Second Edition Cycling News, Monday, January 4, 2010

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Date published:

January 4, 2010, 20:00

• Bani to Amore & Vita

  

  Article published:

  January 4, 2010, 14:05

  By:

  Hedwig Kröner

  Suspended Junior becomes youngest pro cyclist in the world

  Eugenio Bani, the 18-year-old Junior rider who recently made headlines because of a positive doping control for pregnancy hormone HcG (Human chorionic gonadotrophin), will become a professional with the Amore & Vita squad in 2010.

  Despite being suspended by the Italian national anti-doping tribunal for 21 months, Amore & Vita team boss Ivano Fanini has decided to sign the rider in an effort to raise public awareness of the case. Bani, whose suspension is only applicable on Italian soil, thereby becomes the youngest pro cyclist in the world. He will be racing exclusively outside of Italy until his suspension ends.

  In a press release, Fanini explained his move. "The athlete is the subject of great unjustice, due to the corrupt system that holds cycling today, especially in Italy. The federation rules do not foresee controls in the younger categories, thereby leaving the field open to meddlers able to freely dope young riders, undisturbed. That is what happened to this athlete, who cannot have doped on his own initiative.

  "It is unthinkable that an 18-year-old would be able to find a substance like Human chorionic gonadotrophin without the help of persons close to him. The boy is only a puppet in the hands of people that are more experienced in cycling."

  Fanini decided to sign Bani "to help him understand his error but above all to help him take the right path again. It will be the opportunity to put some light on the real responsibilities of the staff surrounding him and to push the FCI to create rules to protect these young riders."

• Brown loses Bay Classics lead, fined for intimidating official

  

  Article published:

  January 4, 2010, 14:50

  By:

  Greg Johnson

  Fury fuelled rider aims to get title back

  Graeme Brown was fined $250 after intentionally swerving towards a Cycling Australia commissaire as the official waved a red flag to signal his bunch was being pulled from the third Jayco Bay Cycling Classic stage.

  The main peloton – which included riders like Robbie McEwen – was removed from the race after being lapped by the race leaders, as there was already a nine-man break further down the road chasing the leading trio.

  "Graeme Brown was a part of the peloton as it was caught and he was withdrawn," said official Doug Armstrong. "The manner in which Graeme took the withdrawal was unacceptable, and for that he has been fined $250 dollars for intimidating an official in the execution of his duties. He rode at me deliberately.

  "There was a definite break between Graeme Brown's group, the group of nine and the three leaders," he added. "Graeme was part of the peloton that had been caught, there's no question of that in my mind."

  Armstrong admitted he had the power to charge Brown as much as $1000 and suspend him for three months after the incident. Instead he handed Brown the minimum penalty, saying he felt it was "sufficient".

  Brown circled the course multiple times at a reduced pace before dismounting from his bike, giving him time to cool off after a fiery 45 minutes. On top of the incident for which Brown was fined, he had quite obvious and vocal run-ins with rivals Baden Cooke and friend Chris Sutton during the race.

  "I wasn't in agreeance with the decision of the commissaire," said Brown. "In every other Bay Classic I've ever done, almost every time there's been a lap taken on this circuit and the bunch has never been pulled out. Never. So I don't understand why they'd pull the bunch out one year and not other years."

  While Brown did discuss the matter with Armstrong after the event, he admitted there was little point in challenging the decision. Brown lost the series lead after being pulled from the stage, leaving him three points behind Sutton overall with one stage remaining.

  "It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter who I talk to, it's over, it's finished," said Brown. "I mean I can't say ‘hey, that's not right' or whatever because even if it wasn't right the points are rolling around here. It doesn't make any sense to challenge it, I can't get any points out of it. All I'm going to do is look like an idiot if I challenge it."

  After watching the stage finish Brown was relatively happy that his overall hopes weren't completely out the window as initially feared. Brown needs to win tomorrow's stage and have Sutton finish at least two places behind in order to defend his title at the Victorian series.

  "In theory I'm pretty unhappy and I generally ride well on fury, so we'll see," said Brown. "I'll unleash the fury tomorrow."

• Coppi remembered 50 years on from his death

  

  Article published:

  January 4, 2010, 15:24

  By:

  Peter Cossins

  A tribute to one of the greatest cyclists

  Saturday marked the 50th anniversary of the death of “Il Campionissimo”, Fausto Coppi. Five-time winner of the Giro d’Italia, twice a victor of the Tour de France and the hour record holder, Coppi succumbed to malaria contracted during a racing/hunting trip to what was then Upper Volta and is now Burkina Faso.

  Hospitalised in Tortona in his home region of Piedmont in north-west Italy, Coppi asked his long-time domestique Ettore Milano who was at his bedside to “give me air”. Milano changed Coppi’s oxygen bottle, but the fever was too far advanced for Coppi to be saved. He was just 40 years old.

  The greatest star of the post-war era, and still claimed by some as the greatest rider of all time, Coppi won 144 of the 666 races he started. Almost every success was a lone victory, most taken with little celebration such was the effort he demanded from his fragile frame.

  Blessed with long legs and tremendous physical capacity, Coppi lost a good deal of his early career to the Second World War. Winner at the age of 20 of the 1940 Giro, he was captured by the British in North Africa and spent time in a prisoner of war camp working as a barber. On his return to Italy, he picked up on the road where he had left off, finishing runner-up to his great rival Gino Bartali in the 1946 Giro, then beating Bartali into second place the following year.

  As well as victories in the major tours, Coppi also claimed the world title in 1953 and won most of the Classics, including three successes in Milan-San Remo, a Paris-Roubaix victory in 1950 and five wins in the Tour of Lombardy, four of them in successive seasons.

  As his successes piled up, Coppi became a huge star in Italy and beyond. His notoriety was increased still further when he started a relationship with his doctor’s wife, Giulia Occhini, the so-called “Dama Bianca”. Married himself, Coppi was condemned by the pope for adultery and vilified in Italy. The son he had with Occhini, Faustino, was born in Argentina in 1955 to ensure his legitimacy.

  Remembering his father on the 50th anniversary of his death this weekend, Faustino Coppi said it gave him “huge pride to carry the same name as my father. The people who knew him have told me what a great person he was, and that means a lot more to me than all of the races he won. He never turned down a request for an autograph or a greeting, he was a real champion.”

  Much has been made of a story started by a French missionary that Coppi had been poisoned in Upper Volta in revenge for the death of a local cyclist, but Faustino believes there is nothing to the tale. “Why would anyone want to kill Fausto Coppi?” he asked. “I’m sure that it was simply a medical error. The suggestion that he was assassinated is pure fantasy. He died because they got his treatment wrong and too much time passed before they realised he had malaria because they initially thought he had flu.

  “Raphael Geminiani, on the other hand, who shared a room with him during the trip, quickly recovered from the same illness [having been correctly treated for malaria in France].”

  One of his great rivals, Federico Bahamontes, recalled over the weekend how had persuaded the Spaniard he could win the Tour de France. “He had never been hunting with greyhounds and so I invited him when he was staying with me during the winter in Toledo. He told me that I shouldn’t just make do with winning the mountains title [at the Tour], that if I had a team built around me I could win it. I signed with his time, Tricofilina, and I won the Tour with the Spanish team.

  Speculation is sure to continue on the titles that Coppi might have won had the Second World War not intervened. But those he did win place him high in cycling’s list of greats alongside Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault and Lance Armstrong.

• Gallery: Team Milram prepares for 2010

  

  Article published:

  January 4, 2010, 15:25

  By:

  Cycling News

  Photos from a weeklong training camp in Majorca

  Germany's Team Milram spent a week training in Majorca in mid-December. Away from the cold of the rest of Europe, the team's 24 riders and staff spent time preparing for the 2010 season.

  "Our riders trained up to six hours each day, either everyone together or divided up into special groups, to prepare for their different races, such as the season start in Australia or for the Classics," Team Manager Gerry van Gerwen said.

  The team set up its bikes and modelled the new kit for 2010. Check out the photos Roberto Bettini took for Cyclingnews in the associated gallery.

• Team Sky launched in London

  

  Article published:

  January 4, 2010, 15:26

  By:

  Richard Tyler

  Riders the focus, Tour de France major goal

  Amid fanfare unlikely to be matched at any other team presentation this season, Team Sky was officially launched in London on Monday, with all but four members of its international 26-man roster taking to the stage. Team captain Bradley Wiggins explained that the Tour de France will be one of the team's major goals in 2010.

  Despite an extravagant presentation, the launch's focus followed the theme of the 'thin line' between winning and losing that the team will face in its debut season. After months of polemics over the final make-up of the squad, manager Dave Brailsford emphasised the efforts the British outfit's management had made to maximise its continuity.

  "It's not for me to judge [us against] other teams, it's how we work that will make the difference," said Brailford. "The key thing for us is to make sure that everything's right [for the best performance] and that we give ownership to the riders; that they have control over what they do. We treat them with great dignity and respect, and give them the opportunity to be the best they can be."

  With Greg Henderson, Chris Sutton and Mat Hayman racing the Jayco Bay Classic in Australia, and John-Lee Augustyn continuing his preparation for the new season at home in South Africa, the remaining 22 riders were presented close to the centre of the British capital.

  The team's marquee signing, Wiggins, was the last rider to make his way onto the stage and said that despite the air of expectation that surrounded Sky, the riders themselves would take a measured approach to the season, and what is likely to be the major focus of the team's efforts throughout the year, the Tour de France.

  "It's no secret that [the Tour de France] is going to be the main goal of this team, and for us [the objective] will be to do as well as we can," he said. "I don't want to sound like I'm dodging the question, but without putting a number on it we'll go there with the best form of our lives, with the best team and the best people behind us, and what happens, happens."

  Wiggins revealed that he will begin his 2010 season at the French race, Étoile de Bessèges,  February 3-7, after the team's first training camp, which begins this week in Valencia, Spain.

  Wiggins was joined a strong contingent of British riders, including Geraint Thomas, Ian Stannard, Russell Downing, Steven Cummings, Peter Kennaugh and Ben Swift, whose presence ended speculation about his departure from Russian squad Katusha.

  Despite the strong anglo-saxon basis, the team represents an international front, with riders from Italy, Belgium, Spain, Finland, Sweden, Norway, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Britain represented in the squad.

  Alongside Wiggins, Norway's Edvald Boasson Hagen will be one of the riders the team will work to regularly support at races. The 22-year-old said that although aware of the expectation he will face, he is confident of his ability to produce a strong season with his new team.

  "I try not to think too much about the pressure and always try to do my best, which has so far worked out well for me," he said. "I hope it's going to be a good year. The team is really strong and I'm looking forward to the season start now."

  Augustyn will join his teammates for the training camp in Spain, when it begins on Wednesday.

  Team Sky roster for 2010:

  1	Kurt-Astle Arvesen (Norway)
  2	John-Lee Augustyn (South Africa)
  3	Michael Barry (Canada)
  4	Edvald Boasson Hagen (Norway)
  5	Kjell Carlstrom (Finland)
  6	Sylvain Calzati (France)
  7	Dario Cioni (Italy)
  8	Steven Cummings (Great Britain)
  9	Russell Downing (Great Britain)
  10	Juan Antonio Flecha (Spain)
  11	Chris Froome (Great Britain)
  12	Simon Gerrans (Australia)
  13	Mat Hayman (Australia)
  14	Greg Henderson (New Zealand)
  15	Peter Kennaugh (Great Britain)
  16	Thomas Lovkvist (Sweden)
  17	Lars Peter Nordhaug (Norway)
  18	Serge Pauwels (Belgium)
  19	Nicholas Portal (France)
  20	Morris Possoni (Italy)
  21	Ian Stannard (Great Britain)
  22	Chris Sutton (Australia)
  23	Ben Swift (Great Britain)
  24	Geraint Thomas (Great Britain)
  25	Davide Vigano (Italy)
  26	Bradley Wiggins (Great Britain)

• Boom to defend Dutch 'cross title despite lack of racing

  

  Article published:

  January 4, 2010, 18:03

  By:

  Cycling News

  Rabobank rider concentrating on road instead of 'cross

  Lars Boom will look to defend his national title in the Dutch cyclo-cross championships this coming weekend despite having very little 'cross racing under his belt.

  The defending champion, who concentrated on road riding this year, has ridden only one 'cross race this season, the GP Groenendaal on Sunday in Sint Michelsgestel, Netherlands. He finished 22nd, over three minutes down.

  “I wanted some 'cross riding,” he told the Belgian site Sporza. “This was my first race of the season, you can't expect me to be good immediately.”

  Despite the lack of racing, he still looks to do well next Sunday in Heerlen. “I will not just give away my title. I will try to defend it.” He will hope for a good day and go as far as he can.

  However, the 2008 World Champion does not see himself at all as a favourite for the World title race January 30 in Tabor, Czech Republic. “That is definitely a 'cross with snow and ice. And that's not for me.”

  Boom called the 'cross season to date “a nice battle between two Belgians and one Czech”, that is, Niels Albert, Sven Nys and Zdenek Stybar. “There was also a Dutchman in the mix last year – himself – “but he has other ambitions.”

  The 24-year-old's ambitions focus mainly on the road season with Rabobank's ProTour squad. “I would like to ride the Spring Classics. Those are nice races, but new to me. If I would be selected for the Ronde van Vlaanderen, I would definitely put my best foot forward!"

  Boom had two victories in his first ProTour season of 2009, and both were significant ones. In September, he won the 15th stage of the Vuelta a Espana, from Jaén to Cordoba. The rookie, in his first Grand Tour, was in an escape group which formed early. He attacked out of the group on the final climb of the day, with 22 km to go, and soloed on to victory.

  His other season win was the overall title in the Tour of Belgium. Boom took over the leader's jersey with a third place on the fourth stage, and cemented his lead with a second place finish in the closing time trial.

• Van Garderen ready for ProTour debut

  

  Article published:

  January 4, 2010, 18:46

  By:

  Daniel Benson

  Young American eager to take on big stage races for Columbia-HTC

  Tejay van Garderen is looking forward to his first season in the ProTour ranks with Columbia-HTC and believes he has a future in stage racing. Van Garderen rode for Rabobank’s continental team in 2009, finishing second overall in the Tour de l'Avenir. It was a highlight in a strong season and the American showed enough promise for Bob Stapleton to get his checkbook out and sign him.

  After meeting up with his new teammates at their first training camp of the year, van Garderen is looking forward to making his Columbia debut.

  “I went to the first camp in the Canary Islands. All the guys made me feel really welcome. There are lots of different personalities in the team and it was cool to find out where I fit in,” van Garderen told Cyclingnews.

  One marked difference in the team is that unlike at Rabobank, van Garderen isn’t the only American or English-speaking rider, something he’s happy about.

  “When I was at Rabobank I was lost for the first few months trying to learn Dutch and not understanding what was going on. I was the one American so everyone was really interested in me and asking me questions about what it’s like growing up in the States and if it’s like American Pie.

  "At the Columbia camp guys were just having more normal conversations and weren’t intrigued about me being American, plus they’re a lot older.”

  Van Garderen was also impressed with the scale of the team but pointed to their clean ethics and strict anti-doping stance as to why he signed with them. “It doesn’t matter who you are in the team, you all get treated the same. I think that’s why they’ve been so successful.”

  “I’ve always had a strong stance against doping and I’ve always been afraid of taking anything, be it an Ibuprofen, or a cold medicine. I’m always scared there could be contamination and I’d rather not take anything. Having a team with the same mentality that I had and really wanting to see the sport change in a positive way…it’s great to be a part of.”

  As for his racing programme, van Garderen will embark on a mix of one-day and stage races, aiming to peak at the Tour of California and then the Dauphine, while there is a possibility he will compete in the Vuelta. And it’s in the stages races that van Garderen believes he can truly shine.

  “This season’s about getting my feet wet in big races, but I’m not going to sell myself short. I’ve proven what I can do in pro level races. If my job is to work for the team that’s what I’ll do and if there’s an opportunity to work for myself I’m going to go for it, because I think I’m capable of it. Really my main goal for the season is to prove to myself and the team that I can perform at that level.”

  Van Garderen will ride the Volta ao Algarve, Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, Liège - Bastogne - Liège, Volta Ciclista a Catalunya, Tour of California and the Dauphine before taking a break during the Tour de France. “The Tour of California is really important for the team and then the Dauphine is a big race for me. The big guys will be there preparing for the Tour so it will be a good test for me.”

• Ed Beamon joins Fly V Australia as technical director

  

  Article published:

  January 4, 2010, 18:56

  By:

  Kirsten Frattini

  Outlines US ambitions for Continental team

  Fly V Australia Cycling Team is heading into the new year poised to soar above last year's success of the United States of America's National Racing Calendar (NRC) series. The Australia-registered Continental squad hired on Ed Beamon as its new technical director.

  "I'll be helping Henk [Vogels] out with some of the DS responsibilities and do a lot of liaisons with industry sponsors," Beamon said. "I'll help get together the operational structure and logistics and organize the race calendar. Most of the calendar is going to be in the US this year."

  Beamon is recognized as one of the longest standing manager/directeur sportif in the US, running the former Navigators Insurance Cycling team for 14 consecutive seasons, between 1993 and 2007. He went on to direct the US-based Team Type 1 in 2008. Beamon's affiliation to the Australian squad seems like a natural fit given many of its riders and staff were once riders of his own, including the team's Directeur Sportif Henk Vogels.

  "I met with the manager Chris White at the Tour of California last year," Beamon said. "There were several guys I've worked with in the past. When the team was coming together in November of 2008, I was already talking to them and several guys had been on the Navigators program so that's how I first got involved with them as far as communicating."

  "I met with Chris a few times during the season and as it progressed and we got closer to the Las Vegas trade show, he was having good success building the program," he continued. "It looked like they were going to build a larger program and have more focus in building some drama around their presence in the US. The stars aligned and we came together."

  Team Manager, Chris White launched the team at the end of 2008 signing on high profile sponsor the Australian airline Virgin Blue's International-bound service V Australia. The team's primary objectives for the season are to become the leading professional team in North America and Australia and to build a platform for elevation to Professional Continental status in 2011 and eventually become Australia's first ProTour team.

  "Chris has V Australia committed out for a few years now and Chris's approach is very measured and realistic," Beamon said. "You have to set smaller individual goals as well as long term goals. V Australia is in a growth stage, it's young and it's moving very ambitiously toward being a large player on the international scene.

  "Los Angeles is an important market for them and the growth in just that one destination has been dramatic. The team and V Australia have a nice marriage because as the airline and the team have success, hopefully simultaneously, it's a good synergy for growing a team."

  Fly V Australia recently announced a 15-man roster for 2010. Riders include Alessandro Bazzana (Ita), Hayden Brooks (Aus), Jonathon Cantwell (Aus), Jai Crawford (Aus), Benjamin Day (Aus), Charles Dionne (Can), Aaron Kemps (Aus), David Kemp (Aus), Benjamin Kersten (Aus), Darren Lill (RSA), Darren Rolfe (Aus), Bernard Sulzberger (Aus), David Tanner (Aus), Jay Thomson (RSA), Phillip Zajicek (USA).

  "Chris is a sharp guy and he has a smart approach to building the team around ‘mateship,'" said Beamon regarding the Australian concept of friendship. "It's loyalty and integrity from the inside out. I've always enjoyed working with Australian guys over the years because that sense of ‘mateship' they have is almost cultural.

  "Already I sense the camaraderie in the team that is strong and powerful. When a team comes together it comes together because of that commitment, loyalty and unity of the individuals to make it bigger than just one guy."

  Stand out performances in last year included stage wins at the Tour of the Gila, Tour of Elk Grove, Hanes Park Classic and Downers Grove. The team will complete a pre-season training camp held on the Gold Coast in Australia in mid-January before taking on races in India and Singapore. They will reunited in March for a second training camp held in Southern California.

  "The goal this year was to build a team that had a lot more depth and greater multi-day capacity to have the ability to look at stage races," Beamon said. "They are looking ahead from months ago now and the NRC is an important target as a series for them.

  "I think they are very much approaching the US calendar the way a US team would, even though it's an Australian team. Winning NRC races, especially the biggest NRC races, but also having a goal and a view on the overall is going to be important for the team. Also the opportunity to do bigger UCI race is keen and certainly the team is anxious to get a start at the Tour of California."

  Fly V Australia will target North American stage races such as San Dimas Stage Race, Redlands Bicycle Classic, Tour of the Gila, Joe Martin Stage Race, Nature Valley Grand Prix, Tour of Elk Grove and the Tour de Beauce. It will also focus on one-day races and sprint-heavy criteriums like the Philadelphia International Cycling Championship, Downers Grove and the Presbyterian Hospital Invitational Criterium among others.

  Fly V Australia will be outfitted on DeRosa King 3 bicycles, SRAM components and Santini cycling clothing in 2010.