Exclusive - Fuglsang: I want to stay with Radioshack

Jakob Fuglsang before the start of
Stage 2 of the Giro d'Italia 2012.

There have been rumors about Jakob Fuglsang’s future ever since the merger between Leopard and Radioshack last year. One very strong rumor these days is that Fuglsang will return to Bjarne Riis and Team Saxo Bank next season, but according to the Dane himself, that’s not necessarily the case.

“It’s only rumors, I really don’t know how they are started. I haven’t talked with Saxo Bank at all. Actually I haven’t talked about my next contract with anybody yet, not Johan [Bruyneel ] either. The team directors need to prioritize and find out how they want the team to look like next season, but I’m very interested in staying with Radioshack and I’m looking forward to have a talk with Johan about it”.

About the ongoing Giro d’Italia Jakob Fuglsang’s favorite for the overall win was originally Michele Scarponi, but after the Italian's poor time trial yesterday Fuglsang now put his faith in Ivan Basso. About team mate Fränk Schleck’s chances he says:

“I think Fränk has a good chance. He got thrown into this very suddenly and he really doesn’t have any pressure on him to perform. I think he can benefit from that. For sure he can end on the podium, but winning is another thing. It will depend on how well he performs in the time trials”.

Jakob Fulgsang's big goal this season was the Giro d’Italia but after his injuries he will now focus on the general classification in Tour de Suisse and then to help Andy Schleck in the Tour.

Giro Expert Preview - Stage 2

Gianni Savio explains:
This stage is very, very dangerous. Alongside the sea there will be a lot of wind, I think, and therefore you have to pay attention all the time. For a team like ours [Androni] it’s all about defend, defend, defend and be very determinated. The key is to pay attention every second.

My favorite is Mark Cavendish.

Super Phinney - Super Cool

Taylor Phinney has been fixated about this time trial ever since the race course was revealed and after having the Pink Jersey as his desktop background for months he managed to make his dream come true and win the first stage in this year’s Giro d’Italia.

From the way he had been practicing on the course the last two days it was clear to see that he would do great today and despite bike problems before the start he kept his cool and showed the world what he is capable of doing.

Taylor Phinney didn't panic but kept his cool
when his bike had to get fixed before the start.

At the obligatory UCI bike check right before the start it turned out that Phinney’s saddle wasn’t even and therefore had to be fixed. Phinney didn’t panic and had confidence enough to stand there smiling when his saddle got put into the right direction.

Many of the other rider, aiming to do well in his time trial, put up a stone face when they got on the starting ramp, but not Taylor Phinney. Despite having put an enormous pressure on himself he still took the time to wave out to the audience when the presenters said his name.

As cool as he was before the start, just as cool did he turn out to be on the course. Taylor Phinney smashed Geraint Thomas’ time by 9 seconds and took the first Pink Jersey in Giro. Truly impressive!

GIRO EXCLUSIVE - Uran hopes for Top10

Team Sky may be build up the team around Mark Cavendish for the sprint stages, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have riders for the overall classification. One of them is Rigoberto Uran, and according to the young Colombian he is ready to fight with the best for a spot in the top10.

“I feel very good right now and I’m ready for this Giro. It’s a very hard and very long Giro and the last week seems to be very tough. I will take it day by day and see what happens but I’m aiming for Top10, no doubts about that!”

To help him in the mountains Rigoberto Uran can count on help from Sergio Luis Henao. The rest of the team is all about Mark Cavendish.

Giro Expert Preview - Stage 1

Gianni Savio explains:
This is a difficult time trial because of the many corners. You have to pay attention at all the time not to crash. For the climbers it’s good because the corners also means you have to change the rhythm many times so they won’t lose as much time as if it has been a straight out prologue.

My favorites for the stage win are Taylor Phinney and of course Alex Rasmussen because he has a lot of motivation on his home soil.

GIRO EXCLUSIVE – “I fear Denmark more than Stelvio”

Last year Ag2r surprised a lot of people when both John Gadret and especially Hubert Dupont turned out to be some of the strongest riders in the mountains. The expectations are therefore very big this year but Hubert Dupont makes it clear that his job first of all is to help Gadret before taking his own chance.

“My ambitions are the same as last year. My goal in this Giro is to help John [Gadret]. That is my job, but of course when that is said I would like to go for a stage win and hopefully end in the top10”.

In the Tour de France a couple of years ago Ag2r team leader Nicolas Roche had a puncture and asked John Gadret for his wheel. Back then Gadret refused to help Roche in order to get a nice result for himself. Asked about such a situation, Hubert Dupont has no doubts.

“I will help John as much as I can. That is why I’m here. If something should happen to John it will be up to the managers in the car to decide what I should do. It is not my call to make”.

Many of the pure climbers fear the windy stages in Denmark, some more than other. Hubert Dupont has a very good way of explaining his fear.

“To be honest I fear the wind in Denmark more than Stelvio”.

Giro Interview - Gustav Erik Larsson

Gustav Erik Larsson at his best on the
time trial bike on his way to glory.

Giro Interview – Gustav Erik Larsson (Rider, Vacansoleil-DCM) For four years Gustav Erik Larsson was a part of the Danish Team Saxo Bank but when one of the biggest races in the world, Giro d’Italia, actually starts out in Denmark, Larsson finds himself in the colors of the Dutch Vacansoleil-DCM team.

I made the following interview with the strong Swede on Thursday evening before the team rushed off to dinner.

Gustav, how is it not being a part of the Danish team when the Giro starts in Denmark?
To be honest I haven’t actually thought about it before now, but it is kind of strange thinking about it. I used to ride with Bjarne Riis’ team, now we are in his city and I’m not a part of the team anymore.

But you are happy with your change of teams?
Yes it’s been a great start for me with the win in Paris-Nice. Last year was a very bad year for me. I had a pretty awful winter and that’s why I didn’t do better in the first part of the season. But before that I think I have had three really good years with Saxo Bank and now I hope I can come back and show what I’m worth.

So what are your ambitions for the Giro this time?
I’m going for the overall classification actually. I will try to hang on for as long as possible on the climbs and the two time trials are very good for me. I aim for a spot in the Top10 but we will have to see how the legs respond first. I don’t think it’s possible to gain back very much time [in the time trials] so it’s important not to get dropped in the mountains.

How do you feel compared to 2008 when you ended 14th in the GC?
It was my first season with Riis and I was in very, very good shape. I think I can do it again.

First we have the prologue on Saturday. What do you think you can do there?
It’s always difficult to say. There are a lot of riders who are not time trial specialists but still able do to a very good prologue. I mean it’s only 8,7 km. Of course I would like to win it like I did in Paris-Nice but it won’t be easy. It would have been good for me if there had been a little hill or something to make it more tough, but I think it’s an okay route. The only thing is that it’s actually rather late on the day so it will be a little bit chilly outside.

What about the team time trial?
Well, if you look at the individual riders we have some very strong time trialists, but the problem is that we haven’t trained together. Still I think it can be fine for us if we just get the tactic straight and everybody moves around like they are supposed to when it counts on the roads.

Do you fear any of the stages in this year’s Giro?
On the first stage in Denmark we are going to ride alongside the sea so I hope it won’t be chaos. Anything can really happen on that stage, especially if it’s windy as well. We have to pay attention and be prepared. 

Let’s end with talking about the GC favorites. Who is your pick?
Hmm. Ivan Basso is always a strong contender, but I don’t know if he is ready yet. If he is though, then I think he will win it. I doubt it will be one of the pure climbers, but then again there are some very tough climbs on the menu, so you never know. We will see what happens.

Giro d’Italia 2012 - The Favorites

Giro d’Italia 2012 - The Favorites The way I see it this is one of the most open Giro d’Italias in many years. Last year Alberto Contador was the mega favorite and the year before him Ivan Basso. This time Contador won’t be there and it’s still unclear if Ivan Basso has fully recovered from his crashes earlier in the season.

Looking at all the GC-contenders I have managed to narrow it down to about riders with an actual chance of winning the Giro. Let’s take a look at them.

Roman Kreuziger
Last year Roman Kreuziger made the Giro d’Italia his big goal of the season. He wanted to end on the podium but in the last week the tough mountains turned out to be too hard for the young Czech. He ended 5th overall and this year it’s time to step up. All the way up I think! Ever since he helped Maxime Iglinsky to a podium place in Strade Bianche, Kreuziger has been among the best riders in all the races he has taken part in. He ended 3rd overall in Tirreno-Adriatico after strong performances in the mountains, 6th in Giro del Trentino (despite a hunger-knock on the last hard mountain stage to Passo Pordoi) and recently he ended 6th overall in Tour de Romandie with a strong time trial. There is absolutely no doubt that Roman Kreuziger is ready to take on the Giro. Another important fact is that Astana is one of the strongest teams in the race with riders like Petrov, Seeldrayers, Dyachenko and especially Tiralongo to help Kreuziger in the mountains. Also Astana should be one of the best teams in TTT compared to the other favorites’ teams. I expect Roman Kreuziger to be on the final podium and I wouldn’t be surprised if he ends up winning the whole thing.

Michele Scarponi
Two days before the Giro d’italia starts out in Denmark, Michele Scarponi officially got rewarded with the Giro win from last year. Many expect him to win it ‘for real’ (on the roads) this time and together with Roman Kreuziger he is also my big favorite for the title. Scarponi stood out in Trentino for not standing out, but I think he is ready anyway. Last year his results were better before the Giro than now, but don’t be fooled by the stats. Michele Scarponi will get excellent help in the mountains from team mate and former Giro-winner Damiano Cunego as well as from Przemyslaw Niemiec and on the time trials he should lose much time to the other GC-contenders. Scarponi is experienced enough to know how to ride a good race and without Alberto Contador and Vincenzo Nibali this year, Scarponi really is the guy to beat if you want to win Giro d’Italia.

José Rujano
You may have to wait two weeks to see him, but then he will be there. The final week of this Giro is extremely hard and for little José Rujano it couldn’t be better. Recently he showed in Trentino that the condition is good and with a couple of weeks to get to a 100% you can be sure that Rujano will do damage in the mountains this year too. Some might say that the biggest problem for Rujano will be the time trials, but actually it’s himself. José Rujano is very much driven by his heart and how he feels and if he doesn’t has his head in the game all the time, he could easily end up losing the race on a day with no real danger. He also needs to pay attention on the first stages in Denmark where the wind can split up the peloton at any given time. I don’t think José Rujano can win the Giro, but if he hasn’t lost too much time before the peloton reaches the high mountains (stage 14) I think he will make the podium. Anything but a spot among the five best riders in the overall classification would surprise me.

Fränk Schleck
I already wrote about Fränk Schleck’s chances in his Giro right here, so I won’t do much more now. Fränk Schleck got called up and asked to ride the Giro just a week prior to the race and that extra rest could come in handy. The first weeks aren’t so demanding as we have seen in the past and that means that Schleck has the chance to enter the last week a little bit more fresh than his opponents. He may not win the Giro, but I think he will be a very strong contender for the podium.

Joaquim ‘Purito’ Rodriguez
Of course Purito has to be on my list of favorites. Last year he started out the Giro a little bit sick but ended in a very strong way and took 4th overall. Like José Rujano, Purito needs to be careful on the first windy stages in Denmark and hope his Katusha team won’t lose too much time in the team time trial. Dani Moreno will be there to support Purito in the mountains and if start the last week within 1½ min of the other favorites you would be a fool not to count him in as a player for the podium – at least. This year Purito finally won a big classic (Fleche Wallone) and with that extra morale boost I think he will do a great Giro d’Italia.

Some may wonder why I haven’t mentioned Ivan Basso among my five top favorites. It’s simple. I really don’t know if he is ready or not. His two crashes earlier in the season seemed to set him back a lot and even though he looked better and better in first Trentino and the Romandie, the Giro is still something different. You have to on the top of your game to win and I honestly don’t know if Basso is there yet. Like Fränk Schleck he may be able to benefit from an easy start and then be ready for the final week, but I have my doubts. I hope Basso will be there, that would be good for the race, so let’s hope he proves me wrong this time.

Normally I would pick a few jokers for the GC but this time I don’t really see any in the very top. Riders like John Gadret, Ryder Hesjedal and Rigoberto Uran all have the potential of doing top10 and maybe even more, but not to win the Giro.

I will take the chance and give you my pre-top10 of the Giro d’Italia 2012
1. Roman Kreuziger
2. Michele Scarponi
3. José Rujano
4. Fränk Schleck
5. Purito Rodriguez
6. Ivan Basso
7. John Gadret
8. Ryder Hesjedal
9. Marco Pinotti
10. Rigoberto Uran

Welcome to the Giro d’Italia

Everything in Herning is colored pink!

For almost a week Herning has its very own ‘Little Italy’ part of town. Well actually it's the whole town! Color me impressed or more suitable, color me pink. From the moment you arrive you are being greeted with pink Giro d’Italia flags, posters, balloons etc etc. The chairs outside of the cafés are pink and you can’t take one step without being reminded that the Giro is in town.

Alongside the route of the prologue and stage 1 people have already set out chairs and tables (in pink of course) and you’ll find pink balloons and other welcoming messages on the facade of many houses in Herning.

Herning and its people are getting
ready for the Giro d'Italia 2012.

The sun is shining and the sky is blue. It couldn’t be better for the start of Giro. One week ago the weathercast showed heavy rain during the first stages in Denmark, but now it looks a little bit better.

Let’s hope the weather won’t change much during the next couple of days so everybody in front of the TV-screens will see how much Herning loves the Giro!

I will post my preview and favorites for the race on Friday. Stay tuned!

Fränk Schleck to follow Contador and Nibali?

Can Fränk Schleck do what
Contador & Nibali have done?

With the big Danish podium hope for the Giro d’Italia, Jakob Fulgsang, having to stay home, RadioShack-Trek now needs a new captain for the Italian Grand Tour.

According to La Gazzetta dello Sport that captain will be no other than Fränk Schleck.

The rumors have been there already since last year, but with Jakob Fuglsang as the team leader, Fränk Schleck didn’t really need to be in the Giro as well. Now he does though and it will be interesting to see if Schleck can do what Contador and Nibali have done before him.

In 2008 Alberto Contador had no intentions of riding the Giro d’Italia, but thanks to a late invitation from the Giro organization, Contador went from playing beach volley on his vacation in Cadiz to win the Giro d’Italia within a few weeks.

Vincenzo Nibali working for
Ivan Basso in the Giro 2010.

I 2010 Vincenzo Nibali almost did the same. Originally Nibali wasn’t featured in the Liquigas squad for the Giro, but after Franco Pellizotti got sidelined accused of doping abuse, Nibali got called up just one week prior to the start of race. Team mate Ivan Basso won the Giro d’Italia that year, but not without outstanding help from Vincenzo Nibali who managed to take 3rd place in the overall classification. Like Alberto Contador, Nibali had no idea he would be riding the Giro until a week before the start.

Now it seems like Fränk Schleck will have the change to do the same. Jakob Fuglsang was determined to change the series of bad luck for Radioshack-Trek but instead he ended up being a part of it. Looking at his results in the Ardennes Classics, Fränk Schleck has had a very similar start of the year to what Nibali had in 2010, so don’t be surprised if the Luxembourg rider storms to glory in the Giro d’Italia – starting in one week.

UPDATE: Radioshack-Trek has now officially named Fränk Schleck as team leader for the Giro d'Italia.

Bjarne Riis' Giro-sensation up in smoke

Rafal Majka, Saxo Bank

At the team presentation last winter, Bjarne Riis revealed that Team Saxo Bank would back young Rafal Majka in the Giro d'Italia in order to end high up in the general classification.

Last time Bjarne Riis had a similar plan, Andy Schleck took 2nd place overall in the Italian Grand Tour so they were high hopes for Polish young-gun.

Unfortunately the bad luck for Team Saxo Bank never seems to end. With less than a month to the start of the Giro d'Italia, Rafal Majka has thrown in the towel. Majka crashed in Tirreno-Adriatico and had to withdraw from Volta Catalunya during stage 3. On Thursday it was confirmed that he has a fracture in his knee and has to be out for an unknown amount of time.

"It's even difficult for me to walk up the stairs. I don't know when I will be back", Rafal Majka told onet.

This means that Team Saxo Bank once again needs to change their plans and with the Giro d'Italia starting in Denmark, they can't just send any team. They need a strong rider for the GC, but who will it be? Argentinean sprinter Juan José Haedo will be ready to fight for stage wins in the mass sprints, but is that enough for Bjarne Riis in a race that starts out in his home town?

The one with the rifle shoots!

It's a new world at Team Saxo Bank. Alberto Contador is out until August and that means the Danish team now needs to find another rider ready - and able - to step up and try to fill Contador's shoes. Seems like Mission Impossible right?

And if we stay in this movie-theme, I think a specific scene from Enemy at the Gates actually fits the situation very well. Preparing for battle the Soviet officers are given out one rifle per two men with the second man getting a clip of ammunition.

Handing out the rifles the officer says: "The one without a rifle, follows him with one! When the one with the rifle gets killed, the one who is following picks up the rifle and shoots!"

Alberto Contador has been sidelined so now it's time for the second guard to pick up the rifle. Riders like Dani Navarro, Jesus Hernandez, Chris Anker Sørensen and the Polish youngster Rafal Majka, who is set to the team in the Giro, all have potentials to do great things and now it's time to show it.

At Team Saxo Bank they feel the cold wall against their back these days, but that doesn't mean they give up. "We have certain expectations that they [the mentioned riders above] have the class to bring in results", Team Saxo Bank PR-manager Anders Damgaard tells me.

Navarro working hard on the climbs
for  team lader Contador last year.

No one expect a rider like Dani Navarro to win the Tour, of course not, but according to Navarro himself the chances of an overall top10 place isn't that far off. "If I don't have to help out Alberto I could try to go for a top10 spot myself, even though it would be hard", Dani Navarro told feltet.dk back in December last year. Especially the one-week stage races are a good chance for the strong Spaniard to show himself. "If I could get my own chance in those races, I could do top5 or top10", Navarro claims.

So far Dani Navarro already showed his class in Tour Méditerranéen where he ended 3rd overall after a good performance on the mountain stage where he took 2nd after season sensation Jonathan Tiernan-Locke. In the ongoing Paris-Nice, Navarro was in the first group on stage two, but got caught up in the crash. He lost the GC that day, but has been showing good signs, especially in the uphill section,s ever since. I wouldn't be surprised if he ends off with a great performance on Col d'Eze the last stage, even though time trialing isn't one of his strong suits.

Jesus Hernandez is a bit of a mystery. In training he is one of the absolute strongest uphill, just ask Lance Armstrong, but as soon as he gets that race number on, something changes. He is 100% dedicated to his captain, that often being his best friend Alberto Contador, and it seems difficult for him to change focus and try his own luck. Even with Contador sidelined Jesus Hernandez admits that he by instinct still looks for him in the peloton to see how he is and if he needs something.

Jesus Hernandez as always just
next to team mate and friend Contador.

In the past Jesus Hernandez has done top20 in the Vuelta España and the one day he tried to go in a breakaway he managed to take 8th on stage 17 of the Giro d'Italia last year. Jesus Hernandez has the potential of doing big things in the mountains, for himself, and if Bjarne Riis [and Alberto Contador for that matter] can get him to understand that and believe in that, I think he could take home a beautiful mountain stage win in the Tour de France.

Just yesterday Jesus Hernandez came back home from a mini training camp with Alberto Contador, who according to himself is doing better in tests than ever before, and it sounds like Jesus Hernandez is getting in pretty good condition for the up-coming races. "Training with him [Alberto Contador] is harder than the races", he wrote on Twitter.

Chris Anker Sørensen taking his first
Grand Tour stage win in the Giro 2010.

Chris Anker Sørensen has for a long time been a huge talent in the mountains and to be fair he has already taking great stage wins in races like Giro d'Italia and Dauphine Libéré, as well as coming very close in the Vuelta España. Still it never seems to work out for Chris Anker in the Tour de France. Now he has the chance to change that!

At the team presentation last year Chris Anker Sørensen said that he saw himself at the same level as Chris Froome [sensational 2nd overall in the Vuelta España last year] and if he can prove that on the road, the Danish climber could reach new highs this year.

Last up is Rafal Majka. According to Bjarne Riis the team has a plan for the young Polish rider in the Giro this year with hopes of a good place in the overall classification. Last time Riis had a similar plan was when Andy Schleck ended 2nd in the Giro d'Italia. Majka did very well last year in his first pro-season and at the team presentation he said that he think he has good time trial skills as well as strong climbing legs on the long steady climbs. It's difficult to know what to expect from Rafal Majka in the Giro this year, but don't be surprised if this Polish youngster ends up fighting for a spot in the top10.

It's time to pick up the rifle and shoot!

Exclusive interview - Stefano Garzelli

Stefano Garzelli

Stefano Garzelli had planned to end his long glorious career after the Giro d’Italia this year, but since his team Acqua e Sapone didn’t get an invitation, Garzelli suddenly had to decide he if wanted to continue his career at all. I had a talk with the Italian veteran about the future and to clarify what happened with Bjarne Riis last summer.

Stefano, I'm very sorry to learn about the missing invitation to the Giro d'Italia. It must have been a big chock for you? 
Indeed. After what I managed to do last year in the race, I really didn’t expect this decision. I think I gave a lot to the Giro last year.

Do you find it disrespectful by the RCS not to invite you after all you have given the Giro? 
It’s beyond just lack of respect. I find it very hard to accept. I don’t understand why they have invited teams with less potential among their riders than we have. Beside myself we have two very talented young riders in Taborre and especially Betancur who would be our key rider for the GC. I would have liked to teach Betancur how to win a Giro but unfortunately that won’t happen now. 

Have you considered riding another season in order to be able do ride the Giro next year?
To be honest I won’t exclude it. I have already got an offer to continue one more year, but I will have to take my time and find out if I really want to keep on with the training and make all the sacrifices that go with it. If I can’t see the point in doing it, I will rather stop now because I will not continue riding my bike if I can’t compete with the best riders. 

I know you had planned to end your career after the Giro. How do you find the motivation to continue training without having the Giro to look forward to? 
Well, after I got the news [about not being invited to the Giro] my first thought was to stop my career. At my age it’s difficult to keep up the motivation and make sacrifices when the race that matters the most to you has been taking away. But after I had some time to think about it, I sat myself new goals starting with Tirreno-Adriatico and Milano-San Remo. I think this will be a good way to end my career as well.

Recently La Gazzetta dello Sport wrote that you would sign with Team Saxo Bank after Tirreno in order to ride the Giro. Is there any truth to that? 
I would have liked to, but unfortunately the regulations doesn’t allow it [Read here why not].

I know you were talking with Bjarne Riis last summer about a contract. Can you explain the reasons for not signing with Riis back then? 
Bjarne contacted me last year and we talked about it, but the problem was that I already had a contract with Acqua e Sapone for 2012. I talked with my team [Acqua e Sapone] about changing, but they made it clear to me that it would jeopardize their participation in the Giro and therefore I decided to not change. I could have insisted [on going to Saxo Bank] but because of our relationship I didn’t want to do it. 

So there is no possible way you will be able to ride the Giro d'Italia this year? 
In 2008 when we weren’t invited the decision was final, so I don’t have any hopes left now.

To end this interview I can tell that Stefano Garzelli just became father for the 4th time. He tells that for him 2012 is now already a success. “What more could I ask for than a lovely family and a good health”, he explains to me. Hopefully his newborn son Leonardo will help him getting through a difficult start to the season.

Interview - Stefano Allocchio (Sport Manager, RCS)

Stefano Alloccio, Sport Manager at RCS

After knowing about the wild cards for the Giro d’Italia this year, Alberto Celani and I reached out to former Italian sprinter Stefano Allocchio who is now Sport Manager at RCS Sport, the organization in charge of the Giro.

I was hoping to hear more about the decisions behind the wild card invitations and if cycling is now more money and marketing than passion and enthusiasm, but unfortunately Stefano Allocchio didn’t want to elaborate on Michele Acquarone’s blog. 

That means that what could have been the more interesting part on the interview more or less got cancelled, leaving the following as the remaining part of the interview. 

Stefano, leaving the wild card questions and moving on to a sporting view of the Giro d’Italia. What do you expect of the first stages in Denmark? 
I look forward to three important stages in Denmark. I think it could be very similar to the first three stages in Holland two years go. Even the stages characteristics are similar.First a time trial and then two stages which aren’t so easy to interpret. The wind could play an important factor. I expect a lot of people along the roads and real fight for the first Maglia Rosa.

And what do you generally think of this year’s route. Who does it favor?
I think it’s a very beautiful Giro route with good possibilities for any kind of rider. I also think it’s not as easy as many journalist around the world think it is. I see it very similar to the Giro in 2010 won by Ivan Basso. He should be one of the favorite even though it’s early already to speak about this.

Which one of the stages is your own personal favorite? 
Even though I was a sprinter in my own career, I can tell you that without any doubts my favorite Giro stage in 2012 is the one to Stelvio [stage 20, edt.] with Mortirolo and the finish line at 2758 meters above sea level.

Having been a sprinter yourself, what do you think of today’s sprint finishes? Last year we saw less sprints won by a long, strong lead-out train than earlier. Is that's a new trend?
I don’t think it’s a real “trend”. On the contrary, I think every mass sprint is different from the others and also, a good sprinter has to be able to win by himself without help from anybody.

Last year got shadowed by the horrific crash and death of Wouter Weylandt. What has RCS done to improve the safety on the roads in 2012? Are you talking with riders on how to make it better? Like we have seen in Motorsport? 
What happened to Wouter Weylandt has been a tragic fatality and it has nothing to do with race safety measures. RCS Sport has always been at the top on riders safety on its races. Of course we will continue on this path in 2012 and in the coming years to be on top of the athletes safety.

Last question and another topic. Cyclocross and Track Cycling are losing appeal in Italy. Do you think RCS can play a role in the renewal of these disciplines in a country rich in tradition like Italy? Do you think it would be possible with a Cyclocross event at Parco Sempione or a track event at Vigorelli to save this monument of cycling?
I perfectly understand what you are talking about, since I has been a track rider too, but I have to admit that time wait for nobody and maybe these disciplines are in the past of a rich tradition country as Italy too. I don’t think it will be possible to renewal these disciplines. Unfortunately.

On a side not Stefano Allocchio also put an end to the rumors that the epic finale on Montelupone will return in this year’s Tirreno-Adriatico. Something that Purito, among others, had hoped it would. “It will return in the future though”, Allocchio assures.

CAV4SPOTY - The odds are on his side

UPDATE 22/12 @ 23:00 - Mark Cavendish won!

Tonight it’s time for the BBC Sports Personality 2011 show and the big favorite for the award is no other than cycling’s very own Mark Cavendish. Winning two stages in the Giro, five in the Tour plus the green jersey and taking the World Champion title in September, Mark Cavendish finally seems to be rewarded for his amazing talent.

At the world’s biggest betting community, Betfair, Mark Cavendish is the number one favorite for the Spoty award at odds 1,40. In fact Mark Cavendish is such a big favorite that Betfair has made an extra market called “winner without Cavendish”. So far €700.000 has been matched on the BBC Sports Personality 2011 market - €280.000 of these on Mark Cavendish to win and that makes Cavendish check up on his rivals.

"He [Cavendish] is regularly checking the odds for him to win Sports Personality of the Year with the bookies and looking at what his main rivals are up to", Bradley Wiggins told cyclingnews last week.

On Twitter the CAV4SPOTY campaign has been going on for a long time and it seems like it will happen tonight. I sure hope he wins - wouldn’t it be great to end the year with some positive cycling news?...

Jakob Fuglsang ready to fly solo

Jakob Fuglsang now finally seems ready to lead his team in one of the three Grand Tours. Giro d’Italia next year starts in Denmark and after spending the last couple of years working for other riders Jakob Fuglsang now wants to be the sole team leader in the Italian GT.

Fuglsang did get the chance as captain in the Vuelta last year, but after his injury in the Tour a month earlier he didn’t managed to stay with the best riders on the steep parts in the mountains, despite getting the Red jersey right from the beginning of the race. The Danish climber admits he didn’t have the best preparation but that will change next year with the Giro on the menu.

“I’m sure that if I do what is needed and I do it down to the smallest detail, I will be able to be right up there with the best rider”, Fulgsang explained about a month ago.

One of the things Jakob Fuglsang needs to get under control is his weight. According to his Danish manager Kim Andersen; “he must lose two per cent of body fat. Otherwise he can’t make it all the way up the steep mountains. If he loses the weight and is in good shape, then he can be right up there," Andersen told Danish television TV2.

Another important thing for Jakob Fuglsang is the change of mentality. As I said he has been supporting team leaders the last couple of years, simply because he needed experience in the races and wasn’t ready yet. Frank and Andy Schleck have been very grateful for that support, but now it looks like they won’t have their Danish sidekick to help them in the Tour de France next year. Something has changed.

Fuglsang leading the Vuelta 2011.

“After the Giro I want to focus on the Olympics, the Vuelta and the World Champions. The World Champions route is definitely not bad for me. I rather want the opportunity to get some results myself instead just helping other riders in the Tour”, Fuglsang told feltet.dk.

Earlier Jakob Fuglsang has been happy to help his two good friends, but it sure seems like the Dane is now ready to fly solo. Of course the Giro-start in Denmark is an extra motivation and if he could take the jersey while the race is still on Danish ground it would be an amazing start for him. The ambitions are definitely there and even though he is up against riders like Ivan Basso, José Rujano, Roman Kreuziger and Michele Scarponi he believes the podium is within his reach.

“I aim for the podium and I think that’s realistic. It's obviously a possibility to grab the pink jersey in Denmark and I will do everything I can to do it”.

I personally don’t believe Jakob Fuglsang can win the Giro d’Italia but I do think top5 is possible and hopefully even more. If he gets that weight a bit down he can do better in the steep selective parts and that will be crucial for stepping on the podium in Milano. I think he will end 3-5 in the GC.

Follow the money

Who is going to win the race today? Maybe you need to update your manager team, maybe you are planning to put down a little money on the race or maybe you are just generally interesting in cycling. Whatever your reasons are to ask this question, the answer is very simple; follow the money - and then you will see.


Some people like to follow the expert’s picks – as you have been doing at this very site during the Tour and the Vuelta – while some prefers to follow their favorite tipster. You can get good picks this way, but if you want the great tips, you have to pay close attention to the bookmakers. Not on who the bookmakers think will win – let’s face it, they don’t really know more than you anyway – but pay attention to the riders whose odds suddenly start to drop heavily. It takes some time see it, but when you get the hang of it, it’s easy to see who the real favorites are.

Let me show you a couple of examples.

Giro d’Italia, stage 17 - May 25th.
On paper a typical breakaway stage. One of those stages where half of the peloton wants to give a shot and see what happens. As those of you who follow cycling closely know, this stage had names like Giovanni Visconti & Pablo Lastras written all over it and just like that both riders managed to get into the right breakaway. A coincident? No. These riders are experts in hitting the right breaks and therefore the odds on Visconti & Lastras aren’t very high at the start of the stage (around odds 10-20). The odds on a guy like Diego Ulissi are on the other hand much, much higher. Starting in around 200 or 300.

So, you might ask, how are you supposed to know that Ulissi is a good pick for this specific stage when the odds are so much higher on him than on ‘favorites’ like Visconti and Lastras? Well, this is where my thesis from before comes in handy – follow the money! It’s no secret that most bets on the cycling are placed in the final hours before the race starts. Therefore it’s a good idea to keep an open eye on the odds at this time. If you did back then, you would have had witness something very interesting. Suddenly the odds on Ulissi started to drop, from 300 to 200. From 200 to 100 and from 100 down to 40. It’s true that odds 40 still is a very high odds, but with the money placed on Ulissi it was easy to see that someone knew he was on fire that day.

6 hours later Diego Ulissi had won the stage. It’s true that he won because Visconti got disqualified in the sprint, but if you had bought Ulissi at odds 300 (or just 100) you would have been able to lay him on betting exchanges such as Betfair at odds 2 during the stage. In other words you would have been able to make a huge profit no matter what would have happen in the final sprint if you had followed the money and placed a bet on Ulissi when the odds on him started to drop.

Another example is from Paris-Tours last Sunday.
Usually the markets on cycling are very low at this point of the season. Meaning that the list of 20+ bookmakers with odds on the Tour de France is reduced to only a very few for Paris-Tours. One of these bookmakers is Betfair, but as always with these late season races, the liquidity is very low. That means that when the total amount of euro placed isn’t higher than a few thousands (many, many, many times lower than during the Tour) and then suddenly a rider at odds 100+ starting to get 20% of money it raises a few eyebrows. Or at least it should do!

The rider I’m talking about is Marco Marcato from Vacansoleil-DCM. Marcato sure seemed to be in the shape of his life, doing top10 in both of the Canadian races and winning Tour de Vendée just a week before, but to drop all the way down to odds 30 did seem a little off. Riders like Philippe Gilbert, Oscar Freire, Robbie McEwen, Sylvain Chavanel and the new World Champion Mark Cavendish were all to be considered as the big favorites for the race, and therefore it stands out when the few money on the race suddenly go to Marcato at such a high odds.

But just as the case with Diego Ulissi, Marco Marcato turned out to be the smart bet ending 2nd in the race behind Greg Van Avermaet. Starting at odds 100+ to win and odds 25 for a top3 spot, the Italian Vacansoleil-DCM rider sure made a few punters go to sleep happy that Sunday.

I could give a lot of examples like these two, but I think you got the basic idea now. So remember, if you want to get best picks for a race, always follow the money!

Giro start without crashes...?

I know it sounds almost impossible, but for once the organizers of the Giro d’Italia have actually tried to reduce the many inevitable crashes occurring during the first stages. The Giro starts in Denmark, and race-planner (and former pro.-rider) Alex Pedersen tells that first 3 stages have been planned to avoid as many round abouts, traffic islands, speed bumps etc as possible.

Compared to earlier, the favorite’s teams are now more likely to take control early in the race in order to keep their leaders up front at all time, and after studying the race start in Holland in 2010, Alex Pedersen knew something had to be changed.

“It’s going to be some very nervous stages in Denmark when everybody fears to lose time so early in the race. Therefore we have tried to find a route as safe as possible for the riders”, he says.

For sure we will see crashes in Denmark during the first couple of stages, but hopefully not as many as previously. Let’s get more big, bike races to Denmark! ;)

See the profiles of the 3 stages in Denmark below:

Stage 1 - 8,7 km ITT

Stage 2 - 206 km

Stage 3 - 190 km

Interview - Gianni Savio (Team Manager Androni Giocattoli - C.I.P.I)

After being the national coach for first Columbia (2001-2005) and then Venezuela (until last year) Gianni Savio has now decided to concentrate fully on managing his Androni Giocattoli - C.I.P.I team. A team who had a very good season starting out winning 3 stages in San Luis, 1 stage in Langkawi plus the overall win, Giro del Friuli, 2 stages plus the overall in Settimana Coppi e Bartali and then two stages in the Giro with Rujano finishing 7th in the overall classification.

The biggest signing of this year was the re-signing of José Rujano, 5 years after he quit the team during the 2006 season. Rujano never managed to get back to his former level, but with Gianni Savio he once again raised and won the big mountain stage to Grossglockner in the Giro.

Gianni, how will you describe the season for your team this year?
I think we had a very good season. We started very well. My philosophy is that it’s always very important to start out well. So we had a good preparation during the winter and we got some very good results in the first part of the season. It’s how we do, we always start out strong and then we defend our position in the second part of the season. It’s important to remember that there is an agreement between the Italian federation and the organizers of the Giro, saying that the best Italian team from the year before will get an invitation to the Giro, so that is what we are trying to obtain.

In the second part of the season there were a lot of rumors about Rujano changing team again in order to do the Vuelta. What was all that about?
No no, that was just rumors. Somebody starts talking about Rujano might want to change team to do the Vuelta, but that was never going to happen. Naturally we had no interest in letting him go, and Rujano never talk with me about it either.

Well it seems like it was the smart move for Rujano as well, since he has never managed to function in any other teams than yours…
Yes that’s true. I was the one discovering him when he was very young in a little village in the Venezuelan hills on the border to Columbia. Then he came to Italy and he had a lot of progress. We actually waited for him for 3 years to progress, without putting any pressure on him. Then he came to the Giro and he finished third. After that I think that he made some mistakes. It’s important to know that Rujano has very particular personality. I think it’s necessary to know him well, follow him and also be able to tell him “No” if it’s needed. I think that in some of the teams he went to the people around him always told him “yes, yes, yes” and made him believe he was the new God of cycling. And also, in the big teams he wasn’t being followed as well as he should have been by the team management. Somebody told him he was a champion, but the problem is that he was not a champion. He had the possibility to be one, but at that time he wasn’t a champion. Then when he came back to us and you saw what happened.

And how did you get him back?
Well, back in November last year, just when we had finished our team budget for our 16 riders, I received a phone call from Hernán Alemán [Politician, in the Venezuelan parliament] a friend of mine who is also the owner of the team Gobernación del Zulia [where Rujano was riding in the second part of the 2010 season]. He told me that he thought it was a shame that Rujano was wasting his talent only riding in Venezuela and that we should take him back to Italy to ride with the bests. I told him that I had to talk with Rujano first myself, because even though we always had a good relationship, the way we parted ways with the team wasn’t good at all. So I talked with Rujano three times and to me his mentality seemed to be changed. After that I talked with Alemán again and told him “okay” and we made a contract with Rujano for 2 years, with a significant payment increase if his results this year were good – which they turned out to be.

And next year, I suppose Rujano once again has the Giro as his big target?
Sure. He is the leader of the team and the plan for him is to prepare well for the Giro and if possible to return to podium.

About the team next year. You re-signed all of the great riders for 2011, but you still need four more riders…
Right now we have 12 riders and I think we will sign two other riders next week [this week]. One Italian rider and the other one right now is a South American. The plan is to end up with 16 riders, but our main goal was to re-sign all of our important riders first. To me it would have been crazy to lose our own riders and bring in new ones from other teams.

There was some talk about Davide Rebellin would return to your team as well…
Well, Davide was one of my riders 3 years ago and I am very sorry for how it turned out for him. It is true I have been talking with him. I tried to present him with the realism of his situation, telling him that no matter what he says then this [the positive test] is the result. So I told him to explain his situation to everybody, make a press release to let the Media know what happened. It’s not good the way he did. You can’t just disappear…

Is there any chance of seeing Davide back at Androni?
I talked with Davide and I told him that if he, right now, came forward and explained his situation and what exactly had happened, there was a possibility [to sign a contract with Androni]. But as the things are right now, it’s not possible.

Did you also fear that bringing Davide back to the team would jeopardize the chances of an invitation for the Giro?
No, that has never been in my consideration. Also the anti doping policy is very strict. UCI works very, very well against doping with the biologic passport which makes it possible for me to follow my riders. In the past that wasn’t possible. I live in Turin and I have riders all over the world, one in Florence Italy, one in Bogota Columbia, one in Caracas in Venezuela and what can I do? How I am supposed to follow every one of them? It was impossible.

What about a rider like Emmanuelle Sella. Do you think he can return to his former level?
Well, to be honest. For him to return to the same level as in 2008, I think it is very, very difficult [read between the lines…]. But he is good rider and I think he will return to a very good position again. Not to win three mountain stages, the jersey and end 5 in the GC, but sure he can return and do great things.

And does Sella know this? Because I read an interview with him before the Giro, when he was talking about aiming for the podium already…
He knows. This season was important for Sella in his way back and to prepare himself for next year as well. I think that he will make a lot better results next season, even though his year wasn’t bad for him at all. The problem with Sella is his mentality. He is very fragile. In the Giro he was too nervous all the time and for that reason he couldn’t make any better results than he did, but I hope it will be better next year.

Roberto Ferrari made a name for himself this season, what can we expect of him next year?
Roberto is a very good rider, but he was stopped by mononucleosis. He managed to finish the Giro, probably the only sprinter who did so, and then afterwards he found out he had mononucleosis. Something he had had since the third week of the race. So after the Giro he stopped and now he is preparing for the next season. He is a good sprinter and even though I hope he can beat Cavendish, I must also be realistic. We have to keep our feet on the ground. We will see…