First Edition Cycling News, Wednesday, August 19, 2009

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Date published:

August 19, 2009, 04:00

• Cancellara leads long list for Swiss Worlds team

  

  Article published:

  August 18, 2009, 11:23

  By:

  Susan Westemeyer

  Host nation has six spots in road race

  Olympic time trial champion Fabian Cancellara leads Switzerland's long list of an eventual six riders for the World Championships road race. The race will month in Mendrisio, Switzerland, September 27.

  Switzerland qualified for three riders in the championships, and as host nation has three more positions available. Two of the six riders may participate in the time trial.

  Cancellara (Saxo Bank) this season won the opening stage of the Tour de France and the prologue of the Tour of California. He dominated the Tour de Suisse, winning two stages, the points' ranking and the overall title. He is also current Swiss road champion.

  The Swiss federation also nominated Michael Albasini (Columbia-HTC) for the road team's long list. He won stages in the Vuelta al País Vasco and the Tour de Suisse, as well as a stage and the overall title in the Tour of Austria this year.

  Cancellara and Rubens Bertogliati (Diquigiovanni) should race the time trial, with three riders nominated as reserves.

  Switzerland will make its final time trial nominations September 7 and road race nominations September 14.

  Preliminary Swiss world championship selection, road race:
  Albasini Michael (Team Columbia HTC)
  Bertogliati Rubens (Serramenti PVC Diquigiovanni)
  Calcagni Patrick (Barloworld)
  Cancellara Fabian (Team Saxo Bank)
  Dietziker Andreas (Vorarlberg - Corratec)
  Frei Joel (Team Hörmann)
  Frei Thomas (BMC Racing Team)
  Frank Mathias (BMC Racing Team)
  Loosli David (Lampre – NGC)
  Morabito Steve (Astana)
  Rast Gregory (Astana)
  Stalder Florian (BMC Racing Team)
  Zaugg Oliver (Liquigas)

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• The Cyclingnews guide to rider transfers

  

  Article published:

  November 22, 2009, 09:35

  By:

  Tomas Nilsson

  Who's in, who's out and who's staying

  As the second half of the 2009 season rolls on, teams are already making preparations to confirm their rosters for next year. With a number of riders' contracts expiring and big teams like Team Sky and Team RadioShack set for the peloton the months ahead will be filled with a plethora of staff changes.

  As rider transfers in-and-out of teams whip into their traditional frenzy, it can be difficult to keep a track of who's going where.

  Bookmark this page and check back regularly as rumours make way for firm agreements and get up-to-the-minute news from Cyclingnews about who's going where in the transfer period.

  Follow Cyclingnews on Twitter for the very latest coverage of events taking place in the cycling world - twitter.com/cyclingnewsfeed

  AG2R La Mondiale

  In:

  Maxime Bouet
  David Le Lay
  

  Out:
  Aurélien Clerc
  Renaud Dion
  Cédric Pineau
  Alexandr Pliuschin (Katusha)
  Stéphane Poulhiès
  Jean-Charles Senac
  Blaise Sonnery
  Stéphane Goubert (retiring)

  Re-signed:
  Nicolas Roche

  Androni Giocattoli

  Re-signed
  Leonardo Bertagnolli

  Astana

  In:
  Gorazd Stangelj
  Paolo Tiralongo (Lampre)
  Alexandre Vinokourov
  David De la Fuente (Fuji-Servetto)
  Andriy Grivko (ISD-Neri)
  Gorazd Stangelj
  Mirko Selvaggi
   

  Out:
  Dmitriy Muravyev
  Lance Armstrong (RadioShack)
  Levi Leipheimer (RadioShack)
  Janez Brajkovič (RadioShack)
  Chris Horner (RadioShack)
  Sérgio Paulinho (RadioShack)
  Andreas Klöden (RadioShack)
  Steve Morabito (BMC)
  Dmitriy Muravyev (RadioShack)
  Yaroslav Popovych (RadioShack)
  Gregory Rast (RadioShack)
  José-Luis Rubiera (RadioShack)
  Michael Schär (BMC)
  Tomas Vaitkus (RadioShack)

  Re-signed:

  Barloworld

  Out:
  John-Lee Augustyn
  Francesco Bellotti
  Diego Caccia
  Steve Cummings
  Chris Froome
  Robert Hunter
  Paolo Longo Borghini
  Geraint Thomas
  Patrick Calcagni (retired)
  Giampaolo Cheula

  Bbox Bouygues Telecom

  In:
  Anthony Charteau
  Freddy Bichot
  

  Out:
  Julien Belgy
  Arnaud Labbe
  Evgeny Sokolov
  

  Re-signed:
  Yukiya Arashiro
  Yoann Gené
  Steve Chainel
  Damien Gaudin
  

  BMC Racing

  In:
  Cadel Evans
  Mauro Santambrogio
  Alexander Kristoff
  Alessandro Ballan
  George Hincapie
  Karsten Kroon
  Marcus Burghardt
  Steve Morabito
  Michael Schär

  Out:
  Tony Cruz

  Burgos Monumental - Castilla y Leon

  Out:
  Enrique Mata Cabello

  Caisse d'Epargne

  In:
  Marzio Bruseghin (Lampre)
  Juan José Cobo (Footon-Servetto)
  Christophe Moreau (Agritubel)
  Juan Mauricio Soler (Barloworld)

  Out:
  Daniel Moreno (Omega Pharma-Lotto)
  Joaquin Rodriguez (Katusha)
  Oscar Pereiro (Xaxobeo Galicia)
  Marlon Perez
  Anthony Charteau (BBox Bouygues Telecom)
  Nicolas Portal (Sky)
  
  Re-signed:
  Pablo Lastras
  David Arroyo
  Chente García
  Imanol Erviti
  Xabier Zandio

  Cervélo TestTeam

  In:
  Theo Bos
  Stefan Denifl

  Out:
  Hayden Roulston
  Serge Pauwels
  Simon Gerrans

  Re-signed:
  Heinrich Haussler
  Thor Hushovd
  Martin Reimer

  Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne

  In:
  Kevin Ista
  Jens Keukeleire
  Tony Gallopin (neo-pro)

  Out:
  Bingen Fernández (retired)

  Re-signed:
  David Moncoutié
  Jean-Eudes Demaret
  Julien El Fares
  Rein Tarramäe

  CSF Group - Navigare

  In:

  Out:
  Tiziano Dall'Antonia

  Re-signed:

  Elk Haus

  Out:
  Markus Eibegger
  Matthias Brandle
  Stefan Denifl

  Euskaltel - Euskadi

  In:
  Beñat Intxausti
  Gorka Izagirre Insausti
  Romain Sicard

  Out:
  Mikel Astarloza (Suspended)
  Jorge Azanza (Esp)
  Markel Irizar (RadioShack)
  Inigo Landaluze (Suspended)
  

  Re-signed:

  Française Des Jeux

  In:
  Thibault Pinot (neo-pro)

  Out:
  Jerôme Coppel (Saur Sojasun)
  Sébastien Joly (Saur Sojasun)
  Guillaume Levarlet (Saur Sojasun)

  Re-signed:

  Footon-Servetto

  In:
  Michele Merlo (Barloworld)
  David Vitoria (Rock Racing)
  David Gutiérrez Gutiérrez
  David Gutiérrez Palacios
  Rafael Valls (Burgos Monumental)
  Miguel Ángel Rubiano
  Tom Faiers
  Giampaolo Cheula (Barloworld)
  Pedro Merino
  Enrique Mata Cabello
  Markus Eibegger
  Matthias Brandle (Elk Haus)
  Iban Mayoz Exteberria

  Out:
  Beñat Intxausti (Euskaltel-Euskadi)
  Ivan Dominguez (Jamis Sutter Home)
  Fredrik Kessiakoff (Garmin)
  Paolo Bailetti (Ceramica Flaminia)
  Juan José Cobo (Caisse d'Epargne)
  David De la Fuente (Astana)
  Robert Kiserlowski (Liquigas)
  Daniele Nardello (retired)
  Ricardo Serrano (Suspended)
  Davide Vigano (Team Sky)

  Re-signed:
  Eros Capecchi
  Arkaitz Durán
  Alberto Benítez
  Ermanno Capelli

  Garmin - Slipstream

  In:
  Robbie Hunter (Barloworld)
  Michel Kreder (Rabobank Continental)
  Johan Van Summeren (Silence-Lotto)
  Tom Zirbel (Bissell)
  Peter Stetina (neo-pro)
  Fredrik Kessiakoff (Fuji-Servetto)
  Travis Meyer

  Out:
  Will Frischkorn (retired)
  Huub Duyn
  Kilian Patour (retired)
  Michael Friedman
  Chris Sutton (Team Sky)

  Re-signed:

  ISD

  In:
  Diego Caccia
  Paolo Longo Borghini
  José Rujano

  Lampre - N.G.C

  In:
  Grega Bole (Amica Chips)
  Danilo Hondo (PSK Whirlpool)
  Alessandro Petacchi (LPR Brakes)
  Diego Ulissi (neo-pro)
  Adriano Malori (neo-pro)

  Out:
  Alessandro Ballan (BMC)
  Marzio Bruseghin (Caisse d'Epargne)
  Mauro Santambrogio (BMC)

  Re-signed:

  Liquigas

  In:
  Mauro Finetto
  Robert Kiserlovski
  Elia Viviani (neo-pro)
  Francesco Bellotti (Barloworld)
  Davide Cimolai (neo-pro)
  Tiziano Dall'Antonia (CSF Navigare)
  Kristjan Koren
  Maciej Paterski (neo-pro)
  Peter Sagan (neo-pro)
  Mauro Finetto (CSF Group-Navigare)
  Robert Kiserlovski (Fuji-Servetto)
  Elia Viviani (neo-pro)

  Out:
  

  Kjell Carlstrom (Sky)
  Enrico Franzoi (BKCP-Powerplus)

  Re-signed:
  Valerio Agnoli
  Ivan Basso
  Daniele Bennati
  Maciej Bodnar
  Jacopo Guarnieri
  Roman Kreuziger
  Aliaksandr Kuchynski
  Vincenzo Nibali
  Daniel Oss
  Franco Pellizotti
  Manuel Quinziato
  Fabio Sabatini
  Ivan Santaromita
  Sylwester Szmyd
  Brian Vandborg
  Alessandro Vanotti
  Frederik Willems
  Oliver Zaugg

  Quick Step

  In:

  Out:
  Dominique Cornu (Skil-Shimano)
  Steven De Jongh (Retired)
  Sebastien Rosseler (RadioShack)

  Re-signed:
  Eddy Engels
  Kevin Van Impe

  Rabobank

  In:
  Dennis van Winden
  Steven Kruijswijk

  Out:
  Juan Antonio Flecha (Sky)
  Mathew Hayman (Sky)
  Bram de Groot (retiring)

  Re-signed:
  Tom Leezer
  Bauke Mollema
  Mauricio Ardila
  Graeme Brown
  Grischa Niermann
  Paul Martens

  Skil-Shimano

  In:
  Dominique Cornu (Quick Step)
  Frederik Wilmann
  Alexandre Geniez

  Out:
  Cyril Lemoine
  Jonathan Hivert

  Re-signed:
  Fumiyuki Beppu
  Kenny van Hummel
  Albert Timmer
  Piet Rooijakkers
  Koen de Kort
  Simon Geschke
  Thierry Huppond
  Tom Veelers
  Roy Curvers
  Robert Wagner
  Floris Goesinnen
  David Deroo

  Omega Pharma-Lotto

  In:
  Jan Bakelants (negotiations underway)
  Adam Blythe
  Kenny Dehaes (Katusha - June 09)
  Jurgen Van Goolen (Saxo Bank)
  Daniel Moreno (Caisse d'Epargne)
  Jean-Christophe Peraud
  
  Out:
  Cadel Evans (BMC)
  Roy Sentjens (Milram)
  Pieter Jacobs (Topsport Vlaanderen)
  Gery Gardeyn
  Bart Dockx (Landboukrediet Colnago)
  Gorik Gardeyn (Vacansoleil)
  Johan Van Summeren (Garmin)

  Re-signed:
  Olivier Kaisen

  Team Columbia - HTC

  In:
  Aleksejs Saramotins
  Rasmus Guldhammer
  Leigh Howard
  Jan Bakelants
  Jan Ghyselink
  Tejay van Garderen (Rabobank Cont.)
  Patrick Getsch
  Martin Velits (Milram)
  Peter Velits (Milram)
  Hayden Roulston (Cervelo)

  Out:
  George Hincapie (BMC)
  Marcus Burghardt (BMC)
  Edvald Boasson Hagen (Sky)
  Thomas Lövkvist (Sky)
  Greg Henderson (Sky)
  Kim Kirchen (Katusha)
  Morris Possoni (Sky)

  Re-signed:
  Tony Martin
  Marcel Sieberg

  Team Katusha

  In:
  Joaquin Rodriguez (Caisse d'Epargne)
  Kim Kirchen (Columbia)
  Eduard Vorganov (Xacobeo Galicia)

  Out:
  Geert Steegmans (RadioShack)

  Re-signed:
  Danilo Napolitano

  Team Milram

  In:
  Luke Roberts
  Roy Sentjens
  Wim De Vocht
  Roger Kluge
  Dominik Nerz

  Out:
  Martin Velits (Columbia HTC)
  Peter Velits(Columbia HTC)
  Martin Müller (retired)
  Ronny Scholz (retired)
  Christian Kux

  Re-signed:
  Servais Knaven
  Björn Schröder
  Robert Förster
  Dominik Roels

  Team RadioShack

  In:
  Lance Armstrong
  Dmitriy Muravyev
  Levi Leipheimer
  Sergio Paulinho
  Gregory Rast
  Geert Steegmans
  Tomas Vaitkus
  Andreas Klöden
  Chris Horner
  Janez Brajkovič
  Dmitriy Muravyev

  Team Saxo Bank

  In:
  Laurent Didier
  Baden Cooke (Vacansoleil)
  Richie Porte

  Out:
  Kurt Asle Arvesen (Sky)
  Karsten Kroon (BMC)
  Jurgen Van Goolen (Omega Pharma-Lotto)

  Re-signed:
  Frank Høj
  Kasper Klostergård
  Jens Voight
  Anders Lund

  Team Sky

  In:
  Kurt Asle Arvesen (Saxo Bank)
  John Lee Augustyn (Barloworld)
  Edvald Boasson Hagen (Columbia-HTC)
  Kjell Carlström (Liquigas)
  Juan Antonio Flecha (Rabobank)
  Simon Gerrans (Cervelo)
  Mathew Hayman (Rabobank)
  Gregory Henderson (Columbia-HTC)
  Thomas Lövkvist (Columbia-HTC)
  Lars Petter Nordhaug
  Morris Possoni (Columbia-HTC)
  Ian Stannard (ISD)
  Geraint Thomas (Barloworld)
  Steve Cummings (Barloworld)
  Russell Downing
  Peter Kennaugh
  Chris Froome (Barloworld)
  Chris Sutton (Garmin)
  Michael Barry (Columbia-HTC)
  Serge Pauwels (Cervelo)
  Sylvain Calzati (Agritubel)
  Nicolas Portal

  Topsport Vlaanderen-Mercator

  In:
  Grégory Joseph

  Vacansoleil

  In:
  Romain Feillu (Agritubel)
  Brice Feillu (Agritubel)
  Alberto Ongarato (LPR Brakes)
  Gorik Gardeyn (Silence-Lotto)
  Rob Ruijgh

  Out:
  Clément L'hotellerie
  Baden Cooke (Saxo Bank)
  Aart Vierhouten (retired)
  Thijs van Amerongen
  Gerben Löwik
  Reinier Honig
  Wim De Vocht

  Re-signed:
  Borut Bozic
  Wouter Mol

  Team Vorarlberg-Corratec

  In:
  Piergiorgio Camussa (Team Piemonte)

  Re-signed:
  Christoph Sokoll
  Josef Benetseder
  Silvere Ackermann
  Reto Hollenstein
  Matic Strgar
  Andrea Capelli

  Xacobeo Galicia

  In:
  Nelson Oliveira

  Out:
  David Herrero
  Iban Mayoz
  Ivan Rana
  Eduard Vorganov
  Juan Francisco Mouron Doldan
  Alejandro Paleo
  Héctor Espasandin Rama
  Pedro Fernandez
  Iban Mayoz Exteberria

  Re-signed:
  Gustavo Dominguez
  Ezequiel Mosquera
  David Garcia
  Gustavo Cesar Veloso

  Follow Cyclingnews on Twitter for the very latest coverage of events taking place in the cycling world - twitter.com/cyclingnewsfeed

• Skyter Shipping to take over Equipe Nürnberger sponsorship

  

  Article published:

  August 18, 2009, 13:47

  By:

  Susan Westemeyer

  Yacht company Skyter replaces insurance company Nürnberger Versicherung after 10 years

  Equipe Nürnberger Versicherung will have a new sponsor next season, Skyter Shipping. The international yacht company will take over sponsorship of the women's team as of January 1, the team announced Tuesday at a press conference in Nürnberg, Germany.

  Nürnberger Versicherung, a German insurance company, has sponsored the women's team for ten years. This year's team features time trial World Champion Amber Neben of the USA, former World Champion Regina Schleicher and German Champion Trixi Worrack. The team has 14 victories this year and is currently third in the International Cycling Union's team rankings.

  Skyter is a Luxembourg-based company that purchases, sells and charters yachts of 30 metres in length and up. It started time-sharing yachts for a specified number of weeks per year. Skyter GmbH is the firm's German branch, based in Fürth, near Nürnberg.

  The company also sponsors car racing, both the European Ferrari Challenge race series and the ADAC GT Masters race series in Germany.

  Follow Cyclingnews on Twitter for the very latest coverage of events taking place in the cycling world - twitter.com/cyclingnewsfeed

• Petacchi searches for new team, major races

  

  Article published:

  August 18, 2009, 14:00

  By:

  Gregor Brown

  LPR Brakes searches for new sponsorship, but Alessandro Petacchi to leave one year early

  Italian sprinter Alessandro Petacchi says he is ready to leave LPR Brakes one year early in order to find a new team that can offer guaranteed participation in top races. Petacchi, who has won four Tour de France stage in his career, is in negotiations with top-level ProTour teams for the 2010 season.

  "What races can I do in this second part of the season? Coppa Bernocchi, but then I don't know what else," Petacchi told La Gazzetta dello Sport. "I don't have the certainty of a specific schedule and without the Vuelta a España and Paris-Tours the motivation is no longer very high."

  Petacchi won two stages and wore the leader's jersey for one day in this year's Giro d'Italia. His stage wins and the second overall of Danilo Di Luca was viewed as a success for the second-division team of Fabio Bordonali. However LPR Brakes have struggled since, with non-invites to several important races and the recent news that Di Luca doped during the Giro.

  Di Luca faces a likely two-year suspension for using banned blood booster Erythropoietin (EPO) - CERA.

  "I think it is unlikely that I will remain," said Petacchi. "LPR is leaving and Bordonali is forced to find an important replacement. Towards the end of the Giro the team shared some great feelings, but now I no longer feel content."

  Italy's LPR Brakes has a two-year contract with Bordonali that ends this year. The team is currently in negotiations with LPR Brakes and other companies for 2010 and beyond, Bordonali told Cyclingnews.

  Petacchi, 35, has won 15 races since he joined LPR Brakes one year ago. He won the Paris-Tours in 2007 and has claimed 19 stages of the Vuelta a España in his career. Both are races that LPR Brakes will miss this season's end.

  "I understand his [lack of] motivation," said Bordonali told La Gazzetta dello Sport. "If Alessandro would no longer like to continue with us, I won't do anything to hold him back."

  Petacchi's agent has a meeting with the manager of ProTour team Lampre-NGC, Giuseppe Saronni, tomorrow.  Petacchi believes that he can race at the upper level for another two to three years.

  Follow Cyclingnews on Twitter for the very latest coverage of events taking place in the cycling world - twitter.com/cyclingnewsfeed

• Bill Stapleton, CSE will own, manage Team RadioShack

  

  Article published:

  August 18, 2009, 19:28

  By:

  Bruce Hildenbrand

  Long-time Armstrong agent and business partner outlines goals for 2010

  While the announcement of Team RadioShack generated much buzz at the Tour de France, details were in short supply. While things are still falling into place for the new squad, Bill Stapleton, Lance Armstrong's long-time agent and partner at Capital Sports & Entertainment (CSE) which owned and managed the US Postal and Discovery Channel squads and now owns and is managing Team RadioShack, discussed the team's plans for the 2010 season.

  The team is actively trying to get a ProTour license for 2010, but, while Johan Bruyneel is the name most associated with the sporting aspect of the squad, if a ProTour license is granted it will be in Bill Stapleton's name. "We are going back to a similar structure under which we ran the Discovery Channel team where the license is held by an American company that is run by Bart [Knaggs] and I and Johan owns a piece of," said Stapleton.

  Stapleton acknowledges that the squad will be built around Lance. With Armstrong's minimalist racing schedule, does the team really need a ProTour license? "Obviously, I think that would guarantee us admittance into the Tour de France which is important. Outside of that I don't think there is a major difference given the calendar that our team is likely to race," said Stapleton.

  While his 2010 racing schedule is likely to be very similar to 2009, Stapleton notes that there will be a potential conflict between the Tour of California and the Giro d'Italia, both of which are scheduled for mid-May. "Lance felt very good about how the Giro rode him into form. I know that is an old school approach to it, but it worked."

  Both races have their positives. "It [the Giro] is a longer race than California so that is the one side. The other side is that Tour of California is an American race. We want to support American racing and people want to see Lance racing in America," said Stapleton.

  After his success at the Leadville 100, Lance is also looking to do some more mountain bike races including the Cape Epic stage race in South Africa. "He really loves it [MTB racing] and RadioShack is very supportive of him doing things outside like that," said Stapleton.

  But, Stapleton is quick to admit that the primary goal for Lance and the team in 2010 is the Tour de France. When asked if Lance can be competitive in France at the age of 38 he said, "another year of training versus another biological year, he will be better off," citing Armstrong's 30-minute improvement in his race time in Leadville this year over 2008.

  In 2009 Lance did not take a salary from Team Astana, however, Stapleton said that Armstrong will draw a paycheck. "He's going to get paid fairly for what he does." Stapleton also added that Lance will continue to work on global cancer initiatives.

  CSE has a two-year contract with its title sponsor and with rights to renew. Will the new racing kit feature the name "RadioShack" or the new marketing moniker "The Shack"? "We don't know yet. We are still early in the design process and are still working on other sponsors to fill out the roster so we really haven't gotten to the question yet," said Stapleton.

  Some of the secondary sponsors will be long-term partners such as Nike, Trek, Giro and SRAM, but the team is looking to bring in one to three second-tier level sponsors, big American brand companies, similar to what the US Postal and Discovery Channel teams had with the semiconductor manufacturer Advanced Micro Devices(AMD). Livestrong will also be a sponsor.

  Several ProTour teams, including Astana, utilize an internal testing program on their riders. Stapleton acknowledges that with the biological passport program and the out-of-competition testing the internal programs become duplicative citing the number and quality of the testing Lance underwent in 2009. "We are going to take a look at whether that is a necessary project or not," said Stapleton.

  Team RadioShack would like to bring some of Lance's Astana teammates to the squad. "That is all tied up in Alberto Contador right now," said Stapleton. "That is the first chip that will fall in what happens with all those guys. Some of those guys have contracts for next year just like he does. Yes, there are guys there that we want."

  The Trek-Livestrong U23 team will serve as a farm team with a few riders, yet to be determined, being brought up to the RadioShack squad. Stapleton clarifies that they would like to build a real franchise over the next five to 10 years and growing riders through the Trek-Livestrong team is a key part of that.

  One critical component that has still not fallen in place is the man who guided Lance to seven Tour wins. "The hope is that Johan will be part of this team in a similar role as he has had with this team in the past, but we are still working this through that with Astana," said Stapleton.

• Pic to direct Colavita-Sutter Home women's team in 2010

  

  Article published:

  August 18, 2009, 21:00

  By:

  Kirsten Frattini

  Six-time national criterium champion will co-direct with current teammate Rachel Heal

  After recently announcing her retirement from professional bike racing, American sprinter Tina Pic confirmed that she will co-direct the Colavita-Sutter Home women's professional team in 2010.

  "We are hoping to bring the team up another level," said Pic. "We'll see, we just started and there is still racing going on. It's tough to try to finish off this season and work on the team for next year."

  Current rider, Rachel Heal, will co-direct the team alongside Pic. Heal is a long-time member of the British National team. She came to the USA to compete for the trade team Victory Brewing in 2006 and went on to race for Team TIBCO before joining the Colavita-Sutter Home team last year. The pair will take over the directorship from Iona Wynter-Parks.

  "We had always wanted this team to run well," said Pic. "Iona said she was going to do it last year but that she could only do it for one year. So, I was next up. I wasn't sure if it was something I wanted to do alone so when Rachel said she wanted to direct too, we decided to do it together."

  Pic announced her retirement from professional cycling after winning her sixth national criterium title. Her victory capped off a 13-year professional cycling career and thousands of Pic-fans gathered at the podium presentation to bid her a final farewell as she prepared for retirement at the end of this month.

  When asked if winning the jersey for a sixth time would motivate her to reconsider racing next year, Pic said, "no, I don't think so. I don't know what made me decide to retire this year. I was going to retire last year and I really wanted to have one more fun year. My husband Chris [Pic] was telling me that I travel so much, but I just wanted to have a fun year with a great group of girls."

  Pic is one of the most decorated cyclists in the North American women's peloton-she won the US National Criterium Championships in Downers Grove on six occasions along with the overall National Racing Calendar (NRC) championship title five times. She raced to victory in nearly every major criterium in the nation.

  She began her professional career in 1996 after winning the Collegiate National Championship for the University of Georgia the year prior. She married former pro cyclist Chris Pic, and recently picked up water skiing as a new favourite past-time.

  "We just got a boat so I've been water skiing a lot lately," said Pic. "I love it, it's different. We [the team] all started to learn to water ski. It's so fun, we've all been trying to learn together on Lake Lanier. The girls come to stay with me and we all try it."

  Pic is a graduate of the University of Virginia with degrees in Finance and Marketing. She switched from triathlons and duathlons to cycling while at the University of Georgia where she'd enrolled in pre-med classes to pursue a career in orthopedic surgery.

  When asked what her future plans might include once she decides to exit the cycling industry, her response was, "I don't know. Something in real life I guess."

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• Sastre to support Alonso at European Grand Prix

  

  Article published:

  August 18, 2009, 22:32

  By:

  Cycling News

  Spanish rider taking a break from competition

  With the bulk of his season completed, Carlos Sastre will support friend and compatriot Fernando Alonso at this weekend’s European Grand Prix in Valencia. While Sastre has been a long-time supporter of Formula One, this weekend’s race will be the first time he’s seen an event in person.

  “Due to commitments in my sport, I have never before been able to attend a race,” said Sastre. “This year though, my season is already over so I am able to go to Valencia to enjoy the show."

  Sastre was delighted to hear Alonso would be competing this weekend after having a ban against his team overturned. “It’s great news,” said Sastre. “The two of us have a good friendship. This winter we trained on our bikes together in Portugal and now I will be able to see him and cheer him on in this race."

  Alonso is also a huge supporter of cycling, with rumours circulating earlier in the year that the Spanish driver was interested in launching his own professional cycling outfit as soon as 2010. Reigning Tour de France champion Alberto Contador has been linked to an Alonso-owned or supported outfit, but neither side has confirmed the reports or even whether such a team will go ahead.

• Armstrong to join Proman-Hitsquad after retirement in 2010

  

  Article published:

  August 19, 2009, 02:22

  By:

  Kirsten Frattini

  Former world champion to develop future talents after retirement

  Kristin Armstrong will bring her world-class expertise to the California-based Proman-Hitsquad women’s cycling team in 2010. The Olympic Games gold medallist and former UCI World Time Trial Champion, who currently rides for Cervelo Test Team, announced that she would retire from bike racing after next month’s International Cycling Union World Road Championships in Mendrisio, Switzerland.

  Team manager Nicola Cranmer said Armstrong’s involvement will provide the team with more sponsorship opportunities. “Kristin's exact role will be determined over the next few weeks," said Cranmer. “She’s really excited and I couldn’t be happier. She has a lot of energy and a lot to offer. She brings a level of experience and professionalism that is unmatched.

  “She is so dedicated to developing women’s cycling and our focus on the junior program was really attractive to her,” she added. “Her focus is on the World Championships at the end of the season and she felt that now is the time to give back.”

  The start of Armstrong’s next endeavor is aimed at helping develop women’s cycling in North America. She recently launched the Kristin Armstrong Cycling Academy, based in her home city of Boise, Idaho, designed to develop junior level cyclists aged 15-18 within the United States of America.

  “She really wants to share her knowledge with junior riders,” said Cranmer. “She mentored our team at the Nature Valley Grand Prix this year where we had a small, young team. She looked further at our program and called me to say she really wanted to work without us. Kristin is just exactly what we needed. The program will be development-based, but we will also have some key elite riders too.”

  The Proman-Hitsquad Professional Cycling Team began in 2006 under Cranmer’s direction. Recently it has placed an emphasis on the development young American riders.

  Coryn Rivera is an example of several junior athletes that have benefitted from the team’s guidance over the past three years. Rivera, 16, is a 24-time US national champion who has displayed her versatility in road, cyclo-cross and track. Rivera has enjoyed a break-out year, winning races at the elite/professional level in Manhattan Beach Grand Prix, San Rafael Twilight and the Cascade Cycling Classic stage four criterium.

  “Last year we decided to have a junior program and it added a lot of depth to our team,” said Cranmer. “Kristin is a mentor to Coryn. It’s fun to work with the juniors and there really aren’t many opportunities for them in the professional peloton.

  “People like Rivera and [Ruth] Winder, we put them in with the pros and they really excel,” she added. “You’re really only as good as your opponents are so it’s giving them an opportunity.”

  Shelley Olds joined the team in its inaugural season and is an example of the team’s efforts in developing elite riders. This year Olds sprang on to the National Racing Calendar (NRC) circuit as a top American sprinter, winning the Tulsa Tough omnium followed by a podium finish in Philadelphia’s famed Liberty Classic in June. Olds’ achievements earned her a spot on the US National Team to participate in the Giro d’ Italia femminile, where she went on to place second on stage eight.

  While there will continue to be a focus on the development of young talents, the 2010 roster will be bolstered by the addition of four to five elite American riders. Those riders will be determined at a later date.

  “The riders we are looking at have Olympic potential,” said Cranmer. “That’s really important for us because even though our team has been very small, we’ve been developing a model to take riders like Olds and [Rachel] Lloyd who have Olympic potential and give them a little more personal attention and flexibility to do national team projects. We are not just chasing NRC points but really trying to develop champions.”

  The 2009 roster included elite riders Olds along with Carri Higgins, Rachel Lloyd, Lorraine Jarvis, Rachel Neylan, Christen King and Hanan Alves-Hyde. Development riders include Rivera, Winder and junior riders Christina Yglesias, Nikka Van Den Dries and Claire Jensen.

  The team’s 2010 roster is expected to be released soon.

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