skil and Rabobank

  

  Article published:

  August 11, 2009, 14:06

  By:

  Shane Stokes

  No truth in Dan Martin rumour, Moncoutié wants one more year

  Although there's still several weeks to the International Cycling Union's (UCI) September 1 deadline, when 2010 team line-ups and rider transfers can be officially announced, details are leaking out about who is going where – and, equally relevant – who is not.

  One of those incorrectly linked to a move is Daniel Martin. The promising 23-year-old finished second in this year’s Volta a Catalunya and had been linked to the new Team Sky setup. Although he has Irish nationality, he has previously raced for Great Britain and his presence on the 2010 team had been perceived as a logical fit.

  Not so, say senior figures from both Garmin-Slipstream and Team Sky.

  “Daniel has a contract with us until the end of 2010,” said Garmin Manager Jonathan Vaughters. “He’s not moving to Sky next year,” confirmed Team Sky Directeur Sportif Scott Sunderland.

  David Moncoutié is reported by L’Equipe to be close to signing a new deal with Cofidis, saying that he is keen to ride what what would be his 14th season, both with the team and as a professional cyclist. However, he said that he would have different objectives to before.

  “I am thinking of racing one more year, but without doing the Tour [de France] as I didn’t enjoy it this summer,” he is quoted as saying. “I need another motivation. For example, basing my season around week-long races and returning to the Vuelta a España, a race that I have enjoyed. And I’d also like to ride for a leader, something that I have never done.”

  According to Het Nieuwsblad, Cofidis has agreed to contract terms with Kevin Ista (Agritubel) and Jens Keukeleire (Soenens-Yamadoo).

  Another French outfit AG2R La Mondiale will have a new look next year, with seven riders departing according to cyclismag. Aurélien Clerc, Renaud Dion, Cédric Pineau, Alexandr Pliuschin, Stéphane Poulhiès, Jean-Charles Senac and Blaise Sonnery are all searching for new teams in 2010.

  Two other Frenchmen, Cyril Lemoine and Jonathan Hivert, have not taken advantage of extension options in their contracts with Skil-Shimano and will depart at the end of the season. However, Fumiyuki Beppu has agreed to stay with the team until at least the end of next year.

  Rabobank’s Matthew Hayman is also heading for new pastures, having signed for an as-yet undisclosed team. Tom Leezer is staying with the Dutch squad for two more years, according to the team’s website. Steven Kruijswijk moves from the continental squad to the senior team for a similar term and Bauke Mollema and Mauricio Ardila have one year extensions.

  Two other riders are reported to be changing jerseys from their current teams. Colombian rider Cayetano Sarmiento has attracted the attention of Acqua e Sapone, no doubt due in part to his final day victory in June’s Baby Giro. And South African sprinter Robbie Hunter is rumoured to be moving from Barloworld to Garmin-Slipstream.

• Rumours link Hincapie and Leipheimer to growing BMC team

  

  Article published:

  August 11, 2009, 15:00

  By:

  Cycling News

  No transfers confirmed as BMC looks toward future Tour de France participation

  Rumours that Columbia-HTC's George Hincapie and Astana's Levi Leipheimer are entertaining the possibility of joining the fast-growing, American-based BMC Racing Team continue to circulate as the hustle and bustle of rider-team transfers for the 2010 season builds momentum.

  The Professional Continental team is based in Leipheimer's hometown of Santa Rosa, California. Although Leipheimer could not confirm what team he will race for in 2010, he acknowledged his fondness of BMC's program. "I can't make any formal announcement about my next team right now," Leipheimer said to Cycingnews. "As you know, we are both based in Santa Rosa, and I think very highly of them so I'm not surprised by these 'rumblings'."

  Leipheimer's current contract with Astana expires at the end of 2009, leaving the path open for the three-time Tour of California winner to make a transition from the team where he has ridden for the past two years. "He [Leipheimer] has a contract until the end of 2009," Philipe Maertens, Astana's press officer, told Cyclingnews on Tuesday. "So he will find a new contract either with Astana or another team."

  Hincapie is in a position similar to Leipheimer's, with his contract to Columbia-HTC due to end this season. Cyclingnews spoke to Hincapie about his future plans, but the 36-year-old declined to comment on where he would ride next year.

  If Leipheimer and Hincapie sign with BMC, it will not be the first time that they have ridden on the same team. Both riders have spent periods of their professional careers with the former US Postal/Discovery Channel formation. Hincapie rode for the American squad for ten years (1997-2007), while Leipheimer was a member of US Postal for two years (2000-2001) and Discovery Channel in 2007.

• Tragedy strikes in GP Felino

  Article published:

  August 11, 2009, 17:41

  By:

  Cycling News

  Ukrainian dies in hospital after crash

  The GP Citta di Felino was the site of a tragedy on Tuesday after a Ukrainian rider died following an apparently innocuous crash.

  Oleksandr Shapoval of the Promociclo Neri Sottoli team crashed during the race, but was conscious when he was taken to the hospital in Parma. His condition worsened after he was admitted, and race organisers received news later that the 19-year-old had died.

   "We are shocked by the news," said the President of Velo Club Felino, Dattaro Giorgio, "because nothing indicated something like this would happen. The boy was alert and conscious, and rescuers reassured the sports director on his condition.

  "We want to express all our of condolences to the family, to his teammates and the rider's federation. Today we wanted only to celebrate, we've suspended all the events out of respect for what happened. "

  The cause of Shapoval's death is not yet known.

• Vinokourov scores first win since 2007 in Tour de l'Ain

  

  Article published:

  August 11, 2009, 18:54

  By:

  Cycling News

  (Updated) Kazakh rider may help Horner win

  Alexander Vinokourov scored his first race win since returning from a two-year doping ban on Tuesday at the Tour de l'Ain. Riding for the Kazakh national team, Vinokourov won the 8.8km time trial in St. Genis-Pouilly over Dutch rider Michiel Elijzen (Silence-Lotto).

  Still hoping to come to an agreement with the Astana squad, with which he had a contract at the time of his ban for blood doping in the 2007 Tour de France, Vinokourov hinted that he may earn the team's good graces by helping American Chris Horner secure the overall victory.

  "I wanted to go to all out. My goal was to test myself to see what level I could attain against the clock," said Vinokourov after the stage, but denied that he was out to get revenge for his time off the bike.

  "I just wanted to show everyone that I could still win races. It is done. This morning in the mountain stage, my goal was not to give 100 percent and blow my motor. I merely followed the pack. I was pretty good, at least I thought I was. Now, I hope that the administrative problems will be resolved so that I can contest the end of the season with Astana. Will I help Chris Horner to win? Why not ... "

  Vinokourov returned to competition for the first time this week after serving his two-year ban. The rider had been unable to come to an agreement with his former team, Astana, in time to start with the squad and was racing for his national team.

  The time trial was the second of two half stages on Tuesday. In the morning's mountainous 103km stage finishing atop Mont Jura, Vinokourov finished well off the pace of the leading group, losing 3:45.

  American Chris Horner, who finished second on the morning's stage, assumed the race lead following the afternoon time trial. He finished third in the test, 13 seconds behind Vinokourov.

  The morning's leader Ludovic Turpin (AG2R) lost 24 seconds to Horner, who now leads the Frenchman by 19 seconds.

• Horner on form for Tour de l'Ain win

  

  Article published:

  August 11, 2009, 21:41

  By:

  Laura Weislo

  American hopes to see Vinokourov on Astana

  American Chris Horner is poised to take his first European stage race victory after securing the overall lead of the Tour de l'Ain on Tuesday.

  After finishing second in the morning's 103km road stage finishing atop Mont Jura, the Astana rider placed third in the afternoon time trial behind stage winner Alexander Vinokourov - a rider who may become an important ally in the final stage on Wednesday.

  Horner leads the race lead by 19 seconds over AG2R's Ludovic Turpin, and the politics which kept Horner off of his Astana team's Tour de France squad may now help him secure the overall victory on the daunting final stage which finishes on the Col du Grand Colombier - an 18.3km climb that ascends 1255m from Culoz - averaging 6.9% and topping out at a 14% gradient.

  Vinokourov is riding the Tour de l'Ain for the Kazakhstan national team, yet the same country also backs the Astana team. After Vinokourov hinted that he may help Horner tomorrow, the American explained that it makes sense for the two teams to at the very least avoid working against each other.

  "Certainly we're in a position that it wouldn't make much sense to chase each other down," Horner told Cyclingnews. "We have a strong team, and we're all good climbers ... but I certainly wouldn't complain if a little help came!"

  Vinokourov lost 3:45 on the morning's stage to Mont Jura before going on to win the time trial. The Kazakh rider has made no secret of the fact that he has been trying to complete negotiations to regain his spot in the Astana squad, and hinted after the time trial that he might help Horner on Wednesday.

  "It looks like he's riding really well," Horner said of Vinokourov. The fact that the 'Vino' has just returned from a doping ban was not something Horner cared to comment on.

  "I spent too many years worrying about that, and finally gave up. Worrying doesn't make you ride any better. I talked to him before [his ban] and have talked to him since, and he was a nice guy then and still is."

  The overall win in the French stage race would be a nice confidence boost for Horner, who was not selected for Astana's Tour squad after he dropped out of the Giro d'Italia with a fractured tibia.

  The 37-year-old has few European victories to his name: he has taken one stage of the Tour de Suisse (2005) and twice led the Tour de Romandie (2006, 2007). His role has mainly been as a top mountain domestique for riders like Cadel Evans, Alberto Contador and Levi Leipheimer.

  His next big goal for the season will be the Vuelta Espana, but he would not speculate if Vinokourov would be on the team by then. "It's not my job to comment on that, but I would like him on the team, for sure. It never hurts to have another strong guy on the team."

• SRAM issues PowerLock voluntary recall

  

  Article published:

  August 12, 2009, 03:09

  By:

  Cycling News

  Consumers urged to check connector link manufacture date

  Component manufacturer SRAM has issued a voluntary recall on a limited number of 10-speed PowerLock chains due to PowerLock connector link failures it has discovered through its quality control process.

  SRAM US Road PR and Media Manager Michael Zellmann released details of the action, stressing that the recall wasn't applicable to all SRAM chains, rather a limited number of PowerLock chains manufacturered between January and June 2009.

  Those with concerns about their SRAM chain should examine the PowerLink connector outer plate to determine its date of manufacture. Those PowerLock connector links marked with an 'M' or 'N' may develop a crack during installation and/or use, and fail.

  SRAM is retrieving and replacing all affected PowerLocks, which should be returned to SRAM bicycle dealers directly for replacement. The company advises those with affected chains to stop using the product immediately and return their chains to any SRAM dealer for verification of the product date stamp and to obtain a free replacement PowerLock.
   

• Paulinho and Azevedo join Armstrong at the Shack

  

  Article published:

  August 12, 2009, 07:18

  By:

  Cycling News

  Portuguese pair sign for RadioShack

  Portuguese news agency Lusa reports that Sérgio Paulinho will ride for new American squad RadioShack for the next two years after the Portuguese rider recently signed for Lance Armstrong's outfit.

  Joining the Astana rider will be former professional Jose Azevedo, who rode with Armstrong in the Discovery Channel formation during the last two of the Texan's seven Tour de France triumphs. Azevedo will take on a management position, combining forces with former boss Johan Bruyneel.

  "I have an offer and I’ve accepted," said Azevedo. "All the details need to be worked out, but it’s confirmed. I am looking forward to working with Armstrong again. We always got along and this is an opportunity to do something I’ve always dreamed of."

  It ends speculation on Paulinho's future after it was rumoured that he would remain by the side of Alberto Contador after he played a pivotal role in the Spaniard's second Tour de France crown last month. It wasn't known whether either rider would stay with the Astana squad or move elsewhere - now it appears that at least one of them will be shifting teams.
   

• Zabel extends Columbia advisor role for two more years

  

  Article published:

  August 12, 2009, 10:34

  By:

  Susan Westemeyer

  Former winner tips Greipel for Vattenfall podium

  Erik Zabel has extended his contract as an advisor to Columbia-HTC for two years. Zabel joined the American team this year to provide technical advice to the team's sprinters, Mark Cavendish and Andre Greipel.

  “Working with the young sprinters at Columbia is so much fun, that I have already extended my contract,” he said Tuesday at a press conference in Hamburg, Germany, dealing with Sunday's Vattenfall Cyclassics ProTour race. His contract was due to expire the end of this year.

  The 39-year-old admitted that the work with Cavendish and Greipel had been more time-consuming than he had expected. He is not involved in their daily training, but works with them via DVD and video training. Zabel also examines the courses the team will race on and provides a report on details important to the sprint.

  Zabel's association with both Mark Cavendish and Andre Greipel has already born fruit. Cavendish this year won Milan-San Remo, three stages in the Giro d'Italia and six stages at the Tour de France, with 20 wins so far this season. He has given Zabel credit for helping him at Milan-San Remo, saying “Without his help I would not have won”.

  Zabel was the last German to win the Vattenfall Cyclassics, in 2001. He sees Greipel as the logical favorite to win this year. “He is the fastest man in the start list, and it would be good for him to get on the podium.” Greipel has 15 wins this season, second only to Cavendish.

  Zabel's own racing career ended in 2008 after three years at Team Milram, prior to that he had ridden 13 seasons with the now defunct Telekom/T-Mobile formation.

  During his lengthy career he won six consecutive green jerseys at the Tour de France, and 12 stages, as well as three consecutive points jerseys and eight stages at the Vuelta a España. He also won Milan-San Remo four times, part of over 200 career wins.