2013 Tour de France Stage 9

Stage 9:

We all knew that the Yellow Jersey was going to be tested on this mountain stage. The other teams and CG Contenders wanted to break Froome and Team Sky. The question was would Froome be beat?

Garmin-Sharp, and in particular Dan Martin, along with some help from Movistar, shook Froome and Team Sky pretty much from the beginning of the stage, and with about 140 km still left to race, it was just Froome and Porte left. Then Porte was dropped on the second climb, leaving Froome solo. However, for most of the rest of the stage, Froome was able to answer and attack that his rivals threw at him.

The last climb of the day was where the action took place. Just under 5 km from the top, Dan Martin attacked and Jakob Fuglsang bridged to him. They hit the summit just under a minute before the Yellow Jersey. And then it was a descent to the finish line where Martin and Fuglsang battled it out for the finish. Martin took the last turn better than his rival, and pulled away with the win!

Froome was not to be beat though, he crossed the line 20" behind Martin, allowing him to stay in Yellow. Porte, however, was not so lucky; he lost over 18' on the Yellow Jersey.

Picture made by @aslanscubs

Although no panda showed up this time to motivate Dan Martin, it wasn't for lack of trying. Even Jonathan Vaughters, manager of Garmin-Sharp, asked for some panda help via Twitter:

For those of you who have no idea what I am talking about with Dan Martin and a panda then check this out!

2013 Tour de France Stage 8

This is late because I admit that I had no motivation last night. I'm going to warn you now that I may not do every stage recaps. I used to force myself to write and then it wasn't fun. I don't want this to feel like a job, so I will post when I can.

Stage 8:

This stage offered the first real taste of the mountains. This year the peloton is hitting the Pyrenees first with Ax 3 Domaines as a summit finish, not to mention the HC climb that came just before the last category 1 climb. I knew the sprinters would be distanced, and I hoped they could make the time cut. I didn't want another Ted King situation on the UCI's already bloody hands.

Just as the peloton left the neutral zone, Johnny Hoogerland attacked. I know his crash was two years ago, but it still makes me smile everytime I see his name in a break. He was then join by Jean-Marc Marino, Christophe Riblon, and Rudy Molard. They hit their max time of 9', taking the top four spots on the intermediate sprint, before being reeled back in by the peloton. Greipel lead the peloton over the sprint line, ahead of Sagan and Cavendish. By the time the base of the HC climb hit, the four riders were only down to 1'.

Hoogerland tried to attack the break, but it didn't work, as the peloton was closing in. Then Riblon attacked,  Marino and Hoogerland countered, but to no avail. Riblon went solo.

Robert Gesink attacked the peloton and Thomas Voeckler tried to bridge to him. The back of the peloton fell apart as the pace increased. Damiano Cunego was dropped with the sprinters, as was Daryl Impey, the Yellow Jersey. I have to give Impey credit for trying to hold on for as long as he could, but he started slowing down.

Nairo Quintana attacked next, passed Voeckler, and bridged to Gesink. He passed Gesink before passing Riblon! However, with only 34km left of the stage, the chase was on! Thirty riders, CG contendors, climbers, and teammates to help, began chasing Quintana. All wanting the Yellow Jersey on their shoulders, or for their team. Included in this chase were some big names: Christopher Froome, Richie Porte, Cadel Evans, Alberto Contador, Andy Schleck, Jakob Fuglsang, Dan Martin, Andrew Talansky, Joaquim Rodriguez, Pierre Rolland, and Alejandro Valverde. Missing however was Tejay van Garderen, who was dropped. This surprised me since he was the White Jersey winner last year, and overall had a much better 2012 Tour de France than team leader Evans.

At the top of the climb, Riblon was 27" behind Quintana, and the chase group was at 55". Rolland attacked out of the chase group, wanting extra KOM points. His effort paid off, as he earned back the Polka-Dot Jersey for the time being, but we'd have to see how the final climb would play out. Rolland finally caught Quintana at the very end of the descent, but the chasers were only 22" behind as the category 1 climb started right away.

After battling the HC climb first, Evans, Schleck, D. Martin, Talansky, Fuglsang, Rodriguez and some others were dropped through the descent and the beginning of this next climb, leaving only 10 riders chasing Quintana.

Then more began to fall, leaving only the big names: Froome, Valverde, Contador, Porte, and Kreuzinger. And even they began to shake. It was only Froome and Porte left when Quintana was caught, and Froome attacked solo with about 4km left. The big names who had given up chase were being distanced quite well by Froome, while some, like Evans, was being passed over and over again by other riders.

Froome took the stage with a 51" lead over teammate Porte, and in doing so, earned the Yellow Jersey and tied with Rolland for the KOM jersey. Although he didn't win the stage, Quintana still walked away with the White Jersey.

If this is a hint to what the next two weeks will be like, it looks like Sky might have another 1-2 victory this year.

Even with Andy Schleck on the team, I was surprised that Haimar Zubeldia is actually the highest placed RadioShack Leopard trek rider, broken hand and all.

And, if memory serves me correctly, through 8 stages, we have had 8 separate stage winners.

2013 Tour de France Stages 6-7

Stage 6:

I know the picture above isn't actually of the stage, but I thought this was the most beautiful picture of the day. Simon Gerrans "passed" the Yellow Jersey on to his Orica-GreenEdge teammate Daryl Impey, and in doing this Impey became the first African, or South African to be more specific, to ever wear the Yellow Jersey. Impey now has a 3 second lead over Edvald Boasson Hagen and 5 second lead over Gerrans.

Andre Greipel was the winner of the stage. He has led the peloton over the intermediate sprints for most of the stages this Tour, but today he took his first win of the 2013 Tour de France. He beat Peter Sagan, Marcel Kittel, and Mark Cavendish respectively.

I was sad to see that Nacer Bouhanni had to abandon during this stage. He got caught up in a crash at the end of Stage 5, and couldn't make it to the finish of Stage 6. This is the first Tour de France for the 22 year old, who is quickly becoming a contender in the mass sprints.

Stage 7: 

Apparently, even World Champions have tight leashes on. This morning, and article came out about Philippe Gilbert not being allowed to try to get in a breakaway and win this stage, which is suited for a rider like him. Although the article isn't in English, Google translate helped me get the gist of it. The team's decision is to keep Evans safe and all team members around him. This is a race for Evans and no one is to go on their own (Sporza.be). Haven't we seen this before? Oh, right...in last year's Tour de France with Mark Cavendish on Team Sky. He wasn't allowed to sprint for himself, it was all about protecting Wiggins.

More came out today about Frank Schleck's release from Radioshack Leopard Trek. He had been training with them even during his suspension, but yet the team still released him. His own country, Luxembourg, believes that Frank didn't intentionally take this diuretic, and even the UCI admitted that the suspension had nothing to do with doping. Yet, the team still released him. Frank is hoping he can find another team before the Vuelta, although with it being mid-season, that may be difficult. His brother Andy even came out and said, "I will not ride in another team with Frank" (CyclingWeekly, and Sporten.tv2.dk with help of Google Translate).

But anyway, back to Stage 7. Jens Voigt was part of a 6-man attack very early into the stage, but the break only got about 10" ahead before being caught. Then Voigt attacked again, this time with Blel Kadri, and that became the break of the day. Unfortunately, as the two broke away, a crash happened in the peloton involving several riders. Because of his injuries from a crash two days ago, and now this crash, Christian Vande Velde abandoned. This was to be his last Tour de France before retiring, and it's sad he couldn't make it all the way to Paris.

Voigt and Kadri, who earned the KOM Jersey today, were caught 94km from the finish as the sprint teams kept the pace of the peloton high. The problem with that was some of the sprinters fell off the back with the mountains; Andre Greipel, Mark Cavendish, and Marcel Kittel all lost sprint points today to intermediate sprint and eventual stage winner Peter Sagan.

After the intermediate sprint, Jan Bakelants make an attack, which ended up giving him Most Aggressive Rider for the stage. He was quickly joined by Cyril Gautier and Juan Jose Oroz. However, their lead of just over a minute was cut fairly quickly when Daryl Impey's Yellow Jersey was threatened. This breakaway was caught just after the 3km flag.

And as I already said, the winner of the Stage 7 was Peter Sagan, and Daryl Impey stays in Yellow for another day.

Frank Schleck Let Go

Okay, you all know how I feel about the Schleck Brothers, so I'm sure you think I'm biased. I probably am, but I'm still not sure why Radioshack Leopard Trek let Frank Schleck go 11 and a half months into his 12 month suspension. Shouldn't this have happened last July? Or maybe not at all?

Alberto Contador wasn't let go from his team when he came back from his doping suspension. Neither was Christian Vande Velde, although Garmin is built around a strict anti-doping program. But yet, Frank Schleck is. I'm guessing because Radioshack was Lance Armstrong's former team, and they are still trying to clean up from that. Although from what I am reading, Leopard is the one that actually dropped Frank, as that is the sponsor that holds the UCI WorldTour license. However, when Trek picks it up next year, there is a possibility that they could re-sign Frank.

Fabian Cancellara has already committed to 3 years with Trek, and with him on the team, I don't see any reason that Andy Schleck wouldn't want to be there. And we all know that the brothers can't be broken up, so I can see Trek wanting to re-sign Frank.

I've seen rumors (or so I hope that they are just rumors) that the brothers are going to sign with Omega Pharma-Quickstep, becoming teammates with Mark Cavendish. As much as I have grown to love Cavendish, I don't think the team can have both Schlecks and Cavendish. Isn't that why Cav left Team Sky? There was no room for a sprinter on a team build around GC contenders.

I guess we just have to wait to see what 2014 brings.

Frank Schleck sacked by RadioShack-Leopard with immediate effect

(http://www1.skysports.com/cycling/news/12040/8806128/Frank-Schleck-told-RadioShack-Leopard-will-not-welcome-him-back-after-doping-ban)

The Luxembourg rider had been due to return from a doping suspension on July 14, but team owners Leopard have decided to terminate his contract.

However, with Leopard finishing their association with the team at the end of this season, Schleck could rejoin the set-up under its new owners and title sponsor, Trek, for the 2014 campaign.

A team statement read: "With the end of Frank Schleck's suspension approaching, Leopard and its partners have assessed the situation in view of a possible renewal of the collaboration with him.

"Having finalised this assessment in a broad and objective way, Leopard has decided to not renew the collaboration between Frank Schleck and the RadioShack Leopard Trek cycling team. Leopard wishes Frank Schleck a successful continuation of his career."

Schleck tested positive for Xipamide at the 2012 Tour de France and was banned for 12 months.

Leopard have sold their UCI WorldTour licence to the Trek Bicycle Company for 2014.

They have already announced Fabian Cancellara will be part of the team after agreeing terms on a reported three-year deal earlier this week.

2013 Tour de France Stages 4-5

Here is an brief summary of stages 4 and 5 of the 2013 Tour de France:

Stage 4:

This stage was a team time trial. As one of my Twitter-friends said, "A team TT is a perfect blend of teamwork, sport, and art"(c/o @Beal88). I couldn't have said it better myself.

As soon as Cannondale started their TTT, Ted King was dropped. Because of his injuries from the Stage 1 crash, he couldn't hold on to the fast-pace of his teammates. However, unlike a normal stage, the cut-off time is not known until the last team crossed the finish line. Unfortunately, 7 seconds was all it took for Ted King to be outside the time limit.

Going into the TTT, there were two teams that most people thought would win: Team Sky (dominators of last year's Tour de France) and Omega Pharma-Quickstep (TT World Champions). However, it was in fact Orica-GreenEdge that took the win, placing Simon Gerrans in the Yellow Jersey.

As much as I would have loved Jan Bakelants to remain in Yellow some more, with only 1" separating him and a bunch of other riders, I knew Radioshack Leopard Trek could not hold the lead. They aren't exactly a team known for time trials.

Stage 5:

All I really need to say is that this was Mark Cavendish's comeback stage! After getting caught up in a crash in Stage 1, and then fighting two mountainous stages, this was the first chance that we actually were able to see Cavendish sprint to the finish. Not to mention, he is also recovering from bronchitis! He beat Edvald Boassan Hagen and Peter Sagan, respectively, while most of the peloton was held up in the last 200m because of a crash.

As you can see from the sprint photo above, Cavendish, third from right, had the most aerodynamic position for speed! I think it's going to be a showdown between Sagan and Cavendish for the Green Jersey, although Sagan is up by 35 points as of right now. We'll have to wait and see what the road to Paris brings.

It seems to me that Sagan and Cavendish are only contesting the finish line, as Andre Greipel has won all of the intermediate sprints.

2013 Tour de France Stages 1-3

While I don't feel like writing out (or copying) a long blog post, I will update you on what's been going on thus far in the Tour. I'll do a picture for each of the three stages and write a very short summary about them. If you want more details, please visit CyclingNews.com.

Stage 1 - June 29th 2013

How is this to kick off the 100th edition of the Tour de France: the Orica-GreenEdge bus gets stuck under the finish line banner. The finish line was then moved to 3km back when the peloton was 15km away. It was then moved AGAIN to the actual finish line when the bus got cleared in time. With all the confusion, there was a tremendous amount of crashes. In fact, two of the best sprinters, Mark Cavendish and Peter Sagan hit the ground, and it was Marcel Kittel who won the stage, and who wore the first yellow jersey. 

While riders were indeed hurt, they all finished the stage, and the finishing times were neutralized because all the events. All of the riders started stage 2.

Stage 2 - June 30th 2013

Although there were no bus crashes today, the brutal mountains hit the peloton hard. It's not usually on the second stage that riders get isolated and dropped from the main group. However, the stage played into Radioshack Leopard Trek's plan. Maybe Jan Bakelants isn't RSLT's GC contender, but he won the stage, and is now sitting 1" ahead of 92 riders. He looks pretty happy to be in Yellow. Let's hope RSLT can defend it.

Stage 3 - July 1st 2013

Today we had our first 2 DNFs, Yoann Bagot, who got food poisioning, and Andrey Kashechkin. Even with all the crashes on Stage 1, we've only just now started seeing DNFs. 

Today's sprint finish showed the world that Peter Sagan can be beat, when Simon Gerrans crossed the finish line a split second ahead. However, the consolation prize for Sagan was the Green Jersey. He was finally able to secure more sprint point than Kittel. 

I am wondering what Sagan is growing on his face though. It's not that I don't like it, I mean it does make him look older, but I just don't feel that it fits him.

...maybe in a few more days, I'll bring you up to speed again. But for now, you have to deal with my very random blog postings.

The "Odd Couple"

Once in a while a cycling article will come out, and its too either sweet or too funny to forget. This is one of them.

What happens when the oldest, or most "mature", rider on a team rooms with the youngest? I wish I could say there is a punchline to that, but I can't think of any.

I mean I can turn this into a "what happens when the oldest and youngest walk into a bar" joke. Oh wait, the youngest can't drink in the USA yet...

Voigt and Jungels: RadioShack's Tour of California Odd Couple

Chris Horner's last-minute withdrawal from RadioShack Leopard's Amgen Tour of California roster may have helped create cycling's own version of the "Odd Couple", as 41-year-old Jens Voigt will now be rooming with 20-year-old neo pro Bob Jungels throughout the eight-day race.

"Together we're 31," Voigt told Cyclingnews Friday after the opening press conference. "So that's a good age for a cyclist. It's funny how he sometimes reminds me of my son, because my son is turning 18 this year. [Jungels] is only like 2 ½ years older. He's actually closer to my son than to myself, so I want to believe it keeps me young."

As far as Jungels is concerned, the two teammates may be separated by more than two decades, but Voigt's often-times playful attitude helps bring them together.

"I feel pretty comfortable with him because he's over 40 years old, but in his head he's like 25," Jungels said. "So it's pretty cool. We talk a lot together, and if I have any questions he's always there answering everything you ask him, and that's just great to have someone with you who has so much experience. It's kind of relaxing. You feel comfortable and secure, and I think it helps you for the races also. You have no stress or no pressure, and he confirms that."

Jungels comes to California for the first time after having already won his first pro race this year, the UCI 1.1 GP Nobili Rubinetterie in Italy. He also ran second during the time trial stage of the Circuit Cycliste Sarthe in France, finished sixth during the stage 6 time trial at the Tour of the Med and was seventh during stage 2 of the Criterium International.

"For the whole year I have no pressure at all," Jungels said of his position within the team. "At the beginning of the year I said, 'OK, my big goal is just to get as much experience as possible'. Now I already have one win and a second place, so I'm really happy. For the rest it's just a bonus if I can get more results."

The promising rider from Luxembourg came to the WorldTour this year from Radioshack Leopard's development program, the Continental-ranked Leopard-Trek team. As a 19-year-old development rider last season, Jungels won the Paris-Roubaix espoirs race and claimed the overall win at le Triptyque Monts et Chateau. He won the individual time trial and the overall at the 63rd Fleche du Sud, as well as the Luxembourg national time trial championship. He was also second in the time trial at the European Cycling Championships.

The power rider who excels at the race against the clock would like to collect some "bonus" results in California this week, but he's also realistic about the competition.

"I will try to follow in the mountains, and maybe in the time trial I can make a good result," he said. "We had a similar [time trial course] at the beginning of the year in France, so I know a little bit where I am standing, but I have no pressure. I just go.

"But I think there are a lot of strong riders from strong teams here," Jungels continued. "So I think first of all, we have no real leader for the team, so it's pretty open for us and we can try something. Everybody can do something. Of course, I would be really happy [to get a good result], but I'm there for the team also. For me, it's not just the victory that counts, but if I can show myself a little bit and show my skills a little bit, that would be nice for me."

Voigt, winner of multiple stages in California and one of only a handful of riders who will have competed in all eight editions of the race, is also hoping his young protege can show himself and grab some spotlight this week.

"He's a pretty good time trialer," Voigt said. "He's young and he's hungry, so I believe he's going to create some attention."

Starting Sunday, Jungels will have eight days to do just that. In the meantime, he's simply trying to relax and enjoy his first trip to the US.

"California is a different mentality," he said from the team hotel in Escondido. "It's so much more relaxed than in Europe, and now with the good weather, it's amazing. The landscapes when we went training are just awesome. We rode the first stage, and in the hills it's really beautiful. I like the lifestyle, even if it's really different than Europe."

And what is the Luxembourger's first impression of the Golden State?

"Everything is a lot bigger," he said. "If you go from the cups in McDonald's or Starbucks and until the roads. Everything is just bigger. And the people have been just so friendly and great, we're having a good time."

Wiggins Against His Team

I know I missed the beginning of this feud, but it seems as if Bradley Wiggins is against being a part of a team. He won the Tour de France last year, and his goal was to win the Giro d'Italia this year. Chris Froome was going to the Tour de France this year as the main GC contender for Team Sky. Simple, right? Nope...

A couple weeks ago, Wiggins said he was going to the Giro and then will go to the Tour with the goal of repeating his performance last year. Wiggins was not going to help Froome win and the team would be there to help Wiggins again, not Froome. Of course Team Sky comes out and says that the focus has not changed, and Froome will be the main contender. We shall see, I guess...

Today, Wiggins and Team Sky proved yet again that there is only room on the team for one GC contender. This morning started with three Sky riders in the Top 8: 2. Uran +17", 6. Wiggins +34", and 8. Henao, +37". With 6 kilometers left to race, Wiggins went down on the wet road, and Uran and Henao were told to wait for their team leader. All three of them came across the finish line over 2 and a half minutes down: Wiggins +2'31", Henao +2'40", and Uran +2'43". If Uran had been allowed to go off on his own, he would have finished in the Pink Jersey, but because of having to wait for Wiggins, the new GC leader is Intxausti, from Movistar.

Now Uran is 22nd, +1'27" down, while Wiggins is 23rd at +1'32" and Henao is 25th at +1'44". Once again Team Sky proves that only one GC contender can be on the team.

And while I don't cheer on anyone when they crash, no matter the rider, I do kind of hope that this is the margin that Team Sky finishes the Giro. Maybe that will make them see that there is more than one rider on the team.

Wiggins slides down the pecking order at Giro d’Italia

Control was the byword for Bradley Wiggins at the Tour de France last year but on the evidence of stage 7 to Pescara, it seems that the Giro d’Italia will not bend as readily to the will of the Englishman and his Sky team.

After the heavens opened in the closing kilometres, Wiggins crashed on the rain-soaked descent of San Silvestro with 6km to race and conceded 1:24 to his principal rivals for final overall victory and dropped to 23rd overall, 1:32 off the maglia rosa of Benat Intxausti (Movistar).

The breathless finale in Abruzzo was eons removed from the methodical calm with which Sky stage-managed affairs at the Tour last July, with no one team able to control the race and with attacks flying in all directions.

Already sluggish in reacting to the first major move on the penultimate climb of Santa Maria de Criptis, Wiggins was unable to follow Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) when he zipped clear on a sharp descent before the final ascent, the San Silvestro. On the 14 per cent slopes of the climb itself, Wiggins was even distanced from the pink jersey group as it strained to shut down Nibali’s move.

Worse was to follow as Wiggins tried to fight back on the descent. In conditions reminiscent of the famously slippery plunge off the Zovo into Schio at the 1998 Giro, Wiggins seemed to channel Alex Zülle’s performance from that day, sliding off his bike with 6 kilometres from the finish and then proceeding at a snail’s pace the rest of the way down, before being shepherded by teammates Rigoberto Uran and Sergio Henao towards Pescara.

On crossing the finish line, Wiggins rode impassively towards his team bus and clambered up the steps eager to put a disappointing afternoon behind him. After a lengthy conference on board, it was yet again Sky manager Dave Brailsford, rather than Wiggins, who eventually emerged to share Sky’s thoughts on the day with the reporters waiting outside.

“It was very, very slippery and once you fall, it takes you a bit of time to regain your composure,” Brailsford said of Wiggins’ decision to soft-pedal the remainder of the descent after his crash. “It was a setback but not disastrous I don’t think. It could have been a lot worse. There’s a lot of racing still to come and you’ve got to take your good days and your bad days and add it all up at the end and see where you’re at. It’s a long way from being over.”

Brailsford confirmed that Wiggins had not sustained any injuries in the crash, beyond the cut to his right elbow and he said that his leader was looking to keep his disappointment in perspective. “He didn’t say too much to be honest, but I think he’s fine. He recognises that you get your ups and downs in cycling and we’ll see where we are after tomorrow’s stage,” Brailsford said. “Physically he’s strong, very, very strong but having crashed he had to limit his losses and regain his composure, which I think he did.”

Although Wiggins’ difficulties in following the moves even before his crash must be a cause for concern, Brailsford insisted, too, that his rider was “in better shape than he was last year at the Tour. Obviously it’s been a bit sketchy in some areas but we’ll deal with that and welcome the time trial tomorrow and as soon as the road goes uphill we’ll welcome that too.”

Time trial

The frenetic finale on the approach to Pescara has torn up the “script” of this Giro d’Italia, in which Wiggins was expected by many to hold a commanding lead after Saturday’s 55 kilometre time trial from Gabicce Mare to Saltara. Instead, Wiggins begins the test 1:27 behind Nibali, 1:24 behind Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin-Sharp) and 1:16 behind Cadel Evans (BMC).

Brailsford was coy about the prospects of his leader overhauling all of his rivals in one fell swoop in the Marche on Saturday afternoon. “I think it will be difficult, given that it’s a minute and half, but there’s more than tomorrow’s time trial,” Brailsford said. “There’s a whole race left but obviously there are some brilliant riders in there and it will be difficult to claw that time back.”

It would be foolish to draw conclusions before seeing the nature of Wiggins’ response on the road to Saltara on Saturday afternoon, but the Sky machine could now find itself in the unusual position of looking to recoup ground rather than constricting the race.

“It’s opened it up for the rivals. I also think that in order to win stage races you’ve got to take the rough with the smooth and it’s all about how much balls he’s got really,” Brailsford said. “We’ve got to take it on, haven’t we? Claw it back and take it on – let’s race. Let’s chase some other people down for a change rather than have them chasing us.”

My favorite picture of Team Sky showing that it only rides for one rider is this Mark Cavendish, the World Champion. In the photo, Cavendish has taken on the role of Domestique and is in charge of going to get water bottles for his team mates.

Now I do understand that Cavendish went to the Tour de France last year knowing that he was going to have to help Wiggins and Team Sky win. However, it's not everyday that you see the Rainbow Jersey acting as a Domestique.

Wouter Weylandt - 108

I know I haven't written in quite a long time, but I feel I need to today. It's been a very solemn day as I, along with cyclists and fans alike, remember one of the riders who we miss everyday.

Today is the 2 year anniversary of Wouter Weylandt's death. He crashed in the 2011 Edition of the Giro d'Italia and died immediately from a head injury. He never got to meet his daughter, who was born in September of 2011.

Today, the peloton honored his memory. Mark Cavendish, who won the stage, held up the race number 108 as he came onto the podium. Although Weylandt wasn't a teammate of Cavendish's, every rider felt the pain of losing a peer.

I remember when Tyler Farrar won Stage 3 of the 2011 Tour de France and held his hands in a W to honor his friend.

Everyone is missing a friend today. #WW108

Cavendish remembers Weylandt on Giro d'Italia podium

When Mark Cavendish held up the race number 108 on the winner's podium on Thursday, nobody needed reminding what it signified: the number worn by Wouter Weylandt in the 2011 Giro d'Italia, exactly two years ago when he died in a tragic downhill crash.

A former Quick Step rider himself - and who had won in the Giro three years before on the same day, too - Cavendish put it simply and movingly when asked about what Weylandt represented. "It's a very hard day for us, he's always in our thoughts," he said.

The Giro goes on, though, and that means almost by default Cavendish goes on racking up the victories: 99 now in total in his career, 9 in 2013, 38 in Grand Tour stage wins and 12 in the Giro d'Italia. "There have been two bunch sprint wins and I've won both," Cavendish said. "It couldn't be going better."

The two 2013 Giro victories could not have been more different, though: in the first, at Naples, Cavendish had to fend for himself in the final 500 metres after his teammate Geert Steegmans had a mechanical and a split second decision saw him dart across the right-hand side of the road as the lead group veered left and take a narrow, but convincing, victory. This time, Steegmans ‘dropped Cavendish off' with 200 metres to go in faultless style and the Manxman blasted away up the centre of the road in a single, straight line, towards victory.

As if Cavendish's superiority was not clear enough, he then gave his rivals even more reason to lose morale by pointing out that, "I'm not in top form yet. If I was then I'd have got over that climb yesterday [Wednesday]." - the final ascent into Matera, where Cavendish was dropped.

Although the questions about whether Alessandro Petacchi, who was reported to be in negotiations with Omega Pharma to join the team in the week before the Giro and act as a support rider, might have made a difference had he been racing still occasionally crop up, they are noticeably dwindling under the weight of evidence that Omega Pharma-QuickStep are 100 percent on top of their game in the Giro. And Cavendish insisted that he had no complaints whatsoever about how his team was performing in the 2013 Giro.

"I'm happy, the team did a brilliant job today, right from the beginning. [Jack] Bobridge and [Cameron] Wurf were two strong guys to have away, but we had [Serge] Pauwels and [Gianluca] Brambrilla working hard there early on to pull them back. Then in the last kilometres Julien Vermote, who's a young guy, got dropped but came back up again to help support. They were all riding until they couldn't do any more, they rode brilliantly."

"And that was before the lead-out began. Geert Steegmans, when he's at his best, is one of the best lead-out men ever."
Cavendish said that although there had been talk in the peloton of whether they should continue racing or ease back when Bradley Wiggins (Sky) was caught behind in the big crash with 30 kilometres to go, they opted to wait.

"I'm going to stick my neck out for all the teams, and say everybody decided to wait. Nobody went full gas. We didn't speed up, we slowed down," he said.

"If I had crashed, they might not have waited, that's what happened in 2009, I lost the maglia [of race leader] for that reason, when I crashed. But that's not what happened today. We waited."

Hoogerland Update, RSLT / Schleck News

This is going to be short and sweet today. I am at the library, and only have a set amount of time that I can be on their computers. I worked on my other blog first, so I don't have much time left. If I didn't have plans this afternoon, I would just go to another library and get on those computers, but I do have plans later.

I feel like I am in déjà vu. Hoogerland crashed in the 2011 Tour de France, and I kept track of his progress. The when Soler crashed in 2012, I kept track of his progress as well. Now here I am on Hoogerland again. The good news is though, Johnny Hoogerland is back to training indoors!

Hoogerland trains on a bike for first time following accident

Johnny Hoogerland (Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team) is making steady progress in his recovery after being seriously injured during a training ride accident on February 3.

The 29-year-old Dutchman posted a picture today on Twitter of his bike mounted on an indoor trainer with the statement, "Here we go, 3 weeks later." Hoogerland later revealed via Twitter that he was able to train for just over an hour and covered 30.18km, his first ride since his accident.

Hoogerland sustained serious injuries three weeks ago when he was hit by a car while out on a training ride in Spain. The Dutchman broke five ribs, sustained fractures to his spine and bruised his liver. After spending time in intensive care at a hospital in Spain, Hoogerland returned home to the Netherlands where his rehabilitation is underway.

Hoogerland expects to resume racing in May. He has only competed once thus far in the 2013 season at the Grand Prix Cycliste la Marseillaise on January 27, the first race contested in European soil this year.

Next up is some bad new for Radioshack Leopard Trek. Just like Garmin a month ago, the RSLT bikes got stolen overnight. However, unlike Garmin, the RSLT riders were able to get spare Trek bikes and were able to take the start today at West Flanders.

RadioShack bikes stolen at West Flanders

Thieves have struck the peloton again, and RadioShack-Leopard is the latest victim. One of its trucks was robbed during the night, leaving the team scrambling for bikes before Saturday's second stage of the Three Days of West Flanders.

Update: The riders were able to take to the start, as the team tweeted, "Stage 2 of #3dwvl is underway. All #RSLT riders were able to start on spare bikes after thieves stole 8 race bikes from the truck overnight."

“Bad news from our team in Driedaagse van West-Vlaanderen: overnight 8 bikes, a bunch of wheels and a tool box got stolen from the truck. We're doing all we can now to get the guys on spare Trek bikes at the start of stage 2!” the team posted on Facebook, Saturday morning.

Only last month thieves cleaned out a Garmin-Sharp truck at the Tour du Mediterraneen, taking 17 bikes before the queen stage of that race. Other teams offered to supply substitute bikes, but the riders did not want to take on the mountains on unfamiliar bikes, and the team abandoned the race.

 

 

And the best news of the week, came a few days ago. Andy Schleck finished his first race since April of last year! Hopefully this means he is on the way back to his old self, however, I am still kind of fearful since this was only a one-day race that he finished.

 

Schleck back in action at the GP Camaiore

Andy Schleck started the GP Camaiore race in Tuscany on Thursday, with his Radioshack Leopard team hoping he can finish his first race for almost year.

Schleck came to Tuscany after training in Mallorca for ten days, hoping to finally put his problems behind him. He quit the Tour Méditerranéen on stage one citing illness and has now not finished a race since the 2012 Liège-Bastogne-Liège.

His negative spiral of results and problems began last June when he fractured his pelvis during the time trial stage of the Critérium du Dauphiné in early June. Schleck missed the Tour de France and his comeback was delayed several times, with his bother's doping case also creating problems and difficulties within the Radioshack-Leopard team.

A recent report in L'Équipe compared Schleck to Jan Ullrich, questioning Schleck's self-discipline and lack of motivation to that of the former German rider.

Schleck's poor performances have been ridiculed by many people, especially on social media. However, it seems Schleck's problems are more complicated than just a lack of fitness and motivation.

New Radioshack-Leopard team manager Luca Guercilena has hit back at the criticism, confirming that the team is trying to help Andy get his season and career back on track.

"I think it's sad that whenever a rider goes through a difficult moment in life, a lot of people in cycling forget all the good things they have achieved," Guercilena said.

"Andy is human just like anyone else and so can have difficult moments in life. We're trying to help him and help him get back to his best. We're ready to accept any criticism of what we do but to target Andy and try to undermine him psychologically is unfair."

Schleck seemed keen to race when he stepped off the Radioshack bus before the start of the GP Camaiore. The team had informed Cyclingnews that Schleck would not talk to the media but he was willing to explain how he is feeling.

"In training some good sensations are coming back. I'm feeling good, so we'll see what happens," he said.

"The race route makes me worried, it’s tough, but the objective is to finish. I've got an important week coming and so this is an important race."

Schleck avoided making eye contact when talking. He admitted that the criticism had hurt him but showed signs of wanting to prove he is on his way back.

"I know what I have to do. People talk about you if you go good and talk if you good bad. It's not motivating but I need to be good in races for my own confidence," he said.

"I know that people care about me but they haven't been through what I've been through last year: a long time without racing. I have people on my side and they're supporting me really well. I've got a lot of support from the team and everyone. I'd like to show everybody that I'm still here."

Guercilena described Andy Schleck's problem as a 'momento buio’ – a dark moment – that has affected him more psychologically than physically.

"Physically he's pretty good. He trained intensively for ten days in Mallorca under the guidance of Kim Andersen. The goal today is to finish the race," he told Cyclingnews.

"His problems were caused by a series of factors from last year: his injury first of all and then the way his problem was managed. Then there's the family aspect: Frank's suspension, that caused psychological problems. And the psychology of a rider is always very important. Even if a rider has a decent level of fitness, psychological problems can cause bigger problems."

Guercilena confirmed that Schleck is set to ride Strade Bianche on Saturday and then stay in Italy to ride Tirreno-Adriatico, which starts next Wednesday.

"That's the plan at the moment, as long as there are no last minute problems," Guercilena said.

 

An F-U to the UCI and One to Andy as Well??

Only week after the CAS overruled the UCI's decision about Katusha's WorldTour status, Luca Paolini won the first of the Spring Classics. If that isn't an F-You to the UCI, then I'm not sure what is. Although I was hoping for one of my favorite riders to win the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, I can't think of a better result then a Katusha rider winning!

Elite men: Ghent 198.9km

Paolini wins Omloop Het Nieuwsblad

Luca Paolini (Team Katusha) won the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad by beating his breakaway companion Stijn Vandenbergh (Omega Pharma - Quick-Step Cycling Team) in a two-up sprint. Maarten Wijnants (Team Blanco) won the sprint for third among those in the chase group.

A crowded St-Peter's square in Ghent, Belgium welcomed last year's surprise winner Sep Vanmarcke (Blanco) and 197 other riders who were about to tackle the 198 tough kilometers over the narrow and twisting Flemish roads while enduring freezing temperatures and a blisteringly cold wind.

In a fast first hour at 46km/h, nine riders managed to get into the early breakaway group. They were William Clarke (Argos-Shimano), Florian Vachon (Bretagne), Julien Fouchard (Cofidis), Nico Sijmens (Cofidis), Cyril Lemoine (Sojasun), Jérôme Cousin (Europcar), Zakkari Dempster (Netapp-Endura), and a little later, also Gatis Smukulis (Katusha) and Preben Van Hecke (Topsport Vlaanderen-Baloise).

The nine riders reached the first cobblestones with a maximal advantage of five minutes on the peloton. As the hills and cobbles quickly followed each other, the gap steadily decreased. By the time the race reached the crucial Taaienberg climb, the gap was down to 1:15. The peloton split into several parts and only 40 men featured in the first peloton when hitting the following Eikenberg climb.

Sylvain Chavanel (Omega Pharma-Quickstep) attacked the peloton after the Eikenberg together with Marco Bandiera (IAM). The duo caught up with the leaders by the next climb.

Their move was copied by Greg Van Avermaet (BMC), Geraint Thomas (Sky), Jurgen Roelandts (Lotto-Belisol), Maarten Wynants (Blanco), Sven Vandousselaere (Topsport Vlaanderen-Baloise), Egoitz Garcia Etxegibel (Cofidis) and later also Luca Paolini (Katusha).

Before those men bridged up with the tired leaders, Chavanel left his companions behind at the cobbles of the Haaghoek. With 45km left to race, Chavanel started a seemingly impossible solo ride. The Frenchman gathered no more than half a minute on the chase group where Van Avermaet took most of the initiative on the Leberg and the Molenberg.

After that last climb of the day, Chavanel was caught, creating a lead group of 10 men: Chavanel, Van Avermaet, Thomas, Paolini, Roelandts, Vandenbergh, Vandousselaere, Garcia, Wynants and Bandiera.

At the kilometres long pavé sections of the Paddestraat and Lippenhovestraat, Vandenbergh accelerated with only Paolini being able to hold the wheel of the tall Belgian rider.

On the following windy roads, the duo extended its lead up to nearly half a minute over the eight-man strong chase group by the time they reached the final pavé section (2500m) of the Lange Munte at 20km from the finish line in Ghent. None of the chasers tried to set-up a solo move on these cobbles, but also together they weren't able to get closer to the two leaders despite the cold headwind.

Results:

1 Luca Paolini (Ita) Team Katusha

2 Stijn Vandenbergh (Bel) Omega Pharma - Quick-Step Cycling Team

3 Sven Vandousselaere (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen - Baloise
4 Geraint Thomas (GBr) Sky Procycling
5 Greg Van Avermaet (Bel) BMC Racing Team
6 Marco Bandiera (Ita) IAM Cycling
7 Sylvain Chavanel (Fra) Omega Pharma - Quick-Step Cycling Team
8 Jurgen Roelandts (Bel) Lotto Belisol
9 Maarten Wijnants (Bel) Team Blanco
10 Egoitz Garcia Echeguibel (Spa) Cofidis, Solutions Credits

And as always, I have to give the latest RSLT or Andy Schleck update. Apparently, I am not the only one who thinks that Andy isn't giving it his all. The difference is that, I'm not part of the Luxembourg Cycling Federation...

Luxemburg cycling chief: Andy Schleck must pull himself together


The head of the Luxembourg Cycling Federation has doubts about Andy Schleck's chances of making a successful comeback frtom injury in 2013, saying “right now it doesn't look good. All the evidence indicates that Andy this winter simply didn't work and train enough.”

Jean Regenwetter told Wort.lu: “Andy let things get away from him in training the last two years. He must pull himself together, otherwise he can just write off the 2013 season right now.”
The younger Schleck brother's talent is not enough, Regenwetter said. “Andy has a good engine but such a engine wants to be used and tested to its limits. When a top athlete's muscles are not used, they go to sleep.”

Schleck has had limited racing so far this season. He began the year at the Tour Down Under but abandoned on the sixth stage. His only other race was the Tour de Med, which he abandoned on the first stage due to a breathing problem.
It is not too late for the RadioShack-Leopard captain to save his season, Regenwetter said. “There is enough time before the Tour de France for him to find his old strength. And Andy is someone who can quickly throw the switch when his season highlight nears.”

He must not wait too long, though. “Contador, Froome or Rodriguez have already shown that they are in good shape. Andy is running behind and that is never a good sign.”

Regenwetter said Fränk's doping problem has not helped, but should not be an excuse. “His brother's suspension surely didn't help Andy. But to be honest, Andy should already have trained before the decision was announced.
“As is often said, there's always hope. Andy can still change things around.”

After deciding to miss the Tour du Haut Var-Matin, Schleck headed to Mallorca to train. He is expected to part in the Grand Premio Città di Camaiore, in Tuscany on February 28.

Stage 4 & Final - Volta ao Algarve / No Tour for Wiggins?

The 2013 edition of the Volta Ao Algarve came to a end today with an individual time trial. Four Radioshack Leopard Trek riders, Jesse Sergent, Tiago Machado, Andreas Kloden and Jan Bakelants, were in the top 10, but it was hard to compete when World Champion Time Trialist Tony Martin blew everyone away by over a minute! Radioshack won best team, and rider Giacomo Nizzolo won the sprint jersey. I'd say this was a great race for Radioshack!

February 17, Stage 4: Castro Marim - Tavira (ITT) 34.8km

Martin wins time trial, overall at Volta ao Algarve

Reigning time trial world champion Tony Martin (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) stamped his authority on the Volta ao Algarve's final stage as the 27-year-old German scorched the 34.8km race of truth in 45:09 to win both the stage and the overall general classification. Such was the dominance of Martin's performance that his closest competitor, teammate Michal Kwiatkowski, ceded 1:07 to the flying German while Jesse Sergent (RadioShack-Leopard) notched the third best time at 1:15 down.

 
"I am really happy," Martin said. "I was really looking to have a good day, and I had a good feeling immediately this morning during the reconnaissance. The parcours was really hard, with a lot of technical parts and little climbs where it was necessary to relaunch the action every time. Fortunately, it didn't rain during the TT. It rained a little bit before, but it stopped before so we had good conditions on the course during the TT. I really pushed a lot, and everything was perfect. There was a perfect approach to the race, and the result was because of all of these things."

Kwiatkowski made it a 1-2 Omega Pharma finish for both the stage and general classification as well, finishing 58 seconds down on Martin overall.

 
"Today I liked this kind of parcours," said Kwiatkowski. "It was not one for the big gear — it was a bit more technical with a lot of shifting. I like that kind of parcours the most. I am very happy about the entire week, even on the climb yesterday. I saw the job I did in the last month to improve on the climbs pay off. I had good results at this race and I am happy about it."

Dutch time trial champion Lieuwe Westra (Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team) clocked the fourth fastest time, 1:16 down on Martin. Westra started the stage eight seconds ahead of Kwiatkowski and 17 seconds in front of Martin on general classification, but the Dutchman lost time to the Omega Pharma-Quick Step teammates. Westra would still finish on the final GC podium in third, however, with Kwiatkowski edging him out for second overall by just one second.

 
Overnight leader Sergio Henao (Sky) proved no match for the rouleurs on the Volta al Algarve's concluding time trial, losing 3:15 and the overall title to Martin, who started the day 28 seconds in arrears of the 25-year-old Colombian. Although Henao finished a respectable 14th in the final stage, beating the likes of French time trial champion Sylvain Chavanel by four seconds, he nonetheless dropped to 12th overall on general classification, 2:47 down on Martin.

The seeds of overall victory were sown by Martin the previous day, where he limited his losses to his GC rivals with an 11th place result on the Alto do Malhão summit finish, a stage won by Henao. With a stunning display of time trial prowess befitting the world champion, Martin quickly erased his general classification deficit to seal his second Volta ao Algarve overall win in three years.

"My condition is better than last year at this moment," said Martin. "I knew it was possible to not lose a lot of time from the best climbers, and my team and I made sure of it. I have to say this kind of race, with an uphill finish, a TT, and sprint stages in the beginning is perfect for me. It's the kind of race I like and I am always looking for.

"I hope this victory helps me and the team continue to get good results during the season. I'd also like to thank my team and my teammates. They really protected me and Michal for the entire week. With the bad luck of Cav in the sprints, we really focused on the GC and the TT. Fortunately, we were successful. This is not just an individual victory, but a team victory."

Stage 4 Results
1 Tony Martin (Ger) Omega Pharma-Quick Step 0:45:09
2 Michal Kwiatkowski (Pol) Omega Pharma-Quick Step 0:01:07
3 Jesse Sergent (NZl) RadioShack Leopard 0:01:15
4 Lieuwe Westra (Ned) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team 0:01:16
5 Jonathan Castroviejo Nicolas (Spa) Movistar Team 0:01:30
6 Denis Menchov (Rus) Katusha 0:01:32
7 Tiago Machado (Por) RadioShack Leopard 0:01:47
8 Rui Alberto Faria Da Costa (Por) Movistar Team
9 Andreas Klöden (Ger) RadioShack Leopard 0:02:04
10 Jan Bakelants (Bel) RadioShack Leopard 0:02:32 

 Final general classification
1 Tony Martin (Ger) Omega Pharma-Quick Step 15:36:26
2 Michal Kwiatkowski (Pol) Omega Pharma-Quick Step 0:00:58
3 Lieuwe Westra (Ned) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team 0:00:59
4 Denis Menchov (Rus) Katusha 0:01:21
5 Rui Alberto Faria Da Costa (Por) Movistar Team 0:01:26
6 Tiago Machado (Por) RadioShack Leopard 0:01:30
7 Jesse Sergent (NZl) RadioShack Leopard 0:01:40
8 Jonathan Castroviejo Nicolas (Spa) Movistar Team 0:01:45
9 Andreas Klöden (Ger) RadioShack Leopard 0:01:53
10 Rigoberto Uran Uran (Col) Sky Procycling 0:02:31

Despite different reports coming out every day, it appears that reigning Tour de France Champion, Bradley Wiggins is not planning on defending his Yellow Jersey. His goal this year is the Giro d'Italia instead:

Wiggins: "I never thought for one minute I wanted to do it all again"

Bradley Wiggins (Sky) headed home from the Tour of Oman slightly disappointed by his own overall performance in the six-day race but convinced he has done the right thing by choosing different objectives and choosing the Giro d'Italia as his major goal of the season instead of a second Tour de France.

Wiggins lost 1:21 on stage one after being blocked by a late crash. Wiggins did not have the form or ambition to take on Contador, Nibali and Evans after training and racing hard the week before Tour of Oman and so he did his bit to help Chris Froome win overall.

"I was quite tired when I got here, especially on the first day, and it has not really got any better," Wiggins conceded in an interview with written media present in Oman.

"I kind of stayed where I was on that first day. When you come into a race with [training fatigue, you never know if you fly off it or if you’ll be mediocre, and I’ve been pretty mediocre…."

Wiggins is not worried about his form or lack of early season results. His approach to the 2013 season is radically different to 2012. With the Tour de France finally on his palmares after four years of trying, Wiggins has set himself a new challenge for 2013. It is not about winning every stage race he rides, it is not about learning how to win the Tour de France.

Instead, he will target the Giro d'Italia, have a go at Liège-Bastogne-Liège along the way in late April and perhaps try to complete a Giro-Tour double if he recovers well and if Froome's ambitions do not get in the way.

Wiggins seems almost relieved not to have to return to Paris-Nice, the Tour of Romandie and the Criterium du Dauphine, knowing that anything less than another victory could be considered a disappointment.

"I never thought for one minute I wanted to do it all again. It was more like: ‘No way, I ain’t doing all that again’. But I’ll do something else which is completely different and a new challenge, that for me was the Giro and other races along the way.

"I didn’t want to lack motivation at Paris-Nice and have direct comparison with last year all the time. There was only one outcome unless I won it all again and that would have been to fail. I really wanted to avoid that. I didn’t want to put that pressure on myself.

"I’ve committed to a completely different programme this year by targeting the Giro. Last year was about gaining the confidence through the year that I could actually win the Tour de France. Now there's a much more looking at the bigger picture of the season.

"We've worked back from that, and this period of racing and training is pretty important. Everything this year has been shuffled forward. It’s what April and May were last year for the Tour. I spent most of early January and February in Mallorca. It’s not about results but about getting the work in."

Wiggins will soon head to Tenerife with several teammates for a key block of controlled training at altitude.

He first real test of his form and first real objective will be the Volta a Catalunya (March 18-24). He will study some of the key Giro d'Italia stages and ride the Giro del Trentino (April 16-19) before probably teaming up with Froome to target Liège-Bastogne-Liège (April 20) and then taper for the Giro d'Italia (May 4-26).

"I had five races before the Tour and have five this year. Liège is two weeks out from the Giro, so you should be pretty ready to go.

Weight is a massive thing for me and Liège is all about power to weight and fitness. I’m 82kg in the off season, 75kg now and 70kg at the Tour. It takes me a long time to get there, a lot of hard work. But the plan is to be ready to go, two weeks out from the Giro, and so Liège-Bastogne-Liège fits in nicely."

Emotion is the base line, all the rest is science

Team Sky gives the impression that it is driven by science, logic and a desire to produce results, with little room for emotion and improvisation. It is about hitting the right numbers and discovering marginal gains, being different and better to the rest of the peloton.

Yet Wiggins seems to need emotions to find his motivation and fire up his mojo. He's more attracted by the Giro d'Italia, with the screaming tifosi and iconic maglia rosa, than another tilt at the Tour de France.

"Emotion is the baseline, then the next step is to get the machine ready to do the job," he explained.

"I’d love to be able to do these incredible escapes in the mountain, but the reality is that I’m not that good a climber, so I have to work hard, be meticulous about what I do, and that’s made me incredibly successful.

"The Giro is special for me. It goes back to my childhood. It was one of the few races on TV along with the Tour de France when I was a teenager. I grew up reading magazines about it and the Giro was always stuck in my mind. I particularly remember Hampsten climbing in the snow (in the 1988 Giro, over the Passo Gavia). It seemed quite inspirational.

"The Tour of Italy's just a lovely race. It's the only race in cycling where they never really mention doping in the whole race. It's kind of refreshing in some way when you’re there, for the racing, because the people come out and watch the sport and idolize the racers.

"I said I’d never go back there in 2010 because it was so hard. But I’ve always had a love-hate with it and always had a soft spot for it."

No 'What If….?

Wiggins is preparing for the Giro d'Italia one step at a time. It's pointless to ask him what he will do and how it will affect him, or if he doesn’t win the Giro d'Italia. But the problem is that Wiggins doesn't do 'What if…?'"

"I don’t try and think 'what if?', especially post match. What if I die tomorrow? It means we won’t have to worry about the Giro, I never look too far ahead. I used to do that and worry. But really, it's just about taking one step at a time."  

Katusha's Good News / Gilbert's Goals This Spring

With the future of Katusha unknown, Joaquim Rodriguez said earlier this week that he would be looking for another team. The team lost WorldTour status, and because of that lost bids in many of the upcoming races. In order to ride in the Tour de France, Rodriguez was going to switch teams.

However, thankfully the Court of Arbitration heard Katusha's appeal and returned a verdict in favor of the team. However, the question that is no on everyone's minds is, will 19 teams be allowed to have WorldTour status or will another team get cut so that the 18 teams remain?

Rodriguez happy to stay at Katusha after CAS verdict

Joaquim Rodriguez finished third on stage five at the Tour of Oman but hugged his Katusha directeur sportif Valerio Piva as if he had won, after hearing that the Russian team had won it's appeal to the Court of Arbitration and secured its return to the UCI WorldTour.

Rodriguez and Piva refused to confirm their good news, under strict orders not to talk by the team's management, but the big smiles and hugs between the riders and staff as they whispered the news, made it clear that Katusha had finally received some good news.

Since being turned down for a WorldTour spot by the UCI Licence Commission on December 10, the team's future has been up in the air. 

It was granted a provisional Professional Continental licence so it could compete but the team had been snubbed for wild invitations to the Giro d'Italia, Paris-Nice, the Criterium du Dauphine, and most recently the Tour de Romandie.

On Thursday night, Rodriguez confirmed that he would leave Katusha if the team failed to secure a WorldTour place. He is determined to ride the Tour de France and was unwilling to let the team's problems impact on his season.

Fortunately the team's future now appears safe. Rodriguez's contract with the team is valid and he insisted he was happy to continue racing in the red and white Katusha colours.

"I'm happy to stay with the Katusha team because I've been in the team for several years now. The team has given me a lot and I've given a lot to the team. This is the best possible solution for everyone," Rodriguez said in a hastily arranged press conference in the permanence of the Tour of Oman.

"In the days before the verdict, we were optimistic and we always believed we'd win, even if it wasn't our decision to make and even if we'd never understood the reason why we were left out of the UCI WorldTour."

"I'll admit it, I was worried about my future, even if I knew I'd have ridden the Tour de France in one way or another. Now my race programme won’t change. I'll ride Tirreno-Adriatico, then the Volta a Catalunya, go for a spell of training at altitude on Mount Teide, and then the Ardennes Classics."

Piva echoed Rodriguez's sentiments of relief and satisfaction. The Italian is highly respected in the sport but had been struggling to keep morale up in the team and struggled to convince organisers to invite the team to key races.

Now it seems Katusha and six other team that applied for a WorldTour licence will have to go through the selection process with the Licence Commission. Rather than eliminate another team from the WorldTour, Rodriguez believes the sensible solution is to allow 19 teams to be part of the 2013 WorldTour.

"I hope another team doesn't have to go through what we've been through and so perhaps the best solutions is to allow 19 teams in the WorldTour," he said.

"That would be fair even if it caused some problems by raising the number of riders in the peloton and on the roads. It'd be worth it and much fairer all round."

"I'm sick of everyone talking about all the problems in our sport. There are still a lot of good things going on. I'd much prefer if we could talk about the Tour of Oman and the Volta ao Algarve, or the Vuelta a Andalucía. At least now I can look ahead to the rest of the season, knowing that goal for the year are safe and that the future of the team is safe."

 

After a fantastic 2011, and a not so good 2012, Phillipe Gilbert is ready to take on the Spring Classics. It doesn't seem to phase him that there are riders better than him at the moment, but he knows he'll be ready, in top form, by the time the time the Ardennes come up.

Gilbert building his form for a long assault at the spring classics

At the Tour of Oman, Philippe Gilbert (BMC Racing Team) has stood out more for his rainbow jersey than for his results but he has dismissed off any doubts about his form and is convinced he will be a contender in the spring Classics, from Milan-San Remo until Liège-Bastogne- Liège.

Gilbert is always polite and professional, but he is more protective of his time and privacy after the scrutiny and thousands of questions, especially in Belgium, about his difficult 2012 season. He answers further questions about last year but they clearly touch a nerve.

"There's been a lot of talk about my spring season last year but it's only three months in a career of ten years. I have nothing to complain about," Gilbert said, firing a warning shot while speaking to the media, including Cyclingnews, at the Tour of Oman.

"I was there in the finale in almost every classic but everyone said things were very bad. But bad is when you get dropped and climb off in races. I was not that bad and got better week after week. Eventually my best form came back."

Gilbert concedes that his hugely successful 2011 season left him tired for 2012. Poor results in 2012 were the price he paid for his long run of victories in 2011, although he recovered his powers sufficiently to win the world championships in Valkenburg in September.

"Maybe in life you only have one big season and perhaps it was 2011 for me," he said.

"But it was also long season: I did all the classics, rode the Tour de France and went for the green jersey, I was at full gas everyday but then I never rested afterwards because I won the WorldTour. After the Tour de France I targeted San Sebastian, the Eneco Tour, the Canadian races and the Worlds. I think it was too much for one person and I needed a few months to recover from it."

To avoid the constant scrutiny of 2012 and avoid having to chase his fitness, Gilbert started his season at the Tour Down Under. Stage races are key building blocks as he prepares for the Classics.

"My form's not bad for the moment. I'm not good enough to win, but I'm not unfit. I had a good winter and I'm riding some stage races like Tour Down Under, now Oman and then Paris-Nice, to get better and better every week.

"I feel ready and on track. The intention is to be at my best for the classics. The season is becoming longer and longer in cycling, but it's difficult if you have to chase your form. Last season I was in that position and never managed to catch up."

Goal for 2013: Milan-San Remo and the Tour of Flanders

Gilbert is one of few riders who has the ability and characteristics to win on the cobbles of the Tour of Flanders and the steep climbs of the Ardennes.

He will target every classic except Paris-Roubaix but has set himself a special goal.

"It'd be special to win one of the classics I've still to win: Milan-San Remo and the Tour of Flanders," he said.

"My classics campaign is very long but I think you can win 'La Primavera' even if you're not at your best. Everything depends on the wind. With a tailwind (on the late Capi climbs) you have a far better chance. When a headwind becomes a factor, then everyone just stays on the wheels."

Gilbert is not worried or interested by possible rivals such as Mark Cavendish or Peter Sagan, who was far better than the Belgian in Oman and won two stages before pulling out with a sore throat.

"There are twenty riders who can win Sanremo. It's not a good idea to focus on what he (Cavendish) has to say," he said.

"I worry about myself. What counts is the shape of your rivals in the week before a big race. I don’t care if Sagan is stronger than me at the moment. If he's still stronger than me at Flèche Brabançonne (on April 10, just before the Ardennes week) then I have a problem. But that will not be the case."