After several demanding months, Alberto Contador will bring his 2015 season to an early close on Saturday at the Clásica San Sebastián.
The Spaniard won the Giro d’Italia in May but fell short of his goal of becoming the first man since 1998 to do the Giro-Tour de France double after finishing fifth in France.
While the riders he clashed with in July, including Chris Froome, Vincenzo Nibali, Nairo Quintana, and Alejandro Valverde have all been linked with an appearance at the Vuelta a España, Contador has no desire to do another Grand Tour. His season revolved entirely around the Giro-Tour double and now that’s in the past, he’s already thinking about 2016, when it is believed he will focus solely on the Tour and then the Olympic Games.
Saturday’s Clásica, a one-day WorldTour race in the Basque Country of Spain, looks set to be the 32-year-old’s final proper competitive outing on the bike in 2015.
“It has been a couple of years since I last did it and I want to close the year at this race before taking my holidays,” said Contador, according to AS. “The period of rest starts now, and after the Clásica I will progressively wind down on the bike.”
Alberto Contador goes on the attack during stage 17 of the Tour de France.
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Dion Smith and Robin Carpenter, who finished first and second last week at the Cascade Cycling Classic, will headline the eight-rider roster for the UCI 2.HC race. Cascade stage winner Ty Magner is also on board for the race, along with Oscar Clark, Jon Hornbeck, Joe Schmalz, Mac Brennan and Salt Lake City resident Rob Squire
During the team's 2014 outing to the Beehive state, riders traded the KOM jersey for most of the race, with Joey Rosskopf finishing second to Cadel Evans on the Queen Stage and claiming the final mountains classification.
Team director Thomas Craven said the 2014 results have set the bar high for this year’s edition.
“Last year’s Tour of Utah started us on a tear when Joey Rosskopf went toe-to-toe with Cadel Evans on the Snowbird stage and ultimately took home the overall KOM,” Craven said. “It was the catalyst we needed; Robin Carpenter then won a stage of the 2014 USA Pro Challenge, we won the 2015 Team Time Trial National Championship, and Toms [Skujins] took stage 3 of the [2015] Tour of California. Our guys haven’t slowed down since leaving Utah last year, and we’re more motivated than ever.”
Hincapie Racing for the 2015 Tour of Utah: Mac Brennan, Robin Carpenter, Oscar Clark, Jon Hornbeck, Ty Magner, Joe Schmalz, Dion Smith, Rob Squire.
The Hincapie racing Team on their way to winning the US team time trial championship. (Jonathan Devich)
Sébastien Reichenbach to leave IAM Cycling next season
Sebastien Reichenbach will leave IAM Cycling next season, according to a statement released by the team. The 26-year-old Swiss rider has been with the team for three years and followed its quick progression to the WorldTour. But team founder Michel Thétaz said the Swiss outfit could not reach an agreement for next year with Reichenbach.
Reichenbach finished 13th in this year's Tour de Suisse, and in his most recent outing he finished second to BMC's Danilo Wyss in Switzerland's national championship road race.
IAM Cycling has not re-signed Sébastien Reichenbach for next season. (Tim De Waele/TDWSport)
Dvorak claims first-ever overall win at Cascade Cycling Classic
Twenty16-ShoAir's Andrea Dvorak earned her first-ever yellow jersey last week when she took top honours at the Cascade Cycling Classic in Oregon. Dvorak took the jersey from teammate Kristin Armstrong during the third stage, a 133km road race that finished at the Mt. Bachelor ski area, and held it through the final two stages.
At the end of the week, Dvorak said in a statement released by her team that celebrating the first-ever accomplishment felt similar to celebrating her teammates' wins.
"I was asked several times what it felt like to finally snag my first overall victory, and it made me realize that the feelings I was experiencing were not new; I had felt the jubilation of a win many times before in my career," Dvorak said. "Cycling is a team sport, and I can honestly say that I felt the same joy standing on the top step at the Cascade Classic as I had standing amongst the photographers at many podium presentations cheering on my teammates over the years."
Armstrong finished second overall, followed by Visit Dallas-Noise4Good's Amber Neben. Twenty16-ShoAir swept the jersey competition, with Dvorak in yellow and polka dots, Lauren Hall in green and Kaitlin Antonneau in the white jersey of the race's best young rider.
