Lots of interesting news today, um yesterday: the Time Trial in the Tour de Suisse, Frank Schleck speaks out about Andy, SaxoBank's UCI points, the American Olympics Road Race and Time Trial selections, and of course, the ungoing USADA investigation.
June 15, Stage 7: Gossau (ITT) 34.3km
Kessiakoff wins time trial in Gossau
Fredrik Kessiakoff of Astana was the surprise winner of the Tour de Suisse stage seven time trial in Gossau. The 32-year-old Swede beat local favourite Fabian Cancellara (RadioShack-Nissan) by less than two seconds on the 34.3km course. Maxime Monfort, also of RadioShack-Nissan, was third at 20 seconds.
Rui Costa of Movistar Team defended his overall lead, finishing eighth at 41 seconds down. Roman Kreuziger (Astana) moved up second place, 0:50 down, with Robert Gesink (Rabobank) now in third at 55 seconds. Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) is fourth, and Fränk Schleck (RadioShack-Nissan) fell from second to fifth.
The Swiss star posted a searingly fast time of 46:38 and the home fans must have thought that it was untouchable. But half an hour later the home crowd was silenced when Kessiakoff shaved two seconds off Cancellara’s time with an astonishing performance.
The four-time Swedish champion flew home over the race’s final sector to bridge the gap and put himself at the top of the leaderboard. It was a position that he didn’t surrender for the remainder of day. With just two seconds between them, Cancellara and Kessiakoff were head and shoulders above the rest. Their nearest pursuer, Monfort, was a further 18 seconds behind in third.
When the crowd’s shock had subsided they turned their attentions to the battle for the yellow jersey. Less than 30 seconds separated the top ten at the start of the day and the chances of big swings in the standings were high. With no obvious time trial trailblazers among them, but plenty of solid pace, the final half hour of racing provided plenty of talking points.
In the end the big winners were Gesink, Kreuziger and Costa. Gesink’s fifth placed finish on the day saw him jump from 19th position to third, while Kreuziger was able to leapfrog a disappointing Frank Schleck into 2nd.
But it was Costa, who many thought could be under threat from the challenge of teammate Valverde, let alone the rest of the top ten, who produced the third headline effort of the day after Kessiakoff and Cancellara by finishing in eighth place and extending his lead at the top of the GC to 50 seconds.
The Portuguese rider is now well placed for the challenges of Saturday and Sunday and will be quietly hopeful of holding on to the yellow jersey and securing victory. Though with the race heading into the Alps for a brutal final pair of stages, both Costa and his team will have to work cleverly and economically to preserve his lead.
| 1 | Fredrik Carl Wilhelm Kessiakoff (Swe) Pro Team Astana | 0:46:36 | |
| 2 | Fabian Cancellara (Swi) RadioShack-Nissan | 0:00:02 | |
| 3 | Maxime Monfort (Bel) RadioShack-Nissan | 0:00:20 | |
| 4 | Jérémy Roy (Fra) FDJ-Big Mat | 0:00:25 | |
| 5 | Robert Gesink (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team | 0:00:27 | |
| 6 | Tanel Kangert (Est) Pro Team Astana | 0:00:34 | |
| 7 | Andreas Klöden (Ger) RadioShack-Nissan | 0:00:38 | |
| 8 | Rui Alberto Faria Da Costa (Por) Movistar Team | 0:00:41 | |
| 9 | Peter Velits (Svk) Omega Pharma - QuickStep | 0:00:43 | |
| 10 | Brent Bookwalter (USA) BMC Racing Team | 0:00:51 |
I'm not surprised that the older Schleck brother is "dissapointed" that Andy isn't riding. And to be quite honest, I wouldn't be surprised if Frank doesn't end up finishing the Tour:
Fränk Schleck sorry not to have brother Andy at the Tour de France
(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/frank-schleck-sorry-not-to-have-brother-andy-at-the-tour-de-france)For the first time in five years, the Schleck brothers will not be together at the start of the Tour de France. With Andy Schleck out due to injuries, Fränk Schleck must face the Tour alone, “but this belongs to the rider's life.”
The younger Schleck announced on Wednesday that he had suffered a fractured sacral bone in his pelvis in a crash at the Tour de Suisse, and would not be able to ride the Tour. He was to have been the team captain for RadioShack-Nissan.
“This shows once again that we do not always master the situation," Fränk Schleck said, according to sporza.be.
“Of course I would rather have Andy at my side, but this belongs to the rider's life. His forfeit is disappointing for him, for me, for the whole team. But at the same time we must not speak of a disappointment.
"What his absence will mean for me? I haven't had time to think about that. I've heard from Andy a few times, but we didn't talk about my Tour.”
This is a tough topic for me. I feel like the UCI has every right to take away a rider's earned UCI point when he (or she) gets suspended for illegal substances. However, I still believe Contador is innocent! Plus, like Riis states, this is a new rule, that only went into effect afterward.
UCI re-confirms that Contador's points won't count for Saxo Bank
(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/uci-re-confirms-that-contadors-points-wont-count-for-saxo-bank)The UCI is standing firm that any points Alberto Contador earns for Team Saxo Bank in 2012 and 2013 will not count towards the team's ranking. A UCI spokesman said that the issue is not up for discussion.
Contador's doping-related ban ends in August, and it has already been announced that he will re-join Saxo Bank.
Bjarne Riis apparently thought that the matter would be discussed at today's UCI board meeting in Salzburg, Austria, but UCI spokesman Enrico Carpani denied that.
“The matter with Contador is not on the agenda, and there are no plans to change anything in relation to what we previously announced,” he told tv2sport.dk.
“Just because the rule is discussed, it does not mean that the rule is changed. There are different opinions about it here, but the rule still applies.”
The UCI points are used to determine the level of a team's licence. Currently Saxo Bank is ranked last of the 18 WorldTour teams. The rule went into effect after Contador was found to have violated the anti-doping rules, and so Riis argues that it does not apply to him. He has previously indicated that he is willing to take the matter to the Court of Arbitraiton for Sport.
Although I was really hoping for "Captain America" on the American Olympic team, I think the USA Cycling chose very well. My support is fully behind Tyler Farrar for the Road Race and of course Taylor Phinney for the Time Trail. Of course, I'd like to see any of my favorites win as well, but as and American, I feel I have to root for my country in the Olympics.
USA Cycling announces Olympic Games road team selections
(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/usa-cycling-announces-olympic-games-road-team-selections)USA Cycling today announced the nine members of the road squad which will contest the Olympic Games in London this summer, featuring five men and four women.
On the men’s side, all five nominations were discretionary picks as no men’s road athletes met the automatic criteria.
A Tour de France stage winner and one of the world’s fastest finishers, Tyler Farrar (Garmin-Barracuda) will make his Olympic debut in the London road race after finishing 10th at last year’s world championships.
Following a win at the 2011 Tour of California and second place results at this year’s Tirreno-Adriatico and the Vuelta al País Vasco, Chris Horner (RadioShack-Nissan) will bring experience to the American squad who will be looking for strong leadership in an event which restricts the use of race radios.
At 24 years of age, Tejay van Garderen (BMC Racing) has accrued top five overall results at Paris-Nice, the Criterium du Dauphine, the Amgen Tour of California and the USA Pro Challenge and, along with current USA Cycling Professional Road National Champion Timothy Duggan (Liquigas-Cannondale), will also join the team as a discretionary nominee.
Farrar, Horner, Van Garderen and Duggan will be joined by Taylor Phinney (BMC Racing) who, in addition to contesting the mass start road race, will also compete in the time trial. The youngest member of the men’s road race squad, Phinney will return for his second Olympic Games after finishing seventh in the individual pursuit on the track in 2008. Phinney proved his form this spring by wearing the pink race leader’s jersey in the Giro d’Italia and finishing in the top 15 at Paris-Roubaix.
Since no men’s road race athletes met the automatic criteria to compete in the individual time trial, Phinney received a discretionary nomination to fill the United States’ sole start position in the race against the clock. A former junior time trial world champion and one of the United States’ most talented up-and-coming time trialists, Phinney earned the prologue win against the world’s best in this season’s first Grand Tour, the Giro d’Italia.
With the maximum number of start spots raised from three to four for the women’s road race, four women will represent the United States in the Olympic road race for the first time ever. After winning the UCI Women’s World Cup #4, La Flèche Wallonne, and remaining inside the top 10 in the World cup standings, Evelyn Stevens (Specialized-lululemon) earned an automatic nomination to the women’s road race squad. Shelley Olds (AA Drink - Leontien.nl Cycling Team) helped secure her nomination after riding to victory at the Tour of Chongming Island World Cup #5 in China.
Kristin Armstrong (Exergy TWENTY12) and Amber Neben (Specialized-lululemon) will join Stevens and Olds for the road race and will also contest the time trial as discretionary picks. The 2008 Olympic gold medalist, Armstrong proved to be one of the most dominant time trialists in the world in 2012, winning all eight international-caliber time trials she entered. Neben has also posted consistent top-level time trial results this season, including a gold medal at the Pan American Continental Championships.
Men's road cycling: Timmy Duggan (Liquigas-Cannondale), Tyler Farrar (Garmin-Barracuda), Chris Horner (RadioShack-Nissan), Taylor Phinney (BMC Racing) – road race & time trial , Tejay van Garderen (BMC Racing)
Women's road cycling: Kristin Armstrong (Exergy TWENTY 12) – road race & time trial, Amber Neben (Specialized-lululemon) – road race & time trial, Shelley Olds (AA Drink - Leontien.nl Cycling Team), Evelyn Stevens (Specialized-lululemon)
Phinney admits he is a "gamble" for Olympic selectors
(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/phinney-admits-he-is-a-gamble-for-olympic-selectors)Taylor Phinney "definitely" had doubts over his selection in the US five-man road team for the London Olympic Games, especially when it came to who would race the 44km individual time trial on August 1.
"When it comes down to a selection committee you never really know," he told Cyclingnews from Boulder. "I was more confident about being part of the road race than about the time trial just because I'm one of the only guys in the US that can help Tyler Farrar in the final."
Phinney goes so far as to admit that his selection is a "gamble" but given he won't be lining up for BMC Racing Team at the Tour de France, believes that fresh legs will be heavily in his favour and may have had a considerable bearing on his being named in the five-man US team.
The 21-year-old got the nod for the race against the clock over Dave Zabriskie, 11 years his senior. With no US men's road cyclist meeting the automatic selection criteria for the Games, the eight-man committee chose Phinney for his medal potential. It will be his second Olympic Games appearance, having represented his country on the track in Beijing in 2008 where he finished seventh in the individual pursuit. In 2010, Phinney won the under 23 individual time trial at the UCI Road World Championships in Geelong – a performance that would have gone a long way in the selector's minds – along with the recent Giro d'Italia. Racing at elite level at last year's world championships in Copenhagen, Phinney finished 15th, while Zabriskie didn't compete.
"Dave has been a time trialling idol of mine since I started this sport," Phinney stated. "He's been around; he's been a very good time triallist for a very, very long time. So if they [the selectors] had chosen him I would have fully respected that and definitely understood because of his pedigree. They did it, they chose me and I'm happy to take that burden and that responsibility and see what comes of it."
Phinney is yet to do any reconnaissance over either the road race or the time trial course, relying only on Google Maps but he believes that with the right preparation, he can zero in on a result.
"My confidence and my abilities will grow as the days and the weeks pass by coming up to the Olympics," he explained. "I went into the Giro prologue knowing that I had a very good chance of winning. I knew that I had the physical capacity to win that first stage and I did and that's because that's what I trained for and that's what I prepared for.
"Now that I know that I'm going [to the Olympic Games] I have this time to really focus on my longer time trialling skills and my ability to put out a very large amount of power for a very long amount of time. I'm not going to shoot off from here on June 15th and I'm not going to say that I'm going to go out there and win a gold medal, but I think as we get closer and as my training is ramping up and my confidence is building, that once I get there I have a shot."
When it comes to Tyler Farrar's chances on the 240km road race, Phinney is undecided as to whether it is indeed a sprinter's course. Looking at the race favourite, Great Britain's Mark Cavendish, Phinney noted that it took nine men to keep the Copenhagen world championship race together.
"I think it could be sort of either way," he told Cyclingnews. "I don't think the circuit is as hard as Geelong, I think it's easier than that but at the same time with five-man teams that changes a lot... Also we don't even have radios, do we? There's a lot of different variables... it will be difficult to race that's for sure."
And now we come to the USADA investigation, where we still know as little as the people being investigated:
Armstrong frustrated by lack of information from USADA
(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/armstrong-frustrated-by-lack-of-information-from-usada)Lance Armstrong has taken to twitter to air his frustration at not being informed of the exact nature of the allegations at the heart of the charges laid by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA).
Armstrong, along with long-time team manager, Johan Bruyneel, Dr. Pedro Celaya, Dr. Luis Garcia del Moral, Dr. Michele Ferrari and Dr. Pepe Marti are alleged to have "engaged in a massive doping conspiracy from 1998-2011" with USADA citing the testimony of more than 10 cyclists.
In the letter sent to the accused on Tuesday and released by the Wall Street Journal, USADA says Armstrong used EPO, blood transfusions, testosterone, corticosteroids and masking agents as well as distributed them and administered them to others. Armstrong it appears, wants more detail in order to respond properly.
"Dear @usantidoping - we have now sent you THREE letters requesting all the relevant info in order for me to respond to your 'review board'," the seven-time Tour de France winner wrote on his twitter feed.
Bruyneel has also responded saying he was "dismayed" at the allegations.
"Following a Department of Justice Grand Jury investigation, no charges were filed against me," the Belgian said on his personal website. "It cannot be right that I or anyone else can be pursued from court to court simply because our accusers do not like the decisions made along the way and so attempt to find a court which will get them the result they want."
According to USADA protocol, USADA will also make a written submittal to its Anti-Doping Review Board regarding the doping allegations. The Anti-Doping Review Board will decide if there's sufficient evidence to proceed with adjudication process and the respondents have a right to a hearing if proceedings advance beyond Anti-Doping Review Board. A hearing date should take place prior to November, 2012.
Bruyneel asserts innocence regarding USADA doping allegations
(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/bruyneel-asserts-innocence-regarding-usada-doping-allegations)Johan Bruyneel, who along with Lance Armstrong plus four other doctors and trainers from the United States Postal Service team are the target of a US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) investigation, today released a statement proclaiming his innocence of all charges.
"I have never participated in any doping activity and I am innocent of all charges," read a statement on Bruyneel's personal website. "I am dismayed that once again doping allegations have been raised against me, this time by USADA.
"Following a Department of Justice Grand Jury investigation, no charges were filed against me. It cannot be right that I or anyone else can be pursued from court to court simply because our accusers do not like the decisions made along the way and so attempt to find a court which will get them the result they want."
The Washington Post reported on Wednesday, June 13, on a copy of a 15-page letter sent by USADA to Lance Armstrong and five others, including Bruyneel, in which they are accused of a doping conspiracy. USADA alleges that Bruyneel, Armstrong's team director for all seven of the Texan's Tour de France victories from 1999 to 2005, committed violations including possession of prohibited substances and/or methods (including EPO, blood transfusions and related equipment, testosterone, hGH, corticosteroids and masking agents); trafficking of the aforementioned prohibited substances; administration and/or attempted administration of prohibited substances; and assisting, encouraging, aiding, abetting, covering up and other complicity involving one or more anti-doping rule violations.
Bruyneel has the right to file a written statement to the USADA Anti-Doping Review Board by June 22, 2012 regarding the allegations in the USADA letter.
According to USADA protocol, USADA will also make a written submittal to its Anti-Doping Review Board regarding the doping allegations. The Anti-Doping Review Board will decide if there's sufficient evidence to proceed with adjudication process and the respondents have a right to a hearing if proceedings advance beyond Anti-Doping Review Board. A hearing date should take place prior to November, 2012
"I shall of course cooperate fully with the investigation, although I have no doubt the end result will be the same as all the other investigations over the years," said Bruyneel.
Meanwhile, the RadioShack-Nissan team, of which Bruyneel is a general manager, issued a statement on Friday regarding the USADA investigation in which it distances itself from the allegations. "LEOPARD S.A. (with its cycling team known as RadioShack Nissan Trek) takes note that none of the investigated facts relate to its cycling team, to its riders or to the present activities of Mr Bruyneel within the LEOPARD S.A. structure," said the team in a press release. "Indeed, these alleged facts report exclusively to events that took place prior to the start of the collaboration between LEOPARD S.A. and Mr Bruyneel.
"LEOPARD S.A. stepped into cycling with the firm commitment of actively promoting a zero doping policy. In this context, and in the light of the possible development of the case, LEOPARD S.A. will take all appropriate measures, in order to guarantee its sporting integrity and the general interest of cycling."
RadioShack-Nissan's tale of woe continues
(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/radioshack-nissans-tale-of-woe-continues)The crisis around RadioShack-Nissan continues to grow amid reports of delayed salary payments, a possible revoked invitation for the Tour de France and rumours that Fränk and Andy Schleck may leave the team.
The latter two possibilities are related to Johan Bruyneel's involvement in the USADA's Lance Armstrong investigation. The RadioShack team manager faces up to a lifetime ban if he is found to have violated the anti-doping regulations.
The team has not responded to Cyclingnews' requests for comments, and neither the team nor Bruyneel has publicly commented on the situation. The Luxembourg website wort.lu reported that the UCI on Thursday told Bruyneel that he must report to them on his position.
The French sports newspaper L'Equipe reported on Friday that the Schleck brothers are preparing to leave the team. Their lawyer is said to have already started negotiations with the directors of other teams over contracts for the next season.
In addition, French website rmcsport.fr reports that Tour organizer ASO may cancel the team's invitation to the Tour in light of Bruyneel's involvement. Race director Christian Prudhomme would neither confirm not deny that to the French website.
The Schleck brothers do not have a good relationship with team financier Flavio Becca, according to wort.lu. The Luxembourg businessman's firm Leopard S.A., which is responsible for the team, was late in paying May salaries, reported Blick.ch. Becca is further said to be involved in a governmental scandal, and to be under investigation for tax problems and/or embezzlement. Becca, who is also said to be heavily in debt, had his house and business searched by the police last year.
The only piece of good news for the Schlecks is that they have both been nominated to the Luxembourg Olympic team. Andy Schleck has had to withdraw from the Tour de France squad with a fractured pelvic bone, but will be able to ride again in the Olympic road race, according to the Luxembourg media.
