First Edition Cycling News, Wednesday, August 18, 2010

• Previous Edition
• Next Edition

Date published:

August 18, 2010, 21:00

• Updated: UCI announces qualified countries for road worlds

  

  Article published:

  August 17, 2010, 19:42

  By:

  Cycling News

  Rider quotas for Elite men, Elite women and U23 men revealed

  The International Cycling Union (UCI) announced today the list of qualified countries and their respective quota of riders in the Elite Men, Elite Women and Under 23 Men categories for the road races at the upcoming UCI Road World Championships in Melbourne, Australia, September 29-October 3.

  Elite men road race

  9 starters (from 14 qualifiers): Spain, Italy, Belgium, Australia, United States Of America, Russian Federation, Switzerland, Germany, Netherlands
  7 starters (from 9 qualifiers): France, Slovenia
  6 starters (from 14 qualifiers): Kazakhstan
  6 starters (from 9 qualifiers): Morocco, Colombia, Venezuela, Islamic Republic of Iran, Poland, Portugal, Ukraine, Denmark
  4 starters (from 5 qualifiers): Luxembourg
  3 starters (from 5 qualifiers): South Africa, Canada, Brazil, Argentina, Japan, Korea, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Lithuania, Estonia, Ireland, Norway, Great Britain, Austria, Serbia, New Zealand, Slovakia
  2 starters (from 3 qualifiers): Belarus, Sweden
  1 starter (from 2 qualifiers): Uzbekistan, Cuba, Bolivia, Uruguay, Chile, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Latvia, Greece, Romania

  Australia won't get to start 10 riders despite having the outgoing champion Cadel Evans. The UCI's rule of starting the outgoing Olympic or world champion in the elite men's championship only applies where a country hasn’t already qualified, which Australia has under the nation ranking system.

  Elite women road race

  7 starters (from 14 qualifiers): Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Great Britain, United States Of America
  6 starters (from 12 qualifiers): Sweden, Australia, Lithuania, Belgium, Russian Federation, New Zealand, Canada, France, Switzerland, Ukraine
  5 starters (from 10 qualifiers): South Africa, People's Republic of China, Korea, Estonia, Denmark

  The outgoing world champion may participate in addition to the rider's country allotment, so Italy can start 8 riders (allotment of seven plus Tatiana Guderzo, the outgoing champion).

  The following Continental champions may be entered in addition to the number accorded to their respective federations: Noortje Tabak (Netherlands), Shelley Evans (United States of America), A You Jin (Korea), Lynette Burger (South Africa) and Bridie O'Donnell (Australia).

  Under 23 men road race

  5 starters (from 10 qualifiers): Eritrea, Venezuela, United States Of America, Colombia, Islamic Republic of Iran, Kazakhstan, Belgium, Netherlands, Italy, France, Slovenia, Germany, Poland, Belarus, Lithuania, Russian Federation, Portugal, Latvia, Great Britain, Romania, Denmark, Australia
  4 starters (from 8 qualifiers): South Africa, Costa Rica, Canada, Netherlands Antilles, Hong Kong, China, Japan, Spain, Republic of Moldova, Serbia, Norway, Austria
  3 starters (from 6 qualifiers): Tunisia, Burkina Faso, Argentina, Belize, Uruguay, Mongolia, Korea, Bulgaria, Greece, Turkey, Sweden, Switzerland, Estonia, New Zealand

  The following Continental champions may be entered in addition to the number of starters accorded to their respective federations: Piotr Gawronski (Poland), Benjamin King (United States of America), Yousef Mirza Banihammad (United Arab Emirates), Reinardt Janse Van Rensburg (South Africa) and Michael Matthews (Australia)

  Individual time trial

  All national federations may enter 4 riders of whom 2 may start.

  The following outgoing world champions may be entered in addition to the number of starters accorded to their respective federations: Elite men's champion Fabian Cancellara (Switzerland) and U23 men's champion Jack Bobridge (Australia). Kristin Armstrong (United States of America), the outgoing women's time trial champion, has retired so the United States will start it's regular allotment of two riders.

  The following outgoing Continental champions may be entered in addition to the number of starters accorded to their respective federations:

  Elite men: Ivan Mauricio Casas (Colombia), Jay Robert Thomson (South Africa), Andrey Mizurov (Kazakhstan), Drew Ginn (Australia)

  Elite women: Ellen Van Dijk (Netherlands), Ana Paola Madrinan Villegas (Colombia), Eun Ju Son (Korea), Cashandra Slingerland (South Africa) and Alexis Rhodes (Australia)

  Under 23 men: Alex Dowsett (Great Britain), Benjamin King (United States of America), King Lok Cheung (Hong Kong), Reinardt Janse Van Rensburg (South Africa) and Michael Matthews (Australia)

• UCI still investigating two passport cases

  

  Article published:

  August 17, 2010, 21:04

  By:

  Laura Weislo

  Corrects Wall Street Journal "mystery" story

  The International Cycling Union (UCI) issued a press release today stating that it is still in the process of investigating two riders who showed abnormal blood passport values.

  In the statement, the UCI responded to a Wall Street Journal article published on August 7, 2010 which speculated that the sport's governing body might be shielding riders from disciplinary action.

  The UCI called the article, which was titled, "The Mystery of the Five Missing Tests" an "unfair attack", and defended itself against insinuations that the sport has "failed to aggressively police itself".

  The article cites a statement by UCI president Pat McQuaid which revealed that eight riders had been flagged by the expert panel that analyses all the blood passport data as having suspicious values.

  According to the latest UCI statement, the correct number of riders who were flagged by the panel is six, not eight.

  Three riders, Franco Pellizotti (Liquigas), Tadej Valjavec (AG2R La Mondiale) and Jesús Rosendo Prado (Andalucía-CajaSur) were named in May and are in the midst of disciplinary proceeds.

  The UCI stated that a fourth rider tested positive and has been suspended, "which is why it was not necessary to open a procedure on the base of his passport".

  For two other riders "the procedure is still in progress", the statement said. "The time lapse between the discovery of an abnormal profile and the opening of a disciplinary proceedings is sometimes longer than one would like, but that is mainly because the biological passport is an avant-garde, sophisticated tool, which the UCI is the first Federation to have introduced," it continued.

  The article also reported that the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has taken steps to monitor the blood and urine profiles collected as part of the UCI's passport system, and quoted president David Howman as saying, "Our job is to make sure the system isn't being sidestepped," Mr. Howman said. "We have the right of intervening if we think cases aren't being prosecuted appropriately."

  The UCI responded by emphatically stating that WADA has "never expressed any particular concerns on this subject and has taken no measures against the UCI. WADA has received the full collaboration of the UCI each time it has requested information on specific cases (which it has the right to do and which is part of its mission)."
   

  Tags:

  doping

• Fröhlinger signs for Skil-Shimano

  

  Article published:

  August 18, 2010, 09:46

  By:

  Barry Ryan

  Frenchman Bonnet switches to FDJ

  Skil-Shimano have announced the addition of Johannes Fröhlinger to their roster for the 2011 season. The German rider had been strongly linked with a move to Skil-Shimano in recent weeks and he has signed a one-year contract with the Dutch-based team.

  25-year-old Fröhlinger turned professional with Gerolsteiner in 2007 before moving on to Milram last season. He is the second rider to move from Milram to Skil-Shimano in recent days, following in the footsteps of his compatriot Roger Kluge. Milram have yet to confirm a sponsor for the 2011, although they have applied for a ProTour licence for next season.

  ‘We have been monitoring Johannes Fröhlinger for a while now,” said Skil-Shimano general manager Iwan Spekenbrink. “We’ve known him since his time with the espoirs. He is a perfect fit for our team.”

  Fröhlinger’s most notable performance in the professional ranks to date was third-place finish on the stage to Andorra-Arcalis in the 2009 Tour de France, while in 2008 he was edged out by Pavel Brutt for a stage win at the Giro d’Italia.

  In other transfer news, William Bonnet will switch from BBox-Bouygues Telecom to the La Française des Jeux team for the 2011 season. According to Cyclismactu.net, the Frenchman has agreed on a two-year contract with FDJ.

  Bonnet had previously been linked with a move to rejoin his former Credit Agrigole teammate Thor Hushovd at Cervelo TestTeam, but he has instead opted to stay in France with Marc Madiot’s squad. The 28-year-old has enjoyed his best season to date in 2010, winning a stage of Paris-Nice and finishing tenth at the Tour of Flanders.

  Under the new transfer rules created by the UCI this year, riders and teams can announces new contracts in a so-called transfer period that runs from August 1 to October 20.

• Dan Martin to ride the Tour of Britain

  

  Article published:

  August 18, 2010, 10:41

  By:

  Stephen Farrand

  HTC-Columbia likely to field Renshaw and Greipel

  Dan Martin will lead the Garmin-Transitions team at the Tour of Britain in September as part of a line-up that includes sprinters Robbie Hunter and Murilo Fischer.

  The 23-year-old Irishman is one of the most successful riders of the summer, having recently won the Tour of Poland. On Tuesday he also won the prestigious Tre Valli Varesine one-day race in Italy with a late solo attack.

  Also in the Garmin line-up for The Tour are brothers Travis and Cameron Meyer, respectively the current Australian National Road Race and Time Trial champions. Cameron is also the current World Champion in the Team Pursuit, Madison and Points Race disciplines on the track. Reserves for the Garmin-Transitions team are Timothy Duggan; Ricardo Van der Velde; Johan van Summeren.
  
  Nine teams have now announced their provisional rider line-ups for The Tour of Britain: AN Post Sean Kelly Cycling Team, Endura Racing, Garmin-Transitions Pro Cycling Team, Motorpoint-Marshalls Pasta, Rapha-Condor-Sharp, Sigma Sport-Specialized, Sky Professional Cycling Team, Team Raleigh and Team Saxo Bank.

  HTC-Columbia is also expected to ride the Tour of Britain, with sprinter’s Andrei Greipel and Mark Renshaw possible team leaders as they prepare for the world championships in Australia. Mark Cavendish is not likely to be in the team and is scheduled to ride the Vuelta Espana instead.

  Team Saxo Bank has already revealed its provisional line-up, with Britain’s Jonathan Bellis set to compete again after recovering from near-fatal scooter accident in Italy that left him in a coma. Also in the line-up are Lucas Sebastien Haedo, Frank Høj, Jonas Aaen Jorgensen, Jaroslav Marycz and Alex Rasmussen.

  Team Sky has also named its provisional line-up, which includes Bradley Wiggins, Steve Cummings; Russell Downing; Matthew Hayman; Greg Henderson and Geraint Thomas.

  A total of 17 six-man teams will compete in this year’s race. The eight-day race starts in Rochdale on September 11 and ends in London on September 18.
   

• Pereiro almost certain to sit out Vuelta

  

  Article published:

  August 18, 2010, 11:19

  By:

  Peter Cossins

  Hand injury might result in premature retirement

  Oscar Pereiro says that he is almost certain to miss the Vuelta a España due to a hand injury that is preventing him from training. The 2006 Tour de France champion has been told that he requires surgery to remove a lump that has formed between the metacarpal bones in his right hand. The injury stems from his horrific crash off the road while descending the Colle d’Agnello at the 2008 Tour.

  “The Vuelta is pretty much out of the question,” Pereiro told El Faro de Vigo. As a last hope, Pereiro is set to visit the holy shrine at Fátima after conventional treatment failed to resolve the problem.

  “The race is only 10 days away and I can’t see any possibility of making it,” Pereiro confirmed. The Astana rider had hoped that ultrasound and massage treatment might enable him to delay the problem that flared up after he hit a pot-hole during the recent Tour of Poland. The pain is now so severe that the Spaniard cannot grip the bars with his right hand when riding.

  Pereiro was hoping to finish his career with a competitive performance at his national tour, but is now considering calling a premature halt in order to have surgery on his hand. His doctor has told him that the procedure is not complicated and should require a minimum of time for recuperation. But he has also told Pereiro that there is not sufficient time remaining before the Vuelta to allow that surgery and recuperation.

  Indications are that Pereiro may now pull down the curtain on his career at the prestigious Valencia criterium on October 3, where a special tribute is planned to pay homage to his career. Beyond that his future is uncertain, although the Faro de Vigo reports that he has been in talks with Astana about taking up a role as a directeur sportif.

• Bettini critical of Italians at Tre Valli Varesine

  

  Article published:

  August 18, 2010, 15:23

  By:

  Cycling News

  Leadership of Italian worlds team still undecided

  New Italian national coach Paolo Bettini was never one to mince his words and has criticised many of the riders that he is considering for the Italian national squad after they allowed Dan Martin (Garmin-Transitions) to steal the glory at Tuesday’s Tre Valli Varesine race.

  Martin attacked with Domenico Pozzovivo (CSF-Colnago) in the final stages and dropped him on the rise to the finish line in Varese. Before then Damiano Cunego (Lampre-Farnese Vini) and Giovanni Visconti (ISD-Neri) had taken turns to attack but quickly chased each other down. Martin then timed his move perfectly and he was allowed to jump clear, denying the Italian riders a prestigious win on home roads.

  “They’ve thrown this race away,” Bettini told Gazzetta dello Sport. “I know there are team strategies at play as well but it’s a pity when Italian riders mark each other too much and leave space to the foreign riders.”

  Bettini was disappointed by one tactical failing in particular that would be fatal to Italy’s hopes of a rainbow jersey if repeated by his charges in Australia. “The Italians have to understand who their most dangerous rivals are,” he said. “I’d never have let Martin get away. He won the Tour of Poland ten days ago, they know he is one of the men who is most in form at the moment. I’m not saying they gave it to him, because he is strong, but they certainly made it easier for him.”

  The form of Damiano Cunego is also a concern for the Italian coach. “For the Worlds, I’d need the real Damiano, not a Damiano half in form,” Bettini said. “He battled, but with the polish of his golden days he would have entertained us in a finale like that.” Cunego led the Italian team at the world championships in Mendrisio last year, finishing in 8th place.

  The leadership of the Italian squad for this year’s race is still up for grabs, and the recent lack of results from many of the main contenders is a worry for Bettini.

  “I’m sorry that races are lost like that, because when all is considered, the results are lacking. And without results, it’s even more difficult to designate roles.”

• Aldag says Van Garderen will ride Vuelta without pressure

  

  Article published:

  August 18, 2010, 18:01

  By:

  Barry Ryan

  HTC-Columbia manager also plans to strengthen Cavendish's train for 2011

  Team HTC-Columbia manager Rolf Aldag has confirmed that Tejay Van Garderen will start the Vuelta a España but says the young American will race without any obligation to finish the race. Aldag also indicated that Mark Cavendish will remain at the team in 2011 and he spoke of his plans to bolster the Manxman's lead-out train.

  “The Vuelta will be a learning process for Tejay,” Aldag told Cyclingnews. “We have to be careful with a young rider like him. There was a lot of internal discussion in the team about whether or not to send him to the Vuelta. Of course he wants to show himself, but it’s a grand Tour, it’s three weeks of racing and we don’t want to kill him.”

  Van Garderen has impressed throughout his first season with HTC-Columbia. He was third at the Criterium du Dauphiné in June and has just finished fourth at the Tour de l’Ain race in France.

  Aldag said that the 22-year-old American will ride the Vuelta primarily to gain experience. “The most important thing is that he doesn’t come out of the Vuelta with the impression that he can’t do a race like that,” he explained. “Tejay will have the freedom to do everything, and that includes quitting the race after ten days if he feels tired.”

  Van Garderen surprised many with his strong showing at the Criterium du Dauphiné but for Aldag, the most pleasing aspect of the American’s year has not been his peaks so much as his lack of troughs. Unusually for such a young rider, Van Garderen has ridden consistently throughout his debut season with HTC-Columbia.

  “It’s surprising how stable he’s been the whole season. Often a young, talented rider will perform well, race on a good level for a little bit and then disappear, but not Tejay,” Aldag said. “He started off well at the Volta ao Algarve and just continued from there. Obviously to finish third at the Dauphiné at that age is pretty unusual, but he’s a rider with that kind of potential. It’s his continuity that’s been the surprising part.”

  Before joining HTC-Columbia, Van Garderen rode for the Rabobank Continental Team for two seasons as well as competing for the USA Under-23 team. Aldag credits this experience as helping with his fluid transition to ProTour racing.

  “His coach from the US Under-23 set-up, Jim Miller, has a very good working relationship with us and that has been very beneficial,” said Aldag. “Tejay’s private life and his training have been very stable and that meant we didn’t need a full year to figure out his racing or training schedules. There’s been a lot of continuity from what he’s been doing before and he’s been able to carry that on with logical steps.”

  While Van Garderen’s background aided his progress in 2010, Aldag admits the same cannot be said of all of HTC-Columbia's new signings.

  “Some need more time, but we also have to ask ourselves if we have done things right,” Aldag admitted. “We had a meeting with the new riders after the Worlds last year, which was helpful, but we should have had a follow-up during the winter.”

  “It was a surprise for some of them when the season started. It’s nice to get your new bike and jersey but you also need to be introduced to how tough racing at the highest level really is. There are some things that you just can’t know at that stage, and that’s something we’ve learned this year,” he said. “A guy like Tejay already had a good training programme, but some of the other guys were doing training programmes with their fathers, sort of like a family business.”

  Van Garderen has been the undoubted star of HTC-Columbia’s class of 2010, but Aldag refused to single out one rider over another, and revealed a key element of his squad’s philosophy on the development of young talent.

  “We can only make a summary at the end of the season,” the German said. “After the first year, a rider should have a clear idea of what he wants to do in his career. Going in to the second year has to be convinced, for instance, that he’ll ride Flanders or Liege-Bastogne-Liege. It’s not good for his development if he’s still experimenting in the second year.”

  Supporting Cavendish's sprinting prowess

  Aldag indicated that HTC-Columbia will continue to be built around Mark Cavendish’s sprinting prowess. The Manxman has a contract for 2011 but looks set to reach a new deal with the team. Key teammates such as Bernhard Eisel and Mark Renshaw have already agreed new contracts.

  “If we have a young GC rider we can develop, that’s good, but investing money in GC riders who can’t win the Tour makes no sense. If you look at the 2010 Tour de France, Mark Cavendish was the biggest story outside of Contador and Schleck, so our goal has to be to support him,” Aldag told Cyclingnews.

  André Greipel and Vicente Reynes have confirmed that they will leave HTC-Columbia for Omega Pharma-Lotto. Other riders may also move on, but Aldag is sure that he will have a strong team to support Cavendish next season, regardless of whether new riders arrive at the team.

  “Our priority is to develop what we have already and secure them for next year, and then maybe after that we can look to strengthen the team by closing gaps. But first we will look to develop the riders we have,” he concluded.

   

• Boonen on course for late season return

  

  Article published:

  August 18, 2010, 20:17

  By:

  Barry Ryan

  Belgian will miss Vuelta and Worlds

  Tom Boonen (Quick Step) has returned to training on the road and is aiming to make his comeback to racing at the end of September, according to Quick Step team doctor Yvan Van Mol. The Belgian underwent knee surgery on July 15 after knee ligament trouble prevented him from riding the Tour de France.

  “He can now train daily and is doing rides in Monaco of two hours without pain or irritation,” Van Mol told Gazet van Antwerpen. “I had him on the phone on Tuesday and he sounded happy.” Boonen first returned to training in early August with a thirty-minute session on a stationary bike and has made steady progress since.

  Boonen will miss both the Vuelta a España and the World Championships, but Van Mol anticipates that the former rainbow jersey wearer will be back in action before the end of the season. “We hope he’ll be able to ride the Circuit Franco-Belge (which starts on September 30) and Paris-Tour. If he can get back sooner, that would be a complete bonus,” said Van Mol.

  It has been a difficult 2010 campaign for Boonen. He has suffered throughout the year from knee trouble and was powerless to stop Fabian Cancellara’s domination of the cobbled classics in April. His problems were compounded by crashes at the Tour of California and the Tour de Suisse.

  Meanwhile, Quick Step has looked to strengthen their line-up for next season. The team was heavily linked to Riccardo Riccò before he went to Vacansoleil, and has already confirmed the signings of Marc de Maar and Francesco Chicchi for 2011. Double Tour de France stage winner Sylvain Chavanel has also re-signed with Patrick Lefevere’s outfit for next year.