2013 Tour de France Stages 6-7

Stage 6:

I know the picture above isn't actually of the stage, but I thought this was the most beautiful picture of the day. Simon Gerrans "passed" the Yellow Jersey on to his Orica-GreenEdge teammate Daryl Impey, and in doing this Impey became the first African, or South African to be more specific, to ever wear the Yellow Jersey. Impey now has a 3 second lead over Edvald Boasson Hagen and 5 second lead over Gerrans.

Andre Greipel was the winner of the stage. He has led the peloton over the intermediate sprints for most of the stages this Tour, but today he took his first win of the 2013 Tour de France. He beat Peter Sagan, Marcel Kittel, and Mark Cavendish respectively.

I was sad to see that Nacer Bouhanni had to abandon during this stage. He got caught up in a crash at the end of Stage 5, and couldn't make it to the finish of Stage 6. This is the first Tour de France for the 22 year old, who is quickly becoming a contender in the mass sprints.

Stage 7: 

Apparently, even World Champions have tight leashes on. This morning, and article came out about Philippe Gilbert not being allowed to try to get in a breakaway and win this stage, which is suited for a rider like him. Although the article isn't in English, Google translate helped me get the gist of it. The team's decision is to keep Evans safe and all team members around him. This is a race for Evans and no one is to go on their own (Sporza.be). Haven't we seen this before? Oh, right...in last year's Tour de France with Mark Cavendish on Team Sky. He wasn't allowed to sprint for himself, it was all about protecting Wiggins.

More came out today about Frank Schleck's release from Radioshack Leopard Trek. He had been training with them even during his suspension, but yet the team still released him. His own country, Luxembourg, believes that Frank didn't intentionally take this diuretic, and even the UCI admitted that the suspension had nothing to do with doping. Yet, the team still released him. Frank is hoping he can find another team before the Vuelta, although with it being mid-season, that may be difficult. His brother Andy even came out and said, "I will not ride in another team with Frank" (CyclingWeekly, and Sporten.tv2.dk with help of Google Translate).

But anyway, back to Stage 7. Jens Voigt was part of a 6-man attack very early into the stage, but the break only got about 10" ahead before being caught. Then Voigt attacked again, this time with Blel Kadri, and that became the break of the day. Unfortunately, as the two broke away, a crash happened in the peloton involving several riders. Because of his injuries from a crash two days ago, and now this crash, Christian Vande Velde abandoned. This was to be his last Tour de France before retiring, and it's sad he couldn't make it all the way to Paris.

Voigt and Kadri, who earned the KOM Jersey today, were caught 94km from the finish as the sprint teams kept the pace of the peloton high. The problem with that was some of the sprinters fell off the back with the mountains; Andre Greipel, Mark Cavendish, and Marcel Kittel all lost sprint points today to intermediate sprint and eventual stage winner Peter Sagan.

After the intermediate sprint, Jan Bakelants make an attack, which ended up giving him Most Aggressive Rider for the stage. He was quickly joined by Cyril Gautier and Juan Jose Oroz. However, their lead of just over a minute was cut fairly quickly when Daryl Impey's Yellow Jersey was threatened. This breakaway was caught just after the 3km flag.

And as I already said, the winner of the Stage 7 was Peter Sagan, and Daryl Impey stays in Yellow for another day.

Katusha's Good News / Gilbert's Goals This Spring

With the future of Katusha unknown, Joaquim Rodriguez said earlier this week that he would be looking for another team. The team lost WorldTour status, and because of that lost bids in many of the upcoming races. In order to ride in the Tour de France, Rodriguez was going to switch teams.

However, thankfully the Court of Arbitration heard Katusha's appeal and returned a verdict in favor of the team. However, the question that is no on everyone's minds is, will 19 teams be allowed to have WorldTour status or will another team get cut so that the 18 teams remain?

Rodriguez happy to stay at Katusha after CAS verdict

Joaquim Rodriguez finished third on stage five at the Tour of Oman but hugged his Katusha directeur sportif Valerio Piva as if he had won, after hearing that the Russian team had won it's appeal to the Court of Arbitration and secured its return to the UCI WorldTour.

Rodriguez and Piva refused to confirm their good news, under strict orders not to talk by the team's management, but the big smiles and hugs between the riders and staff as they whispered the news, made it clear that Katusha had finally received some good news.

Since being turned down for a WorldTour spot by the UCI Licence Commission on December 10, the team's future has been up in the air. 

It was granted a provisional Professional Continental licence so it could compete but the team had been snubbed for wild invitations to the Giro d'Italia, Paris-Nice, the Criterium du Dauphine, and most recently the Tour de Romandie.

On Thursday night, Rodriguez confirmed that he would leave Katusha if the team failed to secure a WorldTour place. He is determined to ride the Tour de France and was unwilling to let the team's problems impact on his season.

Fortunately the team's future now appears safe. Rodriguez's contract with the team is valid and he insisted he was happy to continue racing in the red and white Katusha colours.

"I'm happy to stay with the Katusha team because I've been in the team for several years now. The team has given me a lot and I've given a lot to the team. This is the best possible solution for everyone," Rodriguez said in a hastily arranged press conference in the permanence of the Tour of Oman.

"In the days before the verdict, we were optimistic and we always believed we'd win, even if it wasn't our decision to make and even if we'd never understood the reason why we were left out of the UCI WorldTour."

"I'll admit it, I was worried about my future, even if I knew I'd have ridden the Tour de France in one way or another. Now my race programme won’t change. I'll ride Tirreno-Adriatico, then the Volta a Catalunya, go for a spell of training at altitude on Mount Teide, and then the Ardennes Classics."

Piva echoed Rodriguez's sentiments of relief and satisfaction. The Italian is highly respected in the sport but had been struggling to keep morale up in the team and struggled to convince organisers to invite the team to key races.

Now it seems Katusha and six other team that applied for a WorldTour licence will have to go through the selection process with the Licence Commission. Rather than eliminate another team from the WorldTour, Rodriguez believes the sensible solution is to allow 19 teams to be part of the 2013 WorldTour.

"I hope another team doesn't have to go through what we've been through and so perhaps the best solutions is to allow 19 teams in the WorldTour," he said.

"That would be fair even if it caused some problems by raising the number of riders in the peloton and on the roads. It'd be worth it and much fairer all round."

"I'm sick of everyone talking about all the problems in our sport. There are still a lot of good things going on. I'd much prefer if we could talk about the Tour of Oman and the Volta ao Algarve, or the Vuelta a Andalucía. At least now I can look ahead to the rest of the season, knowing that goal for the year are safe and that the future of the team is safe."

 

After a fantastic 2011, and a not so good 2012, Phillipe Gilbert is ready to take on the Spring Classics. It doesn't seem to phase him that there are riders better than him at the moment, but he knows he'll be ready, in top form, by the time the time the Ardennes come up.

Gilbert building his form for a long assault at the spring classics

At the Tour of Oman, Philippe Gilbert (BMC Racing Team) has stood out more for his rainbow jersey than for his results but he has dismissed off any doubts about his form and is convinced he will be a contender in the spring Classics, from Milan-San Remo until Liège-Bastogne- Liège.

Gilbert is always polite and professional, but he is more protective of his time and privacy after the scrutiny and thousands of questions, especially in Belgium, about his difficult 2012 season. He answers further questions about last year but they clearly touch a nerve.

"There's been a lot of talk about my spring season last year but it's only three months in a career of ten years. I have nothing to complain about," Gilbert said, firing a warning shot while speaking to the media, including Cyclingnews, at the Tour of Oman.

"I was there in the finale in almost every classic but everyone said things were very bad. But bad is when you get dropped and climb off in races. I was not that bad and got better week after week. Eventually my best form came back."

Gilbert concedes that his hugely successful 2011 season left him tired for 2012. Poor results in 2012 were the price he paid for his long run of victories in 2011, although he recovered his powers sufficiently to win the world championships in Valkenburg in September.

"Maybe in life you only have one big season and perhaps it was 2011 for me," he said.

"But it was also long season: I did all the classics, rode the Tour de France and went for the green jersey, I was at full gas everyday but then I never rested afterwards because I won the WorldTour. After the Tour de France I targeted San Sebastian, the Eneco Tour, the Canadian races and the Worlds. I think it was too much for one person and I needed a few months to recover from it."

To avoid the constant scrutiny of 2012 and avoid having to chase his fitness, Gilbert started his season at the Tour Down Under. Stage races are key building blocks as he prepares for the Classics.

"My form's not bad for the moment. I'm not good enough to win, but I'm not unfit. I had a good winter and I'm riding some stage races like Tour Down Under, now Oman and then Paris-Nice, to get better and better every week.

"I feel ready and on track. The intention is to be at my best for the classics. The season is becoming longer and longer in cycling, but it's difficult if you have to chase your form. Last season I was in that position and never managed to catch up."

Goal for 2013: Milan-San Remo and the Tour of Flanders

Gilbert is one of few riders who has the ability and characteristics to win on the cobbles of the Tour of Flanders and the steep climbs of the Ardennes.

He will target every classic except Paris-Roubaix but has set himself a special goal.

"It'd be special to win one of the classics I've still to win: Milan-San Remo and the Tour of Flanders," he said.

"My classics campaign is very long but I think you can win 'La Primavera' even if you're not at your best. Everything depends on the wind. With a tailwind (on the late Capi climbs) you have a far better chance. When a headwind becomes a factor, then everyone just stays on the wheels."

Gilbert is not worried or interested by possible rivals such as Mark Cavendish or Peter Sagan, who was far better than the Belgian in Oman and won two stages before pulling out with a sore throat.

"There are twenty riders who can win Sanremo. It's not a good idea to focus on what he (Cavendish) has to say," he said.

"I worry about myself. What counts is the shape of your rivals in the week before a big race. I don’t care if Sagan is stronger than me at the moment. If he's still stronger than me at Flèche Brabançonne (on April 10, just before the Ardennes week) then I have a problem. But that will not be the case."

 

Schleck Strikes Again and New Leaders at BMC??

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

Schleck to skip Haut Var and train in Mallorca

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

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

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

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

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

BMC back Hushovd and Van Avermaet over Gilbert for Het Nieuwsblad


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

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

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

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

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

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

2012 Tour de France Stage 1, 7/01/12

July 1, Stage 1: Liège - Seraing 198km

Sagan triumphs in Seraing

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/tour-de-france/stage-1/results)

Peter Sagan of Liquigas-Cannondale took his first Tour de France win in the first stage of his first Tour de France, outsprinting yellow jersey Fabian Cancellara (RadioShack-Nissan) and Edvald Boasson Hagen (Sky) for the victory. The trio had escaped from the field in the final 1.5km of the stage, under the impetus of a powerful surge from Cancellara, and charged their way up the closing climb in Seraing, Belgium.

There were no changes in the top five of the GC, but the pure time trialists fell out of the top ten. Cancellara easily retained his seven second lead over Sky's Bradley Wiggins with Sylvain Chavanel (Omega Pharma-QuickStep) holding third place overall, tied on time with Wiggins.

The stage was marked by a breakaway group which enjoyed approximately 190 kilometers of freedom, but the finale went to the top guns. Although a large group came to the end and was given the time of the winner, the usual sprinters were not involved.

Sagan had been a favourite to take the win on this tricky finish, and Boasson Hagen was no surprise either. But it was not so expected to see Cancellara fighting those two for the stage win, and he has now really shown that he is recovered from his shattered collarbone at the Tour of Flanders and has his self-confidence back.

"Of course people told me I was the favourite," said Sagan. "I knew that Chavanel would try something at the end. I wanted to attack at the hardest section. It was very, very good that Cancellara was there. I saw that he had strong legs. It was good to take it easy behind him."

From the gun

The full complement of 198 riders started on Sunday for the 198 kilometers from Liege to Seraing. And almost immediately after the sharp start, six riders attacked and proved to be the break of the day.

The RadioShack-Nissan-led field was happy to let Yohann Gène (Europcar), Pablo Urtasun (Euskaltel-Euskadi), Maxime Bouet (Ag2r-La Mondiale), Nicolas Edet (Cofidis), Anthony Delaplace (Saur-Sojasun) and Michael Mørkøv (Saxo Bank-Tinkoff) go. Their lead jumped around from 1:10 (after being stopped at a level crossing) to 4:50 but RadioShack-Nissan never let them get too far away, and their advantage settled around the three-minute mark.

Tony Martin's problems in the 2012 Tour de France continued. After the time trial world champion suffered a puncture in the prologue, he proceeded to crash early on in this stage, and seemed to have difficulty staying up with the field much of the day. Open wounds could be seen on the Omega Pharma-QuickStep German's elbow, and it was said he had injured his wrist as well.

The July weather in Belgian is no better than that during the Spring Classics, and the peloton went from overcast to rain to sun, and back again. Fortunately the dry weather prevailed during the nervous finale.

The day's only intermediate sprint came at 139km , and it was hotly contested by both the break group and the peloton. Gene took maximum points at the head of affairs, while in the field Matthew Goss (Orica-GreenEdge) claimed seventh place ahead of Mark Cavendish (Sky) and Andre Greipel (Lotto Belisol).

The oldest of RadioShack's oldies, 40-year-old Jens Voigt, proved why he was named to ride his 15th Tour. He put in many kilometers at the head of the field and was especially vigilant on the front when the gap to the break had crept up again. The German veteran was instrumental in keeping their lead pegged at a comfortable level, ably assisted by Yaroslav Popovych

Along the way, Morkov and Urtasun fought it out for every mountain point. The Dane was the lucky winner, raising a "number one" finger as he took the penultimate climb, but the Basque rider was quick to congratulate him.

With 50km to go, RadioShack-Nissan turned on the speed again and, helped by a tailwind, brought the gap to under two minutes. The Luxembourg-based team was still, as they had all day, doing all the lead work alone.

The escapees hung on gamely to their lead, even as it dropped. With just about 30km to go, though, it finally fell beneath the one minute mark as behind them the other teams started bringing their captains into position. Finally, too, other teams were seen at the head of the field but the impetus in the field momentarily stalled as the gap to the break slowly crept back up again.

At just about the 23km mark four riders crashed, including Mick Rogers of Sky, two Movistar riders and Luis Leon Sanchez (Rabobank), who remained on the pavement a long time but eventually got up and continued. Shortly thereafter there was another large crash when a fan saw the need to stand in the road to make photos. The speed had been turned on for good by that time, and the lead group took only 28 seconds into the last 20km. The field, scenting the catch and possibly affected by the crashes, was much more hectic than the six escapees.

It was a rolling, curving lead in to the finale, with everyone going all out. BMC, with Marcus Burghardt, had now moved to the front of the field. The inevitable ultimately happened, and with 9km to go the six leaders were caught. Bouet held out longest, but he had no chance against the field now led by Lotto Belisol. The appearance of Andre Greipel at the head of things showed, though, that the Belgian team was not looking for a mass sprint.

The peloton was strung out as it started up the final climb, but it was still a large group. All the big names were at the front, as Orica-GreenEdge pulled them along. Sylvain Chavanel (Omega Pharma-QuickStep) jumped at the 2km marker, but Michael Albasini (Orica-GreenEdge) caught him on the steepest part of the climb. Cancellara pulled the rest of the field up to the two.

And then Cancellara took off with 1.5km to go! Sagan attached himself to the yellow jersey's rear wheel and the two pulled away. Cancellara was unable to drop Sagan and the lead duo were joined by Boasson Hagen with just over 500m to go, and the three went into the closing – and very high-powered – sprint.

As the field came closer and closer Cancellara opened the sprint at the 150 meter marker. Sagan moved easily around the yellow jersey holder and proudly took the win, sitting straight up and appearing to do a victory dance on his bike.

Full Results

1	Peter Sagan (Svk) Liquigas-Cannondale	4:58:19
2	Fabian Cancellara (Swi) RadioShack-Nissan
3	Edvald Boasson Hagen (Nor) Sky Procycling
4	Philippe Gilbert (Bel) BMC Racing Team
5	Bauke Mollema (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team
6	Alejandro Valverde Belmonte (Spa) Movistar Team
7	Robert Gesink (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team
8	Daniel Martin (Irl) Garmin - Sharp
9	Ryder Hesjedal (Can) Garmin - Sharp
10	Dries Devenyns (Bel) Omega Pharma-QuickStep

2012 Tour de France Prologue, 6/30/12

Unless there is an article that really interests me, I will be only focusing on the Tour de France this year. I will post my own recaps if I can, but I will mostly be using cyclingnews.com like I have been recently.

June 30, Prologue: Liège (ITT) 6.4km

Cancellara wins 2012 Tour de France prologue in Liège

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

There was something almost inevitable about it: the scene was perfect, the timing essential, and the man in form. Eight years after his first prologue win in Liege in the Tour de France, ‘Monsieur Prologue’ Fabian Cancellara rolled back the years to claim his fourth Tour de France prologue, with a comprehensive win in the Belgian city on Saturday. 

The RadioShack-Nissan rider turned out a time of 7:13 over the 6.4km course. Not even a determined Bradley Wiggins (Sky) finishing second, 7 seconds down, or world time trial champion Tony Martin (Omega Pharma-QuickStep) could come close, although the German will feel aggrieved after he set the fastest time at the first time check but suffered a mechanical and was forced to change bikes.

Defending champion Cadel Evans (BMC) finished in 13th place, nine seconds down on Cancellara, with Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas) and Denis Menchov (Katusha), Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin-Sharp) impressing with solid performances. French time trial champion Sylvain Chavanel had led for a large portion of the afternoon, nervously awaiting the time trial specialists at the line, but he was demoted, first by Wiggins, and then by Cancellara, to third.

But after all the talk of Wiggins and Evans in the build-up to the race, the day belonged to Cancellara. In the last twelve months, the Swiss rider has found himself on the receiving end of a number of high level losses, with Tony Martin usurping his long-standing crown as the best time triallist in the world, and two campaigns in the Classics without a win.

“I thought about my wife, the baby that’s coming, about team that’s given me help, and I’m proud of having done the work I should have done,” Cancellara said at the finish.

“This victory is even more special than the other ones I’ve had in the Tour de France., Yes, I’m proud, which is important, and I’m also confident about the rest of the Tour.”

There were murmurs that Cancellara was no longer the powerhouse he used to be, his legs slowing as younger riders developed, and despite uncertainty within his team surrounding missed wages and in-fighting, the experience and most importantly the power were there for all to see in Liège.

“I’m looking forward and not looking back. I’m here on the Tour de France not thinking about the past. The last time the Tour was here, in 2004, I beat Lance [Armstrong] by 1.6 seconds and took the jersey, but that was eight years ago. We have to focus on now because if we let [USADA’s decision to manager Johan Bruyneel with doping] crack us, I wouldn’t be able to perform on the road like I did today. It’s up to Lance and Johan to sort out. One year I was in Bjarne Riis’s team, and he stayed away from the Tour to leave us in peace, so I’ve experienced this before. Johan is just leaving us to get on with the job in peace.”

Liège loosens the Tour tension

The pro peloton had descended on Liège on Wednesday, settling into a pattern of reconnaissance and press conferences. By Friday, as the final pre-race press noise died down, it was clear that the peloton were ready to race. The tension was clear in Liège on Saturday morning with riders testing themselves over the prologue course. Wind variants were considered, final adjustments made to bikes and in the end it was Tom Veellers (Argos-Shimano) who set the ball rolling. The Tour had finally started.

A number of early pacesetters came and went until Brett Lancaster posted the first serious time of the day with a time of 7:24. The GreenEdge rider was edged out by Sky’s Edvald Boasson Hagen but it wasn’t long before Chavanel was on the road.

The Frenchman has improved greatly against the clock in the last twelve months – something he has put down to overcoming a longstanding back problem – and had already won the time trial in De Panne this spring. Along the Liège course he married power with precision, dancing through the few corners in the tricolore of France.

It looked like an unlikely winner could be crowned when he crossed the line in 7:20 and when Philippe Gilbert, David Millar and Andreas Klöden all failed topple the Omega Pharma-QuickStep rider, France dreamed of their first opening day win since Jacky Durand in 1994.

Chavanel took his seat at the finish, French television glued to his every facial expression as rider after rider came over the line. Peter Sagan (Liquigas) who many pundits had fancied as a potential winner stormed out of the blocks but he paid for his enthusiasm, pulling his foot out on one of two roundabouts, and losing 17 seconds by the finish.

Tejay Van Garderen (BMC) came close, two seconds down but Tony Martin, resplendent in his rainbow bands looked to be the biggest threat. A teammate of Chavanel he drew level with the Frenchman at the first time check but a bike change disrupted his rhythm and cost the German vital seconds. The cameras remained glued to Chavanel.

Now it was down to Wiggins, grimacing with intent as he left the start house. Two years ago the Sky leader paid for his caution in the opening Tour ride through Rotterdam and at the first time check it looked as though a repeat performance was in store, with tenth place at the first time check.

But Wiggins isn’t the Tour favourite without reason, and on the return leg the former pursuit rider showed his form and quality, overhauling Chavanel – who cracked a smile at least – and moving into provisional yellow. By now Cancellara was waiting for the countdown to his depart, but perhaps more importantly Evans was moving towards the start house. It’s unknown if he knew that Wiggins was leading.

At the first time check, Cancellara was faster than Chavanel by a mere second and with Evans on the road it became a three-way battle for the race’s first yellow jersey. Yet by the line Cancellara had stomped his authority on the race’s first skirmish.

Full Results

1	Fabian Cancellara (Swi) RadioShack-Nissan	0:07:13
2	Bradley Wiggins (GBr) Sky Procycling	0:00:07
3	Sylvain Chavanel (Fra) Omega Pharma-QuickStep
4	Tejay van Garderen (USA) BMC Racing Team	0:00:10
5	Edvald Boasson Hagen (Nor) Sky Procycling	0:00:11
6	Brett Lancaster (Aus) Orica GreenEdge Cycling Team
7	Patrick Gretsch (Ger) Argos - Shimano	0:00:12
8	Denis Menchov (Rus) Katusha Team	0:00:13
9	Philippe Gilbert (Bel) BMC Racing Team
10	Andriy Grivko (Ukr) Astana Pro Team

Other Favorite Pic of the Day:

Mark Cavendish

2012 Critérium du Dauphiné Stage 2

June 5, Stage 2: Lamastre - Saint-Félicien 160km

Moreno wins stage 2 of the Dauphiné

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/criterium-du-dauphine-2012/stage-2/results)

Daniel Moreno (Katusha) won stage 2 of the Critérium du Dauphiné from Lamastre to Saint-Félicien, beating Julien Simon (Saur-Sojasun) and Tony Gallopin (RadioShack-Nissan) in a sprint finish.

Bradley Wiggins (Team Sky) and Cadel Evans (BMC Racing) finished together with the Sky rider retaining his one-second advantage in the battle for yellow.

Moreno launched his sprint perfectly inside the final 200 meters as the bunch tackled an uphill finish to Saint-Félicien. The Katusha rider latched onto a late attack from Tony Martin (Omega-Pharma QuickStep) before accelerating away with an uphill effort that his teammate Joaquim Rodriguez would have been proud of.

Jurgen Van Den Broeck (Lotto Belisol Team), Rinaldo Nocentini (AG2R La Mondiale), Gallopin and Simon attempted to give chase but were unable to stop the Spaniard from taking his third win of the season.

Rémi Pauriol (FDJ-Big Mat) and Maxime Mederel (Saur - Sojasun) orchestrated the first notable move of the day but interest in their progress rose further when they were joined by a group containing race leader Wiggins, Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas-Cannondale), Boasson Hagen (Team Sky), Philippe Gilbert (BMC), Michael Rogers (Team Sky), Bram Tankink (Rabobank) and Sylvain Chavanel (Omega Pharma-QuickStep). Such a move was too dangerous and was soon nullified.

Chavanel, himself an outside bet for overall honours, pressed on alone but even his will and desire knew with Wiggins leading Sky was unlikely to let a contender of any sort up the road and when no assistance arrived the Frenchman sat up.

It was another Frenchman though, the talismanic David Moncoutie (Cofidis) who tried his luck on the slopes of the first climb of six, the Col de Montivernoux. Moncoutie rarely puts a foot wrong when choosing the right moment, and 13 riders were quickly across. The move lacked harmony and when Moncoutie stamped on the pedals once more, he was left with Christophe Kern (Europcar), Blel Kadri (AG2R), and José Sarmiento (Liquigas-Cannondale).

Kadri may have been within 11 seconds of Wiggins' lead but this was manageable situation and as the break pressed on toward Saint-Félicien, Sky monitored their progress.

The lead stretched out towards four minutes with Kadri leading Kern over the top of each climb in an attempt take the KOM lead from Giovanni Bernaudeau (Europcar). However Bernaudeau countered at each turn, grabbing fifth on a number of climbs in a successful bid to hold his lead.

When the predictable happened and Sky upped their pace, the break's lead spiralled towards the minute mark. Thomas Voeckler (Europcar) harried a small counter attack but with Danny Pate and Kanstantsin Siutsou (both of Sky) on the front of the bunch any move was almost futile.

That was until Sky called a halt to their day's efforts and Wesley Sulzberger (Orica GreenEdge) launched his move. He was joined by a handful of willing collaborators but Anthony Roux was the keenest, answering Sulzberger's next acceleration and then plummeting down the col de Fontaille in pursuit of Kern and company. Sulzberger was left to wait for the bunch as Roux cut through the minute gap.

It was then the turn of another aggressive French team, Saur - Sojasun, to make an impression chasing Roux, who had made it to the lead break. Kadri and Roux gave one last throw of the dice before BMC assumed control of the field.

Full Results

#	Rider Name (Country) Team	Result
1	Daniel Moreno Fernandez (Spa) Katusha Team	4:02:38
2	Julien Simon (Fra) Saur - Sojasun
3	Tony Gallopin (Fra) Radioshack-Nissan
4	Rinaldo Nocentini (Ita) AG2R La Mondiale
5	Jurgen Van Den Broeck (Bel) Lotto Belisol Team
6	Luis-Leon Sanchez (Spa) Rabobank Cycling Team
7	Cadel Evans (Aus) BMC Racing Team
8	Janez Brajkovic (Slo) Astana Pro Team
9	Bradley Wiggins (GBr) Sky Procycling
10	Thomas Voeckler (Fra) Team Europcar

La Flèche Wallonne, 2012

Rodriguez wins La Flèche Wallonne

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/la-fleche-wallonne/results)

Joaquim Rodriguez (Katusha) stormed up the Mur de Huy to claim the victory at the 76th La Flèche Wallonne, overcoming wet and windy conditions to prevail in the middle race of the three Ardennes Classics.

Rodriguez, who had finished second in the previous two years, was part of a large chasing group that engulfed breakaway leaders Lars Petter Nordhaug (Team Sky) and Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin-Barracuda) on the final gruelling climb, and the Spaniard held off the challenge of Michael Albasini (GreenEdge) and defending champion Philippe Gilbert (BMC) for what was in the end a commanding victory.

Rodriguez was overcome with emotion after crossing the winning line, having erased the pain of 2010 and 2011 by finally getting his hands on the prize. He becomes the third Spaniard to win the race in the last ten years, following wins by Igor Astarloa (2003) and Alejandro Valverde (2006).

“It’s the best and most incredible victory of my whole career,” Rodriguez said. “Today is definitely one of the best days of my life. I’ve always been in love with these Classic races, and a victory in these competitions has always been one of my main goals: finally, after many good results, I managed to win.

"Obviously I have to thank my teammates: all of them did a great job from the beginning to the end. It’s true that Mur de Huy was a more suitable final part to my characteristics than Cauberg, but I have to admit it was really hard: it looked like an easy victory, but I did a strong effort in order to defeat my rivals.

"Now I can get ready for Liege-Bastogne-Liege with high motivations. I don’t think this victory will change anything, I’m not the only forerunner, there are many strong riders with chances to win. Everything changed from the Amstel Gold Race to Fleche Wallonne and everything can change on Sunday too. So we have to pay a lot of attention and work at our best if we want to take this legendary double”.

It never looked like the fanatical home fans were going to celebrating a local winner, though the supporters in the Ardennes will have been encouraged by Gilbert’s performance. He has failed to fully live up to expectations in the colours of his new team so far this season, but a sixth place in the Amstel Gold Race last Sunday followed by his podium finish here suggests that he is slowly edging towards his best form.

"I've come from a long way down, so I am satisfied to be back at this level," Gilbert said. "Being on the podium is nice, but most important is a victory. Today, Rodriguez was the deserving winner."

Wild weather in Wallonie

Wind and rain greeted the riders at the start of the 194km race in Charleroi, further dampening the spirits of the supporters who were disappointed by the withdrawals of 2010 winner Cadel Evans (BMC), Peter Sagan (Liquigas-Cannondale) and Thomas Voeckler (Europcar). But with the race underway the Belgians’ indomitable passion for professional road cycling took over, the atmosphere building with each passing kilometre.

An early breakaway saw Daniele Ratto (Liquigas-Cannondale) and Mads Christiensen (Saxo Bank) take 12 seconds out of the field, before a crash split the chasing peloton into two groups. The first group of chasers, led by Katusha, caught up and it was left to Dirk Bellemakers (Landbouwkrediet) to make the next significant move, 55km into the race.

Bellemakers was soon joined by Anthony Roux (FDJ-Big Mat) and the two men worked tirelessly to build up a yawning gap of 2:25 from Sjef De Wilde (Accent.Jobs-Willems Verandas) as they passed over the Mur de Huy for the first time in worsening rain. The first main chasing pack, led by Andy Schleck (RadioShack-Nissan), were roughly a further minute behind as the riders hurtled towards the halfway point.

With De Wilde unable to maintain his solo chase, the gap between the two leaders and the initial pack stretched to just under eight minutes at its peak, before Katusha and Lotto-Belisol traded turns on the front end to begin reducing the deficit. Sander Armee’s brave bid to bridge the gap on his own eventually ended in a stalemate, with the Topsport Vlaanderen-Mercator rider unable to get any nearer that 2:40 down as Bellemakers and Roux closed in on the final crucial 50km.

With 40km to go Andy Schleck launched an attack from the main chasing pack, as the riders approached the Mur for the second time. The deficit between the leaders and the chasing pack was halved on the Mur second time round, offering further evidence of that its final ascent in the finale would probably prove decisive. With 30km left the pack caught the breakaway and the final phase of the race was set to play itself out.

Just as Robinson Chalapud (Colombia-Coldportes) suffered a horrific-looking crash, landing face-down on the tarmac, Tom Slagter (Rabobank) and Giovanni Visconti (Movistar) broke clear, building up a 14-second advantage. The closer the riders got to the final climb of the Mur, the heavier the rain came down, and as Frank Schleck suffered a puncture at a critical stage, Hesjedal and Nordhaug made their move, attacking with 7.5km to go.

It took the chasing pack what seemed like an eternity to close them down, but eventually the final 1km climb up the Mur – a gradient of 20-25% in places – drained the strength from the legs of the breakaway duo as the walls caved in around them. Rodriguez pounced, taking 15 metres out of the chasing pack in a show of rare power. His decisive burst left him clear and gave him time to acknowledge the crowd as he crossed the line for a well deserved victory that has been a long time coming.

Full Results

1	Joaquim Rodriguez Oliver (Spa) Katusha Team	4:45:41
2	Michael Albasini (Swi) GreenEdge Cycling Team	0:00:04
3	Philippe Gilbert (Bel) BMC Racing Team
4	Jelle Vanendert (Bel) Lotto Belisol Team
5	Robert Kiserlovski (Cro) Astana Pro Team	0:00:07
6	Daniel Martin (Irl) Garmin - Barracuda	0:00:09
7	Bauke Mollema (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team
8	Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale
9	Diego Ulissi (Ita) Lampre - ISD
10	Jurgen Van Den Broeck (Bel) Lotto Belisol Team	0:00:11

Amstel Gold Race 2012

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/amstel-gold-race/results)

Enrico Gasparotto (Astana Pro Team) won a thrilling Amstel Gold Race, timing his sprint to perfection atop the Cauberg, to win ahead of Jelle Vanendert (Lotto Belisol Team) and Peter Sagan (Liquigas-Cannondale).
Three time world champion Oscar Freire (Katusha Team) finished fourth after his bold attack in the closing 7 kilometres was caught in the final meters of the race. Two-time defending champion, Philippe Gilbert, (BMC Racing Team) had to settle for sixth behind Thomas Voeckler (Europcar).

BMC had controlled the race throughout much of the closing stages but Gilbert was left to do all the work on the final ascent of the Cauberg. His acceleration first brought back Niki Terpstra (Omega Pharma QuckStep) and then Freire's dying legs to within touching distance. However the move proved as a spring board for the podium placers.

Sagan was the first rider to come around the Belgian champion but he too ran out of gas, with Gasparotto accelerating on his left and Vanendert on his right.

Maastricht treaty lasts until opening climbs

The riders had left the chilly start city of Maastricht with a blessing of rain drops and a cold northern wind on their noses. Typically many riders tried break clear on the first of the 31 climbs but nobody gained enough in the first hour of the race, which was covered at 45kph.

After nearly 60 kilometers of racing a large group finally was allowed to go. Romain Bardet (AG2R La Mondiale), Pello Bilbao (Euskaltel-Euskadi), Raymond Kreder (Garmin-Barracuda), Alex Howes (Garmin-Barracuda), Steven Caethoven (Accent Jobs-Willems Veranda), Cedric Pineau (FDJ-Big Mat), Simone Stortoni (Lampre-ISD), Sébastien Delfosse (Landbouwkrediet-Euphony) and Eliot Lietar (Topsport Vlaanderen-Mercator) were the lucky men.

During the second hour they gathered a maximum lead of 13:30 on the peloton, with no teams wanting to chase. Eventually RadioShack-Nissan, BMC and Katusha took the responsibility and gradually the gap went down.

When approaching the second ascent of the Cauberg the pace in the peloton increased even more and after the Vrakelberg a first group of riders was caught behind the peloton, including outsider Cadel Evans (BMC). In front, the breakaway group lost ground. On top of the Cauberg the gap was down to less than five minutes and that was also where Evans abandoned the race.

With 55 km to go the breakaway group still had four minutes on the peloton. Jurgen Van den Broeck (Lotto-Belisol) went down on the Bemelerberg and even though he was assisted by a couple of teammates his race was almost over. When the pace increased inside the final 30 kilometres he was dropped. Meanwhile Danish rider Matti Breschel (Rabobank) also abandoned the race.

The Wolfsberg, at 41km from the finish line on the Cauberg, was the first of the last string of eight climbs. It proved to be the ground where the Astana moved forward. The gap quickly dropped below two minutes and the speed went up another notch when Chris Anker Sorensen (Saxo Bank) attacked the peloton, without much success.

In front Bardet, Bilbao, Howes and Stortoni dropped their fellow breakaway companions although Kreder and Delfosse returned little later. The six remaining leaders entered the last 30km with an advantage of 1:10.

The break split further when Bardet and Howes accelerated again.

Boasson Hagen was the first contender to attack inside the final 15 kilometres but the Sky rider was unable to gain more than 100 meters, with the BMC trio of Mauro Santambrogio, Greg Van Avermaet and Gilbert holding court at the head of the race.

Avermaet, was the perfect teammate, sacrificing his chances for Gilbert, who was either confident of taking on Sagan in the sprint or lacked the legs to attack earlier.

On the penultimate climb of the Keutenberg, Boasson Hagen was swiftly brought back, with Bardet shelling his breakaway companion for the second and final time.

Sky, Astana and Katusha were able to send probing attacks off the front, and Thomas Voeckler and Sagan went briefly alone, but it was Freire who struck a decisive blow with 7km to go, just after Bardet was finally swallowed up.

Freire has never made the podium in Amstel and with Rabobank having such a poor race with Breschel out and Gesink already dropped, Freire's former Dutch team must have been reeling when the Spaniard had a gap of 13 seconds.

But it wouldn't be a Spring Classic without Omega Pharma-Quickstep having their say, and Niki Terpstra accelerated away in pursuit of the Spaniard as the race descended from the Keutenberg.

At the foot of the Cauberg Terpstra had failed to make contact, with a tiring Van Avermaet leading a 20-strong group with Gilbert latched to his wheel.

Gilbert's attack displayed elements of panic and reluctant acceptance at the same time, the rider well aware that everyone was watching him, while also knowing that Freire was on the cusp of a shock win.

Terpstra was quickly reeled in and Gilbert's second acceleration caused the chase group to splinter. Damiano Cunego (Lampre) crashed along with Lars-Peter Nordhaug (Sky), and with a fading Freire unable to hold on the race came down to the strongest, but also the freshest in the sprint for the line.

Full Results

#	Rider Name (Country) Team	Result
1	Enrico Gasparotto (Ita) Pro Team Astana	6:32:35
2	Jelle Vanendert (Bel) Lotto Belisol Team
3	Peter Sagan (Svk) Liquigas-Cannondale	0:00:02
4	Oscar Freire Gomez (Spa) Katusha Team
5	Thomas Voeckler (Fra) Team Europcar
6	Philippe Gilbert (Bel) BMC Racing Team
7	Samuel Sanchez Gonzalez (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi
8	Fabian Wegmann (Ger) Garmin-Barracuda	0:00:04
9	Rinaldo Nocentini (Ita) AG2R La Mondiale
10	Bauke Mollema (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team

Amstel Gold Preview

Vanendert expects usual scenario on revised Amstel Gold Race course

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/vanendert-expects-usual-scenario-on-revised-amstel-gold-race-course)

There may be an alteration to the finale of Amstel Gold Race this year, but Jelle Vanendert and Lotto Belisol do not expect any significant deviation from the traditional script in the Netherlands this Sunday.

In recent years, the main contenders have by and large kept their powder dry in anticipation of the final sprint to the top of the Cauberg, where the race has finished since 2003. In a bid to encourage more attacks from further out, organisers have this year cut the distance between the penultimate climb of the Keutenberg and the finish by two kilometres.

Vanendert is not convinced that the tweak to the course will alter the approach of the main contenders, however, as any attackers over the Keutenberg still have 10 kilometres to race before reaching the foot of the Cauberg.

"It doesn't really matter, only the long descent is gone," Vanendert told reporters at Lotto Belisol's pre-race press conference in Maastricht on Friday. "I'm not convinced that it benefits the attackers. It's all wide open fields at the top of the Keutenberg, so a lot will depend on where the wind is coming from."

In the event of a group finish, Vanendert conceded that there are few riders in the peloton who can contend with the likes of the Spanish pair Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) and Joaquim Rodriguez (Katusha) on an explosive climb such as the Cauberg.

"There aren't a lot of riders capable of beating them on these finishes, except for [Philippe] Gilbert," he said.

Twelve months ago, Vanendert was Gilbert's most trusted lieutenant as he dominated Amstel Gold Race and the Ardennes classics in the colours of Omega Pharma-Lotto. A year is a long time in cycling, however, and while Gilbert struggles for form at BMC, Vanendert will lead the line for Lotto Belisol alongside Jurgen Van Den Broeck and Gianni Meersman.

After a quiet opening to the season, Vanendert gave the first significant signs of his form with a seventh place finish at Brabantse Pijl on Wednesday. Freed from the burden of supporting an outright favourite, the Belgian will have the chance to play his own hand in the coming week.

"I've worked specifically towards this time of the season," he said. "In any case, in these races, it's often a matter of riding near the front. If you can do that, it makes it all a lot easier on this type of courses."

Meersman

Gianni Meersman echoed his teammate's belief that the Amstel Gold Race would ultimately hinge on the final 800 metres up the Cauberg, and warned that the preceding 255 kilometres would be an exercise in the preservation of energy.

"On Sunday, it's clear that you must try to avoid doing anything before the last climb, and then at the foot of it, I hope that we're able to do something with Jelle and Jurgen," he said.

While Van Den Broeck and Vanendert have a greater pedigree in the late April classics, Meersman was bullish about his own chances of taking up the reins of leadership should the opportunity arise. "After 200km we'll know more and see who is the best out of the three of us," he said, when asked about Lotto Belisol's tactical approach.

Meersman approaches Amstel Gold Race still smarting from a disappointing showing at Brabantse Pijl on Wednesday. After a solid outing at the Tour of the Basque Country the previous week, the new arrival from FDJ had expected to be in the mix in the finale at Overijse.

"I thought Brabantse Pijl would be the race that suited me best out of these, but that turned out to be a failure," he admitted, adding that Amstel Gold Race was his best chance to make amends in the coming week. "The climbs there are more explosive, which is better for me and the finish is much less steep than the Mur de Huy."

My Rabbit Is Named After Him

I'm not kidding. Meet Snickers Alejandro:

And, I think it would be awesome if Alejandro Valverde could win the 2012 Tour de France.

Valverde believes he can win the Tour de France

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/valverde-believes-he-can-win-the-tour-de-france)

Having come back to racing this year after a doping suspension, Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) is also back to winning ways. With four victories and a podium spot at the Tour Down Under as well as Paris-Nice in his pocket, the Spaniard's balance sheet in late March is more than promising in view of his real targets this year, the Ardennes Classics and the Tour de France.

Valverde did not expect such a successful return to competition, but he told L'Equipe that he trained as hard during the last year as when he was competing. "I knew I had good shape as I had trained well at home, but I didn't think I would be able to do such a good season start. But during the suspension, I did exactly what I did before. I trained regularly, and I had two peaks of form during the year. I trained as though I was competing, but without competing."

Turning his attention towards the Classics season, Valverde admitted that Philippe Gilbert (BMC) would be the man to beat after what the Belgian showed last season. "To me, Gilbert was the best rider in the world last year," the Spaniard continued. "I would love to be able to deliver a grand duel against him in the Ardennes Classics. I'm sure this would also be great for the spectators."

On top of his other prestigious victories, Valverde won Liège-Bastogne-Liège twice in his career, and the Flèche Wallonne once. Gilbert took all three Ardennes Classics last year, on top of his first victory of the Amstel Gold Race in 2010.

But Valverde, who also has the overall 2009 Vuelta a Espana to his account, sees himself as a contender for the Tour de France this year. Even though the 2012 parcours has widely been branded as one for the better time triallists, the Movistar rider believes in his chances to take the yellow jersey.

"My idea is to fight for the general classification," said the 31-year-old, who already has two top ten results in the Tour to his name (in 2007 and 2008). "It's clear that the amount of time trial kilometres favours those riders who are specialists against the clock, like Wiggins or Evans. But the Tour is the Tour, it is very long and anything can happen, it can be over at any day. So I will do my utmost to be there, to do the best I can, even if, to me, the favourite is Andy Schleck.

"He wants to win it, but so do I. In the time trial, we are about on the same level. I think the Tour 2012 will be very open."