For a quiet end of season, there is still plenty of Road Trash for the talking today. The World Champ has secured his new team another Wild Card for 2010, the Giro might be heading offshore, more riders depart at Lampre, and there’s news of a new team in the US. It’s all here so let’s get to it.
Another Great Tour For Evans
It’s been a big few weeks for Australian Cadel Evans. The former mountain bike star managed to put the disappointment of his Tour de France performance and that disastrous wheel change that likely cost him the Vuelta, behind him and followed up his win at the world championships with two fantastic ‘team’ rides to help Philippe Gilbert claim two big end of season races.
With the final chapter of his autobiography re-written after winning the worlds, Evans is currently promoting his book (co-written by Ride Magazines Rob Arnold) throughout Australia. While the man who has claimed the crown of Australia’s highest ever placed rider in the Tour de France would have been on the promotional tour anyway, now that he is the world champion, it has turned into a victory lap of his own massive continent, with fans and media able to gain access to the star without having to travel themselves.
After the surprise announcement (although in hindsight it wasn’t such a shock that Evans decided to leave Silence Lotto) that the new world champ was joining the ex-world champ at BMC, there was much speculation that the big bucks were being thrown at the rainbow jersey for his signature. According to a report in Monday’s Gazzetta dello Sport, however, it seems Evans has changed teams for the same money he was on at Silence, making it even a bigger snub for the Belgian outfit and the way they treated their Grand Tour star in the aftermath of this year’s Tour de France.
The only thing missing on the BMC program for 2010 at present were two races that Evans really wants to race. There have been a lot of reports this week that Evans had ‘given up’ his chance of riding the TdF in 2010 by signing for a team that is outside the sport’s tip tier, but from the other point of view, by signing Evans, BMC have actually increased their chances of getting a start. To re-work the catch phrase “If you build it, they will come” from the 1989 film Field of Dreams, the BMC motto has already been proven to be “If we build it, we can go”. Less than week after signing the Australian world champion, the US/Swiss team have been invited to the Tour Down Under.
Evans Starts Down Under
According to an official press release from the organisers of the Santos Tour Down Under, a verbal agreement has been reached with the BMC Racing Team and Cadel Evans to accept a wild card invitation to race in the 2010 event.
It’s a smart move from the organisers who will now have the World Champion racing (and not just in a show criterium) in their event. Following the huge publicity that was gained by Lance Armstrong racing the event this year, Evans’ presence will hopefully allow the race to build on the massive increase in spectators that they experienced, even if the novelty of Armstrong’s return to the race in 2010 might have worn off a little.
It has already been confirmed that newly formed teams, Team Radio Shack from the USA and Team Sky from the UK, have been given UCI ProTour Licences and will take to the road for the first time in Adelaide.
BMC Racing Team is the first wild card to be offered for the Santos Tour Down Under. UniSA – Australia, Australia’s national team, gain entry to the event through UCI rules, allowing one national team entry to each UCI ProTour event. It is worth noting however, that with the quality of teams racing at National level in Australia increasing every year, there is sure to be grumbling again from the likes of the Drapac Porsche, Savings and Loans and Praties continental teams, that they will again miss a start in Australia’s biggest race.
The number of teams to compete at the 2010 Santos Tour Down Under, will be held in South Australia from 17-24 January, will be confirmed by early December, once the UCI have issued all ProTour licences.
Cleared Keisse Takes Podium
Iljo Keisse finished third in the Grenoble Six Day race in the week that he was finally cleared by the Belgian Cycling Federation of any wrong doing in the “positive” drug test from last November’s Gent Six.
While the Belgian sports websites have been giving extensive coverage to Keisse’s Clearing, PEZ’s own Ed Hood was trackside in Grenoble and was first to talk to the man himself, shortly after the announcement was made.
“The last year has been the worst time of my life,” Keisse told Hood. “If you are a cyclist, people look at you as if you are a criminal, anyway - but when something like this happens, it's even worse.”
As part of the struggle to clear his name, Keisse has also sued the supplement manufacturer who he says was responsible for his positive test. This has been an ongoing process which the Belgian has won at every stage and there is the intention to recover some of his own costs back from the company.
“But that's not the most important thing - I want to get on with my career again, now,” Keisse said.
Having been sacked by his team, Topsport Vlaanderen when the results of the A-sample were announced, the team have left the door open with manager Christophe Sercu saying, “we need to speak within the team and talk to the sponsors, but I have never had a problem personally with Iljo,” and according to Sporza the squad still has one spot open on their 2010 roster.
The Grenoble event was won by Milram bound Luke Roberts and his Swiss partner Franco Marvulli, with Keisse and Meersman finishing one lap down in third, but outscoring all of the other teams on points.
Schlecks Looking To Tour Podium
Both brothers on the podium is the aim of the older of the two Schleck brothers for the 2010 Tour de France, with Frank hoping to improve on his fifth place from 2009 and share the Paris limelight with younger brother Andy, who finished second behind Alberto Contador this year.
The two brothers will race a selection of the Classics in the build up to the Tour de France, with both the Amstel Gold Race (won by Frank in 2006) and Liege-Bastogne-Liege (won by Andy this year) on the program.
When asked which rider would target which race, the Belga news agency reported that Frank joked that “Andy can win the race in The Netherlands and I’ll win the one in Belgium.”
Giro Headed Stateside?
Washington D.C. might very well be on the list for new start cities for the Giro d’Italia with race director Angelo Zomegnan telling Gazzetta dello Sport that the organisation has been considering expanding the race into America.
“For a while we've had in mind the idea of starting the Giro in America. Now, there is concrete interest from Washington,” Zomegnan said.
While the issues surrounding travel time between America and the European continent would make a short stay in the US a potential transfer nightmare, you can’t help but think that the Giro organisers would love to have their race starting in the US at the same time the Tour of California is underway on the opposite coast. The change of dates for the US tour means that it now clashes with the season opening Grand Tour in Italy.
While the Italians most likely don’t see the US race as a competition for their own 101 year old event, I suspect they see it as a little bit disrespectful that the California race now overlaps with theirs. Maybe that’s a small part of the announcing that the US is now on the table for discussions.
Gasparotto Heading To Astana
Italian Enrico Gasparotto is following the lead of Alessandro Ballan and Mauro Santambrogio and leaving Team Lampre for the 2010 season. Unlike his team mates, who are heading to BMC, Gasparotto is off to Astana where he has the chance to be the team’s undisputed leader for the spring classics.
“I have signed for one year,” ciclonews.it reported Gasparotto as explaining, “because they have offered me the chance to be leader in the big spring races of Milan Sanremo and the Tour of Flanders.”
Gasparotto hasn’t had the best of seasons – two second and two third places – and while he says there are no excuses for his runner up positions in Sanremo and the Italian championships, but says that in the Ardennes classics, riding in the service of Cunego meant that he couldn’t show what he was capable of himself.
Bahati Is Back With Own Team
Rashaan Bahati is a rider who is doing something not only for himself, but for the community that helped him get into a position where he could have his own cycling team to race in.
This week, Bahati announced that the Bahati Foundation would be backing a cycling team in 2010 to help continue their work of “inspiring and empowering underprivileged youth to ride above their circumstances.”
“I'm blessed to have a talented group of individuals who can deliver the message for the Bahati Foundation while winning races at a professional level,” said Bahati of the Bahati Foundation Pro CyclingTeam, “I’m truly excited to know my future is in the hands of people who are dedicated to the sport and want to give back to the communities that are lacking structure and resources.”
The team is a combination of established riders (including the likes of Bahati himself and Aussie triple attack of Nathan O’Neill, Hilton Clarke and Matt Rice), along with up-and-coming talent that the team hopes to develop so that the squad can have an immediate presence on the domestic pro racing scene.
2010 Pro Team Roster
Rahsaan Bahati, Nathan O’Neill, Hilton Clarke, Jason Donald, Matt Rice, Cesar Grajales, Ryan Baumann, Corey Collier, Bobby Lea, Alex Hagman, Peter Carey, Phillip Mann, Evan Hyde, Ian Burnett, Lanell Rockmore.
Psst!, Wanna Buy A Stolen Trek?
While several professional teams have been having their end of season equipment sell-offs over in Europe, back in the US, one rider has had a garage sale and managed to bank $USD1.3million for seven bikes.
The seven bikes sold were the Trek machines that Lance Armstrong used throughout his comeback year, which were ‘painted’ by various artists including Shepard Fairey, Damien Hirst, KAWS, Yoshitomo Nara, Marc Newson and Kenny Scharf.
The biggest bid, of $500,000, was made on the Damien Hirst designed Trek MAdone which was decorated with the “metallic-colored bodies of once living butterflies” - how very polite - while arguably the most famous bike sold on the night was the TTX 9.9 SSL time trial rig that was stolen after the prologue of this year’s Tour of California back in Feb. The bike was recovered and the selling price of $130,000 was slightly more than the thieves would have got at their local Cash Converters.
All of the funds raised at the auction were donated to support the LIVESTRONG Global Cancer Campaign.
Foot In Door At FootOn
Spanish ProTour team, Footon-Servetto are continuing to expand their roster, announcing this week the signing of two new riders to join the squad in 2010.
The latest signings are 26 year old Danish rider Martin Pedersen and Fabio Felline, 19, from Italy.
Pedersen spent the two years (2006-07) racing under Bjarne Riis at Team CSC and this year he scored a big win at the Rond um Köln for Danish team, Capinordic. Felline, on the other hand, is a neo pro and raced in 2009 for the Bergamasca De Nardi amateur team.
Footon-Servetto also announced the signing of British rider Tom Faiers, who Ed Hood caught up with for an in-depth chat about moving on up to the big time.
Awards Time In Aus
The Awards Season has already kicked off with the world’s best cyclists travelling Europe to pick up trophies and accolades voted on by their peers and the press. Down Under, however, there is the chance for fans to have their say in who they think has been the best role model, posted the most outstanding performance of competed with the best team spirit in 2009.
After selecting a group of finalists, fans (resident in Australia) have until tomorrow to vote for Brendan Bailey, Caroline Buchanan, Cadel Evans, Simon Gerrans, Jared Graves, Anna Meares, Mark Renshaw, or Sam Willoughby in the Scody 2009 People's Choice Cyclist of the Year award.
The People’s Choice award, along with the other top awards for best performances by Australian Cyclists, will be presented in Melbourne on Sunday November 22.
Cycling, Le Mans Style
Entries open tomorrow for the second edition of the 24 Heurs Velo race on the famous LeMans circuit in France.
Held on the 4.1km Le Mans Bugatti circuit, the 24 our race is open to anyone with a bike (you don’t need to be a member of a national team or federation), with racing in a variety of categories including individual men and women, pairs (including the option of mixed pairs), teams of four, teams of six or teams of eight.
With the event to be held on 21/22 August 2010, there is plenty of time to get your team together, however if you are interested in taking part but don’t have a team, you can search for like minded souls through the organizer's website.
While the event is a challenge in itself, several competitors used the 2009 event to help them raise money for various charities in their home countries, allowing supporters to “sponsor” them in their endeavours.
Full cost and entry requirements are available on the 24Heurs Velo website, and you can even find accommodation options in the region if needed.
Tour De France, Cervélo Style
It’s been a while since we checked in with the Cervélo team and their season long look behind the scenes documentary. The four part section covering the Giro has been online for a month or so now and now the opening part of what will also be a four episode look at the Tour de France is ready for fans to watch in a variety of HD and normal resolution options.
Head over to the Cervélo team’s fan site, Bartape.net, to check out the latest episode.
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