Predicting the TdF & 2012 Tour de Suisse Stage 1

Here is some non-RadioShack Nissan Trek news.

The Critérium du Dauphiné may be foreshadowing the Tour de France. Especially the showdown between Bradley Wiggins and Cadel Evans:

Evans and Wiggins in dress rehearsal for Tour de France

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/evans-and-wiggins-in-dress-rehearsal-for-tour-de-france)

The Tour de France may be the big summer blockbuster of the cycling season, but the Critérium du Dauphiné has provided an enticing teaser trailer to date, as leading men Cadel Evans (BMC) and Bradley Wiggins (Sky) have strived to deliver all the killer lines during the week thus far.

Against the watch, Wiggins has been clearly superior and delivered a knockdown if not quite a knockout blow in the long time trial to Bourg-en-Bresse on Thursday afternoon. On the open road, however, it is Evans who has been more inclined to throw fortune to the wind, first powering clear to victory on the run-in to Saint-Vallier on Monday and then attempting to repeat the feat on the treacherous descent of the Col du Grand Colombier on stage 5 on Friday.

In an off-the-cuff move, Evans slipped clear in a solid group that included teammates George Hincapie and Tejay van Garderen, as well as Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas-Cannondale), and it took a whole-hearted chase from Wiggins and Sky to bring them back.

"It was Europcar who put a little bit of pressure on the descent as I think they were familiar with it," Evans said. "There were gaps in the peloton and the opportunity presented itself to us. It was a long way to the finish and a long shot but sometimes we have to take those opportunities when they come our way and see what we can do with them."

With Richie Porte in particular putting in a lengthy stint on the front of the peloton, the Evans group was never able to able to stretch its gap much beyond 30 seconds, but while the bomb was quickly defused, the tension lingered a little longer.

Indeed, once the peloton came back within sight of Evans and company, it was Wiggins himself who closed the gap, bridging across alone with a move that spoke volumes about his desire to implicitly but unmistakably remind his rival of his Tour aspirations.

"The team did incredible work afterwards to bring them back and when we had them in sight, I finished the job myself to take some pressure off my teammates," Wiggins said by way of explanation.

The Englishman has looked impregnable throughout this Dauphiné, with Andy Schleck (RadioShack-Nissan) among those estimating that Wiggins simply cannot be beaten this week. "I don't think Evans is going to drop Wiggins tomorrow," Schleck said. "I don't think there's anyone who can beat Wiggins here given the way that he's riding."

That said, Wiggins admitted that he and his teammates had been caught napping when Evans swooped over the top of the Grand Colombier. Conditions were treacherous on the greasy and recently patched-up roads on the way down, and they initially approached the descent with a degree of caution.

"We did what we had to do to defend the jersey," Wiggins said. "Approaching the summit of the Grand Colombier we were warned that the descent was dangerous, but some riders forced it and there were breaks in the peloton. Cadel and three of his guys managed to get into that group, and it was a bit of an error on our part."

As Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas-Cannondale) pointed out at the finish, however, the road surface was far more amenable near the base of the descent, and Sky and Wiggins were able to make their strength count once again. "We went away on the top of the descent where the roads were wet and then they brought us back when they had started to dry up," he said.

Ultimately, Wiggins and Evans rolled in side by side in the main peloton, although the Australian did get some reward for his endeavour. With Sylvain Chavanel (Omega Pharma-QuickStep) distanced on the Grand Colombier, he now moves up into fourth place overall.

"In the end, it was reasonably successful because I think it's moved me up one place on GC," Evans said. "It certainly wasn't a race-winning move, but it was a possibility to help me at least get out on the podium."

Overall, Evans remains 1:44 behind Wiggins ahead of Saturday's queen stage over the Col de Joux Plane into Morzine. Such a gap may prove insurmountable in one day, but there is plenty of scope for some more jostling ahead of the main feature in July.

June 9, Stage 1: Lugano (ITT) 7.3km

Sagan wins stage 1 at Tour de Suisse

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/tour-de-suisse-2012/stage-1/results)

Peter Sagan (Liquigas-Cannondale) flew along the 7.3km time trial course in the opening stage of the Tour de Suisse, taking on every risk on his way to victory and the first leader's jersey of the race, with a time of 9:43. He beat none other than homeland favourite Fabian Cancellara (RadioShack-Nissan), by four seconds, with Sagan's teammate Moreno Moser third at seven seconds.

The 7.3km city course through Lugano may well have looked familiar, as it was the identical course from last year. Cancellara had won here the last two years, but was unable to repeat that today.

Martin Elmiger of AG2R was the first rider to break the 10 minute mark, but his time was soon broken by Moreno Moser of Liguigas-Cannondale, who came in at 9:50.

Fränk Schleck was trying to make things good again in Switzerland after dropping out of the Giro d'Italia, and put in a decent time of 10:19. Tom Danielson of Garmin-Barracuda came in only three seconds faster.

Cancellara showed that he is perhaps now finally fully recovered from the shattered collarbone he suffered in the Tour of Flanders. He was surprisingly far down at the first intermediate time check, but made up enormous amounts of time on the final half of the course, coming in three seconds faster than Moser.

His time atop the leader board didn't last long, though, as Sagan blitzed the course. He set a new best time at the intermediate time check, and took every chance on the last half with its tricky descent. It paid off, as he jetted across the line four seconds faster than Cancellara.

Results

1	Peter Sagan (Svk) Liquigas-Cannondale	0:09:43
2	Fabian Cancellara (Swi) RadioShack-Nissan	0:00:04
3	Moreno Moser (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale	0:00:07
4	Martin Elmiger (Swi) AG2R La Mondiale	0:00:11
5	Fredrik Carl Wilhelm Kessiakoff (Swe) Pro Team Astana	0:00:15
6	Michael Albasini (Swi) Orica GreenEdge Cycling Team	0:00:17
7	Dario Cataldo (Ita) Omega Pharma - QuickStep	0:00:18
8	Roman Kreuziger (Cze) Pro Team Astana	0:00:19
9	Tom Jelte Slagter (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team	0:00:20
10	Jakob Fuglsang (Den) RadioShack-Nissan	0:00:22



2012 Giro d'Italia Stage 20

May 26, Stage 20: Caldes/Val di Sole - Passo dello Stelvio 218km

De Gendt wins Giro d'Italia penultimate stage atop the Stelvio

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/giro-ditalia/stage-20/results)

Thomas De Gendt (Vacansoleil-DCM) took the biggest victory of his career, winning atop the Stelvio on the queen stage of the Giro d'Italia with a superb display. Damiano Cunego of Lampre took second place and third went to Mikel Nieve (Euskaltel-Euskadi).

The maglia rosa stayed with Joaquim Rodriguez (Katusha) who crossed the finish line over three minutes later, and he managed to make good the thirteen seconds he had lost to Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin-Barracuda) the previous day.

“I did not expect that,” De Gendt, 25, said. “I attacked on the Mortirolo, because the descents is very dangerous. All the pieces came together. Carrara was was still in the lead. He helped me a lot."

“And I know the Stelvio very well. I have trained there for six years. I've climbed it 20 or 30 times. It's very nice to win on my mountain."

The five brutal climbs did their job in separating the wheat from the chaff, but there were no decisive moves by the favourites until the final climb. They stuck together virtually the whole way, with Ivan Basso (Liquigas) losing contact only in the final kilometres.

De Gendt didn't make the podium, but moved up from eighth to fourth, pushing Basso down to fifth place. Hesjedal defended his second place, and good chances of taking the overall title in Sunday's time trial. He owed much of today's accomplishments to the good work of Christian Vande Velde, who was ordered back out of the lead group and subsequently pulled Hesjedal – and the rest of the favourites – up much of Stelvio. Michele Scarponi again showed he was stronger than Basso, who fell back on the final climb.

Things got off to an early start for the race's queen stage, over five climbs. The peloton was still together as it started up the first of the day's climbs, the category 3 Passo del Tonale. It may have been only category 3 but it was still enough for tired non-climbers to start dropping off the back.

The break of the day finally got away on the climb: Christian Vande Velde (Garmin-Barracuda), Roman Kreuziger (Astana), Damiano Caruso (Liquigas), Jose Serpa (Androni Giocattoli), Branislaw Samoilau (Movistar), Oliver Zaugg (RadioShack), Marco Carrara (Vacansoleil-DCM), Mathias Frank (BMC), Matteo Bono (Lampre), Alexander Kristoff (Katusha), Tom Slagter (Rabobank), and Matteo Rabottini (Farnese Vini).

The Passo del Tonale was also the end of the race for four riders. Robert Hunter (Garmin-Barracuda), Andrea Guardini (Farnese Vini-Selle Italia), Dominique Rollin (FDJ-Big Mat) and Ivan Velasco (Euskaltel-Euskadi) were all disqualified by the race jury for hanging on to team cars, and removed from the race.

The gap jumped to six minutes after the second climb, but dropped to about three and half minutes as the lead group started up the Mortirolo.

The grueling grind up the Mortirolo with an average gradient of 10.4% and a maximum of 21%, took its toll, blasting apart the lead group. Oliver Zaugg (RadioShack-Nissan) and Matteo Carrara (Vacansoleil) were the last men standing only 4km up the brutal climb. Behind them, the peloton also fell apart, with Lampre leading the way, perhaps in hope of helping Michele Scarponi move up in the overall standings.

Caruso moved up to the front, as Carrara weakened. Vande Velde and Serpa joined forces with Carrara on the chase. Even the climbers suffered. King of the Mountains Rabottini fell out of the lead group on the climb and was soon absorbed back in the peloton.

Vande Velde and Serpa dropped Carrara and were able to join Caruso and Zaugg in the lead up the climb. Amador was also able to move up to the leaders, making it a quintet in the lead. Zaugg took off from his companions as they neared the top. He really took off as he hit a flat-to-descending section near the top.

Even the 22% gradient near the top didn't significantly slow down Zaugg, and he made his way through the screaming throngs to the top.

Vande Velde fell back on the descent, and the favourites' group got larger again. Thomas De Gendt had jumped earlier, and more and more riders jumped to join him, with Carrara leading the way for him, Nieve Cunego and Losada.

With about 40km to go – and the Stelvio looming nearer – the favourites' group seemed to call a cease fire, slowing down for a break, as riders further behind them on GC taking their chances and jumping out. Zaugg's gap skyrocketed to nearly six minutes.

Eventually a six-man group formed to chase Zaugg, with riders from the former lead group and those who had managed to move up. All the gaps slowly came down again.

With 30.4km to go, the six caught and swallowed up Zaugg. Vande Velde had evidently been called back and was now supporting captain Hesjedal. The field, by now fairly large again, took advantage of the short flat section between the final two climbs to cut the gap.

The leading group took a four-minute gap as they started up the Stelvio. Zaugg paid for his earlier efforts and was no longer able to stay with the others.

With some 16.5km of climbing left, De Gendt jumped, followed by Nieve. Cunego struggled to remain in sight of the duo, while Amador and Kangert disappeared from view.

Vande Velde ground things away at the head of the maglia rosa group, holding the pace high enough to bring the group down to15 riders or so. Cunego clawed his way back to the two leaders, catching them with about 13km to go.

But almost immediately De Gendt attacked again, and the other two couldn't go with him. With jis jersey wide open and flapping, he seemed to have an easy time going up the climb, and in fact the gap to the maglia rosa group grew again, to over four minutes. And with every meter, he moved his way up in the rankings. In fact, he was getting dangerously close to knocking Hesjedal out of second place, and the gap was 5:05 as the favourites crossed under the 10km banner.

Vande Velde finally fell back, after having done countless kilometres of lead work. Meanwhile the riders passed the first snow fields along the way. With about 5km to go, the maglia rosa group took a look around to sum up the situation. Hesjedal moved to the front of the group, looking for, but not getting, help from the others.

De Gendt was obviously suffering as he hit the 3km marker, but over five minutes behind him, the maglia rosa group wasn't doing much better. Basso dropped off, and soon only Hesjedal, Rodriguez and Scarponi were together.

The Belgian crossed the finish line after a day's ride of nearly six hours, but barely able to celebrate his win. Cunego crossed the finish line 55 seconds later, and Nivel came in for third at 2:50

Scarponi, Rodriguez and Hesjedal gave gas at the end, and were able to cut the gap to reasonable poportsion. Rodriguez came in at 3:22 and Hesjedal at 3:35.

Full Results

#	Rider Name (Country) Team	Result
1	Thomas De Gendt (Bel) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team	6:54:41
2	Damiano Cunego (Ita) Lampre - ISD	0:00:56
3	Mikel Nieve Ituralde (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi	0:02:50
4	Joaquim Rodriguez Oliver (Spa) Katusha Team	0:03:22
5	Michele Scarponi (Ita) Lampre - ISD	0:03:34
6	Ryder Hesjedal (Can) Garmin - Barracuda	0:03:36
7	John Gadret (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale	0:04:29
8	Rigoberto Uran Uran (Col) Sky Procycling	0:04:53
9	Sergio Luis Henao Montoya (Col) Sky Procycling	0:04:55
10	Ivan Basso (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale

2012 Giro d'Italia Stage 17

My fantasy team did quite well today, considering I had 5 of the top 7 finishers on my team. :)

May 23, Stage 17: Falzes/Pfalzen - Cortina d'Ampezzo 187km

Rodriguez wins stage 17 of the Giro d'Italia

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/giro-ditalia/stage-17/results)

Spain’s Joaquim Rodriguez (Katusha) won a dramatic stage 17 at the 2012 Giro d’Italia, overcoming some of his closest rivals in the general classification as the race headed into the Dolomites for the first time.

A leading group of about 25 riders was dismantled in brutal fashion as it started the final big climb of the stage. Liquigas-Cannondale’s injection of pace resulted in a breakaway group of six riders for the final 25km, with all of them handily placed in the GC.

In the end it was Rodriguez who marginally handled the descent and small uphill finish best. He crossed the line in Cortina d'Ampezzo ahead of Ivan Basso (Liquigas Cannondale), Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin-Barracuda), Rigoberto Uran (Sky), Michele Scarponi (Lampre-ISD) and Domenico Pozzovivo (Colnago-CSF), consolidating his lead in the overall standings and retaining the pink jersey after an epic mountain stage that captivated everyone who witnessed it.

With four uncompromising climbs ahead of them, each one woven into the folklore of the Giro, there was a palpable tension in the air amongst the riders as they waited at the start in Pfalzen, close to the Italian/Austrian border. Temperatures were in the mid teens and there was a generous covering of clouds, offering the riders protection in the early stages.

At the 50km point, a bunch of five broke away. Matteo Rabottini (Farnese-Vini), Branislau Samoilau (Movistar), Kevin Seeldraeyers (Astana), Matteo Montaguti (Ag2r-La Mondiale), and Jose Serpa (Androni) pulled clear and steadily built up a lead of roughly five minutes as the riders got over the first big climb of the day, the Falzarego. Rabottini, who won stage 15 in dramatic fashion on Sunday, added more points here to extend his lead at the top of the mountains classification.

By the time they reached the top of the Passo Duran with 55km to race, the gap had come down to 1:30. Back in the main group, which by this point had shrunk to around 40 riders, Liquigas was in control and keeping Basso’s powder dry for the business end of the race and protecting him most effectively. But all of the main GC contenders were there, including both of Astana’s leaders, Roman Kreuziger and Paolo Tiralongo.

The next climb, the Forcella, came along fast, and by this time, Mikel Nieve (Euskaltel-Euskadi) had caught up with Seeldraeyers, who had been dropped by the leaders. Rodriguez’s position was starting to look precarious back in the main group, which had shrunk to 25 now and contained none of the pink jersey holder’s Katusha teammates. Moments later Kreuziger was the first of the big names to crack as he lost touch with his GC rivals and fell off their pace.

The excitement amongst the crowd was about to be turned up a notch as the main chase group swallowed up the breakaway riders as they started the final, gruelling climb, the Passo Giau. Before they had a chance to catch their breath, Liquigas made its devastating attack and within minutes the leaders were strung out like laundry on a line. When the dust had settled it was those leading six riders who were left to fight it out for the remainder of the climb and the fast descent that followed.

As they approached the top, Pozzovivo attacked. Scarponi cramped up and he and Uran were temporarily dropped. They managed to fight their way back to the wheels of the leading four with 2km left to go. As they wearily closed on the finish line, which was on a gentle final gradient that probably seemed much steeper after the sweat and toil they had left on the road, Basso and Scarponi took it in turns to attack. But Rodriguez was poised in behind and produced a devastating late burst to prevail, winning his second stage of the race and confirming his superiority over his closest pursuers for pink.

In the end, there wasn’t a great deal of change at the top of overall GC, with the exception of the Astana duo, who were the big losers on the day. To those simply looking at the bare result and the overall standings, the stage may look an uneventful one. But it was far from it, and we’ll know more tomorrow in terms of its impact on the well being of the men who pushed themselves to the limit in search of Giro glory.

Full Results

#	Rider Name (Country) Team	Result
1	Joaquim Rodriguez Oliver (Spa) Katusha Team	5:24:42
2	Ivan Basso (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale
3	Ryder Hesjedal (Can) Garmin - Barracuda
4	Rigoberto Uran Uran (Col) Sky Procycling
5	Michele Scarponi (Ita) Lampre - ISD
6	Domenico Pozzovivo (Ita) Colnago - CSF Inox	0:00:02
7	Benat Intxausti Elorriaga (Spa) Movistar Team	0:01:22
8	Daniel Moreno Fernandez (Spa) Katusha Team
9	Thomas De Gendt (Bel) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team
10	Johann Tschopp (Swi) BMC Racing Team

2012 Giro d'Italia Stage 10

I'm not going to keep posting the Amgen Tour of California results due to the results being posted late my time. I will keep up with the Grand Tour however. If you are looking here for the Tour of California or any other race results, be sure to check out http://cyclingnews.com/ for all your up-to-date needs.

May 15, Stage 10: Civitavecchia - Assisi 187km

Rodriguez wins Giro stage into Assisi

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/giro-ditalia/stage-10/results)

Spanish rider Joaquim Rodriguez (Katusha) took stage 10 of the Giro d’Italia in Assisi and also claimed the pink jersey as overall leader after an exciting climax to the afternoon’s racing in the historic Perugian town.

The final five kilometres provided some of the most intense racing of the season so far, with Rodriguez mastering the undulations best and coming home clear of Bartosz Huzarski (NetApp) and Giovanni Visconti (Movistar).

Race leader Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin-Barracuda) fought bravely to the death but could only finish sixth, and the time bonus afforded to Rodriguez for the win meant that he leapfrogs the Canadian to the top of the overall GC by 17 seconds.

“It was an important stage win especially for the bonus,” Rodriguez said. “Some journalists told me about the finish here and I now realise that it is suited to me. When you get to a finish like this one you have to use it to your advantage.”

The locals found themselves slightly deflated at the start by the news that one of their heroes, Filippo Pozzato (Farnese Vini-Selle Italia), had been forced to pull out of the Giro with a broken hand. Pozzato had declared himself to be in good form and capable of a stage victory, but stage 9’s crash close to the finish spelled the end of his race.

At the 10km point, a small breakaway group had escaped, and they built up a gap of almost two minutes: Guillaume Bonnafond (AG2R); Miguel Mínguez (Euskaltel-Euskadi); Francesco Failli (Farnese Vini-Selle Italia); Matthias Brandle (NetApp); and Martijn Keizer (Vacansoleil-DCM). With the top 13 riders in the GC all within one minute of race leader Hesjedal, the big guns appeared happy to play a game of cat and mouse behind the breakaway leaders, keeping their cards close to their chests as the race meandered up and down the rolling hills.

By the 50km point, the gap had increased to 4:50 and it stayed fairly constant for the best part of 40km. But as the riders approached the intermediate sprint the gap began to reduce and it was Keizer who took it ahead of Minguez in second place.

With a third of the race left the gap was down to two minutes, with Katusha doing most of the work in the chasing pack as they looked to help Rodriguez in his quest for pink. Garmin-Barracuda were live to the situation and they bunched around Hesjedal, knowing that the Canadian’s lead in the GC might be under threat.

The gap between the leading quintet and the peloton was being reduced as steadily as the excitement was building ahead of the finale. With 30km to go Keizer and Brandle had become detached from the leaders and Rabobank’s Stef Clement burst from the peloton to join them. Keizer and Brandle spent the next few kilometres over the uncategorised climbs and descents hanging on to the coat tails of the three-time Dutch national time trial champion as they tried to bridge the gap back to Bonnafond, Minguez and Failli.

But with just over 5km left, the peloton had engulfed all of the leaders and the stage was set for a breathless finish to the stage. The riders charged up the initial first climb back to Assisi, which reached a gradient of 15 percent at its steepest. Hesjedal, now without the protection of his teammates, was battling gamely at the front alongside the likes of Rodriguez, Michele Scarponi and Rabobank’s Tom Slagter, who attacked to no lasting avail.

Before the fans had time to regroup their senses, the climb turned into a sharp and fast descent, with Sky’s Rigobert Uran and AG2R-La Mondiale’s John Gadret sweeping round the outside and bursting clear. Within a matter of minutes they were climbing again and Rodriguez, aided selflessly by his teammate Daniel Moreno, positioned himself perfectly and powered away to the line for a cosy victory and possession of the maglia rosa.

Full Results

#	Rider Name (Country) Team	Result
1	Joaquim Rodriguez Oliver (Spa) Katusha Team	4:25:05
2	Bartosz Huzarski (Pol) Team NetApp	0:00:02
3	Giovanni Visconti (Ita) Movistar Team
4	Domenico Pozzovivo (Ita) Colnago - CSF Inox	0:00:06
5	John Gadret (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale
6	Ryder Hesjedal (Can) Garmin - Barracuda
7	Tom Jelte Slagter (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team
8	Dario Cataldo (Ita) Omega Pharma-Quickstep
9	Roman Kreuziger (Cze) Astana Pro Team
10	Rigoberto Uran Uran (Col) Sky Procycling

2012 Giro d'Italia Stage 1

May 5, Stage 1: Herning (ITT) 8.7km

Phinney wins 2012 Giro d'Italia opening stage

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/giro-ditalia/stage-1/results)

Taylor Phinney (BMC) powered his way to the first maglia rosa of the 2012 Giro d'Italia, blowing away the rest of the field in the opening time trial. He covered the 8.7km course in only 10:26. Second place went to Geraint Thomas (Sky) at 10:35, with Danish rider Alex Rasmussen of Garmin-Barracuda third at 10:39.

It was a sunny but cool day, and the wind didn't have the expected effect. Ramunas Navardauskas (Garmin-Barracuda) set an early best time of 10:48. He stayed atop the board for a long time, but finally the times started tumbling.

Within only few minutes, Manuele Boaro (Saxo Bank) and Geraint Thomas (Sky) topped his times, only to have Phinney, a former U23 time trial world champion, cruise in with his phenomenal time.

The race of truth

If the time trial is cycling's race of truth, then an 8.7km Grand Tour prologue is more of a brief physiology lab test carried out in the open air, in full view of the public and the media. Worse, on the flat, cold and windy roads around suburban Herning, all the Giro's general classification contenders could hope to do was limit their losses to each other and pray that they didn't crash.

The pre-race chatter was all about how there were no obvious favourites for the 2012 Giro, and it's safe to say that the Danish prologue hasn't provided much in the way of enlightenment.

What can you deduce from a prologue? A little but not a lot, especially in a race as hard to predict as the Giro. But, to be fair, we did learn that - barring physiological miracle or acts of God - neither Frank Schleck (RadioShack), Damiano Cunego (Lampre) or Michele Scarponi (Lampre) are going to win, which is something.

In as much as the BMC team had come to the Giro having endured a less than ground-shaking Classics season, Phinney's convincing winning ride - nine seconds clear of Thomas - was probably the best thing to have happened to the team in 2012.

In fact, scratch the "probably", it was the best thing to happen to the team this season by miles. It was, after all, BMC's first big win of 2012 (no disrespect to the Giro di Toscana win of an eager looking Alessandro Ballan, 34th at 39 seconds here).

It was a great day for Phinney. The last time an American took the leader's jersey in the Giro was back in 2008 when Christian Vande Velde claimed it for Slipstream Chipotle after the team time trial. Prior to that, of course, Andy Hampsten wore it all the way to the finish back in 1988, although Phinney isn't going to manage that, but there's no reason why he shouldn't hold on to it for a few days if the team has the desire.

So who was the "winner" among the GC riders? Who "won" the prologue among the riders looking to get on the box in Milan? Well, hands up who predicted Ryder Hesjedal of Garmin? Is it still worth saying he's an ex-mountain biker? Or Canadian? What is worth pointing out is that he rode a rear disc and a medium depth front wheel in the gusty conditions and he rode the flat course utterly committed. For a rider not noted for his Grand Tour prologue skills, it was a great effort and suggests that his form is headed the right way at the right time. If Hesjedal doesn't finish in the top 10 by the time the race reaches Milan, we'll be surprised, eh?

Another (small) surprise was provided by Roman Kreuziger (Astana). The young Czech rode perfect lines through some of the faster corners, his body language suggesting that he was on a mission. High corner speeds, using all of the road on the corner exits, he looked smooth and determined. Although he was ‘only' 28th at 36 seconds, he was a scant seven seconds behind Hesjedal. There was a strong team showing from Astana too, a bunch of stern-faced hard men who know that they are there to help young Roman.

Ivan Basso (Liquigas) didn't look comfortable or fast and was clearly giving it his all. In light of his poor early season campaign, his 35th at 39 seconds was better than many would have predicted on such a course. Maybe Basso has timed his season build-up perfectly after all?

But what was more revealing were the gaps that Hesjedal, Basso and Kreuziger put into Frank Schleck, Damiano Cunego and Michele Scarponi. Although those time gaps are small, the times reveal more about form than the slim few seconds might suggest. How do you look at a loss of 30 seconds in eight kilometers and convince everyone it doesn't mean anything?

Lampre's Scarponi, wearing the maglia rosa from 2011 that he collected late, so to speak, following Alberto Contador's disqualification, was about as impressive as fellow Lampre man Damiano Cunego, one as unconvincing as the other, which should be great for morale and team talks around the Lampre dinner table. Cunego looked as though he was riding through treacle, clogging along in low revs and low speed to finish 124th at 1-03. It was still better than the defending maglia rosa, with Scarponi 135th, a further three seconds slower than Cunego.

Perhaps Schleck, Cunego and Scarponi really will need time to ride themselves into the race. You suspect however, by the time that happens, the GC battle will be even further up the road and they'll be hunting for stage wins rather than Milanese podiums.

Results

#	Rider Name (Country) Team	Result
1	Taylor Phinney (USA) BMC Racing Team	0:10:26
2	Geraint Thomas (GBr) Sky Procycling	0:00:09
3	Alex Rasmussen (Den) Garmin - Barracuda	0:00:13
4	Manuele Boaro (Ita) Team Saxo Bank	0:00:15
5	Gustav Larsson (Swe) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team	0:00:22
6	Ramunas Navardauskas (Ltu) Garmin - Barracuda
7	Brett Lancaster (Aus) Orica GreenEdge Cycling Team	0:00:23
8	Marco Pinotti (Ita) BMC Racing Team	0:00:24
9	Jesse Sergent (NZl) RadioShack-Nissan	0:00:26
10	Nelson Oliveira (Por) RadioShack-Nissan	0:00:27

2012 Giro: Who to Watch For

Giro d'Italia: Top ten contenders

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/giro-ditalia-top-ten-contenders)

This year's Giro d'Italia is one of the most open editions of the race in recent years with a host of GC contenders vying for the 2012 maglia rosa. Cyclingnews takes a look at the top contenders for the overall win...

Ivan Basso (Liquigas-Cannondale)
The 2010 Basso would have cantered to a third Giro this May but unfortunately for the Varese rider, this version is a pale shadow of the athlete who resurrected his career two years ago. It took until the Giro del Trentino in April for him to even finish a race and his subsequent performances in Romandie suggested little in the way of a return to form. In some ways, his Giro build-up mirrors that to last year’s Tour bid, when a crash derailed his preparations, leaving him exhausted and over-trained by the time the race started. At least Basso won’t be overworked before this year Giro, and while the heavy third week of racing will allow him some time to ride into form, this is still a demanding Giro. The opening skirmishes in Denmark are bound to skittle the GC contenders, while stages 7 and certainly stage 8 to Lago Laceno, could see Basso hit from all sides as fresh pocket-rocket climbers like Jose Rujano (Androni-Venezuela), Domenico Pozzovivo (Colnago-CSF) and Joaquim Rodriguez (Katusha) seek to expose any fraction of weakness. In Basso’s favour he has the race’s strongest team, and unlike all but Damiano Cunego (Lampre-ISD), he knows how to close out a three-week race.

Michele Scarponi (Lampre-ISD)
Strong on the climbs, stronger than he’s given credit for in time trials, Scarponi has every reason to feel confident as he approaches this year’s race. With Nibali Tour bound and Contador on a course that could see him win the Vuelta and perhaps the Worlds, the competition is weaker, but Il Presidente will still face stern examinations from riders vying for his 2011 crown. With Damiano Cunego as a teammate, and despite his patchy form, Scarponi will start as one of the major favourites, a strange scenario when you consider how low his GC aspirations stood on the eve of his Puerto ban. One word of caution: no rider has won back-to-back Giri since Miguel Indurain in 1993.

John Gadret (Ag2r-La Mondiale)
The Frenchman has a huge point to prove after finishing a surprise fourth in last year’s race (later bumped to third after Contador’s expulsion). But weak against the clock, Gadret will have to count on the natural talent and determination that carried him to a stage win in Castelfidardo, and fourth last year. A year of GC experience and a demanding final week all favour Gadret, who beat the likes of Rujano, Roman Kreuziger and Denis Menchov last year.

Jose Rujano (Androni-Venezuela)
The 30-year-old Venezuelan finally got his grand tour career back on track last year with 7th place in the Giro. Several barren years since his defining performance in 2005 were followed by poor team choices and a severe loss of form, but Rujano looks to have settled with Savio’s motley crew. In fact, this is the first time since 2005 he’s ridden for the same team for consecutive seasons. Can he win the Giro? Probably not, but his explosive speed on the climbs could determine who does.

Roman Kreuziger (Astana)
It would be unfair to say that Kreuziger has failed to deliver on the promise he showed when winning the junior world title in 2004 or the 13th place he raced to at the 2008 Tour de France, but there’s certainly an element of stagnation. While other riders of his generation such as Andy Schleck and Vincenzo Nibali have gone on to win grand tours, Kreuziger has languished in the chasing group, never one of the top three or four climbers or most accomplished time trialists. Still, he should better last year’s 6th place and on current for - he was one of the strongest Giro riders at Romandie - Astana will be looking for podium place.

Domenico Pozzovivo (Colnago-CSF Inox)
If you’re looking for omens in the battle for the maglia rosa then look no further than the diminutive Italian. 25 years ago, Stephen Roche stormed to overall glory in the Giro, becoming the first Irishman to win a grand tour. Forward to 2012, and although there’s no chance of a repeat win for the Irish, Pozzovivo’s Colnago team are registered in Ireland. 25 years since an Irish win, an Irish-registered team line-up this year. It all makes sense, doesn’t it?

Well okay, maybe not, but Pozzovivo deserves to be on this list for his riding credentials. His ride in Trentino was eye-catching to say the least and while it’s true that we’ve seen flashes of brilliance from him there before, this year was a genuine improvement. A three-day event is not a grand tour though and Pozzovivo’s time trialing and staying power are questionable, but if he’s within 4 minutes of the race lead heading into the final clutch of mountain stages he could pull off a surprise or two.

Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin-Barracuda)
Garmin’s previous attempts at Giro GC success have all ended poorly but in Hesjedal the Argyle Armada have a genuine top five threat. He may not have replicated the 2010 Tour de France result but if he can remain upright in Denmark, rely on a strong TTT performance and arrive at the start of the third week within the top ten overall, there’s a strong possibility of him holding out.

Frank Schleck (RadioShack-Nissan)
The team are fast turning into a soap opera. In January we had Johan Bruyneel unable to deny Frank Schleck would race the Giro. The will he,won't he story ran all the way up Liege, with the rider adamant that the Tour was his main goal. Then there was the Kim Andersen interlude which reached levels of absurdness when Andy Schleck and Bruyneel both came out with conflicting stories within 24 hours of each other. From the outside looking in, there certainly appear to be tensions between the new management and the Schlecks.

Either way Frank Schleck will start the Giro. On paper, he’s more than capable of beating Scarponi and Basso over three weeks, but this is the Giro, not the Tour, and you have to question Schleck’s motivation. Whether you rate him or not, he believes he can win the Tour de France, and his podium places are testament to that. But he must now refocus and attempt to challenge in a race he’s never shown interest in. The Giro is wide open, and Schleck, if motivated and on form, can win.

Joaquím Rodriguez (Katusha)
Rodriguez was one of the strongest riders in the Giro’s second half last year, rising from 22nd place after a drab showing on Etna to 5th by the time the race reached Milan. This year, Rodriguez can ill afford to start so poorly but he remains one of the most talented riders in the field. His time trialling remains a weakness but the GC contenders aren’t exactly stacked with chrono specialists, and his climbing talent, his explosive sprint and his underrated team, make him a decent tip for the podium.

Damiano Cunego (Lampre-ISD)
A 2005 edition of Procycling once featured Cunego, Lance Armstrong and Jan Ullrich on the cover, with the headline “three’s a crowd”. At the time Cunego was seen as the next star of grand tour racing having shot to fame with the 2004 Giro title. A lot has changed since and Cunego finds himself some way down the list of favourites. A consistent ride in last year’s Tour was a reminder of his talent and the Lampre rider heads into the Giro under the radar, talking about stage wins and supporting Scarponi. He started the 2004 Giro in similar circumstances but as we’ve alluded to, this is a different era. Should Cunego ride to his complete potential he’s unlikely to side step a top ten placing and who knows, even bag a couple of stages in the process.

So who will be the RSNT Leader?

As much as I love Andy Schleck, he hasn't proven himself yet this year. However, Chris Horner has! In his first race back from his TdF crash last year! How is RadioShack-Nissan-Trek going to build a Tour de France team around a rider who has had a crappy season thus far? Thankfully there are quite a few more races to go yet.

Horner makes triumphant return to racing at Tirreno-Adriatico

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/horner-makes-triumphant-return-to-racing-at-tirreno-adriatico)

It's been approximately eight months since Chris Horner (RadioShack-Nissan) last turned his pedals in anger in competition, but the 40-year-old American has shown he's made a full recovery from a serious crash at the 2011 Tour de France by taking the overall lead today at Tirreno-Adriatico.

Horner suffered a broken nose, cracked ribs, concussion and a blood clot in the lung as a result of his crash on stage 7 of the Tour last year, and was forced to bring both his race and his season to a premature halt. The ongoing Tirreno-Adriatico, which began on March 7, would be Horner's first race since last year's Tour and his performance through the first four stages has indicated a return to form.

His RadioShack-Nissan team opened their Tirreno-Adriatico account with a second place finish in the team time trial, and Horner was well-positioned on general classification heading into today's decisive stage 4, culminating with an arduous climb to the finish in Chieti.

Horner finished in fifth place with the same time as stage winner Peter Sagan as part of the five-man group which escaped in the finale to contest the victory. Horner took over the race lead from Matt Goss (GreenEdge) and holds a seven second advantage over stage 4 runner-up Roman Kreuziger (Astana) and a 13-second lead on third-placed Cameron Meyer (GreenEdge).

"I'm sure many people doubted my fitness after my embolism but it shows today that it didn't effect my form," Horner said. "The team asked which races I wanted to do this year. I told [directeur sportif)] Dirk Demol that Tirreno-Adriatico would be a big objective and he supported me. "

Horner had targeted today's stage as one crucial to his overall ambitions and his assessment proved to be correct.

"Before the race today I thought for sure I might have the leader's jersey at the end of the day," Horner said on his team's website. "After the team time trial on Sunday, Fabian Cancellara and all the big riders on my team did a fantastic job, so today they protected me from the wind and brought me to the front at the bottom of the climb. Cancellara got me in position and then I knew to follow the moves from the best riders on the day."

Horner followed an attack by Danilo Di Luca (Acqua & Sapone) and Peter Sagan (Liquigas-Cannondale) on the finishing climb's steepest pitch and thought that would be the final selection for the stage, but a general classification rival made his presence known in the finale.

"Roman Kreuziger came along and threw an attack in on the three of us and I had to bridge that," said Horner. "He was the biggest threat to us on GC so I had to respond in order to take the jersey."

Sagan's teammate Vincenzo Nibali would also make the juncture and the five-man group would sprint for victory, although a mistake by Horner hampered his finishing effort.

"In the final to the line I accidentally shifted from the big chain ring to the small one and my hands were cramping up so I couldn't get it back up to do the sprint, leaving me to just spin the cranks at 130rpms to the finish, all the while losing ground," said Horner with a laugh. "Even if I could've shifted back I wouldn't have won the sprint, but maybe I would have been up a little further."

Horner still faces three more stages at Tirreno-Adriatico before he can claim a final overall victory, but his and the team's morale is high and he feels up to the challenge.

"Kreuziger is close on time and we both time trial pretty evenly, so it's going to be a fight," said Horner. "My legs are feeling very good, so certainly I have a shot at winning the overall."

2011 Tour de France, Stage 16

Today's stage runs from Saint-Paul-Trois-Chateaux to Gap for a 162.5 km ride, in which the riders will begin to tackle the Alps.



There have been a lot of attacks since the beginning of the stage, but no breaks have been allowed by the very fast-paced peloton. Nothing amounted to any more than a few seconds until Devenyns had an 8” gap with 127km left, but he was caught. Then Millar attacked, has 15” and then was joined by Chavanel, Martin, Bole, Flecha, Zubeldia, and more. Millar and company are soon caught, and another attack has formed but the peloton won’t let up their speed. Another group of 5 tries their luck, but again its to no avail. 

With about 90km left, Westra gets a 150 meter gap, but as soon as other riders attempt to bridge to him, the peloton tries to swallow them all back. With about 75km to go, next set of attackers go: Roy, Coppel, Roche, Hoogerland, Kreuziger, Jeannesson, Mollema, Di Gregorio, Knees, Zandio, Gallpin, Marcato, Hesjedal. However, there is a lot of conflict in the group; no one seems to want to work together, although they have 13” on the peloton.

Through more bridges and some escapees sitting up for the peloton to reel them in, the new leaders become: Marcato, Martin, Grivko, Hushovd, Perez, Hagen, Hesjedal, Devenyns, Ignatiev, and Roy. Finally a breakaway was able to escape; it only took 100km into the stage. With 21km left to go, the gap is 6’16”.

When the leaders get on the climb. Ignatiev attacked and tried solo. Although he had about 15”, he was being chased down by Perez and Devenyns. During the chase, Devenyns attacks Perez. Perez was then caught by the rest of the break as Marcato was dropped by the increasing pace uphill.

With 16km left, Hesjedal jumpas and catches and passes Ignatiev, who can’t keep the pace.

With 15km left, Contador attacks the peloton. Cancellara chases with both Schlecks, Evans, Sanchez, and Voeckler. However, they are soon caught by the peloton.

Contador attacks again; Voeckler and A. Schleck stay with him. Evans chases with F. Schleck on his wheel. They are all caught again. Contador attacks for a third time with Evans and Sanchez. Voeckler is losing ground. A. Schleck is dropped too.

Further up. Hesjedal is caught by Hushovd and Hagen.

Evan leads the chasing group down the descent as both Schlecks, Voeckler, Cunego, and Basso chase the chasing group. Voeckler attacks as Hushovd attacks his group. Hagen then attacks Hushovd but Hushovd chases. Its Hushovd who takes the win.

1 Hushovd
2 Hagen
3 Hesjedal
4 Martin
5 Ignatyev
6 Perez
7 Devenyns
8 Roy
9 Marcato
10 Grivko

2011 Tour de France, Stage 12

Today’s stage takes the riders into the high mountains of the Pyrenees. The 209km stage runs from Cugnaux to Luz Ardiden. However, the first 130km are relatively flat, but there are 3 major climbs: one category 1 and two HC climbs!

There was an abandon today; Feillu dropped out due to tendinitis.

The first breakaway of the day was formed by six riders: Gutierrez , Kadri, Mangel, Perez, Roy, and Thomas. With 122km to go the attackers had 8’00” on the peloton, and was over 9’00” by the time the six men hit the intermediate sprint. The best placed rider in the group is Thomas.

Mangel gets the most points at the intermediate sprint, while Cavendish again brought the peloton over the sprint line.

The 2nd attack of the day involved three riders: Chavanel, Hoogerland, and Kreuziger.

At the same time that riders are breaking away, riders are also being dropped; Galimzyanov is the first of the day.

At 75km to go, Gutierrez was dropped from the original breakaway. He couldn’t keep up with Thomas’s pace. Hoogerland was also soon dropped from the chasing group. He got caught by the peloton and then dropped off the back. Gesink soon fell back too.

At the first summit, Mangel get KOM points ahead of Perez, and Kadri. Thomas crashed on the descent and landed inches from the edge of the cliff. He was able to get back up on his bike, but then had to catch up to his fellow attackers.

The second crash of the day happened in the peloton on the first turn of the descent. Gadret, Urtasun, Velits, Kloden and Voecker involved but they all got back up eventually.

Thomas and Gutierrez did catch back up to the front 4 by the end of the first descent. Kreuziger almost caught the original 6-man breakaway but couldn’t and Gutierrez had to let go again. Gutierrez and Chavanel got caught by the peloton while Kreuzinger continued to hang between.

More riders are being dropped on the 2nd climb: Hincapie, Van Garderen, Fuglsang, Vande Velde

Thomas is pushing also at the front with 3km left to the 2nd summit. Roy is chasing but can’t seem to reach him until just before the summit, and was able to take it first. A nice prize awaited the Frenchman at the top for Bastille Day. Voigt led the peloton over the climb with Mangel and Ten Dam a few seconds in front after attacking the peloton. They join Kreuziger on the descent, trying to catch the leading duo.

The descent had riders at speeds near 90km/hr!

On the final climb there were so many attacks and breakaways. With 4km to go the GC contenders are upping the pace.

Roy and Thomas caught about 2km before the end, but Gonzalez and Vanendert now are in front.

Situation right before the finish:
Leaders: Samuel Sanchez Gonzalez (Euskaltel-Euskadi) and Jelle Vanendert (Omega Pharma-Lotto)
Chase 1: Fränk Schleck (Leopard Trek)
Chase 2: Alberto Contador (Saxo Bank Sungard), Cadel Evans (BMC Racing Team), Ivan Basso (Liquigas-Cannondale), Andy Schleck (Leopard Trek) and Damiano Cunego (Lampre - ISD)
Yellow jersey: Thomas Voeckler and Pierre Rolland (Team Europcar)
Arnold Jeannesson (FDJ) and Thomas Danielson (Team Garmin-Cervelo) at ?
Chase: Laurens Ten Dam (Rabobank Cycling Team), Levi Leipheimer (Team RadioShack), Sylvester Szmyd (Liquigas-Cannondale), Jean-Christophe Peraud (AG2R La Mondiale), Rigoberto Uran Uran (Sky Procycling), Kevin De Weert (Quickstep Cycling Team), Rein Taaramae (Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne), Yuriy Trofimov (Katusha Team)
Gruppetto: Johnny Hoogerland (Vacansoleil), Mark Cavendish (HTC-Highroad), Robert Gesink (Rabobank)

Sanchez started the sprint and Vanendert couldn’t follow. Sanchez takes the win!

Stage 12 Results:
1 Sanchez
2 Vanendert
3 F. Schleck
4 Basso
5 Evans
6 A. Schleck
7 Cunego
8 Contador
9 Voeckler
10 Rolland