Second Edition Cycling News, Friday, December 18, 2009

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Date published:

December 18, 2009, 20:00

• Ullrich set to keep Olympic medals

  

  Article published:

  December 18, 2009, 10:59

  By:

  Susan Westemeyer

  IOC head says Olympics will continue to support cycling and the UCI

  Jan Ullrich is likely to keep his medals from the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, according to Jacques Rogge, head of the International Olympic Committee. The IOC is investigating stories of his use of doping, but so far has no conclusive evidence to take action against the German. Rogge also said that the IOC will continue to support cycling and the International Cycling Union (UCI).

  Ullrich won the gold medal in the road race and silver in the individual time trial at the 2000 Olympic Games.

  Interviewed in the German news magazine Die Welt, Rogge said that the IOC has studied not only the report from the Freiburg University Clinic Commission but has also received over 2000 pages of documents from the German Bundeskriminalamt (Federal Police). These latter documents must still be translated from German, so that the IOC's Disciplinary Committee can study them, which is expected to happen before the Winter Games in Vancouver, February 12-28.

  In the meantime, German-reading IOC employees have looked at the documents with the result that “we couldn't find any traces of really solid evidence. But we will stay on the matter. You need evidence to be able to convict someone.”

  Ullrich was suspended and later fired from T-Mobile in 2006 for his involvement with Operacion Puerto. He announced his retirement from the sport in February 2007, and that same year, DNA testing matched him to blood taken into custody during the Operacion Puerto.

  Rogge acknowledged that Ullrich had been linked with Dr. Eufemiano Fuentes, but said that “from the sport side we have no evidence that is strong enough – nothing that we could call a smoking gun.” The only positive test in Ullrich's career was for out-of-competition amphetamine use, for which he was suspended in 2002.

  “There are no reports of possession of drugs or doping preparations. There is much speculation but in the end, you can suspend someone only with conclusive evidence.”

  He said that, “cycling has a doping problem. There is no doubt about that. There are two reasons for it: the number of races and the fact that cycling is possibly the hardest endurance sport there is.”

  However Rogge supported the UCI in its fight against doping “As long as a federation really undertakes a maximum of measures against doping, we must support them. And we have to protect the clean athletes.”

  The UCI conducts the third most doping controls in sports, 13,000 to 15,000 a year. The football federation FIFA conducts the most (26,000 to 33,000), followed by track and field with 20,000 to 22,000.

   

  Tags:

  doping

  operacion puerto

  Olympic games

• Brice Feillu looks to shine at Vacansoleil

  

  Article published:

  December 18, 2009, 11:05

  By:

  Hedwig Kröner

  If not the Tour, then "perhaps the Giro" for the 2009 Tour stage winner

  Brice Feillu, the younger of the Feillu brothers, has just completed his first training camp with his new team Vacansoleil in Benidorm, Spain. The young climber was happy to have met all of his new teammates and has indicated his early season goals, while hoping that his new team will be invited to the sport's biggest races.

  "I'm flying back to Nice today, and just said goodbye to all of my teammates," Feillu told Cyclingnews on Friday morning. "It was just a short week but it was nice. We all got along really well."

  After an administrative, three-day meet, the team began a more training-specific camp, working out on the bike as well as doing some swimming. Racing programmes were established and plans plotted for the coming season.

  "I'll start with the GP La Marseillaise, and then I'll do the Tour Méditerranéen before the Ruta del Sol. After that, we'll see. It depends on the wildcards our team gets - if we do Paris-Nice or not. We hope we do!"

  Being a Pro Continental team, Vacansoleil, isn’t guaranteed an invite to the "race to the sun", organised by Tour de France owner ASO. However, if the team - and notably the Feillu brothers - score good results early in the season, chances are the Dutch team will be at the start of the French stage race.

  "I think it's possible. We have to be good right from the start of the season, and I think we have the team to do that. Especially the French races: La Marseillaise, Bessèges, Tour Méd. We have to shine in these events to prove to ASO that we deserve to have our place in Paris-Nice, and later in the Tour de France."

  On the subject of the Tour de France, Feillu knows that it will not be easy for Vacansoleil to be granted an entry, with several high-profile squads also relying on a wildcard. "Certainly, with Cadel Evans signing for BMC, it has become even harder for us," he said. "Before that, BMC wasn't really a candidate for the Tour, but now, they have a great chance."

  Feillu owes his recent fame to a Tour de France stage win this summer, which gave him further motivation and higher goals for the coming year - as well as a new team, in which he enjoys a leadership status he did not have before. He explained that his and his brother's choice to sign with Vacansoleil was also due to this.

  "We'll do well in this team," he said. "The sports directors trust us, and we can race all the races we want. If we show that we're competitive, we are the ones to choose our races, and that feels good. In a ProTour team, even if I already won a stage at the Tour, you always have to fight for your position, whereas in this team, we enjoy a certain leadership already.

  "At Agritubel, it wasn't easy for me to get selected for the Tour de France. In fact, I only knew one week before the race that I was going to do it. So I didn't come to the Tour well-prepared mentally at all. At Vacansoleil, I will be a team leader for mountainous stage races, so this gives me a peace of mind."

  Feillu did not deny that it would be a setback if the squad wasn't to participate. Still, "the Tour is not the only race. I know that Vacansoleil has applied for a wildcard with the Giro d'Italia organisers. Maybe we'll get selected. If we do, I would like to do the Giro. There is also the Dauphiné Libéré. We'll see."

   

• Cavendish and Greipel to ride Vuelta together?

  

  Article published:

  December 18, 2009, 11:12

  By:

  Shane Stokes

  Worlds may prompt Columbia HTC's two sprinters to share spoils in Grand Tour

  With the thoughts of a rainbow jersey spurring him on, Mark Cavendish is likely to make his Vuelta a España debut in 2010, and could find himself working alongside Columbia HTC’s other big sprinter, Andre Greipel in the race.

  As his autobiography Boy Racer outlines, the two have had a tense relationship in the past, although it is believed that they are now on better terms than before. They have not shared the billing in a major race recently, though, and the Vuelta – or perhaps the Tour before that – could see the team try to juggle the two sprinters and work out a way for both to shine.

  “Cavendish and Greipel both want to come to the Vuelta – they want to do it as the worlds are after that,” revealed Columbia HTC’s Allan Peiper at Wednesday’s route launch in Seville.

  “I’d say that any sprinter who wants to be world champion has to be in the Vuelta. I won’t say they have to go to Madrid, but it would be ideal; you have still got two weeks, as the worlds is on a week later next year. You can fly the Tuesday after the Vuelta finishes, giving you 12 days in Australia to get over the jetlag, see the course, freshen up. It would be actually perfect.”

  The road race in Geelong is regarded as the first real sprinter’s course since Zolder in 2002. Cavendish is one of several sprinters who have indicated that the race is a major target and, if recent history is to be relied upon, the winner in Australia will almost certainly have competed in the Spanish Tour beforehand.

  In order to give both riders an equal chance – and thus double the team’s potential to have its first world road race champion - Columbia HTC could be fielding two big sprinters in the Vuelta. Cavendish won six stages at this year’s Tour de France, while Greipel landed four stages plus the points jersey in Spain. Both would clearly want to add to their Grand Tour success rate, and so some degree of compromise would form the basis for a successful collaboration.

  “The discussion point at the moment is how it might work,” said Peiper. “They have both got aspirations to be world champion, so they probably both want to be in the Vuelta. Especially now, seeing the course.

  “As regards the Tour de France, that is still an open question. Obviously Mark is the lead guy, he is the main sprinter and Andre understands that. So we are just working out a programme now that fits with both of them and works. If Mark has got aspirations of the green jersey and also being world champion, his race programme needs to work around that.”

  Speaking to Cyclingnews after winning the points jersey in the Vuelta, Greipel said that he wanted the chance to race in France in July. “I would like to do the Tour [at least] once,” he said. “I hope it’s next season.”

  If that does happen, Peiper doesn’t envisage one leading out the other, even if that combination sounds like it could ensure even greater Columbia HTC domination. Outright speed is important, of course, but so too the almost –telepathic understanding between the sprinter and the rider who is the last to pull off before the line.

  “In Mark Renshaw, we have got the best lead-out guy in the business…in fact, possibly the best in the last ten years,” explains Peiper. “He is a good sprinter in his own right, but he has that intrinsic intelligence of the sprint. He knows exactly where his man is on his hip, he knows exactly all the circumstances around him and where he has to go. He is the man who depicts how the sprint is going to be started, how the team has got to ride – he even talks about the tactics himself before the start. That takes a hell of a lot of pressure off Mark Cavendish.

  “So even with Greipel possibly going to the Tour, we would still have Renshaw there as the pull-man.”

  
  2010 Vuelta made for sprinters

  The Briton and the German are far from the only sprinters who will want to compete in the Vuelta. The nature of the worlds, the timing of that race and even the pattern of the Vuelta stages will all entice others to take part in the Grand Tour.

  “Even though it is a really hard Vuelta, there are enough stages for the sprinters to like it… From what I have seen there are eight definite sprint stages…for us, that is going to be good for the green jersey and individual stages wins,” Peiper said.

  “The notable thing is that the race is really well spread out. It is not like a week of flat stages and then mountain stages, but rather one flat stage and then a mountain stage. Not four days back-to-back in the mountains like in the Pyrenees or in the Alps. You are constantly getting a mix. Perhaps the last week is a little bit more difficult, but there are still several opportunities.

  “It’s going to be perfect for the worlds. The danger was that if the last week was just mountain stages, the sprinters would be killing themselves then, losing all their speed. They don’t have to worry about that.”

  Traditionally, the sprinters who ride the Vuelta have gone home before the end of the race, doing perhaps two weeks and then calling it quits. The timing of the calendar in 2010 may well entice them to continue on to the finish, raising the potential of a real head to head between the sport’s fastest riders in Madrid.

  “The worlds is a week later and that is going to change things,” Peiper pointed out. “The last week has that final stage in Madrid plus, I think, two more flat stages. After the race finishes the riders will still have two weeks to go to the worlds, giving them plenty of time to travel, recover, see the course and be ready. And for the time trial guys, they have two weeks between the Vuelta TT and the TT at the worlds. That too is perfect.”

   

• Italy suspends Junior rider for 21 months

  

  Article published:

  December 18, 2009, 11:36

  By:

  Cycling News

  18-year-old Bani found to have used pregnancy hormone

  The Italian national anti-doping tribunal has suspended Junior rider Eugenio Bani for 21 months. The 18-year old tested positive for HcG.

  HcG (Human chorionic gonadotrophin) is a pregnancy-produced hormone, which also affects natural testosterone production. It is reportedly used with various anabolic steroids.

  Bani tested positive on June 24 at the Settimana Tricolore Juniores. The positive results were announced at the end of July.

  Bani rode for the Ambra Cavallini Vangi team. He had three victories in 2009, including a stage at the Giro della Tuscana.

• Decision time for Horrillo

  

  Article published:

  December 18, 2009, 12:09

  By:

  Cycling News

  Rabobank rider to continue cycling career or retire?

  Pedro Horrillo has recovered from injuries suffered in a horrific crash in the Giro d'Italia and now must decide what to do with his future: continue being a professional bike rider or retire.

  “I can say I am a normal person,” the 35-year-old said on Onda Cero Bilbao radio, confirming that he has completely overcome the severe injuries resulting from the crash. “Now I have to make a decision about my future. I do not know what to do.”

  The Spaniard said that he was able to ride his bike, but that he did not know whether his body could return to top level fitness again. “I don't know whether I can achieve the high level that I want to have on the bike,” Horrillo said.

  The decision is entirely in his hands, with no pressure from his Rabobank team. “Rabobank has treated me wonderfully since day one and has told me to do what I want.

  “Now I will get out on my bike and do some kilometres, but certainly not at the pace you need to do well in competition. But I'll have time to analyse it, think about it and make a decision,” he concluded.

  Horrillo plunged over a cliff in the eighth stage of this year's Giro d'Italia, falling 80 metres and sustaining multiple fractures.

• Yahoo! Cycling Team to launch in 2010

  

  Article published:

  December 18, 2009, 14:03

  By:

  Daniel Carruthers

  Long-term goals include Pro Continental status in 2011

  An online survey targeted at Silicon Valley Professionals revealed that an astonishing 50 percent are cycling enthusiasts and follow the local scene. The results were presented to the Yahoo! Management, the internet services company which operates the third most-visited website in the world, and prompted it to come onboard as the main partner to launch America's newest team in 2010: Yahoo! Cycling Team.

  The man behind the new squad is Kevin Klein, a former pro focused on creating a successful business model that will keep the new team pedaling on the long-term. The team will be operating at grass-roots level and will be primarily based out of California for the 2010 race season.

  "The whole idea behind the Yahoo! Cycling Team is the recruitment of high tech professionals in the Silicon Valley and to provide a platform for partners to achieve more involvement at the community level," Klein said. "If you do it right, everyone should win and grow their business."

  Klein has assembled an impressive 15-rider roster with a unique blend of experienced professionals, young natural talent, and seasoned leaders for 2010 - including two current professional road riders, members of the Under 23 National Team, and a two-time Olympian. But Klein did not want to reveal any names at this time - not until the launch of the website in January.

  Klein himself will be riding with the team and is included on the racing roster. He has had some good 2009 results including a third place at the Davis Criterium race on July 4, won by Rahsaan Bahati. "There are veterans, young guys, and professionals on the team which make for a nice mix and spread out," he added.

  Klein's plan for the first year is to ride and manage the team on the local US racing scene before applying for UCI Continental Status in 2011. Should they be successful, he would like to bring in Mariano Friedick, who is currently living in Argentina, as another key person on the management team. Friedick was a multi-national American champ on the track and raced for Toyota United and Saturn.

  The Yahoo! Cycling Team, which will ride on Fuji bikes, includes qualified managers that also have a cycling pedigree. Haldane Morris, who was Rock Racing's General Manager for ‘07 and ‘08, is on board to help manage the squad. Morris has won 30 Gold State Champs and a silver medal at the USA Olympic Trials and was a member of the US National Cycling Team from 1989 to 1993. Allen Bean is another person who has worked with Rock Racing Management from 2006-2008. He has also been involved in cycling since 1974, and has over 25 years of project management experience.

  The Yahoo! Cycling Team hopes to become a dominating force on the US racing circuit in 2010 and one that will have a large fan following. "We are confident in achieving a lot of wins in 2010 and believe that we have a lot more horse-power to muscle those all-important last few laps in the criteriums. It will be exciting for fans and racers alike," said Klein.

  Social media will be used as a key marketing strategy behind the team - this includes the popular Twitter (Yahoocycling) and Facebook as well as their official website, www.yahoocycling.com, which is set to launch early next year. Local promotional contests will be held on-line throughout the year to keep cycling fans returning to the website.

  Stay tuned to Cyclingnews for more exclusive coverage of the Yahoo! Cycling Team.

   

• New venue for Critérium International

  

  Article published:

  December 18, 2009, 14:56

  By:

  Cycling News

  Race moves to Corsica, details yet to be announced

  The Critérium International, a two-day, three-stagerace organised by Tour de France owner Amaury Sports Organisation (ASO), will next year take place on the island of Corsica. ASO announced on Friday that the event scheduled for March 27 and 28, 2010, would not get underway in its traditional location of Charleville-Mézières in the North of France, but move to the Meditarrenean island in 2010.

  The race, to which Saxo Bank's Jens Voigt is particularly attached since he has won it five times, will be located in and around the town of Porto-Vecchio in the South of Corsica. Details of the cycling triptych (flat stage, mountain stage, time trial) will be announced by the organiser the beginning of February.

  This new venue for the Critérium International, which took place in the Ardennes region of France for nine years, may be another indication that ASO is looking to include Corsica in its list of possible race locations. The company is currently evaluating the island's bid to host the start of the 2013 Tour de France.

• Twenty Pro Continental teams apply for Wild Card status

  

  Article published:

  December 18, 2009, 19:17

  By:

  Cycling News

  Three teams yet to receive 2010 Pro Continental status among applicants

  Twenty Professional Continental teams have applied for Wild Card status, the International Cycling Union (UCI) announced today. Teams granted Wild Card status for the 2010 season have the right to be invited to races on the UCI ProTour calendar.

  The UCI approved 19 teams for Pro Continental status earlier in December and all but two, Poland's CCC Polsat Polkowice and Brazil's Scott - Marcondes César Sao José dos Campos, applied for Wild Card status. Three teams denied Pro Continental status by the UCI but currently undergoing an appeals process through the UCI Management Committee also applied for a Wild Card designation, including Venezuela's Androni Giocattoli, USA's Rock Racing and Spain's Xacobeo Galicia.

  Teams will only be granted Wild Card status if they meet strict quality criteria, such as the quality of riders and race results, legal criteria, financial criteria and ethical considerations, particularly an anti-doping stance.

  Wild Card teams will be required to participate in the UCI's biological passport programme, including making a financial contribution to the biological passport programme and providing documentation of their riders' whereabouts for random testing.

  Professional Continental teams applying for Wild Card status:

  Acqua & Sapone (Ita)
  Andalucia Cajasur (Spa)
  Androni Giocattoli* (Ven)
  Bbox Bouygues Telecom (Fra)
  BMC Racing Team (USA)
  Carmiooro - NGC (GBr)
  Ceramica Flaminia (Irl)
  Cervélo TestTeam (Swi)
  Cofidis, le crédit en ligne (Fra)
  Colnago - CSF Inox (Irl)
  De Rosa - Stac Plastic (Irl)
  ISD - Neri (Ita)
  Landbouwkrediet (Bel)
  Rock Racing* (USA)
  Saur - Sojasun (Fra)
  Skil - Shimano (Ned)
  Topsport Vlaanderen - Mercator (Bel)
  Vacansoleil Pro Cycling Team (Ned)
  Voralberg - Corratec (Aut)
  Xacobeo Galicia Team* (Spa)

  * Denotes a team which has yet to receive Pro Continental status from the UCI