I would like to take a minute and wish all of you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
May your Holidays be enchanting and your company inspiring.
Enjoy these days and don't forget to come back to the site in the new year.
See you soon!
Mikkel
PS. In case you need a positive cycling story to remember this year by let me recommend you this one - this is truly an amazing project!
Monday, December 24, 2012
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Exclusive Interview - Thomas Löfkvist (IAM Cycling)
Thomas Löfkvist. |
Thomas, first of all, congratulation with the
new contract with IAM. What made you pick IAM over the other teams interested
in you?
Thanks a
lot. My choice of IAM was something that evolved. I was in Geneva a couple of
times to talk with the management. The important factor, which made me pick IAM in the end, was
the way they wanted to build up the team and the enthusiasm Mr. Thetaz showed for
the project.
You’ve just been at the first team camp in
Geneva. How was your first impression of the team and your new team mates?
Yes, we
were five days in Geneva to meet the team administration, to get our new bikes,
new clothes and to spend some time getting to know each other. Last Friday we had
a Christmas dinner with the whole IAM SA. I think it’s a great group of people
and I went home with a very good “gut-feeling”.
How is IAM Cycling different from your previous
teams?
IAM have a
whole new structure meaning we are starting from scratch without any preconceived
ideas about how things should be done. I was really surprised how open minded
they are. That is especially thanks to Kjell Carlström who has brought many new
ideas to the table.
Do you already know your race schedule for next
year?
Well, I
have received a preliminary schedule that will be focused on the one-week stage races and I’m very happy with that.
I guess Tour de Suisse and Tour de Romandie
will be the two biggest goals for the team next year?
No doubts
about that. With a Swiss sponsor Tour de Suisse and Romandie will be the
team’s two main goals and that goes for me too. I have ambitions of showing off
the IAM colors successfully in those races!
Which other races are you aiming at next year?
First of
all the two Swiss stages races but also Tirreno-Adriatico in the spring.
After that we will have to wait and plan the rest of the year.
What about this season? Is it best just to
forget it or can you take anything positive with you from 2012?
I rather
just forget this damn year. Everything that could go wrong did go wrong. I managed to time my peak perfectly for Tour
de Suisse [Löfkvist’s big goal of this season], but that got ruined by my
knee injury. Then I came back strong in the end of the season, but got hold up
behind the big crash at the World Champions and in Emilia I was in the winning
group when my derailleur broke. There is really nothing positive I can take
with me from this year.
Looking at the future. IAM Cycling are hoping to do the Tour within a
few years. Will that be with you as their team leader?
Well, my
ambition of doing Top10 in a GC is still there, so I will keep on trying every time
I can.
Last one. Since it’s Christmas and everything,
what is your biggest wish for 2013?
A problem
free year on the bike!
Thursday, December 13, 2012
Let the race begin!
Contador keeps Kreuziger behind him to take the win. Photo from Contador on Twitter. |
Alberto
Contador and Team Saxo-Tinkoff were worried they wouldn’t be handed one of the
18 World Tour licenses and therefore had to live on mercy from the race
organizers next year. Luckily that didn’t happened and now Contador and the rest
of the Danish team can prepare for a great 2013.
One of the
most important helpers for Alberto Contador next year will be Roman Kreuziger
and according to the Czech climber he’s already made good friends with his new
Spanish captain.
“It was easy, we have a
common interest for fast cars. Alberto is crazy about them! He has about five
cars at home so I guess I have to work hard to keep up with him”, Roman Kreuziger
told Czech newspaper Dnes.
Contador as winner of the Go-Kart tournament on Gran Canaria. |
At their
team camp on Gran Canaria last month, Team Saxo-Tinkoff also had a Go-Kart ournament arranged and according to the staff, Alberto Contador was quick to
school his team on how to do it right before he later ended up on top of the
podium as the overall winner.
Roman Kreuziger showed his potential too, taking
second place. “It’s probably his friendship with Fernando Alonso that helped
him”, Kreuziger explained.
You can watch a 9 minutes video of Team Saxo-Tinkoff's Go-Kart day on Gran Canaria by clicking here.
You can watch a 9 minutes video of Team Saxo-Tinkoff's Go-Kart day on Gran Canaria by clicking here.
Monday, December 10, 2012
Saxo-Tinkoff in - Katusha out
Bjarne Riis can keep smiling as his team finally got a World Tour license. |
Today The
International Cycling Union (UCI) finally revealed all the 18 World Tour teams
for 2013 and in the end Bjarne Riis and Team Saxo-Tinkoff managed to secure
their status in the cycling elite. Instead Katusha - who ended 2nd
on the UCI World Tour team ranking - was left out.
Earlier
this week Roman Kreuziger explained that for him it wouldn’t really matter if
Team Saxo-Tinkoff got the World Tour license or not as he was sure they would
be given wild cards to all the big races anyway. “Everybody wants to have
Alberto [Contador] in the their race so I’m not worried”, Kreuziger said and I’m
sure the situation will be the same for Katusha.
Having
Joaquim ‘Purito’ Rodriguez - winner of the individual UCI World Tour ranking
for the second year in a row - plus strong riders like Dani Moreno, Denis Menchov,
Alexander Kristoff etc. on the team surely counts when the race organizers are
sending out invitations. I for one will be very surprised not to see Purito and
Katusha in the big races in 2013…
These are the 18 World Tour teams for next year:
Astana Pro Team
BMC Racing Team
Cannondale
Lampre – Merida
Omega Pharma – Quick Step Cycling Team
ORICA GreenEDGE
Sky Procycling
Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team
Movistar Team
AG2R La Mondiale
Euskaltel Euskadi
Former Rabobank
Garmin Sharp
Team Argos–Shimano
Team Saxo – Tinkoff
FDJ
Lotto Belisol
RadioShackNissan
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Wiggins is the big favorite for SPOTY
Last year
Mark Cavendish crowned an excellent year by winning BBC Sports Personality Of
The Year (SPOTY) and now it seems like cycling once again will take the prize.
Yesterday
the final 12 nominees for this year’s SPOTY award were revealed and among these
we find Bradley Wiggins. Wiggo has won everything he aimed at winning this year
and according to the bookmakers he is now the
big favorite to repeat what Cavendish accomplished last year.
Bradley
Wiggins trades right now at odds 1.40 to win BBC Sports Personality Of The Year
meaning that you will only win €4 Euros if you bet €10. Second favorite, according
to the bookies, is Mo Farah who became the only seventh man in history to win
both the 5000 meters and 10.000 meters at the Olympic Games. Third favorite is
Andy Murray who won the Olympic tennis tournament and US Open this year. Farah
and Murray are trading at odds 6 and 11 to win.
The winner
of BBC Sports Personality Of The Year 2012 will be revealed on Sunday 16
December.
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Exclusive Interview - Gianni Savio (Team Manager, Androni Giocattoli - Venezuela)
Gianni Savio. |
Gianni, first of all congratulations on winning
the championship.
Thank
you! It was very important to us. First of all because it’s an honor to win the
Italian Championship and secondly because we now have a wild card for the
Giro d’Italia next year. It’s good that we can start the next season without any stress.
I take it you are quite satisfied with this season?
Indeed! I’m very, very satisfied with this year and to be honest it will be more than difficult to repeat it next year. But of course we will try. We always have the same passion and determination, but... It will not be easy to do as well as this year.
I take it you are quite satisfied with this season?
Indeed! I’m very, very satisfied with this year and to be honest it will be more than difficult to repeat it next year. But of course we will try. We always have the same passion and determination, but... It will not be easy to do as well as this year.
What has been the best moment for the team this
year?
I would
like you point out three moments. The first one is the Giro d’Italia stage we
won with Miguel Angel Rubiano. It was a fantastic day and he was even virtual
maglia rosa in the last kilometer. The second moment was when Franco Pellizotti
won the Italian Championship. We signed him in May just before the Giro after
he had come back from a very difficult time and for him to win the Italian
Champions was unbelievable, not only for his career but also for himself as a
person. The last one was in Giro dell'Emilia where we secured the Italian Team Championship.
There was a ‘sporting war’ going on between Androni and Colnago and luckily for
us Pellizotti [ending 3rd] managed to keep Pozzovivo [ending 4th]
behind him. Don’t forget that if Pozzovivo had won this race, Colnago would
have won the Championship!
What about the worst moment of the season?
Hmm… Maybe the beginning of Giro di Padania. Colnago won the TTT and the day after Modolo
won a stage. It really didn’t look good for our team [thinking of the Italian
Championship], but we managed to finish in a very strong way. We showed a lot of character
and determination by putting two riders [Chiarini & Pellizotti] on the
final podium behind Nibali.
Looking ahead. How do you see your team next
year?
I think
we still have a very competitive team. We managed to keep most of our important
riders, so next year we will be able to count on Pellizotti, Sella, Felline,
Chiarini and Rubiano. I think we have a good team. Furthermore I have signed
some very promising young riders such as Matteo Di Serafino and Diego Rosa who
is an incredible climber. I would have liked to keep both Ferrari, Serpa and De
Marchi but they all got some very good offers from the ProTour teams and with
our budget we simply couldn’t match that. My philosophy has always been to be
able to pay everybody on the team; riders, mechanics, soigneurs etc. etc. and
therefore we couldn’t afford to keep those riders.
And a quick comment about Rujano?
Well…
This year Rujano did nothing. Nothing
at all. He didn’t finish the Giro and generally he didn’t do well this season. Not only on
a sporting level but also on a moral level.
In the past you have been the only manager able to get results from Rujano. Do you think he will succeed at Vacansoleil-DCM?
It’s impossible to say if he will manage to do well with his new team. Rujano is a very special person with a mind of his own and only - only, only, only - Rujano knows what Rujano will be able to do.
In the past you have been the only manager able to get results from Rujano. Do you think he will succeed at Vacansoleil-DCM?
It’s impossible to say if he will manage to do well with his new team. Rujano is a very special person with a mind of his own and only - only, only, only - Rujano knows what Rujano will be able to do.
You have one the brightest talents in Fabio Felline on your team.
What can we expect from him in 2013?
Felline
is still very young and it’s important not to put any pressure on him. That
being said, I still think he will have a very good season next year and I think he will be a protagonist in the classics and in the Giro d’Italia. There are many
good stages for him in the Giro. In the U23 World Champions he was one of the
favorites, but I don’t think the Italian team rode like a team. When I give
directions to my riders before a race everybody knows their role, but in the U23
race the Italian team seemed confused. Felline was alone in the final and he
had already spent too much energy on attacking. I think that with another
strategy it could have turned out differently for him.
Androni
Giocattoli - Venezuela just had their first team meeting of the season in Rivarolo
Canavese where they were presented with the prize of winning the Italian Team
Championship. The team will get together again in the middle of December [9-16] before
starting the new season in Argentina with Tour de San Luis.
Even
though 2012 has been a huge success for the team, Gianni Savio hasn’t given up on
the idea of joining the world’s elite and upgrade to the UCI WorldTour. You can
read all about this by clicking here.
Labels:
C-Cycling,
Chiarini,
Ciclismo,
Cycling,
Cyclisme,
De Marchi,
Di Serafino,
Felline,
Ferrari,
Gianni Savio,
Interview,
Italian Championship,
Pellizotti,
Rosa,
Rubiano,
Rujano,
Sella,
Serpa
Thursday, November 15, 2012
EXCLUSIVE - Gianni Savio wants to go ProTour
Gianni Savio at the Giro d'Italia 2012. |
Team
Manager of Androni Giocattoli, Gianni Savio, is no longer satisfied with his
Italian team only being in cycling’s second division as a Pro-Continental team.
The charismatic Italian plans to do what Mauro Gianetti and Joxean ‘Matxin’
Fernandez failed to accomplish last year when they went to Venezuela in order
to save the crumbling GEOX team after the shoe company cancelled its sponsorship.
In the
beginning of 2012, Gianni Savio - who
also acts as national coach for the Venezuelan cycling team - secured a deal
with the South American government which meant the official team name in 2012
has been Androni Giocattoli - Venezuela. Building the team for 2013, Gianni Savio had to let go of three
of his star riders when he couldn’t match the ProTour teams’ offers for Alessandro
De Marchi (Cannondale) and José Serpa and Roberto Ferrari (both Lampre) due to a small budget but if everything goes according to plan this won’t be a
problem in the future.
“Right now
I’m negotiating with the Venezuelan government about the chances of upgrading the team to ProTour
status. We talked about it at the Olympics this summer and in January I will
fly to Caracas (the Venezuelan capital) to have another meeting about the
project”, Gianni Savio tells C-Cycling
and adds that it will probably take a couple of years until the ProTour team
will be up and running.
“I think it
will be difficult to have it all ready for 2014, but I hope that in 2015 it
will be possible”.
You might
ask yourself why Gianni Savio should be able to do what Gianneti and Matxin
couldn’t. According to Savio, the answer is simple: “I know Venezuela. I
know what is possible and what is not possible. They [Gianetti and Matxin]
presented a project that simply wasn’t possible. I’m more realistic and that is
also why I say 2015 and not 2014”.
Right now, Androni Giocattoli
- Venezuela have 17 riders on contract for the next season and according
to Gianni Savio the team will see a couple a new faces in the beginning of next
year. “I think I will sign two or maybe three young Venezuelan riders in
January. I think we have space for that”, he reveals.
In addition
to the ProTour plan Gianni Savio will already lead a Venezuelan team with
young riders from South America - helped out by a couple of his own riders - next year. “The
Venezuelan government wants to invest in cycling and it would be good for the
riders to come and try to race in Europe. I hope and think that this team will be
ready next year.”, Gianni Savio explains.
A full
interview with Gianni Savio will be online here on C-Cycling in the weekend.
Stay tuned.
Friday, November 9, 2012
UCI letter: New anti-doping hotline
Today UCI President, Pat McQuaid, sent out a letter to all the professional riders urging them to use a new "confidential hotline" should the rider witness any doping abuse.
"We need to do more to ensure that the UCI is as accessible as possible, and in particular to you the riders, should you wish to discuss issues or concerns relating to doping", Pat McQuaid writes in the letter.
In the past I've talk with many riders stating they would never 'rat out' any team mates if they saw them using illegal drugs but hopefully things have really changed now. Cycling is once again being seen as the 'dope sport' by the public, but according to Pat McQuaid we can all "be assured that cycling will find a new path forward". I hope that he (for once) is right.
You can read the whole letter from Pat McQuaid here:
"We need to do more to ensure that the UCI is as accessible as possible, and in particular to you the riders, should you wish to discuss issues or concerns relating to doping", Pat McQuaid writes in the letter.
In the past I've talk with many riders stating they would never 'rat out' any team mates if they saw them using illegal drugs but hopefully things have really changed now. Cycling is once again being seen as the 'dope sport' by the public, but according to Pat McQuaid we can all "be assured that cycling will find a new path forward". I hope that he (for once) is right.
You can read the whole letter from Pat McQuaid here:
Friday, November 2, 2012
De la Fuente is running out of options
David de la Fuente wearing the polka dot jersey in the Tour de France 2008. |
Last year the
Spanish climber managed to secure a contract with Caja Rural for this season
but miscommunication and broken promises have put an end to that partnership.
"As of
today I have no team for next year", David de la Fuente tells
C-Cycling and continues: "I have been talking with some teams but they are all already filled up for next year. The only thing I can say for sure is that I won't continue with Caja Rural. I was told I could prolong my contract, they gave me their word, but they didn't keep it and now I have to find another team."
C-Cycling and continues: "I have been talking with some teams but they are all already filled up for next year. The only thing I can say for sure is that I won't continue with Caja Rural. I was told I could prolong my contract, they gave me their word, but they didn't keep it and now I have to find another team."
David de la
Fuente knows it won’t be easy to find a new
team but he
hopes can manage as he feels that he still has something left in the tank.
"My
situation is very complicated and things are generally not easy in today’s
cycling but I hope there is a team who will give me a chance because I still
feel I have a lot left in my legs", he assures.
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Garzelli to decide his future within two weeks
Update 23/12-2012: Italian newspaper La Gazzetta reports that Stefano Garzelli will sign with Vini Fantini for 2013. Garzelli has his eyes on winning the KOM jersey in the Giro for the third time in his career.
Last year
Stefano Garzelli was close to sign a contract with Bjarne Riis and Team Saxo Bank, but decided to stay with Acqua e Sapone in order to finish his career with
the Italian team after Giro d’Italia. Unfortunately RCS Sport didn’t want to
give Garzelli the opportunity to do so as they left out Acqua e Sapone when they
handed out the wild cards.
Missing out
on the Giro was probably also the reason why Acqua e Sapone decided not to continue their
sponsorship in 2013 and therefore Stefano Garzelli now needs to find out if he
won’t to continue his career elsewhere or let this be his last season in the
peloton.
It’s no
secret that Garzelli’s wish always has been to end his career after the Giro,
which he won in 2000, but his brother and agent Marco Garzelli, tells me that
the current situation with the UCI point system makes it difficult to find a
team guaranteed a spot in the Giro next year.
“Stefano
had a lot of problems this year and therefore he doesn’t have many points. It’s
all very complicated right now. We will know within the next two weeks”, Marco
Garzelli tells C-Cycling.
Stefano
Garzelli wasn’t present at the Giro d’Italia presentation last month as he the
night before was in the middle of “one of the most horrible situation” of his
life. The extreme flood in southern Spain had Garzelli and his wife and kids fear
for their life as tried to escape the water in the middle of the night. “I was
supposed to be riding Giro di Lombardia, but my injury had me to relaxing on
the couch instead. I can’t even imagine what would have happened if my wife had
been home alone with the kids. This made me once again realize that missing out
on races aren’t that important after all”, Garzelli said after the incident.
Gianni
Savio and his Androni team are known for giving riders a last chance and after
saying good bye to José Rujano and being sure of a Giro invitation next year,
maybe this could be a place for Garzelli to end his career? Time will tell…
Saturday, October 27, 2012
Cycling Broke My Heart
Earlier
this year I got a custom made t-shirt made for the Giro d’Italia with the text ”Cycling
Broke My Heart” printed on the front. Since then I’ve got a lot of requests of where
to get the shirt and now it’s finally possible to order it online.
Cycling has
been my passion for decades and it breaks my heart to see what has been going
and what’s still going on.
I believe cycling has a future and I for one will
continue to support it every day, but that doesn’t change the fact that “Cycling
Broke My Heart”.
If you feel
the same way or if you just want to support you can get your own shirt right here!
Furthermore
if you order your shirt tomorrow - Sunday 28th of October 2012 –
and use the promo code “SAVEDAY2012” the delivery will be free.
Spread the
word and support cycling!
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Tour de France 2013 - The first look
Tour de France 2013 Click for larger view! |
Quick facts
7 flat
stages
5 hilly
stages
6
mountain stages / 4 summit finishes
2
individual time trial stages
1 team
time trial stage
2 rest
days
The stages
All the stage
profiles are yet to be released but here is my first preview of the Tour de
France 2013:
Stage 1 - Porto-Vecchio > Bastia 212 km
The Tour
starts on the French island Corsica and along the seaside this could turn into
a very tricky first stage if it’s windy. Since 1967 the Tour has only started
with a regular stage twice (in 2008 & 2011) and both times with an uphill
finish. This time it seems to end in a sprint - despite the little bump on the
profile in the end. Mark Cavendish has worn a lot of different leader’s jerseys
in his time, but not the yellow jersey in Tour. The Cannonball will be
difficult to beat in Bastia.
Winner
pick: Mark
Cavendish
Stage 2 - Bastia > Ajaccio 154 km
If
Cavendish manages to get the jersey on stage 1 he most likely will have to give
up already. This stage is up and down all day long and even though there is a
long descent after Col de la Serra (5,2 km / 6,9%) and Col de Vizzavona (4,6 km
/ 6,5%), Côte du Salario should be too tough for the sprinters. Placed only 11
km from the line and with an average gradient of 7,2% over 2,5 km, Côte du
Salario is a good place for puncheurs like Philippe Gilbert to attack and reduce
the group. Peter Sagan could very well take over the yellow jersey if he
doesn’t already wear it after stage 1.
Winner
pick: Peter Sagan
Stage 3 - Ajaccio > Calvi 145 km
This is
the last stage on Corsica and once again we have quite some hills on the menu.
Why only two of them have been categorized only ASO know, but nevertheless it will be another
tough day on the island. It’s another short stage - only 145 km - and with a
climb right in the beginning it will set for a fast and hard day in the hills.
A break will probably get away within the first 50 kilometers but I doubt they
will ever get a big gap. The last climb, Col de Marsolino is very hard (8,1%
over 3,3 km) and with only 12 km to the line from the top all the GC contenders
need to be in the very front in order not to lose any time. Samuel Sanchez
crashed out of the Tour in 2012 and if he’s ready this time he could be a good
pick thanks to his excellent downhill skills and fast finish in a reduced
group.
Winner
pick: Samuel
Sanchez
On Day 4
the it’s time for first time trial in the Tour. A short team time trial around
Nice. It’s only 25 km and that means we won’t see big differences already. Team
Sky will most likely be able to gain some times on their rivals but don’t
expect time gaps of more than 1 minutes between the big favorites.
We don’t
have much info on the following three stages but according to ASO at least two
of them should be tailor-made for the sprinters. After this it’s time for the
first big mountains as the peloton reaches the Pyrenees.
Stage 8 - Castres > Ax 3 Domaines 194 km
Thanks
to the hilly stages on Corsica and the team time trial in Nice we should
already have an idea about who’s ready to fight for the overall win. Still a
lot can be changed on this stage. It’s the first big mountain stage and with
140 km flat terrain before the final a lot of riders will be anxious to see how
their legs will respond to the 15,3 km Col de Pailhères (8% avg.) climb before
the final ascent up Ax 3 Domaines (7,8 km / 8,2 %). I would expect Team Sky to
carry the yellow jersey after the TTT and knowing how much work is it, I
wouldn’t be surprised if they let a break get a good gap early on. Riders
aiming at the polka dot jersey, and riders already set back in the GC, will be
eager to get away while the favorites are saving thee energy for later.
Winner
pick: Johnny
Hoogerland
Stage 9 - Saint-Girons > Bagnères-de-Bigorre
165 km
In case
you missed the break away the day before, this is really a stage you need to
get up front if you aim at the polka dot jersey. With no less than five
categorized climbs on the menu and a long descent to the finish line this stage
has Thomas Voeckler and Luis Leon Sanchez written all over it. Both are great
on the climbs and excellent on the downhill sections and if none of them are
any threat in the GC they won’t have any troubles staying clear. I would
imagine Voeckler taking the KOM points and Sanchez the stage.
Winner
pick: Luis Leon
Sanchez
*** Rest
Day ***
After
the rest day it seems to be another day for the sprinters before the GC guys
once again have to be ready. Stage 11 is the first individual time trial in the
race and despite it only being 33 km, specialists like Wiggins and Froome
should be able to distance climbers like Andy Schleck, Purito Rodriguez and
Pierre Rolland with a couple of minutes. The following two stages are made for
the sprinters while stage 14 presents an opportunity for the puncheurs as the
sprinters will have troubles getting over the short, steep climbs in Lyon.
Stage 15 - Givors > Mont Ventoux 242 km
Ever
since the rumors about Mont Ventoux returning to the Tour started, I’ve been
looking forward to this stage. For me Mont Ventoux is one the ‘best’ climbs in
the Tour and this time I hope the favorites finally will fight for the win
again. It’s a long stage and with Ventoux as the only climb a break has a good
chance of getting a huge gap before the final ascent. It’s the 14th
of July, Bastille Day, and that means we will see a lot of French riders trying
to get away. Young gun Thibaut Pinot showed in 2012 that he is a man for the
future and if he can improve even more during 2013, he could give France a
brilliant stage win on the national holiday.
Winner
pick: Thibaut Pinot
*** Rest
Day ***
First
stage after the last rest day seems to be one for a breakaway to make it as the
favorites will hope to save energy for the time trial the following day. Once
again the distance is only 33 km, but compared to the first ITT, this one is much
more mountainous. The pure climbers won’t lose as much time as before and with
the Alps coming up next they will be eager to hang on to their position in the
GC.
Stage 18 - Gap > Alpe-d'Huez 168 km
This is
without a doubt the Queen Stage of the Tour de France 2013. Alpe d’Huez is on
the menu, not just once but TWICE! It’s a stage where the polka dot hunters
will have to attack early but I doubt they will make it all the way to the
line. Pierre Rolland won the last time on Alpe d’Huez, but this time I think it
will be one of the big riders taking the win. Alberto Contador got denied the
win in 2011 when he was caught a few hundred meters from the line and I think
he will take revenge a get his win on this mythical climb.
Winner
pick: Alberto
Contador
Stage 19 - Bourg-d'Oisans / Le Grand-Bornand 204
km
This is
where the polka dot jersey will be won. Once again we have five categorized
climbs on the menu and once again it’s a good stage for riders like Thomas Voeckler
and Luis Leon Sanchez. Some of the pre-favorites losing out in the GC could
have a go on this stage but if Thomas Voeckler hasn’t won a stage yet I think
this will be where he will do so.
Winner
pick: Thomas
Voeckler
Stage 20 - Annecy / Annecy > Semnoz 125 km
Last
time to shake up the GC before entering Paris. It’s another short stage, only
125 km, but with two tough climbs it won’t be easy. Mont Revard should make a
selection with its 16 km but not as much as the final climb up to Annecy-Semnoz
(10,7 km / 8,5%). Unless the leading
rider has over two minutes to his nearest rivals everything can still happen
and I expect the leaders to fight for the stage win. I think Alberto Contador
will be leading the race by this time and therefore only having his eyee on number two (and three) in the
GC. That means that a pure climber like Nairo Quintana will have a change of
getting a stage win as he probably won’t be a threat overall.
Winner
pick: Nairo
Quintana
The last
stage ends as always on Champs-Élysées but this time in the evening with an expected finish time around 21:00! It will make for a spectacular finish and with a full
team supporting him I think Mark Cavendish will give his new Quickstep team
something to cheer for in Paris and finish the Tour the way he started it - with a win!
All in all this seems to be a great route for the fans with a good mix of mountains and time trial kilometers.
Overall Classification
It’s still very early but this is how I think the
final podium will be:
1.
Alberto
Contador
2.
Chris
Froome
3.
Purito Rodriguez
Labels:
Alberto Contador,
Bradley Wiggins,
C-Cycling,
Chris Froome,
Ciclismo,
Cycling,
Cyclisme,
Favorites,
Luisle Sanchez,
Mark Cavendish,
Preview,
Quintana,
Samuel Sanchez,
tdf,
Tour,
Tour de France 2013,
Voeckler
Friday, October 19, 2012
From Africa to the Tour de France
Team MTN-Qhubeka - © www.qhubeka.org |
One of the
most interesting projects on the cycling scene right now is the African Team
MTN-Qhubeka. After a strong season lead by super talent Reinardt Janse van
Rensburg (14 wins this year), Team MTN-Qhubeka topped the UCI Africa Tour
ranking while Janse van Rensburg ended 9th on the Europe Tour
ranking.
The African
team have big plans for the coming years and now it’s the time to take the next
step. If everything goes according to the plan the team will be racing a dual
program next year. One team in Europe as a Pro-Continental team and another one
in the races on other continents as an African feeder team with the intention
of raising the awareness of cycling on the African continent.
Sponsor upgrade
Earlier
this year MTN (a South Africa-based telecommunication company) announced that
they would increase their investment in the cycling team in order to lead the
first African team all the way to the Tour de France. A goal the team aim to reach
by 2015. “Our vision is to see an African rider wearing the yellow jersey”, Chief
Marketing Officer at MTN SA, Serame Taukobong tells.
In order
for this to happen the team need to gear up on many levels. First of all
becoming a Pro Continental team - the first African one ever seen - and to help
its case Team MTN-Qhubeka have already signed strong riders like time trial
specialist Ignatas Konovalovas (stage winner in the Giro d’italia), sprinter Gerald
Ciolek (former U23 World Champion and stage winner in the Vuelta España) and climber
Sergio Pardilla (former runner up in Tour of Austria, Volta a Portugal and Tour
de l'Ain and Top20 in the Giro d’Italia) for the upcoming season.
Team MTN-Qhubeka Powered by Samsung |
Some of the riders on the team turning professional now grew up without electricity and running water and that it’s possible to get where they are now is the story the team want to tell. A positive story the cycling world really needs these days.
That’s also
why it’s so important to keep Qhubeka in the team name despite the lack of
financial aids. To make sure that Qhubeka will stay, the team is right now
negotiating with a big multinational
company. So far this new moneysponsor remains unknown but looking at
the latest donation from Qhubeka (see picture above) it seems like it’s the South Korean electronics
giant Samsung who will help the team become Pro Continental next year.
Saying goodbye to the star
Unfortunately
season star rider Reinardt Janse van Rensburg won’t be a part of the team next
year. Being the fourth most winning rider of all this season, only surpassed by
Andre Greipel (19 wins), Peter Sagan (16) and Mark Cavendish (15), Janse van
Rensburg was naturally a high priority for many big team teams wanting to boost
their points and keep their status. Team MTN-Qhubeka encouraged Reinardt Janse
van Rensburg to wait before signing with another team, but never seeing a
project like this in African ever before, Janse van Rensburg couldn’t take the
chance of waiting and decided to go elsewhere.
“Losing him
is a huge loss to the team. It’s very
sad to see a rider leaving after 3 years of development, especially since our
teams focus is the development of African cycling”, Team Principal of Team MTN-Qhubeka, Doug Ryder
tells C-Cycling and adds “we are hoping
that Reinardt will integrate into the team again in the coming years”.
Reinardt
Janse van Rensburg hasn’t officially announced his team for next year, but
Argos-Shimano seems to be his pick.
Future in Europe
Next year
Team MTN-Qhubeka will be based in Lucca, Italy and for many of the team’s
African riders it will be their first time living in Europe. Therefore the team
is right now in process of establishing a service course and a team house in
order to make the riders’ transition to Europe as smooth and easy as possible.
Brent Copeland & Doug Ryder Picture from Twitter |
To help out
with the language and to make sure they integrate well in Europe the riders
will be able to count on the support of former Lampre DS Brent Copeland who
will act as European Manager for the team. South African Copeland has lived 10
years in Italy and according to Doug Ryder; “The riders are looking forward to
this new adventure and the lifestyle in Tuscany”.
Success criteria
As a new
team on the Pro-Continental scene you can’t really expect Team MTN-Qhubeka to
achieve great results right away. This year the African team had 24 victories
(being the 9th most winning team in 2012) and knowing
Pro-Continental is a big step forward, Team Principal Doug Ryder points out
that less than half of the wins in 2012 will make for a successful season next
year.
The team’s
success criteria for 2013 are:
- Making Top20 on the UCI Europe Tour ranking
- Making Top15 in the World Champions Team Time Trial
- 10 UCI race wins
Team roster
Despite
losing Reinardt Janse van Rensburg, Team MTN-Qhubeka are still able to show a
strong line up on their team roster. Right now the team are still negotiating
with riders for the coming season but as of today the roster looks like this:
Gerald Ciolek
(GER)
Ignatus
Konovalovas (LTU)
Sergio
Pardilla (SPA)
Jay Thomson
(RSA)
Louis Meintjes
(RSA)
Johann van Zyl
(RSA)
Andreas Stauff
(GER)
Youcef
Reguigui (ALG)
Kristian
Sbaragli (ITA)
Frekalsi
Debesay (ERI)
Tsgabu Grmay
(ETH)
Adrien
Niyonshuti (RWA)
Meron Russom
(ERI)
Jani Tewelde (ERI)
Songezo Jim
(RSA)
Bradl ey
Potgieter (RSA)
Dennis van
Niekerk (RSA)
Jacques Janse
van Rensburg (RSA)
Jaco Venter (RSA)
Jaco Venter (RSA)
Martin
Wesemann (RSA)
In a time where cycling seems to be bleeding
more than ever Team MTN-Qhubeka sure is one bright story that deserves to be
told.
Friday, October 12, 2012
From heaven to hell for Kreuziger?
Roman Kreuziger from his time with Liquigas. |
About four weeks ago Team
Saxo Bank - Tinkoff Bank finally made the signing of Roman Kreuziger official
and last Friday Kreuziger got married in Italy. Kreuziger missed out in the
Giro d’Italia this year due to a couple of off days in the mountains and after
being benched for the Vuelta by Astana (knowing he wouldn’t stay with the team)
he has already been looking forward to joining Alberto Contador next year for quite
some time.
When signing Kreuziger,
Bjarne Riis said that: “Roman is a rider
that I actually wanted to have on the team some years back. So that we have now
been able to seal deal is something I'm extremely happy about”.
According to the recent
USADA dossier though, Bjarne Riis should be happy he didn’t sign Kreuziger in
the past. In his witness statement, Leonardo Bertagnolli claims that most of
the Liquigas team (that he was a part of in 2007) was using the doping doctor Michele
Ferrari. Bertagnolli names Roman Kreuziger by name in his statement plus Enrico
Gasparatto who also attended Roman Kreuziger’s wedding last week.
Along with Leonardo
Bertagnolli former Discovery Channel rider, Volodymyr Bileka also claims to have
seen Roman Kreuziger - among other riders - in his past dealings with Michele
Ferrari around 2006-2007.
In 2008 Team Liquigas put
in, as the first team ever to do so, a clause in the riders contract stating that
they were no longer allowed to use trainers or doctors outside of the team. If
so they would be suspended immediately. “There has only been
one exception since 2008 and this was granted to Ivan Basso, who is followed by
Aldo Sassi and by the Mapei Center”, the team write in a press release sent out
last night.
It’s important to
state that up until Leonardo Bertagnolli’s and Velodymyr Bileka’s statements to
the Italian law enforcement, Roman Kreuziger has never been linked to any
doping abuse.
Roman Kreuziger has
yet to make an official comment on the statements from Bertagnolli and Bileka.
It’s really a shame his honey moon should start like this.
On a side note, Alberto Contador earlier said that he recommended Bjarne Riis to sign the Czech star rider.
On a side note, Alberto Contador earlier said that he recommended Bjarne Riis to sign the Czech star rider.
Monday, October 8, 2012
Bravo Marcato
Marco Marcato. |
After being
beaten on the line last year by fellow escapee Greg van Avermaet, Marco Marcato
finally got a big win when he outsprinted Laurens De Vreese & Niki Terpstra
in the last classic of the season, Paris-Tours.
Last year
second place may have seemed acceptable for the strong Italian but after
learning how to prepare the sprint, Marcato only had his eyes on the win this
time and he took it. “This is by far the greatest victory in my career”, he said
afterwards.
As you know
I normally don’t write these pre-race reports so let me just explain why I
decided to write this - and no, it’s not just because I picked Marcato to win. It’s
based on Marco Marcato’s courageous attack last week in Giro di Lombardia.
After an incredible hard race in the pouring rain, Marcato was the first rider
to attack on the final climb. Vacansoleil-DCM started the race in a special
light blue jersey honoring Fausto Coppi, but until this point (due to late TV-coverage
as well) you hadn’t really seen the Dutch team.
Marco Marcato attacking on the final climb in Giro di Lombardia last week. |
“My light was almost out. I
knew I didn’t have the legs to stay with the best in the final, so I decided to
honor our sponsor and show off the new jersey”, Marcato explained. After a few
kilometers the Italian was caught again, but I think it shows a lot of character
the way Marcato made the light blue
jersey be seen in the final.
In
Paris-Tours the Vacansoleil-DCM riders were once again wearing their normal
colors but that didn’t stop Marco Marcato from putting in another strong
performance and taking the biggest win of his career. Bravo!
Monday, October 1, 2012
Rujano on his way to Vacansoleil-DCM
Update 03/10 - José Rujano has now confirmed he will in fact join Vacansoleil-DCM next year.
José Rujano at the start of the Giro 2012. Next year it will be for Vacansoleil-DCM. |
José Rujano
seems to get yet another chance at the highest level in cycling as four World
Tour teams right now are battling to sign the Venezuelan climber for 2013.
Last year
Rujano said he wanted to extend his contract with Androni Giocattoli, but after
this year’s Giro d’Italia it was clear to everyone that that would never
happen.
After a disappointing
Giro, José Rujano left the race through the back door claiming mononucleosis was
the reason for his abandonment, but according to the team boss Gianni Savio
that wasn’t true. Given the nature of Rujano’s exit and the weak excuse, Savio
publicly said that Rujano didn’t have a future on the team anymore and by the
end of August Rujano’s contract with Androni Giocattoli ran out.
Since then
it’s been very quiet around José Rujano but within the last couple of weeks his
name has been mentioned again and again. Team Saxo Bank - Tinkoff Bank,
Euskaltel-Euskadi & Vacansoleil-DCM are all being named among the four teams
interested in signing José Rujano and according to my South American sources it will be
Vacansoleil-DCM who end up with the Venezuelan rider.
The Dutch
team have a good record of giving riders another chance when others didn’t believe
in them, Johnny Hoogerland as the best example, and even though José Rujano
hasn’t been able to perform without Gianni Savio at his side in the past, he
seems to be given a new chance by Vacansoleil-DCM.
So far Vacansoleil-DCM
have been focusing on rearming their Classic team with riders like Juan Antonio
Flecha and Grega Bole but it would appear that they felt the need to sign
another strong climber as Stefan Denifl and Matteo Carrera are leaving the team.
What do you
think? Will Rujano be able to shine again in the colors of the Dutch team? Leave
your comment below.
Giro d’Italia 2013 - One for Wiggins?
Wiggins in Maglia Rosa in 2010 - Will he try to win it next year? |
A few days
ago British Cycling coach Shane Sutton said that he would like Bradley Wiggins
to aim at winning all three Grand Tours, meaning targeting Giro d’Italia and
Vuelta España instead of Tour de France in the near future. Yesterday the
route for next year’s Giro d’Italia was revealed and here we saw a 55,5 km individualtime trial on the menu.
Bradley
Wiggins showed in the Vuelta last year that he can stay close to the best
climbers on the steep parts in the mountains and the way Team Sky are rearming
for the new season, they will be very difficult to beat - as if they weren’t
already…
Earlier
this year Chris Froome told me that he “would
be disappointed not to be allowed to at least try and win the Tour de France
next year” and knowing Froome very well could turn out to be the strongest
rider in the Tour once again, I think Wiggins might be happy aiming at the Giro
instead. It sure would make things a lot easier for Team Sky and with three stages
against the clock (55,5 km time trial, 19,4 km mountain time trial and a 17,4
km team time trial) in the Giro d’Italia next year, I think it would be wise for
Wiggins to follow Shane Sutton’s advice and try to put another Grand Tour on
his palmares.
You can see all the stages for next year's Giro d'Italia right here.
You can see all the stages for next year's Giro d'Italia right here.
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Preview of Giro di Lombardia
After a long and very interesting season it’s now time for the last big race in 2012; Giro di Lombardia. It’s “the race of the falling leaves” but despite it being the end of the season we still have a lot of great riders ready to fight for the last big win and important WorldTour points. Last year Oliver Zaugg took his first professional win ever when he soloed to victory in Lecco, but something tells me that we will see one of the favorites taking the win this time.
Favorites:
There is no
way around it. The way he won the World Champions last Sunday, Philippe Gilbert
is the big favorite for a wonderful double to end off the season.
Gilbert has already won the race twice in the past (2009 and 2010) and the way
he has been building up his shape towards the World Champions, I’m sure he wil
be ready to take his third Lombardia win. It’s true that the added “Muro di
Sormano” probably will make a selection a lot earlier than normally, but with a
strong team around him and about 100 km to go from the top, Gilbert shouldn’t
have any problems staying in front.
BMC sports director Rik Verbrugghe told Sporza that 2012 had been an “off-year” for Gilbert and you know you’re talking about a real champion when two Vuelta stages and a World Champion title still is being looked at as an off-year. Gilbert will be eager to end this season with another win and the way I see only a few riders can do anything against that.
BMC sports director Rik Verbrugghe told Sporza that 2012 had been an “off-year” for Gilbert and you know you’re talking about a real champion when two Vuelta stages and a World Champion title still is being looked at as an off-year. Gilbert will be eager to end this season with another win and the way I see only a few riders can do anything against that.
One of them
is Damiano Cunego. Starting the Vuelta España six weeks ago Cunego’s aim was -
like Gilbert -to ride the Vuelta in order to be in the best shape possible for
the World Champions. Unfortunately for Cunego, halfway through the race the
Italian federation implied their new “clean policy” leaving Cunego out of the
roster for Limburg. Cunego kept on trying to hit the right breakaway though -
being one of the most aggressive riders in the beginning of the stages - but
without any luck. Now it’s time for revenge. Missing out on the World Champions
on a route that suited him perfectly, Cunego really wants to show what he can
do in Giro di Lombardia, a race he has won three times already. Last year he
came to Lombardia just a few days after Tour of Beijing and without jetlag this
time I will very surprised if he and in-form and team mate Diego Ulissi won’t have their saying in the
final on Saturday afternoon.
Villa Vergano - 7,4% avg. 9,5 km to go from the top. |
Joaquim
‘Purito’ Rodriguez is also a good pick for the win and together with team mates
Dani Moreno and Alexander Kolobnev, Katusha have one of the strongest teams in
the race. Last year Purito attacked too late on Villa Vergano and had to settle
with third place. This year he finally won his first Classic in Fleche Wallone
and being so close to the overall win in both the Giro and the Vuelta I’m sure
he will do anything in this power to end this year with a win and a good taste
in his mouth. Another thing to boost Purito’s morale is that a top place in
Lombardia most likely will give him another overall World Tour win as Bradley
Wiggins seems to be out of shape right now.
Jokers:
As always
this late in the season it’s all about who has most left in the tank and that
means we often see outsiders shine. I find many good jokers on the start list
but as said, I think it will be one of the favorites taking the win. Still, I
would like point out guys like Lars Petter Nordhaug and Carlos Betancur. Both
riders are changing team next year (Nordhaug to Rabobank and Betancur to Ag2r)
but that fact hasn’t benched them for this classic. Nordhaug showed at the World
Champions that he’s in great shape when he was with Edvald Boasson Hagen on
Cauberg in the final. Nordhaug was just about to bridge the gap to the chasing
trio, a move that probably could have given EBH the rainbow jersey, but missed
out in the end. With his win in GP Montréal earlier this month there is no
doubt though that Lars Petter Nordhaug is in great shape right now and being a
disappointed in Team Sky for not fighting to keep him on the team I could
imagine he is eager to show them they made the wrong call when they let him go
to Rabobank.
Carlos
Betancur showed great he is ready for Lombardia when he took 5th
place in Milano-Torino, arriving with Purito after a strong finish, and despite
having Danilo Di Luca on the team, I think Betancur is Acqua e Sapone’s best
chance of a good result this Saturday. Betancur won the hard stage to Frabosa
Soprana in Giro di Padania a couple of weeks ago and taking 9th
place in Lombardia last year, he sure knows what it takes to be there in the
final.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)