Have we mentioned yet that the Tour de France is nearly here? At the Tour of Switzerland there’s been a change in leader, but Fabian Cancellara isn’t too fussed as he passes the valuable item of clothing on to his team mate Frank Schleck. The sprinters manage a day in the limelight with Robbie McEwen pleased with the fact he won a mountain stage. There’s also Team Time Trial news, the UCI riders pledge and much more.
Two weeks to go
Its around 14 sleeps until Christmas in July, when the Tour de France riders roll down that start ramp in London and as the Tour of Switzerland hits the halfway point, more and more riders are getting the thumbs up for the biggest grand tour of the year.
One of the lucky ones, who won’t have to fill in four weeks with no racing, is Belgian Frederick Willems.
The Liquigas rider will be making his Tour de France debut and shared some of the team selections with Het Nieusblad.
“There are six definites for the Tour: Pozzato, Beltran, Quinziato, Wegelius, Miholjevic and myself.”
Willems’ strong showing as part of a 200km breakaway in the Dauphione Libere stage to the top of the Mont Ventoux, was a key factor in his selection.
Speaking on a T-MobileTeam organised internet chat forum, Michael Rogers has set himself the goal of finishing in the top 5 at this year’s Tour.
According to the three times TT world champion, "Klöden, Vinokourov and Evans" are the favourites for the win in Paris.
“I hope the Tour will go well. I have trained my hardest and done the best I can. I hope to finish in the top 5.” He told forum members.
“My condition is much better than this time last year. Before I retire from cycling I would at least like to be on the podium of the Tour de France.”
Hail Halts Em In Switzerland
This just in from the Gerolsteiner team...
Today's Stage 5 was halted temporarily due to a freak hail storm which damaged riders' bikes, team cars, and some riders themselves.
Gerolsteiner DS Reimund Dietzen commented: "I've never experienced anything like that, out of nowhere it was like stones were falling from the sky."
Fear not, the stage was not canceled, merely delayed a bit, and the final 90k will recommence at 3pm in Ulrichen, culminating with the 10k climb up the Crans Montana.
Tour de Suisse mid week wrap
Oh brother, those Schleck boys can climb!
Tuesday Stage 4, Tirol-Nauders to Triesenberg-Malbun, 167km
The yellow jersey stays in house at CSC but Gilberto Simoni and Damiano Cunego have to suffer another tough day in the mountains, compliments of the Schleck family, with Frank taking the stage win and taking over the leaders jersey from team mate and world time trial champion Fabian Cancellara.
Showing good form on the tough finish of the 168km stage were Russians Vladimir Efimkin (2nd at 32 seconds) and Vladimir Karpets (7th at 1:11). Also up front were 5th placed Kim Kirchen at 48seconds and the Italian pair of Simoni and Cunego, fresh from last months Giro, finishing the stage in 6th and 8th plac respectively.
With room to improve were Mick Rogers (23rd at 3:51), Carlos Sastre and Andreas Kloden (32nd and 33rd at 5:48) and Predictor Lotto’s Chris Horner, who just beatthe sprinters home, finishing in 89th place almost 18minutes behind Schleck.
Wednesday Stage 5, Vaduz to Giubiasco, 194km
With the final climb coming well before the finish, the predicted sprinters day eventuated and Aussie fast man Robbie McEwen led the bunch home for a timely warm-up for his green jersey challenge, with Bennati and Zabel filling the minor spots on the podium.
There was action early in the stage with Michael Rogers trying unsuccessfully to slip away in a break in an attempt to claw back a minute or two, lost the day before.
As a result of nearly the whole bunch finishing on the wheel of McEwen, Schleck kept his yellow jersey with a 49 second buffer over Efimkin and Kirchen. With the sprinters team taking control of the racing, the CSC team were happy not to have to work too hard with today’s tough 190km stage to Crans-Montana.
Stage 5 results
1 Robbie McEwen AUS (PRL) 4h55'39"
2 Daniele Bennati ITA (LAM) s.t.
3 Erik Zabel GER (MRM)
4 Murillo Antonio Fischer BRA (LIQ)
5 Cristian Moreni ITA (COF)
GC after 5 stages
1. Frank Schleck LUX (CSC) 19h28'03''
2. Vladimir Efimkin RUS (GCE) +49''
3. Kim Kirchen) LUX (TMO +49''
4. Jose Angel Gomez Marchante SPA (SDV) +58''
5. Matteo Carrara ITA (UNI) +1'05''
6. Vladimir Karpets RUS (GCE) +1'19''
7. Xavier Florencio Cabre ESP (BTL) +1'39''
8. Damiano Cunego ITA (LAM) +1'46''
9. Stijn Devolder BEL (DSC) +2'03''
10. Gilberto Simoni ITA (SDV) +2'06''
Ster Elektrotoer (Netherlands)
The five day stage race stared on Tuesday with a 7.6km individual time trial won by Russian, Mikhail Ignatiev. The Team Tinkoff rider beat home team mate Nikolai Trusov by 6 seconds to claim the first leaders jersey of the race.
Yesterday’s 166km stage finished in a very tight bunch finish (only 2mm according to the official race website) with Belgian Wouter Weylandt of the Quickstep team just edging out Gerolsteiner’s Robert Forster.
That man, Mark Cavendish is making sure his sports directors remember his name as they draw up their Tour de France team, coming home in fourth place behind Stefan Van Dijk.
Remaining stages:
Thursday 194km from Aken (Germany) to Valkenburg
Friday 192km from Verviers (Belgium) to La Gileppe (Belgium)
Saturday 149km from Sittard/Geleen to Eindhoven.
Eindhoven Team Time Trial
One of the most exciting races of the whole professional cycling calendar will be held somewhere in the world this year. This weekend, however, is the ProTour teams time trial event in Eindhoven.
With a bit of luck, the organizers will get no rain and some crowd, as opposed to previous years when interest in the event has not really reflected its ProTour status.
2006 Winners, Team CSC are sending a strong team including US super time trailer Dave Zabriski, countryman Christain Vande Velde and two Australians who know a thing or two about following a wheel and pulling hard turns, Team Pursuit world champions Luke Roberts and Matt Goss.
With no team time trial at the Tour de France this year and the Giro teams test already run and won, the race will not play one of its originally intended rolls of allowing squads to fine tune their technique prior to July.
Expect some hot new TT equipment to make an appearance when the teams hit the road around midday on Sunday.
I do declare. UCI and ProTour riders sign up against doping.
In a bold move to help fight the ongoing problem of doping in the sport, the UCI announced this week the establishment of the “100% against doping” initiative and register, so that members of ProTour teams could publicly affirm their non-involvement with illegal substances and methods.
“Our objective is clear: to give cycling the best antidoping programme in the world. Only clean riders should win; those who cheat should be caught; those considering trying to cheat should be discouraged. Together we can eliminate doping from our sport”, claimed President Pat McQuaid, on the UCI website.
Amongst the measures included in the initiative is a declaration that all ProTour team riders will be asked to sign. By doing so, they “swear that they are not involved in Operación Puerto or any other doping affairs and that they will not contravene any of the UCI's anti-doping regulations.”
By signing the pledge, the riders agree to pay a full year’s salary to the UCI anti-doping fund if they breach the conditions or are found to have been involved in illegal doping practices.
The salary related fine seems to be based upon the Swiss traffic fine system where you are penalized a percentage of your actual earnings, thus making the fine have an equal impact on all transgressors, not just an equal monetary value.
Once the voluntary pledge is signed, the riders name will appear on a list on the UCI website, as will the names of any and all riders who opt not to sign the voluntary pledge.
Vlaamse Radio Television (VRT) has reported that Tour de France director, Christian Prudhome has stated that any rider who has not signed the charter by the 7th of July will not be welcome at the Tour de France.
Two riders who wont have any problems with that, are Frenchman Sandy Casar (Française des Jeux) and Brit Mark Cavendish (T-Mobile). The two were on hand at the launch to be the first riders to publicly sign up.
Speaking of doping. Valverde in the firing line again
Just when is seemed that Alejandro Valverde could finally walk clear of the mud that was flung his way due to his alleged involvement with Operation Peurto, here comes a fresh batch courtesy of former team mate and outspoken ex-Kelme rider, Jesus Manzano.
According to HLN.be, an interview with Manzano will be published in German Newspaper, Stern, this morning alleging that Valverde used testosterone patches in 2002 while riding the Vuelta for Kelme.
Manzano alleges that “Valverde came to the dinner table one evening with the testosterone patch on and then removed it after one hour so that he wouldn’t be positive if tested.”
Valverde has quietly gone about the business of racing while the other storm raged around him and then seemingly died out. It will be interesting to see what the outcomes of Manzano’s allegations are, for the man who was the standard bearer for the UCI’s ProTour competition last season.
More UCI news
In a press release issued Wednesday, the UCI ProTour Council (UPTC) has clarified its position with regard to the three Grand Tours and the organizers of these events.
“In the interest of the teams and to guarantee the proper functioning of the 2008 season, UPTC has taken the following decision: in accordance with UCI ProTour principles, teams holding licences shall have the right and obligation to participate in all the events on the UCI ProTour calendar, including ASO, RCS and Unipublic races.”
Which seems to be the same position that they took for 2007, wich should come as a huge relief to the Unibet team and its riders as they sit at home this July and wonder exactly what they got for the money their sponsor paid to be part of the ProTour THIS year.
Vuelta teams announced
The Giro has just finished, the Tour de France is about to begin, but lets talk about grand tour number three, the Vuelta e Espana.
Race organizers, UniPublic, have announced the list of teams that will compete in the event in September.
In addition to Astana (team of 2006 winner Alexandre Vinokourov) are:
Ag2r Prévoyance,
Bouygues Telecom,
Caisse D’epargne-Illes Balears,
Cofidis, Le Crédit Par Telephone
Crédit Agricole,
Discovery Channel,
Euskaltel-Euskadi,
Française Des Jeux,
Gerolsteiner,
Lampre-Fondital,
Liquigas,
Predictor-Lotto,
Quickstep-Innergetic,
Rabobank,
Saunier Duval-Prodir,
T Mobile Team,
Team CCS
Team Milram.
Also invited are:
Andalucía Caja Sur and Karpin Galicia.
Also not invited:
Unibet.com and the Spanish Relax-GAM squad.
While the former is no real surprise, given the relationship between the UCI and the Grand Tour Organizers, the omission of the Relax Squad means that former T-Mobile rider Oscar Sevilla won’t be racing his home grand tour.
Sevilla is another of the riders caught up in the Operation Puerto investigations and was released by T-Mobile at the same time as Jan Ullrich. The Spaniard has shown good form throughout the year, including a win over former team mate and Tour de France contender, Michael Rogers on the toughest stage of the Tour of Catalonia, back in May.
Sevilla’s team mate, Francisco Mancebo (also a ProTour exile, thanks to Peurto) will also miss out on his home tour. The sponsors and management at Relax-GAM might now be wondering if signing two of the biggest names in Spanish cycling might have actually kept them out of the Vuelta, rather than guaranteeing that they got in.
$10,000 up for grabs at the 2007 American Velodrome Challenge.
The Keefe Team Realtors American Velodrome Challenge is pleased to announce commitments from two highly accomplished USA cyclists and an increase in total prizes that sweetens the pot to $10,000. The premier track cycling event will be held at the newly renovated Hellyer Park Velodrome on July 20-21, 2007.
The latest cyclists who have committed to racing in the event include Americans Jennie Reed, a 2004 Olympian, and Adam Duvendeck, both of whom recently medaled at the 2007 Pan American Road and Track Championships held in Venezuela.
Duvendeck, an upcoming star on the USA Track scene, brought home silver in the team sprint while Reed won multiple medals, including gold in the keirin in which she led spectacularly from start to finish. Commitments from other cyclists include Malaysian star and 2004 Olympian Josiah Ng, 14-time world master champion Kenny Williams, seven-time world master champion Larry Nolan and multiple national champion and a former member of the United States National Team, Bobby Walthour IV.
The increase in the prize money to $10,000 is made possible by a sponsorship from SugarCRM, the leading provider of commercial open source customer relationship management (CRM) software and a company whose customers span the globe but is headquartered in nearby Cupertino. "We believe in supporting the global open source community as well as the Bay Area cycling community though sponsorships of great events like the American Velodrome Challenge," said John Roberts, CEO and co-founder of SugarCRM Inc.
Two additional sponsors have also come onboard. They are Clif Bar, a nationally recognized maker of all-natural and organic energy and nutrition foods and drinks, and TrainingPeaks, the developer of the CyclingPeaks WKO+ software, which interprets data downloaded from powermeters and is regarded as the gold standard in its class.
The caliber of competitors and corporate backers is an indicator of how the Keefe Team Realtors American Velodrome Challenge intends to put San Jose on the cycling map. "We're bringing on quality riders and sponsors and taking this race to the next level," said Robin Horwitz, the race's director. "There is a decidedly new flavor being introduced to the local track racing scene."
Honchar is Gone-char
The writing has been on the wall for some time now, but this week the T-Mobile team has finalized its relationship with Ukranian Serhiy Honchar following the Team’s own investigation into suspect blood tests that they carried out prior to the Giro d’Italia.
While there are no official test results to turn over to the UCI for sanctions, due to the privacy clauses in the in house testing agreement, the results have satisfied General Manager Bob Stapleton that there is no place for Honchar at T-Mobile. The 36 year old is now free to seek employment elsewhere.
CSC sticking around
The Computer Sciences Company (CSC), head sponsor of Bjarne Riis successful ProTour cycling squad, have announced that they will be standing by the Danish ex-pro, despite his confessions that he used performance enhancing drugs during is own cycling career. The same revelations caused MAN to withdraw their money from the squad, but CSC have decided that there is still sufficient positive (no pun intended) value in the cycling team as a form of advertising.
Quoted on Eurosport, CSC executive Henrik Bo Pedersen said “an important factor in our decision is Team CSC's groundbreaking anti-doping program, which has become a model for clean sports in general.
“Bjarne has been instrumental in establishing the program, and we believe his continued leadership in Team CSC and the sport is critical to ongoing efforts to clean up cycling. Indeed, we strongly encourage all of the ProTour teams to implement anti-doping programs similar to the one in place at Team CSC.”
A bit of Belgian Butter
As part of the promotion of the after Tour criterium in Diksmuide, near Ieper in Belgium, the race organisers plan to paint their own prime line across the road as the second stage of the Tour de France passes the town enroute from Dunkirk to Gent.
Instead of the almost clichéd, “win your weight in cheese” prize that used to be common in France, Belga reports that the promoters want to hand over 250kg of butter (yes, 1/4 of a tonne) to the last Belgian cyclist to cross the line.
With 106Km left to run until the finish of the stage, there will be plenty of time for the winner of the unique prize to spread his bounty around the peloton.
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