Schleck's Yellow Jersey & Soler Update

I may be one of the only ones, but I strongly believe that Contador is innocent. Yes, his drug tests showed clenbuterol, I still firmly believe his word that it was in the meat he ate. As much as I love Andy Schleck, it saddens me that he is now the winner of the 2010 Tour de France since Contador was stripped of the title. Who knows how the 2010 Tour would have turned out without Contador; Schleck may not have in fact won. I disagree with him being presented the Yellow, but I guess it all just becomes a publicity stunt anyway.

Andy Schleck presented with 2010 Tour de France yellow jersey

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/andy-schleck-presented-with-2010-tour-de-france-yellow-jersey)

Andy Schleck was presented with the yellow jersey of winner of the 2010 Tour de France at a ceremony in his hometown of Mondorf, Luxembourg on Tuesday. Schleck had finished second behind Alberto Contador, but was awarded the race after the Spaniard was stripped of his title following a positive test for clenbuterol.

News of Contador’s positive test was first made public in September 2010, but the lengthy legal process was only resolved in February of this year, with the Court of Arbitration for Sport disqualifying him from the race and handing him a two-year suspension.

Second in the Tour in 2009 and 2011, Schleck is still waiting to win a stage race on the road, and he admitted that he did not feel like the victor of the 2010 Tour.

“It’s nice to accept this jersey, but for me it doesn’t change anything – it’s not like a win. It’s not the same sensation as climbing on the podium,” Schleck said, according to AFP.

Schleck received the jersey from Tour de France race director Christian Prudhomme in front of an audience of 150 invited guests, including RadioShack-Nissan manager Johan Bruyneel.

“I can only hope that this jersey will lead to others. And I think there will be others,” Prudhomme said.

It was the second time in Prudhomme’s tenure that such a ceremony was required. In October 2007, Oscar Pereiro was presented with the maillot jaune of the previous year’s Tour, which had been stripped from Floyd Landis after he returned a positive test for synthetic testosterone.

Schleck is currently preparing for an assault at the 2012 Tour de France, and Prudhomme insisted that the Luxembourger could aspire to overall victory in spite of a route that seems weighted in favour of rouleurs.

“Everybody claims that the 2012 Tour isn’t suited to Andy, but I’m convinced to the contrary,” Prudhomme said. “In its history, it’s been common to have Tours with 100km of time trials. It’s only in the past few years that it hasn’t been the case. If Andy is aggressive, he’ll have his chance, I’m sure.”

For his part, Schleck pointed out that the Tour’s first sorties into the mountains in the Vosges and the Jura could prove more difficult than anticipated.

“I’ve just come from reconnoitering the stages in the Vosges, Jura and Alps, and I have to say that it will be a lot harder than I had imagined when I saw the map of the course,” he said.

In better news, Mauricio Soler is doing great on his recovery:

Soler back in Europe for further examinations and enjoying Giro d'Italia

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/soler-back-in-europe-for-further-examinations-and-enjoying-giro-ditalia)

Mauricio Soler has returned to Europe, and made a point of visiting the Hospital Sankt Gallen, where he lay in the intensive care unit for 20 days after a crash in the Tour de Suisse. The Colombian is continuing his rehabilitation in Pamplona, Spain, and cheered on his former teammates and countrymen in the Giro d'Italia.

Soler fractured his skull after colliding with a spectator in the sixth stage of the 2011 Tour de Suisse. He was placed in an induced coma, and in July was moved to a hospital in Pamplona, before returning home to Colombia in December. Soler had to return to Spain for further examinations, and whilst here, wanted to visit the Swiss hospital.

“He doesn't remember anything from what happened there, but he felt it was something he needed to do," his wife Patricia said on the Movistar website. "It was really emotional and special. Mauricio had only known of the doctors and staff from some pictures, but felt like those voices weren't unconnected to him, but something familiar."

The medical staff was pleased with his recovery, she said. “Mauricio has still many steps to improve ahead, but it's amazing to remember how he was, 11 months ago. Travelling back there was an indescribable experience, being the place where he had to learn to speak and walk again... There, a part from his life was left.”

Soler has only thing on his mind when it is time to leave therapy, his wife said. When the appointment is done, “even though we still have to do the daily shopping or anything else, he says to me we can do it later, because he has to see the Giro d'Italia on TV. He is enjoying really much seeing his teammates doing such a great race and feels really proud about them still remembering him when they win."

He has no bitterness against the sport that so changed his life, she said. “He says he's sad of having left bike racing that way, but is also convinced there's another way to enjoy the sport. No one could ever hear bad words from him towards this sport. For him, the most important thing is being alive and enjoying life with his son. Not everything was bad, because all these things made him feel love shown by so many people."

Lastly, Norway announced its Olympics team: Edvald Boasson Hagen, Thor Hushovd, Lars Petter Norghaug, and Alexander Kristoff for Road, while EBH will also ride the TT.



Doping in Football (Soccer) vs. Cycling

Pereiro blasts different perceptions of cycling and football doping

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/pereiro-blasts-different-perceptions-of-cycling-and-football-doping)

Football players are applauded for doping, while cyclists are censured for it, Tour de France winner Oscar Pereiro claimed on Spanish television. The discussion grew heated as Pereiro named names of football players he claimed have doped.

Appearing on the show “Punto Pelota”, Pereiro said, “Giovanella tested positive, Gurpegui, Guardiola ... And all are because they take an energy complex. If a cyclist takes it, he has doped. Everyone at  San Mamés, Balaidos, Barcelona shouts 'innocent' and I have to put on a mask to walk down the street. "

When asked about Operación Puerto, he answered that "Zidane has admitted that he had a blood transfusion in Switzerland to regenerate his body. In cycling that is [a doping] positive."

The problem, he summarized, is that it is often seen that the cyclist is done but the football player “is fighting for his club colors".

Pereiro said that he hopes that one day Eufemiano Fuentes, the point man of Operación Puerto will “hopefully one day have the courage to tell everything he knows. In Operación Puerto there were a lot of blood bags labelled European Championships, which doesn't exist in [pro men's] cycling.”

Cycling is not perfect, he conceded. "In my sport we have made fifty thousand mistakes, we are fools. That cannot be hidden". Still, at least cycling is active in the anti-doping fight, as the riders cyclists spend "10% of their salary to the fight against doping, but athletes in other sports do not."

Finest Moments for Sastre

Carlos Sastre: Top 10 Career Moments

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/carlos-sastre-top-10-career-moments)

Carlos Sastre's career wasn't littered with victories. In fact, the Spaniard had less than a dozen during his 15-year pro career. However, especially during the latter part of that career, Sastre was often centre stage in the major tours at key moments, racking up no fewer than 6 podiums and 15 top 10 finishes in the three-week events that were his forte.

He will, of course, be best remembered for his Tour de France victory in 2008, the one occasion when he topped the podium in a major tour, but he had plenty of other high points during in long stint in the pro peloton, as Peter Cossins recalls...

Alpe d’Huez, Tour de France 2008: The crowning moment of Sastre’s career came after he seized the initiative at the foot of the Tour’s most iconic climb. With team-mate Fränk Schleck holding a narrow lead over Cadel Evans and a long time trial to come, CSC boss Bjarne Riis knew it was imperative to gain more time on the Australian. CSC kept the pace high approaching the Alpe, and Sastre seized his opportunity by making the first attack, with the Schleck brothers ready to counter if their Spanish team-mate was chased down. But no concerted response came and Sastre edged inexorably away to finish the stage more than two minutes clear and take the yellow jersey. His 94-second advantage over Evans proved more than enough to enable him to maintain his grip on the maillot jaune all the way into Paris to secure him his sole grand tour title, but in the biggest race of them all.

Plateau de Bonascre (Ax 3 Domaines), Tour de France 2003: Riding in support of CSC leader Tyler Hamilton, Sastre was given a freer rein by Riis after the American cracked his collar-bone, and the Spaniard repaid his team boss’s faith with what is arguably the best-remembered victory of his career. Although memories of Sastre’s attack on the final climb may have dimmed, few will have forgotten his unique celebration as the crossed the line at the summit, pulling his daughter’s dummy out of his back pocket and popping it into his mouth as he claimed what was only the second victory of his career.

Vuelta a España 2000: Sastre got very few opportunities on a ONCE squad that featured so many big-name riders, but took one of those that did come his way when team leader Abraham Olano fell out of contention on Sastre’s first appearance in his national tour. Although he missed out on a stage win, victory in the King of the Mountains competition ahead of Roberto Heras, Roberto Laiseka, Felix Cardenas and Gilberto Simoni demonstrated he could climb with, and often better, than the best. Eighth place overall showed he was consistent too and was the first of 13 top 10 finishes in the major tours.

Tour de France 2006: Sastre was all set to repeat the role of first lieutenant to Ivan Basso that he’d played so impressively at the Giro d’Italia just weeks before when Basso was sidelined from the Tour when the Puerto affair erupted. Suddenly elevated to a role as team leader at CSC, Sastre went on to finish third – following Floyd Landis’s disqualification – and emerged as the race’s strongest rider in the mountains. He went into the final time trial just 12 seconds down on surprise leader Oscar Pereiro, but finished almost five minutes down in 20th place to tumble to fourth overall until the Landis’s positive test boosted him back up to a podium finish.

St Amand Montrond time trial, Tour de France 2008: Although generally classed as a specialist climber, Sastre showed on more than one occasion that he’s no mug as a time triallist, not least when he confirmed his victory on the penultimate day of the 2008 Tour. Going into the 53km test with an advantage of 1-34 on Cadel Evans, the Spaniard only yielded 29 seconds to the Australian, who was still feeling the effects of a crash earlier in the race. Underlining the fact that his strength tended to hold up in the latter part of the three-week stage races, Sastre caught and passed team-mate Fränk Schleck, confirming that the right CSC rider had taken control of the Tour on Alpe d’Huez.

Monte Petrano, Giro d’Italia 2009: Leader of the newly established Cervélo TestTeam, Sastre went into the 2009 Giro aiming for victory. Although he eventually lost out to Denis Menchov, Sastre spiced up the final week of the race with two storming stage wins, the first of them on Monte Petrano. It came at the end of mammoth 230km stage in brutally hot conditions, the kind of day where Sastre’s grittiness was guaranteed to keep him in contention. He made his winning move 6km from the line, quickly dropping the maglia rosa group, and then overhauling Damiano Cunego and Yarslav Popovych as he went clear to win. The victory pushed him up to third overall and back within striking distance of race leader Menchov.

Mount Vesuvius, Giro d’Italia 2009: As quickly as Sastre had ridden himself into contention for the maglia rosa on Monte Petrano, he fell out again with a below-par ride on the Blockhaus. Although disappointed that his GC challenge had fizzled out, the Spaniard reasserted himself with a well-judged victory on the slopes of the volcano that stands above the city of Naples. Sastre’s attack from the maglia rosa group from 9km from home took him across to lone leader Ivan Basso. The two former team-mates stuck together until 5km out, when Sastre pressed again. He later admitted he’d suffered like never before when winning a stage and that at no time did he feel he was the strongest of those in contention for the win. But the dogged Spaniard was not to be denied. The victory moved him up to fourth on GC. He was subsequently promoted to second following the disqualifications of Danilo Di Luca and Franco Pellizotti for doping offences, completing a full set of podium finishes at the grand tours.

Alto del Angliru, Vuelta a España 2011: Sastre’s final season didn’t go as he or his Geox team would have hoped, their failure to secure WorldTour status denying him a farewell appearance at the Tour de France. There was some consolation, though, when he produced a strong ride in support of team-mate Juan José Cobo. In what turned out to be the final race of his career, Sastre’s best moments came late on in typical fashion. The first of them came on the Vuelta’s most devilish ascent, the Angliru. Away in a small group at the foot of the climb, Sastre attacked on the early ramps to get clear on his own. Coming into the steepest sections of the climb, Cobo jumped across to join his veteran team-mate, allowing Sastre to set the pace before Cobo made what proved to be both the stage- and race-winning move.

Andorra Arcalis, Vuelta a España 2000: Sastre rode the Giro in his second season with ONCE, but it was a year later that he first came to prominence with that mountains win at the Vuelta. It was no coincidence that his best day was ONCE’s worst. They started it with Santos González in the leader’s jersey, but the team was primed to defend the interests of Mikel Zarrabeitia and Abraham Olano. Sastre was sent up the road late in the stage to assist his leaders on the final climb, but Zarrabeitia crashed out of the race, while Olano and González lost more than six minutes. That left 24-year-old Sastre with a rare opportunity to ride for himself, and he didn’t disappoint on the final climb. Roberto Laiseka denied him victory, but Sastre took second place ahead of a number of established names, including Santi Blanco, Roberto Heras and Fernando Escartín.

Klasika Primavera 2006: While he was always likely to contend at any grand tour thanks to his strength and durability, Sastre had much less of an impact in one-day races, where his comparative lack of acceleration and almost total absence of a finishing kick left him without an obvious race-winning weapon. His sole one-day victory showed, though, that guile can get you a long way. Up against Damiano Cunego, Joaquim Rodríguez and Alberto Contador coming up to the finish of the Klasika Primavera in the Basque Country, Sastre managed to outwit all three, guessing that none of them would want to chase down his late attack knowing that the other two were likely to come past in the final sprint.

Competitors and Friends

Alberto Contador and Andy Schleck have made great competitors in the last 2 years. The younger of the Schleck brothers has been runner up to Contador in the 2009 and  2010 Tours. Contador is a former teammate of 7-time Tour de France Champion Lance Armstrong. In fact, during the 2009 Tour, during Armstrong's 1 year comeback, the full Asanta team was supposed to be backing Armstrong to help him win his 8th Tour. However, Contador would have none of that, and it split the team: some riders helped Contador win his 2nd Tour, while others helped Armstrong place 3rd on the final podium. Armstrong was 3rd to his own teammate and Schleck.

Then in 2010, Schleck and Contador battled again. This time 25 year old Schleck wore the Yellow Jersey for 6 days before Contador beat him in one of the mountain stages. They way he did it was unfair to Schleck; taking off after Schleck's bike chain fell off. Still, Schleck earned the White Jersey in stage 7 and never took it off, for 14 more grueling stages. Denis Menchov placed 3rd.

However, battling for the Yellow Jersey doesn't always mean that riders aren't friends. There have been many times, pre-races, that Alberto Contador and andy Schleck have been chatting with each other, smiles on both faces. There have even been pics with arms around each other. Now some could argue that this is just for publicity, but there's friendship there.



With Contador's 2010 Yellow Jersey on the line because of his positive clenbuterol test, it is quite possible that Schleck will be honored the Jersey. No rider wants to be given a 1st place victory if he has not earned it, which is what happened to Oscar Pereiro in the 2006 Tour de France after Floyd Landis was disqualified. Sure, a victory looks great on paper, but even Schleck has said that he doesn't want have the 2010 victory and he's hoping Contador will race this year "so I can beat him". This is one battle I am really looking forward to this year, although it may not get interesting until the mountain stages, which both Alberto Contador and Andy Schleck excel at.

Schleck brothers want Contador at Tour de France so they can beat him

(http://velonews.competitor.com/2011/01/news/schleck-brothers-want-contador-at-tour-de-france-so-they-can-beat-him_156405)

Andy Schleck says he doesn’t want to win the Tour de France by default if Alberto Contador is disqualified from the 2010 edition. He wants to beat him straight up on the roads of France.

Though Schleck stands to inherit Contador’s Tour crown if the Spanish rider is sanctioned in the ongoing clenbuterol case, it’s something the Tour runner-up says he doesn’t want nor something he thinks about.
“To me, Alberto is the winner of the Tour and everything that has happened is in the past for me,” Schleck said. “I am focused on this season and what’s happening with this new team.”

Schleck’s comments came during the Leopard-Trek presentation earlier this month when he reiterated his posture on the long-running Contador doping case. The team didn’t want the messy business of the Contador case to spoil their big rollout in front of 4,000 people in Luxembourg.

The younger of the Schleck brothers insists he doesn’t want to win the Tour by default and he would prefer that Contador is the start line for the 2011 Tour, if the Spaniard can prove his innocence.

Contador is facing a possible two-year ban and disqualification of the 2010 Tour after he tested positive for traces of clenbuterol, which he claims came from eating meat laced with the banned product. Spanish officials suggested a decision is pending by the middle of February, but an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport is likely, meaning the case could drag on for months.

With so much at stake in the 2011 season at the start-up Leopard-Trek team, everyone on the squad says they are not looking in the rear-view mirror as they stride into their debut season.

Sport director Kim Andersen said that the Schleck brothers are focused on trying to win the 2011 Tour de France and not wasting energy worrying about what might happen to Contador.

“No, we’re not talking about it. I don’t want to think about it. We’ll take it how it is. It doesn’t change anything until we’re at the start of the Tour,” Andersen told VeloNews. “We’ll do what we have to do with our planning and preparation.”

The Contador factor will certainly grow in the coming months, especially if the case remains unresolved going into the 2011 Tour. Not only will there be growing media pressure, there will be speculation on who will take control of the race.

If Contador is cleared to race, Bjarne Riis will bring a strong Saxo Bank-Sungard team loaded with climbers and workhorses to try to take the reins of the course. If Contador is already serving some sort of racing ban, then all the pressure will fall on Leopard-Trek as the team to beat.

“Of course, if he’s not there, then that changes a lot. But we are planning as if he’ll be there,” Andersen said. “We hope he’s there.”

Either way, it should be interesting showdown between the two teams as more than a dozen riders and staff left Saxo Bank to help create Leopard-Trek going into the 2011 season.
Fränk Schleck says Leopard-Trek is ready to handle the responsibility of carrying the Tour with or without Contador.

“We don’t talk about (the Contador case) much. That’s not up to us. We believe 100 percent that the people who are taking the decision will make the right decision,” Schleck told VeloNews. “We will be ready for the Tour. Whether or not Contador is there, we don’t know. We cannot control that. We know we will be ready.”

The elder Schleck says the brothers are still smarting about the close call Andy had in the Tour in 2010 and want to do everything to win this season. The brothers claim there’s no sort of competition between them and insist that either could win the Tour, though Andy is best-poised to stake claim for victory after finishing runner-up the past two editions.

When the Schleck brothers speak of the Tour, they speak in the plural.

“We hope that Alberto will be there next year (2011). We want to beat him. We want to show the cycling world we’re the best,” Fränk continued. “We don’t just want to beat Contador. We’re there to win the Tour.”

Other members of the Leopard-Trek team say while Andy Schleck might not be dwelling on the past, but say that he hasn’t forgotten his bitter, hard-fought battle. Contador’s attack when Schleck’s chain slipped in the Pyrenees remains a point of contention, says Jakob Fuglsang.

“You could feel that anger was there. When it happened, he was pretty angry. You could feel it was burning inside him,” Fuglsang said. “(Andy) got over it pretty fast, but he doesn’t forget it.”