November is always a quiet time for racing, but the competition to secure the services of one A. Contador is hotting up again. We’ve also got Tour de France news, the full squad of one of the Wild Card contenders, more delays in an important CAS case and a heap more. Let’s lift the lid and take a sniff of Thursday’s Trash.
A Heroes’ Welcome
Yesterday was the November 11th, Remembrance Day in my part of the world or Veteran’s Day in other parts, so I thought the appropriate thing to do straight off the bat was give a mention to Darrell Parks’ overview of The Wounded Warrior Project’s Soldier Rides .
When I first started being aware of the significance of November 11, it was the WW1 and WW2 that dominated our discussions and thoughts. With the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq taking their toll on a new generation of servicemen and women from a variety of nations, Darrell’s report shows how some of these men and women are overcoming the injuries they received while completing their service.
As cycling fans, we can sometimes spend way too much time mulling over who is going where next season, who has been caught (or not caught) for taking something and other seemingly important issues. For at least one day of the year it is good to get some perspective and remember the sacrifices that have been made throughout history so that we can enjoy the freedom to allow these trivial matters to seem like important issues in our daily lives.
Soldier Ride Schedule:
Soldier Ride, High Desert, Las Vegas, NV – Phoenix, AZ, November 10-15, 2009
Soldier Ride, Sunshine State, Miami – Key West, FL, January 13-17, 2010
Soldier Ride, Lone Star State, San Antonio – Austin – Dallas, TX, March, 17-21, 2010
Soldier Ride, Washington to Annapolis, Washington, D.C. – Andrews Air Force Base – Annapolis, Maryland, April 28 -May 2, 2010
Soldier Ride, Golden State: Oxnard - Los Angeles - San Diego, California, May 19-23, 2010
Soldier Ride, Midwest: Waterloo – Milwaukee – Chicago, June 9-13, 2010
Soldier Ride, Empire State, New York, NY – Long Island, NY, July 21-25, 2010
Soldier Ride,Tenessee, Fort Campbell, KY - Nashville, TN, September 22-26, 2010
Soldier Ride, Carolinas, Ft Bragg – Charlotte, NC October 13-17, 2010
Contador Still Not Secured
Certain autographs of sports stars from the past often fetch surprising amounts of money at auction, there is a modern star of our sport who is still at the centre of a bidding war for his name on a piece of paper.
With Astana rolling out the cheque book to offer Alberto Contador eight million euro per year, QuickStep have quickly stepped (ha ha) back up with a counter offer rumoured to be around 20million for four years. Now, the mathematicians out there will tell me that 5million a year is not much of a counter offer to the current 8 that is on the table, but if UCI licensing issues come back to bite Astana on the backside, Contador will have the exit he is (possibly/allegedly) looking for a a nice deal to walk right into.
QuickStep boss Patrick Lefevere has said that both Innergetic (the team’s co-sponsor) and Specialized (the teams bike supplier and significant financial backer) have contributed to the pot of gold that will hopefully see the Spaniard and his choice of team mates, land at the end of Belgian rainbow.
Tour Teams To Increase
With the top 16 teams in the world guaranteed a start in all of 2010’s big races, including the three Grand Tours, the arrival of new squads like RadioShack, Team Sky as well as the increased budget and size of BMC, there was always a chance that there would not be enough Wild Cards to go around come July.
Tour director Christian Prudhomme has apparently told La France Cycliste that in next year’s race we could see 22 teams take the start.
Radioshack, Sky, BMC, Vacansoleil and Skil-Shimano will be amongst the front runners for the foreign teams looking for WildCard starts in 2010, while local French outfits like will also be trying to secure a place in what would be the only race that really mattered for their local sponsors.
Twenty teams were on the start in Monaco for this year’s race, and while Prudhomme admitted in the interview that he had even considered having up to 26 squads in the race, it was the logistics of hotels, team cars and additional personnel that every extra team brings with it that would be the deciding factor, rather than how many cyclist would be on the road making up the Peloton.
Skil-Shimano 2010 Squad Complete
2008 Stagiare on the Skil-Shimano team, Robin Chaigneau, has earned a call-up to the team as part of its strengthened line-up fpr 2010. Chaigneau made a good impression with his time at the team last year, but the management felt he was too young to make the switch to the professionals, so the trainee teacher continued to ride for Cyclingteam Jo Piels under the supervision of Skil-Shimano coach Merijn Zeeman. Chaigneau is regarded by the team as a future classics rider and has already shown his skills and speed as a sprinter.
Also joining the squad as a neo-pro in 2010 is last year’s Dutch amateur champion, Job Vissers (who claimed the title after finishing ninth amongst the professional riders). This season the 24-year-old did not manage a big win, but he made an outstanding impression during his time as a stagiaire at Skil-Shimano, giving a glimpse of what he is capable of as a valuable squad member with regular appearances in the leading group.
By filling the final two berths in the 2010 team with Chaigneau and Vissers, Skil-Shimano have given two high-potential young Dutchmen the opportunity to shine at the highest level next season. The 2010 Skil-Shimano squad comprises 25 riders.
Skil-Shimano Cycling Team 2010: Piet Rooijakkers, Albert Timmer, Tom Veelers, Roy Curvers, Kenny van Hummel, Koen de Kort, Floris Goesinnen, Robin Chaigneau, Job Vissers (all Netherlands), Thierry Hupond, David Deroo, Steve Houanard, Yann Huguet, Alexandre Geniez (all France), Robert Wagner, Simon Geschke (both Germany), Bert De Backer, Dominique Cornu (both Belgium), Yukihiro Doi, Fumiyuki Beppu (both Japan), Feng Han, Long Jin, Cheng Ji (all China), Frederik Wilmann (Norway) and Mitchell Docker (Australia).
Valverde Case Delayed
The ridiculous situation of Alejandro Valverde’s status in world cycling is set to continue for a few more months yet. Now, before he tries to sue me, all I (and many other cycling fans) would like to see is the sport (and all of the various governing bodies and federations) to get their act together and determine if the Italians were correct in their decision to ban the rider for two years when they were able to match his DNA to some blood bags found as part of Operacion Puerto (do I need to say allegedly there? Nope, I’m pretty sure they have proven that. )
So, what was supposed to be the day of reckoning, November 16, will now pass without a decision being made by CAS, as they have now admitted the UCI and WADA into the procedure and will need to give all parties time to prepare written submissions.
Here is also another matter to be heard by CAS, which is an appeal by WADA and the UCI against the Spanish Federation’s decision not to open a disciplinary procedure (for doping) against Valverde. This matter, it said in the statement issued, was unlikely to be heard before the end of the year.
If the UCI and WADA win their cases, it is highly likely that the Spanish cyclist, who has claimed his innocence (partly by refuting the process used, rather than what was uncovered by Italians, that led to them sanctioning him), will be banned worldwide, and not just from racing in Italy, as is the case now. For the credibility of the sport and the Spanish Federation, as well as the fight against doing in general, it would be a real piti if this matter wasn’t fixed and finalised before the start of the 2010 European season.
Priamo Cops Four Years
In yet another example of why the anti-doping fight is being stymied, the Italian Olympic Committee has successfully appealed against itself (kind of … read on) to ensure that Matteo Priamo does serve a four year ban in relation to the supply of doing products.
While more than a few people were disappointed with the fact that Emmanuelle Sella only received a year out of the sport for his cheating at the Giro in 2008, the Italian was given a reduced sentence for naming names and pointing his finger at his supplier, team mate Priamo.
CONI’s National Anti-Doping Tribunal (TNA) ruled that there was insufficient evidence to sanction Priamo as it was only Sella’s testimony that they had against him. CONI’s anti-doping prosecutor didn’t agree and their office (UPA) appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and won.
“The CAS Panel in charge of this case has upheld the appeal and has declared the athlete ineligible for a period of four years, commencing on 27 February 2009. Contrary to the findings of the TNA, the CAS Panel considered that a violation of Articles 2.6 and 2.8 of the World Anti-Doping Code (possession of prohibited substances and administration to any athlete of any prohibited substance) was sufficiently established to declare that Matteo Priamo was guilty of an anti-doping violation.”
O’Grady Out Of Hospital
While some people might say that a hot lap of a GP circuit on a motor bike might be a “heart stopping experience” Stuart O’Grady is thankful of the fact that the outcome of his high speed two-wheeled excursion was not quite that serious.
O'Grady was released from hospital in Spain on Tuesday after his collapse in the wake of a 'hot lap' of the Valencia MotoGP circuit on Sunday.
"When the ride finished of course I could feel my heart rate soaring, my blood pressure rising, but I didn't give it much more thought," he said. "But then I started having blotchy vision and 20 minutes later I had a seizure and collapsed.
"It was possibly the extreme 'hyper tension' or maybe an old scar on my brain from one of my previous crashes but there's no use speculating or guessing, it's happened and that's that."
O’Grady underwent medical checks prior to the ride and was given the all-clear to take to the track on the back of a bike piloted by Randy Mamola
"The ride around the Valencia circuit was unbelievable," said O'Grady "I've jumped out of planes, been in a Russian fighter jet, a V8 Supercar, the works - but the twin seater Ducati blows them all out of the water!
"I have never come close to the experience of hanging on for your life.
O'Grady has thanked Ducati for the opportunity and the medical team for looking after him and he's made it clear he's not looking for a career in MotoGP.
"I think I'll stick to my 'little pushie' where we only hit 80 -100k an hour," O'Grady said. "I'll leave those MotoGP bikes to the legends that are riding them!
But whilst his MotoGP career has been short he has been given a nickname courtesy of friend and fellow cyclist David Millar who was with him at Valencia.
"I'm now the 'One Lap Wonder'," laughed O'Grady. "I can live with that."
Tour of America’s Dairyland 2010
Promoter Midwest Cycling Series has announced that Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board will return as the presenting sponsor of the Tour of America’s Dairyland in 2010. Tentative dates of June 17-27, 2010, for the encore year of the Tour of America’s Dairyland have also been announced.
“We are thrilled to have Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board back with us for a second year as we collectively promote the healthy benefits of cycling and dairy products,” said Tour of America’s Dairyland co-founder Bill Koch. “From the milk bottle presentations on the podium to the chocolate milk sampling from the Kemp's Moo Mobile to the gigantic cheese wheel prizing, Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board represented the dairy farm families of Wisconsin in a highly professional manner while creating a lot of fun and memorable moments throughout the Tour for racers and spectators alike.”
“Positioning an active healthy lifestyle with dairy products just makes sense", says James Robson, CEO of the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board. "The protein and nutrition packed into Wisconsin's vast array of dairy products are essential for peak athletic performance.”
In its inaugural year, the 2009 Tour of America’s Dairyland paid out over $85,000 in cash and primes (rider incentives) to racers of multiple categories across nine Wisconsin cities in 10 days. The Tour hosted three road races and seven criteriums, including the Downer Classic featuring the Ben’s Cyclery Ultra Prime Party and the Waterloo Classic in downtown Waterloo, home of Trek Bicycles.
Continued Robson, "It all begins on the 13,000 dairy farms located across Wisconsin, which produce the highest quality milk necessary for our world famous cheeses and other dairy products that together truly make Wisconsin, America's Dairyland."
Chad Hartley (Team GEARGRINDER) took home the coveted yellow and white cowprint Overall Jersey in the Men’s Pro 1/2 category, with Australian Jessie MacLean (Verducci/Breakaway) emerging as the Overall Pro Women’s winner. In addition to the Overall jerseys and the coveted commemorative milk bottles, Overall winners in all categories received a 30-pound cheese wheel from either Sartori or Belgioioso and the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board.
“Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board continues to demonstrate its support of an active, healthy lifestyle just as they did when they sponsored a women’s elite pro team,” continued Koch. “Every stop on the 2009 Tour of America’s Dairyland included a women’s Pro race, and the Tour will feature even more racing opportunities for women riders in 2010.”
The Wisconsin cities of Blue Mounds, Grafton, Manitowoc, Fond du Lac, Sheboygan, Greenbush and Waukesha rounded out the 2009 Tour of America’s Dairyland, which also featured live entertainment, family activities, and a sports expo. The 2010 Tour of America’s Dairyland venue line-up will be announced soon.
Endorsed and supported by the Wisconsin Cycling Association and United States Cycling Federation, Tour of America’s Dairyland updates will be posted on tourofamericasdairyland.com
Busy Times For Ballerini and Bettini
After teaming up for two world and one Olympic cycling title, Italian National Coach Franco Ballerini and retired champion cyclist Paolo Bettini have been back behind the wheels of their rally cars this past weekend at the 2nd Rally Ronde dei Vivai Pistoiesi.
Bettini was a little off the pace due to the wet conditions while Ballerini did not complete all the stages of the rally after he managed to run off the road on the races third stage. Luckily the national coach avoided doing any serious damage to himself as he heads out to Australia today to take a look at the Geelong course for the 2010 World Road Championships.
Ballerini will be joined by the under 23 and women’s coaches who will also be working with the track cyclists in Australia for the upcoming world cup events being held in Melbourne late next week.
Meanwhile, readers ‘State Side’ should mark down March 2010 in their diaries as the time to catch Paolo Bettini in SanDiego as “Il Grillo” hits town to preside over the second annual Gran Fondo Colnago.
Thanks to event sponsor Briko, Bettini will participate in numerous pre-event activities held throughout greater San Diego and then be in attendance for the ride on Sunday, March 7, 2010.
"We have partnered with Gran Fondo Colnago San Diego because it provides the ideal platform to reintroduce our brand to the American market,” said Carlo Boroli, president of Briko S.r.l. “With the presence of our spokesman Paolo Bettini, we will showcase our entire line of products and introduce our exclusive Paolo Bettini Collection of cycling apparel."
Bettini’s appearance coincides with many other activities affiliated with the Gran Fondo Colnago San Diego, southern California’s leading mass participation bike event. For more information about the event, or to register to participate, visit www.GranFondoSanDiego.com
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