A Day Late...

I didn't have time to post last night, but I did want to bring this up. I blogged the other day about younger RSLT riders that have potential to win this year. Although my list wasn't inclusive to just those riders I named, I apparently left a very important one out: Maxime Monfort. Monfort's 2nd place time trial in stage 2 of the Tour de Mediterraneen left him 22 seconds behind race leader Lars Boom, but Monfort's finish on Stage 4 granted him enough time to take over the leader's jersey. He sat 1 second ahead of Boom.

Monfort aims to defend Tour Méditerranéen lead

Maxime Monfort moved into the lead at the Tour Méditerranéen with a measured performance on the final climb of Mont Faron on stage 4. The Belgian all-rounder finished in 17 postion on the stage, 54 seconds behind stage winner Jean-Christophe Peraud (AG2R La Mondiale), but after his solid ride in the stage 2 time trial, Monfort edged ahead of previous race leader, Lars Boom (Blanco) by one second.

“I felt no panic when Peraud attacked,” Monfort said.

“I had studied the GC very well with (director Jose) Azevedo last night. I knew he would never take one minute on me. We were well prepared. The only thing not foreseen was that I had a very bad day today. But I gave everything I had. It was a fight within myself the last two, three kilometres. It was a TT for me. Thanks go to my teammates who worked all day for me. Thomas Rohregger was the last guy with me until 2k from the top and then it was up to me. Just at that moment Boom was dropped.”

Monfort, who’s last overall victory in a stage race came in the 2010 Bayern Rundfahrt, will look to defend his Med lead on Sunday’s final stage.

Team director José Azevedo added: “Now we will defend this jersey tomorrow in a hard stage. It won’t be easy. We only have six riders as Robert Kišerlovski was sick and didn’t start today. If a lot of riders survive the climb of Tanneron we might be lucky that the sprinters’ teams will work. Otherwise it will be up to us alone.”

Like the title of this blog states, I am a day late. Unfortunately, Monfort lost time on the stage, and ended 4th overall. The stage winner was Jurgen Roelandts while the race winner was Thomas Lövkvist.

2012 Tour de France Stage 5, 7/05/12

Part of me wants to post all the articles of the newest information about Lance Armstrong's USADA investigation. The news this morning ruined my day. Maybe I'll post it later...

...for now let's celebrate Andre Greipel's 2nd win:

July 5, Stage 5: Rouen - Saint-Quentin 196.5km

Greipel doubles up on Tour de France stage 5

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/tour-de-france/stage-5/results)

Andre Greipel (Lotto-Belisol) sprinted to victory at stage five of the 2012 Tour de France in the town of Saint-Quentin for his second consecutive stage win. He took advantage of a flat and fast run-in and swooped very late to deny Matthew Goss (Orica-GreenEdge), JJ Haedo (Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank) and Mark Cavendish (Sky).

"I'm happy because I won another stage in the Tour de France," said Greipel. "There was a bit of a crash and I was behind it at 3k to go, but Greg Henderson was waiting for me. The Lotto Belisol train was working perfectly today. It was a hard sprint, I think it was one of the hardest sprints I've ever done."

For the second consecutive day the finale was marred by a large crash less than 3km from the finish, with the most high profile victim being points leader Peter Sagan (Liquigas-Cannondale), who was well-placed at the time but was forced to check his momentum dramatically as several riders hit the floor around him. Ultimately a downed bike caused the Slovak to tumble, leaving contusions on his left elbow and buttock, but he was more concerned with the lost points toward the green jersey competition.

"I missed a great opportunity, especially for points toward winning the green jersey," said Sagan. "Unfortunately, every time there is a sprint the script is always the same: everyone wants to stay ahead, everyone thinks they have good legs and do manoeuvres that cause crashes. We are at the Tour de France and a victory here is worth a lot, but the risks are just too high. Though the thought that I could have been hurt worse helps me overcome the sorrow."

Garmin-Sharp's Tyler Farrar, his arm dripping blood after being taken down in a squeeze between Tom Veelers (Argos-Shimano) and a Lampre rider, was furious following his second major spill in as many days. He attempted to enter the Argos team bus to have it out with Veelers, but was pulled away by team staff.

Veelers explained via the team's press release: "Tyler wanted to get in the wheel of Koen de Kort, but I was already there. He didn't respect my train, but that's his problem. I get why he’s upset, because a crash is never very pleasant."

Emotions are running high as the pressure is on for the sprinters, who have just one flat stage left tomorrow before the race hits the hills on Saturday. The next possible sprint stage after stage 6 to Metz comes on July 13, when stage 12 hits a plateau after a cat 3 climb near the finish, or the following stage to Le Cap d'Agde.

Cavendish, still smarting from his crash the previous day, did not blame his injuries on the fifth place finish, rather he said he intentionally positioned himself behind in order to get a run at the finish but found himself too far back.

"The final didn't work out quite how we wanted it but the guys were all there and they did a good job," said Sky director Sean Yates. "We upped the ante and next time it will be better. Cav dropped back a bit at the finish and had a bit too much work to do at the end.

"We need to keep this going starting tomorrow and we will look to keep Bradley safe and set Mark up heading into the finish."

After today's stage Sagan adds only 8 points (won in the intermediate sprint) to his booty for the green jersey. The ranking sees him still in first place with 155 points, followed by Goss, who moves closer at 137, Greipel (winner today) at 132 and Cavendish at 119, although Goss said that he doesn't want to gain an advantage because of crashes.

"It's not the way I want to take points, I don't want to gain in the competition because someone has crashed but we did definitely take back quite a lot of points today," Goss said.

Meanwhile, it was another quiet day for the general classification contenders, who steered clear of the sprinters in the finale.

The overall race lead remains with Fabian Cancellara (RadioShack-Nissan), who expects to concede the yellow jersey on the first major uphill finish in La Planche des Belles Filles on Saturday.

"Everything is possible in life if you believe in it. However, in my opinion, from what I’ve seen of the Planche des Belles Filles climb and what I’ve heard about it, it’s a little bit too hard for me," Cancellara admitted.

It was another hectic day in Northern France, with more wind, more narrow roads and nerves. The only abandon of the day came from Marcel Kittel (Argos-Shimano), who finally gave up after nearly a week of fighting gastroenteritis and knee pain.

The majority of the race was dominated by a four-man breakaway, who went clear just three kilometres into the stage. Matthieu Ladagnous (FDJ-BigMat), Pablo Urtasun (Euskaltel-Euskadi), Jan Ghyselinck (Cofidis) and Julien Simon (Saur-Sojasun) rode on the front for over 190km.

Ladagnous took the maximum points at the day's intermediate sprint in Breteuil as the four leaders rolled through the line. Behind, the peloton's green jersey battle continued, with Cavendish getting the better of Goss, Renshaw and Sagan for the points.

The four leaders eked out an advantage of 5:40 but after the sprint the elastic began to contract again, and they were reeled in steadily by the chasing sprinters' teams.

The four kept working together to hold a handful of seconds inside the 3km to go banner, and Ghyselinck panicked: he made a bold attack for the finish line with just over 1km to go. The Belgian could not hang on, however. Urtasun was able to come by, but he, too, was caught and left behind by the marauding pack in the final 100 metres.

Full Results

#	Rider Name (Country) Team	Result
1	André Greipel (Ger) Lotto Belisol Team	4:41:30
2	Matthew Harley Goss (Aus) Orica GreenEdge Cycling Team
3	Juan José Haedo (Arg) Team Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank
4	Samuel Dumoulin (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne
5	Mark Cavendish (GBr) Sky Procycling
6	Tom Veelers (Ned) Argos-Shimano
7	Oscar Freire Gomez (Spa) Katusha Team
8	Alessandro Petacchi (Ita) Lampre - ISD
9	Sébastien Hinault (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale
10	Yohann Gene (Fra) Team Europcar

20 - June - 2012 - Daily News

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

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

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

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

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

Hushovd healthy again and looking to London Olympics

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

De Clercq finished Tour de Suisse with collapsed lung

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Wiggins relaxed as Tour de France draws closer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Pozzato consulted with Ferrari "for training advice"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A legal loophole?

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

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

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

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

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

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

Scarponi, Visconti and Bertagnolli called before CONI

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

16 - June - 2012 - Daily News

Wow! I'm actually doing this early. The news seems quiet on the weekend...well, that and the fact that my husband said he needs the computer all night. I figured I should get this out quickly.

Tour de Suisse Stage 8 was today. Michael Albasini won the stage, and Rui Costa is still in the lead with 14 seconds over Frank Schleck.

June 16, Stage 8: Bischofszell - Arosa 148.2km

Albasini solos to Tour de Suisse stage 8 win

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/tour-de-suisse-2012/stage-8/results)

Michael Albasini (Orica-GreenEdge) took a fine solo victory at the Tour de Suisse on a day that saw Fränk Schleck (RadioShack-Nissan) edge closer to the overall lead of Rui Costa (Movistar). With one day of racing to go, Costa leads Schleck by 14 seconds, with Levi Leipheimer (Omega Pharma-QuickStep) a further 7 seconds back in 3rd.

It was ultimately a day of two races on the 148.2km trek from Bischofszell to Arosa. The first was a straightforward fight for stage honours that saw Albasini outlast his three breakaway companions and then pull away on the hors categorie climb to the finish; the second, a tense, tactical battle for the leader’s yellow jersey, in which the initiative ebbed and flowed between a number of contenders in the finale.

The foundations of Albasini’s win were laid in a low-key time trial display on Friday – definitively out of the overall picture, the Swiss rider had the freedom to infiltrate the day’s early break, which chugged away 15km into the stage. In the company of Peter Velits (Omega Pharma-QuickStep), Remi Cusin (Team Type 1-Sanofi) and Thomas Dekker (Garmin-Barracuda), Albasini had a lead of five minutes by the time he reached the stage’s two climbs, the second category Castiel and the final haul to Arosa.

Albasini launched his first attack at the foot of the Castiel, bringing Velits clear with him, and together the duo succeeded in maintaining a three-minute advantage by the time the road reared up for the final 8km to Arosa. Cleverly, Albasini once again attacked just before the climbing began in earnest and he quickly careered away from Velits and towards Switzerland’s first stage win of the week.

Rabobank sets the pace

Robert Gesink had shown signs in recent days that he had recovered from his sub-par outing on the opening road stage last weekend, and the Dutchman received a considerable vote of confidence from his Rabobank squad, as they did the bulk of the pace-setting in the yellow jersey group behind.

Indeed, such was the ferocity of Laurens Ten Dam’s tempo on the Castiel that he whittled the group of favourites down to just under twenty riders, with Costa among those riders struggling to maintain contact. While there was a brief regrouping on the descent, Gesink showed his intentions by clipping away for the bonus second on offer at Peist ahead of the final climb.

As the gradient pitched up to 15% on the final climb, Steven Kruijswijk took over pace-making duties for the Dutch squad and his efforts put Costa into difficulty once again. With the Portuguese rider’s grip on his yellow jersey guttering at the rear of the group, it was Fränk Schleck – and not Gesink – who delivered the anticipated attack, however.

The Luxembourger went away inside the final 4 kilometres, bringing Nieve and Leipehimer with him. Behind, Gesink was unable to get on terms, but after initially struggling, he settled to follow at a distance of around 20 seconds, accompanied by Kruijswijk and the impressive Thibaut Pinot (FDJ-BigMat).

Up front, Albasini had managed his resources perfectly on the steepest section of the climb and he then dosed his effort accordingly on the false flat run-in to the finish, and secured a fine stage victory.

Schleck led the pursuit behind, hoping that he might move into the yellow jersey, but his cause was not helped when Nieve and Leipheimer nipped around him for the bonus seconds on offer at the finish. Even so, the trio took 21 seconds out of Robert Gesink and it was left to Rui Costa to limit his losses to Schleck in the closing kilometres, with the help of his teammate Alejandro Valverde.

Costa succeeded in doing so, salvaging his yellow jersey by 14 seconds, but the Portuguese rider will face a stiff test if he is to repeat the feat on the tough final stage to Sörenberg on Sunday.

Full Results

#	Rider Name (Country) Team	Result
1	Michael Albasini (Swi) Orica GreenEdge Cycling Team	3:45:39
2	Mikel Nieve Ituralde (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi	0:01:15
3	Levi Leipheimer (USA) Omega Pharma - QuickStep
4	Frank Schleck (Lux) RadioShack-Nissan
5	Robert Gesink (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team	0:01:36
6	Thibaut Pinot (Fra) FDJ-Big Mat
7	Thomas Danielson (USA) Garmin-Barracuda
8	Steven Kruijswijk (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team	0:01:39
9	Roman Kreuziger (Cze) Pro Team Astana	0:01:57
10	Jakob Fuglsang (Den) RadioShack-Nissan

Cancellara has his sights firmly set on 2012 London Olympics

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/cancellara-has-his-sights-firmly-set-on-2012-london-olympics)

Fabian Cancellara lost the time trial in his homeland Tour de Suisse by less than two seconds, but it does not bother him unduly, as his focus is on the 2012 London Olympics. He also said that he is not overly worried about the doping charges against Johan Bruyneel, his RadioShack-Nissan team manager.

Finishing second in Friday's time trial was “too bad, but not man overboard,” he told Het Nieuwsblad. “My focus is later this year:  to become Olympic champion in London.”

And the pressure is already on to become champion there, and win not one but two gold medals. “I can't just go to London. I can really only lose. Four years ago I had gold and silver, so everyone expects that this time I will get double gold.”

Before that, however, he expects to ride the Tour de France, which this year features three time trials, but made clear that is not his top goal. “It would be nice to be there to win,” he said, but “I would not say that the Tour is a workout, but that I'm riding the Tour especially in view of what comes after. The focus is the Olympics. I have not checked out the time trials in France and am doing other things: my preparation for London.”

The Swiss rider is still looking for his first win after coming back from a fractured collarbone suffered in the Tour of Flanders on April 1. “It was a strange experience and hard to come back after an injury during the season. This is entirely different than getting back in shape after the winter,” he admitted.

“I was home with my family, but it was no vacation. I enjoyed it, but it was also a weird feeling, but I tried to keep it in perspective: 'Hey, I don't have a broken shoulder, it's only a broken collarbone,' I said then. I never panicked. But I didn't imagine that it would take so much time.”

The RadioShack-Nissan team is under a cloud this week following the news that manager Johan Bruyneel has been named by the USADA in its anti-doping investigation. Cancellara said, “There is an accusation, but we don't know what's going on, what is true and what is not. There have been many accusations raised against him. When I see how John and I work together, I do not look to the past. If I looked back on the past, I would not have worked with Bjarne Riis, for  example.”

So here begins the Cavendish versus Greipel sprint fights. I'm wondering what will happen with Sagan thrown into the mix...

Greipel boosted by defeating Cavendish

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/greipel-boosted-by-defeating-cavendish)
André Greipel has hailed his Lotto Belisol lead-out train as the best in the business after he beat his eternal rival Mark Cavendish (Sky) in the sprint on stage two of the Ster ZLM Toer in Schimmert on Friday.

The German rider’s 13th win of the season continues a rich streak of early summer form which has seen him take a clutch of stage victories at the Tour of Belgium and Tour of Luxembourg.

“I’m increasingly convinced that we’re going to have the fastest lead-out train at the Tour de France,” Greipel told De Telegraaf. “I have Jürgen Roelandts and Greg Henderson as my last men, and we’re getting more and more attuned to one another.”

With morale already on a high following his recent haul of wins, Greipel admitted that his confidence had received an additional boost from beating the world champion Cavendish. At last year’s Tour de France, Cavendish won five stages to Greipel’s one, but the German is hopeful that he can get the better of his former HTC-Highroad teammate more often this July.

“I knew I was going well, but to beat Cavendish in a direct duel strengthens the confidence of the whole team,” Greipel said.

Greipel’s thoughts were echoed by manager Marc Sergeant, who will also bring podium contender Jurgen Van Den Broeck to the Tour. “A win brings confidence within the team, a good atmosphere and happy sponsors,” he said.

For his part, Cavendish had some consolation for his second place on Friday as it was enough to elevate him into the overall lead, albeit in the same time as Mark Renshaw (Rabobank) and Greipel. The Ster ZLM Toer concludes on Sunday.

And because I feel I can't go without mentioning Lance's new investigation, here is another article:

Armstrong reportedly made $465,000 payment to Ferrari in 2006

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/armstrong-reportedly-made-dollar-465000-payment-to-ferrari-in-2006)

Gazzetta dello Sport reports that investigators in Italy have uncovered a payment of $465,000 made by Lance Armstrong to Dr. Michele Ferrari in 2006. The news comes after the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) formally charged Lance Armstrong, Johan Bruyneel, Michele Ferrari and three other trainers with links to the US Postal Team with doping on Wednesday.

The alleged payment was discovered as part of a doping investigation opened by Padova-based magistrate Benedetto Roberti in 2010, which is centred on the activities of Ferrari. The controversial doctor is serving a life ban from the Italian Cycling Federation and any rider shown to have worked with Ferrari faces suspension.

Roberti’s team of investigators in Padova are understood to have worked closely with an inquiry in the United States led by Jeff Novitzky, which examined allegations of systematic doping and fraud at the US Postal team.

Federal prosecutors dropped that case in February of this year, however, and Gazzetta reports that the evidence from Padova related to Armstrong’s alleged $465,000 payment to Ferrari “was not ready” at that time.

Nonetheless, USADA CEO Travis Tygart had insisted that his body would look to obtain all evidence developed during the federal investigation in order to continue its own inquiry into doping in cycling.

Armstrong’s use of Ferrari as his trainer was a source of considerable controversy and intrigue during his run of seven consecutive Tour de France victories, and the American claimed in 2004 that he had ended their working relationship.

In September of last year, however, the Corriere della Sera newspaper reported that Armstrong had continued his contact with Ferrari when he came out of retirement and returned to the professional peloton in 2009. The newspaper also alleged that Armstrong had made a series of payments to a company based in Neufchatel, Switzerland, which was believed to be linked to Ferrari.

And this isn't a surprise...like Armstrong and Bruyneel, another person named in the USADA's investigation has denied the charges:

Spanish doctor denies USADA doping charges

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/spanish-doctor-denies-usada-doping-charges)

Luis Garcia del Moral, one of the doctors named in the USADA doping investigation, has denied all the charges, saying he has never been involved with performance-enhancing drugs.

Garcia Del Moral was associated with the USPS team from 1999 to 2004, and with Astana in 2009-2010. Along with Lance Armstrong, Johan Bruyneel, and others he has been charged by USADA with being part of a massive doping conspiracy from 1998-2011.

Marca.com reported that Garcia del Moral said that “the charges are not true and without foundation" and “are motivated and driven by other interests.”

"These charges are the same as those which the Justice Department decided not to pursue after a two-year investigation, and once again and like every year, within weeks of the Tour de France, there is emerging news about cyclist doping allegations in which, again, we are involved,” he said.

"Never in my career have I used doping substances. Never in my career has there been a positive for doping among athletes who have trusted me with their health and sports medicine.”

And this article just makes me shake my head. Riddle me this, Batman...

Norway gives up Olympic women's mountain bike spot

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/norway-gives-up-olympic-womens-mountain-bike-spot)

The Norwegian Cycling Federation decided to send one woman to the 2012 Olympic Games in London in August even though it had qualified two spots. Gunn-Rita Dahle Flesjaa, the recent winner of the European championships and the La Bresse World Cup, is definitely headed to London, but the second spot will go unfilled.

The two top candidates for the other spot were Lene Byberg and Elisabeth Sveum. Byberg, who unfortunately broken her wrist last weekend at the European Championships, has previously won World Cup races and Sveum has won a U23 World Cup race and finished third in the 2011 European Championships for U23 women. In the past two years, both women helped score the points that qualified the two spots for London.

The spot given up by Norway will go to another nation that did not initially qualify for the Games.

A controversial decision

Procycling.No reported on controversy surrounding the decision. Henrik Alpers had said on Terrengsykkel.no, "What is sad is that ... on the men's side on the road they [the Norwegian federation] has always worked to get as many athletes [to top competitions], regardless of level. The federation is not interested in having anyone there other than a gold [medal] candidate." According to Alpers, the Norwegian federation reportedly also asked Sveum's team to remain quiet about the matter so as not to interfere with the process.

Sveum was unhappy about missing out on the chance to go to the Olympics. "This is very disappointing," she said to ProCycling.No. "For off-road cycling in Norway, it is a slap in the face. We use the funds and effort to fight for Norway's two spots on the female side. Then it is a pity that the federation will not make use of both spots. For me personally, this could have been a great opportunity to learn from Gunn-Rita (Dahle Flesjå). I could have made use of it in the next Olympics."

When asked for a response on behalf of the Federation, national team manager Steffen Kjærgaard had told Procycling.No that he could not comment prior to when the federation would officially submit its decision on Monday.

While some countries will send younger racers to the Olympics who are not likely to medal, Norway is choosing to send only the medal contender in this case. Historically, countries take different approaches to filling all qualified spots. For example, Italy qualified two male mountain bikers and is sending medal candidate Marco Fontana and U23 rider Gerhard Kerschbaumer while Belgium had promised only to send a second male athlete if he met strict qualifying criteria; Sven Nys did so at the European championships last weekend, in the last race that could have qualified him; otherwise the nation would have forfeited its second male mountain bike spot.

Norway did not qualify any men for the 2012 Olympic mountain bike race.

Skoda-Tour of Luxembourg Stage 3

Another FANTASTIC stage for the RadioShack-Nissan Trek Team!!! Johan Bruyneel must be so proud. Although the stage wasn't won by a RSNT rider, the Luxemburger Wort Yellow Jersey is now being work by Jakob Fuglsang. And for those paying attention, Fuglsang is one of my picks for my RSNT Tour de France team.

June 2, Stage 3: Eschweiler - Differdange 205.4km

Poels wins queen stage in Luxembourg

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/skoda-tour-de-luxembourg-2012/stage-3/results)

Wout Poels (Vacansoleil-DCM) claimed his first win of the season and one of his most prestigious victories of his career on the queen stage of the Tour de Luxembourg today. At the end of the 205km stage from Eschweiler to Differdange, Poels out-paced Jakob Fuglsand and Fränk Schleck of the RadioShack-Nissan team. With his second place, Fuglsang took over the race lead from Saur-Sojasun's Jimmy Engoulvent.

The day's breakaway went early, with Mathew Hayman (Sky), Jens Debusschere (Lotto-Belisol), Jérôme Cousin (Europcar), Albert Timmer (Argos-Shimano) and Staf Scheirlinckx (Accent.Jobs-Willems Verandas) built up a four minute lead in the lead-up to the hills. Timmer claimed the first four mountain primes, but as the race hit the closing circuits the five riders were being chased in earnest by the Radioshack-led peloton.

The breakaway was finally caught ahead of the Col de l'Europe, which was taken in three times in the closing circuits. Fränk Schleck attacked the first trip to take the most points, pulling away a new leading group with Fuglsang, Poels and his own teammate Andreas Klöden.

Klöden was dropped from the lead group, and the trio went to the line with a small lead. Schleck claimed all three mountain sprints on the Col de l'Europe but wasn't able to get the better of the Dutch rider in the dash to the finish.

(Photo from RadioShack-Nissan Trek: http://lockerz.com/s/213865650)

Full Results

#	Rider Name (Country) Team	Result
1	Wout Poels (Ned) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team	5:01:11
2	Jakob Fuglsang (Den) Radioshack-Nissan
3	Frank Schleck (Lux) Radioshack-Nissan
4	Michael Barry (Can) Sky Procycling	0:00:24
5	Salvatore Puccio (Ita) Sky Procycling
6	Vincent Jerome (Fra) Team Europcar
7	Ben Gastauer (Lux) AG2R La Mondiale
8	Thomas Damuseau (Fra) Argos-Shimano
9	Samuel Dumoulin (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne
10	Johnny Hoogerland (Ned) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team

2012 Skoda-Tour de Luxembourg Stage 2

It is hard to find information on the Skoda-Tour de Luxembourg, so I'm using other sites.

Greipel triumphs yet again in Tour of Luxembourg

(http://www.velonation.com/News/ID/12009/Greipel-triumphs-yet-again-in-Tour-of-Luxembourg.aspx)

 

André Greipel repeated his performance of yesterday and scooped up another win in the Skoda Tour of Luxembourg. The Lotto-Belisol rider beat Ben Swift (Sky Procycling) by over a bike length, with Jurgen Roelandts (Lotto Belisol) third. French rider Jimmy Engoulvent, who won the prologue on Wednesday, keeps the yellow leader's jersey.

Gripel’s ride netted his fifth win in nine days and his eleventh of the season. "It may look simple to the people watching, but it's not," the German said after the finish. "The final was hard but in the end all went well."

The first hour of today's 183.9 kilometers long stage from Schifflange to Leudelange went at a very high pace. The peloton reached an average of almost 50 kilometers per hour as Radioshack kept the pressure on and let no one escape. Kim Andersen: "We are a Luxembourg team so this race is very important to us. Yesterday we tried to make the race tough with the wind but it didn't work out. We'll try again today," Radioshack's directeur sportif said before the start.

After an hour into the race two riders from smaller teams were allowed to break away. Kevin van Melsen from Accent Jobs-Willems Veranda's and Gediminas Kaupas of local team Differdange quickly gained a lead on the bunch who were tired after the fast first hour. The two had seven minutes before Radioshack, Team Sky and Lotto-Belisol started the chase.

In the last of the three local loops Van Melsen and Kaupas were caught. The sprinter teams kept everything together for a new bunch sprint. Before the final kilometer Andreas Klöden of Radioshack-Nissan-Trek attacked. "The only goal here is to win the yellow jersey on Sunday, everything else is a bonus. Last year we won with Gerdemann. I don't care who of the team will take the overall, as long as it is a Radioshack-Nissan-Trek rider'" Andersen said.

Klöden was caught in the final, 300 meters straight road to the finish. There it was Lotto-Belisol's André Greipel who triumphed ahead of Swift. His team-mate Jurgen Roelandts, who has only been back in competition for two weeks after a broken vertebra in the Tour Down Under, got a good third place.

Tomorrow the Tour of Luxembourg has its key stage from Eschweiler to Differdange, running over 205,4 kilometers. It has seven categorised climbs including the Col de l'Europe, a 7.6% climb which is included in the 9.5 kilometres long local circuit. Traditionally the overall classification will be determined in this stage.

(Picture from: http://www.velonation.com/News/ID/12009/Greipel-triumphs-yet-again-in-Tour-of-Luxembourg.aspx)

Results:

1	André Greipel (Ger) Lotto Belisol Team	4:29:20
2	Ben Swift (GBr) Sky Procycling
3	Jurgen Roelandts (Bel) Lotto Belisol Team
4	Romain Feillu (Fra) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team
5	Jean-Pierre Drucker (Lux) Accent Jobs - Willems Veranda's
6	Michael Van Staeyen (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen - Mercator
7	Samuel Dumoulin (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne
8	Roy Curvers (Ned) Argos-Shimano
9	Maxime Monfort (Bel) Radioshack-Nissan
10	Wouter Poels (Ned) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team