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!

18 - June - 2012 Daily News

I know I'm late getting out the results from the Tour de Suisse. Last night when I got home from my in-laws I felt sick. I ended up falling asleep around 18:30, and pretty much stayed in bed until I had to go to work this morning. But here is the results before I get into today's news. And no, Frank Schleck wasn't able to make up the 14 seconds, although he looked like he was going to at one point.

June 17, Stage 9: Näfels-Lintharena - Sörenberg 215.8km

Costa wins Tour de Suisse overall

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/tour-de-suisse-2012/stage-9/results)

Rui Costa (Movistar) secured overall victory at the Tour de Suisse after successfully containing the attacks of his rivals on the final day to Sörenberg, while Estonia’s Tanel Kangert (Astana) took stage honours.

After seeing his overall lead slashed to a slender 14-second margin over Fränk Schleck (RadioShack-Nissan) on Saturday, Rui Costa’s grip on the yellow jersey had appeared somewhat tenuous as the stage began, but the Portuguese rider showed considerable tactical acumen and resolve to defend his lead on a day that saw the peloton tackle two hors categorie climbs and the tricky haul to the finish at Sörenberg.

The biggest challenge to Costa’s lead came from Schleck himself, who launched a bold attack on the penultimate climb, the Glaubenberg. Crossing the summit, the Luxembourger had almost a minute in hand on the fragmented yellow jersey group and although there were still 40 kilometres to go, Schleck appeared on course to move up to top spot on the podium.

The long, open descent took its toll on his chances, however, and when there was a general regrouping behind, Schleck opted to sit up and play his hand on the final climb rather than continue alone. With Robert Gesink (Rabobank), Levi Leipheimer (Omega Pharma-QuickStep) and Mikel Nieve (Euskaltel-Euskadi) all alongside Schleck and Rui Costa in the yellow jersey group, the stage appeared set for a battle royale on the final climb.

Instead, Rui Costa’s overall lead never came under the kind of threat he might have anticipated in the closing kilometres, thanks in no small part to the work of his teammate Alejandro Valverde, who returned from suspension for his part in Operacion Puerto at the beginning of his season.

When Steven Kruijswijk (Rabobank) powered off the front at the base of the final climb in a dangerous move that included Robert Kiserlovski (Astana), Chris Anker Sorensen (Saxo Bank) and Mathias Frank (BMC), it was Valverde who hit the front to set the tempo for Rui Costa and ensure that the Dutch talent’s lead never stretched much beyond 30 seconds and never seriously threatened the overall lead.

Valverde’s pace-setting then had another, equally important residual effect – it kept an even pace in the yellow jersey group and discouraged attacks from the likes of Schleck and Nieve, much to the relief of Rui Costa, who had floundered in the face of their accelerations the previous day.

The attack from Nieve finally came when Valverde finally swung over in the closing kilometres, but with the road flattening out, it was too little, too late from the Euskaltel rider. Rui Costa proved equal to the task of following the pace in the group of favourites, and he came across the finish line alongside Schleck, Leipheimer and Gesink to confirm his overall victory.

How it unfolded

With 218 kilometres and three major climbs on the agenda, it was perhaps not surprising that no fewer than 52 riders opted to withdraw from the race on what was a long and arduous final stage. The fast opening to affairs can hardly have helped their morale, either – it took almost an hour of attacking before the day’s break was finally rubber-stamped and Jeremy Roy (FDJ-BigMat), Brent Bookwalter (BMC), Kris Boeckmans (Vacansoleil-DCM), Tanel Kangert (Astana) and Matteo Montaguti (Ag2r-La Mondiale) went clear.

They soon built up a lead of over 12 minutes – enough to put Kangert briefly into the virtual overall lead – but with RadioShack-Nissan springing into life as the roads climbed in the second half of the stage, that advantage steadily began to tumble.

Gregory Rast and Linus Gerdemann’s work on the Glaubenbielen significantly reduced the size of the peloton, and on the following climb, it was their leader Fränk Schleck who put the hammer down. The Luxembourger responded to an attack from Nieve with 45 kilometres to go, and opted to continue alone when he saw the carnage that had been caused behind.

Climbing seated, Schleck tapped out a fine rhythm en route to the summit, while Tom Danielson (Garmin-Barracuda), Nieve, Gesink and Rui Costa scrambled behind. By the top, Schleck had a minute and it momentarily appeared as though he might carry that lead all the way to the finish, but once the chase organised itself on the descent, it soon became clear that he would be swallowed up sooner or later.

And so to a final ascent high on tension, but ultimately low on aggression from those closest to Rui Costa’s lead, thanks in no small part to his teammate Valverde’s efforts.

Up the road, meanwhile, the group of early leaders had fragmented as the climbing took its toll. Only Roy, Kangert and Montaguti remained on the final ascent, and Roy’ looked to go clear alone with two kilometres to go. Kangert matched him pedal stroke for pedal stroke, however, and when another Roy acceleration 800 metres from home failed to rid him of the Estonian, there was an air of inevitability about the two-up sprint.

Stage Results

#	Rider Name (Country) Team	Result
1	Tanel Kangert (Est) Pro Team Astana	5:54:22
2	Jérémy Roy (Fra) FDJ-Big Mat	0:00:02
3	Matteo Montaguti (Ita) AG2R La Mondiale	0:00:31
4	Robert Kiserlovski (Cro) Pro Team Astana	0:01:46
5	Steven Kruijswijk (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team
6	Mathias Frank (Swi) BMC Racing Team
7	Chris Anker Sörensen (Den) Team Saxo Bank
8	Frank Schleck (Lux) RadioShack-Nissan	0:01:48
9	Robert Gesink (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team
10	Rui Alberto Faria Da Costa (Por) Movistar Team

Final general classification

#	Rider Name (Country) Team	Result
1	Rui Alberto Faria Da Costa (Por) Movistar Team	35:54:49
2	Frank Schleck (Lux) RadioShack-Nissan	0:00:14
3	Levi Leipheimer (USA) Omega Pharma - QuickStep	0:00:21
4	Robert Gesink (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team	0:00:25
5	Mikel Nieve Ituralde (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi	0:00:40
6	Roman Kreuziger (Cze) Pro Team Astana	0:00:47
7	Thomas Danielson (USA) Garmin-Barracuda	0:00:48
8	Steven Kruijswijk (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team	0:00:59
9	Alejandro Valverde Belmonte (Spa) Movistar Team	0:01:42
10	Nicolas Roche (Irl) AG2R La Mondiale	0:01:52

There was another stage race that ended yesterday, that I haven't posted about. However I'd like to mention it now, as it was surprising who took the win. Will he become a future Yellow Jersey contender? I doubt it, although it is nice to see that he is becoming more of an all-rounder cyclist.

Cavendish claims his first GC victory

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/cavendish-claims-his-first-gc-victory)

Team Sky's Mark Cavendish claimed the first general classification victory of his career by winning the Ster ZLM Toer on Sunday by eight seconds ahead of Lars Boom (Rabobank).

"I've been second a couple of times in the past but this is my first GC win and I'm really, really happy with it," said Cavendish.

Top three places on the opening two stages in Holland had put him joint top of the standings but the race-defining performance came in Saturday's queen stage as the world champion stayed in the mix throughout on the hilly route in the Ardennes.

"The team rode so well yesterday, setting such a high tempo on the front that guys were going out the back all day," said Cavendish. "We were down to just 25 at the finish - it was incredible and I'm really proud of what we did."

While some of his fellow sprinters lost upwards of 13 minutes, Cavendish was in contention right to the finish as he chased home stage winner Boom on the climb to the line.

And he then closed out the overall win on the pan-flat final stage from Schijndel to Boxtel, with Team Sky and Rabobank dictating matters on the 163.5-kilometres route to make sure it ended with a bunch sprint.

"In today's final stage there was a dangerous guy up the road in the break at just one minute back on the GC but we managed to bring it all back together.

Looking ahead to the Tour de France and Olympic road race, Cavendish said, "I'm training really well. I wanted to be in my best form and definitely am so I'm looking forward to France now and hopefully Team Sky getting the green and yellow jerseys."

"It's pretty much about relaxing now and really looking after myself these next two weeks. You've got to start the Tour de France as fresh as possible - especially so this year with the Olympics so soon after."

Johnny Hoogerland has now stated that the Polka-Dot Jersey is an objective in the upcoming Tour. After his crash on Stage 9 of last years's Tour, I would love to see him wearing it as he rides into Paris.

Hoogerland aiming for mountains jersey at Tour de France

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/hoogerland-aiming-for-mountains-jersey-at-tour-de-france)

Johnny Hoogerland didn't rack up a single mountain point at the Tour de Suisse, but he is planning to take the polka-dot jersey at the upcoming Tour de France. The Vacansoleil-DCM rider wore that jersey for five stages at last year's Tour.

“More than last year, I have put my mind to the mountain jersey, although I know that it is not easy,” he told De Telegraaf. “You need luck and a couple of times a good offense. There are a few stages where you can pick up a lot of points.”

Hoogerland finished 56th in Switzerland. “I got the kilometers that I needed to improve. That was successful. Now a few days rest and then with the team to try and make something good at the national road championships.”

The Dutchman had worn the King of the Mountains jersey for several stages earlier in the 2011 Tour, and regained it on the dramatic ninth stage – which also nearly saw the end of his Tour. As part of an escape group, Hoogerland had won points on all six climbs of the day to regain the jersey.

But with only 36 km to go, a media car hit breakaway companion Juan Antonio Flecha of Team Sky. Hoogerland subsequently crashed into the Spaniard and was himself catapulted onto a barbed wire fence. 

Both riders finished the stage, and Hoogerland accepted the polka dot jersey with extensive bandages on his legs and tears in his eyes.

Although he rode the Tour to the end, the injuries were too severe to allow him to continue to climb well, and he lost the jersey again only two stages later.

“In 2011 it wasn't really a goal, but it happened. It was a shame I never got the chance to finally go for it,” Hoogerland said. He hopes to make up for it this year.

And now to the daily RadioShack Nissan Trek news. I'm thinking about making this into a daily column. It would make a good soap opera...or maybe more of a reality TV show.

First up, let's hear from Frank Schleck. Although I'm not really surprised at this article, I knew he couldn't do much without his brother around. Yes, this does mean I am surprised by his 2nd place results in the Tour de Suisse.

Schleck doesn't want captain's role at Tour de France

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/schleck-doesnt-want-captains-role-at-tour-de-france)

Fränk Schleck has answered his critics by finishing second in the Tour de Suisse, after dropping out of the Giro d'Italia. But the RadioShack-Nissan rider doesn't necessarily expect his good form to hold out for the Tour de France, which starts in less than two weeks – and neither does his sport director.

At the Tour, “I don't want to be captain. I can't continue to perform at top level,” he told Het Nieuwsblad.

Sport Director Kim Andersen echoed those thoughts. “I've obviously heard predictions that Fränk with his current form has a good chance to be in the showdown for the win, but to pin your hopes on it seems to me crazy,” he told politiken.dk

“It should be remembered that Fränk has competed at a high level ever since the start of Giro d'Italia in early May, so it's completely unrealistic to believe that he can compete among the best in the Tour over three weeks in July.”

Schleck said that he did not see Suisse as a preparation for the Tour. “No, absolutely not,” he told Het Nieuwsblad.  “I did the preparation for the Ardennes classics, then I went unexpectedly to the Giro.”  He noted, “I'm not a machine. You should be realistic. I am already very lean and in great shape, I can not continue to maintain this level.”

He even cited Alberto Contador as “the best proof” of the difficulty. “Last year he won the Giro and for that he paid a price in the Tour. He was not strong enough and he has not even raced between the Giro and the Tour, as I now do.”

In addition, “I don't want to be named as the leader, because if I put in a disappointing performance, then everyone can afterwards complain that I was not good enough. "

This is the shocker of the day: RSNT released the names of the riders for the Tour de France this morning, and what do you know...American Chris Horner is named as one of the riders. Now is this because he is healed up? Or because Andy Schleck is out and Frank Schleck doesn't want to lead? Or is it because Johan Bruyneel has stepped back and someone else chose the Tour team? I would bet that it is the middle question I posed, but whatever the reason I hope Horner KICKS SOME ASS at the Tour!!! I'm just mad that Jakob Fuglsang didn't get picked.

Horner chosen for RadioShack-Nissan Tour de France team

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/horner-chosen-for-radioshack-nissan-tour-de-france-team)

American Chris Horner will be a part of the RadioShack-Nissan team for the Tour de France after all. The squad announced its nine riders for the race, which begins on June 30 in Liège, Belgium today.

Horner was initially left off the RadioShack-Nissan long team for the Tour after he decided to skip both the Critérium du Dauphiné and Tour de Suisse, two important preparation races for the Grand Tour, because he was lacking form after taking time to rehabilitate a back injury.

Last week he told Cyclingnews that his back was fully healed and he was sending his training files to the team directors as proof that he is ready for the Tour.

In addition to Horner, the team will be represented by Fabian Cancellara, Tony Gallopin, Andreas Klöden, Maxime Monfort, Yaroslav Popovych, Fränk Schleck, Jens Voigt and Haimar Zubeldia.

Since newly declared 2010 Tour de France champion Andy Schleck is out of the race with a fractured sacrum, sustained during the Critérium du Dauphiné, and his brother Fränk is declining the role as leader citing fatigue after his second place in the Tour de Suisse, Horner could be one of the team's GC leaders for the Tour de France.

After being left off the drama-filled RSNT's team, I completely understand and support Joost Posthuma's decision to find a new team.

Posthuma ready to return to a Dutch team in 2013

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/posthuma-ready-to-return-to-a-dutch-team-in-2013)

Joost Posthuma is ready to come home. After two years away, he wants to ride for a Dutch team again in 2013. He previously rode for Rabobank, on both the Continental and WorldTour teams, from 2002 to 2010.

In 2011, he transferred to Leopard Trek, and is with RadioShack-Nissan this year, which he counts as “foreign” teams. “I've now had two years experience abroad,” he told broadcaster rtvoost.nl. "But the Dutch mentality appeals to me more. You can get your own opportunities there.I am now 31 years old and want to have some good results for myself.”

Posthuma had a virus that kept him out of the Criterium du Dauphine. He has not ridden much this season, but his most recent outing was an eighth place overall in the Bayern Rundfahrt. His plans for the rest of the season include the Tour of Poland, the Eneco Tour and the Vuelta a Espana.

2012 Giro d'Italia Stage 16

May 22, Stage 16: Limone sul Garda - Falzes/Pfalzen 174km

Izagirre triumphs in Giro stage 16 to Falzes

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/giro-ditalia/stage-16/results)

Jon Izagirre soloed in to the finish line of the sixteenth stage of the Giro d'Italia, bringing in the victory for Euskaltel-Euskadi. The 23-year-old Basque rider had escaped out of a 10-man breakaway group on the final climb, and finished 16 seconds ahead of Alessandro De Marchi (Androni Giacattoli-Venezuela) and Stef Clement (Rabobank).

The peloton took the day off, more or less, and let the 10-man escape group carve out a nearly 13 minute gap. After a comfortable final climb, the field with the favourites ambled across the line nearly nine minutes after the rejoicing Izagirre. There were no changes in the top of the GC as Joaquim Rodriguez (Katusha) continues to lead the Giro d'Italia.

It was the second win of the year – and the second pro win – for the second year pro Izagirre. At the end of last month he won the time trial at the Vuelta a Asturias.

"I'm on a cloud, I'm so excited," said Izagirre. "I'm happy for the team because we are working hard in this Giro and any of the nine of us here deserved the win.

"A big win is very special. The first victory in Asturias really excited me, but winning a Giro d'Italia stage is amazing."
Another successful escape group

It took a while for the day's break to establish itself, but once again, the group came through to the end. After eighty-some kilometers, Alessandro De Marchi (Androni Giocattoli-Venezuela), Mathias Frank (BMC Racing Team), Jon Izagirre (Euskaltel-Euskadi), Luca Mazzanti (Farnese Vini-Sella Italia), Lars Ytting Bak (Lotto Belisol), Nicolas Maes (Omega Pharma-QuickStep), José Herrada Lopez (Movistar), Stef Clement (Rabobank), Matthias Brändle (NetApp) and Manuele Boaro (Saxo Bank) finally got away and moved quickly to a big lead.

With Herrada as the top ranked rider, at more than 32 minutes down, the field was happy to let them go and give themselves a quiet day to transition back into racing before facing the upcoming brutal mountain stages.

The race had started out very fast – which is why no group could come about – but once the break went, the peloton put the brakes on. The gap grew and grew, climbing all the way up to 12 and a half minutes before slowing coming down in the final 20km.

The attacks out of the group started almost as soon as they started the final climb to the finish. A cobblestone passage near the beginning of the climb didn't bring any changes, as Herrada led the way up. Izagirre was the next to try, and then Frank. Those two built up a small lead over Herrara with another gap back to the rest with 4km to go.

Izagirre took the lead, followed by De Marchi, as Frank and Herrada chased. The Basque rider ground his way up the climb, slowly building up his lead. He continued to pull away as the course flattened out near the end, as the three chasers, later joined by Clement, played for position.

The Euskaltel-Euskadi rider rejoiced as he crossed the finish line, and 16 seconds later De Marchi and Clement came in to fill out the podium.

The rest of the field was still to come, and it was a smaller group which tackled the final climb – but one which included all the favourites. They stayed together riding comfortably up to the finish. Liquigas-Cannondale and Garmin-Barracuda were most often at the front.

But then a Colnago-CSF Inox rider shot out of the of the field with about 1200 meters to go. Stefano Pirazzi was soon joined by Sky's Juan Antonio Flecha, and Flecha zipped around him at the end to take the eleventh place, nearly nine minutes after Izagirre, with the field almost directly behind.

Full Results

#	Rider Name (Country) Team	Result
1	Jon Izagirre Insausti (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi	4:02:00
2	Alessandro De Marchi (Ita) Androni Giocattoli	0:00:16
3	Stef Clement (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team
4	Mathias Frank (Swi) BMC Racing Team	0:00:19
5	José Herrada Lopez (Spa) Movistar Team	0:00:21
6	Manuele Boaro (Ita) Team Saxo Bank	0:00:37
7	Matthias Brandle (Aut) Team NetApp	0:00:43
8	Nikolas Maes (Bel) Omega Pharma-Quickstep	0:00:45
9	Lars Ytting Bak (Den) Lotto Belisol Team
10	Luca Mazzanti (Ita) Farnese Vini - Selle Italia	0:00:48

Hushovd vs. Rainbow Jersey Curse

Hushovd rode out Paris-Roubaix “in pure defiance”

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/hushovd-rode-out-paris-roubaix-in-pure-defiance)

Thor Hushovd was in good position in Paris-Roubaix, but a crash at nearly the same time Tom Boonen launched his ultimately successful attack once again crushed the BMC Racing Team rider's dreams of winning this race. Nevertheless, he didn't let that stop him and rode “in pure defiance” to finish 14th, over four minutes down.

Hushovd was behind Juan Antonio Flecha of Sky, who “was about to run into a police officer, so he turned away suddenly. Then I had to jump over a traffic island, but I landed crooked and with low pressure in the tires I just slipped away.

“I knew right away that the race was over for me,” he told aftenposten.no. “So I rode in pure defiance.”

The tall Norwegian irritatedly rejected the idea of a curse against him winning the race. “It's time to stop harping on the damn curse. There is no curse of the World Champion jersey, and there is no curse here in Roubaix.”

Paris-Roubaix 2012

I know I've been gone awhile, missed a few races. Between work and my personal life, I haven't had much time. So much has gone on these past few weeks, but hopefully I'll be around more.

Anyway, here is the results for the 2012 Paris-Roubaix:

Boonen triumphs at Paris-Roubaix

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/paris-roubaix/results)

Tom Boonen (Omega Pharma-QuickStep) rode into the record books with a dominant solo victory at Paris-Roubaix. The 31-year-old Belgian rode the final 52km alone to win by 1:39 over a five-man chase group led across the finish line in the Roubaix velodrome by Sébastien Turgot (Europcar). Alessandro Ballan (BMC) rounded out the podium for third place in a photo-finish with the Frenchman.

With the victory Boonen equals Roger De Vlaeminck's all-time win record of four victories in the Hell of the North, and for the second time in Boonen's career he's claimed the Tour of Flanders/Paris-Roubaix double in the same season.

"I was not really thinking about the winning race or doing a record," Boonen said. "I was just fighting myself. I was taking it step by step, cobblestone by cobblestone, kilometer by kilometer. I think if you start thinking about the 60 or 57 km, which is when I left, it's nearly impossible. It is all in your mind. I was really thinking about my lead. With the gap at 30 seconds I was trying to take it second by second. I was trying not to push it right away to one minute, tried not to force myself. It was the best way to save my strength and put all my strength into the 50km in front of me. I think it was the best option.

"The velodrome finish line, it's the only one where you can do two laps where all the people are," continued Boonen. "It's the only finish line where you have one kilometre where you can bond with the people that are there. It's just just such a special race. Paris-Roubaix, only one race like it in the world. A race like this needs a special finish. I think changing this finish line would be very stupid. It's almost more Paris-Roubaix — finishing here — than the cobblestones. I was really enjoying my two laps."

Runner-up Turgot was delighted with the result as he realised that Boonen was out of reach on Easter Sunday. "I don't realise yet how huge the performance is that I achieved," Turgot said. "I did some track and that certainly helped me in the sprint. Boonen was too strong. It was almost a miracle what he did, it was super nice," Turgot said.

A sunny, dry day for Paris-Roubaix

Right after rolling out of sunny Compiègne the attacks came thick and fast as riders sought to make the early escape. A huge group of 25 rider wasn’t allowed much distance as the peloton kept riding at high speed. Finally, after 70km of fast-paced, aggressive racing, a group of 12 riders rolled off the front and the peloton let them go. The group consisted of Guillaume Van Keirsbulck (Omega Pharma-QuickStep), Yaroslav Popovych (RadioShack-Nissan), Kenny De Haes (Lotto-Belisol), Frederik Veuchelen and Bert Jan Lindeman (Vacansoleil-DCM). David Boucher (FDJ-Big Mat). Michael Morkov (Team Saxo Bank), David Veilleux (Team Europcar), Dominic Klemme (Argos-Shimano), Laurent Mangel (Saur-Sojasun), Aleksejs Saramotins (Cofidis) and Grischa Janorschke (Team NetApp).

The pace in the peloton dropped off after covering the first two hours at a rapid 48km/h clip and as a result the 12 escapees gained a lead of four minutes in no time. Sky and BMC worked in the peloton to keep the gap under five minutes as they didn’t have a man in the lead group.

The break's advantage over the peloton remained the same until the riders hit pavé section 21, Aulny-lez-Valenciennes – Famars. In front Saramotins flatted but near the front of the peloton there was a crash. Many riders were held up by those who hit the deck and blocked the road. The biggest casualties were Dutchmen Tom Stamsnijder and Tom Leezer. French veteran Fréderic Guesdon (FDJ-Big Mat) and young prospect Tony Gallopin (RadioShack-Nissan) were also hindered by the crash and they failed to come back to the peloton.

Arenberg forest looms large

The Sky team led the peloton at high speed towards the Arenberg forest with its notorious, grueling pavé sector. The passage started dramatically as in front Janorschke crashed hard, taking Popovych and Van Keirsbulck down with him. In the peloton top favorite Tom Boonen set the pace, soon to be helped by teammate and French champion Sylvain Chavanel.

At the back of the peloton outsiders like Grégory Rast (RadioShack-Nissan) and George Hincapie (BMC) suffered flats. Once out of the forest eight riders remained in the lead with less than two minutes on the peloton. The eight surviving riders from the early break included Boucher, Veuchelen, Lindemann, Morkov, Veilleux, Klemme, Mangel and Saramotins.

After the Arenberg forest several attacks were launched from the peloton and suddenly Juan Antonio Flecha (Sky) was up the road together with Alessandro Ballan (BMC), Jimmy Casper (AG2R-La Mondiale), Mathieu Ladagnous (FDJ-Big Mat), Sébastien Turgot (Europcar) and Maarten Wynants (Rabobank). The six collected half a minute on the peloton but on pavé section 14 Gert Steegmans (Omega Pharma-QuickStep) took a strong pull to lead the peloton back to the six in the chase group. With such aggressive racing from the peloton the breakaway group didn’t stand a chance and at the feed zone, with 68km to go, there was a complete regrouping in front.

Omega Pharma-QuickStep goes long

During this tactical moment in the race Sylvain Chavanel (Omega Pharma-QuickStep) profited to sneak away with fellow French riders Mangel, Ladagnous, Turgot plus Switzerland's Michael Schär (BMC) ahead of pavé section 12 in Orchies. Turgot blasted away on the cobbles from the lead group when Chavanel flatted. Meanwhile, in the peloton Boonen accelerated and only Filippo Pozzato (Farnese Vini-Selle Italia) was able to keep up. The duo caught up with Turgot at the end of pavé section 12. Soon afterwards Terpstra and Ballan bridged up as well, creating a five-man leader’s group.

Once back on asphalted roads there was no cooperation in this group and then the Omega Pharma-Quick Step team staged a coup as Boonen went up the road together with his lieutenant Terpstra. The situation initially looked awkward, though, as Terpstra was unable to keep up with his team leader on the 5-star pavé section 11 of Auchy-les-Orchies – Bersée. With approximately 52km to go Boonen was up the road on his own.

Behind him in the chase group co-favorite Pozzato misjudged a corner on the cobbles. The Italian star crashed into Stijn Devolder (Vacansoleil-DCM) and both riders lost valuable time while Boonen collected half a minute on the first chase group.

Can Boonen do it?

The gap remained at nearly half a minute when reaching pavé section 10. Boonen made it through the unforgiving 3km-long stretch at Mons-en-Pévèle while the peloton split apart behind him. The Sky team had the numbers in this seven-man group, featuring Flecha, Boasson Hagen andHayman. The other riders in the group were Ballan, Ladagnous, Boom and Terpstra. They were caught by seven more riders with 40km to go while Boonen's lead had grown slightly to 40 seconds. The seven riders who bridged up were Ian Stannard (Sky), Johan Vansummeren (Garmin-Barracuda), Luca Paolini (Katusha), Jacopo Guarnieri (Astana), Matteo Tosatto (Saxo Bank), Wynants and Turgot. Stannard did all he could to bring the gap down but instead Boonen hit pavé section 7 with a gap of 50 seconds on the chase group of 14 riders.

The Belgian struggled to get the gap over one minute but he eventually got it on the cobbles of Cysoing à Bourghelles (pavé section 6), with 27 km to go. At the same section there were a couple of accelerations in the chase group featuring Flecha, Boom, Ballan and Vansummeren but these were all neutralized by Terpstra.

Boom switched bikes on the asphalted roads towards the last important pavé sections of Camphin-en-Pévèle and Carrefour de l’Arbre where Boonen's lead had grown to 1:20 on the chase group. Boom bounced back from his mechanical and steamed passed the group to launch a solo counter-attack. Flecha, Ballan and Ladagnous followed the Dutchman a little further back. For the first time the gap dropped but once Boonen finished the cobbles of the Carrefour de l’Arbre he still had 1:10 on Boom.

The Flecha, Ballan and Ladagnous group regained contact with Boom to form a four-rider chase, but they now seemed resigned to racing for second. The group lost horsepower at 13km remaining as Ladagnous flatted, while in front Boonen looked as smooth as ever across the pave as the distance to the Roubaix velodrome grew ever shorter.

Boonen kept his three chasers at bay and with 4km to go his lead stood at 1:32. The Belgian powerhouse soon cracked a smile for the cameras inside of 3km to go and he soon had the velodrome in Roubaix all to himself as he soaked up the adulation from the crowd and savoured every second of his triumphant 1.5 laps of the track for his fourth Paris-Roubaix victory.

Full Results

1	Tom Boonen (Bel) Omega Pharma-Quickstep	5:55:22
2	Sébastien Turgot (Fra) Team Europcar	0:01:39
3	Alessandro Ballan (Ita) BMC Racing Team
4	Juan Antonio Flecha Giannoni (Spa) Sky Procycling
5	Niki Terpstra (Ned) Omega Pharma-Quickstep
6	Lars Boom (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team	0:01:43
7	Matteo Tosatto (Ita) Team Saxo Bank	0:03:31
8	Mathew Hayman (Aus) Sky Procycling
9	Johan Vansummeren (Bel) Garmin - Barracuda
10	Maarten Wynants (Bel) Rabobank Cycling Team

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.



Omloop Het Nieuwsblad Elite 2012

Vanmarcke wins Omloop Het Nieuwsblad

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/omloop-het-nieuwsblad-elite-2012/results)

Sep Vanmarcke (Garmin-Barracuda) staged his break-out performance at the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, taking the race by the reins by forcing the final three-man breakaway and then stunning favourite Tom Boonen (Omega Pharma-Quickstep) in the sprint to take the victory.

Sky's Juan Antonio Flecha was third.

“I couldn’t believe my eyes. I beat Tom Boonen, my big hero,” an emotional Vanmarcke said during the post-race interview with Sporza. He knew that in a sprint against Boonen, his chances were slim and tried to shake him off with a few attacks, but said, "I know if I have a really great day, I can sprint pretty well."

Boonen came in with generous and genuine congratulations for his young compatriot, and admitted to the press that he misjudged the approach to the line. "I saw the finish this morning and still I get caught. I thought I went at the right moment, but ... the race was 50 meters too long."

Flecha, standing on the podium for the fifth time in six years, was happy to return to the stage, but said that while this is clearly his kind of course, only the win matters.

However, the Spaniard was impressed by Vanmarcke. "You can see that the guy has tremendous talent in these races. He is impressive. That he beat Boonen in the sprint surprised me. It just goes to show, the race goes to the finish line."

Vanmarcke, 23, previously showed his Classics promise by taking second in the 2010 Gent-Wevelgem while riding with Topsport Vlaanderen, and before as a podium finisher in the U23 version of the Tour of Flanders, but today's victory showed a never-before seen brilliance, both in fitness and in tactical prowess.

The decisive breakaway was formed on the Taaienberg, 59km from the finish in sunny Ghent. Behind a break of three, Boonen tested his legs on the climb, and Vanmarcke swiftly followed. Matthew Hayman (Sky), Matti Breschel (Rabobank), Thor Hushovd (BMC), Juan Antonio Flecha (Sky) and Dries Devenyns (Omega Pharma-Quickstep) were able to catch on. Behind them double winner Philippe Gilbert flatted and lost a lot of time.

With 39km to go the Boonen group caught the two remaining leaders, Sven Vandousselaere and Lieuwe Westra. It was on the Molenberg with 37km to go that Vanmarcke gave the first indication of his intentions - he attacked at the base of this final climb, and Boonen fought to catch on. Hushovd, Breschel, Hayman, Flecha and Devenyns eventually re-joined, but the early leaders were dropped for good.

On the cobbles of the Paddestraat with 31km to go Vanmarcke unleashed his devils once again, the acceleration ridding him of Breschel and Hushovd. With a seemingly dire tactical disadvantage, in a group with two proven classics men: Boonen and Flecha, each with a teammate, Vanmarcke was not intimidated.

Vanmarcke put in another acceleration to dislodge Devenyns and Hayman, and still had enough energy to contribute to the work in the final 20km to keep the trio clear.

The young star-to-be put in one last dig with 1km to go, trying to get away, but when Boonen shut down the maneuver, the Garmin rider sat on the back while Flecha set the pace, the Spaniard keeping a careful eye on his companions with frequent looks over his shoulder.

Boonen opened up the sprint ahead of the 200m to go mark, but Vanmarcke was able to get in behind and then put in a stinging acceleration to jump past and grab his first Classic victory.

Full Results

#	Rider Name (Country) Team	Result
1	Sep Vanmarcke (Bel) Garmin-Barracuda	4:52:34
2	Tom Boonen (Bel) Omega Pharma-Quickstep
3	Juan Antonio Flecha Giannoni (Spa) Sky Procycling
4	Heinrich Haussler (Aus) Garmin-Barracuda	0:00:25
5	Greg Van Avermaet (Bel) BMC Racing Team
6	Marco Marcato (Ita) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team
7	Lloyd Mondory (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale
8	Matthieu Ladagnous (Fra) Fdj-Big Mat
9	Alexandre Pichot (Fra) Team Europcar
10	Staf Scheirlinckx (Bel) Accent Jobs - Willems Veranda's

Tour of Qatar, Stage 6 and Overall

February 10, Stage 6: Sealine Beach Resort - Doha Corniche 120km

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/tour-of-qatar-2012/stage-6/results)

On another day of high drama at the 2012 Tour of Qatar, promising French rider Arnaud Demare raced to the first professional victory of his career in the colours of FDJ-BigMat at the sixth and final stage. 20-year-old Demare came home ahead of Denis Galimzyanov (Katusha) and Rabobank’s 2011 winner Mark Renshaw, who put a frustrating week behind him with a podium finish on the final day.

Belgium’s Tom Boonen’s 15th place finish on the day was enough for him to win the overall GC and points classification and meant that he ended the day celebrating a fourth victory in this race, fully justifying his tag as the “King of the Desert”. Garmin-Barracuda’s Tyler Farrar finished as runner-up, 28 seconds behind Boonen, with Team Sky’s Juan Antonio Flecha five seconds further back in third.

This year’s race, as always, has been marred by a number of crashes and punctures and today was no different. With the riders finding their feet in new teams and with the flat nature of the course making for tight, fast and bunch finishes, bumps have become unavoidable.

The biggest casualty of the race was stage three and stage five winner Mark Cavendish (Team Sky), who came together with two other riders close to the finish and suffered a nasty fall that brought gashes to his legs and to his left shoulder. Cavendish was helped to his feet by his teammate and friend Bernie Eisel and bravely got on a spare bike and finished the stage.

Cavendish’s crash hindered a large proportion of the field in the finale, meaning that Demare’s decision to go for home early paid off. Earlier on the field had been helped by a considerable tail wind as they made their way from the Sealine Beach Resort to the Doha Corniche. Before the peloton’s arrival there a pack of seven riders broke away, building a lead that reached a peak gap of 2:20.

At the Doha Corniche the riders encountered 11 6km laps around the harbour side with the pack making relatively heavy weather of catching the group in front. They finally bridged the gap with just 15km to go, which provided the platform for yet another frantic bunch sprint to the line. Demare’s tactics proved shrewd as he crossed the line for what in the end was a cosy victory for the 2011 U23 road world champion.

"I was placed in ideal conditions in the last couple of kilometres with the help of my teammates," Demare said. "It's an amazing feeling. Tom Boonen and Tyler Farrar came to congratulate me. I have admired them in front of my TV for so long."

Elsewhere, a serious verbal altercation took place after the finish between Rabobank’s main leadout rider Graeme Brown and RadioShack-Nissan’s Robert Wagner. Brown accused Wagner of bumping him repeatedly and the two men had to be dragged apart as tempers flared on what was the hottest day of the race so far.

But the week has undoubtedly belonged to Boonen, who claimed both the golden and silver jerseys by using a combination of his considerable experience here and a fitness edge that he honed at the Tour de San Luis. His fourth victory in the race tasted especially sweet, as he told Cyclingnews.

“All four wins here have been hard,” he said. “If you win four times it’s 24 days of hard labour. But this was nice because there were a lot of good riders here. Two days ago the hard stage we had was really like a classic. Normally after a hard stage you can break it up a bit in the following ones but this year it has been a man to man fight. We controlled the last two stages as a team so I am happy. I think that this year has definitely been a very important one.”

Boonen’s performances and those of his principal accomplice Gert Steegmans meant that Omega Pharma-Quick Step were able to add the team GC to the two jerseys he won. The battle for the young riders white jersey was won by Garmin-Barracuda’s Ramunas Navardauskas. It was a fitting reward, alongside Farrar’s second place, for his team, whose consistency throughout the week shone through.

Stage 6 Results

#	Rider Name (Country) Team	Result
1	Arnaud Demare (Fra) FDJ-BigMat	2:20:44
2	Denis Galimzyanov (Rus) Katusha
3	Mark Renshaw (Aus) Rabobank
4	Roger Kluge (Ger) Project 1t4i
5	Alexander Kristoff (Nor) Katusha
6	Tyler Farrar (USA) Garmin-Barracuda
7	Daniel Oss (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale
8	Allan Davis (Aus) GreenEdge Cycling Team
9	Aaron Kemps (Aus) Champion System
10	Jens Debusschere (Bel) Lotto Belisol Team

 

Final general classification

#	Rider Name (Country) Team	Result
1	Tom Boonen (Bel) Omega Pharma-QuickStep	15:42:14
2	Tyler Farrar (USA) Garmin-Barracuda	0:00:28
3	Juan Antonio Flecha (Spa) Sky Procycling	0:00:33
4	Gert Steegmans (Bel) Omega Pharma-Quick Step	0:00:34
5	Tom Veelers (Ned) Project 1t4i	0:01:00
6	Mark Cavendish (GBr) Sky Procycling	0:01:05
7	Fabian Cancellara (Swi) RadioShack-Nissan	0:01:06
8	Ramunas Navardauskas (Ltu) Garmin-Barracuda	0:01:09
9	Aidis Kruopis (Ltu) GreenEdge Cycling Team	0:01:10
10	Adam Blythe (GBr) BMC Racing Team	0:01:14

Oh right, there is a race going on...

The negative doping investigations have taken up much of the news in te past week. However, the Tour of Qatar is going on, not that we've had time to hear much about it...

Boonen bored of doping "soap operas" as he closes on Qatar win

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/boonen-bored-of-doping-soap-operas-as-he-closes-on-qatar-win)

The 2012 Tour of Qatar reaches its conclusion in Doha this afternoon at the end of a headline-grabbing week for cycling, mainly for the wrong reasons. With the vast majority of recent column inches devoted to the doping investigations surrounding Lance Armstrong, Alberto Contador and Jan Ullrich, Tom Boonen's exploits here in the Gulf have taken a back seat.

The 31-year-old Belgian's form has given him a big lead in the GC heading into today's sixth and final stage, and it would appear that only injury or a catastrophic crash can prevent him from winning a fourth Tour of Qatar title. He enters this afternoon with a healthy advantage of more than 30 seconds in the GC over Garmin-Barracuda's Tyler Farrar and Team Sky's Juan Antonio Flecha. Despite the feats of Mark Cavendish, who like Boonen has won two stages, it is the Omega Pharma-Quick Step rider who has bestrode the event more than anyone else due to his consistency throughout.

Having completely refused to make any comment to the press about the cases of Armstrong and Contador earlier in the week, Boonen told Cyclingnews that he has largely ignored the furore surrounding the developments and was just focussed on winning here in Qatar.

"I haven’t really paid too much attention to the soap operas surrounding Contador and Armstrong," he said. "It’s been going on for a while and nobody actually really cares about it anymore. Every time you open your mouth about these cases you get a great pile of shit over your head. I like Alberto and I hope that everything turns out ok for him, but that’s all I have to say about it."

Boonen went on to say that he is happy if his performances have brought some distraction for cycling fans and that his is confident ahead of today's decisive final stage.

"We all love cycling and that’s why we do it. So it’s nice to give something back and make some headlines for the right reasons," he said. "But we also have to do things for ourselves first and everything else follows naturally. There has been no problem at all for me to focus this week. We did a lot of good work today and throughout the last few days. The most important thing now is to keep the jersey and right now I am very happy and very confident about my chances."