Missed Drug Test for Cavendish

Cavendish admits to missed drug test in 2011

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/cavendish-admits-to-missed-drug-test-in-2011)

Mark Cavendish has moved quickly to diffuse any suspicion around him, after Italian newspaper La Gazzetta Dello Sport published an article in its print edition this morning claiming that he had missed at least one out of competition drug test during the 2011 season.

As reported by Cyclingnews this morning, the paper claimed that several sources were privy to this information, despite UCI President Pat McQuaid stating that he knew nothing about it.

Cavendish, who won the Road World Championships and the Tour De France green jersey in 2011, released a statement admitting that he was indeed at fault and spoke of his regret at missing the test last spring. He has the full support of Team GB and Team Sky supremo David Brailsford, who said that Cavendish's integrity wasn't in doubt.

"I missed an out of competition test last April," Cavendish, who was awarded the 2011 BBC Sports Personality of the Year award last month, said. "It was my mistake. I was with a film crew for the BBC and Giro d'Italia on Mount Etna. It was a simple, genuine administrative error. Of course I totally understand the importance of testing in sport. I was tested by the UCI a couple of weeks before that and twice in the fortnight after, and had around 60 tests in all last year. It's part of the job and it's my job to make sure I don't miss another."

"There is absolutely no doubt about Mark's integrity," Brailsford said. "I am totally satisfied that he made a genuine mistake. He is tested regularly and is a powerful advocate for testing and ensuring that sport is clean."

Cavendish, who has voiced strong anti-doping opinions in the past, will face no action over the missed test, with UCI doping guidelines saying that no rider should miss three dope tests within an 18-month period. It is his first offence.

New Year = New Kits

As 2012 begins, the riders are now allowed to show off their new racing kits. Who better to show his off first than World Champion Mark Cavendish:

Cavendish in Sky jersey

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/cavendish-in-sky-jersey)

With the January 1 embargo over, riders and teams are now allowed to pose in their 2012 team kits and Mark Cavendish and Team Sky wasted no time in unveiling the world champion in his new race gear.

Cavendish, who signed for Sky from HTC-Highroad posed in his new kit while out on a training ride and the image appeared on the Team Sky Facebook page.

Cavendish recently won the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award.

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.

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

Cavendish: BBC Sports Personality of the Year?

Cavendish on shortlist for BBC Sports Personality of the Year

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/cavendish-on-shortlist-for-bbc-sports-personality-of-the-year)

British cycling star Mark Cavendish has been put on a shortlist of ten sportsmen for the 2011 BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award, which will be given out during a glitzy ceremony at BBC Sport's new home in Salford, Greater Manchester, on Thursday 22nd December.

The Sports Review of the Year ceremony, which is now in its 58th year, will be broadcast live on BBC One. The shortlist of ten has been decided by members of the British local, national and magazine press, and, in a break from the norm, this year's final list contains no women, no footballers and no rugby players. The winner of the award - received last year by jockey Tony McCoy - is decided by a public vote during the broadcast, so if you think he deserves to win then vote for Cavendish and give British cycling a further boost ahead of what is sure to be a massive year next year. With cycling rapidly on the rise in the UK as both a spectator and participation sport, victory by a cyclist in a non-Olympic year would offer further evidence that it deserves its place in the mainstream.

Cavendish is aiming to become the first British road cyclist to win the coveted gong since Tom Simpson in 1965, who, like Cavendish, won the World Road Championships. As well as lifting that title in Copenhagen in September, Cavendish also won the green jersey at this year's Tour de France, successes that catapulted him into the general public consciousness and raised both his own profile and that of British cycling at the same time. The only other cyclist to win it is Sir Chris Hoy, who took the honour in 2008 after his exploits on the track at the Beijing Olympics.

Bookmakers have reported a steady stream of money for Cavendish to win the award in recent days and as a result they have trimmed his odds into even money favourite to see off the challenge of his main market rivals: golfers Darren Clarke and Rory McIlroy, who both won Majors in 2011; and runner Mo Farah, who became the first British male to win a long distance gold medal at a global championships with victory in the 5,000m at the World Athletics Championships in Daegu, South Korea.

As well as enjoying an phenomenal year in the saddle and a big money transfer to Team Sky, Cavendish is also celebrating the impending arrival of his first child, which is due in April. He spoke to Cyclingnews about his joy at the prospect of becoming a father earlier this month at the Action Medical Research Champions of Cyclesport charity dinner.

2011 BBC Sports Personality of the Year - final shortlist (alphabetical order)
Mark Cavendish (cycling)
Darren Clarke (golf)
Alastair Cook (cricket)
Luke Donald (golf)
Mo Farah (athletics)
Dai Greene (athletics)
Amir Khan (boxing)
Rory McIlroy (golf)
Andy Murray (tennis)
Andrew Strauss (cricket)