Ringing in 2012

In celebration of 2012, here are some New Year's #cyclingresolutions via twitter:

JulieHarden JulieHarden
Boonen: become a professional cyclist #cyclingresolutions


JulieHarden JulieHarden
Alberto Contador: Go Vegan #cyclingresolutions


dwuori Dan Wuori
Phillipe Gilbert: Share. #cyclingresolutions


JulieHarden JulieHarden
Andy Schleck: not wear underoos under my cycling kit #cyclingresolutions


dwuori Dan Wuori
Alexander Vinokourov: Delete more emails. #cyclingresolutions

Hope you and your families have a happy and healthy 2012!! See you next year!!

McEwen predicting the 2012 TdF Podium

Evans, Wiggins and Contador to podium in Tour de France, McEwen says

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/evans-wiggins-and-contador-to-podium-in-tour-de-france-mcewen-says)

Robbie McEwen says that Cadel Evans, Bradley Wiggins and Alberto Contador are the top favourites for the 2012 Tour de France, with Tony Martin and Levi Leipheimer rounding out the top five. Andy and Fränk Schleck have no chance with the few mountaintop finishes and many time trial kilometres, the Australian said.

"I would say the main contenders when you look at the course - those two long time trials - are Cadel, Wiggo and Contador,” he told the AAP news agency.

"You never know, maybe a guy like (Germany's) Tony Martin also and I wouldn't completely discount (American) Levi Leipheimer - they're my five guys.

"The Schlecks are really at a disadvantage with their lack of time trialling ability. That makes it very, very difficult for them next year."

McEwen picked his countryman and former teammate Evans to take the title again. Evans was the strongest rider this year in the race, showing his strength at both the Galibier mountaintop finish and the Grenoble time trial.

Evans was also lucky that nothing serious went wrong, McEwen pointed out. “You maybe don't need to have a lot of good luck, but you just have got to not have any bad luck," McEwen said.

McEwen, 39, will ride for the newly formed GreenEdge team in the coming season, but only for the early part of the year. He will then hang his bike on the wall and serve as a scout for the team, helping out at the Tour.

"If I can give them some insight into the course, the wind direction, the best side of the road to sprint on and they win by a millimetre, then that sort of advice could have played an important role," he said.

Basso names Nibali to win Giro

Nibali the favourite for 2012 Giro d'Italia, says Basso

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/nibali-the-favourite-for-2012-giro-ditalia-says-basso)

Ivan Basso has named Vincenzo Nibali as his favourite for the 2012 Giro d’Italia and suggested that Liquigas-Cannondale will tackle the race with two leaders. It had been rumoured that Nibali would forgo the Giro in order to focus on the Tour de France, but Basso insisted that he would be happy to ride alongside Nibali in May.

“My favourite for the Giro is Nibali,” Basso told Gazzetta dello Sport. “I’m convinced that in the end Vincenzo will be at the Giro too.

“The route as a whole is very well-suited to him and the absolute priority for Liquigas is to perform well at the Giro. Who will be the leader? Between us, there’s reciprocal respect. There’s no need to talk, the role of captain will be decided by the legs.”

According to Liquigas-Cannondale manager Roberto Amadio, a decision on Nibali’s participation will be left open until late April. “We’ll take stock after Liège-Bastogne-Liège, keeping in mind the form and desire of the riders,” Amadio said.

Basso believes that his own success or failure at the Giro will hinge on the race’s penultimate stage, which finishes atop the Stelvio after crossing the Mortirolo. At 2,758m, the Stelvio would be the highest summit finish in Giro history, but Basso is concerned that the weather might scupper his best-laid plans.

“If it snows on the Stelvio on May 26, we won’t go up it, and it will become hard for me to think about winning the Giro,” Basso warned. “I can hardly think of dropping everyone on the way up to Lago Laceno or Piani dei Resinelli. It’s true that the Giro is won day by day and not in one stage, but where I have to make the difference is on the Stelvio and the day before at Pampeago.”

Basso is hopeful that the final kilometres of the Stelvio can be a perfect springboard to ride into the maglia rosa. “The last 8km are 2000 metres above sea level and the last 3km are hellish,” he said. “You don’t need tactics there, just legs. The problem is that on the Stelvio it can snow even in August.”

A New Baby for Cadel Evans

Cadel Evans and wife adopt baby boy

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/cadel-evans-and-wife-adopt-baby-boy)

Australia's first Tour de France winner Cadel Evans and his wife Chiara Passerini are on the verge of adopting a boy from Ethiopia. The parents to be will soon travel home to Switzerland with the  twelve-month-old boy.

"Going to Ethiopia was our reason for the early departure from Australia," Chiara Passerini told Fairfax Media.

 

"We always felt the strong wish to adopt, so we decided to start our family through adoption."

Evans, who will head into the 2012 season as the defending champion at the Tour de France, Tweeted earlier today. "Being quieter on Twitter...busy baby sitting!"

Evans will open his 2012 season at the Tour of Mallorca.

Even in professional sports, equality isn't there...

Bronzini: my jersey is worth as much as Cavendish's

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/bronzini-my-jersey-is-worth-as-much-as-cavendishs)

Giorgia Bronzini has lamented the lack of structure and sponsorship in women’s cycling in Italy and internationally, and rebutted UCI president Pat McQuaid’s assertion that women’s cycling has “not developed enough” for a guaranteed minimum wage.

McQuaid’s comments were made at the world championships in Copenhagen in September, where Bronzini captured her second consecutive rainbow jersey in the women’s road race.

“I’d say that moment has arrived, and has done for a while. Women’s cycling is ready to make important steps,” Bronzini told Tuttobici. “Already in Copenhagen I wanted to speak with the president of the UCI to inform him that my jersey was worth just as much as Cavendish’s one, and to give him a list of reasons why we women deserve more.”

Worlds silver medallist Marianne Vos will ride in the colours of Rabobank in 2012, and Bronzini called on the top-level Italian squads to follow suit and form their own women’s teams. The Italian will return to the Diadora-Pasta Zara-Manhattan set-up in 2012.

“Italian women give more to cycling than they receive,” she said. “Our movement is growing in numbers and in value, with results that the men haven’t been able to obtain, at least in the last few years. What are we missing? Structures, from managers to teams, and above all, we’re lacking money and sponsors.

“Abroad they’ve understood that women improve cycling, and some of the biggest teams have opened a women’s section,” she said. “The cost is very limited, because the organisation already exists, from mechanics to masseurs, from bikes to team cars.”

Bronzini admitted that she would discourage her fellow countrywomen from attempting to pursue careers at the highest level, so few are the opportunities. “In Italy, it’s very hard, so much that when I’m asked for advice on women’s cycling, I immediately say that it’s better to stop or not even start, and devote yourself to something else,” she said. “But then I add that if you have passion and desire, cycling brings emotions and adventure, discipline and character.”

While top-level women athletes in other sports receive coverage more on a par with their male counterparts, Bronzini feels that women’s cycling is still a long way behind.

“There’s no comparison. In tennis, they’ve almost reached equality in terms of prize money. In basketball and volleyball, and even in skiing and swimming, there is more attention and space. We’re still relegated to walk-on parts.”

Although sponsorship opportunities remain limited in women’s cycling, Bronzini believes that change can begin to be effected if national federations start to treat women riders as professionals. “As long as we’re still considered to be amateurs, we won’t be able to get the same treatment as our professional colleagues.”

Merry Christmas

Hope you and your families had a wonderful Christmas (or Holiday if Christmas is not for you).

Wouter Weylandt and Xavier Tondo Remembered

2011 Reader Poll: Weylandt and Tondo remembered

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/2011-reader-poll-weylandt-and-tondo-remembered)

Each year we ask the cycling community to vote in our reader poll. One category that always stands out is the Legend of the Year award. In most cases it's awarded to a rider who has retired - a farewell token of thanks as they leave the peloton for the real world - or in last year's case to Laurent Fignon, who gave so much to our sport.

This year, however, the Cyclingnews team has decided to acknowledge two riders - Wouter Weylandt and Xavier Tondo.

Both men were hugely popular within the sport and touched so many fans with their racing styles and personalities. They are, and will be, greatly missed.

Personally, I only got the chance to interview each rider on few occasions. At the start of Amstel Gold Race in 2010 I remember talking to Xavier. He'd just driven all the way up from Girona, Spain, to Holland in order to take part in the race. The drive, brought on by an ash cloud, meant a race against time in order to make the weekend start but as the Spaniard lined up he was a jovial as ever, chatting freely with the press and fans. He made it clear that he was here to respect the race and that it was an event he dearly enjoyed.

In an age where sports personalities are often criticised for attitude or lack of commitment, it spoke volumes of the man's passion.

My only interview with Wouter came almost a year later and on the eve of Paris-Roubaix. He'd crashed a few days earlier but at the Leopard pre-race press conference, he remained strong and full of confidence that he could pull out a performance to help his teammates. He was clearly uncomfortable and in pain as he patiently answered questions, but his resolve as well as Xavier's spirit go a long way to show just how special our sport can be: the dedication, sacrifice, hard work but most of all love everyone even remotely associated with a bike can identify with.

Every now and then an event takes place that touches everyone and unlike the controversy, racing and petty grudges we all have, unites all who hold the sport close.

This award goes to both Xavier and Wouter. May they both rest in peace.

Could Voeckler have ended up on the podium?

Voeckler harbours Tour de France regrets

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/voeckler-harbours-tour-de-france-regrets)

Darling of the French public after spending ten days in yellow at the Tour de France, Thomas Voeckler (Europcar) has admitted that tactical errors on the road to Alpe d’Huez cost him a place on the podium. While he insisted that winning the race outright was never possible, he was disappointed by the manner in which he lost the jersey and dropped to 4th on the final mountain stage.

“I never believed in Tour victory,” Voeckler told L’Équipe. “That’s not a bluff, but I did seriously believe in the podium. After Plateau de Beille, I said to myself that there was no reason why I lose more ground in the mountains.”

When Alberto Contador attacked on the Col du Télégraphe in the opening kilometres of stage 19, Voeckler opted to give chase by himself. The yellow jersey continued his lone pursuit over the top of the next climb, the Col du Galibier, before eventually waiting for a group containing three of his Europcar teammates on the descent. On the final haul to Alpe d’Huez, Voeckler was finally dispossessed of his yellow jersey.

“With a clear head, I’d say that I lost second place at the Tour on the Col du Galibier. I shouldn’t have tried to follow Alberto Contador and Andy Schleck at all costs,” he said. “If I had finished in the same time as Cadel Evans… But I lacked clarity. My directeur sportif should have ordered me to stop. It was an error, but that’s how it was.”

Voeckler had put up a surprisingly stout defence of his yellow jersey in the Pyrenees, but with the benefit of hindsight, he harbours some regrets that he didn’t take greater advantage of his form at that point.

“The stage to Plateau de Beille was truly extraordinary,” he said. “I was surprised to be there. I was asking myself how I would manage to follow all of the attacks. Pierre Rollland set the tempo at the start of the climb even though he was less good than at Luz-Ardiden, where he was the boss.”

As it turned out, Voeckler finished safely with the overall contenders, and was the first to respond to Ivan Basso’s pressing in the final kilometres. “Today I think I could have done better that day if I’d had more confidence in my potential,” he said. “I didn’t exploit all of the possibilities.”

Six months later, Soler's back in Columbia

Soler flown back to Colombia

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/soler-flown-back-to-colombia)

The Colombian Cycling Federation has revealed that Juan Mauricio Soler is flying back to his home country today (Tuesday), six months on from his life-threatening crash at the Tour of Switzerland. The Movistar rider is due to arrive in Bogotá this afternoon, when he will be transferred to the Clínica Teletón to continue the recuperation from head injuries suffered in that crash.

Informed of Soler’s return to Colombia by his wife, Patricia Flores, the Colombian Cycling Federation’s subsequent statement on the 28-year-old Colombian said: “Soler’s recuperation at his home in Pamplona, Spain, is ahead of expectations. This is great news for the cycling family as 2011 comes to a close.”

Soler, winner of the King of the Mountains title at the 2007 Tour de France, crashed on the sixth stage of Switzerland’s national tour in mid-June. He hit a curb and flew into a fence, suffering a severe head trauma and cerebral oedema, plus multiple fractures and bruising. He was placed in an induced coma to aid recovery. The following month he was flown to his Spanish base in Pamplona, where he spent four months in hospital before being allowed to return to his home there in October.

I know exactly what a dropped chain is like...

Dropped chain cancels direct Vos and Compton duel

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/dropped-chain-cancels-direct-vos-and-compton-duel)

The entertaining cyclo-cross course at the citadel in Namur was expected to produce a World Cup duel between world champion Marianne Vos (Nederland Bloeit) and US national champion Katherine Compton (Rabobank-Giant Off-Road Team). A mechanical meant that would not be the case and both riders missed the chance to go head to head.

While the snow started to fall in Namur, the women lined up at the foot of the citadel. "Vos was laughing and saying that she should've worn long tights and gloves, too," Compton said.

Both Compton and Vos started well initially, but then Compton had to put her foot down. "I'm disappointed with my bad start. My chain dropped when I shifted before reaching the steeper part of the starting straight. I had to stop, get off the bike and get the chain back on. I was DFL," Compton said.

Meanwhile Vos powered away up front. For a short time, she was accompanied by French rider Lucie Chainel-Lefevre. By the end of the first lap, Vos dropped Chainel and from then on, Vos worked her way through the mud to her second World Cup win of the season. "It was a shame that Katie [Compton] had a problem in the beginning. It's more fun to fight it out with the best in front. I heard the announcer saying that she was moving up, but she had no chance to come back as she was nearly a minute down," Vos said.

During the second lap, Compton risked a lot by flying through a tricky off-camber section. She went head-first over the handlebars and in the second lap, she got stuck in the wiring at the bottom side of the section. "Running is so slow, so I gave it a go," Compton said. During the following two passages, things went smoother. "It still wasn't good, but I didn't want to change from riding to running."

In the end, Compton quite easily managed to get back to third place and she was content with that. "I'm happy that I salvaged the podium even though I lost so much time," Compton said. During the last lap, it even seemed possible to get back to Chainel, but the Frenchwoman held on to a margin of 15 seconds at the finish line. "I didn't know she was so close. I didn't see her," Compton said.

When checking out the lap times, it is clear Vos was going much quicker up and down the slopes of the citadel in Namur. Compton lost 43 seconds over Vos during her first disastrous lap, then lost 23 seconds during a not so fortunate second lap that included a bad passage at the off-camber section. During a clean third lap, she was still 17 seconds slower than Vos. Only during the last lap was Compton slightly faster than Vos. Of course, it's impossible to say how things would have unfolded if Compton would've been on Vos' wheel.

The tough conditions in Namur didn't allow any of the women to sit back and let others do the work. The snow, the mud and the steep sections in the course easily separated the good from the best. "I love this kind of racing. You need technical skills and power. It was hard and that climb after the start was the hardest. Downhill it was fun. What can happen." Compton wondered about crashing in a soft pool of mud or ice water.

Compton added that the most important thing was not to get sick at this time of the season, which was had happened to World Cup leader Daphny van den Brand (AA Drink-Leontien.nl), who finished eighth, and Sanne van Paassen (Brainwash), who didn't take the start in Namur.

It is still to be confirmed whether Compton will skip the next World Cup round in Zolder next weekend as she will soon be heading back to the US to prepare for the national championships on Sunday, January 8.

And the Debate Lives On: Can a Giro/Tour Double be done?

Sorensen willing to skip Giro d'Italia for Tour de France

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/sorensen-willing-to-skip-giro-ditalia-for-tour-de-france)

With the Giro d'Italia starting in Denmark in 2012, it is a natural magnet for Danish riders. Nicki Sorensen would like to ride it, too, but he is wiling to pass it up in favour of the Tour de France, where he wants to help Saxo Bank teammate Alberto Contador again claim the title.

“As I see it, it is very difficult – if not impossible – to ride a good Giro and a good Tour,” he told feltet.dk.  “Matto Tossato did well this year, but most people looking to try it, things go damn bad in the Tour.

“I also know from experience that it is not much fun to be at the start of the Tour if you are not 100 percent prepared for it.”

And the Tour is his major goal. “I'd love to ride the Tour again. Especially because I'd like to try to win it with Alberto, who will be really great. So it is surely the season's big goal.”

Since the team will be focussed on supporting Contador, “the team that rides the Tour de France needs to ride together a lot before the Tour.  This will help the team ride together and so avoid errors in the Tour.  The riders get to know each other much beer and you know exactly how to respond in difficult situations. "

The 36-year-old rode both the Tour and the Vuelta a Espana this year.

Cancellara: "I'm Human"

Well, that's good. Confirms what I already knew. I mean without scientific tests or anything, I figured he was human. Guess that my assumption was right this time. :)

Cancellara: This season shows that I’m human

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/cancellara-this-season-shows-that-im-human)

Fabian Cancellara has said he is more motivated for success in 2012 than he was before last season in which he failed to successfully defend either of his two Monument wins and was outshined by Tony Martin in the big time trial rendezvous of the season.

The 30-year-old Swiss admitted that his 2011 season lacked the high prestige victory he wanted but he refused to see the past 12 months as unsuccessful.

He said: “The season shows that I’m human. In a way I think I won more this year than when I was winning races because I showed right until the end – even when I was exhausted on the bike, that I was fighting. And this, especially in the Belgian classics from the Belgian people earned me a lot of respect.”

Despite the scarcity of first places, Cancellara’s crowd-pleasing aggressive performances netted him podiums at Milan-San Remo, the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix.

“The big win was missing,” he confirmed to Procycling. “Those situations in the races came because everyone was watching me or were against me and that makes it even harder to do a result. It’s easier to win races than to defend races.”

Elsewhere, there was no Tour de France prologue to target and in all major time trials where he rivalled German powerhouse Tony Martin, he was off the pace. In the individual time trials at the Tour, Vuelta and the Worlds, the Swiss conceded an average of 1min29sec to Martin’s blistering pace.

However the four-time winner of the world time trial admitted that he was far more focused on the Copenhagen road race. He finished fourth behind Mark Cavendish, Matt Goss and André Greipel.

“At the Worlds this year I prepared more for the road race than the time trial, and I saw the difference. I trained at home with the TT bike but I trained more for the road race and against the sprinters. That for me gave me a lot of respect for what I have done.”

Looking ahead he says the incorporation of Johan Bruyneel and large chunks of the RadioShack squad into the new, RadioShack-Nissan team has re-fired his enthusiasm.

“Now I must say I am more motivated than I was last year,” he said. “I didn’t really have that last year. I don’t have high expectations for next year, I just have high goals – that’s my motivation and for this I’m giving everything.”

His new manager Bruyneel’s chief duty will be guiding the Schleck brothers at the Tour, but it will also be the first time the Belgian has focused on the Classics too.

“The other challenge is with me in the Classics – a challenge he’s never had before. He’s had a few riders, but they were always mid-field and they were happy if they won a pre-classic or had a good result and were satisfied by that, but now they have a leader and it’s like full gas.”

2012 offers numerous opportunities for Cancellara to shine. As well as target the cobbled classics, Cancellara suggested he may target the hilly Amstel Gold Race, before preparing for the Tour and Olympics. At the London Games he will defend his 2008 time trial title and look to improve on his second place in the road race. Earlier this month, he visited London to recce both the time trial and road course with Bruyneel.

He says his current plan is to finish the Tour, but given as the road race occurs just six days after the three-week grand tour, Cancellara left open the possibility he might withdraw before Paris.

“The first thing as the Classics and from there it’s a new plan. I will have support from Johan for sure. In 2008 I did the whole tour but it was not really planned. It depends on the shape, on everything.”

At RadioShack-Nissan’s first training camp early December in Spain, Cancellara was confined to his room with the ‘flu.
 A full feature on Fabian Cancellara appears in next month's edition of Procycling magazine.

Brotherly Love vs Tour de France

Klöden: Schlecks must forget brotherly love to win Tour de France

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/kloden-schlecks-must-forget-brotherly-love-to-win-tour-de-france)

Andreas Klöden has welcomed the arrival of Andy and Fränk Schleck to the newly-merged RadioShack-Nissan squad, but warned that the Luxembourg duo will have to put fraternal loyalties aside in order to win the Tour de France.

The Schlecks finished second and third in the 2011 edition of the race, but Klöden believes one or other brother will have to sacrifice his own chances if they are to conquer the top step of the podium.

“One brother needs to say next year, ‘ok, I will go on the attack and you go on the counter-attack’ but this year, they rode like brothers,” Klöden told Cyclingnews. “Each looked for the other, and this is not the right tactic. It was nice for the Schlecks to be second and third, but it’s not our goal to be third and second – we want to win.”

The merger of Leopard Trek and RadioShack sees the Schlecks come under the stewardship of Johan Bruyneel in 2012, and as well as tweaking their preparation, he and Leopard owner Flavio Becca will demand a different approach from the Luxembourgers next year.

“I know also Johan a little bit,” Klöden said. “This situation is not the same as this year, because we want to win this Tour and we’ll try to win. It’s not possible to be first, second and third. Maybe Andy can win, or Fränk, but it’s not good to be second third, fifth, sixth, and not first. I think this isn’t the goal for Flavio either. He wants to win. It’s not sure that we can win, but we’ll try it, and with a different tactic maybe.”

Forced out of the Tour de France through injury on stage 13, Klöden watched the final week of the race on television, and he felt that the Schlecks ought to have put Cadel Evans under pressure earlier and more often. “Cadel was always on the wheel, and there was only one climb where he needed to ride [on the Galibier on stage 18 –ed.], when Andy was in front, but at the end.”

Now flanked by the likes Klöden and Chris Horner, however, the onus will be on the Schlecks to put Evans on the back foot by having their team set an aggressive tempo from further out.

“You need to attack earlier,” Klöden noted. “Maybe I could go on the attack before because then Evans’ team needs to react. I think we have a lot of opportunities to do other tactics with big riders because I think also that this year the Leopard Trek guys were a good team but not strong enough on the climbs.

“You have a limited tactic with what you can do if you have only two strong guys. I remember in 2009 [at Astana – ed] with Alberto, Lance, Levi and me, we had a very good team and there were more things you could do.”

With nigh on 100km of time trialling on the agenda, however, the 2012 Tour route appears to pose a significant handicap to the Schlecks’ yellow jersey aspirations. Yet Klöden reckons that the lack of obvious set-piece summit finishes might ultimately play to their advantage, and that the tactical stalemate of this year’s Pyrenean stages is unlikely to be repeated next July.

“You saw this year, I think we had four uphill finishes, but on the uphill finishes, nobody attacked and everybody had almost the same time on the top,” he said. “I remember in 2009 when the Schlecks went on the attack on Le Grand-Bornand. They attacked before and then again on the last climb, so sometimes it’s better if you don’t have a mountaintop finish and you have some big climbs beforehand instead. Everybody is saying it is not a Tour for the Schlecks but I don’t think so.”
Back in a familiar role

The veteran Klöden insisted that he was happy to see the Schlecks join the team, even if it meant that his personal ambitions would once again have to take a back seat, a recurring theme through a career that has seen him ride in the service of Jan Ullrich, Alberto Contador and Lance Armstrong.

“For me it’s always better to have big riders on the team,” he said. “I rode in the past with a lot of big riders but if you are good, you’ll get your chance and you’ll have more opportunities tactically in the race. For me, it doesn’t change things – I want to be fit for the Tour and then we will see.”

One of the RadioShack veterans who enjoyed a startling run of wins in early 2011, and finally freed of domestique deluxe duties in July, the 36-year-old Klöden’s frustration at crashing out of the Tour de France while in such a rich vein of form can surely only have been heightened by the arrival of two marquee overall contenders at his team for 2012.

“For sure it’s a missed opportunity, but what can you do?” he said. “I had the same time as all the leaders and I came through the first week well even with all the crashes, but then I had this mistake on the descent with Vino and Van Den Broeck.

“But I look to the future. I could say now, ‘ah, I lost the opportunity,’ but in the end, there is nothing I can do now.”

2012 Plans of Newest BMC's Rider

Van Garderen: It's all about the pressure I put on myself

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/van-garderen-its-all-about-the-pressure-i-put-on-myself)

The paint is barely dry on his new BMC team bike but Tejay Van Garderen is already looking ahead to 2012 with his new team. The young American has pinpointed a number of targets for the year as he looks to assert himself as an GC contender in major stage races.

Paris-Nice, the Amgen Tour of California and the USA Pro Cycling Challenge are all on his race schedule but Van Garderen has also selected the Worlds and Olympic road race as events he’d like to participate and be competitive in.

“I have a rough outline of my goals and where I’d like to peak,” he told Cyclingnews. “I’d like to have a strong showing at Paris Nice, Tour of California, make the Tour team and then hopefully the Olympic road race team. Then I’d like to peak again for the USA Pro Cycling Challenge and then participate in the Worlds road race and team time trial.

“Paris-Nice, California and Colorado - they’re the races I’m hoping to shine in for GC.”

With such a strong armoury within the BMC ranks for 2012, the team will be competitive on a number of fronts but Van Garderen wasn't daunted by either the pressure or concerned that he may find his ambitions stifled. Instead, he saw the strong roster as a positive aspect and one that he will be able to utilise.

“You look at HTC where we had Geipel, Cavendish and Goss but somehow there was room for everyone. A lot of times I don’t think that guys like Gilbert, Hushovd and Evans will be doing the same races. So Thor and Gilbert like to do Tirreno and I’ll be going to Nice. Also I think they’re pretty selfless and they can work for the team. I’m happy to work for them when it’s called for,” he told Cyclingnews.

Still, Van Garderen is aware - like most within the sport – that he moves to one of the biggest teams in the world with a certain amount of expectancy. The US is currently in a transition as a number of elder statesmen within the peloton move towards the end of their careers. And while there’s still fight in the likes of Chris Horner, Christian Vande Velde and Levi Leiphiemer, it is the young generation that must show its growing ambitions.

Van Garderen is on a three-year deal that will see him move towards his peak at BMC, and he believes that this longevity in contract will give him space and time to grow.

“Sometimes people sign long contracts and then lose some of their ambition because they think they’re set up for a long time, but for me it’s the opposite. I’m glad that I have the three-year contract now so that I can focus on racing and training and not talking to managers and teams. Now I can focus on racing so it’s 100 per cent about the results. I just want to have goals for myself and live up to the pressure that I put on myself.”

Olympic time trial

One event Van Garderen isn’t prioritising is the Olympic time trial. With only one spot available for the men, the US will have to select from a fairly equal playing field, but Van Garderen believes the spot should be awarded to his friend and new teammate Taylor Phinney.

“I’ve done some good time trials in stage races but for some reason whenever there’s been a one-day time trial event I’ve been really hit and miss - whereas some guys come in on a one-day event and they’re always solid. So unless I do something incredible in a time trial I’m not thinking about it.

“I’d like to see Phinney get it. He’s young and ambitious and part of the generation coming up. He’s proven time and time again that you can put pressure on him for one event and he always delivers.”

One US Time Trial Spot Open

Phinney: I’m gunning for that one US Olympic time trial spot

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/phinney-im-gunning-for-that-one-us-olympic-time-trial-spot)

Taylor Phinney (Team BMC) has pinpointed the London Olympic cycling time trial as a major objective for the coming season but the American flyer is well aware that he will face stiff competition to even qualify for the event.

The US Olympic team only has one slot for the men’s individual time trial after a meek showing in this year’s world championships in Copenhagen. As a result, Phinney must compete with riders Levi Leipheimer, Dave Zabriskie, and Andrew Talansky for a coveted place in London.

“I’m going to be gunning for the Olympics next year and we’ll see how realistic my chances are there as the year progresses,” Phinney told Cyclingnews from his home in Colorado.

“We only get one spot so that will be an interesting selection process. We’ll see how that pans out. Obviously there are the more experienced guys like Dave Zabriskie and Levi Leipheimer but I want to come out next season and have a really good start to the season and prove to the selectors that I’m the man for the job.”

London 2012 will be the last realistic chance for the likes of Leiphiemer and Zabriskie to compete in an Olympic event and with both riders the wrong side of 30, it will be a tough selection for the US committee to make – give one last hurrah to one of their elder statesman or provide an opportunity to the new generation?

“It’s an interesting balance as to whether you want to give the younger guys more experience or the older guys what is potentially their last shot.”

But Phinney, who showed glimpses of his class against the clock with a win in the Eneco prologue and 5th in the long time trial at the Vuelta, believes that he best rider should be picked on merit.

“I think whoever has a standout performance, they’ll take them. I know the automatic selection is if you have a top 3 in a time trial over 45k in a time trial. The only time trial of that sort is at the Tour and if you look at my fifth from the Vuelta this year, that was the best result of the 2011 season.

“But a lot of things can change in the off season and I’m looking forward to being at my best and trying to compete with those guys.”

Mt. Hood Cycling Classic Changes

Changes for Mt. Hood Cycling Classic in 2012

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/changes-for-mt-hood-cycling-classic-in-2012)

After two successive years of having to remove late-spring snow from some of the highest points on the route of Oregon's Mt. Hood Cycling Classic, promoters have moved the event back one week on the US race calendar. Breakaway Promotions' Chad Sperry said on Friday that the 10th edition of the race will take place from June 8-10 in Hood River.

“All the long-term weather predictions say that we're basically going to go through another La Nina year,” Sperry said. “We're just trying to be proactive in getting ahead of that curve now so we can save time, stress and money.”

Lingering snow pack covered parts of the course just days before scheduled racing on the flanks of Mt. Adams in 2010 and again on Mt. Hood in 2011, causing Breakaway Promotions to pick up the tab for private crews to clear roads that are normally closed until the snow pack melts naturally.

“Last year was the most expensive plowing project we've had to endure,” Sperry said. “Ten days out, we were looking at more than seven miles of snow that had to be removed. A week might not seem like a lot of time to some folks, but at that time of year the snow pack melts rapidly. I've seen instances where three miles of snow can literally disappear within three to four days.”

Beyond helping with the course-clearing efforts, the date change could also free up several professional pro teams to send riders or squads to the race. Conflicts with the Philadelphia races had recently led to diminishing number of pros turning up for the non-NRC race in Oregon.

“It looked like we were once again going to fall on the same weekend as Philly,” Sperry said. “We've competed with Philly in the past, and that hasn't necessarily been a huge issue. But what happened last year with USPro moving to the weekend before in Greenville, that made it tough for teams to send riders and support in for the Mt. Hood Cycling Classic.”

The scheduling move puts Hood in potential conflict with the National Criterium Calendar events Tulsa Tough and The Air Force Classic, but Sperry said those races attract a different type of rider than Mt. Hood.

“Tulsa Tough is an outstanding event,” Sperry said. “But it's a completely different demographic and a completely different rider than what is drawn to Hood. I guarantee you, the true sprinter and criterium racers are not going to want to come and suffer at the Mt. Hood Cycling Classic. And vice versa: the true climbers and time triallists aren't going to want to race Tulsa Tough.”

The 2012 MHCC will feature two road stages, a criterium and a time trial. Details for the first road stage are still being worked out, but Sperry said the Three Summits Road Race, featuring more than 10,000 feet of climbing over 91 miles, will return as the Queen stage. The Hood River downtown criterium will also be back. And in a stroke of good news for the time trial specialists, the challenging Scenic Gorge Time Trial will return after one year off.

“We received a ton of flack last year about the Scenic Gorge Time Trial,” Sperry said. “So we will be bringing it back next year. Everybody agrees that course is second to none for time trialling. As torturous as it is – with quite a bit of climbing and an almost guaranteed headwind – people just have a passion for it.”

Europcar's Early Season Problems

Voeckler and Europcar struggling for early season invitations

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/voeckler-and-europcar-struggling-for-early-season-invitations)

Thomas Voeckler is likely to begin his 2012 season in France as his Europcar squad in struggling to gain invitations to the many early season races in warmer climes. In spite of Europcar’s stellar performance at the Tour de France, the team faces being sidelined by many organisers in February.

Europcar recently failed in its bid to secure WorldTour status for next season. While Voeckler and his teammates are all but guaranteed a wildcard invitation to the Tour, planning the approach to July might not be as straightforward.

“In the team, we have a small worry for the month of February, we don’t have many invitations,” Voeckler told L’Équipe. “We won’t be in Qatar or Oman. For Mallorca, we haven’t had a response. It’s complicated but that’s the way it is for second division teams.”

A complicating factor for Voeckler is that the dates of two other one-time potential debut races have been shifted later into the season. “I’ve already done the Tour de Langkawi three times, but the race has been moved to the end of February and Gabon is in April now,” he said.

“The start of my season risks being in France, at the Étoile de Bessèges, Grand Prix La Marseillaise or the Tour of the Mediterranean, if it takes place.”

Voeckler got his stunning 2011 campaign off the mark with a stage victory at the Tour of the Mediterranean, and he would go on to win six more races during a fine opening half to the season. He carried that form into the Tour de France, where he finished fourth overall after ten days in the yellow jersey.

The Frenchman is back in training for next year, although with a cap placed on the intensity until after Christmas. “I ride six days out of seven, but it’s not very hard,” he said. “With my teammates who live in the area, we can push to about 100km.”

Luxembourg's male athlete of the year...

My only question after reading this article, is what other sports does Luxembourg have if this is the 9th year that a cyclist has won this title?

Andy Schleck voted Luxembourg male athlete of the year

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/andy-schleck-voted-luxembourg-male-athlete-of-the-year)

Andy Schleck has been named male athlete of the year in Luxembourg for the third year in a row. His brother Fränk finished behind him again in second place. It was the ninth consecutive year that a cyclist has won the award.

Andy Schleck has now won in 2009, 2010 and 2011. Fränk Schleck took the honours in 2006, while Kim Kirchen was best male athlete in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007 and 2008.

The Tour de France second and third place finishers could not attend the ceremony, but were ”virtually” there via a video conference.

The 26-year-old younger Schleck brother this year finished second in the Tour de France, 1:34 behind winner Cadel Evans. He won the 18^th stage and wore the leader's yellow jersey for one stage.

Schleck also won the Tour de Suisse mountains classification, was third in Liège-Bastogne-Liège, and eighth overall in the Tour of California.

Fränk Schleck was the national road champion, and won the overall title in the Critérium International, also winning the first stage. He was second in Liège-Bastogne-Liège, and third overall in the Tour de France.

Andy Schleck won with 391 votes ahead of Fränk with 280. Tennis player Gilles Muller was third with 201.

Tennis player Mandy Minella was named female athlete of the year, ahead of Judoka Marie Muller. Cyclist Christine Majerus of Team GSD Gestion was third. Majerus won the road, time trial and cyclo-cross national titles, as well as the Coupe de France and the Kasseien Omloop Exloo.

Robert Gesink: A New Father

Gesink's daughter arrives early

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/gesinks-daughter-arrives-early)

Robert Gesink has passed his speedy genes on to a next generation. His daughter Anne was born on Wednesday, nine days before Gesink's partner Daisy's due date.

"Good girl, 54cm and 3750gram. Everything went fine!" the proud father tweeted.

Although the girl was born before her due date, her early arrival was not totally unexpected. “I have my phone in my hand,” Gesink said at the Rabobank team presentation earlier this week, awaiting the call from Daisy.

She is the second Rabobank baby born this week. Maarten Wynants missed the presentation due to the birth of his second son the same day.

Lose weight to win Giro

Fuglsang too fat to win the Giro d'Italia, Andersen says

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/fuglsang-too-fat-to-win-the-giro-ditalia-andersen-says)

Jakob Fuglsang is overweight, and if he doesn't lose weight, he won't win the Giro d'Italia next year. That is the opinion of his RadioShack-Nissan-Trek sporting director Kim Andersen, who also guided the Dane this year at Leopard Trek.

"He must lose two per cent of body fat. Otherwise he can not make it all the way up the steep mountains," Andersen told sporten.tv2.dk.

Fuglsang is listed on the team's website at only 69 kg, with a height of 182 cm.

Andersen sees the case as a simple one.  "If he loses the weight he can compete. If he loses the weight and is in good form, then he can be right up there.”

Fuglsang has already been named the team's captain for the Giro. “We will build a team around him,” said Andersen. 

However, the Giro captaincy will probably mean he will have only a helper role at the Tour de France, where the team goal is to bring Andy and Fränk Schleck on to the podium again. That is, if he even rides the Tour.

"It will be in an auxiliary role. I think we can count on that. But it is not certain that it will be so,” Andersen noted. “It is impossible to say, for it may well be that he is completely finished after Giro.”

2012 Complete ProTeam List

GreenEdge and RadioShack-Nissan confirmed for WorldTour

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/greenedge-and-radioshack-nissan-confirmed-for-worldtour)

The UCI approved the 2012 WorldTour status of RadioShack-Nissan and GreenEdge on Monday. The approval of both teams means that the 2012 WorldTour team licensing process is complete. 18 teams will race in the UCI's WorldTour next season and will be eligible to compete in all WorldTour events.

"On the basis of the documents submitted to the UCI Licence Commission following requests by the Commission on 16 November (to GreenEdge Cycling Team) and 18 November (to RadioShack-Nissan), the Commission today approved the registration of the RadioShack-Nissan (USA) team for the 2012 season and granted a UCI WorldTour licence to the GreenEdge Cycling Team (AUS) for the 2012-2013 period," read a statement from the UCI.

The UCI issued a list of top 15 ranked teams toward the WorldTour on October 15 and later confirmed their status.  Three more were selected on November 22.

The UCI promised to release a complete list of 2012 UCI Professional Continental Teams on December 12.

UCI WorldTour Teams for 2012
AG2R La Mondiale
Astana Pro Team
BMC Racing Team
Euskaltel-Euskadi
FDJ
Garmin-Cervélo
GreenEdge
Katusha Team
Lampre - ISD
Liquigas - Cannondale
Lotto Belisol Team
Movistar Team
Omega Pharma - Quick-Step Cycling Team
Rabobank
RadioShack-Nissan
Sky Procycling
Team Saxo Bank
Vacansoleil-DCM

Another Sportsmanship Story:

Continuing the blog, I wrote a while ago, Is Cycling the True Sportsmanship Sport? (http://koalabear721.blogspot.com/2011/06/is-cycling-last-true-sportsmanship.html), I just read an article from this past wednesday on Yahoo that I wanted to share:

Florida runners donate medals, trophy to disqualified foes

(http://rivals.yahoo.com/highschool/blog/prep_rally/post/Florida-runners-donate-medals-trophy-to-disqual?urn=highschool-wp9079)

In one of the more generous incidents in recent prep sports memory, a Florida girls cross country team voluntarily gave up their runners-up medals and trophy to a school which they felt deserved them more, and they did so entirely of their own volition, without any influence of a coach or other adult.

On Monday, Prep Rally wrote about the Plantation (Fla.) American Heritage School girls cross country team, which was knocked out of what was eventually determined to be a second place finish at the Florida High School Athletic Association Class 2A state cross country meet because of a bizarre mix up with the timing chips on the shoes of two team members.

Those mismatched timing chips -- which are used to ensure that a runner follows the correct course and crosses the finish line and all check points -- dropped American Heritage down to a fifth place finish, even though the team felt it should have finished much higher. As it turns out, the American Heritage runners weren't alone in that sentiment, with the school that did finish in second place going to extreme lengths to let their opponents know that how they felt about American Heritage's performance.

As reported by Jacksonville's FirstCoastNews.com, the Jacksonville (Fla.) Bolles School girls cross country team, which was bumped up from third place to second in the Class 2A meet by the American Heritage disqualifications, voluntarily decided to give their runners-up medals and trophy to the team they felt should rightfully have finished there.

According to Bolles senior runner Micayla Costa, there was no debate among the Bolles team about what to do because they all knew that the American Heritage runners deserved the honor more than they did. In fact, the team had already gathered and decided to hand over their medals and trophy before Bolles cross country coach Tony Ryan could speak to them about it.

"We huddled up in a group to talk about it," Costa told FirstCoastNews. "The team decided not to keep the trophy, the medals and the runner-up title."

That meant a quick turnaround from the medal stand, where the Bolles girls had stood on the runners-up platform next to newly crowned 2A champion Miami (Fla.) Carrollton School, to a nearby huddle where the American Heritage squad was still in a state of shock over its sudden fall.

Without letting them know what they planned to do, the Bolles team members walked over to American Heritage runners and presented them with the second place medals. As one might expect, the reaction was emotional.


"I took off my medal and I gave it to [an American Heritage runner]," Bolles sophomore Lily Arnold told FirstCoastNews. "And once I put it around her neck, she started to cry."

While American Heritage's runners were the most obvious beneficiaries of the Bolles squad's immense generosity, runners from the Jacksonville school insist that they took as much away from the experience as they would have from a state title. That's saying something for a school which has a multitude of cross country and track titles to its name.

"This was worth so much more than a state championship," Arnold told FirstCoastNews.

Saxo Bank: Bringing Jewish & Muslim children together

Saxo Bank opens cycling school in Israel

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/saxo-bank-opens-cycling-school-in-israel)


After working round the clock, Team Saxo Bank has finished building a cycling school in Acre, Israel, and the school opened on Friday. Muslim and Jewish children from the area gathered to learn from the pros.

“It's been a lot of fun and giving, working with the kids today. I enjoy seeing how easily they smile and have a good time in spite of their differences and in spite the lack of cycling experience as many never rode a bike before coming here today,” said Alberto Contador.

Bjarne Riis was pleased with both his project and his team. “It's been a long journey through the night but we came through and the school was ready when the kids arrived. I saw them really having a good time and they were drawn to the bike and the new challenge and I hope they'll continue using the place and continue leading an active life.

“It's been a huge goal for me and the team to get this project done and the whole team made it happen by hard and effective team work.”

The team did not construct the building from scratch, but renovated an existing building and built an off-road trail. Nick Nuyens was one of those who worked on the latter. "I was mainly concerned with transforming a wilderness into an off-road trail. They know almost nothing of cycling here, but the importance of this initiative is primarily the social aspect: people from different backgrounds becoming familiar with each other."

The 2011 Tour of Flanders winner was impressed by the action. “We are not here for show,” he told sportwereld.be. “We really had to work. Thursday we started at eight a.m. and by four p.m., everything had to be ready. Friday our efforts were rewarded and the children were introduced to cycling. They were very enthusiastic. It's nice to see that Jewish and Muslim children are taught together. That is still quite rare in Israel.”

The team will remain in Israel through December 11 to prepare for the upcoming season.

Costa Rica's 2012 Olympic Cyclist

Amador named to Costa Rica's Olympic team

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/amador-named-to-costa-ricas-olympic-team)

Andrey Amador of Movistar Team has been nominated for the 2012 Olympic games by the Costa Rica National Olympic Committee.  The central American country has one spot in the cycling events.

“It's a dream come true and a magnificent opportunity to be able to ride there,” Amador said on the Movistar team website.  “Which sportsman does not dream about taking part in the Olympic Games? It's the most important sporting event in the world and I'll be proud to represent my country in London."

The news has given him a real boost for the upcoming season. “To be honest I'm really willing to kick the season off. It's been a while since I was so motivated and willing to do things well right from the winter. If everything goes right, 2012 must be a season where I take a step forward in my sporting level".

The 25-year-old's 2011 season got off to a dreadful start when he was brutally beaten, robbed and left for dead whilst on a training ride in his homeland. He suffered kidney and lung injuries in the attack in early January, but was able to return to racing at the Mallorca Challenge in February.

He went on to ride throughout the spring, ending his season after the Tour de France, which he rode this year for the first time. He was the first Costa Rican to ride the Tour.

Vos: 2011 Readers' Poll Winner

2011 Reader Poll: Vos voted Female Road Rider of the Year

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/2011-reader-poll-vos-voted-female-road-rider-of-the-year)

Amassing 27 race wins in 2011, it was no surprise that Nederland Bloeit's Marianne Vos won the title of Female Road Rider of the Year in Cyclingnews' annual reader poll.

Vos, 24, has dominated women's racing this year. Her wins include the Ronde van Drenthe, La Flèche Wallonne Féminine, GP Elsy Jacobs and the Giro d'Italia Femminale, a well as the Dutch and World cyclo-cross titles. On the track, she also holds the Worlds scratch race title.

If there was a stumbling block, it was the UCI Road World Championships, where Vos was again left feeling disappointed, standing second on the podium for the fifth consecutive year after being pipped in the sprint in the elite women's road race by Italy's defending champion, Giorgia Bronzini. Given her dominance of the 2011, Vos was overwhelming favourite when it came to the race for the rainbow jersey in Copenhagen. Vos however, backed away from any talk that the pressure proved too much.

"It's the world championships. There's always a lot of pressure in that race. That's what you do it for, you race for the big races and it's great to do the world championships for your country," Vos said. "Of course when everybody in the team does the work for you, you want to end it perfectly. That's a bit of pressure. But it's also great to have and after this season, I was sort of used to it."

Showing her class, Vos praised the efforts of Bronzini - "Giorgia is a fantastic sprinter, she won in a great way. Of course you think back about whether you made a mistake in the sprint, but I didn't. She was the best."

One of 15 riders on the UCI's new athlete's commission, Vos' voice is key as the push for improvements to be made in women's cycling continues.

In 2012, Vos will lead the new Rabobank women's team which has taken over Nederland Bloeit.

Second place in the reader poll went to last year's winner Emma Pooley, who was runner-up to Vos in the Giro Donne. Pooley broke her collarbone early in the season but fought back for wins at the Thüringen-Rundfahrt der Frauen, GP Oberbaselbiet, Chur – Arosa as well as overall victory at the Tour de l'Ardèche

Next best in the poll, was Judith Arndt. The German veteran who capped a strong back end of the season with a gold-medal-performance in the time trial at the UCI Road World Championships.

2011 best female road rider results

1 Marianne Vos 6161 (28.5%)
2 Emma Pooley 3782 (17.5%)
3 Judith Arndt 2467 (11.4%)
4 Giorgia Bronzini 2105 (9.7%)
5 Clara Hughes 1768 (8.2%)
6 Emma Johansson 1667 (7.7%)
7 Elizabeth Armitstead 1462 (6.8%)
8 Amber Neben 1154 (5.3%)
9 Ina Teutenberg 835 (3.9%)
10 Annemiek van Vleuten 233 (1.1%)
Total: 21,634