An F-U to the UCI and One to Andy as Well??

Only week after the CAS overruled the UCI's decision about Katusha's WorldTour status, Luca Paolini won the first of the Spring Classics. If that isn't an F-You to the UCI, then I'm not sure what is. Although I was hoping for one of my favorite riders to win the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, I can't think of a better result then a Katusha rider winning!

Elite men: Ghent 198.9km

Paolini wins Omloop Het Nieuwsblad

Luca Paolini (Team Katusha) won the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad by beating his breakaway companion Stijn Vandenbergh (Omega Pharma - Quick-Step Cycling Team) in a two-up sprint. Maarten Wijnants (Team Blanco) won the sprint for third among those in the chase group.

A crowded St-Peter's square in Ghent, Belgium welcomed last year's surprise winner Sep Vanmarcke (Blanco) and 197 other riders who were about to tackle the 198 tough kilometers over the narrow and twisting Flemish roads while enduring freezing temperatures and a blisteringly cold wind.

In a fast first hour at 46km/h, nine riders managed to get into the early breakaway group. They were William Clarke (Argos-Shimano), Florian Vachon (Bretagne), Julien Fouchard (Cofidis), Nico Sijmens (Cofidis), Cyril Lemoine (Sojasun), Jérôme Cousin (Europcar), Zakkari Dempster (Netapp-Endura), and a little later, also Gatis Smukulis (Katusha) and Preben Van Hecke (Topsport Vlaanderen-Baloise).

The nine riders reached the first cobblestones with a maximal advantage of five minutes on the peloton. As the hills and cobbles quickly followed each other, the gap steadily decreased. By the time the race reached the crucial Taaienberg climb, the gap was down to 1:15. The peloton split into several parts and only 40 men featured in the first peloton when hitting the following Eikenberg climb.

Sylvain Chavanel (Omega Pharma-Quickstep) attacked the peloton after the Eikenberg together with Marco Bandiera (IAM). The duo caught up with the leaders by the next climb.

Their move was copied by Greg Van Avermaet (BMC), Geraint Thomas (Sky), Jurgen Roelandts (Lotto-Belisol), Maarten Wynants (Blanco), Sven Vandousselaere (Topsport Vlaanderen-Baloise), Egoitz Garcia Etxegibel (Cofidis) and later also Luca Paolini (Katusha).

Before those men bridged up with the tired leaders, Chavanel left his companions behind at the cobbles of the Haaghoek. With 45km left to race, Chavanel started a seemingly impossible solo ride. The Frenchman gathered no more than half a minute on the chase group where Van Avermaet took most of the initiative on the Leberg and the Molenberg.

After that last climb of the day, Chavanel was caught, creating a lead group of 10 men: Chavanel, Van Avermaet, Thomas, Paolini, Roelandts, Vandenbergh, Vandousselaere, Garcia, Wynants and Bandiera.

At the kilometres long pavé sections of the Paddestraat and Lippenhovestraat, Vandenbergh accelerated with only Paolini being able to hold the wheel of the tall Belgian rider.

On the following windy roads, the duo extended its lead up to nearly half a minute over the eight-man strong chase group by the time they reached the final pavé section (2500m) of the Lange Munte at 20km from the finish line in Ghent. None of the chasers tried to set-up a solo move on these cobbles, but also together they weren't able to get closer to the two leaders despite the cold headwind.

Results:

1 Luca Paolini (Ita) Team Katusha

2 Stijn Vandenbergh (Bel) Omega Pharma - Quick-Step Cycling Team

3 Sven Vandousselaere (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen - Baloise
4 Geraint Thomas (GBr) Sky Procycling
5 Greg Van Avermaet (Bel) BMC Racing Team
6 Marco Bandiera (Ita) IAM Cycling
7 Sylvain Chavanel (Fra) Omega Pharma - Quick-Step Cycling Team
8 Jurgen Roelandts (Bel) Lotto Belisol
9 Maarten Wijnants (Bel) Team Blanco
10 Egoitz Garcia Echeguibel (Spa) Cofidis, Solutions Credits

And as always, I have to give the latest RSLT or Andy Schleck update. Apparently, I am not the only one who thinks that Andy isn't giving it his all. The difference is that, I'm not part of the Luxembourg Cycling Federation...

Luxemburg cycling chief: Andy Schleck must pull himself together


The head of the Luxembourg Cycling Federation has doubts about Andy Schleck's chances of making a successful comeback frtom injury in 2013, saying “right now it doesn't look good. All the evidence indicates that Andy this winter simply didn't work and train enough.”

Jean Regenwetter told Wort.lu: “Andy let things get away from him in training the last two years. He must pull himself together, otherwise he can just write off the 2013 season right now.”
The younger Schleck brother's talent is not enough, Regenwetter said. “Andy has a good engine but such a engine wants to be used and tested to its limits. When a top athlete's muscles are not used, they go to sleep.”

Schleck has had limited racing so far this season. He began the year at the Tour Down Under but abandoned on the sixth stage. His only other race was the Tour de Med, which he abandoned on the first stage due to a breathing problem.
It is not too late for the RadioShack-Leopard captain to save his season, Regenwetter said. “There is enough time before the Tour de France for him to find his old strength. And Andy is someone who can quickly throw the switch when his season highlight nears.”

He must not wait too long, though. “Contador, Froome or Rodriguez have already shown that they are in good shape. Andy is running behind and that is never a good sign.”

Regenwetter said Fränk's doping problem has not helped, but should not be an excuse. “His brother's suspension surely didn't help Andy. But to be honest, Andy should already have trained before the decision was announced.
“As is often said, there's always hope. Andy can still change things around.”

After deciding to miss the Tour du Haut Var-Matin, Schleck headed to Mallorca to train. He is expected to part in the Grand Premio Città di Camaiore, in Tuscany on February 28.

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."

 

2012 Tour de France Stage 9, 7/09/12

July 9, Stage 9: Arc-et-Senans - Besançon (ITT) 41.5km

Wiggins crushes time trial in Besançon

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/tour-de-france/stage-9/results)

Team Sky stamped their authority on the Tour de France with a commanding display in the 41.5-kilometre time trial to Besançon. Race leader Bradley Wiggins won in a time of 51:24 with teammate Chris Froome in second at 35 seconds. The result moved Froome up to third in the general classification and strengthened Wiggins’s grip on yellow.

Defending champion Cadel Evans (BMC) lost time at each time check point before finishing 6th, 1:43 behind Wiggins. Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas-Cannondale), who started the day in third place overall, managed to limit his losses, finishing in 8th, 2:07 down on Wiggins, and now lies 4th in the race for yellow.

"I'm just really pleased with how I put the day together, mentally, too. The noise when I rolled off the ramp was incredible and not letting that phase me and not going out too hard. So I’m just really satisfied with how I put the whole day together an that’s what I’ve been focusing. So at the moment it’s just relief and pride in myself for doing that," Wiggins said.

"When I get back tonight, that when you start thinking about the context of how it fits into the whole Tour and everything. Numbers are being thrown around, you got this on Cadel, this on him but at the moment it’s a lot to take in."

Heading into the stage BMC had hoped to limit their losses to less than a minute but after just a few kilometres of Evans’s ride Wiggins was up on the 2011 winner. At the first time check, 16.5km into the stage, Wiggins cruised through at a time of 21:05, five seconds up on Froome but already over a minute up on Evans. The Sky pair obliterated the time of Fabian Cancellara and from there Evans began a campaign of damage limitation.

At the second time check at 31.5 kilometres it looked to be working with Wiggins only adding 19 seconds to his time on the Australian but by the finish the British rider had extended his lead to 1:43, the exact time gap between the two riders posted at last month’s Dauphine.

Earlier in the day, world time trial champion Tony Martin (Omega Pharma-QuickStep) cut a sorry figure on the start ramp in Arc-et-Senans. With a wrist strapped due to a broken bone the German was perhaps riding his last stage in this year’s Tour but his luck, which as deserted him throughout the race, was in no mood of changing, and within the first few kilometres suffered a puncture. Despite the misfortune Martin posted the fastest time at each check point to take an early but incomprehensive lead.

Fabian Cancellara (RadioShack-Nissan) put Martin out of his misery setting a time 39 seconds faster at the first check, and 1:19 quicker at the finish. However, when French time trial champion Sylvain Chavanel (Omega Pharma-QuickStep) came through the first check just a handful of seconds down on the Swiss rider, it was clear that the former world time trial champion was far from firing on all cylinders.

It wasn’t until Tejay van Garderen (BMC) came through the first check three seconds faster that it was confirmed that Cancellara would not repeat his prologue success. The American, riding in just his second Tour, looked at ease over the testing first part of the course, catching Ivan Basso (Liquigas-Cannondale) for three minutes and going fastest at the second check. Although he tired by the finish, crossing the line nine seconds down on Cancellara, the RadioShack-Nissan rider’s position was in the line of fire.

By now the GC contenders, Froome included in that echelon, were on the road. The Kenyan-born rider, who beat Wiggins in an individual time trial at the Vuelta last September, stormed to a 24-second lead at the first check. Denis Menchov (Katusha), in his Russian national time trial champion's kit, could only manage 7th with Nibali in 10th and Evans 12th. Wiggins was still to reach the 16.5km mark but his rhythm and speed looked on course, and he crossed the check point five seconds faster than Froome.

Sky’s Froome was looking almost as assured as Wiggins in his time trial position, out of the saddle on the rolling terrain, and faster than Van Garderen at the second check point. Wiggins came in 16 seconds faster than Froome, cementing his position as Sky’s undoubted leader in the race.

Menchov crossed the line, then Nibali, but both were off the pace and looking set to lose over two minutes. Froome meanwhile had crushed Cancellara by 22 seconds with just Evans and Wiggins left on the road.

Having gained 35 seconds on Froome, 1:43 on Evans and over 2 minutes on his nearest rival Wiggins will be greatly satisfied with his day and tomorrow’s rest day will give the British rider time to let the events sink in. The Tour is far from over but Wiggins has landed a heavy blow.

Full Results

1	Bradley Wiggins (GBr) Sky Procycling	0:51:24
2	Christopher Froome (GBr) Sky Procycling	0:00:35
3	Fabian Cancellara (Swi) RadioShack-Nissan	0:00:57
4	Tejay van Garderen (USA) BMC Racing Team	0:01:06
5	Sylvain Chavanel (Fra) Omega Pharma-QuickStep	0:01:24
6	Cadel Evans (Aus) BMC Racing Team	0:01:43
7	Peter Velits (Svk) Omega Pharma-QuickStep	0:01:59
8	Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale	0:02:07
9	Denis Menchov (Rus) Katusha Team	0:02:08
10	Andreas Klöden (Ger) RadioShack-Nissan	0:02:09

25 - June - 2012 - Daily News

We are 5 days from the beginning of the Tour de France and more teams are finalizing their roster. I'm not going to continue posting the list, but you can go to http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/tour-de-france-start-list-2 for up to date infomation.

However, I will post that Thomas Voeckler has been named on the Europcar's roster. For awhile he was unsure if he could rider because of his knee injury.

Voeckler set to ride Tour de France

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/voeckler-set-to-ride-tour-de-france)

Europcar has named its line-up for the Tour de France, putting to rest speculation that Thomas Voeckler might be forced to forgo the race due to the effects of a nagging knee injury.

Voeckler abandoned both the Critérium du Dauphiné and the Route du Sud in June citing an inflammation of his right knee, but the former yellow jersey wearer has been included in Europcar’s nine-man Tour selection. He spent a week off the bike following his withdrawal from the Route du Sud and only got back into the saddle on Monday morning.

Fourth place in Paris twelve months ago, Voeckler told L’Équipe last week that he would be hard-pressed to repeat the feat in 2012 given his troubled final approach to the Tour. “If I have the fortune to be at the start, I’m afraid that it mightn’t be a Tour like the others,” he said.

Flanking Voeckler at the head of Jean-René Bernaudeau’s team is Pierre Rolland. Best young rider in 2011, the Frenchman enjoyed a solid start to the campaign at Étoile des Bessèges but was still searching for his best form at the Dauphiné. Like Voeckler, Rolland suffered from a knee injury earlier in the season, which ruled him out of Paris-Nice.

Europcar impressed during its ten-day defence of Voeckler’s maillot jaune last July, and the promising Cyril Gautier will again feature in the squad this time around, as will Christophe Kern, who was forced out with a knee injury after five stages in 2011.

Giovanni Bernaudeau makes his Tour de France debut, while Yukiya Arashiro, Yohann Gène, Vincent Jérôme and new signing Davide Malacarne are also included in the final selection. Alexandre Pichot and David Veilleux are listed as reserves.

There is no place in the squad for 2010 king of the mountains Anthony Charteau, who was a victim of Europcar’s epidemic of knee injuries at the 4 Jours de Dunkerque.

A few days ago, I posted the Top 5 GC contenders for the 2012 Tour de France. Today, the Top 5 contenders for the Points Classification was released. I personally think that Cavendish, Greipel, and Sagan are the only contenders, but I guess we will see in a few days.

2012 Tour de France: Top five points classification contenders

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/2012-tour-de-france-top-five-points-classification-contenders/mark_cavendish)

1. Mark Cavendish
Age: 27
Team: Sky Procycling
Career Highlights: 1st UCI Road World Championships – 2011; Tour de France – 20 stages, points classification (2011); Giro d'Italia – 10 stages; Vuelta a Espana – 3 stages
Tour debut: 2007 (T-Mobile)
Best points classification finish: 1st - 2011
Summary: If there's a question regarding Cavendish's 2012 Tour it's whether he will ride all the way to Paris knowing the Olympic Games road race is just six days later. Cavendish is a prolific winner at the grand boucle and this year while he will add to his tally, he will do so with limited support given Sky's general classification ambitions. It's unlikely to be an issue given that when key lead-out man Mark Renshaw was disqualified in 2010, Cavendish still went on to win two more stages.
As he is the defending points champion, Cavendish will be hoping to be protected somewhat by his Sky teammates. Last year a lot of energy was spent by the teams in chasing points at the intermediate sprint and Sky could find this challenging on some of the tougher days where the positioning of Bradley Wiggins is the priority. The first week should be decisive for Cavendish's outlook towards the remainder of the race.

2. Matt Goss
Age: 25
Team: Orica GreenEdge
Career Highlights: Milan – San Remo – 2011; 2nd UCI Road World Championships – 2011; Giro d'Italia – 2 stages; GP Ouest France – 2010.
Tour debut: 2011 (HTC-Highroad)
Best points classification finish: 46th - 2011
Summary: Goss' first year as sprint leader hasn't all been plain sailing with just one solo victory to his name, albeit at the Giro d'Italia, and a frustrating run of five second places.
Unlike Cavendish, Goss says that he is aiming to be in the game once the Tour reaches the Champs Elysees on July 22 with his season steadily building towards a crescendo of this next month of racing. With Orica GreenEdge not focussed on general classification and instead sprint and taking their chances in breakaways, Goss will be able to rely on a lead-out train.
Goss has steadily found his rhythm with his powerful lead-out men Sebastian Langeveld, Brett Lancaster and linchpin Daryl Impey over the last few months and should be in full-flight. Far from being a one-trick pony, the Australian's ability to endure the lumpier days will fall in his favour.

3. Jose Joaquin Rojas
Age: 27
Team: Movistar
Career Highlights: 3rd Stages 3 and 5 Tour de France – 2011; Spanish Road Champion 2011; Points classification Tour of Poland – 2007; Mountains classification, Tirreno-Adriatico – 2006.
Tour debut: 2009 (Caisse d'Epargne)
Best points classification finish: 2nd - 2011
Summary: Which Rojas will we see at this year's Tour? The Rojas who is focussed on the prize or the Rojas more concerned about what his competition is doing? The answer could well determine where the Spaniard finishes in the points classification.
In 2011, Rojas wore the green jersey for two days only to be presented and then stripped of it on the third after he was relegated, along with Tom Boonen, for blocking Mark Cavendish at the intermediate sprint. Rojas then claimed he'd been punched by Alessandro Petacchi at the sprint finish. He would wear green once more on Stage 7, before losing it to Philippe Gilbert. With Cavendish then ensconced in green on Stage 13, second-placed Rojas complained to director of competition Jean-Francois Pescheux that his rival was hanging on to cars in the Pyrenees. It was a claim dismissed by Pescheux who suggested that Rojas was "looking for excuses to win."
Rojas has the talent, but he'll need to ignore the drama to claim the green jersey in 2012.

4. Andre Greipel
Age: 29
Team: Lotto Belisol
Career Highlights: 1st Stage 10 Tour de France – 2011; 3rd UCI Road World Championships – 2011; Giro d'Italia – 2 stages; Vuelta a Espana – 4 stages, Points classification – 2009.
Tour debut: 2011 (Omega Pharma - Lotto)
Best points classification finish: 7th - 2011
Summary: Greipel is approaching the Tour with caution saying that he'll decide if he is to make a bid for the green jersey after the first week. The German's showdown with former teammate and great rival Mark Cavendish is sure to be one of the highlights of this 99th edition, given Greipel will be in attendance with his awesome sprint train.
Greipel began the season stating that his team "didn't sleep during the winter" stamping his authority on the Tour Down Under and kicking off his season win tally which now stands at 13. Better for his extra year away from the Highroad sprint train, unlike Cavendish and Goss who are flying solo for the first time, Greipel can call on the services of former Highroad teammates Adam Hansen, Greg Henderson, Lars Bak, and powerhouse Marcel Sieberg. It's easily the strongest lead-out of all contenders for the green jersey so the pressure will be on to win.

5. Peter Sagan
Age: 22
Team: Liquigas-Cannondale
Career Highlights: Vuelta a Espana – 3 stages; Tour of California – 8 stages; 2nd Gent-Wevelgem - 2012
Tour debut: 2012
Best points classification finish: n/a
Summary: We all know that Peter Sagan is good, but the question of how good should be answered at the Tour. Like Greipel, Sagan has 13 wins to his name so far this season, five (five!) of which came at the Tour of California and another four from the Tour de Suisse. Impressive? Absolutely. But when it comes to the Tour, experience counts for a lot.
Sagan comes to the Tour as part of a Liquigas-Cannondale team which has dual ambitions, for both the yellow (Ivan Basso, Vincenzo Nibali) and the green jerseys meaning we'll be seeing a lot of them. In terms of a lead-out, Sagan has formed a solid combination with fellow rouleur Daniel Oss, but don't be surprised if you see the Slovakian striking out on his own – simply because he can. He's another of the green jersey contenders that will benefit from his climbing ability.

Two teams today have announced that they found a second sponsor. Garmin-Barracuda is now Garmin-Sharp, and SaxoBank is now Saxobank-Tinkoff Bank.

Garmin-Sharp replaces Garmin-Barracuda at the Tour de France

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/garmin-sharp-replaces-garmin-barracuda-at-the-tour-de-france)

Garmin-Barracuda will become Garmin-Sharp as of the Tour de France, team owner Slipstream Sports announced Monday. Barracuda will stay associated with the team.

As teams are only allowed to have two sponsor names, the team will officially be known as Garmin-Sharp. “Barracuda Networks will continue as an important co-title sponsor, and team materials and the website will refer to the team as Garmin-Sharp-Barracuda,” according to the team's press release.

Sharp is a world-leading technology provider, offering a wide portfolio of business and lifestyle products in markets across the globe.

"In the year Sharp celebrates 100 years of creating unique technologies and products that bring genuine benefit to society, we are delighted to become Technology Partner to the most exciting team in one of the world's most beautiful sports, which perfectly showcases the convergence of technological and human achievement,” said Paul Molyneux of Sharp Europe.

"Sharp shares our passion and commitment to the best innovations in technology," said Jonathan Vaughters, CEO of Slipstream Sports. "We are incredibly excited to partner with them to together develop technologies that will help our riders do what they do every day, even better."

In addition to the commercial possibilities for Sharp, this deal “also gives them access to some of the best athletes in the world to develop products for the future,” said Matt Johnson, president of Slipstream Sports.

The new kit will be introduced at a press conference Thursday at the team's Tour de France hotel in Belgium.

Tinkoff Bank announced as co-sponsor to Saxo Bank

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/tinkoff-bank-announced-as-co-sponsor-to-saxo-bank)

Team Saxo Bank manager Bjarne Riis announced on Monday that he has found a new co-sponsor for his team: the Russian Tinkoff Bank. The Credit Systems company will support the Danish team for the rest of this season and throughout 2013, while Saxo Bank has also extended its sponsorship contract through next year.

The team will be named Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank.

Tinkoff Bank was founded by Russian businessman Oleg Tinkov, who started his involvement in cycling with the Tinkoff Credit Systems team in 2007, before moving onto creating the Katusha squad in 2009. Tinkov left the team that year after a conflict with the other team head, Andre Tchmil.

“For me of course it's a fantastic day, a beautiful day for me and for the team, that so close to the Tour de France we are able to announce that we are going forward for next year,” Riis said at the press conference on Monday afternoon at Riis Cycling headquarters in Hellerup, Denmark. “It is tough to get ready as there is a lot of practical stuff to do, but it’s very exciting, and it gives the whole team extra motivation going into the Tour.”

But Riis was mainly thinking of the future. “We have big ambitions. This year is the restart, to build my dream again, and my dream and ambition is to have the best and strongest cycling team in the world again, and this is the first step in that direction.

“To me, it is a dream to have two partners like that, who want to be the best in their area, which exactly the same as what I want. I want to be the best in my area and I would say that as of today, we are on are way to building that up again.”

When asked what the team's new budget would be, Riis refused to say the numbers. “The most important thing for me is that have sponsors also in the coming year and that means I can also sign up a team for next year, which of course I will. I am already working on it.

“I am not going to tell you the budget and I am not going to tell you who is coming to the team – yet. The plan is be stronger and the plan is to win races.”

The team will debut a new jersey at the Tour de France, which gets underway in Liège on Saturday. The jersey incorporates Tinkoff Bank’s yellow to the bottom half of the existing Saxo Bank design. There are also yellow stripes and accents on the collar and shorts.

Tinkov, who took time to make a video of the proceedings on his mobile phone, said: “What a comeback to cycling!” He pointed to his own experience of running a team, stressing that he knew cycling “very well.”

“I always used to admire how Mr. Riis ran the business,” Tinkov continued. “To me he is the best team leader in the word and it was always my dream to work with him. I said that if I ever come back to cycling, I would come back with Riis Cycling.”

Saxo Bank director Lars Seier Christensen announced the extension of his sponsorship contract with the team. “For us, it has been of importance to have a co-sponsor for 2012, and the fact that we have found a good partnership with Tinkoff Bank has made us decide to extend again for 2013.”

I know I didn't talk a lot about the National Championships yesterday, but I did want to touch on them briefly tonight. Omega Pharma-Quick Step won 8 titles yesterday! Congratulations to the team!!!

Omega Pharma-QuickStep takes eight national championships

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/omega-pharma-quickstep-takes-eight-national-championships)

It is not often that a team wins four races in one day, or eight races within a few days. But that is what Omega Pharma-QuickStep did, winning eight national titles, with eight different riders. The team topped things off with Tom Boonen winning the Belgian national road championships on Sunday, the most important title for the Belgian team.

The team can claim four winners in each discipline. On the road, Boonen won in Belgium, Niki Terpstra in the Netherlands, Matthew Brammeier in Ireland, and Michal Golas in Poland.

In the time trial, world champion Tony Martin also won the German title, Sylvain Chavanel in France, Peter Velits in Slovakia and Dario Cataldo in Italy.

Those victories cement Omega Pharma-QuickStep's top ranking in the number of team wins on the season. They now have 38, with Team Sky second with 31.

Of the eight riders, three will be riding the Tour de France starting on Saturday, all of them time trial champions:  Martin, Chavanel and Velits.

And for my daily RadioShack Nissan article, here is an update on Jakob Fuglsang's new team search:

Fuglsang in negotiations with Saxo Bank

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/fuglsang-in-negotiations-with-saxo-bank)

RadioShack-Nissan rider Jakob Fuglsang has been approached by Team Saxo Bank for next season. The Dane has been disappointed not to have been selected for the Tour de France this year, stating openly that he would prefer to leave the team directed by Johan Bruyneel at the end of this season, when his contract expires.

"My manager has spoken to Bjarne (Riis)," Fuglsang confirmed to Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten. "It could be something, but there are other offers that look interesting too."

But even if the prospect of returning to Saxo Bank is an interesting one, the 2012 Danish time trial champion will compare the possibilities offered to him closely before signing anything, and his choice will not depend on financial considerations alone.

"He has made an offer, and in any case it is a first offer. It can still not work out, so I won't say too much. It has to be the right terms, and I also want to know what Bjarne has in mind for his team. It wouldn't be good if he takes four new captains in, as I would I end up in the same situation as now. That is also a thing to be taken into consideration," said Fuglsang.

Fuglsang rode for Saxo Bank in 2009 and 2010, before joining Leopard Trek in 2011 and being taken over by RadioShack this season. He should have been the team's captain at the Giro d'Italia this year but had to withdraw at the last minute due to a knee injury. A gifted time traillist and solid climber, the 27-year-old has developed into a week-long stage race specialist also able to target the hilly Classics.

23 - June - 2012 - Daily News

This article really hit me. This cyclist just came back from a two year ban and won the Italian Road Championship. I know if it was Lance Armstrong, they'd be testing him again. Congrats to Franco Pellizotti!

June 23, Elite Men Road Race: Pergine - Borgo Valsugana 254.7km

Pellizotti returns from ban to win Italian road title

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/italian-road-championships-2012/elite-men-road-race/results)

Franco Pellizotti scored an emphatic victory in the Italian road championships, returning from his two-year ban for irregular biological passport values to solo to his first tricolore. Danilo Di Luca was second from the chasing group.

Now riding for Androni Giocattoli, Pellizotti attacked an elite group which had bridged up to the solo move of Michele Scarponi. He left behind Liquigas-Cannondale duo Moreno Moser and Vincenzo Nibali, Scarponi and Katusha's Giampaolo Caruso en route to the win.

“Anyone who knows me will know how hard I tried in that last kilometre,” Pellizotti said. “At 400 metres to go, I knew I’d won and was able to enjoy it. I wish that it could have never ended.

“I must thank Androni for the great trust they have shown in me. After they confirmed my appointment I was able to train in the best possible way for this race.”

Scarponi had a lead of almost a minute-and-a-half with two laps of the course and 27km to go, but saw his advantage quickly eradicated as the race hurtled towards its conclusion. He was eventually swallowed up by the three podium finishers, Nibali and Caruso just ahead of the beginning of the final lap.

Pellizotti then attacked almost immediately as the riders started to climb for the final time. Caruso was the only rider who was capable of going with him and the duo formed a leading pair for a few kilometres before Pellizotti, who was easily the fresher man, turned the screw and piled on the pressure until Caruso cracked.

Caruso quickly came back to Di Luca and Moser, who eventually overtook him and took their places on the podium. Both Nibali and Scarponi, whose minds were probably several hundred miles north in Liege, where the Tour de France starts next weekend. Nibali had publicly played down his chance of winning here in the build up the race, having spent some punishing hours on the Passo San Pellegrino as part of a training camp ahead of the Tour de France.

Di Luca bettered his previous best finish at the championships (3rd place in 2009) while Moser’s performance offered up further evidence that he could be the next best thing in Italian cycling, belying his tender years at the age of 21.
This year’s renewal was a particularly brutal one, with only 20 riders finishing the race.

Here is a look at the Top 5 Tour de France GC contenders. Although, I must disagree with Frank Schleck. I don't think he will be a threat this year. I really believe this will be a Wiggins/Evans showdown.

Tour de France: Top-five general classification contenders

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/tour-de-france-top-five-general-classification-contenders)

There’s much uncertainty leading into the 2012 Tour de France, with recent injuries and quiet showings throughout the season catapulting some of the favourites into the ‘unknown’ category. Albero Contador is of course absent from this year’s race and this may instil confidence in a number of contenders, while others will hope to turn around a year of poor form. Some, like Bradley Wiggins will be arriving back at the Tour after being forced out last year in the crash-marred first week or from skipping last year’s race.

Cadel Evans and Bradley Wiggins are the top-ranked favourites, but what about the remaining spot on the podium, top five or top ten? Many of last season’s top-ten finishers aren’t looking so sharp, with injuries preventing the likes of Thomas Voeckler from attending his national championships.

Andy Schleck whould have been one of the main protagonists but a fall in the time trial at the Critérium du Dauphiné and subsequent fractured pelvis means he will miss the race. Denis Menchov may have timed his condition perfectly as he demonstrated by winning the Russian time trial title earlier this week. Menchov often needs a pre-Tour, grand tour in his legs before being able to be competitive but with Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a’Espana titles he cannot be ruled out. His Geox-TMC team’s omission last year and disappointing Vuelta in 2011 mean he is not included in the top-five. Ivan Basso has pledged his support to his team mate Vincenzo Nibali and following his assault at a second Giro title, it would appear his condition is not be up to the task regardless.

With such uncertainty we look at a list of five riders who have the potential to win the race or at least finish on the podium...Name: Cadel Evans
Age: 35
Team: BMC Racing Team
Career Highlights: 1st Critérium International (2012), 1st Tour de France (2011), World Road Race champion (2009)
Tour debut: 2005
Best Tour finish: 1st (2011)

Summary: There’s no doubting Evans’ ability to lead his BMC Racing Team at this year’s Tour. This will be his eighth Tour start and despite the disappointment of 2009 and 2010, he’s proven he can climb with the best and time trial quicker than the purist climbers. Evans has received criticism over the years for not being aggressive enough but the confidence and leadership he showed last year quashed such doubts.

Evans had hinted he would begin his season slowly and in his first outing of the season, Tirreno-Adriatico, he made little impression. Just a week-and-a-half later however, he turned up to Critérium International where he won the time trial on his way to the overall victory.

Evans’ Ardennes campaign was cut short due to illness and he lacked the form to repeat last year’s win at Tour de Romandie. However, he showed the kind of aggressive racing often missing to win a stage and finish third overall at the recent Critérium du Dauphiné despite being off the pace in the 53km time trial against Bradley Wiggins. "I still have some improvements to make before the Tour" he said.

His BMC team is specifically designed to winning the overall and unlike Wiggins, his team will have nothing but yellow in Paris on the agenda. This may prove crucial at the end of three weeks.Name: Bradley Wiggins
Age: 32
Team: Sky Procycling
Career Highlights: 1st Critérium du Dauphiné (2012), 1st Tour de Romandie (2012) and 1st Paris - Nice (2012)
Tour debut: 2006
Best Tour finish: 4th (2009)

Summary: Bradley Wiggins has the backing of what looks to be the strongest team in the race. There is a team of domestiques at the Briton’s disposal who, on any other team, would be worthy of a protected role. However, this year Sky is looking to secure the first ever win in the Tour by a Briton and they appear to have timed the team’s form perfectly.

The way Sky led the Critérium du Dauphiné is not necessarily how the Tour will unfold but it was a controlled performance by the team which had Michael Rogers (Aus), Chris Froome (Gbr) and Richie Porte (Aus) finish inside the top-ten. These three will line up as super-domestiques and yet they could have a leader role if they were on any other team. All of them understand this Tour is about Wiggins and personal motives will not be tolerated unless approved by their directors.

Wiggins is a solid bet for a top place in the general classification despite matters being complicated with the inclusion of road world champion Mark Cavendish. With ambitions to win the green and yellow jersey, it could be too much to ask from the team which may be forced into taking charge on the road from day one.Name: Vincenzo Nibali
Age: 27
Team: Liquigas - Cannondale
Career Highlights: 1st Tirreno-Adiatico (2012), 2nd Giro d’Italia (2011), 1st Vuelta a Espana (2010)
Tour debut: 2008
Best Tour finish: 7th (2009)

Summary: Vincenzo Nibali has ridden enough grand tours for a young rider to prove his endurance over a three-week race. He shows initiative in the mountains when necessary and, on a good day, doesn’t need to wait for a last-minute attack to the line. His time trialling is below Wiggins and Evans but he seems to understand the importance of improving this area.

He may have ‘only’ a single grand tour victory on his palmares, the 2010 Vuelta a Espana, but he has finished on the podium of the Giro d’Italia twice; 2nd in 2010 (elevated from third after Alberto Contador was stripped on the title) and 3rd in the 2011 edition.

The need to be patient may be critical to his success as his number one road captain Ivan Basso will likely enforce. Basso and his domestiques took control of the race in the Giro to suit his capabilities and this leadership will be an asset. Nibali has matured in the last few seasons but there is no denying Basso’s experience on the road. If Basso has recovered successfully from his Giro campaign he will be invaluable to the "Shark of Messina".

Nibali has achieved a number of wins this year, including the brutal mountain stage to Jabal Al Akhdar (Green Mountain) and second place overall at the Tour of Oman, plus the hilltop finish of stage five and the overall classification at Tirreno-Adriatico. He has also shown his endurance over longer one-day races, and was frustratingly close to winning one of the season’s Monuments at Milan San-Remo and Liege-Bastogne-Liege, where he was third and second respectively. It’s an impressive list for the Italian, who opened his season in January with the Tour de San Luis. A heavy block of training leading into the Dauphiné may excuse his lacking in the mountains but he should be fit come Tour time.Name: Fränk Schleck
Age: 32
Team: RadioShack-Nissan
Career Highlights: 3rd Tour de France (2011), 1st Tour de Suisse (2010), 1st Amstel Gold Race (2006)
Tour debut: 2006
Best Tour finish: 3rd (2011)

Summary: Fränk Schleck may not have the natural potential of his brother but Andy will be absent this year, leaving Fränk with a sole leadership role - a situation the older brother hasn’t been in since Andy’s debut in 2008 when he shared it with eventual winner Carlos Sastre.

This will be new territory for the Luxembourger who was quick to express he didn’t want to be the designated leader at the Tour: "Because if I put in a disappointing performance, then everyone can afterwards complain that I was not good enough," he told Het Nieuwsblad.

A number of riders at the Tour de Suisse believed he was one of, if not the strongest, in the race, and was seen attacking on the climbs far from the finish. Has his form peaked too soon?

"I'm not a machine. You should be realistic. I am already very lean and in great shape, I cannot continue to maintain this level" he said following the completion of the eight-day race.
Together, Andy and Fränk are a serious force in the mountains but y
ou have to wonder if their talents wouldn’t be better used separately and away from each other. This year will expose Fränk’s reliance on his younger brother and will also answer the question as to whether his team problems have affected his preparation and focus.Name: Robert Gesink
Age: 26
Team: Rabobank
Career Highlights: 1st Tour of California (2012), 1st Tour of Oman (2011), GP Montréal (2010)
Tour debut: 2009
Best Tour finish: 6th (2010)

Summary: The 2012 Tour of California winner crushed his rivals to the top of Mount Baldy in stage seven. He caught the ruminants of the early breakaway, including Chris Horner (RadioShack-Nissan), and finished ahead to two Colombians - Coldeportes climbers, John Atapuma and former U23 world road race champion Fabio Duarte.

Gesink can climb. That has been proven on multiple occasions but where he excels, he also shows weakness. His descending has marginally improved since he lost the race lead in Paris-Nice - essentially on a descent - to Davide Rebellin in 2008, but his ability to stay upright has impeded his grand tour hopes in the past. The Dutchman’s slim and lanky build doesn’t do him any favours when the road heads downward. And unfortunately he won’t have the luxury of Basso’s team escorting him downhill as Nibali prefers to take opportunities and risks wherever he sees fit.

Gesink came away from California on a high but arrived at the Dauphine seemingly behind expectations. His condition improved as the race progressed but it was a common sight to see him teetering off the back of the leading group, unable to cope with the accelerations and instead making his way slowly into contention. Gesink had the fifth best time in the stage seven time trial - a dramatic improvement from 26th in the opening prologue, where he lost 31 seconds to Peter Sagan (Liquigas - Cannondale) - but he will lose time to Evans, Wiggins and Menchov. With a fourth overall in Suisse one can assume is form will have progressed by the start of the Tour in Liège.

So how does the reigning Yellow Jersey feel a week before he has to defend his title?

Evans glad pre-Tour de France spotlight has been on Wiggins

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/evans-glad-pre-tour-de-france-spotlight-has-been-on-wiggins)

Defending Tour de France champion, Cadel Evans (BMC) is the first to admit that leading rival Bradley Wiggins (Sky) has had the better run of form but remains confident that he can once again stand on the top of the podium on the Champs-Élysées in July.

Evans will lead a BMC outfit to the Tour de France which has been bolstered by potent off-season signings Philippe Gilbert and Tejay van Garderen, along with the experienced Stephen Cummings, off the back of his third-place performance at the Critérium du Dauphiné. It’s been acknowledged from the release of the 2012 parcours, generous in time trials, that the 35-year-old Australian should find himself in his element for this 99th edition of the Tour.

"The only thing that has changed mainly has been the level that Team Sky has come to," Evans explained of the time between October when the route was revealed, and the present. Evans was speaking to journalists from his home country over conference call from a low-key and relaxed setting of a teammate’s house where he is currently working through his final preparation for the French Grand Tour. His young son Robel playing in the background Evans was at ease, despite the difficulty communicating throughout the call, saying that he felt he was in much the same space mentally as he was at this time last year.

Overall victories at Paris-Nice, the Tour de Romandie and the Critérium du Dauphiné have ensured that the spotlight has shone brightly on Wiggins while Evans has had a comparatively quiet lead-in with the Critérium International his only GC win for the season to date. And Evans is okay with that.

"The main thing for most riders is just getting to a good level, a level you know you need to be at to race - avoiding injuries, health issues and so on," he said of his preparation. "This year it's been a good progression for me into the Tour and in some ways, not having some race results, it keeps people's attention away from me. That also helps make life a little bit easier."

While Wiggins has been in the spotlight, Evans suggested that there were others who will be starting in Liège on June 30 deserving on general classification consideration. The 38km, Stage 9 individual time trial and another on the penultimate stage could play into the favour of the likes of Levi Leipheimer (Omega Pharma – QuickStep) or Andreas Klöden (RadioShack – Nissan) who will have several more seasons of grand tour experience under their belt in comparison to the Brit. Samuel Sanchez, Denis Menchov, and Frank Schleck, "if he can get some time," also rated a mention as possibilities for overall contention from Evans. Then there was Alejandro Valverde, "but his performance at the Tour de Suisse wasn’t convincing," Evans said.

Sky’s performance at the Dauphiné was a dominant one, but if there was cause for concern particularly due to their strength in numbers when it came to the Joux Plane on Stage 6 with Michael Rogers, Chris Froome and Richie Porte protecting Wiggins, Evans wasn’t giving anything away.

"At this point if they hold that level, yeah, they’ll have the numbers when it comes down to 20 guys but let’s see what happens with it comes down to five or 10," he said with the more selective climbs of the Tour in mind.
Evans undertook reconnaissance of the Tour’s tougher stages in May and believes that the sage profiles don’t tell the whole story.

"There's a little bit more than it shows on paper, there are a few surprises along the way," he explained. "The Tour organisers seem to have liked adding these in over the last few years - when we get to them, we'll see."

And here is the daily RadioShack Nissan Trek news:

Schlecks to found new German-sponsored team in 2013?

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/schlecks-to-found-new-german-sponsored-team-in-2013)

The newest twist in rumours surrounding problem-plagued RadioShack-Nissan now have the Schleck brothers leaving the team after this season and founding a new team with a German sponsor.

According to De Telegraaf, Fränk and Andy Schleck have found a so-far unnamed German company willing to be co-sponsor.  “Some” German riders are said to already have been approached about signing with the new team, but it is not clear whether that means the Germans currently at RadioShack-Nissan or now. 

The team's management would be handled by Schleck confidant Kim Andersen, as well as Dirk Demol and Alain Gallopin.

Both Schlecks have contracts with the current team through the 2014 season. However, there have long been reports of problems within the team, including late payment of salaries.

The Schlecks and team manager Johan Bruyneel have often been at odds this season. Only yesterday Bruyneel announced that he would not attend the Tour de France due to the USADA doping investigation, in which he is a target.

20 - June - 2012 - Daily News

Again, I'm going to start with the Tour de France Teams that were announced since I posted yesterday:

BMC Racing Team: Marcus Burghardt (Ger), Steve Cummings (GBr), Cadel Evans (Aus), Philippe Gilbert (Bel), George Hincapie (USA), Amaël Moinard (Fra), Manuel Quinziato (Ita), Michael Schär (Swi), Tejay van Garderen (USA)

Katusha: Giampaolo Caruso, Oscar Freire, Vladimir Gusev, Joan Horrach, Aliaksandr Kuchynski, Denis Menchov, Luca Paolini, Yuriy Trofimov and Eduard Vorganov

Lotto Belisol:  André Greipel, Lars Bak, Francis De Greef, Adam Hansen, Greg Henderson, Jürgen Roelandts, Marcel Sieberg, Jurgen Van den Broeck and Jelle Vanendert

It had previously been said that Thor Hushovd wouldn't be riding for BMC in the Tour this year due to an illness that he had been fighting for quite a few weeks. Although this is still correct, here is an update on him:

Hushovd healthy again and looking to London Olympics

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/hushovd-healthy-again-and-looking-to-london-olympics)

Thor Hushovd has recovered from the virus that plagued him for so long this spring, and is now looking forward to the London 2012 Olympics, where he will lead the Norwegian team. The BMC Racing Team rider is disappointed to miss this year's Tour de France, but said he expects to be in the Tour line-up again next year.

In May, Hushovd had to abandon the Giro d'Italia after only six stages. He took a ten-day break of complete rest before returning to training. “I feel much better in training than before the break. It is completely different and completely obvious that I needed a break,”' he told the Norwegian news agency NTB.

The illness changed all his plans for the season, and he will now ride the Tour of Poland (July 10-18) as his warm up for the Olympics. “I have started to build capacity through interval workouts in training, and, in Poland, I'm going to ride hard. As there aren't many races before the Olympics, it is important that I go deep when the opportunities present themselves," he said.

"Since it has been a long time since the last race, there will be a hungry cyclist starting in Poland!”

Hushovd will serve as “road captain” for the four-man Norwegian team at the Olympics. The Scandinavian team is also sending Edvald Boasson Hagen, Alexander Kristoff and Lars Petter Nordhaug.

The decision to not ride the Tour de France was the right one, he told aftenposten.no, if not an easy one. “The disappointment that I did not get to ride the Tour de France has settled, now I am looking to the future.”  He will be back stronger than ever next year, Hushovd said.

After learning of George Hincapie's retirement at the end of the season, this article really saddens me. I'm going to miss Hincapie and Jens Voigt in the Tour next year. :-(

Voigt's 15th Tour de France also his last one?

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/voigts-15th-tour-de-france-also-his-last-one)

Jens Voigt is facing his 15th and probably last Tour de France. The RadioShack-Nissan rider was nominated for this year's Tour squad, and will set a record for the German with most participations.

“I think this is my last Tour,” the 40-year-old told the German news agency dapd. “After all, that is a good 4,000 kilometers around France, and it doesn't get any easier.”

“I don't know myself whether I will continue my career,” he said. “My opinion changes every day.”

Voigt is currently tied with former sprinter and friend Erik Zabel for most participations by a German rider in the Tour. “I don't care at all about the record, but it makes me proud that over the years my teams have always said: We need Jens, we can take him with us.”

His team is going into the Tour under the shadow of team manager Johan Bruyneel's involvement in the USADA anti-doping case. “That is extra stress, which we really don't need.”

The German turned pro in 1997, with the ZVVZ-Giant-Australian Institute of Sport team. Since then he has ridden for only three teams: Gan/Credit Agricole (1998-2003), CSC/Saxo Bank (2004-2010) and Leopard Trek/RadioShack Nissan (2011-2012).

Voigt has won three stages in the Tour de France and one in the Giro d'Italia.  He made the Criterium International his own, winning it not only in 1999 and 2004, but also from 2007 to 2009.

This is really interesting to read. I can't imagine how painful this might have been. And to think that he actually continued riding!

De Clercq finished Tour de Suisse with collapsed lung

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/de-clercq-finished-tour-de-suisse-with-collapsed-lung)

Bart De Clercq rode out the Tour de Suisse with a collapsed lung, and is now in hospital for several days. Despite the pain, the Lotto-Belisol rider managed to finish 12th on the final stage and 14th overall.

He crashed during the race, and complained on Saturday about the pain, but it didn't stop him from being his team's top finisher on the difficult final mountain stage.

The 25-year-old will now spend three or four days in hospital, and will probably have to wait another two or three weeks before resuming training.

“A normal lung is right up against the rib cage,” team doctor Jan Mathieu said on the team website.  “When air gets stuck between the lung and the ribs, the lung collapses inward and reduces lung capacity.”

The lung is now operating normally again, “but now comes the recovery, of course,” Mathieu said.

“I must say it is phenomenal that Bart was able to put in such a performance on Sunday.”

Although I'm not a huge Bradley Wiggins fan, I would love to see him win the Tour this year. Actually, I'd love to see anyone beat Cadel Evans. Sorry, I'm just not a huge fan of last year's winner.

Wiggins relaxed as Tour de France draws closer

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/wiggins-relaxed-as-tour-de-france-draws-closer)

Team Sky's Bradley Wiggins was in a relaxed mood when Cyclingnews caught up with him yesterday at his training base for the crucial final few days before the 2012 Tour de France. The 32-year-old is currently on the Spanish island of Mallorca with his family as he puts the finishing touches to a training regime that, 12 months in the making, is wholly dedicated to performing up to standard at cycling's most famous race.

That standard has risen in recent months. Wiggins has enjoyed an unprecedented run of success in 2012 thus far, becoming the first man to win Paris-Nice, the Tour de Romandie and the Criterium du Dauphine in the same season. That form has catapulted Wiggins to the top of the oddsmakers' lists for the Tour de France, which starts on June 30, where he will attempt to end a 109-year drought for British riders and thus become the first Briton to win the event.
Wiggins insisted, however, that the tag of favourite isn't a burden - it's simply shows how well he and and his team have been performing over the last few months.

"I’m not really feeling any pressure," he said. "I’m in this position now because I’ve done well and that’s a nice thing to be able to say. I remember going into the 2010 Tour answering all the usual questions and knowing that I wasn’t in any sort of form – that’s a different type of pressure.

"I now realise what it takes to compete and to train hard week in, week out. I also have the maturity to be able to lead races and not have it take so much out of you that you need two months off after a big success. The confidence from winning those races has also helped build the momentum.

"But the plan has always been to be good in July. It was never a plan to peak for those races, form-wise, but we won them and we continue to look forward and continue to build towards July. It was great to win those races but ultimately it’s about what we’re working towards in these next couple of weeks."

He also stated that he has paid little attention to the Tour's parcours, has not been heavily involved in Sky's selection process for their Tour squad and has been extra mindful of ignoring issues that are out of his control. It is this single-mindedness, aided by the organisation and machinations of Team Sky, that have helped the mental aspect of his preparations.

"We’ve looked at a couple of the Tour stages," he said. "I’ve ridden the time trials and looked at a couple of the climbs too. Funnily enough, my son wanted a magazine on the flight over here and he decided to buy the official Tour Guide so I had a look at some of the stages in there. It was the first time that I’d seen them all back-to-back.

"It’s my way of not looking too far ahead. I’ve recce’d some of the key climbs but I couldn’t tell you what stages they were. I try to take things day by day and it’s a little bit like a jigsaw that fits together gradually, piece by piece. My only priority at this stage is getting ready for Liege and that prologue and starting with a bang.

"I haven't had much input into the squad we take. We have a selection panel who are in charge of picking the team and they’re looking constantly at everyone’s data – who’s doing what, how they’re performing, where they’re at. I have 100% faith in that selection panel to pick the right team and put the right people around us.

"I don’t worry about the little distractions. There are people who are paid to worry about those things. It’s not part of my job. That’s the great thing about this team – everyone has got their roles and everyone fulfils those roles very well. I don’t have to worry about who’s going to be in the Tour team in March or April. I just have to concentrate on myself, get the results and they’ll come up with the strategy."

Even the withdrawal of Andy Schleck from the Tour - who alongside Wiggins and BMC's defending champion Cadel Evans was seen as a big challenger for yellow - hasn't fazed him. When asked if he was worried that Schleck's absence would mean less time at the front of the peloton for his RadioShack-Nissan teammates and therefore added pressure on Sky and BMC to dictate matters, Wiggins was unperturbed.

"It was certainly the case at the Dauphine, when it became apparent on stage one that we would have to take the responsibility alongside BMC," he said. "But we'll just have to wait and see how things pan out in the race. It will all play itself out in France."

And what of the decision to spend these final crucial days in Majorca?

"I went home for a few days after the Dauphine but the weather in Britain was horrendous," he said. "And the plan was always to come here and get back into the mountains. When you finish the Dauphine there’s three weeks until the start of the Tour and then another week until you start the mountains in the Tour. That’s a long time to be without the mountains, so the plan was always to come here and get some work in. Training in the heat also means that I don’t have to do it in my garden shed. Here everything is designed to make it all the more comfortable going into the final days."

The final days ahead of a race that just might change his life forever.

I know we are only at the beginning of all of this, but I am already tired of hearing about all the new developments with the doping allegations and Dr. Michele Ferrari. Here is the newest information on the cases:

Pozzato consulted with Ferrari "for training advice"

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/pozzato-consulted-with-ferrari-for-training-advice)

Filippo Pozzato has admitted working with Dr. Michele Ferrari from 2005 to 2009 but claimed that he consulted with the notorious doctor only to obtain training programmes and advice on nutrition, according to a report in Gazzetta dello Sport.

The Farnese Vini-Selle Italia rider was called to appear before the Italian Olympic Committee’s (CONI) anti-doping procura in Rome on Tuesday to discuss allegations that he had been a client of Ferrari’s. La Repubblica reported at the weekend that investigators in the Padova-based doping inquiry had intercepted a telephone call in 2009 in which Pozzato had spoken of working with Ferrari.

“It’s true, I went to Michele Ferrari from 2005 to 2009, then they told me that it was forbidden and that I risked being suspended so I stopped going there,” Pozzato told the CONI hearing, according to Gazzetta dello Sport.

Ferrari was banned by the Italian Cycling Federation (FCI) on the back of rider testimony relating to his activities and in February 2002, the body announced that it would hand down suspensions of up to six months to riders who were found to have consulted with him.

“I never received any instructions about doping products,” Pozzato said. “I only got training plans from Ferrari.”
Such training advice is said to have come at quite a price - some €40,000 to €50,000 per year, according to La Repubblica. Pozzato is also said to have told the hearing that he “honestly” could not remember the telephone conversation from 2009 that was published in La Repubblica, although he did not deny that it had taken place.

Pozzato has long been touted to lead the Italian team at the London 2012 Olympics and given that CONI is set to announce its list of pre-selected athletes for the Games on Thursday, it is anticipated that a verdict on Pozzato’s case will be delivered promptly.

In the meantime, Pozzato has travelled north to Trentino to participate in an Italian team training camp ahead of Saturday’s national championships road race.

A legal loophole?

Charged with doping by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) last week, Michele Ferrari has long been a contentious presence in professional cycling. He was sacked as team doctor by the infamous Gewiss team after he told L’Équipe in 1994 that “EPO is not dangerous, it's the abuse that is. It's also dangerous to drink 10 litres of orange juice.” Nonetheless, Ferrari continued to practice his brand of sports medicine with a litany of individual riders thereafter, including, of course, Lance Armstrong.

On February 13, 2002, on the back of damning testimony about his practices from a number of riders, including Filippo Simeoni, the Italian Cycling Federation took the step of banning Ferrari and forbidding its riders from consulting with him.

The ruling states that “The Disciplinary Commission of the National Federation […] affirms the responsibility of Dr. Michele Ferrari in relation to the violation of article 158 of the UCI’s anti-doping rules and in effect […] bars Dr. Michele Ferrari from every future membership of the national and international cycling federation; it also forbids all members registered to the UCI to use the consultations or the professional services of the charged.”

In theory, Pozzato now faces a suspension of up to six months for consulting with Ferrari although it is understood that his legal team, led by Pierfilippo Capello, may attempt to argue that the regulation governing Ferrari has expired: Cyclingpro.it has pointed out that Ferrari does not feature on any of the FCI’s current Disciplinary Registers or lists of suspended persons.

The telephone interception published in La Repubblica on Saturday came from the wide-ranging Italian-based investigation into Ferrari's activities. Thus far, no charges have been formalised, but it is understood that some of the evidence from the Padova inquiry was used by USADA to build its case against Ferrari and Armstrong.

Pozzato was one of three riders disciplined by the FCI for abusing Filippo Simeoni in the wake of his spat with Lance Armstrong during stage 18 of the 2004 Tour de France. Simeoni was suing Armstrong for libel at the time, after the American had branded him a “liar” following his testimony against Ferrari.

Scarponi, Visconti and Bertagnolli called before CONI

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/scarponi-visconti-and-bertagnolli-called-before-coni)
 The Italian Olympic Committee’s (CONI) anti-doping procura is to question Giovanni Visconti, Leonardo Bertagnolli and Michele Scarponi next week about their alleged implication in the Padova-based doping investigation.

In a statement released on Wednesday afternoon, CONI said that the three riders will appear in Rome on June 27 “to be heard in regard to press reports relating to the inquiry of the procura of Padova.” The Padova investigation is understood to be centred on the activities of Dr. Michele Ferrari, the notorious Italian sports doctor.

In April 2011, Scarponi and his Lampre-ISD teammate Leonardo Bertagnolli had their hotel rooms searched by police during a training camp at Mount Etna, and Gazzetta dello Sport reported that investigators in Padova suspected the pair of being clients of Ferrari. Their Lampre team claimed that the only items found were the anti-inflammatory medicine Oki, powdered milk and Enervit energy bars.

The following week, Gazzetta reported that police officers had searched Visconti’s home as part of the same investigation. The Italian champion Visconti, then at Farnese Vini, now rides for Movistar.

Michele Ferrari was banned by the Italian Cycling Federation (FCI) over 10 years ago on the back of rider testimony relating to his activities and in February 2002, the body announced that it would hand down suspensions of up to six months to riders who were found to have consulted with him.

Visconti, Bertagnolli and Scarponi will be heard separately by CONI next Wednesday at 11 am, 12 pm and 1 pm respectively.

Scarponi previously served a suspension for his implication in Operacion Puerto, after he confessed to working with Spanish blood doping doctor Eufemiano Fuentes.

CONI’s summons of Scarponi, Bertagnolli and Visconti follows its questioning of Filippo Pozzato (Farnese Vini-Selle Italia) in Rome on Tuesday. La Repubblica reported last weekend that investigators in Padova had intercepted a phone call from 2009 in which Pozzato spoke of working with Ferrari.

According to Gazzetta dello Sport on Wednesday, Pozzato allegedly told the CONI hearing that he had consulted with Ferrari from 2005 to 2009, but insisted that he had only received training advice from him.

Last week, the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) announced that it had charged Ferrari, Lance Armstrong and Johan Bruyneel with doping, and it is believed that some of the evidence used to build their case was provided by investigators in Padova.

The Padova investigation, led by Benedetto Roberti, first came to public prominence in the summer of 2010, and Alessandro Petacchi was called before CONI to discuss his implication in the inquiry.