Robbie McEwen: A Look Back

I am very sad to see Robbie McEwen retire from cycling. Although now he will be working as a spring coach, I will miss seeing him in the races:

Gallery: Robbie McEwen - a career in photos

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/gallery-robbie-mcewen-a-career-in-photos)

Note: Please go to the above site to see all the photos.

“You just keep putting in the work every season,” Robbie McEwen told Cyclingnews earlier this year.

Having just won the OCBC Cycling Criterium in Singapore at the age of 39 the sentiment was wholly true to McEwen’s nature and attitude.

Singapore was not the most glamorous of wins, certainly not when compared to the 24 Grand Tour stage wins he’d amassed during his long career, but a win nevertheless. And having retired from the sport at the conclusion of the Amgen Tour of California, Singapore was his final win as a professional rider. Over a career spanning three decades he'd won a race in each year of his career.

In a sense, his performance in the far east summarised McEwen’s character. Tenacious, hard working, gritty and ultimately lightening quick. Those blots may have occurred less frequently in recent year but there’s no arguing with the Australian’s glorious career.

Twelve wins in the Tour, along with three maillot verts, a spell in jaune, 12 Giro stages, five wins in Paris-Brussels, a Scheldeprijs, Vattenfall Cyclassics, and Dwars Vlaanderen thrown in for good measure - few sprinters could match his consistency, let alone his speed.

In a career that was book ended by the two greatest sprinters ever seen in Mario Cipollini and Mark Cavendish, McEwen stands out as the challenger who faced up, ready for a sprint but without so much as a lead-out train. He was a sprinter in the old fashioned mould.

His most impressive win came in the Tour de France in 2007, when, after crashing with 22 kilometres on the stage to Canterbury, he regained contact with the peloton only after his Lotto team time trialled him back to the bunch, allowing the Australian to showcase his sprinter power. He won by over a bike length.

Three year’s later at the Tour de France, Johan Vansummeren, one of McEwen’s teammates that day, picked out the stage to Canterbury as one of his proudest moments of a professional, a rubber stamp to McEwen’s popularity among his peers. Vansummeren had been dropped just before McEwen had made contact with the bunch but punched the air in joy when he heard McEwen's win announced through race radio.

"It's been often been fun, it's often been painful but I've enjoyed every minute of it," McEwen said as he prepared for his first day as a retired professional.

Like his rivals, Cipollini and Erik Zabel, McEwen will start the next phase of his life as a sprint coach, working with the young bucks at Orica-GreenEdge. Come July, when the Australian team are going toe-to-toe with the likes of Sky and Rabobank, who knows, there might be a little bit of McEwen in their sprinter style and tactics.

We hope so.

This just isn't a good week for Team Sky

Flecha breaks hand in training accident

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/flecha-breaks-hand-in-training-accident)

Juan Antonio Flecha (Team Sky) has revealed that he had minor surgery on his hand last week after breaking it in a training accident near his home. The 34-year-old Spaniard, who has enjoyed a consistent start to 2012 after securing third place finishes at the Tour of Qatar and at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, is already looking ahead to getting back in the saddle and to making it to the start line of his favourite race – Paris-Roubaix on April 8.

“I broke a metacarpal in my hand while out training last week,” he told Team Sky’s official website. “The fracture was smooth and I was even able to ride home after I’d done it. I went into surgery on Thursday and they re-aligned the bone before fixing it with a couple of screws.

“In the time between picking up the injury and surgery I was able to keep working on the turbo and do core work in the gym, but since then I’ve not been able to do that as we didn’t want to risk stretching the wound, or getting it infected with sweat under the bandage. My bandage is coming off on Tuesday and I’ll be able to start my rehabilitation again straight after that.”

Flecha stated that his immediate race plans are up in the air and much will rest on his rehabilitation over the coming days. But in his own mind everything is still pointing towards Paris-Roubaix, where he has enjoyed consistent success over the years despite never actually winning the race. Flecha was a runner-up there in 2007, and has two third places to his name along with several other top ten finishes. Back in January he told Cyclingnews that it is the classic that he most wants to win before he hangs up his wheels.

"If everything goes well I should be able to make my return at Waregem [March 21], but obviously that’s dependent on what the doctor says," he said.

“I want to return there but it’s obviously dependent on my recovery. If things are not going well, riding the cobbles might not be the best idea right away, so we could even look at doing a race like the Criterium International [March 24-25] instead. I don’t think I will be at my peak condition at Flanders [April 1], but I will still give it my all, and then by the time Roubaix comes around I’ll be back to my best and able to give it a really good go.”

Froome hits pedestrian in Italian training accident

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/froome-hits-pedestrian-in-italian-training-accident)

Chris Froome of Team Sky has hit and seriously injured a 72-year-old pedestrian in a training accident in Italy, according to the Italian media. Both were taken to hospital, with Froome found only to have scrapes and bruises.

The elderly man is said to have suffered head injuries as well as facial contusions and abrasions.  While his life is not endangered, he is expected to be helicopered to another hospital for further treatment.

Police are looking into the accident to determine what happened and whether either party is at fault. Froome was training alone on Sunday morning when he hit the man, accoridng to sanremonews.it. He immediately called emergency services, and both were taken to hospital.

Froome, 26, opened his season at the Volta ao Algarve but had to abandon with a chest infection after the third stage.  He had been scheduled to start Paris-Nice, but had to miss it due to continued illness. He is not scheduled to ride in Saturday's Milan-San Remo.



Boonen's 100th Win

Congrats to Tom Boonen on 100th career win!!!

100th career win for Boonen at Paris-Nice

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/100th-career-win-for-boonen-at-paris-nice)

The second stage of Paris-Nice yielded several triumphs for the Omega Pharma-Quickstep team: not only was it Tom Boonen's 100th career victory, excluding criteriums and team time trials, but also the first WorldTour win for the revamped Belgian squad. In addition, American Levi Leipheimer is now poised for a top result overall, sitting just six seconds behind race leader Bradley Wiggins (Sky Procycling).

Boonen's other victories include a world road race title from 2005, three wins in Paris-Nice, two in Tour of Flanders, two in Gent-Wevelgem, six stages of the Tour de France and one green jersey (2007) and two stages of the Vuelta a España.

"I'm really not interested in stats. But on the other hand I'm happy," Boonen said in a team press release. "Not a lot of riders can reach this goal. The race was also important for the GC. Levi and Sylvain [Chavanel] made a good step ahead and we are really motivated for the next stages."

The team had to go on the defensive when the peloton split in the crosswinds at the feed zone just halfway through the stage, and worked to successfully regain the front of the race as other contenders like Andy Schleck (Radioshack-Nissan), Richie Porte (Sky) and Rein Taaramae (Cofidis) all missed the split. They then had the numbers in the front group, and drove the pace to the finish, putting 2:29 into the next group on the road.

"To be honest we had to suffer to enter in the breakaway. We were a little bit behind because of a roundabout," Boonen said. "I had to pass two groups before entering in the first group. Then the race was really hard. Everybody was interested in riding and taking some time from the GC. It was also cold and windy and in the last kilometers it began raining. I really couldn't feel my hands."

The only downside for the team was the absence of defending Paris-Nice champion Tony Martin from the lead group, but directeur sportif Brian Holm said it won't change the team's tactics.

"It's still a bit of the same," Holm said. "It will be a bit more hilly tomorrow at the finish, but Tom is still pretty good there. Chavanel will be close in the GC without an accident or crash, and Leipheimer is looking pretty confident also. We are a strong team, everybody knows that."

Mt. Hood Cycling Classic Changes

Changes for Mt. Hood Cycling Classic in 2012

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

Goodbye Carlos Sastre

Here's another member of the peleton that I will miss:

Sastre says goodbye with a win

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/sastre-says-goodbye-with-a-win)

Carlos Sastre ended his 14-year career with win in yesterday's Criterium of Oviedo. "It was a very special day for everything - for the environment I've lived in, for the reception of my peers... they can say goodbye by making me feel appreciated after all this time fighting out on the road," said Sastre. "The truth is that it was an exciting day that I really enjoyed."

The 36-year-old from Madrid, whose career highlight was undoubtedly an overall win in the 2008 Tour de France, announced his retirement a few weeks ago and was happy to be bowing out. "It's time to  say goodbye to many years of suffering, defeats, joys, a lot of experiences, all of them memorable - the truth is that I am happy I made the decision. I've been in professional cycling all these years and, especially, have been able to shine and do what I liked," he continued.

Sastre won't be completely walking away from the sport, however. "From January 1 there will open a small parenthesis in my life, but I want so much to continue to be involved in this sport, in one way or other in the near future I will be.

"In the short term I will continue working as I have done so far with the Foundation Víctor Sastre, without any responsibility, as a hobby, but enjoying time with children and other cyclists without so much stress, and with all those who have been to me a stimulus for improvement and learning.

"The truth is that I feel happy because it has been a very good time, very important in my life, both personally and sporting. Saying goodbye to the homage of my colleagues, having been on the podium of the Tour of Spain with my own team has been very special to me. Thanks and a big hug to everyone," added Sastre.

"Enough is Enough" - At least you have a story...

Hoogerland says 'enough is enough' and ends 2011 season

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/hoogerland-says-enough-is-enough-and-ends-2011-season)

Johnny Hoogerland (Vacansoleil-DCM) has decided to call time on his 2011 season, citing fatigue and the injuries he sustained at the Tour de France as contributing factors. Hoogerland took out 12th in this year's Amstel Gold, but felt that continuing further this year "would hurt future seasons."

"I never had time to properly recover and regenerate since the end of the Tour," Hoogerland told De Telegraaf. "My body is just ‘done’. I’ve done two Grand Tours and rode 15 of the post-Tour criteriums. I’ve done something like 120 days of racing this year. I just don’t have the energy to continue."

The Dutch rider’s last race, the elite men’s road race in Copenhagen nearly ended well for Hoogerland, with the 28-year-old featuring in a late break that also included Thomas Voeckler. That move was eventually brought back by a tenacious British team; however it did give Hoogerland some encouragement for next year’s worlds taking place in Holland.

"It was great to have a go, but I’ll try again next year, when the championships return to Holland."

Hoogerland still thinks about what could have been at the Tour de France with ‘that crash’. In the day’s winning breakaway, he became the centre of global headlines when a media car from the convoy swerved suddenly as it attempted to drive past the escape, plowing into Hoogerland and throwing the Dutchman into a barbed wire fence on the side of the road.

Though it has helped to raise his profile, both in Holland and abroad, he regrets missing out on the opportunity to contest the finish.

"If I had won a stage and had retained the polka dot jersey for longer I would be really happy with the season. I was in really good form, but that’s life."

Post-Tour Criteriums...Interesting Facts

For the time that I've been a cycling fan, I've really only been interested in the Tour de France. However this year, I wanted to expand my knowledge (hence the blog) and learn more about other Tours and races. In reading this July 26th article about the Post-Tour Criteriums, I have learned a few interesting things about the Criteriums: 1) they can be fixed and 2) riders can "command" money to race in them.

Post-Tour criteriums begin in earnest

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/post-tour-criteriums-begin-in-earnest)

The Tour de France may have only finished on Sunday, but many riders are already returning to racing - albeit at a slightly lower level of competition. The post-Tour criterium races give those that weren't able to get to France in July a chance to see their heroes in the flesh a little closer to home.

Racing kicked off on Monday with the Boxmeer criterium race won by Dutchman Lars Boom (Rabobank). Boxmeer is the earliest of what is a two week 'festival' of criterium races throughout central and Western Europe. Belgium and the Netherlands host the lion's share of events, but Austria, Germany, Denmark and France all host their own races.

Often the winner (sometimes even the top three) is fixed before the race, but the riders always put on a spectacle for the crowds who come out to attend. Jersey winners from the Tour as well as local favourites and retired legends will generally make an appearance - though of course they are often nudged along by the promise of a lucrative fee.

A yellow jersey winner for example can command upwards of 60,000 Euros for a single event - and even lesser riders can command some tidy sums.

Watch out for the races over the coming fortnight - but don't read too much into the results.