22 - June - 2012 - Daily News

Not too much interesting going on today, so this post is relatively short and sweet. Hope everyone has a great weekend!

I don't stray from Road Cycling very often, but I wanted to share this with you:

First inductees announced for UK Mountain Biking Hall of Fame

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/first-inductees-announced-for-uk-mountain-biking-hall-of-fame)

The new United Kingdom MTB Hall of Fame has announced its first inductees on Friday. Although in future years, inductees will be voted by the public from a list created by members of the bike industry, this inaugural group of inductees was chosen by the organisers and some of the founder supporters of the UK MTB Hall of Fame.

Patrick Adams and Jill Greenfield of Pacific Edge Events, who came up with the whole idea explained, "These guys are all at the top of the tree in the UK mountain biking world. They are legends, not only here, but in some cases around the world. We felt it was time they were recognised for everything they have done that has shaped UK mountain biking into what it is today. They have built a sport on which an entire industry has grown. We are proud of each and every one of them."

The 12 first inductees are Jason McRoy; Barrie Clarke; Caroline Alexander; David Baker; Martyn Salt; Helen Mortimer; Tim Flooks; Steve Peat; Tracy Moseley; Rob Warner; Tim Gould; Nick Craig.

The induction ceremony will take place this Friday evening at the Mountain Mayhem event at Eastnor Castle Deer Park in Herefordshire.

Now getting back to the road, SaxoBank has explained their team for the Tour de France, and what makes it different from previous years:

Different approach for Saxo Bank at Tour de France

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/different-approach-for-saxo-bank-at-tour-de-france)

In the absence of the suspended Alberto Contador, Saxo Bank has named a team designed to chase stage victories at the upcoming Tour de France. Bjarne Riis’ nine-man selection features sprinter Juan José Haedo, former Tour of Flanders winner Nick Nuyens and Chris Anker Sørsensen, who will look to make an impact in the mountains.

"We will bring JJ for the sprints, and we have some trusted helpers around him,” said Riis. “In Chris we have a rider with the potential to really influence the mountain stages and maybe he is even a guy to watch for the mountain jersey.”
The Saxo Bank selection also features three former stage winners at the Tour – Sergio Paulinho, who triumphed in Gap in 2010, Nicki Sørensen, who won in Vittel in 2009 and Karsten Kroon, victor in Plouay in 2002.

“We are entering this year's Tour de France with our eyes set on stage wins and with the aim to make an impact on the race, and I'm convinced that this is possible,” Riis said. “We have tried to put together a group of riders that will enable us to open up possibilities, and I believe we have found a great mix of experience, aggressiveness and different competencies.”

The Saxo Bank squad is completed by Michael Mørkøv, Anders Lund and Tour de France debutant Jonathan Cantwell of Australia.

It was a very different Saxo Bank squad twelve months ago, as Alberto Contador lined up for the Tour as the favourite for overall honours. In the meantime, Contador was suspended for his positive test for clenbuterol at the 2010 Tour, and he will not return to action until August, in time for the Vuelta a España.

“Of course this is a very different job waiting for us this year without a designated GC rider,” Riis said. “But I see this as an exiting challenge and a possibility to take some risks that would have been practically impossible under other circumstances. I actually have a really good feeling about the Tour, and I don't think it would be wise to underestimate our team."

Saxo Bank team for the Tour de France: Juan José Haedo (Arg), Jonathan Cantwell (Aus), Nick Nuyens (Bel), Chris Anker Sørensen (Den), Nicki Sørensen (Den), Michael Mørkøv (Den), Anders Lund (Den), Karsten Kroon (Ned) and Sergio Paulinho (Por).

And here is our daily RadioShack Nissan Trek news column:

Bruyneel to skip Tour de France

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/bruyneel-to-skip-tour-de-france)

RadioShack-Nissan will be without its general manager in this year's Tour de France, as Johan Bruyneel has decided to stay away from the race after being embroiled in a possible doping case with the US Anti Doping Agency (USADA).

Bruyneel was named along with other former staff of the US Postal Service team and Lance Armstrong in charges of widespread, organised doping within his former team. USADA is currently considering whether to issue an anti-doping rule violation after it collected evidence in the form of multiple witness testimonies corroborating the doping allegations. Bruyneel has repeatedly asserted his innocence of the charges.

USADA's investigation is separate from a now-closed US federal probe into the same topic.

"I’m sad to say that I’ve decided that for the first time in many years I will not be attending this year’s Tour de France," Bruyneel stated on his personal web site. "The story of the Tour should be the achievements of its riders and the thrill of our great sport. I dearly wish to be there but my attendance in light of the recent USADA allegations against me would be an unwelcome distraction to my team, and to all those participating in and supporting the Tour.

"This is why I’ve decided - after consulting with the Team’s main sponsors and in agreement with the Senior Management of Leopard - not to attend the race. It is unfortunate that these latest, unfounded accusations have resulted in my withdrawal from the Tour, although I hope to prove my innocence and resolve this matter soon and once and for all."

Bruyneel is the most successful team director in Tour history, and has Armstrong's seven titles and Alberto Contador's 2007 and 2009 victories to his name.

Last week, Leopard SA, the owners of the team, issued a statement clarifying that none of the alleged activities took place in the current team's structure, and vowed to "take all appropriate measures, in order to guarantee its sporting integrity and the general interest of cycling".

When Winning the Giro Isn't Enough....

Riis expects more from Saxo Bank in 2012

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/riis-expects-more-from-saxo-bank-in-2012)

Bjarne Riis expects more from his team in 2012. Although the Saxo Bank boss was “generally” satisfied with his team in 2011, he said that upon occasion “I would have liked a little more.”

It was not a bad year for the Danish team, as Alberto Contador won the Giro d'Italia, Nick Nuyens took the Tour of Flanders and JJ Haedo won a stage at the Vuelta a Espana. Still, the team had only 18 wins on the year, fourth fewest of the ProTour teams.

“Generally, I want to have more results. Generally, I have been pleased with the fine season, but there have been situations where I would have liked a little more,” he told the Ritzau news agency.

For 2012, “I want more aggression. I want them to go out to die with their shoes on. Here I am talking not about the sprinters, but generally all of them together, for now we just fight a little more for it.”

It may well in fact be a make-or-break year for some riders. Some are in the grey zone, “and if they want to proceed with their careers, they must deliver something,” he said,w without naming names.

For the team as a whole, “Either they must be indispensable domestiques, or they have to go out and deliver results now and then. In each case, they must go out and try.

“That its the spirit I would like to see a little more. It's not that I've been out with my finger pointing, but there have been instances where I think they should give a little more effort.”

One rider who was named was sprinter Haedo, whose victory on a crash-marred stage 16 of the Vuelta was one of only three wins all season. One of the others was a stage at Tirreno-Adriatico.

“I was really unsure if I should keep JJ Haedo. It's not that I doubt his abilities, but I was not sure that I got the most out of it,” Riis said.

“He may not have gotten the support he deserves. It is always a problem when you have a team like we have, where you focus on classics and stage races.

However, he also put part of the blame on the Argentinian sprinter. “He has not been good enough to use his help from the other riders and teammates as he really should do.”

Haedo can be “among the best sprinters in the world,” but he is also “totally explosive,” which works against him. “Sprinters are often very spontaneous, and he has the southern blood and temperament, and so on. It should also be controlled. It must be used properly. There are more things in it.”

With his stage wins in Spain and Italy, Riis said that Hado has show that “he is able to win big races. But it is a question of commitment. I think that a guy like him should have more wins.”

Saxo Bank: Bringing Jewish & Muslim children together

Saxo Bank opens cycling school in Israel

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/saxo-bank-opens-cycling-school-in-israel)


After working round the clock, Team Saxo Bank has finished building a cycling school in Acre, Israel, and the school opened on Friday. Muslim and Jewish children from the area gathered to learn from the pros.

“It's been a lot of fun and giving, working with the kids today. I enjoy seeing how easily they smile and have a good time in spite of their differences and in spite the lack of cycling experience as many never rode a bike before coming here today,” said Alberto Contador.

Bjarne Riis was pleased with both his project and his team. “It's been a long journey through the night but we came through and the school was ready when the kids arrived. I saw them really having a good time and they were drawn to the bike and the new challenge and I hope they'll continue using the place and continue leading an active life.

“It's been a huge goal for me and the team to get this project done and the whole team made it happen by hard and effective team work.”

The team did not construct the building from scratch, but renovated an existing building and built an off-road trail. Nick Nuyens was one of those who worked on the latter. "I was mainly concerned with transforming a wilderness into an off-road trail. They know almost nothing of cycling here, but the importance of this initiative is primarily the social aspect: people from different backgrounds becoming familiar with each other."

The 2011 Tour of Flanders winner was impressed by the action. “We are not here for show,” he told sportwereld.be. “We really had to work. Thursday we started at eight a.m. and by four p.m., everything had to be ready. Friday our efforts were rewarded and the children were introduced to cycling. They were very enthusiastic. It's nice to see that Jewish and Muslim children are taught together. That is still quite rare in Israel.”

The team will remain in Israel through December 11 to prepare for the upcoming season.

Vuelta a Espana: Stage 2

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/vuelta-a-espana/stage-2/results)

After a disastrous team time trial, Team Sky struck back in the best possible way when Chris Sutton took his debut stage win at a grand tour, out-sprinting Vicente Reynes (Omega Pharma-Lotto) at the end of a disorganised sprint into Playas de Orihuela. The Australian timed his final surge perfectly, jumping in behind Reynes as the Spaniard hit out for the line from the top of the final rise with 300 meters remaining.

Reynes and Suttton opened a substantial gap on the big-name sprinters gathering behind. When Sutton jumped out from behind the Spaniard with 75m remaining, Reynes was not able to respond as the Australian powered past on his right. As Sutton sped clear and celebrated the biggest win of his career, Reynes thumped his bars with frustration. Skil-Shimano's Marcel Kittel was a fast-finishing third, ahead of Garmin-Cervélo's Tyler Farrar.

Sixth place on the stage for Daniele Bennati was enough to move him into the race leader's red jersey at the expense of teammate Jakob Fuglsang, although the two Leopard Trek riders remain tied on overall time.

With his mother at the Vuelta watching him race, 26-year-old Sutton was delighted with his win. "We don't exactly have the perfect lead-out train here but what we do have in the team is strength," said Sutton. "All the boys were fantastic today, they went back and got bidons for me, made sure I had enough food and drink all day. Bradley [Wiggins] looked after me for the last 20km along with Kurt Arvesen. Then I yelled at Thomas Löfkvist to 'Go!' coming out of the roundabout with 2km to go, and he just went straight up the outside and took me to the front.

"I knew it was a hard uphill finish. It kept switching back left and right and then someone from Lotto accelerated and I jumped on his wheel. I thought, 'This is a long way to go.' But I looked back and no one was there. I thought, 'Alright, I've got this one.' To win today is a dream come true. I can't believe it."

A very hot day's work

Despite concerns that one or two riders who crashed in the team time trial in Benidorm might not take to the start, primarily Saxo Bank's Nick Nuyens, a full complement of riders headed out. It didn't take long for the break of the day to form. Paul Martens (Rabobank), Adam Hansen (Omega Pharma-Lotto), Jesús Rosendo (Andalucía-Caja Granada) and Steve Houanard (AG2R-La Mondiale) went clear at the 3km mark as the temperature headed well past the 35-degree mark.

The quartet cooperated well until the final sections of the stage's only climb, the Alto de Relleu, after 28km. Rosendo attacked towards the summit with the aim of claiming the King of the Mountains jersey, but Martens out-sprinted him at the top. Edged out there, Rosendo then set his sights on the sprints jersey, and guaranteed himself a trip to the podium at the end of the stage by winning both intermediates on today's route.

A good day's work for Team Sky

The break's advantage stayed between five and six minutes for most of the stage, until HTC went to the front in the final quarter with the aim of setting up either Mark Cavendish or John Degenkolb. The smooth running of their train was hit, though, when Matt Goss became the race's first abandon.

As the HTC-led peloton closed in on the four escapees, former HTC man Hansen went off on his own. With 32km remaining and the bunch by now less than a minute behind, the Australian's effort was doomed. He stayed clear until 18km from the finish, when the peloton swept past, pushed on by a strong breeze.

With Spain in the middle of its holiday season, impressively large crowds had come out to watch the race as it flashed by some of the country's leading resorts. Inside the closing 10km, HTC was assisted in the pace-setting by Omega Pharma, Rabobank, Skil-Shimano and, ultimately, Leopard Trek, which had the twin aims of keeping Fuglsang out of trouble and setting up Bennati for the final sprint.

Inside the final kilometre, Leopard's Davide Vigano's went to the front and pushed on so hard that he got a gap on the pack, but the Italian was quickly swallowed up on the 5% drag up towards the line. No one team was able to organise an effective lead-out, making it every man for himself. Quick Step's Tom Boonen was briefly prominent, before Reynes made his move and Sutton went with him.

It was a wise move, resulting in the British team's first victory at the Vuelta less than 24 hours on from a rather shambolic showing in the Benidorm team time trial. To cap a great day, it had come less than two hours after Edvald Boasson Hagen had won the Vattenfall Cyclassics in Hamburg.

Result
1	Christopher Sutton (Aus) Sky Procycling	4:11:41
2	Vicente Reynes Mimo (Spa) Omega Pharma-Lotto
3	Marcel Kittel (Ger) Skil - Shimano
4	Tyler Farrar (USA) Team Garmin-Cervelo
5	Matti Breschel (Den) Rabobank Cycling Team
6	Daniele Bennati (Ita) Leopard Trek
7	Enrico Gasparotto (Ita) Pro Team Astana
8	Lloyd Mondory (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale
9	Luca Paolini (Ita) Katusha Team
10	John Degenkolb (Ger) HTC-Highroad

General classification after stage 2

		Result
1	Daniele Bennati (Ita) Leopard Trek	4:28:11
2	Jakob Fuglsang (Den) Leopard Trek
3	Maxime Monfort (Bel) Leopard Trek
4	Thomas Rohregger (Aut) Leopard Trek
5	Peter Sagan (Svk) Liquigas-Cannondale	0:00:04
6	Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale
7	Eros Capecchi (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale
8	Valerio Agnoli (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale
9	Damiano Caruso (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale
10	John Degenkolb (Ger) HTC-Highroad	0:00:09



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