19 - June - 2012 - Daily News

Today's edition is coming out early because I have to work late tonight.

Let's begin with the teams that are announcing their Tour de France lineups:

Rabobank: Laurens Ten Dam, Robert Gesink, Steven Kruijswijk, Bauke Mollema, Mark Renshaw, Luis Leon Sanchez, Bram Tankink, Maarten Tjallingii and Maarten Wynants

Argos-Shimano: Marcel Kittel (Ger), Patrick Gretsch (Ger), Roy Curvers (Ned), Koen de Kort (Ned), Tom Veelers (Ned), Johannes Fröhlinger (Ger), Matthieu Sprick (Fra), Albert Timmer (Ned) and Yann Huguet (Fra)

With National Championships coming up right before the Tour de France, riders get to choose if they will participate. Is this beoming a race to fine-tune performance before the biggest race of the year? Or is it still about National pride?

Valverde and Sanchez to skip National Championships

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/valverde-and-sanchez-to-skip-national-championships)

Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) and Samuel Sanchez (Euskaltel-Euskadi) will not line up at the Spanish National Championships, which begin on Thursday in Salamanca. Valverde, who initially wanted to compete in both the time trial and the road race, finally decided to skip the event while Sanchez never planned to race it in the first place.

According to El Periódico, the Movistar leader "talked to Eusebio Unzué on Sunday evening. Considering that Valverde already rode 1,300 kilometres in the Tour de Suisse, and that his state of form was up to Tour de France level, the sports director thought that it was best to use this week to fine-tune his shape by training at home in Murcia."

The 32-year-old, who will be his team's top man at the Tour starting June 30 in Liège, was instrumental in Rui Costa's overall victory in Switzerland last week-end. By skipping the Nationals, Valverde will start the French Grand Tour with 36 days of competition in his legs.

Sanchez, who together with Valverde was named into the Spanish Olympic selection earlier this month, is sticking to his intital plan of not attending the National Championships. Euskaltel-Euskadi's sports director Gorka Gerrikagoitia confirmed to BiciCiclismo that "since the very beginning" of the season, Sanchez' race programme up to the Tour de France did not include the Salamancan event.

On Tuesday last week, after having completed the Critérium du Dauphiné, the Olympic champion retreated to a training camp in Sierra Nevada where he will stay until Saturday. His crash on the second day of the French stage race did not result in any serious injuries.

Sanchez, who won the mountains classification at the 2011 Tour, will thus have 31 days of competition in his legs at the start of this year's Tour.

This confused me. A few days ago we learned that Pozzato isn't being investigated, even though he had a conversation(s?) with Dr. Michele Ferrari. However, now he is being called to talk to the Italian Olympic Committee.

Pozzato to front CONI anti-doping prosecutor today

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/pozzato-to-front-coni-anti-doping-prosecutor-today)

Filippo Pozzato's participation in the London Olympic Games is under threat having been called to appear before the anti-doping prosecutor of the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) on Tuesday. The meeting is scheduled for 1230pm local time.

The move follows a report in Saturday's La Repubblica which suggested that Pozzato was a client of the controversial Dr. Michele Ferrari, who last week was formally charged with doping by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), alongside Lance Armstrong and Johan Bruyneel.

The article quotes extracts from a telephone conversation intercepted in the summer of 2009, in which Pozzato allegedly speaks of working with Ferrari, something which the Italian Cycling Federation (FCI) outlawed in 2002. According to La Repubblica, Pozzato can be heard speaking in Vicenza dialect in the recording, saying "Listen: I went to Ferrari because I asked him myself."

Pozzato also allegedly discusses the Emanuele Sella doping case in the recording, and expresses his distaste at the manner in which the rider had negotiated a reduction on his ban after collaborating with the Italian Olympic Committee's (CONI) panel.

"If you go to see him in his own house, then you're responsible," Pozzato is alleged to have said. "You don't have a gun pointed to your head. I wanted to go to Ferrari. We're grown-ups aren't we?"

La Repubblica's report notes that the recorded conversation also reveals that it cost €40,000-50,000 per year to be "followed" by Ferrari.

Pozzato's lawyer, Pierfilippo Capello denied the Farnese Vini-Selle Italia rider denied the association.

"We've checked several times with magistrates in Padova and in other places where there are ongoing anti-doping inquiries, and my client is not listed in any register of those under investigation," Capello told Tuttobici and Gazzetta dello Sport.

Ferrari remains banned for life by the Italian Cycling Federation based on rider testimony and other evidence that he provided doping products to athletes, but was cleared of criminal charges in 2006. Riders found to have worked with Ferrari face a possible ban in Italy of between three and six months.

And of course, how can I miss a RadioShack Nissan Trek news update.

Fuglsang disappointed to miss Tour de France

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/fuglsang-disappointed-to-miss-tour-de-france)

After winning the Tour of Luxembourg and working diligently for RadioShack-Nissan teammate Fränk Schleck in the Tour de Suisse, Jakob Fuglsang was expected to be selected for the Tour de France. Although he was named to the team's long list for July, the Dane was surprisingly left off the final roster, announced today.

In his place was Chris Horner, a rider who was not listed in the long team, but who petitioned for his inclusion for the Tour, insisting his back injury that flared up after the Tour of California was all better.

Interviewed by sporten.dk, Fuglsang wouldn't speculate as to the reasons why he was not chosen for the Tour team. "I was told by Kim Andersen, but he could not say why," the 27-year-old Dane said.

"Of course I'm disappointed with it and I think I should have a place on the team. If you look at my form and my results, I can not see that there are nine riders who are better."

The flip-flop in selections could be related to Andy Schleck's broken sacrum, which was discovered last week, as stated by RadioShack press officer Philippe Maertens. The decision could also be related to Fuglsang's own admission that he is considering moving back to the Saxo Bank squad, or it could simply be that the team, sponsored by two US sponsors, wanted at least one of the team's three Americans in the race.

"[It] Was a difficult choice, but a choice of team management. Andy [dropping] out changed many things. And it was not a choice [of] Horner or Fuglsang," Maertens told Cyclingnews via e-mail.

Fuglsang said he respects the decisions of the team's sport directors, but when questioned about the drama currently surrounding his team, he hinted, "There is more than what appears in the press. We see only the tip of the iceberg. It does not take a genius to see that it is not running as it should."

What appears in the press are several indications that general manager Johan Bruyneel's authority is not what it once was: Bruyneel has engaged in a public debate with the Schleck brothers over their performances this season and the decision to leave director Kim Andersen at home in July, and as a result both riders are rumoured to be looking to leave the team next year.

More recently, it became public that Bruyneel is embroiled in the Lance Armstrong/USADA doping case, the Belgian is facing the end of his career in the sport if he is found guilty of anti-doping rule violations from the US Postal Service team days.

The case could lead the Tour de France organisers ASO to exclude the team from the race, although Christian Prudhomme refused to comment on the speculation.

Before I conclude today's post, let's have a look back at the Numbers of the Tour de France. However, I am surprised to see that George Hincapie isn't on the Most Tour Appearances. from my understanding, he tied the highest last year, and this year would be the record. I guess I have to look into it.

History of the Tour de France by numbers

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/history-of-the-tour-de-france-by-numbers)

The world’s most famous road race - the Tour de France - has a rich 109 year history and its fabled past is synonymous with the greatest names in the sport.

But who are the figures that have written themselves into the record books of this most emblematic of events? Who’s the fastest winner? The oldest winner? The youngest winner? Which country has basked in yellow more than any other? Who’s the climber that stands head and shoulders above all the other?

We’ve got all the answers and more right here in our history of the Tour de France by numbers, and alongside it is a gallery of some of the race's biggest names. With the start of the latest edition on June 30 rapidly approaching, will any of the current generation force their way into some of these categories?

Multiple winners
7: Lance Armstrong (USA) – 1999-2005
5: Jacques Anquetil (Fra) – 1957, 1961-64
5: Eddy Merckx (Bel) – 1969-72, 1974
5: Bernard Hinault (Fra) – 1978-79, 1981-82, 1985
5: Miguel Indurain (Spa) – 1991-95

Victories by nation
France: 36
Belgium: 18
Spain: 13
USA: 10
Italy: 9
Luxembourg: 4
Holland and Switzerland: 2
Ireland, Denmark, Germany, Australia: 1

Smallest winning margins (since 1947)
8 seconds: 1989 - Greg LeMond (USA) beats Laurent Fignon (Fra)
23 seconds: 2007 – Alberto Contador (Spa) beats Cadel Evans (Aus)
38 seconds: 1968 – Jan Janssen (Hol) beats Herman Van Springel (Bel)

Largest winning margins (since 1947)
28m 17s: 1952 – Fausto Coppi (Ita) beats Constant Ockers (Bel)
26m 16s: 1948 – Gino Bartali (Ita) beats Alberic Schotte (Bel)
22m 00s: 1951 – Hugo Koblet (Sui) beats Raphael Geminiani (Fra)

Yellow jersey wearers by nation
France: 82
Belgium: 53
Italy: 25
Holland: 17
Germany: 12
Spain: 12
Switzerland: 10
Luxembourg: 7
Denmark and USA: 5
Great Britain and Australia: 4
Ireland: 3
Canada: 2
Austria, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Estonia, Colombia, Norway and Ukraine: 1

Most days in the yellow jersey
Eddy Merckx (Bel): 111
Lance Armstrong (USA): 83
Bernard Hinault (Fra): 79
Miguel Indurain (Spa): 60
Jacques Anquetil (Fra): 52

Most green jersey victories
6: Erik Zabel (Ger) – 1996-2001
4: Sean Kelly (Ire) – 1982-83, 1985, 1989
3: Jan Janssen (Hol) – 1964-65, 1967
3: Eddy Merckx (Bel) – 1969, 1971-72
3: Freddy Maertens (Bel) – 1976, 1978, 1981
3: Djamolidine Abdoujaparov (Uzb) – 1991, 1993-94
3: Robbie McEwen (Aus) – 2002, 2004, 2006

Green jersey winners by nation
Belgium: 19
France: 9
Germany: 8
Holland, Ireland and Australia: 4
Uzbekistan: 3
Italy, Switzerland and Norway: 2
Spain, Great Britain: 1

Most polka-dot jersey victories
7: Richard Virenque (Fra) – 1994-97, 1999, 2003-04
6: Federico Bahamontes (Spa) – 1954, 1958-59, 1962-64
6: Lucien Van Impe (Bel) – 1971-72, 1975, 1977, 1981, 1983

Polka-dot jersey winners by nation
France: 18
Spain: 15
Italy: 13
Belgium: 11
Colombia: 4

Most white jersey victories
3: Andy Schleck (Lux) – 2008-2010
3: Jan Ullrich (Ger) – 1996-98
3: Marco Pantani (Ita) – 1994-95

White jersey winners by nation
France, Holland, Italy and Spain: 5
Germany: 4
Luxembourg: 3
Colombia, USA and Russia: 2
Australia, Mexico and Ukraine: 1

Highest average speed of Tour winner
41.654kph: Lance Armstrong (USA) – 2005
40.940kph: Lance Armstrong (USA) – 2003
40.553kph: Lance Armstrong (USA) – 2004

Biggest winning margin in a stage (since 1947)
22m 50s: 1976 (Montgenevre-Manosque) - Jose Luis Viego (Spa)
21m 48s: 1957 (Pau-Bordeaux) – Pierino Baffi (Ita)
20m 31s: 1955 (Millau-Albi) – Daan De Groot (Hol)

Most stage victories
34: Eddy Merckx (Bel)
28: Bernard Hinault (Fra)
25: Andre Leducq (Fra)
22: Andre Darrigade (Fra)
22: Lance Armstrong (USA)
20: Nicolas Frantz (Lux)
20: Mark Cavendish (GBr)

Most time trial victories
20: Bernard Hinault (Fra)
16: Eddy Merckx (Bel)
11: Jacques Anquetil (Fra)
11: Lance Armstrong (USA)

Most stage wins in one Tour
8: Charles Pelissier (Fra) – 1930
8: Eddy Merckx (Bel) – 1970, 1974
8: Freddy Maertens (Bel) – 1976

Oldest Tour winners (age at end of the race)
36: Firmin Lambot (Bel) – 1922
34: Henri Pelissier (Fra) – 1923
34: Gino Bartali (Ita) - 1948
34: Cadel Evans (Aus) – 2011

Youngest Tour winners (age at end of the race)
19: Henri Cornet (Fra) – 1904
21: Romain Maes (Bel) – 1935
22: Francois Faber (Lux) – 1909
22: Octave Lapize (Fra) – 1910
22: Philippe Thys (Bel) – 1913
22: Felice Gimondi (Ita) – 1965
22: Laurent Fignon (Fra) – 1983

Longest gap between victories
10 Years: Gino Bartali (Ita) – 1938 and 1948

Most Tour appearances
16: Joop Zoetemelk (Hol)
15: Lucien Van Impe (Bel)
15: Guy Nulens (Bel)
15: Viatcheslav Ekimov (Rus)

Meet Yohann Gene....Tour de France's First Black Cyclist

(Article and picture: http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2082253,00.html#ixzz1TeCH1hUi)

This post is in partnership with Worldcrunch, a new global-news site that translates stories of note in foreign languages into English. The article below was originally published in Le Temps.

Yohann Gène smiles. At 30, the Guadeloupian member of the Europcar team is the first black cyclist to take part in the Tour de France. A professional racer since 2005, Gène is described by other cyclists as a model teammate and vital to support the leaders.

Gène was 17 when he first moved to Europe, and soon after discovered the passion for the green open spaces where his bike could bring him. "When I ride, I see all kinds of landscapes. I feel free." As a kid, he followed the Tour de France on television, but strangely imagined himself in another, far less well-known race. "I always dreamed of the Paris-Roubaix — because of its audience and its warrior-like competitors who always risk falling." And all that in the rough northern weather.

Having arrived with a friend, Rony Martias, the pair entered a special high school course for athletically-gifted pupils. Jean-René Bernaudeau, manager of the Europcar Team, remembers Gène's first steps on the European stage. "I was lucky to take both Yohann and Rony — I know the West Indies pretty well. Cycling is very much alive there. It's the only French department where cycling is more popular than soccer, The Tour de Guadeloupe is the event of the year."

Even though cycling has become increasingly globalized, Yohann Gène's presence is remarkable nevertheless. "We have been subject to racism," says his manager. "I had to deal with a few problems and contact sponsors of two foreign teams about it. After the doping incidents, I couldn't let racism be part of cycling."

Forerunner, Jean-René Bernaudeau would have liked to hire two Eritreans this year, but they didn't obtain their visas. "In the West Indies, cycling is a real culture. We only have to repeat what we did with Yohann Gène. In Africa, you need three years to transform someone's talent into a good cyclist and then help him enter the professional world. Right now there is an Ethiopian, Tsgabu Grmay, who could win the climb of the Alpes d'Huez. The cycling culture needs to open up. It's a small world, with a homogenous culture." That may be about to change.

History and Facts

France has the most Tour de France wins with 36, Belgium takes second with 18 wins, Spain third with 11 and the United States is fourth with 10.

The Tour de France does run through the entire country of France. It covers 3,500 km, or 2,200 miles for us Yanks, throughout France but doesn't circumnavigate the borders of the country.

There are 21 stages in the 2009 Tour de France, starting in Monaco and finishing in Paris on the Champs Élysées.

The Tour de France does not only run through France. It often has stages in other bordering countries. In 2009, the tour visited the Principality of Monaco, Spain, the Principality of Andorra and Switzerland. In 2010, the Tour will start in Rotterdam, a Dutch province of South Holland in the west of the Netherlands.

The Tour de France is not the first racing competitions. The first Tour de France was held in 1903, and the first ever bicycle race is thought to have been a 1,200-meter race held on the May 31 1868 at the Parc de Saint-Cloud, Paris. It was won by Englishman James Moore who rode a wooden bicycle with iron tires.

Prior to 2009, Armstrong has participated in 11 Tours and won 7.

There are overall four different types of Jersey's that are awarded for different accomplishments:

• Yellow Jersey: General Classificaton Leader - which means that although each stage has a winner, the yellow jersey goes to the rider who has the fastest combined times in all of the stages.
• Green Jersey: Points Standings - awarded for sprint points at the end of each stage to the rider who is the leader of the points standings. Points are awarded to the fastest riders in each stage, and points vary depending on the terrain of the stage. More points are awarded for flat road racing stages and less for mountain stages.
• Red-Polka Dotted Jersey: Is called the King of the Mountains, and is awarded to the best climber.
• White Jersey: Young Rider Standings - awarded to the best rider under 25 years of age on January 1st of that year.

In addition to the Jersey's are two other distinctions made by attire:

• Yellow Cap: Leaders of the Teams - is given to the riders of the team who is leading the team standings.
• Red Number: Fighting Spirit Standings or Combativity Award - is awarded to the rider who displays the most effort and sportsmanship or is considered the most aggressive and "attacking" rider.

According to Pat McQuaid, the head of the International Cycling Union, the Tour de France will be the most rigorously tested sports event in history. There will be about 520 doping tests, and several of the 180 riders are already in the cross-hairs even before the three-week showcase even begins.

Lance Armstrong is the only person to win the Tour de France seven times. The previous record was five wins, shared by Miguel Indurain, Bernard Hinault, Eddy Merckx and Jacques Anquetil.

France's Henri Cornet is the youngest Tour de France winner. He won in 1904 at age 19.

The oldest winner of the Tour de France is Firmin Lambot (Belgium), who won in 1922 at age 36.

Multi-day bicycle races, known as Tours from the French word for a "circuit", are decided by totaling the time riders take on the daily stages. It's a simple manner of adding up cumulative time from stage to stage. The rider with the lowest amount of time wins. There are no time bonuses in this year's Tour de France, and while rare, it is entirely possible to win the General Classification and not take an individual stage victory.

After a race, riders eat lots of carbohydrates and proteins. They all eat the same thing: pasta, rice, omelets, toast.

Certain limits are imposed by the international regulations when choosing the routes for the Tour de France. The total mileage of the Tour cannot exceed 3,500 km, spread over 21 days of racing (2 days of rest compulsory), during which the distance of 225 km cannot be exceeded more than twice.

Started in 1930, a parade, known as the publicity caravan, precedes the Tour de France. It includes 180 decorated vehicles, 600 caravanists and 40 brands represented.

More than 16 million gifts are given away during the 45-minute publicity caravan.

More than 130,000 calories will be burned by a rider in the Tour de France.

The Tour de France staff chooses the routes for the Tour de France. For this 2009's Tour, 252 towns applied to host a stage of the Tour de France. Each town's geographic location and its road conditions, road widths and ability to optimally host entertainment and riders safely is heavily scrutinized.

Greg Lamond had the fastest individual time trial at 54.545 kph over 24.5km in 1989.

In 1999, Lance Armstrong posted the fastest average time over the entire Tour at 40.276 kph.

In 1995, Italian cyclist Fabio Casartelli died in a crash, becoming the third fatality in the Tour de France history. The other accidents occurred in 1935 and 1967.

Since 1903, the Tour de France has been held every year except from 1915 to 1918 during WWI and from 1940 through 1946 during and after WWII.

There are 180 cyclists competing in the Tour de France. Each competitor in the Tour belongs to a nine-member team. Each team has a leader, who is its best all-around cyclist. Other team members, called domestiques, help the leader by shielding the leader from wind, provide food or drink or offer support to the leader while climbing hills.

Another great site to gain a lot of insight and history of the Tour de France is: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tour_de_France. Yes, I know Wikipedia is not the most reliant site, but I still feel that this article covers a lot of useful information.