First Edition Cycling News, Wednesday, October 14, 2009

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October 14, 2009, 15:00

• AIGCP opposed to UCI's two-way radio ban

  

  Article published:

  October 13, 2009, 21:08

  By:

  Cycling News

  Association requests meeting with UCI

  The International Association of Professional Cycling teams (AIGCP) has requested a hearing with the International Cycling Union (UCI) regarding last month's decision by the UCI to implement a ban of two-way radios in races.

  The AIGCP met on Tuesday in Paris on the eve of the announcement of the 2010 Tour de France and will write to the UCI on the subject, according to AFP.

  "We do not want this to be a fait accompli," an AIGCP member told AFP. "The teams are opposed to this measure, but they are not opposed to an evolution. They are open to discussions on adjustments to make cycling more attractive to the media and the public."

  Ten ProTour teams and 12 Pro Continental teams attended Tuesday's meeting chaired by AIGCP president Jonathan Vaughters, general manager of the ProTour Garmin-Slipstream team.

  On September 23, the UCI's Management Committee met in Mendrisio, Switzerland and voted that the two-way radios currently used by riders and teams to exchange tactical and safety information should disappear from professional racing. The UCI plans to announce its timetable for implementing the ban in the coming weeks or months.

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• Cornu joins Skil-Shimano for 2010

  

  Article published:

  October 13, 2009, 21:52

  By:

  Cycling News

  Belgian signs one-year contract

  Dominique Cornu has signed a one-year contract with Skil-Shimano for the 2010 season, with the option of renewal for a further year, the team announced on Monday. The 24-year-old Belgian, the 2006 U23 world time trial champion, is looking to re-ignite his career with the Dutch Pro Continental team.

  "I carefully weighed my yes to Skil-Shimano," said Cornu. "I believe in the ambitions and the modern philosophy of this international team. In particular, I have high expectations of the intensive way riders are given guidance in various areas throughout the whole year. I want to use this guidance and meticulous support to improve further and take the next step. Then it’s down to me to deliver the goods."

  In addition to his 2006 U23 time trial world championship, Cornu won the Belgian time trial championship and finished third in the European Championships in the same category. The Beveren-born cyclist also placed fourth in the 2004 U23 Liege-Bastogne-Liege and seventh in the 2007 U23 Ronde van Vlaanderen

  In the elite category, Cornu won a stage of the Giro del Capo in 2008 while riding for Predictor-Lotto. Additional achievements last year were 46th overall in the Vuelta a España and third in the Belgian time trial championship.

  Cornu signed with Quick Step for the 2009 season and recently finished 14th in the time trial world championship held in Mendrisio, Switzerland. Cornu also finished third in the Belgian time trial championship, eighth overall in the Tour of Missouri and fifth in the Omloop Mandel-Leie-Schelde. In March, Cornu claimed the bronze medal in the individual pursuit at the track world championships held in Pruszkow, Poland.

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• Video: Interviews with industry figures from Interbike

  

  Article published:

  October 14, 2009, 08:07

  By:

  Cycling News

  Hincapie, Colnago, De Rosa amongst interviewees

  Cyclingnews’ video collection from the floor of Interbike’s trade show is now online, featuring some big names from within the cycling industry discussing new products for 2010 and future plans. The collection includes interviews with Ernesto Colnago and Christiano De Rosa, from the bike manufacturers of their respective last names.

  Cannondale’s Drew Hanna takes us through the company’s ground breaking suspension technology named SIMON, while Northwave’s John McKone shows us through the company’s collection. While we’re on the topic of footwear, Interbike debutant Bont also reveals the range its bringing to the American market.

  The collection isn’t only for the tech-heads, however, with Cyclingnews speaking to George Hincapie about his plans for the year ahead. For all these interviews and more, check out our Interbike video section.

• Cantwell planning to regain Sun Tour lead

  

  Article published:

  October 14, 2009, 09:39

  By:

  Cycling News

  Fly V Australia to play tactical battle for race lead

  Jonathan Cantwell is already planning ways to take the Jayco Herald Sun Tour’s yellow jersey back after sprint rival Chris Sutton (Garmin-Slipstream) took the race lead away by winning the third stage. Cantwell won the race’s preface stage, which didn’t count for the overall classification, but managed to take the race lead after finishing second to Sutton on stage two.

  "It was do or die day for me with those climbs but my team did a great job, 167k's on the front,” an upbeat Cantwell explained. “I am super confident we can get it (the yellow jersey) back.”

  Cantwell and his Fly V Australia squad has enjoyed a successful season this year, in the squad’s first year. The Scody Cup winner hopes to play a tactical battle to overcome the strength of Garmin’s roster, which includes 2009 Tour de France revelation and time trial specialist Bradley Wiggins.

  “Race dynamics change,” said Cantwell. “We'll sit tomorrow and let them (Garmin) do the work."

  While he lost the race lead to Sutton, Cantwell leads his compatriot in the sprinter’s classification by 12 points.

  Tomorrow’s fourth stage takes the peloton over 139 kilometres from Anglesea to Barwon Heads. It includes intermediate sprints at the Great Ocean Road Memorial Arch and at Moriac and a testing climb up Benwerrin.

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• Vandenbroucke’s parents thought he’d found stability

  

  Article published:

  October 14, 2009, 10:48

  By:

  Cycling News

  Friend staying with VdB informed them of death

  Jean-Jacques Vandenbroucke has revealed that son Frank’s friend and former team-mate Fabio Polazzi, who was staying in Senegal with the Belgian, informed him of the rider’s passing on Monday. He spoke to the media Tuesday for the first time since his son’s passing, as photos of the Senegalese hotel where the 34-year-old passed away came to light.

  Vandenbroucke’s father revealed that while he had been suicidal during parts of his life, he believed his son had been doing well recently. "It is like a bad dream," Vandenbroucke told Nieuwsblad.be. "What can I say about the loss of a child?

  "We have in the past sometimes been afraid we’d get this news. But not now,” he said. “In his private life he had come so far, we thought he had found stability. Frank was confident of finding another team and he was back to his weight from the great days. He wanted to train seriously this winter. "

  The rider’s father admitted that his son had previously expressed concerns over his own welfare. "After his arrest in 2002 Frank said to me ‘Dad, I fear for myself. My life is now very difficult, maybe it is over’,” he said.

  Vandenbroucke had called his parents after arriving in Senegal on Sunday. The next phone call they received came from Polazzi’s phone the following day.

  "He has called us from Senegal. He had bought a phone card Senegal because it would be easier,” he said. “The day of his death we were called to the number of Fabio. My wife took the call, but was addressed by a Senegalese policeman. By his accent they thought it was a joke, until Fabio got on the line, then we knew it was no joke. "

  With speculation rife over how Vandenbroucke passed away, his parents requested an autopsy be done by local authorities. Local gendarmerie declared yesterday that it would take place in Dakar over the next two days.

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• Vandenbroucke: Three persons arrested in connection to death

  

  Article published:

  October 14, 2009, 11:52

  By:

  Gregor Brown

  Police arrest three persons for stealing Frank Vandenbroucke's belongings

  In connection to Frank Vandenbroucke's death, police arrested three persons yesterday in Thies, Senegal, for stealing his money and mobile telephones. One person was the woman who passed the last night, Sunday, with Belgian Vandenbroucke.

  "The girl took one or two phones and money. But when she left [Monday] at dawn, she said he was still alive," an anonymous police source told AFP.

  The police arrested two men along with the woman in Thies, 70 kilometres east of Dakar.

  Staff at a seaside hotel in Saly (70 kilometres south of Dakar) found Vandenbroucke dead Monday. He travelled to Senegal on Sunday for vacation with a cyclist friend, Fabio Polazzi.

• Prudhomme presents 2010 Tour de France weighted with Pyrenean stages

  

  Article published:

  October 14, 2009, 13:59

  By:

  Gregor Brown

  Tour de France course includes massive Tourmalet stage four days to finish in Paris

  Tour de France director Christian Prudhomme presented the 2010 course today in Paris, France, to an audience that included past winners Alberto Contador and Lance Armstrong. The three-week stage race, July 3 to 25, includes six mountain stages, four are Pyrenean stages in the final week.

  "The Pyrénées will be crucial with three consecutive stages, and the last one only four days until the end of the Tour," said Prudhomme.

  The 97th Tour de France starts in Rotterdam, Netherlands, and ends in Paris. It travels clockwise: south to Belgium, eastern France, the Alps and then west to the Pyrénées before Paris.

  This year, the Alpine mountains were the final decisive stages. They come first next year, with stages to Morzine and Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne. The race takes in four transitional stages before the final mountain stages. Pyrenean mountain stages to Ax-3 Domaines, Luchon, Pau and Col du Tourmalet come in the final week of racing.

  The Col du Tourmalet comes only four days before the finish in Paris. The stage covers the Marie-Blanque and Soulor climbs before the Tourmalet mountaintop finish.

  "This is only the second time only since 1974 that the race finishes on Tourmalet, when Jean-Pierre Danguillaume won," said Prudhomme.

  There are two time trial stages. The race starts with a eight-kilometre prologue time trial stage in Rotterdam and ends with a 51-kilometre time trial to Pauillac on the penultimate day, stage 19.

  The 21 days of racing, with rest days, total 3596 kilometres. The longest stage is stage seven, Montargis to Gueugnon, 225 kilometres.

  Organiser Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO) held the presentation Palais des Congrès de Paris. The top three finishers of this year's race – Contador, Andy Schleck and Armstrong – and sprinter Mark Cavendish attended the presentation with other current and former professional cyclists.

  Spaniard Contador won his second Tour de France this year by 4'11" over Schleck (Saxo Bank) and 5'24" over Astana teammate Armstrong.

  Stage, Date, Cities, Distance
  P, July 3, Rotterdam - Rotterdam, 8km
  1, July 4, Rotterdam - Bruxelles, 224km
  2, July 5, Bruxelles - Spa, 192km
  3, July 6, Wanze - Arenberg Porte du Hainaut, 207km
  4, July 7, Cambrai - Reims, 150km
  5, July 8, Épernay - Montargis, 185km
  6, July 9, Montargis - Gueugnon, 225km
  7, July 10, Tournus - Station des Rousses, 161km
  8, July 11, Station des Rousses - Morzine-Avoriaz, 189km
  R, July 12, Morzine-Avoriaz
  9, July 13, Morzine-Avoriaz - Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne, 204km
  10, July 14, Chambéry - Gap, 179km
  11, July 15, Sisteron - Bourg-lès-Valence, 180km
  12, July 16, Bourg-de-Péage - Mende, 210km
  13, July 17, Rodez - Revel, 195km
  14, July 18, Revel - Ax-3 Domaines, 184km
  15, July 19, Pamiers - Bagnères-de-Luchon, 187km
  16, July 20, Bagnères-de-Luchon - Pau, 196km
  R, July 21, Pau
  17, July 22, Pau - Col du Tourmalet, 174km
  18, July 23, Salies-de-Béarn - Bordeaux, 190km
  19, July 24, Bordeaux - Pauillac, 51km
  20, July 25, Longjumeau - Paris Champs-Élysées, 105km
   

• Madiot wants pavés every year at the Tour de France

  

  Article published:

  October 14, 2009, 14:11

  By:

  Jean-François Quénet

  Française des Jeux manager enthusiastic about the cobbles for 2010

  Upon hearing of the 2010 Tour de France route when announced at the Palais des Congrès of Paris on Wednesday, Française des Jeux manager Marc Madiot was delighted to see the return of the pavés to the Tour in a substantial way for the first time in 25 years. The 207km stage three from Wanze - Arenberg Porte du Hainaut will not feature the section of cobblestones named after Madiot, but the stage could prove decisive in the overall classification.

  In 2004, Robbie McEwen took the yellow jersey in Wasquehal following a stage that was a light version of Paris-Roubaix with just 13.2km of pavés including 11km in the last 30 kilometres.

  Speaking of next year's stage three, Madiot said, "It will add a lot of stress and that's exactly what everybody looks for at the Tour de France. The adrenaline we could feel at the launch today, we'll feel it even more when the cobbles approach on July 6.

  "It will create a more active race. As there aren't time bonuses or a team time trial, time differences will be restricted between riders, so they'll be more eager to take their chance on a stage like number three in northern France."

  Madiot, a two-time winner of Paris-Roubaix (1985 and 1991), didn't consider the addition of more pavé from the Hell of the North an exceptional move. "Every year there should be pavés on the course!" he said firmly. "At least every year that the Tour goes to the north of France."

  "The Tour de France is supposed to crown the most complete rider. As there are mountains every year, there should be pavés every year."

  Commenting on how the pavés might affect the favorites, he said, "I'm not sure this plays against (two-time Tour de France winner Alberto) Contador. He's pretty agile on his bike. For him, there will more stress and tension. Shall he lose some time on that, he'll have plenty of opportunities to get the time back."

  Madiot was enthusiastic about the 2010 route, seeing its potential for an exciting race. "This goes against the scenarios written in advance."

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