Second Edition Cycling News, Friday, July 30, 2010

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Date published:

July 30, 2010, 17:00

• Tight NRC standings offer exciting finale

  

  Article published:

  July 30, 2010, 03:54

  By:

  Kirsten Frattini

  Elk Grove next stop on USAC calendar

  The USA Cycling National Racing Calendar is in its final stretch as the professional men and women teams each embark on the last three events scheduled. Luis Amaran and his Jamis-Sutter Home squad lead both the men’s individual and team classifications, while Cath Cheatley and her Colavita-Baci team top the women’s ranking.

  The next stop on the calendar for the men is the Alexian Brothers Tour of Elk Grove held this weekend outside of Chicago, Illinois. For the women it will be a criterium held in conjunction with the men at the Presbyterian Hospital Invitational on August 7 in Charlotte, North Carolina.

  “The Tour of Elk Grove is an important race for us because we had to skip Fitchburg,” said Jamis-Sutter Home directeur sportif Sebastian Alexandre. “The guys are excited to race again with the full team. The NRC is very interesting now with three teams inside 200 points. Any team can win it. I am confident that Luis will come back strong after his break. But he is still training and trying to come back 100 percent for Tour of Utah.”

  Amaran leadings the individual NRC ranking by 191 points ahead of Rory Sutherland (UnitedHealthcare-Maxxis), who recently moved into second place after winning both Nature Valley Grand Prix and Bend Memorial Clinic Cascade Cycling Classic. Third placed Scott Zwizanski (Kelly Benefit Strategies) sits 417 points behind.

  Jamis-Sutter Home’s team competition lead is a mere 90 points over UnitedHealthcare-Maxxis and 163 points ahead of the third placed team Kelly Benefit Strategies.

  “The Tour of Elk Grove is important to us on several different levels,” said UnitedHealthcare directeur sportif Mike Tamayo. “One of the reasons is that there is 150,000 dollars up for grabs and is one of the most prize money races in the US and even in the world: that stood out in the riders minds. It has a deep NRC ranking and the points are a bonus.

  “More importantly for us, UnitedHealthcare is one of the sponsors so this is a hometown race and we have to keep that in mind,” he added. “Whether we win it with Rory because he has NRC points or with Karl [Menzies] because he won it last year or with Hilton [Clarke] because he won it four years ago, it doesn’t matter as long as it is one of the guys on the team.”

  Following the Tour of Elk Grove the professional men have several opportunities to move ahead in the NRC ranking at the Presbyterian Hospital Invitational, The Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah from August 17-23 in Salt Lake City and the Chris Thater Memorial Criterium on August 29 in Binghamton.

  “The NRC hasn’t been a goal of ours and we haven’t been chasing points,” Tamayo said. “Our theory has been to win races. Is there enough racing left to move into the lead? Yes. Elk Grove and Utah are worth quite a bit of points and there is Thater so I think there will be some fun racing.”

  Cheatley moved in to the lead of the women’s NRC individual classification following her win at the Fitchburg Longsjo Classic last month. She is positioned 150 points ahead of last year’s overall winner Alison Powers (Vera Bradley Foundation). US National Road Champion and recent Giro Donne winner Mara Abbott (Peanut Butter & Co TWENTY12) leaped into third place, 245 points back, following her win at the Bend Memorial Clinic Cascade Cycling Classic, the final stage race scheduled for the women on the NRC.

  “There is a fair gap between Cath and Alison and Cath is a good crit rider so we are confident that she can maintain the lead in that,” said Colavita-Baci directeur sportif Rachel Heal. “The team competition is really close and I think it is going to lead to some really exciting racing for the three races that are left. Even with three races there is a good chance the team competition could change hands.”

  Colavita-Baci’s NRC women’s team classification lead is just 27 points over Vera Bradley Foundation. Tibco-To the Top sits in third place, 148 points behind. The women have three more opportunities to contest the NRC ranking at the Presbyterian Hospital Invitational, Chris Thater Memorial Criterium and the US 10K on September 6 in Atlanta.

  “The whole team is on this huge high because Colavita, the women’s team and Jamis, the men’s team are leading the individual and the team standings so we are all very excited about that,” Heal said. “For us, the last two races at Fitchburg and Cascade have gone really well and the riders are all on a high at the moment. They want to continue that to the end of the season.”

• Roulston signs on for Southland

  

  Article published:

  July 30, 2010, 04:29

  By:

  Cycling News

  Loss of UCI status opens door to ProTour riders

  Hayden Roulston will compete in New Zealand’s Tour of Southland once again this year, with the HTC-Columbia rider announcing he’ll ride with the Calder Stewart Industries squad. Roulston started last year’s race while riding for Professional Continental outfit Cervelo Test Team, but Southland’s loss of International Cycling Union ranking this year allows him to take part despite having graduated to a ProTour outfit.

  "The status change is not a bad thing as it now allows New Zealand's pro cyclists to race in the event and I really wanted to head back down there again," Roulston said. "We looked at our options and things came together well quite quickly with Calder Stewart. Southland gets right behind the event, it's a good race and really well run and I'm looking forward to racing with the boys Calder Stewart are pulling together for a team."

  Roulston has won the race on New Zealand’s South island on three occasions. The event is no longer UCI registered due to issues like the lack of foreign teams, the use of composite sponsor teams and the charging of an entry fee.

  Cycling Southland Chief Executive Nick Jeffrey was upbeat despite the loss of UCI status as Roulston was announced for this year’s race.

  "The good thing to come out of the UCI decision was we now can open our doors to our top professional riders like Hayden, which is great for the sport and great for us in Southland," he said.

  Roulston pulled out after stage one of last year's tour after being involved in a crash. The Tour of Southland was first raced in 1956 and gained UCI status in 2002.

• France and Netherlands battling for full complement Worlds

  

  Article published:

  July 30, 2010, 09:07

  By:

  Cycling News

  Second consecutive year of reduced representation on the cards

  France and the Netherlands face lining up with a reduced complement of riders at the World Championships Road Race for the second year in succession. The allocation of places for the event in Melbourne will be finalised based on the UCI’s world rankings of August 15. As things stand, with both nations lying outside of the top ten in the national standings, they will have only six riders on the start line as opposed to the full quota of nine.

  The current top ten as per the classification calculated after the Tour de France are Spain, Italy, Belgium, Australia, USA, Russia, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Germany and Kazakhstan. Meanwhile, France and the Netherlands lie in 11th and 12th place respectively.

  According to UCI regulations, a nation ranked in the top ten is entitled to field up to nine riders provided that it has as many riders competing on the World calendar. Accordingly, Luxembourg, although in 7th place in the standings, would field just six riders in the road race in Melbourne. However in such a scenario the three “free” slots will not fall to the nation in 11th place, meaning that France and the Netherlands must move up the rankings in order to increase the size of their squads.

  The last update of the rankings before the announcement of the make-up of the world championship peloton comes on August 15, thus the French and Dutch federations will need their riders to obtain significant results at the Clasica San Sebastien, Tour of Poland or Vattenfall Cyclassics to have any chance of starting on a level pegging with the likes of Italy and Spain.

  France currently has 311 points while the Netherlands has 303. Switzerland (355 points), Germany (343) and Kazakhstan (340) are just about in range to be overhauled, although it will require an exceptional series of results in the three remaining events. The UCI’s nation classification is calculated by adding the points tallies of the top five riders of each country.

  The French total is distributed rather evenly between Jean-Christophe Peraud, Sandy Casar, Jerome Coppel, Christophe Riblon and Nicolas Vogondy. In a rather more worrying trend the Netherlands’ placing is due largely to the efforts of Robert Gesink, whose 225 points dwarfs the next-placed Michel Kreder’s tally of 34.

  After a lengthy period in which the traditional cycling nations fielded twelve riders in the World Championships, the past decade has seen the UCI set about altering the regulations to give more space to cycling’s emerging nations at its showpiece event. In 2005 the top nations’ rosters were cut from twelve to nine, and last year both France and the Netherlands were forced to line up with just six due to their slide in the world rankings, a situation that could well be repeated this season.

  It is suggestive of a deeper malaise in both French and Dutch cycling, at least in terms of the World Championships. France’s last win in the men’s road race came from Laurent Brochard in 1997 while it is a quarter of a century since the Netherlands’ last rainbow jersey, Joop Zoetemelk in 1985. The last decade has seen the event dominated by Italy and Spain.

  Outside of the ten nations at the head of the world rankings, the remainder of the places at the road race in Melbourne will be allocated according to the various continental standings. The top sixteen European nations not in the top ten of the World Tour rankings are entitled to enter teams, along with the top two from the UCI Africa Tour, the top five from the UCI America Tour, the top three from the UCI Asia Tour and the highest ranked nation in the UCI Oceania Tour. Additional places will be awarded to UCI ProTeam riders from nations which do not otherwise qualify.

• Ballan to defend Tour of Poland title

  

  Article published:

  July 30, 2010, 09:21

  By:

  Cycling News

  BMC rider in "excellent" form after Tour de France

  Alessandro Ballan has been announced as the BMC team leader for the upcoming Tour of Poland, starting on Sunday, August 1. The former world champion intends to defend his title at the week-long stage race in Eastern Europe, where he won a stage last year before taking the overall classification.

  "Ballan comes out of the Tour de France in excellent form," said John Lelangue, sports director at BMC. Ballan placed second in the 15th stage of the Tour after having finished third at the Italian Championships in June.

  "Of course, people will be marking him, so he won't have the same freedom as last year. But remember that he was wearing the rainbow jersey last year," added Lelangue.

  While he is more of a Classics specialist than an overall contender at stage races, Ballan will give his all at the seven-stage event, totaling 1,276 kilometres. It is the only race the 2007 Tour of Flanders victor won during the last season.

  Ballan will be supported by the following teammates during the Tour of Poland: Chris Butler, Alexander Kristoff, Mauro Santambrogio, Florian Stalder, Jackson Stewart and Danilo Wyss.
   

• Astana start their post-Contador rebuild

  

  Article published:

  July 30, 2010, 11:07

  By:

  Peter Cossins

  Kiserlovski joins the Kazakhs, with Menchov and Arroyo also in the frame

  With team leader Alberto Contador set for the exit and likely to take four Spanish team-mates with him, Astana have started their rebuilding process by signing Robert Kiserlovski from Liquigas. The 24-year-old Croat, who finished 10th on his Giro d'Italia debut in May, has signed a two-year deal with the Kazakh team.

  "I will benefit from having time to adapt. For the first season I will be at the service of a team leader and then we will see," Kiserlovski said in the Croat press. Kiserlovski is reported to have boosted his salary sixfold with his new deal. The Croat also revealed that he received an offer from a French team "which gave me total freedom, but I refused it".

  Astana are also being heavily linked with Rabobank's Denis Menchov, who took third place at the Tour de France, and Caisse d'Epargne's David Arroyo, who was runner-up at the Giro.

  The repercussions of Contador's announcement that he is quitting the Kazakh team are also rumbling on. Speaking to L'Equipe, team captain Alexandre Vinokourov disclosed that he had asked Contador if he was planning to stay with Astana in front of the whole team after the Tour's final stage in Paris. "I really hope so," Contador is reported to have said.

  "We did all we could for Alberto for three weeks by sacrificing ourselves for him. I only hope that he didn't take the decision before the start of the Tour," said Vinokourov. He added that the team had never put pressure on the Spaniard to extend his contract, contradicting Contador's claims that he'd been given an ultimatum to agree to a new deal by July 27. "Alberto had been pushing for a new contract for four months, and it was he who was pressing to re-sign with us," Vinokourov stated.

  Speaking to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Astana directeur sportif Giuseppe Martinelli admitted he had started to have doubts about Contador's commitment to the team from the halfway point of the Tour. Martinelli said he thought that the Tour victory might convince Contador to stay with Astana, but added: "Even before the Tour it seemed like the Astana project was over for Contador."

  Martinelli blamed bike manufacturer Specialized for what he described as Contador's "desertion". The Italian declared: "Specialized have invested in Contador and they can guarantee him being the face of their brand in the same way that Armstrong was the face of Nike."

  There is also set to be a shake-up further down Astana's pecking order. The Kazakh federation's secretary-general, Valentin Rehert, has said that the Kazakh team will be cutting back on the number of local riders next season. "This season Kazakh riders comprised 50 percent of the roster, next season that figure will reduce slightly because one or two won't be retained." Rehert also explained that the team's 2011 roster will be "80-90 percent decided" by the end of the first week of August.
   

• Klemme back to racing in Poland

  

  Article published:

  July 30, 2010, 12:03

  By:

  Daniel Benson

  Prepares for first Grand Tour at Vuelta

  After a five-week break from racing, Dominik Klemme (Saxo Bank) is looking to hit the ground running when he lines up for the Tour of Poland, August 1. The German will use the seven-day race as preparation for his first tilt at a Grand Tour, at the Vuelta, which starts August 28.

  "The training has been going well," Klemme told Cyclingnews. "I've had five weeks off and went for a holiday. But since then I've really ramped things up with a week at altitude followed by a week of interval training. Now I'm ready for Poland."

  Klemme had a busy start to the season, performing solidly throughout the spring, and finishing 14th in his first Paris-Roubaix.

  "I don't know how my form will be in the first race back, but if I'm good I'll try something. But of course I'm there to help the other riders, too."

  After Poland, Klemme will ramp up his preparation for the Vuelta by racing the Tour du Limousin and GP Ouest France in Plouay. Despite the Vuelta being his first Grand Tour, the 23-year-old has already set himself a number of goals, both within the team and on a personal level.

  "With Fränk [Schleck] there and ready, I'll work as best as I can for him. He wants to do a good overall but I think I'll have a few chances on a few stages too," said Klemme.

  "I've had some good results this year, but I'm still looking for a win. Roubaix was a good race for me in the spring and I've learnt a lot again. Next year I want to step up another level. With a Vuelta in my legs that should help me kick on."

  With Saxo Bank set to leave the sport and his contract up for grabs, Klemme has a few possibilities already on the table for next season.

  "I have some options but I've not made a decision yet. I'll make a decision in the next couple of weeks."

• Katusha's Kirchen targets comeback to cycling

  

  Article published:

  July 30, 2010, 13:38

  By:

  Cycling News

  Cause of heart attack still unkown

  Kim Kirchen wants to come back to pro cycling next year despite suffering a heart attack at the Tour de Suisse in June. The Katusha rider made his first public appearance after awakening from a medically induced coma and coming out of hospital on July 8, attending the presentation of the Tour de France Gala criterium earlier this week.

  While the exact causes of his heart failure are still unknown, Kirchen hopes that he will be able to ride a bike again soon. "We have to wait and see," he told the Wort newspaper. "The healing process can take weeks or months. I will definitely not participate in any race this year. But I do hope to be able to race again next year."

  Thrombosis and cardiac arrhythmia being excluded from Kirchen's diagnosis, doctors are currently checking if it is a genetic problem.

  For now, the former national champion and Tour de France stage winner is slowly rehabilitating. "I'm doing well, even though I get tired quickly and can't even think about doing sport right now. But it's getting better every day," the 32-year-old added.

  Kirchen's fatigue is further increased by a lack of sleep any parent of twins can certainly comprehend. "I have to get up two or three times every night to change nappies, but I like to do it," said the happy father of Liam and Mika. The two baby boys that were born on the day he was given the green light to return home from hospital.
   

• Valjavec cleared by Slovenian anti-doping agency

  

  Article published:

  July 30, 2010, 16:11

  By:

  Hedwig Kröner

  Biological Passport case likely to go to CAS

  Slovenian rider Tadej Valjavec has been cleared by his national anti-doping agency. The AG2R rider, currently suspended by his team, had been accused of blood doping within the framework of the UCI's Biological Passport in early May this year, with the questionable values dating back to 2009.

  However, according to Slovenian website siol.net, the disciplinary board of the Slovenian NAK ruled on Thursday, July 29, that there was not enough evidence to open disciplinary proceedings against Valjavec. The panel even criticised the application of the Biological Passport in the case, saying that it failed to take into account all the factors that could explain Valjavec's blood values naturally. Moreover, it found that some of the tests were not carried out in accordance with the technical documents affecting the test results.

  The rider had previously pointed to a stomach disease he suffered at the 2009 Tour of California, saying this could have altered his blood parameters. Now, it seems that several legal, systemic and administrative arguments were used to convince the panel of his innocence.

  The case will likely be taken to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne now. The UCI has one month to appeal the decision.

  Earlier this year, Italian riders Pietro Caucchioli and Francesco De Bonis were sentenced to two-year-suspensions by their national Olympic Committee CONI, also on the basis of results from their biological passports. Franco Pellizotti, whose name was released by the UCI at the same time as Valjavec's, may also have to sit out a two-year ban at CONI's recommendation.

  Spaniard Jesus Rosendo Prado, on the other hand, will not face disciplinary proceedings by the Spanish cycling federation. In June, his Andalucia-Cajasur team announced that the doubtful blood values in his biological passport were dated from April 20, 2009, and could be explained by abundant bleeding due to a hemorrhoid crisis.