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.

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."

 

Schleck Strikes Again and New Leaders at BMC??

Suprise, Surprise! Andy Schleck has backed out of another race, the Tour du Haut Var-Matin. Although his team still defends him, saying his training is going well, us fans can't help but think differently. In my opinion, I think he lost his motivation without his brother racing. I know he was injured last season, but he needs to mentally be ready to race, not just physically. I don't belive he is mentally ready to race right now. What do you think?

Schleck to skip Haut Var and train in Mallorca

Andy Schleck will not race this weekend’s Tour du Haut Var-Matin, with the RadioShack leader instead choosing to train in Mallorca. Schleck has raced once this season at the Tour Méditerranéen but abandoned on stage one, citing illness.It prompted Schleck's team management to defend him after l'Equipe suggested that his comeback from injury is being hit by a lack of motivation rather than a lack of fitness.

He crashed out the Dauphine last June and missed the Tour de France. His brother Fränk was forced to quit the race after testing positive for Xipamide and subsequently received a one-year ban. Meanwhile, Andy has struggled for form and fitness and has failed to finish a race since the 2012 Liege-Bastogne-Liege.

"We were happy to see Andy doing well in training the last few days,” explained team manager Luca Guercilena. “There is however a big difference between training and race situations. We want to prevent a relapse because of the race. Andy’s main goals are situated later in the season. It’s better that we are cautious now instead of taking steps backward.”

Schleck is expected to part in the Grand Premio Città di Camaiore, on February 28.

In other news, it looks like Thor Hushovd and Greg Van Avermaet will be the BMC leaders in the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, the first of the Spring Classics, instead of Phillipe Gilbert. This will give Gilbert a chance to concentrate on some of the other races.

BMC back Hushovd and Van Avermaet over Gilbert for Het Nieuwsblad


Philippe Gilbert will not start next weekend's Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, with his BMC team instead deciding to give Thor Hushovd and Greg Van Avermaet the opportunity to lead at the spring opener in Belgium. Gibert is a two-time winner of the semi-classic (2006,2008), however, the reigning world champion's start to the year has been anything but quiet and he "can't ride everything", according to team director John Lelangue.

The decision to leave Gilbert at home is only for a day as he is now scheduled to ride the GP di Lugano in Switzerland - which comes the day following Het Nieuwsblad. Meanwhile, the Belgian squad may be able to rely on another former winner to take the reins with Hushovd, who won the title in 2009. Leadership from Hushovd appears uncertain at this time as he continues to build his condition after struggling with illness for most of last season.

"Our priorities will be Greg Van Avermaet and Thor Hushovd," said Lelangue to nieuwsblad.be.

"Philippe cannot ride everything. We have adjusted his program this season compared to last year. He launched [the year] in Australia and now Oman. Through the GP Lugano he will go to Paris-Nice in preparation for Milan-San Remo," he explained.

Van Avermaet could well prove to be the outright leader when the 198.6km Belgian semi-classic begins on 23 February. Van Avermaet was already part of the winning time trial team at the Tour of Qatar and he finished it off with sixth overall. He's currently at the Tour of Oman, where he finish second behind Peter Sagan on Stage 3.

Gilbert, who is also enjoying the warmth of Oman, was relatively pleased with his form so far but admitted that the gradient of Green Mountain was a little too much for him at this time of the year.
"My performance was not bad," said Gilbert. "But I was sore, I rode on the 39-28 and I had the feeling that it was too big. There were sections of seventeen percent. It was really every man for himself."

Crashes: A Hazard of Professional Cycling

Do you remember this?

In the 2011 Tour de France, a media car ran into Juan Flecha, who ran into Johnny Hoogerland. Hoogerland had the unfortunate experience of flipping over a barbed wire fence. Despite the pain and blood, Hoogerland finished the stage and took the KOM jersey. If you don't remember this incident, feel free to read my blog post about it here: The Stage 9 Crash.

I feel like Hoogerland has to be one of the most unlucky riders in the peloton, as he is now in the intensive care unit after another accident on Sunday:

Hoogerland hospitalized after training accident

Johnny Hoogerland (Vacansoleil-DCM) is in the hospital this evening after a collision with a car while out training. The Dutch rider sustained fractured ribs and will spend the night in hospital before he undergoes further tests.

Hoogerland had been training in Spain ahead of the Tour Méditerranée.

In a press statement the team said, "The rider of Vacansoleil-DCM was going slightly downhill in front of the scooter which was going to motopace him for another hour or so. A turning car didn't see the rider coming and hit the unfortunate Hoogerland."

The team added that they will release more information on Monday.

Although I haven't seen any more details released about Hoogerland's condition on cyclingnews.com, I did learn on Twitter that he has "five broken ribs, cracks off vertebrae 8 through 12, and a bruised liver" (Source: Twitter via Jose Been / TourdeJose.)

Get well soon Johnny!!!

There was another crash yesterday that I wanted to mention: Sacha Modolo. This was the rider that crossed the finish line second to Mark Cavendish on the first stage of this year's Tour de San Luis. Modolo then came back and out-sprinted Cavendish the next day. I had never heard of Modolo until the Tour de San Luis, but I put him on my Fantasy Cycling team for the first stage of the Tour of Qatar.

Other than checking how well I scored in the stage, I hadn't really looked over the results or report on the Tour of Qatar, and while I was trying to figure out my Team Time Trial roster, I couldn't decide if I wanted to keep Modolo for future sprints or bring in an extra BMC rider for the TTT. My instant gratification won out, and I traded Modolo. When I woke up and checked up on stage two, I was surprised that he had been in a crash on Sunday, and didn't start. I'm glad I listened to my gut and took him off my team, but it is always sad to see a rider in a crash.

Modolo quits the Tour of Qatar

Italian sprinter Sacha Modolo (Bardiani Valvole – CSF Inox) has been forced to quit the Tour of Qatar after x-rays confirmed he fractured his scaphoid in his wrist. Initial reports said Modolo had fractured his left scaphoid. The team has today reported it his right wrist.

Modolo went to hospital in Doha before the start of the stage two team time trial. On his return, his teammates headed out for the 14km test against the lock while Modolo prepared to return to Italy.

“Due to a distraction, I fell down trying to rider over a step," Modolo said in a statement from the team.

"I’m sorry for the team, I arrived here with a good shape and the aim to achieve some good results in Qatar and then in Oman. Now I have to recover as quickly as possible and reschedule the first part of season from scratch."

Sacha Modolo travel Italy today and hopes to quickly begin training on an indoor-trainer. He had shown his early-season form by beating Mark Cavendish (Omega Pharma - Quick-Step) to win stage two of the Tour de San Luis.

Get well soon Sacha!! We can't wait to have you back!

2012 Tour de France Stage 9, 7/09/12

July 9, Stage 9: Arc-et-Senans - Besançon (ITT) 41.5km

Wiggins crushes time trial in Besançon

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/tour-de-france/stage-9/results)

Team Sky stamped their authority on the Tour de France with a commanding display in the 41.5-kilometre time trial to Besançon. Race leader Bradley Wiggins won in a time of 51:24 with teammate Chris Froome in second at 35 seconds. The result moved Froome up to third in the general classification and strengthened Wiggins’s grip on yellow.

Defending champion Cadel Evans (BMC) lost time at each time check point before finishing 6th, 1:43 behind Wiggins. Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas-Cannondale), who started the day in third place overall, managed to limit his losses, finishing in 8th, 2:07 down on Wiggins, and now lies 4th in the race for yellow.

"I'm just really pleased with how I put the day together, mentally, too. The noise when I rolled off the ramp was incredible and not letting that phase me and not going out too hard. So I’m just really satisfied with how I put the whole day together an that’s what I’ve been focusing. So at the moment it’s just relief and pride in myself for doing that," Wiggins said.

"When I get back tonight, that when you start thinking about the context of how it fits into the whole Tour and everything. Numbers are being thrown around, you got this on Cadel, this on him but at the moment it’s a lot to take in."

Heading into the stage BMC had hoped to limit their losses to less than a minute but after just a few kilometres of Evans’s ride Wiggins was up on the 2011 winner. At the first time check, 16.5km into the stage, Wiggins cruised through at a time of 21:05, five seconds up on Froome but already over a minute up on Evans. The Sky pair obliterated the time of Fabian Cancellara and from there Evans began a campaign of damage limitation.

At the second time check at 31.5 kilometres it looked to be working with Wiggins only adding 19 seconds to his time on the Australian but by the finish the British rider had extended his lead to 1:43, the exact time gap between the two riders posted at last month’s Dauphine.

Earlier in the day, world time trial champion Tony Martin (Omega Pharma-QuickStep) cut a sorry figure on the start ramp in Arc-et-Senans. With a wrist strapped due to a broken bone the German was perhaps riding his last stage in this year’s Tour but his luck, which as deserted him throughout the race, was in no mood of changing, and within the first few kilometres suffered a puncture. Despite the misfortune Martin posted the fastest time at each check point to take an early but incomprehensive lead.

Fabian Cancellara (RadioShack-Nissan) put Martin out of his misery setting a time 39 seconds faster at the first check, and 1:19 quicker at the finish. However, when French time trial champion Sylvain Chavanel (Omega Pharma-QuickStep) came through the first check just a handful of seconds down on the Swiss rider, it was clear that the former world time trial champion was far from firing on all cylinders.

It wasn’t until Tejay van Garderen (BMC) came through the first check three seconds faster that it was confirmed that Cancellara would not repeat his prologue success. The American, riding in just his second Tour, looked at ease over the testing first part of the course, catching Ivan Basso (Liquigas-Cannondale) for three minutes and going fastest at the second check. Although he tired by the finish, crossing the line nine seconds down on Cancellara, the RadioShack-Nissan rider’s position was in the line of fire.

By now the GC contenders, Froome included in that echelon, were on the road. The Kenyan-born rider, who beat Wiggins in an individual time trial at the Vuelta last September, stormed to a 24-second lead at the first check. Denis Menchov (Katusha), in his Russian national time trial champion's kit, could only manage 7th with Nibali in 10th and Evans 12th. Wiggins was still to reach the 16.5km mark but his rhythm and speed looked on course, and he crossed the check point five seconds faster than Froome.

Sky’s Froome was looking almost as assured as Wiggins in his time trial position, out of the saddle on the rolling terrain, and faster than Van Garderen at the second check point. Wiggins came in 16 seconds faster than Froome, cementing his position as Sky’s undoubted leader in the race.

Menchov crossed the line, then Nibali, but both were off the pace and looking set to lose over two minutes. Froome meanwhile had crushed Cancellara by 22 seconds with just Evans and Wiggins left on the road.

Having gained 35 seconds on Froome, 1:43 on Evans and over 2 minutes on his nearest rival Wiggins will be greatly satisfied with his day and tomorrow’s rest day will give the British rider time to let the events sink in. The Tour is far from over but Wiggins has landed a heavy blow.

Full Results

1	Bradley Wiggins (GBr) Sky Procycling	0:51:24
2	Christopher Froome (GBr) Sky Procycling	0:00:35
3	Fabian Cancellara (Swi) RadioShack-Nissan	0:00:57
4	Tejay van Garderen (USA) BMC Racing Team	0:01:06
5	Sylvain Chavanel (Fra) Omega Pharma-QuickStep	0:01:24
6	Cadel Evans (Aus) BMC Racing Team	0:01:43
7	Peter Velits (Svk) Omega Pharma-QuickStep	0:01:59
8	Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale	0:02:07
9	Denis Menchov (Rus) Katusha Team	0:02:08
10	Andreas Klöden (Ger) RadioShack-Nissan	0:02:09

24 - June - 2012 - Daily News

Short of posting dozens of articles on the National Championships that are going on, here is a quick list that links to all the completed ones:

2012 National Championships index page

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/2012-national-championships-index-page)

Australia: Road race - Elite men, Elite/U23 women, U23 men; Time trial - Elite men, Elite/U23 women, U23 men
Austria: Road race - Elite men, Elite women
Belgium: Road race - Elite men, Elite women
Brazil: Road race - Elite/U23 men, Elite women
Canada: Road race - Elite/U23men, Elite women; Time trial - Elite/U23men, Elite women
Croatia: Road race - Elite men, Elite women
Czech Republic: Road race, Time Trial
Denmark: Road race - Elite men, Elite women; Time trial - Elite men, Elite women
Dutch Antilles: Road race - Elite men
Estonia: Road race - Elite men; Time trial - Elite men, Elite women
France: Road race: Elite men, Elite women;  Time trials - Elite men, Elite women
Germany: Road race: Elite men, Elite women; Time trial - Elite men, Elite women
Great Britain: Road race - Elite men, Elite women
Hong Kong: Road race - Elite men, Elite women
Hungary: Road race - Elite men, Elite women; Time trial
Ireland: Road race - Elite men, Elite women; Time trial
Israel: Road Race; Time trial - Elite men, Elite women
Italy: Road race - Elite men, Elite women, U23 men; Time trial - Elite men, Elite women, U23 men
Japan: Road race - Elite men, Elite women; Time trial - Elite men, Elite women
Luxembourg: Road race - Elite men, U23 men, Elite women; Time trial
Mexico: Time trial - Elite men, Elite women
Netherlands: Road Race - Elite men, Elite women, U23 Men; Time trial - Elite men, Elite women, U23 men
New Zealand: Road race - Elite men, Elite women, U23 men; Time trial - Elite men, Elite women, U23 men
Norway: Road race - Elite men, Elite women, U23 men; Time trial - Elite men, Elite women
Poland: Road race - Elite men, Elite women; Time trial - U23 men, Elite women, Elite men
Portugal: Road race - U23 men; Time trial - Elite men, Elite women, U23 men
Russia: Road race - Elite men; Time trial - Elite men
Serbia: Road race; Time trial
Slovakia: Road race; Time trial
Slovenia: Road race - Elite men, U23 men, Elite women; Time trial - Elite men, Elite women, U23 men
South Africa: Road race - Elite men, Elite women, U23 men; Time trial - Elite men, Elite women, U23 men
Spain: Road race - Elite men, U23 Men, Elite Women, Time trial - Elite men, Elite women, U23 men
Sweden: Road race - Elite women, Time trial - Elite men, Elite women
Switzerland: Road race - Elite men, U23 men, Elite women; Time trials - Elite men, Elite women, U23 men
Ukraine: Road race - Elite men
United States: Road race - Elite women, Elite men; Time trial - Elite men, Elite women, U23 men

Some cyclists, like Jakob Fuglsang, are surprised when left off their team's Tour de France roster. Other riders, not so much...

Thomas Dekker says 2012 Tour de France too early for him

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/thomas-dekker-says-2012-tour-de-france-too-early-for-him)

Thomas Dekker was not surprised to be left off the Garmin-Barracuda squad for the Tour de France, stating that he is not yet ready for a race of that difficulty. “It's just too early. I'm too far from the level needed for the Tour,” he said.

The Dutchman served a two-year doping suspension and has been back in the peloton for nearly one year. “It's just a tough sport and you notice that you don't have the hardness,” he told NU.nl. “In the Tour de Suisse I rode 1400 kilometers in nine days. I need more of these competitions."

Giro d'Italia winner Ryder Hesjedal was named as the US team's general classification contender, with Tom Danielson and Christian Vande Velde as backups. “They are much better now and everyone has a certain role in a team. The rest should help them and that's never been my forte.”

Dekker was supposed to ride the Giro d'Italia, but had to pass due to knee problems. He still expects to ride a Grand Tour this year, the Vuelta a Espana. “And then there's the World Championships in my own country, so there is still a lot to go.”  He further expects to ride the Tour in 2013. "Otherwise it would be a significant disappointment."

He has one individual win this season, the fifth stage of the Circuit de la Sarthe. His next race is Sunday's Dutch national road race.

Here's an update from a rider that I have missed in the Tour...

Jan Ullrich: "I would have acted differently"

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/jan-ullrich-i-would-have-acted-differently)

Former Tour de France winner Jan Ullrich hasn't raced professionally since his removal from the Tour 2006 and seems to have finally moved on from the difficult years which followed his dramatic exit from the sport. The German is currently ‘serving’ a two year suspension for his involvement in Operacion Puerto while he has no intension of returning to the sport.

Ullirch may have no desire to race again but believes he should have been honest when his case first came to light: "I wanted to protect my family and was advised not to express myself. In hindsight I would have acted differently" he told Bild am Sonntag (bild.de).

He still remains coy about the exact details in relation to the doping case and said that "the issue was closed with the court’s verdict". Ullrich is disappointed about the length of time it took for his case to be resolved, rather than the verdict itself. He did however admit "I’m partially to blame". All of his results from May 2005 have since been stripped but he has tried to move on with his life. He has been riding his bike, clocking more than 10,000km this year. "Since I am active again, the head is clear again. I am much more energetic" he said.

Ullrich was asked if he had considered the possibility of being awarded the winner of a few more Tours de France - if Lance Armstrong was found guilty and stripped of his titles - but instead hoped for a faster resolution to the case and not necessarily the outcome: "I get the developments but do not follow it" he said.

In the meantime Ullrich keeps himself busy running a number of businesses including cycling camps and promoting an anti-hair-loss shampoo. He also contributes to a blog on eurosport.

Surprisingly, there was no RadioShack Nissan Trek news today that I saw. However, I am going to end with an article about my favorite, Thor Hushovd. I know this is 4 years down the road, but it still makes me sad...

Bergen 2016 Worlds could be Hushovd's last race

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/bergen-2016-worlds-could-be-hushovds-last-race)

Thor Hushovd has said that riding in the 2016 World Championships in Bergen, Norway, would be the perfect end of his career – assuming the city is awarded the races.  “I think I can guarantee that it would be my last race,” he said.

If Bergen is awarded the championships, then “I feel I would have to say yes” to continuing to ride until then, Hushovd said, according to procycling.no.

“To ride in the Worlds is a great experience anyway, but to do it at home would be a dream,” said Hushovd, who would be 38 in 2016.

The BMC Racing Team rider fought a virus much of the first half of the season, and decided to skip the national championships and the Tour de France in order to concentrate on the 2012 London Olympics.

“The feeling is completely different now than it was a few weeks ago. Now I'm 100 percent focused on the Olympics and the rest of the season,” he said.

23 - June - 2012 - Daily News

This article really hit me. This cyclist just came back from a two year ban and won the Italian Road Championship. I know if it was Lance Armstrong, they'd be testing him again. Congrats to Franco Pellizotti!

June 23, Elite Men Road Race: Pergine - Borgo Valsugana 254.7km

Pellizotti returns from ban to win Italian road title

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/italian-road-championships-2012/elite-men-road-race/results)

Franco Pellizotti scored an emphatic victory in the Italian road championships, returning from his two-year ban for irregular biological passport values to solo to his first tricolore. Danilo Di Luca was second from the chasing group.

Now riding for Androni Giocattoli, Pellizotti attacked an elite group which had bridged up to the solo move of Michele Scarponi. He left behind Liquigas-Cannondale duo Moreno Moser and Vincenzo Nibali, Scarponi and Katusha's Giampaolo Caruso en route to the win.

“Anyone who knows me will know how hard I tried in that last kilometre,” Pellizotti said. “At 400 metres to go, I knew I’d won and was able to enjoy it. I wish that it could have never ended.

“I must thank Androni for the great trust they have shown in me. After they confirmed my appointment I was able to train in the best possible way for this race.”

Scarponi had a lead of almost a minute-and-a-half with two laps of the course and 27km to go, but saw his advantage quickly eradicated as the race hurtled towards its conclusion. He was eventually swallowed up by the three podium finishers, Nibali and Caruso just ahead of the beginning of the final lap.

Pellizotti then attacked almost immediately as the riders started to climb for the final time. Caruso was the only rider who was capable of going with him and the duo formed a leading pair for a few kilometres before Pellizotti, who was easily the fresher man, turned the screw and piled on the pressure until Caruso cracked.

Caruso quickly came back to Di Luca and Moser, who eventually overtook him and took their places on the podium. Both Nibali and Scarponi, whose minds were probably several hundred miles north in Liege, where the Tour de France starts next weekend. Nibali had publicly played down his chance of winning here in the build up the race, having spent some punishing hours on the Passo San Pellegrino as part of a training camp ahead of the Tour de France.

Di Luca bettered his previous best finish at the championships (3rd place in 2009) while Moser’s performance offered up further evidence that he could be the next best thing in Italian cycling, belying his tender years at the age of 21.
This year’s renewal was a particularly brutal one, with only 20 riders finishing the race.

Here is a look at the Top 5 Tour de France GC contenders. Although, I must disagree with Frank Schleck. I don't think he will be a threat this year. I really believe this will be a Wiggins/Evans showdown.

Tour de France: Top-five general classification contenders

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/tour-de-france-top-five-general-classification-contenders)

There’s much uncertainty leading into the 2012 Tour de France, with recent injuries and quiet showings throughout the season catapulting some of the favourites into the ‘unknown’ category. Albero Contador is of course absent from this year’s race and this may instil confidence in a number of contenders, while others will hope to turn around a year of poor form. Some, like Bradley Wiggins will be arriving back at the Tour after being forced out last year in the crash-marred first week or from skipping last year’s race.

Cadel Evans and Bradley Wiggins are the top-ranked favourites, but what about the remaining spot on the podium, top five or top ten? Many of last season’s top-ten finishers aren’t looking so sharp, with injuries preventing the likes of Thomas Voeckler from attending his national championships.

Andy Schleck whould have been one of the main protagonists but a fall in the time trial at the Critérium du Dauphiné and subsequent fractured pelvis means he will miss the race. Denis Menchov may have timed his condition perfectly as he demonstrated by winning the Russian time trial title earlier this week. Menchov often needs a pre-Tour, grand tour in his legs before being able to be competitive but with Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a’Espana titles he cannot be ruled out. His Geox-TMC team’s omission last year and disappointing Vuelta in 2011 mean he is not included in the top-five. Ivan Basso has pledged his support to his team mate Vincenzo Nibali and following his assault at a second Giro title, it would appear his condition is not be up to the task regardless.

With such uncertainty we look at a list of five riders who have the potential to win the race or at least finish on the podium...Name: Cadel Evans
Age: 35
Team: BMC Racing Team
Career Highlights: 1st Critérium International (2012), 1st Tour de France (2011), World Road Race champion (2009)
Tour debut: 2005
Best Tour finish: 1st (2011)

Summary: There’s no doubting Evans’ ability to lead his BMC Racing Team at this year’s Tour. This will be his eighth Tour start and despite the disappointment of 2009 and 2010, he’s proven he can climb with the best and time trial quicker than the purist climbers. Evans has received criticism over the years for not being aggressive enough but the confidence and leadership he showed last year quashed such doubts.

Evans had hinted he would begin his season slowly and in his first outing of the season, Tirreno-Adriatico, he made little impression. Just a week-and-a-half later however, he turned up to Critérium International where he won the time trial on his way to the overall victory.

Evans’ Ardennes campaign was cut short due to illness and he lacked the form to repeat last year’s win at Tour de Romandie. However, he showed the kind of aggressive racing often missing to win a stage and finish third overall at the recent Critérium du Dauphiné despite being off the pace in the 53km time trial against Bradley Wiggins. "I still have some improvements to make before the Tour" he said.

His BMC team is specifically designed to winning the overall and unlike Wiggins, his team will have nothing but yellow in Paris on the agenda. This may prove crucial at the end of three weeks.Name: Bradley Wiggins
Age: 32
Team: Sky Procycling
Career Highlights: 1st Critérium du Dauphiné (2012), 1st Tour de Romandie (2012) and 1st Paris - Nice (2012)
Tour debut: 2006
Best Tour finish: 4th (2009)

Summary: Bradley Wiggins has the backing of what looks to be the strongest team in the race. There is a team of domestiques at the Briton’s disposal who, on any other team, would be worthy of a protected role. However, this year Sky is looking to secure the first ever win in the Tour by a Briton and they appear to have timed the team’s form perfectly.

The way Sky led the Critérium du Dauphiné is not necessarily how the Tour will unfold but it was a controlled performance by the team which had Michael Rogers (Aus), Chris Froome (Gbr) and Richie Porte (Aus) finish inside the top-ten. These three will line up as super-domestiques and yet they could have a leader role if they were on any other team. All of them understand this Tour is about Wiggins and personal motives will not be tolerated unless approved by their directors.

Wiggins is a solid bet for a top place in the general classification despite matters being complicated with the inclusion of road world champion Mark Cavendish. With ambitions to win the green and yellow jersey, it could be too much to ask from the team which may be forced into taking charge on the road from day one.Name: Vincenzo Nibali
Age: 27
Team: Liquigas - Cannondale
Career Highlights: 1st Tirreno-Adiatico (2012), 2nd Giro d’Italia (2011), 1st Vuelta a Espana (2010)
Tour debut: 2008
Best Tour finish: 7th (2009)

Summary: Vincenzo Nibali has ridden enough grand tours for a young rider to prove his endurance over a three-week race. He shows initiative in the mountains when necessary and, on a good day, doesn’t need to wait for a last-minute attack to the line. His time trialling is below Wiggins and Evans but he seems to understand the importance of improving this area.

He may have ‘only’ a single grand tour victory on his palmares, the 2010 Vuelta a Espana, but he has finished on the podium of the Giro d’Italia twice; 2nd in 2010 (elevated from third after Alberto Contador was stripped on the title) and 3rd in the 2011 edition.

The need to be patient may be critical to his success as his number one road captain Ivan Basso will likely enforce. Basso and his domestiques took control of the race in the Giro to suit his capabilities and this leadership will be an asset. Nibali has matured in the last few seasons but there is no denying Basso’s experience on the road. If Basso has recovered successfully from his Giro campaign he will be invaluable to the "Shark of Messina".

Nibali has achieved a number of wins this year, including the brutal mountain stage to Jabal Al Akhdar (Green Mountain) and second place overall at the Tour of Oman, plus the hilltop finish of stage five and the overall classification at Tirreno-Adriatico. He has also shown his endurance over longer one-day races, and was frustratingly close to winning one of the season’s Monuments at Milan San-Remo and Liege-Bastogne-Liege, where he was third and second respectively. It’s an impressive list for the Italian, who opened his season in January with the Tour de San Luis. A heavy block of training leading into the Dauphiné may excuse his lacking in the mountains but he should be fit come Tour time.Name: Fränk Schleck
Age: 32
Team: RadioShack-Nissan
Career Highlights: 3rd Tour de France (2011), 1st Tour de Suisse (2010), 1st Amstel Gold Race (2006)
Tour debut: 2006
Best Tour finish: 3rd (2011)

Summary: Fränk Schleck may not have the natural potential of his brother but Andy will be absent this year, leaving Fränk with a sole leadership role - a situation the older brother hasn’t been in since Andy’s debut in 2008 when he shared it with eventual winner Carlos Sastre.

This will be new territory for the Luxembourger who was quick to express he didn’t want to be the designated leader at the Tour: "Because if I put in a disappointing performance, then everyone can afterwards complain that I was not good enough," he told Het Nieuwsblad.

A number of riders at the Tour de Suisse believed he was one of, if not the strongest, in the race, and was seen attacking on the climbs far from the finish. Has his form peaked too soon?

"I'm not a machine. You should be realistic. I am already very lean and in great shape, I cannot continue to maintain this level" he said following the completion of the eight-day race.
Together, Andy and Fränk are a serious force in the mountains but y
ou have to wonder if their talents wouldn’t be better used separately and away from each other. This year will expose Fränk’s reliance on his younger brother and will also answer the question as to whether his team problems have affected his preparation and focus.Name: Robert Gesink
Age: 26
Team: Rabobank
Career Highlights: 1st Tour of California (2012), 1st Tour of Oman (2011), GP Montréal (2010)
Tour debut: 2009
Best Tour finish: 6th (2010)

Summary: The 2012 Tour of California winner crushed his rivals to the top of Mount Baldy in stage seven. He caught the ruminants of the early breakaway, including Chris Horner (RadioShack-Nissan), and finished ahead to two Colombians - Coldeportes climbers, John Atapuma and former U23 world road race champion Fabio Duarte.

Gesink can climb. That has been proven on multiple occasions but where he excels, he also shows weakness. His descending has marginally improved since he lost the race lead in Paris-Nice - essentially on a descent - to Davide Rebellin in 2008, but his ability to stay upright has impeded his grand tour hopes in the past. The Dutchman’s slim and lanky build doesn’t do him any favours when the road heads downward. And unfortunately he won’t have the luxury of Basso’s team escorting him downhill as Nibali prefers to take opportunities and risks wherever he sees fit.

Gesink came away from California on a high but arrived at the Dauphine seemingly behind expectations. His condition improved as the race progressed but it was a common sight to see him teetering off the back of the leading group, unable to cope with the accelerations and instead making his way slowly into contention. Gesink had the fifth best time in the stage seven time trial - a dramatic improvement from 26th in the opening prologue, where he lost 31 seconds to Peter Sagan (Liquigas - Cannondale) - but he will lose time to Evans, Wiggins and Menchov. With a fourth overall in Suisse one can assume is form will have progressed by the start of the Tour in Liège.

So how does the reigning Yellow Jersey feel a week before he has to defend his title?

Evans glad pre-Tour de France spotlight has been on Wiggins

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/evans-glad-pre-tour-de-france-spotlight-has-been-on-wiggins)

Defending Tour de France champion, Cadel Evans (BMC) is the first to admit that leading rival Bradley Wiggins (Sky) has had the better run of form but remains confident that he can once again stand on the top of the podium on the Champs-Élysées in July.

Evans will lead a BMC outfit to the Tour de France which has been bolstered by potent off-season signings Philippe Gilbert and Tejay van Garderen, along with the experienced Stephen Cummings, off the back of his third-place performance at the Critérium du Dauphiné. It’s been acknowledged from the release of the 2012 parcours, generous in time trials, that the 35-year-old Australian should find himself in his element for this 99th edition of the Tour.

"The only thing that has changed mainly has been the level that Team Sky has come to," Evans explained of the time between October when the route was revealed, and the present. Evans was speaking to journalists from his home country over conference call from a low-key and relaxed setting of a teammate’s house where he is currently working through his final preparation for the French Grand Tour. His young son Robel playing in the background Evans was at ease, despite the difficulty communicating throughout the call, saying that he felt he was in much the same space mentally as he was at this time last year.

Overall victories at Paris-Nice, the Tour de Romandie and the Critérium du Dauphiné have ensured that the spotlight has shone brightly on Wiggins while Evans has had a comparatively quiet lead-in with the Critérium International his only GC win for the season to date. And Evans is okay with that.

"The main thing for most riders is just getting to a good level, a level you know you need to be at to race - avoiding injuries, health issues and so on," he said of his preparation. "This year it's been a good progression for me into the Tour and in some ways, not having some race results, it keeps people's attention away from me. That also helps make life a little bit easier."

While Wiggins has been in the spotlight, Evans suggested that there were others who will be starting in Liège on June 30 deserving on general classification consideration. The 38km, Stage 9 individual time trial and another on the penultimate stage could play into the favour of the likes of Levi Leipheimer (Omega Pharma – QuickStep) or Andreas Klöden (RadioShack – Nissan) who will have several more seasons of grand tour experience under their belt in comparison to the Brit. Samuel Sanchez, Denis Menchov, and Frank Schleck, "if he can get some time," also rated a mention as possibilities for overall contention from Evans. Then there was Alejandro Valverde, "but his performance at the Tour de Suisse wasn’t convincing," Evans said.

Sky’s performance at the Dauphiné was a dominant one, but if there was cause for concern particularly due to their strength in numbers when it came to the Joux Plane on Stage 6 with Michael Rogers, Chris Froome and Richie Porte protecting Wiggins, Evans wasn’t giving anything away.

"At this point if they hold that level, yeah, they’ll have the numbers when it comes down to 20 guys but let’s see what happens with it comes down to five or 10," he said with the more selective climbs of the Tour in mind.
Evans undertook reconnaissance of the Tour’s tougher stages in May and believes that the sage profiles don’t tell the whole story.

"There's a little bit more than it shows on paper, there are a few surprises along the way," he explained. "The Tour organisers seem to have liked adding these in over the last few years - when we get to them, we'll see."

And here is the daily RadioShack Nissan Trek news:

Schlecks to found new German-sponsored team in 2013?

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/schlecks-to-found-new-german-sponsored-team-in-2013)

The newest twist in rumours surrounding problem-plagued RadioShack-Nissan now have the Schleck brothers leaving the team after this season and founding a new team with a German sponsor.

According to De Telegraaf, Fränk and Andy Schleck have found a so-far unnamed German company willing to be co-sponsor.  “Some” German riders are said to already have been approached about signing with the new team, but it is not clear whether that means the Germans currently at RadioShack-Nissan or now. 

The team's management would be handled by Schleck confidant Kim Andersen, as well as Dirk Demol and Alain Gallopin.

Both Schlecks have contracts with the current team through the 2014 season. However, there have long been reports of problems within the team, including late payment of salaries.

The Schlecks and team manager Johan Bruyneel have often been at odds this season. Only yesterday Bruyneel announced that he would not attend the Tour de France due to the USADA doping investigation, in which he is a target.