Katusha's Good News / Gilbert's Goals This Spring

With the future of Katusha unknown, Joaquim Rodriguez said earlier this week that he would be looking for another team. The team lost WorldTour status, and because of that lost bids in many of the upcoming races. In order to ride in the Tour de France, Rodriguez was going to switch teams.

However, thankfully the Court of Arbitration heard Katusha's appeal and returned a verdict in favor of the team. However, the question that is no on everyone's minds is, will 19 teams be allowed to have WorldTour status or will another team get cut so that the 18 teams remain?

Rodriguez happy to stay at Katusha after CAS verdict

Joaquim Rodriguez finished third on stage five at the Tour of Oman but hugged his Katusha directeur sportif Valerio Piva as if he had won, after hearing that the Russian team had won it's appeal to the Court of Arbitration and secured its return to the UCI WorldTour.

Rodriguez and Piva refused to confirm their good news, under strict orders not to talk by the team's management, but the big smiles and hugs between the riders and staff as they whispered the news, made it clear that Katusha had finally received some good news.

Since being turned down for a WorldTour spot by the UCI Licence Commission on December 10, the team's future has been up in the air. 

It was granted a provisional Professional Continental licence so it could compete but the team had been snubbed for wild invitations to the Giro d'Italia, Paris-Nice, the Criterium du Dauphine, and most recently the Tour de Romandie.

On Thursday night, Rodriguez confirmed that he would leave Katusha if the team failed to secure a WorldTour place. He is determined to ride the Tour de France and was unwilling to let the team's problems impact on his season.

Fortunately the team's future now appears safe. Rodriguez's contract with the team is valid and he insisted he was happy to continue racing in the red and white Katusha colours.

"I'm happy to stay with the Katusha team because I've been in the team for several years now. The team has given me a lot and I've given a lot to the team. This is the best possible solution for everyone," Rodriguez said in a hastily arranged press conference in the permanence of the Tour of Oman.

"In the days before the verdict, we were optimistic and we always believed we'd win, even if it wasn't our decision to make and even if we'd never understood the reason why we were left out of the UCI WorldTour."

"I'll admit it, I was worried about my future, even if I knew I'd have ridden the Tour de France in one way or another. Now my race programme won’t change. I'll ride Tirreno-Adriatico, then the Volta a Catalunya, go for a spell of training at altitude on Mount Teide, and then the Ardennes Classics."

Piva echoed Rodriguez's sentiments of relief and satisfaction. The Italian is highly respected in the sport but had been struggling to keep morale up in the team and struggled to convince organisers to invite the team to key races.

Now it seems Katusha and six other team that applied for a WorldTour licence will have to go through the selection process with the Licence Commission. Rather than eliminate another team from the WorldTour, Rodriguez believes the sensible solution is to allow 19 teams to be part of the 2013 WorldTour.

"I hope another team doesn't have to go through what we've been through and so perhaps the best solutions is to allow 19 teams in the WorldTour," he said.

"That would be fair even if it caused some problems by raising the number of riders in the peloton and on the roads. It'd be worth it and much fairer all round."

"I'm sick of everyone talking about all the problems in our sport. There are still a lot of good things going on. I'd much prefer if we could talk about the Tour of Oman and the Volta ao Algarve, or the Vuelta a Andalucía. At least now I can look ahead to the rest of the season, knowing that goal for the year are safe and that the future of the team is safe."

 

After a fantastic 2011, and a not so good 2012, Phillipe Gilbert is ready to take on the Spring Classics. It doesn't seem to phase him that there are riders better than him at the moment, but he knows he'll be ready, in top form, by the time the time the Ardennes come up.

Gilbert building his form for a long assault at the spring classics

At the Tour of Oman, Philippe Gilbert (BMC Racing Team) has stood out more for his rainbow jersey than for his results but he has dismissed off any doubts about his form and is convinced he will be a contender in the spring Classics, from Milan-San Remo until Liège-Bastogne- Liège.

Gilbert is always polite and professional, but he is more protective of his time and privacy after the scrutiny and thousands of questions, especially in Belgium, about his difficult 2012 season. He answers further questions about last year but they clearly touch a nerve.

"There's been a lot of talk about my spring season last year but it's only three months in a career of ten years. I have nothing to complain about," Gilbert said, firing a warning shot while speaking to the media, including Cyclingnews, at the Tour of Oman.

"I was there in the finale in almost every classic but everyone said things were very bad. But bad is when you get dropped and climb off in races. I was not that bad and got better week after week. Eventually my best form came back."

Gilbert concedes that his hugely successful 2011 season left him tired for 2012. Poor results in 2012 were the price he paid for his long run of victories in 2011, although he recovered his powers sufficiently to win the world championships in Valkenburg in September.

"Maybe in life you only have one big season and perhaps it was 2011 for me," he said.

"But it was also long season: I did all the classics, rode the Tour de France and went for the green jersey, I was at full gas everyday but then I never rested afterwards because I won the WorldTour. After the Tour de France I targeted San Sebastian, the Eneco Tour, the Canadian races and the Worlds. I think it was too much for one person and I needed a few months to recover from it."

To avoid the constant scrutiny of 2012 and avoid having to chase his fitness, Gilbert started his season at the Tour Down Under. Stage races are key building blocks as he prepares for the Classics.

"My form's not bad for the moment. I'm not good enough to win, but I'm not unfit. I had a good winter and I'm riding some stage races like Tour Down Under, now Oman and then Paris-Nice, to get better and better every week.

"I feel ready and on track. The intention is to be at my best for the classics. The season is becoming longer and longer in cycling, but it's difficult if you have to chase your form. Last season I was in that position and never managed to catch up."

Goal for 2013: Milan-San Remo and the Tour of Flanders

Gilbert is one of few riders who has the ability and characteristics to win on the cobbles of the Tour of Flanders and the steep climbs of the Ardennes.

He will target every classic except Paris-Roubaix but has set himself a special goal.

"It'd be special to win one of the classics I've still to win: Milan-San Remo and the Tour of Flanders," he said.

"My classics campaign is very long but I think you can win 'La Primavera' even if you're not at your best. Everything depends on the wind. With a tailwind (on the late Capi climbs) you have a far better chance. When a headwind becomes a factor, then everyone just stays on the wheels."

Gilbert is not worried or interested by possible rivals such as Mark Cavendish or Peter Sagan, who was far better than the Belgian in Oman and won two stages before pulling out with a sore throat.

"There are twenty riders who can win Sanremo. It's not a good idea to focus on what he (Cavendish) has to say," he said.

"I worry about myself. What counts is the shape of your rivals in the week before a big race. I don’t care if Sagan is stronger than me at the moment. If he's still stronger than me at Flèche Brabançonne (on April 10, just before the Ardennes week) then I have a problem. But that will not be the case."

 

Tour Down Under Final Rankings

I woke up this morning and right away jumped on Twitter to check out the final stage and classification of the Santos Tour Down Under. It was no surprise that Andre Greipel won the sprint, but what surprised me, was that was his 100th career win! It also didn't surprise me that Andy Schleck didn't finish well, but what did surprise me was that he DNF. He had a flat tire and then couldn't make it back to the pack! Wow!! For someone who has come in 2nd in the Tour de France multiple times, that is just strange to me: that he couldn't make it back up to the peleton. I know he has a massive injury last season, but it still doesn't sit right with me. Something is wrong. Of course, no one at RSLT will admit this...

Even though Schleck was no where to be found after the race (he ended up going back to the hotel), RSLT did walk away with the Best Team classification! I'm not sure if was just because he wasn't allowed to be on stage with his team since he abandoned, but I find it sad Andy didn't show support for his teammates. Along with Best Team, RSLT riders Ben Hermans and Tiago Machado, both ended up in the Top 10 GC at 5th and 9th respectively. I believe that these two riders, along with a few others, are going to be the future of this team. Maybe not this year, with Cancellara and Voigt still racing, but watch for Hermans and Machado in the next few months and years.

RSLT Earn Top Team Honors

 

Straight from the gun it was a battle of seconds. Ben Hermans started the race in third place but bonus seconds along the way were up for grabs and sprinter Geraint Thomas (Sky) made sure he took them when the opportunity arose. RADIOSHACK LEOPARD TREK didn’t walk away empty handed, however. The team racing Down Under earned the general classification Teams award with consistent racing and hard work from the riders every day.

 

Team director José Azevedo assessed the team’s performance: “We tried to protect the bonification points along the way as we knew we didn’t have a chance in the final sprint. Right from the beginning we sent a rider in the break but Sky was always at the front. And Thomas earned four seconds along the way and got onto the podium. So we come away with fifth and ninth on GC plus the team classification. The team did good work all week. They worked hard and were very motivated. I think this looks good for future races.”

The final sprint in Adelaide City was won by Andre Greipel (Lotto Belisol), marking his 14-th win at the Tour Down Under and 100-th career victory. The overall went to 23-year old Tom-Jelte Slagter (Blanco) in his first stage race and WorldTour win.

Stage six was a 90km/56mi, 20-lap circuit in Adelaide. Only four seconds separated Hermans in third from Thomas in fifth. An early attack by RSLT’s Laurent Didier was part of the plan to deny Thomas the chance to sprint for the bonus seconds. Teammate Jens Voigt joined to break to add some fire power, but the seven riders never held enough time to make the break stick with Sky doing all the chasing and controlling from the main field. 
 
Didier: “I went right at the first second. That was our plan. It was quite hard but we never got more than 15 seconds, and they caught us too soon. I did such a big effort in the beginning so it was hard to follow the rest of the race. But we did win the team classification and that is good to win, also.” Once the break was shut down, Sky put Thomas in a good position to sprint for the seconds, moving him onto the podium in Herman’s place.

Ben Hermans: “I wanted to be on the podium so whether I’m fourth or fifth doesn’t matter so much to me. I lost points along the way but I think I will get over this quickly. The team did what we could without having a sprinter here. It’s important to have climbers here for the GC but it’s a pity we didn’t have a sprinter to take the seconds along the way. At the end there was a gap and I tried to close it, but I still lost some more seconds,” he said, referring to his final fifth place finish on GC.

After a tough injury last year, the Santos Tour Down Under marked a return to racing for Andy Schleck. On Saturday night he was a guest at the Legend’s Dinner. Asked if he enjoyed himself, Andy said, “I was fun to do something different.  I’ve been here for two weeks, so it was good to do something other than be in the hotel every night. It was a great night that I will remember. I hope to come back again next year. I have great memories of the Tour Down Under and I hope to be here again next time.”

Azevedo kept a close eye on Schleck’s performance all week: “Andy made progress this week too,” said Azevedo. “His condition improved and I think he’s doing fine. He had bad luck with a mechanical problem today and he couldn’t come back to the group, but he’s on the right track and his will be on track to meet his goals.”

Another strong performance came from George Bennett. All week the young New Zealander showed good form and strong work ethic, making a good start for his 2013 season. Bennett: “For sure this week I was active and showed signs of getting results, but it was another miss. This year I need to work on getting a result. I hope to turn my strengths to results this year.”

The next race on the schedule is the Tour of Qatar, February 3 to 8.

 

Andy Schleck skips TDU Presentation after Stage 6

Andy Schleck was missing from Radioshack Leopard Trek‘s Tour Down Under-winning team’s presentation after abandoning Stage 6 and riding back to his hotel.

Schleck had a problem with his chain early in the 90km stage through the city and was unable to rejoin the peloton.

After the race his teammates were trying to contact him after they clinched the winning teams’ classification.

They were due to be presented on stage shortly after, but Schleck was nowhere to be seen.
The team’s press officer confirmed Schleck was back at the team hotel.

The 2010 Tour de France champion was in 127th place going into today’s final stage.

Source: heraldsun.com.au

I know I am very biased to RSLT, because it is my favorite team, but here are the rest of the results for the Santos Tour Down Under. And a very special congratulations to Andre Greipel for his 100th career win and Tom-Jelte Slagter's overall win!

100th career victory for Greipel in Adelaide City

André Greipel has repaid his hardworking Lotto Belisol team once again by winning the final stage at the Santos Tour Down Under. Greipel captured his 100th professional victory along the streets of Adelaide City. As Greipel celebrated yet another win in Australia, the team of Blanco was rejoicing as Tom-Jelte Slagter safely crossed the line in the ochre jersey.

Tom-Jelte Slagter was perfectly escorted to the finish by his Blanco teammates and crossed the line as the winner of the opening round of the WorldTour in Australia. The young Dutchman captured his first professional victory earlier in the week by winning Stage 3 into Stirling and capped-off an amazing week for the third-year professional by winning the final ochre jersey.

"I've never won a race like this," said Slagter at the finish. "My first win was on Stirling and that I take the jersey now, it's really amazing. I can't believe it."

The overall victory by Slagter at the 15th edition of the Tour Down Under brought a refreshing change for the revitalised Dutch team that lost its long-serving sponsor Rabobank at the end of 2012. For Slagter, it's the start of a season which will no doubt be filled with expectation. The season however, does not start and end in January.

"It brings some pressure also for me. It's the first race of the year. I win it directly, it's still a long season and I want to keep this level but the start couldn't be better, for the team and for me.

The other big winners of the week was the team of Lotto Belisol and more specifically André Greipel - who took three wins at the WorldTour event in addition to winning the People's Choice Classic.

His win around the streets of Adelaide appeared to be a forgone conclusion entering the final few hundred metres but that was until Mark Renshaw (Blanco) hit out early. Renshaw seemed to have gotten the jump on Greipel before the 'Gorilla' unleashed his crushing blow. Renshaw would eventually finish second to the German who clinched his 100th career win while Sky's Edvald Boasson Hagen rounded-out the podium with third-place.

"I don't know, I didn't count," said a surprised Greipel after being informed of his 100th professional victory. "I thought I already had 100.

"It was nearly the scenario as last year," said Greipel in response to the early acceleration of Renshaw. "He surprised me a bit but I had some power left to pass him again."

While Slagter's overall victory was never really in doubt entering today's stage, the final spot on the podium and remaining places in the top-10 were up for grabs.

Geraint Thomas, after losing the overall lead and dropping to fifth overall at the end of yesterday's stage, was on a mission. His Sky Procycling team were on the front from the first pedal strokes and ensured the team could launch him to the line at each of the two intermediate sprints.

Thomas' sprinting ability meant he picked up four-seconds and that was enough to push Ben Hermans (RadioShack Leopard) off the final podium step.

"We were disappointed yesterday but there was still one day of racing left and we still had the chance of getting third," explained Thomas after he also collected the blue Jayco Sprints jersey from the stage.

"The boys [were] just incredible again really, all I had to do was just, well, try and get passed Eddy [Boasson Hagen].
"It was a perfect day really," said Thomas.

How it happened

The final stage of the 2013 Santos Tour Down Under got underway around the streets of Adelaide City on a perfect summer day. There were no abandonments from yesterday's stage to Old Willunga Hill and all 128 riders took to the start for the final 90km circuit race.

The pace around the 4.5km course was so fast that small groups could never really establish themselves off the front. The biggest gap ballooned at around 20 seconds before the Sky-lead reeled them in for each of the intermediate sprints.

Sky's interest in pushing Thomas back up the standings was no secret. Bernhard Eisel and Ian Stannard (Sky) controlled the tempo and futile escapees while the remaining teammates waited until the final straight to launch Thomas into action. Mathew Hayman was the final man to hit out before Edvald Boasson Hagen took off with Thomas on his wheel.

Thomas took maximum points and three-seconds bonus at Jayco Sprint #1 much to the frustration of Euskaltel-Euskadi was evident. Thomas' first place across the line had just bumped him over the top of Ion Izagirre and into fifth place.
At the next sprint it was a similar situation with Hayman again one of the final men to line the bunch out. Thomas did enough to get a one-second bonus and move into third-overall on GC. That move also earned him the overall lead in the sprint classification - which he was not aware of until the finish.

Coming into the final lap Lotto Belisol was around the front but allowed Sky to do much of the early work. The British team had stepped on the gas too early and with a full contingent of Lotto riders now at the front with less than 2km remaining, the whole bunch was struggling merely to hold on.

Entering the final straight it was Greipel's teammate Greg Henderson who was about to up the speed and was caught out by a fast charging Renshaw. The Australian riding for the former Rabobank team looked like he had got the better of the German but Greipel was merely waiting to pounce.

Greipel hit-out and his win was immediately secure. Renshaw held on for another podium spot for the week with Boasson Hagen rounding out an impressive tour for Sky.

Full Results

1	André Greipel (Ger) Lotto Belisol	1:52:59
2	Mark Renshaw (Aus) Blanco Pro Cycling Team
3	Edvald Boasson Hagen (Nor) Sky Procycling
4	Matthew Harley Goss (Aus) Orica-GreenEdge
5	Tyler Farrar (USA) Garmin-Sharp
6	Geraint Thomas (GBr) Sky Procycling
7	Klaas Lodewyck (Bel) BMC Racing Team
8	Barry Markus (Ned) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team
9	Yauheni Hutarovich (Blr) AG2R La Mondiale
10	Kenny Robert van Hummel (Ned) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team

Final general classification

1	Tom Jelte Slagter (Ned) Blanco Pro Cycling Team	18:28:32
2	Javier Moreno Bazan (Spa) Movistar Team	0:00:17
3	Geraint Thomas (GBr) Sky Procycling	0:00:25
4	Jon Izaguirre Insausti (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi	0:00:32
5	Ben Hermans (Bel) RadioShack Leopard	0:00:34
6	Wilco Kelderman (Ned) Blanco Pro Cycling Team
7	Gorka Izaguirre Insausti (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi	0:00:36
8	Daniele Pietropolli (Ita) Lampre-Merida
9	Tiago Machado (Por) RadioShack Leopard	0:00:38
10	Jussi Veikkanen (Fin) FDJ	0:00:41

Nibali Unhappy, Schleck in the Back

Six months later, and I am back. Sorry for the hiatus, but I needed to step away for a while. My passion for cycling had lowered at the end of the Tour de France, and so I just needed to back off for a while. However, I am back now, and that is what counts. I may not post every day, but I am going to try to post more often than once every six months.

On twitter this morning, Cyclingnews.com posted the link for the article: "Nibali regrets not joining Team Sky". I don't follow Nibali as much as other riders so I wasn't sure what this article meant. I took it as Nibali regretted not joining Team Sky this year, so I was confused: I thought he wanted to be team leader, to win in a Grand Tour. Why did he regret not joining, when if he had joined, he would probably have been third to Wiggins and Froome? Of course, once I read the article, it all made sense...and I feel bad for Nibali. I mean, it could have been him winning the 2012 Tour de France, instead of Wiggins, since it really is a team sport.

Nibali regrets not joining Team Sky

Vincenzo Nibali has told Cyclingnews that he regrets not being able to break his contract with the Liquigas team at the end of 2009 and sign for Team Sky.

The Italian was lined up to sign for the British team to be their Grand Tours leader in their inaugural year. As well as meeting with a Team Sky intermediary, Nibali also met with Team Sky’s management with a multi-year contract put in front of him.

Speaking exclusively to Cyclingnews at the Tour de San Luis, Nibali said: “I was very close to joining Sky, yes that’s true. I met with Max Sciandri to discuss a move and we met a few times. Then I had a meeting with the Team Sky management during the year. In the end I couldn’t move because of the contract with Liquigas. Sky offered me a contract though and I was very close to signing but couldn’t break the Liquigas contract.”

“Do I wish I’d signed? It was new team and I was looking forward to being part of a big international team. Yes, I wish I’d been able to ride for them then.”

Nibali eventually left Liquigas this winter, signing for Astana, where he will lead their charge at the Giro d’Italia this May. With Alberto Contador heading to the Tour in July many expect Nibali and Bradley Wiggins – the rider who was signed after the Italian's Team Sky deal fell through – to fight it out for the maglia rosa.

The Giro d'Italia organisers have attempted to create a finely balanced route for 2013, one that offers both the climbers and time trialists equal opportunities to shine. With 74.9 kilometres of time trialing, Wiggins can expect to severely dent Nibali’s chances. The Italian lost roughly six minutes in last year’s Tour de France to Wiggins against the clock.

However the Italian believes that the style of climbs in the Giro d'Italia will suit his characteristics better and the fact that there’s no final time trial offers the climbers of Nibali’s ilk further encouragement.

“The climbs are very difficult and different to the ones in the Tour. Wiggins is certainly a very good rider and there’s a long time trial for him but the race is wide open. I’m going to give my best and you have to remember that Wiggins won’t have the same team as he had at the Tour last year. Sky is a great team but they can’t send the same team to the Giro and to the Tour, so they have to decide where they split their strengths,” he told Cyclingnews.

“I don’t know who they’ll send to the Giro but I read the papers and from what I can see Wiggins will do ride the Giro, and Froome will ride the Tour. Wiggins is a big competitor with a lot of character but the road will decide.”

The time bonuses on offer are another reason for Nibali to be cheerful.

"They could be really important," he said. "For example Cunego won a Giro thanks to time bonuses in 2004. This year the course doesn’t have a final time trial. It would be better for Wiggins if there was final time trial but the final week suits the climbers better.”

The Giro isn’t Nibali’s only target in 2013. The Italian differs from a number of current grand tour riders in that he races throughout the season and at a consistent level – from attacking at Milano-Sanremo to aggressive riding at Liege-Bastogne-Liege and Il Lombardy – the 28-year-old selects a number of targets but without being fixated on one goal.

“In the last few years I’ve raced from the start of the season right up until the end. I was second at Liege last year, only just missing out and I was third at the Tour. I don’t like to start a season with just one target and there are so many big races in the calendar. The most important race is of course the Tour but it’s not the only important one.”

“When I was growing up I was a big Moser fan. I loved how he’d work towards finding new technologies. My father had a VHS of his wins and I’d watch that all the time and feel inspired. I like to be like him because he’d try and look for new technologies as a rider and that’s something I’m interested in. But Moser didn’t just target one race, like the Tour, and I’m like that too.”

Leading Astana

Currently finding form in Argentina at San Luis, Nibali appears to be settling in nicely with his new team. Each evening after dinner he leads his teammates down into the lobby for a quick coffee. The team has certainly thrown their weight behind him too. Earlier this month Astana and Specialized began a special project to work on his time trial position. Nibali is also now able to pick his own race programme. This and a significant pay increase, appear to have been a major incentive in his decision to move to Astana.

“It’s been a really nice experience so far. The team is trying to look to the future and we’re doing the best that we can. I feel good, and I’m the leader here. I’ve come because I wanted to try a new experience in an international team. I spent a lot of years at Liquigas but I wanted a change, a different environment, and here I’m the only leader and that’s something that’s really good for me,” he told Cyclingnews.

“It was a big step, I know that, but I’m not sentimental about the past and I don’t miss the old squad. And while it’s an international team here there are also a good number of Italians here as well.”

“For an Italian rider it’s important that I do the biggest Italian race. Astana were really interested in me doing the Giro as well. Last year, at Liquigas, it would have been nice if I’d had the chance to decide for myself if I was going to do the Giro or not, especially after seeing the results. Liquigas chose a different programme for me though.”

Now, after Stage 5 of the Santos Tour Down Under, Andy Schleck, is sitting in a comfortable 127th place...that's right, he is second to last. Or my new favorite term, coined by @Thorley_Lydia, #SchleckndFromLast. 

Last year, I remember that us Twitter-folk were worried about riders peaking too early, so far in advance of the Tour de France. However, this is just crazy. I know Schleck was out most of last season with a fractured hip, but second from last? I'm worried that five months from now he will still not be ready, although it seems he believes differently:

Andy Schleck rediscovering his way at Tour Down Under

It was during Stage 2 of the Tour Down Under when Andy Schleck's happiness and relief at being back on the bike was evident for all to see. In the last 12 months he's been handed a Tour de France title in a way in which he did not want it bestowed, and been to hell and back with injury. It was time to ride and it wasn't just about staying out of trouble in a nervous peloton, nor was it a training exercise.

"Why should it always be Jens [Voigt] that is riding [on the front]?" Schleck had told his RadioShack Leopard teammates during the pre-stage meeting. "I can ride as well. Riding in the front in the wind, suffering; that is what makes my shape better and stronger so that's the main goal. I won't hesitate the next day to do the same. I like it. I ride in the front and of course it hurts. Sometimes when I am really hurting, I hope that the guys behind are hurting also. I like to do it and I'm really, really happy to be back in the bunch again in the peloton. It's something different when you can do something like I did today."

It's Schleck's first appearance at the Tour Down Under after years of gentle nudging from former teammate, Adelaide local Stuart O'Grady. It's only now, as part of his build up to full competition following his crash at the Dauphine last June which left him with a fractured pelvis, that the Australian WorldTour event has been an option. Schleck's return began at the season-ending Tour of Beijing.

"Beijing was hard because I knew that I'd go back there and I probably had better shape when I was a junior than when I went to Beijing," he told Cyclingnews. "It was terrible but I went there because I want to race. It was not a good idea I found out after three days but still I finished the stage and I was happy. The positive thing about it was that it was the kick off for my new season again.

"To come here, mentally it was easy, really easy. I was counting the days to come here. Beijing was really different..."

The schedule Schleck has to have

Schleck's 2013 calendar is packed in the lead-up to the 100th Tour de France. After the Tour Down Under the 27-year-old will race the Tour of the Mediterranean, Tour du Haut Var, GP Nobili, Strade Bianche, Tirreno-Adriatico, Criterium International and the Tour of the Basque Country.

From there, he will probably head to the Tour of California and wrap up his preparations with the Tour de Suisse, before heading to Corsica for the Tour's Grand Depart.

That's a lot of racing for someone essentially starting from scratch, but he's unconcerned about it potentially being a case of too much, too soon.

"I think I have pretty wide shoulders on that kind of [thing]. I am not afraid of that," Schleck. "People ask me, 'You might be over trained?' I don't know one guy who is over trained. For me it's a myth so ..."

The time is now

Schleck will turn 28 this year, an age that he admits is make or break for the rider that he could potentially become.

"I am definitely going to improve," he said. "The best age of a cyclist is between 28 and 32. That is what they say. I hope I am not an exception, or I'm not different. But it's also kind of ... cycling is mentally a really hard sport. My last year, 2012, made me mentally a lot stronger because I realised it is really, really what I want to do - it is winning bike races. Mentally I have no doubt ... it was not good last year. I'm still recovering to come back and be good and be in front in the final of a race. That will come. But I am happy to be here and have a bike number on my jersey and compete."

Returning to the peloton means more clashes with the likes of great rival Alberto Contador (Saxo - Tinkoff) at the grand tours. The Tour de France which he missed in 2012 saw Bradley Wiggins and Chris Froome rise to the occasion for Sky and Schleck wants to pit himself against them all.

"For me now I can tell you 100 names I have to beat first! Wait I was 89th today [Wednesday] so 98 now!" he joked. "I go with of course big ambitions into the season but I know it's going to be a bumpy road until I am where I want to be because it's not easy, you cannot build up shape in three months, it's simply not possible. Maybe some say so but no, if you ask me, not."

But for now, Schleck is all about getting back to the normal and it's not just about racing the big events, it's also about rediscovering the confidence he needs to just be able to sit in the peloton.

"I am a little, I won't say scared, but I think it's also normal because you have to get used to riding in the peloton again. I rode in Beijing but that was more like behind the peloton than in the peloton so ... it worries me a little bit, honestly but it just takes time."

My Rabbit Is Named After Him

I'm not kidding. Meet Snickers Alejandro:

And, I think it would be awesome if Alejandro Valverde could win the 2012 Tour de France.

Valverde believes he can win the Tour de France

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/valverde-believes-he-can-win-the-tour-de-france)

Having come back to racing this year after a doping suspension, Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) is also back to winning ways. With four victories and a podium spot at the Tour Down Under as well as Paris-Nice in his pocket, the Spaniard's balance sheet in late March is more than promising in view of his real targets this year, the Ardennes Classics and the Tour de France.

Valverde did not expect such a successful return to competition, but he told L'Equipe that he trained as hard during the last year as when he was competing. "I knew I had good shape as I had trained well at home, but I didn't think I would be able to do such a good season start. But during the suspension, I did exactly what I did before. I trained regularly, and I had two peaks of form during the year. I trained as though I was competing, but without competing."

Turning his attention towards the Classics season, Valverde admitted that Philippe Gilbert (BMC) would be the man to beat after what the Belgian showed last season. "To me, Gilbert was the best rider in the world last year," the Spaniard continued. "I would love to be able to deliver a grand duel against him in the Ardennes Classics. I'm sure this would also be great for the spectators."

On top of his other prestigious victories, Valverde won Liège-Bastogne-Liège twice in his career, and the Flèche Wallonne once. Gilbert took all three Ardennes Classics last year, on top of his first victory of the Amstel Gold Race in 2010.

But Valverde, who also has the overall 2009 Vuelta a Espana to his account, sees himself as a contender for the Tour de France this year. Even though the 2012 parcours has widely been branded as one for the better time triallists, the Movistar rider believes in his chances to take the yellow jersey.

"My idea is to fight for the general classification," said the 31-year-old, who already has two top ten results in the Tour to his name (in 2007 and 2008). "It's clear that the amount of time trial kilometres favours those riders who are specialists against the clock, like Wiggins or Evans. But the Tour is the Tour, it is very long and anything can happen, it can be over at any day. So I will do my utmost to be there, to do the best I can, even if, to me, the favourite is Andy Schleck.

"He wants to win it, but so do I. In the time trial, we are about on the same level. I think the Tour 2012 will be very open."

Tour de Langkawi: First All-African Team & Vino Comes Full Circle

Two interesting articles caught my eye regarding the upcoming Tour de Langkawi:

First of all, the first African team will be competing in it. Its really good to see that cycling is becoming more of a world-wide sport than just a European sport. With the Santos Tour Down Under, as well as a handful of major races in the States, it nice to see that it is beginning to appeal to other countries.

First ‘truly African team’ set for Tour de Langkawi

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/first-truly-african-team-set-for-tour-de-langkawi)

With the Tour de Langkawi boasting one of its strongest line-ups in recent years one might be forgiven in glossing over some of the so-called smaller teams, but the MTN-Qhubeka team posses some of the most exciting talents in the race, and have been dubbed the first ‘truly African team’ by their team manager.

The race squad comprises of athletes from around the African continent, including four black African riders (Adrien Niyonshuti from Rwanda, and Jani Tewelde, Meron Russom and Tesfai Habtariam from Eritrea) and two South African riders (Jacques Janse van Rensburg and Dennis van Niekerk).

Van Niekerk and Janse van Rensburg are no strangers to the race, with Van Niekerk finishing fourth overall in 2011 and Janse van Rensburg finishing sixth in 2009.

Douglas Ryder, MTN-Qhubeka Team Principal, rode the Tour de Langkawi seven times as a member of the South African National Team, finishing fifth overall in 1996 and winning the KOM competition in 1998.

“I have always enjoyed the people and the hardness of the event in which South African riders have always done well,” said Ryder. “2012 sees the first truly African team participate, and with this event favouring the climbers, it will be great to see how our team will perform against one of the best fields ever assembled.”

The team will be looking for a strong performance in the GC, and will also be targeting the key mountain stage to Genting Genting Highlands.

"Janse van Rensberg, Niyonshuti and Van Niekerk are amongst Africa's best climbing talents,” she the team coach.

“They have been training hard over the past two months, and their SRM power data confirms their current form. Eritrian neo-pros Russom, Tewelde and Habetarium joined our team mid-January. They have rapidly adopted our team's high-tech training methods and their performances in hard, specific interval training sessions confirm their depth in conditioning. The Tour de Langkawi will be their first major international stage race outside of Africa. They're aggressive, fearless competitors and will be eager to earn the respect of their global competition."

Team for Tour de Langkawi:Adrien Niyonshuti (Rwa), Jani Tewelde Weldegaber (Eri), Jacques Janse Van Rensburg (RSA), Meron Russom (Eri), Tesfai Habtariam (Eri), Dennis Van Niekerk (RSA)

The second article that I found interesting was about Alexandre Vinokourov and how he will be racing in the Tour de Langkawi, which 15 years ago essentially began his professional career:

Vinokourov back in Langkawi after 15 years

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/vinokourov-back-in-langkawi-after-15-years)

It's been 15 years but Alexander Vinokourov still remembers the first and last time he raced the Tour de Langkawi in 1997, as a member of the Kazakh national team. This week, the leader of the Astana squad is back in Kuala Lumpur to start his final season in the pro-ranks.

Le Tour de Langkawi triggered Vinokourov's career as a professional bike rider, as it was during the 1997 event that the Kazakhstan caught the eye of Gilles Mas, directeur sportif at Casino, who brought him to the French team as a stagiaire in August that year. Vinokourov signed his first professional contract in 1998 with the squad directed by Vincent Lavenu.

"It's fantastic to be here once again in my final year as a professional," Vinokourov told Biciciclismo. "I've always remembered my first time here in 1997 and I've always wanted to come back. But it was never included in my team's calendar, or suited to my race programme."

The 38-year-old returns to racing after fracturing his femur in a crash at the 2011 Tour de France. He competed in the Chrono des Nations last October but to him, "This is the first big race since I crashed in the Tour de France last year and it will be a good start into the new season for me, to get back to full fitness before travelling to Europe for the Classics."

Vinokourov is set to leave his mark on the race, together with his teammates Valentín Iglinskiy, Aleksandr Dyachenko, Assan Bazayev, Andrey Zeits and Dmitriy Gruzdev. "We have a strong team with the potential to win the general classification. My work here will be to help my teammates achieve the victory," he said.

After Le Tour de Langkawi, Vinokourov is scheduled to compete in Italy at the Settimana Internazionale di Coppi e Bartali at the end of March.

Just when you thought the season was over...

...a new race has been added. This will be the 2nd race that China will host:

Season-ending Tour of Hangzhou added to WorldTour calendar

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/season-ending-tour-of-hangzhou-added-to-worldtour-calendar)

The UCI has opened the door for an additional Chinese stage race to the WorldTour calendar at a meeting of the Professional Cycling Council (PCC) in Geneva on Friday, after the Tour of Hanghzou was pencilled in to take place on October 17-21 of this year.

The new race would take place immediately after the Tour of Beijing, which is already fixed for October 10-14. It would thus become the final event on the WorldTour calendar, as the Tour of Lombardy has already been shifted from its traditional October date to September 29.

The Tour of Hanghzhou will be confirmed on the calendar once the Licence Commission approves its application for a UCI WorldTour licence. While that process should prove a formality, it remains to be seen how the 18 WorldTour teams and their riders will respond to the addition of another five days of racing in China at the tail end of the season.

“It is a natural step for cycling which is currently enjoying a period of huge growth worldwide,” UCI president Pat McQuaid said in a statement issued by the governing body late on Friday afternoon. “This will generate great visibility for teams and riders and can be expected to give a big boost to cycling. The injection of funding directly benefits the sport with financial returns from the new races re-invested into cycling and also profiting teams and other stakeholders down the line.

“It is no secret that success breeds success and the current boom in cycling is good news for cyclists and cycling lovers across the board. We are very pleased with today’s decision which comes as part of UCI’s ongoing sustainable development of the sport.”

The UCI did not name the race organiser in the press release, but its own organising entity GCP (Global Cycling Promotion) is already responsible for the Tour of Beijing.

The addition of the Tour of Hanghzou brings to 28 the number of events on the WorldTour calendar, and is the fifth to be held outside of Europe, alongside the Tour Down Under, GP de Montréal, GP de Québec and Tour of Beijing.

Saxo Bank to lose WorldTour slot?

During its two-day gathering in Geneva, the UCI also confirmed that it will ask the Licence Commission to rule on whether Saxo Bank should retain its place in the WorldTour following the suspension of Alberto Contador. “If the points obtained by Alberto Contador, representing approximately 68 percent of the Saxo Bank-Sungard team's total points, are disregarded, his team would no longer be considered to fulfil the sporting criterion required for the UCI WorldTour,” read the UCI statement.

No UCI points for Movistar from Valverde

Valverde's success will not benefit Movistar

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/valverdes-success-will-not-benefit-movistar)

Alejandro Valverde may have completed the sporting ban which was the consequence of a protracted Operacion Puerto case, but the Spaniard's punishment is not yet concluded: the UCI confirmed to Cyclingnews that none of his points will count toward his team's sporting criteria - the ranking which is used by the UCI in determining which teams will be in the following year's WorldTour. Indeed, none of his points will count for the next two seasons.

Valverde is currently sitting in second in the WorldTour rankings after coming in as the runner-up to GreenEdge's Simon Gerrans at the Tour Down Under, and while his results will add to the team's tally for the WorldTour rankings, it will not help his Movistar team when it comes time for the UCI to figure out who stays and who goes in the 2013 WorldTour. The UCI ranks the teams by rider points accumulated, team points and other criteria such as ethical and financial merits, with only the top 15 teams earning automatic consideration for the next WorldTour season.

The UCI took the decision to disqualify riders who are returning from bans from scoring points toward the team rankings for two years following their return from a anti-doping rule violation. The rule was ratified by the Pro Cycling Council in Copenhagen last autumn.

Earlier in 2011, the idea was presented to the PCC by former Credit Agricole manager Roger Legeay, and was accepted for consideration by the UCI's management committee. Teams association (AIGCP) president Jonathan Vaughters confirmed that he voted in favour of the rule on behalf of the teams in the Copenhagen meeting. "It was supported by the majority of the teams. Its a good rule, I think," Vaughters said.

World Tour Standings as of 1/22/12

I thought about doing something special for my 200th blog post, but I couldn't think of anything. My mind is still beat from my 13 day work week. So, I decided two posts in one day was the way to go. This morning I posted the results from the Santos Tour Down Under, and now I wanted to post the updated WorldTour rankings:

Gerrans, RadioShack-Nissan top first WorldTour rankings

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/gerrans-radioshack-nissan-top-first-worldtour-rankings)


Following his overall victory in the Santos Tour Down Under, GreenEdge's Simon Gerrans became the first leader of the UCI's WorldTour individual rankings.

Gerrans leads runner-up Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) by 19 points, with fellow podium finisher Tiago Machado (RadioShack-Nissan) in third, 15 further points back.

Thanks to the presence of both Machado and Jan Bakelants in the top five on general classification, the RadioShack-Nissan team kicked off the season at the top of the team rankings.

The Luxembourg squad leads Movistar by 7 points, with GreenEdge one point behind.

Strong performances by the home riders, who placed five riders in the points - Gerrans, Sky's Michael Rogers, Rabobank's Michael Matthews and Mark Renshaw and GreenEdge's Robbie McEwen - put Australia atop the nations rankings ahead of Spain and Portugal.

The WorldTour now takes a six-week hiatus before resuming at Paris-Nice on March 4.

WorldTour standings as of January 22, 2012

1	Simon Gerrans (Aus) Greenedge Cycling Team	106	pts
2	Alejandro Valverde Belmonte (Spa) Movistar Team	87
3	Tiago Machado (Por) Radioshack-Nissan	72
4	Michael Rogers (Aus) Sky Procycling	61
5	Jan Bakelants (Bel) Radioshack-Nissan	40
6	Edvald Boasson Hagen (Nor) Sky Procycling	34
7	Javier Moreno Bazan (Spa) Movistar Team	20
8	André Greipel (Ger) Lotto Belisol Team	18
9	Michael Matthews (Aus) Rabobank Cycling Team	15
10	Yauheni Hutarovich (Blr) FDJ-Big Mat	7
11	Oscar Freire Gomez (Spa) Katusha Team	6
12	Alessandro Petacchi (Ita) Lampre - ISD	6
13	Mark Renshaw (Aus) Rabobank Cycling Team	5
14	Eduard Vorganov (Rus) Katusha Team	4
15	Gerald Ciolek (Ger) Omega Pharma-Quickstep	4
16	Daniele Bennati (Ita) Radioshack-Nissan	3
17	Jose Joaquin Rojas Gil (Spa) Movistar Team	1
18	Fabio Sabatini (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale	1
19	Robbie McEwen (Aus) Greenedge Cycling Team	1

Teams

1	Radioshack-Nissan	115	pts
2	Movistar Team	108
3	Greenedge Cycling Team	107
4	Sky Procycling	95
5	Rabobank Cycling Team	20
6	Lotto Belisol Team	18
7	Katusha Team	10
8	FDJ-Big Mat	7
9	Lampre - ISD	6
10	Omega Pharma-Quickstep	4
11	Liquigas-Cannondale	1

Nations

1	Australia	188	pts
2	Spain	114
3	Portugal	72
4	Belgium	40
5	Norway	34
6	Germany	22
7	Italy	10
8	Belarus	7
9	Russia	4

Santos Tour Down Under Results

Gerrans crowned Tour Down Under champion in Adelaide

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/tourdownunder/stage-6/results_)

Andre Greipel (Lotto-Belisol) has taken his third Tour Down Under victory, and his fourth win for the week after a text book sprint down King William Road. Mark Renshaw (Rabobank) tried to compete but was unable to come by the German's wheel on the uphill sprint. Italian Alessandro Petacchi (Lampre-ISD) was a close third.

The bunch finish was nearly spoiled however by Cameron Meyer (GreenEdge) who made a bold solo move with a little over a lap to go. Meyer's overall hopes had been dashed yesterday when he missed the select front group on the first time up Old Willunga Hill. The field would not be denied, particulalry Andre Greipel's Lotto Belisol team who put the him in a perfect position - the German finishing off with ease.

Simon Gerrans (GreenEdge) meanwhile did all he needed to, successfully finishing in the bunch to take out his second overall title after his career defining 2006 triumph while riding for the French AG2R-Prévoyance team.

For his GreenEdge team, it was another tick in the box after their recent successes in the Mars Cycling Australia Road National Championships and the Jayco Bay Classic Series in Victoria.

The team set out to take the overall title, and despite not winning a stage, can be wholly satisified with a truly team performance that gives them the early lead in the prestigious WorldTour.

"It’s just fantastic," said a clearly excited Gerrans at the finish.

"I can’t thank my team mates enough. I was pleasantly surprised when I was told I had the lead [yesterday]. It’s such a fantastic victory for GreenEDGE. We couldn’t ask for a more perfect way to start the season."

"It’s an even sweeter victory than my first one here in 2006. It gives me the opportunity to thank for the first time the Ryan family and Shayne Bannan for putting this team together. It couldn’t be a better start for us."

Stage winner Greipel was similalry appreciative of his Lotto-Belisol team who have shown definitively to be the best organised when it comes to a bunch dash.

"What can I say," said Greipel. "Lotto-Belisol has just been amazing in leading me out to my third win of the week. It looks easy but it’s not. I was nowhere in the front on GC this year but I’m happy with the sprint finishes."

Greipel's stage win was not enough to take out the points classificaiton however. His three stage wins were cancelled out by his absences on Willunga and in Tanunda, ultimately costing him vital points that Edvald Boasson Hagen (Sky) was able to bank. The Norwegian would have liked a win but was happy nonetheless.

"It’s an early start to the season and to be on top form now is difficult.I’m happy to be on okay form but I can still get better."

UniSA-Australia had plenty of reason to celebrate, taking out the King of the Moutains for the second year running as well as cleaning up with Rohan Dennis who also took out best young rider.

How it unfolded

With the overall tied on time, and Gerrans a clear leader on countback, GreenEdge were happy to see a sizeable break form very early in the 20 lap circuit race in Adelaide.

It included Bernard Sulzberger, Jay McCarthy (UniSA-Australia), Luke Durbridge, Cameron Meyer (GreenEdge), Martijn Maaskant (Garmin-Barracuda), Adam Hansen (Lotto-Belisol), Sergey Lagutin (Vacansoleil-DCM), Mathew Hayman (Sky), Gorka Izagirre (Euskatel-Euskadi), Matteo Trentin (Omega Pharma-Quickstep), Greg Van Avermaet (BMC), Davide Cimolai (Lampre-ISD), Jens Voigt (Radioshack-Nissan), William Bonnet (FDJ-BigMat), Sergio Paulinho and Jonas Jorgensen (Saxo Bank).

They built up an advantage of close to 40 seconds before Rabobank who had missed the move came to the front to bring them back.

With the group within reach Michael Matthews soloed across the final 10 second gap, enough to encourage the peloton that the break should come back into the fold.

With the first intermediate sprint looming and dangerous seconds on the line, GreenEdge sent Luke Durbridge up the road again and he was joined by Davide Cimolai. Cimolai took out the sprint from Durbridge who didn't contest. Jack Bauer (Garmin-Barracuda) jumped out of the peloton to take third.

Once again the speed of the peloton after the prime was enough to nullify the break, and it was all together once more.

Bakelants makes his charge

Jan Bakelants (Radioshack-Nissan), who before today sat seventh on GC, used the lull to make a bid for the bonus second on offer at the second sprint.  He needed just two seconds to get in front of Edvald Boasson Hagen and picked up all three on offer, ahead of Cameron Meyer (GreenEdge) who managed to bridge to Bakelants solo.

Shortly thereafter Romain Sicard (Euskatel-Euskadi) also bridged to make it a trio of strong riders at the front. As the laps ticked by, and the gap failed to reduce Bakelants was becoming a real threat to the overall lead of Simon Gerrans. He was just 16 seconds behind Gerrans at this stage and with the 40 second advantage the break held was virtual leader.

Justifiably he got very little help from Sicard as the race entered the closing kilometres, with Meyer playing ticket collector on the back.

The bunch was having none of it however and with Lotto-Belisol, Lampre-ISD and Liquigas-Cannondale ramping things up for their sprinters the gap rapidly fell away.

Inside 6 kilometres to go and Bakelants decided to raise the white flag, happy enough with his sixth overall. Meyer meanwhile wanted the stage win. He went alone and entered the final 4 kilometre lap with a small advantage.

Though Meyer's fight was admirable, nothing would deny the bunch on the fast city circuit, and with half a lap to go it was all together for a bunch sprint. Lotto-Belisol best placed their man, and it was Andre Greipel who took the sprint from Renshaw and Petacchi.

Gerrans crossed the line safely in the main field to take the overall.

Stage 6 Results:

1	André Greipel (Ger) Lotto-Belisol	1:56:48
2	Mark Renshaw (Aus) Rabobank
3	Alessandro Petacchi (Ita) Lampre - ISD
4	Yauheni Hutarovich (Blr) FDJ - BigMat
5	Jose Joaquin Rojas (Spa) Movistar
6	Edvald Boasson Hagen (Nor) Sky Procycling
7	Romain Feillu (Fra) Vacansoleil -DCM
8	Jonathan Cantwell (Aus) Team Saxo Bank
9	Fabio Sabatini (Ita) Liquigas - Cannondale
10	Manuel Belletti (Ita) AG2R La Mondiale

Overall Results:

1	Simon Gerrans (Aus) GreenEDGE	20:46:12
2	Alejandro Valverde (Spa) Movistar
3	Tiago Machado (Por) RadioShack-Nissan	0:00:08
4	Michael Rogers (Aus) Sky Procycling	0:00:14
5	Rohan Dennis (Aus) UNI SA - Australia
6	Jan Bakelants (Bel) RadioShack-Nissan	0:00:16
7	Edvald Boasson Hagen (Nor) Sky Procycling	0:00:18
8	Javier Moreno (Spa) Movistar	0:00:23
9	Michael Matthews (Aus) Rabobank	0:00:29
10	Eduard Vorganov (Rus) Katusha	0:00:32