The "Odd Couple"

Once in a while a cycling article will come out, and its too either sweet or too funny to forget. This is one of them.

What happens when the oldest, or most "mature", rider on a team rooms with the youngest? I wish I could say there is a punchline to that, but I can't think of any.

I mean I can turn this into a "what happens when the oldest and youngest walk into a bar" joke. Oh wait, the youngest can't drink in the USA yet...

Voigt and Jungels: RadioShack's Tour of California Odd Couple

Chris Horner's last-minute withdrawal from RadioShack Leopard's Amgen Tour of California roster may have helped create cycling's own version of the "Odd Couple", as 41-year-old Jens Voigt will now be rooming with 20-year-old neo pro Bob Jungels throughout the eight-day race.

"Together we're 31," Voigt told Cyclingnews Friday after the opening press conference. "So that's a good age for a cyclist. It's funny how he sometimes reminds me of my son, because my son is turning 18 this year. [Jungels] is only like 2 ½ years older. He's actually closer to my son than to myself, so I want to believe it keeps me young."

As far as Jungels is concerned, the two teammates may be separated by more than two decades, but Voigt's often-times playful attitude helps bring them together.

"I feel pretty comfortable with him because he's over 40 years old, but in his head he's like 25," Jungels said. "So it's pretty cool. We talk a lot together, and if I have any questions he's always there answering everything you ask him, and that's just great to have someone with you who has so much experience. It's kind of relaxing. You feel comfortable and secure, and I think it helps you for the races also. You have no stress or no pressure, and he confirms that."

Jungels comes to California for the first time after having already won his first pro race this year, the UCI 1.1 GP Nobili Rubinetterie in Italy. He also ran second during the time trial stage of the Circuit Cycliste Sarthe in France, finished sixth during the stage 6 time trial at the Tour of the Med and was seventh during stage 2 of the Criterium International.

"For the whole year I have no pressure at all," Jungels said of his position within the team. "At the beginning of the year I said, 'OK, my big goal is just to get as much experience as possible'. Now I already have one win and a second place, so I'm really happy. For the rest it's just a bonus if I can get more results."

The promising rider from Luxembourg came to the WorldTour this year from Radioshack Leopard's development program, the Continental-ranked Leopard-Trek team. As a 19-year-old development rider last season, Jungels won the Paris-Roubaix espoirs race and claimed the overall win at le Triptyque Monts et Chateau. He won the individual time trial and the overall at the 63rd Fleche du Sud, as well as the Luxembourg national time trial championship. He was also second in the time trial at the European Cycling Championships.

The power rider who excels at the race against the clock would like to collect some "bonus" results in California this week, but he's also realistic about the competition.

"I will try to follow in the mountains, and maybe in the time trial I can make a good result," he said. "We had a similar [time trial course] at the beginning of the year in France, so I know a little bit where I am standing, but I have no pressure. I just go.

"But I think there are a lot of strong riders from strong teams here," Jungels continued. "So I think first of all, we have no real leader for the team, so it's pretty open for us and we can try something. Everybody can do something. Of course, I would be really happy [to get a good result], but I'm there for the team also. For me, it's not just the victory that counts, but if I can show myself a little bit and show my skills a little bit, that would be nice for me."

Voigt, winner of multiple stages in California and one of only a handful of riders who will have competed in all eight editions of the race, is also hoping his young protege can show himself and grab some spotlight this week.

"He's a pretty good time trialer," Voigt said. "He's young and he's hungry, so I believe he's going to create some attention."

Starting Sunday, Jungels will have eight days to do just that. In the meantime, he's simply trying to relax and enjoy his first trip to the US.

"California is a different mentality," he said from the team hotel in Escondido. "It's so much more relaxed than in Europe, and now with the good weather, it's amazing. The landscapes when we went training are just awesome. We rode the first stage, and in the hills it's really beautiful. I like the lifestyle, even if it's really different than Europe."

And what is the Luxembourger's first impression of the Golden State?

"Everything is a lot bigger," he said. "If you go from the cups in McDonald's or Starbucks and until the roads. Everything is just bigger. And the people have been just so friendly and great, we're having a good time."

Farrar's Bittersweet Giro

Mixed emotions for Farrar as he returns to Giro d'Italia

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/mixed-emotions-for-farrar-as-he-returns-to-giro-ditalia)

Having won two stages at the 2010 renewal of the race, the following year's Giro d'Italia was supposed to offer further evidence of Tyler Farrar's rise to the top of world sprinting. Instead, the 2011 race was marred by the tragic death of Farrar's friend and training partner Wouter Weylandt, who died after a crash in the third stage.

Belgium's Weylandt was killed instantly after being thrown 10 metres from his bike and landing face down. The following day Farrar (Garmin-Barracuda) and Weylandt's Leopard Trek teammates rode in stage four as a mark of respect, before pulling out of the race. Farrar bases himself in Belgium and spent countless hours on the road training with Weylandt, whose race number 108 from last year will not be worn by any of this year's riders as a mark of respect.

As he returns to the Giro d'Italia today, his friend isn't far from his mind. Farrar is all too aware of the dangers of the sport - his father is paralyzed from the waist down after being knocked off his bike by a car several years ago.

"What happened in the Giro was pretty horrible," the 27-year-old American told The Seattle Times. "It was a rough time. That kind of thing doesn't go away. I don't think it ever completely goes away. But cycling is my life, my job, and even though it happened, I still love the sport. I still love racing my bike.

"It was painful. There's no denying that, but that's life. You know, it's not nice. It's not the way anyone wants it to happen, but you don't have a say in it sometimes. You have to roll with the punches. You have to work through the hard to get to the good."

"Cycling has certainly taken some things away from me in my life, but it's also given me a lot. There's been rough moments, and moments where it wasn't my favorite thing in the world, but in the global picture, it's given me the life I have. I've wanted to be a professional cyclist since I was about 14 years old. You just have to deal with the hard part."

I still think he's innocent, not that it matters...

I still firmly believe that Contador is innocent and that it was in fact the meat that he ate. Unfortunately, the CAS feels different:

 CAS sanction Contador with two year ban in clenbuterol case

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/cas-sanction-contador-with-two-year-ban-in-clenbuterol-case)

The Court of Arbitration for Sport has handed Alberto Contador a two year sanction for his positive test for clenbuterol at the 2010 Tour de France. After a long-running saga, CAS announced on Monday that it had upheld the UCI and WADA’s joint appeal against the Spanish Cycling Federation’s (RFEC) decision not to suspend Contador.

The ban means Contador will lose race results dating back to and including the 2010 Tour de France. Andy Schleck will become the Tour de France champion while Michele Scarponi is crowned winner of the Giro d'Italia.

Contador's ban ends on August 5th, meaning he can ride this year's Vuelta.

A long-running saga

Contador’s positive test dates from July 21, 2010, although the case was not made public until September 30 of that year. In February 2011, the RFEC officially cleared Contador, accepting his explanation that the traces of clenbuterol in his sample had been caused by consuming contaminated meat.

In March, both the UCI and WADA formally announced their decision to appeal the matter to CAS, who in turn announced that a ruling would be made ahead of the Tour de France.

That turned out to be a false dawn, however, and after a number of delays, the hearings were finally held in November 2011. In the intervening period, Contador had added to the Giro d’Italia to his palmares and finished fifth at the Tour de France.

The hearing itself was tinged with some degree of controversy, with AP reporting that WADA’s lawyers threatened a walk out when anti-doping expert Michael Asheden was not permitted to testify on the theory that Contador may have had a blood transfusion on July 20.

A verdict was initially due in mid-January, but was again delayed after Leopard Trek backer Flavio Becca questioned the integrity of CAS arbitration panel head Ephraim Barak. After confirming that none of the parties involved in the case wanted to change the make-up of the arbitration panel, CAS finally issued its verdict on Monday.

Contador still has the option of appealing the CAS ruling to the Swiss federal court within the next 30 days, although any such petition can only concern procedural matters.

Although, I do like Andy Schelck's response:

Andy Schleck reacts to Contador's doping ban

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/andy-schleck-reacts-to-contadors-doping-ban) 

Andy Schleck has reacted to the news that Alberto Contador has been handed a two year sanction by the CAS. Schleck finished second to Contador during the controversial Tour de France in 2010, in which traces of clenbuterol were found in one of Contador’s test samples.

"There is no reason to be happy now”, Schleck said in a RadioShack-Nissan press release

“First of all I feel sad for Alberto. I always believed in his innocence. This is just a very sad day for cycling. The only positive news is that there is a verdict after 566 days of uncertainty. We can finally move on.”

Contador faces all race results being stripped from him since and including the Tour title in 2010, meaning Schleck, who has never won a stage race, will become the official race winner.

“I trust that the CAS judges took all things into consideration after reading a 4,000 page file. If now I am declared overall winner of the 2010 Tour de France it will not make me happy. I battled with Contador in that race and I lost. My goal is to win the Tour de France in a sportive way, being the best of all competitors, not in court. If I succeed this year, I will consider it as my first Tour victory.”

Why Yes, I am a Trek-ie

...thank you for asking!

As of thus far, my favorite bike is the Trek Madone 6.9 series. I fell in love with it last year as the Leopard-Trek team bike:

Then I wanted the replica of Andy Schleck's bike:

Then, I wanted the replica of Sparticus' bike (aka Fabian Cancellara):

Now I want a new bike:

RadioShack-Nissan's Trek machines for 2012

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/radioshack-nissans-trek-machines-for-2012)

Trek Bicycle Corporation sponsored both the Leopard Trek and RadioShack teams last year so it's no surprise that when the two teams merged during the off-season that the Wisconsin company would carry on in that role for 2012.

Indeed, returning Leopard Trek riders will essentially have to make no adjustments whatsoever as aside from cosmetics, virtually every piece of equipment is carried over from the 2011 season. Anchoring the entire package is Trek's top-end Madone 6.9 SSL frame, dressed in a complete Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 electronic group plus a wide array of components from the company's parts and accessories arm, Bontrager, including the new Aeolus wide-profile carbon tubular wheels, handlebars, stems, saddles, and even bar tape.

Finishing bits include Schwalbe tires, Cane Creek headsets, Bontrager computers with DuoTrap integrated cadence and speed sensors, and Trek BAT bottle cages – a curious choice in terms of cost (it's one of Trek's least expensive options) but one that makes more sense when you consider the reasonable weight and very secure grip.

Team leader Andy Schleck's bike in particular looks to be especially unchanged from when we profiled it during last year's Tour de France in terms of both the build and positioning. We didn't have a chance to weigh team bikes during the team media presentation last week but we expect it to be just barely UCI-legal at around 6.86kg.

As before, Trek will again offer team replica bikes to the public via its Project One program. Suggested retail price (sans pedals) is US$11,686.48.

Wouter Weylandt and Xavier Tondo Remembered

2011 Reader Poll: Weylandt and Tondo remembered

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/2011-reader-poll-weylandt-and-tondo-remembered)

Each year we ask the cycling community to vote in our reader poll. One category that always stands out is the Legend of the Year award. In most cases it's awarded to a rider who has retired - a farewell token of thanks as they leave the peloton for the real world - or in last year's case to Laurent Fignon, who gave so much to our sport.

This year, however, the Cyclingnews team has decided to acknowledge two riders - Wouter Weylandt and Xavier Tondo.

Both men were hugely popular within the sport and touched so many fans with their racing styles and personalities. They are, and will be, greatly missed.

Personally, I only got the chance to interview each rider on few occasions. At the start of Amstel Gold Race in 2010 I remember talking to Xavier. He'd just driven all the way up from Girona, Spain, to Holland in order to take part in the race. The drive, brought on by an ash cloud, meant a race against time in order to make the weekend start but as the Spaniard lined up he was a jovial as ever, chatting freely with the press and fans. He made it clear that he was here to respect the race and that it was an event he dearly enjoyed.

In an age where sports personalities are often criticised for attitude or lack of commitment, it spoke volumes of the man's passion.

My only interview with Wouter came almost a year later and on the eve of Paris-Roubaix. He'd crashed a few days earlier but at the Leopard pre-race press conference, he remained strong and full of confidence that he could pull out a performance to help his teammates. He was clearly uncomfortable and in pain as he patiently answered questions, but his resolve as well as Xavier's spirit go a long way to show just how special our sport can be: the dedication, sacrifice, hard work but most of all love everyone even remotely associated with a bike can identify with.

Every now and then an event takes place that touches everyone and unlike the controversy, racing and petty grudges we all have, unites all who hold the sport close.

This award goes to both Xavier and Wouter. May they both rest in peace.

Brotherly Love vs Tour de France

Klöden: Schlecks must forget brotherly love to win Tour de France

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/kloden-schlecks-must-forget-brotherly-love-to-win-tour-de-france)

Andreas Klöden has welcomed the arrival of Andy and Fränk Schleck to the newly-merged RadioShack-Nissan squad, but warned that the Luxembourg duo will have to put fraternal loyalties aside in order to win the Tour de France.

The Schlecks finished second and third in the 2011 edition of the race, but Klöden believes one or other brother will have to sacrifice his own chances if they are to conquer the top step of the podium.

“One brother needs to say next year, ‘ok, I will go on the attack and you go on the counter-attack’ but this year, they rode like brothers,” Klöden told Cyclingnews. “Each looked for the other, and this is not the right tactic. It was nice for the Schlecks to be second and third, but it’s not our goal to be third and second – we want to win.”

The merger of Leopard Trek and RadioShack sees the Schlecks come under the stewardship of Johan Bruyneel in 2012, and as well as tweaking their preparation, he and Leopard owner Flavio Becca will demand a different approach from the Luxembourgers next year.

“I know also Johan a little bit,” Klöden said. “This situation is not the same as this year, because we want to win this Tour and we’ll try to win. It’s not possible to be first, second and third. Maybe Andy can win, or Fränk, but it’s not good to be second third, fifth, sixth, and not first. I think this isn’t the goal for Flavio either. He wants to win. It’s not sure that we can win, but we’ll try it, and with a different tactic maybe.”

Forced out of the Tour de France through injury on stage 13, Klöden watched the final week of the race on television, and he felt that the Schlecks ought to have put Cadel Evans under pressure earlier and more often. “Cadel was always on the wheel, and there was only one climb where he needed to ride [on the Galibier on stage 18 –ed.], when Andy was in front, but at the end.”

Now flanked by the likes Klöden and Chris Horner, however, the onus will be on the Schlecks to put Evans on the back foot by having their team set an aggressive tempo from further out.

“You need to attack earlier,” Klöden noted. “Maybe I could go on the attack before because then Evans’ team needs to react. I think we have a lot of opportunities to do other tactics with big riders because I think also that this year the Leopard Trek guys were a good team but not strong enough on the climbs.

“You have a limited tactic with what you can do if you have only two strong guys. I remember in 2009 [at Astana – ed] with Alberto, Lance, Levi and me, we had a very good team and there were more things you could do.”

With nigh on 100km of time trialling on the agenda, however, the 2012 Tour route appears to pose a significant handicap to the Schlecks’ yellow jersey aspirations. Yet Klöden reckons that the lack of obvious set-piece summit finishes might ultimately play to their advantage, and that the tactical stalemate of this year’s Pyrenean stages is unlikely to be repeated next July.

“You saw this year, I think we had four uphill finishes, but on the uphill finishes, nobody attacked and everybody had almost the same time on the top,” he said. “I remember in 2009 when the Schlecks went on the attack on Le Grand-Bornand. They attacked before and then again on the last climb, so sometimes it’s better if you don’t have a mountaintop finish and you have some big climbs beforehand instead. Everybody is saying it is not a Tour for the Schlecks but I don’t think so.”
Back in a familiar role

The veteran Klöden insisted that he was happy to see the Schlecks join the team, even if it meant that his personal ambitions would once again have to take a back seat, a recurring theme through a career that has seen him ride in the service of Jan Ullrich, Alberto Contador and Lance Armstrong.

“For me it’s always better to have big riders on the team,” he said. “I rode in the past with a lot of big riders but if you are good, you’ll get your chance and you’ll have more opportunities tactically in the race. For me, it doesn’t change things – I want to be fit for the Tour and then we will see.”

One of the RadioShack veterans who enjoyed a startling run of wins in early 2011, and finally freed of domestique deluxe duties in July, the 36-year-old Klöden’s frustration at crashing out of the Tour de France while in such a rich vein of form can surely only have been heightened by the arrival of two marquee overall contenders at his team for 2012.

“For sure it’s a missed opportunity, but what can you do?” he said. “I had the same time as all the leaders and I came through the first week well even with all the crashes, but then I had this mistake on the descent with Vino and Van Den Broeck.

“But I look to the future. I could say now, ‘ah, I lost the opportunity,’ but in the end, there is nothing I can do now.”

Lose weight to win Giro

Fuglsang too fat to win the Giro d'Italia, Andersen says

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/fuglsang-too-fat-to-win-the-giro-ditalia-andersen-says)

Jakob Fuglsang is overweight, and if he doesn't lose weight, he won't win the Giro d'Italia next year. That is the opinion of his RadioShack-Nissan-Trek sporting director Kim Andersen, who also guided the Dane this year at Leopard Trek.

"He must lose two per cent of body fat. Otherwise he can not make it all the way up the steep mountains," Andersen told sporten.tv2.dk.

Fuglsang is listed on the team's website at only 69 kg, with a height of 182 cm.

Andersen sees the case as a simple one.  "If he loses the weight he can compete. If he loses the weight and is in good form, then he can be right up there.”

Fuglsang has already been named the team's captain for the Giro. “We will build a team around him,” said Andersen. 

However, the Giro captaincy will probably mean he will have only a helper role at the Tour de France, where the team goal is to bring Andy and Fränk Schleck on to the podium again. That is, if he even rides the Tour.

"It will be in an auxiliary role. I think we can count on that. But it is not certain that it will be so,” Andersen noted. “It is impossible to say, for it may well be that he is completely finished after Giro.”

Popovych and Cancellara

Popovych to help Cancellara at Flanders and Roubaix

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/popovych-to-help-cancellara-at-flanders-and-roubaix)

Yaroslav Popovych has announced that the Spring Classics will be his first goals for the 2012 season. The Ukraninian, a member of the new RadioShack-Nissan team, will be putting his talents to the service of Fabian Cancellara, joining the team from the merging Leopard-Trek squad.

"In 2012, I will focus on the Spring Classics with Cancellara, including Flanders and Roubaix," the 2001 U23 Paris-Roubaix winner told Bicicilismo. "I want to do a good showing in Roubaix because I have always liked these races and I felt at ease with them, despite the crashes and the punctures. I think I can achieve a good result there and help Cancellara."

Eleven years after his U23 Paris-Roubaix victory, the now 31-year-old is excited at the prospect of helping two-time winner Fabian Cancellara to equal triple champion and Classics rival Tom Boonen. "I started to train again in November - when normally I commence only in December - to do a good job in the first part of the year," he added.

The second part of the season will then be dedicated entirely on the Tour de France, where Popovych hopes to be of similar support to the Schleck brothers as he used to be when he was still part of Lance Armstrong's victories. "After the Classics I will be able to focus on the Tour de France without problems," the two-time Tour de France stage winner concluded.

Jakob Fuglsang's Year

Jakob was one of my favorite riders this year:

Fuglsang satisfied with progress in 2011

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/fuglsang-satisfied-with-progress-in-2011)

Jakob Fuglsang had only one individual win in 2011 but he was still satisfied with the season. “I am really very happy with my season,” the Leopard Trek rider said. 

The main difference this year was in his racing calendar. “I rode many races, and that makes it hard to get top rankings, because it eats away at your energy,” he told the Ritzau news agency.

Fuglsang thought that this year he has proven he can ride at a high level. “I was at the forefront of races like Amstel Gold and Tour de Suisse.” He finished fourth in both of those.

His win this season was the queen stage of the Tour of Denmark. He had won his homeland race the previous three years, but only finished 18th this year.

If both the Tour de France and the Tour of Denmark were disappointing, the Vuelta a Espana made up for them. “It went better than I had expected. I had one day in the lead, was in the top ten until the final and just missed the top ten by 17 seconds.”

The 26-year-old led his team across the finish line in the best time at the opening team time trial in Benidorm.  It was his first grand tour leader's jersey.

You Might Need A Guide, Part II

Here is an updated guide to the pro team's rider transfers:

The Cyclingnews guide to rider transfers 2011-2012

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/the-cyclingnews-guide-to-rider-transfers-2011-2012)

To keep up with all the transfer news, Cyclingnews has put together a handy summary of all the new signings, re-signings, retirements and exits to keep you from getting lost. We'll be adding updates as all the news comes in so be sure to check back to get the latest updates.

AG2R La Mondiale
Ins: Sylvain Georges (Big-Mat Auber 93), Romain Bardet (Chambéry CF), Jimmy Casper (Saur Sojasun), Manuel Belletti (Colnago CSF Inox), Julien Berard (re-signed), Mehdi Sohrabi (Tabriz Petrochemical)
Outs: David Le Lay (Saur Sojasun), Cyril Dessel (retiring), Yuriy Krivtsov, Julien Loubet

Astana
Ins: Paolo Tiralongo (re-signed), Francesco Masciarelli (re-signed), Andrey Kaschekin (Lampre-ISD), Egor Silin (Katusha), Jacopo Guarnieri (LIquigas-Cannondale), Francesco Gavazzi (Lampre-ISD), Dimitry Muravyev (RadioShack), Borut Bozic (Vacansoleil), Kevin Seeldraeyers (Quickstep), Alexander Vinokourov (re-signed)
Outs: Remi Di Gregorio (Cofidis), Simon Clarke (GreenEdge), Tomas Vaitkus (GreenEdge), Allan Davis (GreenEdge)

BMC Racing Team
Ins: Cadel Evans, George Hincapie (re-signed), Philippe Gilbert (Omega Pharma-Lotto), Thor Hushovd (Garmin-Cervelo), Brent Bookwalter, Marcus Burghardt, Steve Morabito, Manuel Quinziato, Michael Schär, Martin Kohler, Mathias Frank (all re-signed), Marco Pinotti, Tejay Van Garderen (HTC-Highroad), Adam Blythe (Omega Pharma-Lotto), Klaas Lodewyck (Omega Pharma-Lotto), Danilo Wyss (re-signed)
Outs: Alexander Kristoff (Katusha), Jeff Louder (UnitedHealthcare), Chad Beyer (RealCyclist), Karsten Kroon (Saxo Bank), John Murphy (Kenda)

Cofidis
Ins: Remi Di Gregorio (Astana), David Moncoutie, Tristan Valentin,  Romain Zingle (all re-signed)
Outs: Remy Cusin (Team Type 1), Julien El Fares (Team Type 1), Jens Keukeleire (GreenEdge)

Euskatel -Euskadi
Ins: Mikel Astarloza Chaurreau, Mikel Nieve Ituralde (all re-signed)
Outs: Koldo Fernandez (Garmin-Cervelo), Jonathan Castroviejo (Movistar), Daniel Sesma, Javier Aramendia, Inaki Isasi (retiring)

Team Garmin-Cervelo
Ins: Johan Vansummeren (re-signed), David Millar (re-signed), Sebastian Rosseler (Radioshack), Alex Rasmussen (HTC-Highroad), Raymond Kreder, Jacob Rathe (Garmin-Chipotle), Alex Howes (Garmin-Chipotle), Koldo Fernandez (Euskaltel-Euskadi), Robbie Hunter
Outs: Jack Bobridge (GreenEdge), Travis Meyer (GreenEdge), Cameron Meyer (GreenEdge), Thor Hushovd (BMC), Brett Lancaster (GreenEdge), Matt Wilson (GreenEdge), Julian Dean (GreenEdge)

GreenEdge
Ins: Daniel Teklehaymanot (neo), Travis Meyer, Cameron Meyer, Jack Bobridge (all Garmin-Cervelo), Stuart O'Grady (Leopard-Trek), Pieter Weening (Rabobank), Sebastian Langeveld (Rabobank), Simon Gerrans (Sky), Jens Mouris (Vacansoleil), Simon Clarke (Astana), Baden Cooke (Saxo Bank-Sungard), Matt Wilson (Garmin-Cervelo), Tomas Vaitkus (GreenEdge), Svein Tuft (Spidertech-C10), Robbie McEwen (RadioShack), Fumiyuki Beppu (RadioShack), Michael Albasini (HTC-Highroad), Matt Goss (HTC-Highroad), Jens Keukeleire (Cofidis), Leigh Howard (HTC-Highroad), Wesley Sulzberger (FDJ), Allan Davis (Astana), Brett Lancaster (Garmin-Cervelo), Mitch Docker (Skil-Shimano), Aidis Kruopis (Landbouwkrediet), Julian Dean (Garmin-Cervelo), Christian Meier (UnitedHealthcare), Daryl Impey (RadioShack)

HTC-Highroad (disbanding)
Ins:
Outs: All riders - team folding: Tony Martin, Peter Velits, Martin Velits (Omega Pharma-QuickStep), Patrick Gretsch (Skil-Shimano),  Mark Renshaw (Rabobank), Alex Rasmussen (Garmin-Cervelo), Michael Albasini (GreenEdge), Matt Goss (GreenEdge), Frantisek Rabon, Bert Grabsch (Omega Pharma-Quick Step), Marco Pinotti (BMC), Leigh Howard (GreenEdge), Matthew Brammeier (Omega Pharma-QuickStep), Bernhard Eisel, Mark Cavendish (Sky)

Katusha
Ins: Pavel Brutt, Denis Galimzyanov, Joaquin Rodriguez Oliver, Joan Horrach Rippoll (all re-signed), Angel Vicioso (Androni), Xavier Florencio (Geox), Gatis Smukulis (HTC-Highroad), Alexander Kristoff (BMC)
Outs: Stijn Vandenbergh (QuickStep), Filippo Pozzato (Farnese Vini), Vladimir Karpets (Movistar), Egor Silin (Astana), Daniel Di Luca

Lampre-ISD
Ins: Davide Cimolai (Liquigas), Diego Ulissi, Adriano Malori (re-signed),
Outs: Andrey Kashechkin (Astana), David Loosli (retired), Thomas Tiozzo (Geox-TMC)

Leopard Trek (forming RadioShack-Nissan-Trek in 2012) 
Ins: Ben Hermans (signed with Leopard Trek), Grégory Rast (signed with Leopard Trek), Benjamin King, Jesse Sergent, Nelson Oliveira, Matthew Busche, Christopher Horner, Andreas Klöden, Janez Brajkovic, Markel Irizar, Haimar Zubeldia (all RadioShack), Jens Voigt, Andy Schleck, Fränk Schleck, Daniele Bennati, Fabian Cancellara, Jakob Fuglsang, Maxime Monfort, Robert Wagner
Under contract: William Clarke, Stefan Denifl, Brice Feillu,  Linus Gerdemann, Dominic Klemme, Anders Lund,  Martin Mortensen, Giacomo Nizzolo, Joost Posthuma, Rüdiger Selig, Tom Stamsnijder, Davide Vigano,  Fabian Wegmann, Oliver Zaugg
Not under contract: Bruno Pires, Martin Pedersen, Thomas Rohregger
Outs: Stuart O'Grady (GreenEdge)

RadioShack (current organisation disbanding)
Ins: Gianni Meersman (FDJ), Tony Gallopin (Cofidis) - contracts with Radioshack for 2012
Outs: Sebastian Rosseler (Garmin-Cervelo), Michal Kwiatkowski (Lotto-Ridley), Sergio Paulinho (Saxo Bank), Daryl Impey (GreenEdge), Geoffroy Lequatre (Bretagne-Schuller)

Liquigas-Cannondale
Ins: Alessandro Vanotti, Sylvester Szmyd, Cristiano Salerno, Peter Sagan, Juraj Sagan, Daniel Oss, Vincenzo Nibali, Alan Marangoni, Kristjan Koren, Mauro Da Dalto, Damiano Caruso, Paolo Longo Borghini, Ivan Basso, Valerio Agnoli, Elia Viviani, Fabio Sabatini, Simone Ponzi, Maciej Paterski, Davide Cimolai, Eros Capecchi, Maciek Bodnar (all re-signed)
Outs: Davide Cimolai

Movistar
Ins: Giovanni Visconti, Pablo Lastras Garcia, Jose Joaquin Rojas Gil, Angel Madrazo, Francisco José Ventoso Alberdi, Sergio Pardilla Bellon, Andrey Amador Bikkazakova (all re-signed), Jonathan Castroviejo (Euskaltel-Euskadi)
Outs: José Vicente Garcia Acosta (retired)

Lotto Ridley (was Omega Pharma-Lotto)
Ins: Jurgen Van den Broeck, Marcel Sieberg
Outs: Philippe Gilbert (BMC), Adam Blythe, Klaas Lodewyck (both BMC)

Quickstep (Omega Pharma-QuickStep in 2012)
Ins: Kevin De Weert (re-signed), Tony Martin, Peter Velits, Martin Velits (HTC-Highroad), Stijn Vandenbergh (Katusha), Sylvain Chavanel (re-signed), Tom Boonen (re-signed), Michal Kwiatkowski (RadioShack), Michal Golas (Vacansoleil-DCM), Frantisek Rabon, Bert Grabsch (HTC-Highroad), Andy Fenn (An Post-Sean Kelly), Sylvain Chavanel, Kristof Vandewalle, Guillaume Van Keirsbulck, Dries Devenyns, Gert Steegmans (all re-signed), Matthew Brammeier (HTC-Highroad), Levi Leipheimer (RadioShack)
Outs: Kevin Seeldraeyers (Astana), Davide Malacarne (Europcar)

Rabobank
Ins: Mark Renshaw (HTC-Highroad), Laurens Ten Dam, Steven Kruijswijk, Rick Flens, Stef Clement, Lars Boom, Juan Manuel Garate (all re-signed),
Outs: Pieter Weening (GreenEdge), Sebastian Langeveld (GreenEdge)

Saxo Bank SunGard
Ins: Nicki Sørensen (re-signed), Sergio Paulinho (Radioshack), Matteo Tosatto (re-signed), Manuele Boaro (re-signed)
Outs: Richie Porte (Sky)

Skil-Shimano
Ins: John Degenkolb (HTC-Highroad), Koen de Kort (re-signed), Patrick Gretsch (HTC-Highroad), Yann Huguet, Tom Veelers, Albert Timmer, Marcel Kittel, Alexandre Geniez, Simon Geschke, Johannes Frohlinger, Bert De Backer (all re-signed), Jonas Aaen Jørgensen, Jaroslaw Marycz and Ran Margaliot
Outs: Mitch Docker (GreenEdge)

Team Sky
Ins: Geraint Thomas (re-signed), Sergio Luis Henao Montoya (Gobernacion de Antioquia), Luke Rowe (neo), Richie Porte (Saxo Bank SunGard), Bernhard Eisel, Mark Cavendish
Outs: Simon Gerrans (GreenEdge)

Vacansoleil
Ins: Kenny Van Hummel (Skil-Shimano), Thomas De Gendt, Rob Ruygh, Wouter Poels, Romain Feillu (all re-signed)
Outs: Michal Golas (Vacansoleil-DCM), Jens Mouris (GreenEdge), Borut Bozic (Astana)

RadioShack-Nissan-Trek...That's a mouthful!

I'm glad the Vuelta is over and that things have finally calmed down at work. Now I have time to blog about articles that I find interesting, instead of just posting the Grand Tour results.

I think the biggest news to have hit during the Vuelta was that of the Radioshack/Leopard-Trek merger. I'm wondering if this is going to become the new "super" cycling team?

Bruyneel and Becca speak out on new team

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/bruyneel-and-becca-speak-out-on-new-team)

Johan Bruyneel is looking forward to helping Andy Schleck win the Tour de France. The Belgian said that will be one of his main goals at RadioShack-Nissan-Trek in the coming season, while admitting that the team is having some growing pains at the moment.

It was announced earlier this week that RadioShack and Leopard Trek will join forces to ride as one team next season.

He  “very much looks forward” to working not only with current RadioShack riders but also with current Leopard riders, including Fabian Cancellara, Fränk Schleck, Jakob Fuglsang, Maxime Monfort and Daniele Bennati, Bruyneel wrote on his website.

The biggest challenge, however, would seem to be Andy Schleck, “obviously one of the most talented riders in cycling and it is my goal to help him achieve the goal of winning the Tour de France. As with every rider, there are always improvements to be made and I think with these adjustments and the team we will put together, Andy will have his best chance yet of standing on the top step in Paris.”

The final details of the structure of the new team are still being worked out, and Bruyneel acknowledged that “the information (sometimes not completely accurate) finds its way into the press, which has caused us to announce this new venture a bit earlier than we originally planned.” The final team roster will be announced by September 15.

UCI apparently not informed

The International Cycling Union issued a stiffly-worded announcement Wednesday evening concerning the new 2012 team, and indicated that it had not been informed beforehand of the changes. The UCI said that it “is aware of the information published in the media concerning the project”, and added that “the UCI has also learned from the same sources of the intention of the CSE Pro Cycling LLC – financial managers of the American team RadioShack – to give up the UCI WorldTour licence that it had been granted for the 2010-2013 period.

"The UCI is currently evaluating the information received and is not available to comment further at this time.”

Leopard sponsor questions deal

The UCI was not the only one who appeared to have been taken by surprise. One of Leopard Trek's sponsors is Mercedes-Benz Luxembourg, which was taken aback by the arrival of its rival Nissan as new sponsor.

In a statement issued this week, the auto company said that it was surprised to see the Leopard press release which said that RadioShack and Nissan would be two top sponsors of the team as of 2012. Mercedes-Benz Luxembourg notes that it has "a valid contract with Leopard SA through the end of 2013. The consequence of the latest decision by Leopard SA must now be discussed by the contract partners."

Flavio Becca, the financier behind the team, saw the situation differently. “We have a contract with Mercedes which can be cancelled at any time under various circumstances,” he told Wort.lu. “We will be equipped by Nissan as of 2012. I want to thank Mercedes-Benz Luxembourg and also Enovo [a further sponsor -ed.]. They believed in us and I think we gave them a lot of visibility.”

Personnel comings and goings

RadioShack had 30 riders this season, and Leopard has 25. The new team may have no more than 30, so it is obvious that changes will be made. Several riders have already announced new teams for the coming season, but others fear for their jobs.

Becca made it clear that the new team would consist largely of current Leopard riders. He indicated that of the 25 riders now on the team, the five whose contracts expire the end of the year would leave. “That reduces the number of our riders to 20. If you do the maths, you can see that we can take on 10 new riders.”

Those five riders are Jens Voigt, Martin Pedersen, Bruno Pires, Thomas Rohregger and Stuart O'Grady. The latter has already announced that he will ride for the new GreenEdge team next year.

Two of the RadioShack riders who will be with the team next year are Markel Irizar and Haimar Zubeldia. Irizar last Saturday signed a new two-year contract with Bruyneel, telling biciciclismo.com, “I'm in, but you have to remember the people who stay outside and that the current situation is not good for cycling.”

Zubeldia echoed those sentiments, saying “We're in but is a pity that some are left out.”

Becca has said that Sports Director Kim Andersen is welcome to stay on with the team, with Andersen telling the Danish newspapers Ekstra Bladet, “I assume that I will continue.”

He added, “it is clear that things are changing and when everything is in place, I will consider whether I am interested in being part of the set-up that comes out of it.” He said that he particularly would like to continue to work with the Schlecks and Fuglsang.

Wouter Weylandt's Little Girl...

It's always sad for a child to be born without a father around, especially one that was taken far too young...

Weylandt family welcomes baby girl

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/weylandt-family-welcomes-baby-girl)

The girlfriend of the late Wouter Weylandt, An-Sophie De Graeve, has given birth to their baby daughter Alizée on Thursday evening. Both mother and child are in good health.

"The birth went very well. Alizée came to this world at 7.05pm, she measures 51 centimetres and weighs 3.6kg," the family announced to the Belgian press on Friday morning.

Wouter Weylandt passed away on May 9 this year at the Giro d'Italia. The Belgian Leopard Trek rider crashed on the descent of the Passo del Bocco and sustained fatal injuries. He was 26 years old.

Vuelta a Espana: Stage 1

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/vuelta-a-espana/stage-1/results)

Jakob Fuglsang pulled on the leader’s jersey at a grand tour for the first time in his career on Saturday as Leopard Trek dominated the 13.5km team time trial along the Benidorm beachfront to open its Vuelta a España account in glorious style.

The Luxembourg outfit, led splendidly by a Fabian Cancellara resplendent in rainbow stripes, took the fastest intermediate time and maintained that sizzling pace under the baking Spanish sun to finish with a time of 16:30, which wasn’t to be bettered by any other team.

In second place was Liquigas-Cannondale, the Italian squad finishing in 16:34, five seconds ahead of HTC-Highroad, who managed a respectable 16:39. And with Cancellara and co setting their time early in proceedings, the stage became a shootout between them and the team of defending champion Vincenzo Nibali.

While it was Leopard Trek who won out on the day, Nibali will be buoyed in his title defence by the performance of his teammates. Sagan crossed the line first but with Nibali already within touching distance of the leader’s jersey, his quest for a second consecutive title could hardly have started better.

The man in that leader’s jersey, Fuglsang, was a surprised recipient after the finish, explaining that he hadn’t expected to be the man at the front of the team as it crossed the line. “We didn’t talk about it at the start; the goal today was to do a good team time trial,” he said. “We knew we could win if we rode at our maximum and we’d have a chance.

“I went as hard as I could and thought that someone would pass me at the end but they didn’t.”

The 13.5km test along the Benidorm beachfront saw several teams challenged by the technical nature of the course and the pace required to stay near the front of the fast finishers. The biggest name to topple was Team Sky, as Bradley Wiggins’ tilt at the Vuelta title got off to a horrible start. The British squad rode along the beach with only four riders until Xavier Zandio regained contact and the quintet went on to finish 42 seconds behind Leopard Trek.

Fuglsang himself acknowledged the perils of the short yet demanding day in the saddle. “The course today had everything – there was a hard start and it was technical,” he said. “You had to be careful not to blow up the whole team and not to crash – Davide Viganò crashed at the top of the course.”

Others who crashed included David Blanco and Nick Nuyens, the latter coming down hard as the course dropped towards the beachfront and he would finish behind his Saxo Bank-Sungard teammates.

Another team to suffer on the day was RadioShack, as overall hopeful Janez Brajkovic suffered a mechanical just metres off the start ramp and slowed the American squad’s progress, resulting in a time of 16:59 – enough for 14th place.

While Saxo Bank endured a bad day, two of its former riders, Fuglsang and Cancellara, will now feature in Leopard Trek’s ambitions for the remainder of this Vuelta, as the Dane explained after the finish: “I’m going for the overall and will see how far I can go – my goal is the general classification. We have [Daniele] Bennati for the sprints and Fabian for the [individual] time trial,” he said.

Other notable performances came from Astana, who sat in second on the standings until HTC-Highroad and then Liquigas-Cannondale knocked them down to fourth, while Movistar rode a fast first intermediate time to do enough for fifth place by day’s end.

Skil-Shimano, a surprise inclusion in this year’s Vuelta a España, did themselves proud with eighth place after leading off the 22 teams in the day’s starting order. The Dutch outfit bettered more illustrious squads despite a slow start and with German sprinter Marcel Kittel in their line-up, they will be hoping to do even better tomorrow.

Fuglsang will wear the red jersey in tomorrow’s 171.5km journey from La Nucía to Playas de Orihuela, where the fast men are expected to dominate. His teammate Bennati will be aiming to prevail in his match-up against the likes of Mark Cavendish, Tyler Farrar and Tom Boonen. The Italian has won stages and the points classification of the Vuelta a España in the past and will hope to resume his run of success with victory.

Result
1	Jakob Fuglsang (Den) Leopard Trek	0:16:30
2	Fabian Cancellara (Swi) Leopard Trek
3	Maxime Monfort (Bel) Leopard Trek
4	Thomas Rohregger (Aut) Leopard Trek
5	Daniele Bennati (Ita) Leopard Trek
6	Peter Sagan (Svk) Liquigas-Cannondale	0:00:04
7	Damiano Caruso (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale
8	Eros Capecchi (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale
9	Valerio Agnoli (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale
10	Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale

Another Memorial for Weylandt

Wouter Weylandt athletics stadium opened

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/wouter-weylandt-athletics-stadium-opened)

Last weekend a new athletics stadium was inaugurated in Gent by the name of "Wouter Weylandt atletiekstadion". In accordance with Weylandt's family, city officials granted the proposal of the local athletics clubs and thereby honoured the rider. Wouter Weylandt suffered a fatal crash in the Giro d'Italia earlier this year.

"You don't have to search very long to find the symbolism in this, as Weylandt started his sports career in athletics," explained Christophe Peeters, member of the town's College of Aldermen, to Het Nieuwsblad.

"The Mondo track is in accordance with all the international competition norms. The track may be used for Olympic teams."

Weylandt died tragically on May 9 this year after crashing in a descent of the Giro d'Italia stage three. The Gent native is still very much remembered in his Belgian home town, which has also erected a memorial for him as well as two other recently deceased riders, Dimitri De Fauw and Frederiek Nolf.

Jens Voigt...Still with Leopard Trek?

I know this is an older article, but I haven't found anything updated, so I figure it's still safe to post:

Voigt negotiating with Leopard Trek

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/voigt-negotiating-with-leopard-trek)

Jens Voigt is not ready to call time on his long career. The German, who will turn 40 in September, is considering the offer of a new one-year contract with Leopard Trek.

The team confirmed the negotiations. "There are talks, no confirmation," team spokesman Tim Vanderjeugd told Cyclingnews Monday morning.

Voigt also told the Süddeutsche Zeitung that he hopes to ride the Tour de France again in 2012, for the 15^th time.

He still feels competitive. “It's not that I was always getting dropped here,” he said. “I can still do it, so I should stay, and I still have fun with cycling.”

Voigt has won three Tour stages in his career, most recently in 2006, and has worn both the yellow and mountains jersey in the past.

He had to leave the 2009 Tour after a horrific crash which left him with a fractured jaw and cheekbone. This year he also suffered numerous crashes but no serious injuries.

Voigt turned pro in 1997 and has ridden for ZVVZ-Giant, Gan, Credit Agricole and CSC/Saxo Bank before joining Leopard Trek this year. Amongst his many career wins are five overall victories in the Criterium International.