June 11, Stage 3: Martigny - Aarberg 194.7km
Sagan wins stage 3 of the Tour de Suisse
Liquigas-Cannondale's Peter Sagan continued his excellent run of form in recent months by sprinting to victory in stage three of the Tour de Suisse in Aarberg this afternoon.
In addition to his two wins already in this race, Sagan scored an amazing five wins at last month’s Amgen Tour of California, tearing up the record books in the process. In a superbly consistent season, he has also enjoyed top five finishes at Gent-Wevlegem, Milan-San Remo, the Amstel Gold Race and the Tour of Flanders. He’s certainly elevated himself to become one of the most talked-about road cyclists on the planet as we approach the twin totems that are the Tour de France and the London 2012 Olympic Games.
There was very little drama and very little change in proceedings until the riders started up the first real climb of significance, the category 3 Frienisberg. By this stage the roads were coated in a smattering of rainwater, making the descent on the other side of he climb a lot trickier than it had looked on paper at the start line this morning.
With none of the leading trio realistic threats to those at the top of the general classification, the chasing peloton appeared relaxed and were happy to claw back the three leaders at their own pace. If there was any donkey work being done, and it a phrase used in the loosest sense, it was being mainly done by Team Sky and by Liquigas – clearly mindful that in Swift and Sagan respectively, they each possessed a weapon for the predicted sprint finish.
As the leaders started to climb, the writing on the wall became apparent very quickly for Van Genechten and he was dropped by Bonnafond and Morkov.
The gap between the two leaders and those in behind began to tumble rapidly, but the escapees managed to consolidate it as they descended down the other side. They maintained it in unlikely fashion all the way up and over the category four climb that came just a few kilometres from the finish, before eventually being swallowed by the main peloton with less than 1km left to race.
It was Cooke who got first run on the twisty last few hundred metres to the line, and for a few months it looked as if the Australian had stolen a big enough march on acrh-sprinters Sagan and Swift. Cooke’s move had indeed been decisive enough to repel the finishing burst of the latter, but Sagan had too much power allied to a sense of instinctive timing and he did enough to pass Cooke by the narrowest of margins just as the winning line came.
Full Results
| # | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Peter Sagan (Svk) Liquigas-Cannondale | 4:35:32 | |
| 2 | Baden Cooke (Aus) Orica GreenEdge Cycling Team | ||
| 3 | Ben Swift (GBr) Sky Procycling | ||
| 4 | Jacopo Guarnieri (Ita) Pro Team Astana | 0:00:03 | |
| 5 | Allan Davis (Aus) Orica GreenEdge Cycling Team | ||
| 6 | Yauheni Hutarovich (Blr) FDJ-Big Mat | ||
| 7 | Lloyd Mondory (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale | ||
| 8 | Tyler Farrar (USA) Garmin-Barracuda | ||
| 9 | Daniele Colli (Ita) Team Type 1 - Sanofi | ||
| 10 | Marcus Burghardt (Ger) BMC Racing Team |
Even the professionals worry about their form...
Cancellara was unsure of his form before Tour de Suisse time trial
(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/cancellara-was-unsure-of-his-form-before-tour-de-suisse-time-trial)
Even four-time World Champions can still get butterflies in their stomach before starting a time trial. Fabian Cancellara tweeted before Saturday's Tour de Suisse opener that he “was really nervos today. Even me can still have that.”
The RadioShack-Nissan rider also said that it was a “strange feeling when you dont no how good you are.” He covered the 7.3km course throughout Lugano in 9: 47, but ended up second behind Peter Sagan of Liquigas-Cannondale, who was four seconds faster.
The Swiss rider missed nearly two months of racing after suffering a quadruple collarbone fracture in the Tour of Flanders on April 1. His recovery took longer than anticipated, and he had to abandon his first race back, the Bayern Rundfahrt, due to illness.
“Just because I’ve won a lot of things in the time trial doesn’t mean I will automatically win. You have to have power. I tried to do my best, especially here in my home tour.
“The expectations are always high and I tried to stay focused on the race and my performance. This is what counts. Maybe I lost just a little bit because of that pressure.”
He tried to look for the positive aspects of the situation. “But I am still getting better and I am feeling better. I will continue to concentrate and focus on what is coming. On the top of the climb I had gone so deep today. I have to keep reminding myself that I’m coming back from injury and so what I did today makes me happy. That’s my little victory.”
There were still the negative aspects, though. “But of course from a sporting point of view, I am sad. That’s how life goes for a cyclist. I am still learning to handle the pressure as I know that’s my responsibility and today I think I put up a good battle so I will be satisfied.”
He can still look forward to the Tour de France. Team manager Johan Bruyneel said earlier that Cancellara was the only RadioShack-Nissan rider assured of a place on the squad.
Some cyclists continue to work where they know they need improvement...
Martin: Sky are the Bayern München of cycling
Omega Pharma-QuickStep rider Tony Martin will be staying in the French Alps for a few more days after having finished the Critérium du Dauphiné on Sunday. The World time trial champion will be reconnoitering the Tour de France stages located in the Alps as well as the course of the first long time trial from Arc-et-Senans to Besançon (41.5 km).
"Until Thursday, we will inspect the Alps and the first long time trial. After that, I'm looking forward to a quiet weekend at home," the 27-year-old told German Radsport-News.
Martin, who suffered a training setback in April due to a heavy crash, was "very satisfied" with his form at this stage. He placed second behind overall winner Bradley Wiggins (Sky) in the Dauphiné's 53km race against the clock last week, and continued to work on his climbing during the difficult mountain stages.
"I'm on schedule. It was important to me to make sure that my form is where it should be. My aim at the Dauphiné was not on the general classification, anyway," he added.
Martin will be one of his team's leaders at the upcoming Tour de France, where his main goals will certainly be to win one or even two of the race's long time trials, as well as to pursue a top GC placing. However, the German was very impressed with British outfit Team Sky, who dominated the race in the mountains and practically escorted its leader Wiggins to the overall win just like US Postal used to do with seven-time Tour winner Lance Armstrong.
"They had the race in their hands. Wiggins has very strong domestiques, who could all be captains in other teams. Sky is like the Bayern München of cycling," he commented.
And some just start dieting, so that their form is better...
Cavendish on a diet for Olympics
(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/cavendish-on-a-diet-for-olympics)The Olympic road race in London being a major goal for British sprinter Mark Cavendish, the Sky rider has started dieting early for the event. With a parcours not necessarily suited to the pure fast men, Cavendish has decided to lose weight by banning all sugars, according to Sporza.
"I'm already four kilos lighter than my normal race weight," the world champion told the Belgian media. "I've stopped candy, soft drinks and ready meals. That's not easy: in the beginning I got tired very fast and I found it difficult. It was hard to adapt to it."
But the prospect of Box Hill, a short but sharp climb featured in the Olympic race course, made the Manxman continue his new diet. "The route is not bad, but it's not tailor-made to me either. That's why I'm dieting now. I'm adapting my life to it."
Losing some of his body fat will also help Cavendish in his quest to defend his green jersey at the Tour de France.
RadioShack Nissan Trek narrowed down their Tour de France team to 14 riders. Five still have to be cut, as the teams can only have 9 riders. Its sad to see that Chris Horner isn't in the preliminary selection however, especially after his unfortunate crash last year...
RadioShack-Nissan selects preliminary Tour de France team
(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/radioshack-nissan-selects-preliminary-tour-de-france-team)The Radioshack Nissan Trek team management made a pre-selection of 14 riders for the 2012 Tour de France, which is scheduled to start June 30 and end on July 22.
The selected riders include Fabian Cancellara, Jakob Fuglsang, Tony Gallopin, Linus Gerdemann, Markel Irizar, Andreas Klöden, Maxime Monfort, Yaroslav Popovych, Gregory Rast, Hayden Roulston, Andy Schleck, Fränk Schleck, Jens Voigt and Haimar Zubeldia.
Andy Schleck was recently named the 2010 Tour de France champion after Alberto Contador was disqualified per his doping ban. Cadel Evans is the defending Tour de France champion.
American Chris Horner, who had been hoping to make the team, was not selected.
The final roster of nine riders will be announced in the week of June 18.
And finally, in the sad news today, George Hincapie has announced his retirement...
Hincapie announces retirement
(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/hincapie-announces-retirement)George Hincapie (BMC Racing) announced on Monday that this will be his final season of professional cycling. The three-time US national road champion said the Tour de France and the USA Pro Cycling Challenge in August will be the last two races of his 19-year career.
Hincapie said his decision came after much thought and discussion with people closest to him - particularly his wife, Melanie, whom he met while competing in the Tour de France.
"This is definitely not a decision that has been easy," Hincapie said. "I came to the conclusion that I want to go out while I can still contribute and make a difference. To be able to compete for 19 years as a professional cyclist has been something I would have never dreamed of doing. But at the same time, it's also going to be good to spend more time with my kids, who are getting to be the age where they miss me when I'm gone."
The soon-to-be 39-year-old has played an integral role in helping teammates like Cadel Evans, who was third at the Critérium du Dauphiné, and Alessandro Ballan, who was third at Paris-Roubaix and the Tour of Flanders, to success. The Greenville, South Carolina resident said he hopes to stay involved in the BMC Racing Team and the sport in some capacity.
"I don't want to get completely out of cycling," he said. "My company, Hincapie Sportswear, obviously revolves around cycling. So I want to see it grow while putting in more time with the people I love. But also know that I'm still feeling strong and healthy and ready to make a contribution to the team these last two months. I'm 100 percent motivated to help Cadel win another Tour."
Evans, the defending Tour de France champion, said he was saddened to hear one of his most trusted teammates will only be at his side one for one more edition of the world's greatest race.
"I'm hoping that he'll change his mind, probably like many other cycling fans around the world will do when they hear the news," Evans said. "George is incredible. He's the core of the BMC Racing Team and not just on the road as a captain, but also in the structure of the team. He's a part of so many aspects of everything we do because of his tremendous leadership." Evans said he would like nothing more than to have Hincapie lead him onto the Champs-Élysées for a repeat Tour victory. "It's a dream at this point, but it's a dream that I'd like to deliver to George to thank him for all the sacrifices he's made for me over the past few years."
BMC Racing Team President Jim Ochowicz said Hincapie has cemented his legacy in the sport with unselfish teamwork and a tireless work ethic. "George was the first big rider to believe in the BMC Racing Team," Ochowicz said. "He's led us through the past three years of the Classics and Grand Tour seasons as both a leader and a teammate. I am very proud that he was able to start as a professional with me on the Motorola team in 1994 and that I'm still with him at the end of his career. It's been an honor to bookend the career of one of the nicest people and one of the greatest cyclists America has ever produced."
BMC Racing Team Sponsor Andy Rihs said he was disappointed to hear the news, but respected Hincapie's decision to go out while still being a crucial component of the team's success.
"We'll really miss him," Rihs said. "He's a great champion and while I'm saddened, I understand everything must come to an end. We wish him well and hope he stays involved in the sport because he's always been the guy I call the champion's champion."
Hincapie is a five-time Olympian (1992, 1996, 2000, 2004 and 2008) and past Tour de France stage winner, who has been bettering longevity records this year in races like Paris-Roubaix (17 finishes) and the Tour of Flanders (17 finishes).
A start at this year's Tour de France later this month would bring another: 17 participations in cycling's greatest race. He shares the record of 16 Tour starts (to go along with 15 finishes) with Dutchman Joop Zoetemelk and a record nine times, he has helped a teammate win the three-week race.
