2013 Tour de France Stage 9

Stage 9:

We all knew that the Yellow Jersey was going to be tested on this mountain stage. The other teams and CG Contenders wanted to break Froome and Team Sky. The question was would Froome be beat?

Garmin-Sharp, and in particular Dan Martin, along with some help from Movistar, shook Froome and Team Sky pretty much from the beginning of the stage, and with about 140 km still left to race, it was just Froome and Porte left. Then Porte was dropped on the second climb, leaving Froome solo. However, for most of the rest of the stage, Froome was able to answer and attack that his rivals threw at him.

The last climb of the day was where the action took place. Just under 5 km from the top, Dan Martin attacked and Jakob Fuglsang bridged to him. They hit the summit just under a minute before the Yellow Jersey. And then it was a descent to the finish line where Martin and Fuglsang battled it out for the finish. Martin took the last turn better than his rival, and pulled away with the win!

Froome was not to be beat though, he crossed the line 20" behind Martin, allowing him to stay in Yellow. Porte, however, was not so lucky; he lost over 18' on the Yellow Jersey.

Picture made by @aslanscubs

Although no panda showed up this time to motivate Dan Martin, it wasn't for lack of trying. Even Jonathan Vaughters, manager of Garmin-Sharp, asked for some panda help via Twitter:

For those of you who have no idea what I am talking about with Dan Martin and a panda then check this out!

Frank Schleck Let Go

Okay, you all know how I feel about the Schleck Brothers, so I'm sure you think I'm biased. I probably am, but I'm still not sure why Radioshack Leopard Trek let Frank Schleck go 11 and a half months into his 12 month suspension. Shouldn't this have happened last July? Or maybe not at all?

Alberto Contador wasn't let go from his team when he came back from his doping suspension. Neither was Christian Vande Velde, although Garmin is built around a strict anti-doping program. But yet, Frank Schleck is. I'm guessing because Radioshack was Lance Armstrong's former team, and they are still trying to clean up from that. Although from what I am reading, Leopard is the one that actually dropped Frank, as that is the sponsor that holds the UCI WorldTour license. However, when Trek picks it up next year, there is a possibility that they could re-sign Frank.

Fabian Cancellara has already committed to 3 years with Trek, and with him on the team, I don't see any reason that Andy Schleck wouldn't want to be there. And we all know that the brothers can't be broken up, so I can see Trek wanting to re-sign Frank.

I've seen rumors (or so I hope that they are just rumors) that the brothers are going to sign with Omega Pharma-Quickstep, becoming teammates with Mark Cavendish. As much as I have grown to love Cavendish, I don't think the team can have both Schlecks and Cavendish. Isn't that why Cav left Team Sky? There was no room for a sprinter on a team build around GC contenders.

I guess we just have to wait to see what 2014 brings.

Frank Schleck sacked by RadioShack-Leopard with immediate effect

(http://www1.skysports.com/cycling/news/12040/8806128/Frank-Schleck-told-RadioShack-Leopard-will-not-welcome-him-back-after-doping-ban)

The Luxembourg rider had been due to return from a doping suspension on July 14, but team owners Leopard have decided to terminate his contract.

However, with Leopard finishing their association with the team at the end of this season, Schleck could rejoin the set-up under its new owners and title sponsor, Trek, for the 2014 campaign.

A team statement read: "With the end of Frank Schleck's suspension approaching, Leopard and its partners have assessed the situation in view of a possible renewal of the collaboration with him.

"Having finalised this assessment in a broad and objective way, Leopard has decided to not renew the collaboration between Frank Schleck and the RadioShack Leopard Trek cycling team. Leopard wishes Frank Schleck a successful continuation of his career."

Schleck tested positive for Xipamide at the 2012 Tour de France and was banned for 12 months.

Leopard have sold their UCI WorldTour licence to the Trek Bicycle Company for 2014.

They have already announced Fabian Cancellara will be part of the team after agreeing terms on a reported three-year deal earlier this week.

2013 Tour de France Stages 4-5

Here is an brief summary of stages 4 and 5 of the 2013 Tour de France:

Stage 4:

This stage was a team time trial. As one of my Twitter-friends said, "A team TT is a perfect blend of teamwork, sport, and art"(c/o @Beal88). I couldn't have said it better myself.

As soon as Cannondale started their TTT, Ted King was dropped. Because of his injuries from the Stage 1 crash, he couldn't hold on to the fast-pace of his teammates. However, unlike a normal stage, the cut-off time is not known until the last team crossed the finish line. Unfortunately, 7 seconds was all it took for Ted King to be outside the time limit.

Going into the TTT, there were two teams that most people thought would win: Team Sky (dominators of last year's Tour de France) and Omega Pharma-Quickstep (TT World Champions). However, it was in fact Orica-GreenEdge that took the win, placing Simon Gerrans in the Yellow Jersey.

As much as I would have loved Jan Bakelants to remain in Yellow some more, with only 1" separating him and a bunch of other riders, I knew Radioshack Leopard Trek could not hold the lead. They aren't exactly a team known for time trials.

Stage 5:

All I really need to say is that this was Mark Cavendish's comeback stage! After getting caught up in a crash in Stage 1, and then fighting two mountainous stages, this was the first chance that we actually were able to see Cavendish sprint to the finish. Not to mention, he is also recovering from bronchitis! He beat Edvald Boassan Hagen and Peter Sagan, respectively, while most of the peloton was held up in the last 200m because of a crash.

As you can see from the sprint photo above, Cavendish, third from right, had the most aerodynamic position for speed! I think it's going to be a showdown between Sagan and Cavendish for the Green Jersey, although Sagan is up by 35 points as of right now. We'll have to wait and see what the road to Paris brings.

It seems to me that Sagan and Cavendish are only contesting the finish line, as Andre Greipel has won all of the intermediate sprints.

Wiggins Against His Team

I know I missed the beginning of this feud, but it seems as if Bradley Wiggins is against being a part of a team. He won the Tour de France last year, and his goal was to win the Giro d'Italia this year. Chris Froome was going to the Tour de France this year as the main GC contender for Team Sky. Simple, right? Nope...

A couple weeks ago, Wiggins said he was going to the Giro and then will go to the Tour with the goal of repeating his performance last year. Wiggins was not going to help Froome win and the team would be there to help Wiggins again, not Froome. Of course Team Sky comes out and says that the focus has not changed, and Froome will be the main contender. We shall see, I guess...

Today, Wiggins and Team Sky proved yet again that there is only room on the team for one GC contender. This morning started with three Sky riders in the Top 8: 2. Uran +17", 6. Wiggins +34", and 8. Henao, +37". With 6 kilometers left to race, Wiggins went down on the wet road, and Uran and Henao were told to wait for their team leader. All three of them came across the finish line over 2 and a half minutes down: Wiggins +2'31", Henao +2'40", and Uran +2'43". If Uran had been allowed to go off on his own, he would have finished in the Pink Jersey, but because of having to wait for Wiggins, the new GC leader is Intxausti, from Movistar.

Now Uran is 22nd, +1'27" down, while Wiggins is 23rd at +1'32" and Henao is 25th at +1'44". Once again Team Sky proves that only one GC contender can be on the team.

And while I don't cheer on anyone when they crash, no matter the rider, I do kind of hope that this is the margin that Team Sky finishes the Giro. Maybe that will make them see that there is more than one rider on the team.

Wiggins slides down the pecking order at Giro d’Italia

Control was the byword for Bradley Wiggins at the Tour de France last year but on the evidence of stage 7 to Pescara, it seems that the Giro d’Italia will not bend as readily to the will of the Englishman and his Sky team.

After the heavens opened in the closing kilometres, Wiggins crashed on the rain-soaked descent of San Silvestro with 6km to race and conceded 1:24 to his principal rivals for final overall victory and dropped to 23rd overall, 1:32 off the maglia rosa of Benat Intxausti (Movistar).

The breathless finale in Abruzzo was eons removed from the methodical calm with which Sky stage-managed affairs at the Tour last July, with no one team able to control the race and with attacks flying in all directions.

Already sluggish in reacting to the first major move on the penultimate climb of Santa Maria de Criptis, Wiggins was unable to follow Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) when he zipped clear on a sharp descent before the final ascent, the San Silvestro. On the 14 per cent slopes of the climb itself, Wiggins was even distanced from the pink jersey group as it strained to shut down Nibali’s move.

Worse was to follow as Wiggins tried to fight back on the descent. In conditions reminiscent of the famously slippery plunge off the Zovo into Schio at the 1998 Giro, Wiggins seemed to channel Alex Zülle’s performance from that day, sliding off his bike with 6 kilometres from the finish and then proceeding at a snail’s pace the rest of the way down, before being shepherded by teammates Rigoberto Uran and Sergio Henao towards Pescara.

On crossing the finish line, Wiggins rode impassively towards his team bus and clambered up the steps eager to put a disappointing afternoon behind him. After a lengthy conference on board, it was yet again Sky manager Dave Brailsford, rather than Wiggins, who eventually emerged to share Sky’s thoughts on the day with the reporters waiting outside.

“It was very, very slippery and once you fall, it takes you a bit of time to regain your composure,” Brailsford said of Wiggins’ decision to soft-pedal the remainder of the descent after his crash. “It was a setback but not disastrous I don’t think. It could have been a lot worse. There’s a lot of racing still to come and you’ve got to take your good days and your bad days and add it all up at the end and see where you’re at. It’s a long way from being over.”

Brailsford confirmed that Wiggins had not sustained any injuries in the crash, beyond the cut to his right elbow and he said that his leader was looking to keep his disappointment in perspective. “He didn’t say too much to be honest, but I think he’s fine. He recognises that you get your ups and downs in cycling and we’ll see where we are after tomorrow’s stage,” Brailsford said. “Physically he’s strong, very, very strong but having crashed he had to limit his losses and regain his composure, which I think he did.”

Although Wiggins’ difficulties in following the moves even before his crash must be a cause for concern, Brailsford insisted, too, that his rider was “in better shape than he was last year at the Tour. Obviously it’s been a bit sketchy in some areas but we’ll deal with that and welcome the time trial tomorrow and as soon as the road goes uphill we’ll welcome that too.”

Time trial

The frenetic finale on the approach to Pescara has torn up the “script” of this Giro d’Italia, in which Wiggins was expected by many to hold a commanding lead after Saturday’s 55 kilometre time trial from Gabicce Mare to Saltara. Instead, Wiggins begins the test 1:27 behind Nibali, 1:24 behind Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin-Sharp) and 1:16 behind Cadel Evans (BMC).

Brailsford was coy about the prospects of his leader overhauling all of his rivals in one fell swoop in the Marche on Saturday afternoon. “I think it will be difficult, given that it’s a minute and half, but there’s more than tomorrow’s time trial,” Brailsford said. “There’s a whole race left but obviously there are some brilliant riders in there and it will be difficult to claw that time back.”

It would be foolish to draw conclusions before seeing the nature of Wiggins’ response on the road to Saltara on Saturday afternoon, but the Sky machine could now find itself in the unusual position of looking to recoup ground rather than constricting the race.

“It’s opened it up for the rivals. I also think that in order to win stage races you’ve got to take the rough with the smooth and it’s all about how much balls he’s got really,” Brailsford said. “We’ve got to take it on, haven’t we? Claw it back and take it on – let’s race. Let’s chase some other people down for a change rather than have them chasing us.”

My favorite picture of Team Sky showing that it only rides for one rider is this Mark Cavendish, the World Champion. In the photo, Cavendish has taken on the role of Domestique and is in charge of going to get water bottles for his team mates.

Now I do understand that Cavendish went to the Tour de France last year knowing that he was going to have to help Wiggins and Team Sky win. However, it's not everyday that you see the Rainbow Jersey acting as a Domestique.

Stage 4 & Final - Volta ao Algarve / No Tour for Wiggins?

The 2013 edition of the Volta Ao Algarve came to a end today with an individual time trial. Four Radioshack Leopard Trek riders, Jesse Sergent, Tiago Machado, Andreas Kloden and Jan Bakelants, were in the top 10, but it was hard to compete when World Champion Time Trialist Tony Martin blew everyone away by over a minute! Radioshack won best team, and rider Giacomo Nizzolo won the sprint jersey. I'd say this was a great race for Radioshack!

February 17, Stage 4: Castro Marim - Tavira (ITT) 34.8km

Martin wins time trial, overall at Volta ao Algarve

Reigning time trial world champion Tony Martin (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) stamped his authority on the Volta ao Algarve's final stage as the 27-year-old German scorched the 34.8km race of truth in 45:09 to win both the stage and the overall general classification. Such was the dominance of Martin's performance that his closest competitor, teammate Michal Kwiatkowski, ceded 1:07 to the flying German while Jesse Sergent (RadioShack-Leopard) notched the third best time at 1:15 down.

 
"I am really happy," Martin said. "I was really looking to have a good day, and I had a good feeling immediately this morning during the reconnaissance. The parcours was really hard, with a lot of technical parts and little climbs where it was necessary to relaunch the action every time. Fortunately, it didn't rain during the TT. It rained a little bit before, but it stopped before so we had good conditions on the course during the TT. I really pushed a lot, and everything was perfect. There was a perfect approach to the race, and the result was because of all of these things."

Kwiatkowski made it a 1-2 Omega Pharma finish for both the stage and general classification as well, finishing 58 seconds down on Martin overall.

 
"Today I liked this kind of parcours," said Kwiatkowski. "It was not one for the big gear — it was a bit more technical with a lot of shifting. I like that kind of parcours the most. I am very happy about the entire week, even on the climb yesterday. I saw the job I did in the last month to improve on the climbs pay off. I had good results at this race and I am happy about it."

Dutch time trial champion Lieuwe Westra (Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team) clocked the fourth fastest time, 1:16 down on Martin. Westra started the stage eight seconds ahead of Kwiatkowski and 17 seconds in front of Martin on general classification, but the Dutchman lost time to the Omega Pharma-Quick Step teammates. Westra would still finish on the final GC podium in third, however, with Kwiatkowski edging him out for second overall by just one second.

 
Overnight leader Sergio Henao (Sky) proved no match for the rouleurs on the Volta al Algarve's concluding time trial, losing 3:15 and the overall title to Martin, who started the day 28 seconds in arrears of the 25-year-old Colombian. Although Henao finished a respectable 14th in the final stage, beating the likes of French time trial champion Sylvain Chavanel by four seconds, he nonetheless dropped to 12th overall on general classification, 2:47 down on Martin.

The seeds of overall victory were sown by Martin the previous day, where he limited his losses to his GC rivals with an 11th place result on the Alto do Malhão summit finish, a stage won by Henao. With a stunning display of time trial prowess befitting the world champion, Martin quickly erased his general classification deficit to seal his second Volta ao Algarve overall win in three years.

"My condition is better than last year at this moment," said Martin. "I knew it was possible to not lose a lot of time from the best climbers, and my team and I made sure of it. I have to say this kind of race, with an uphill finish, a TT, and sprint stages in the beginning is perfect for me. It's the kind of race I like and I am always looking for.

"I hope this victory helps me and the team continue to get good results during the season. I'd also like to thank my team and my teammates. They really protected me and Michal for the entire week. With the bad luck of Cav in the sprints, we really focused on the GC and the TT. Fortunately, we were successful. This is not just an individual victory, but a team victory."

Stage 4 Results
1 Tony Martin (Ger) Omega Pharma-Quick Step 0:45:09
2 Michal Kwiatkowski (Pol) Omega Pharma-Quick Step 0:01:07
3 Jesse Sergent (NZl) RadioShack Leopard 0:01:15
4 Lieuwe Westra (Ned) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team 0:01:16
5 Jonathan Castroviejo Nicolas (Spa) Movistar Team 0:01:30
6 Denis Menchov (Rus) Katusha 0:01:32
7 Tiago Machado (Por) RadioShack Leopard 0:01:47
8 Rui Alberto Faria Da Costa (Por) Movistar Team
9 Andreas Klöden (Ger) RadioShack Leopard 0:02:04
10 Jan Bakelants (Bel) RadioShack Leopard 0:02:32 

 Final general classification
1 Tony Martin (Ger) Omega Pharma-Quick Step 15:36:26
2 Michal Kwiatkowski (Pol) Omega Pharma-Quick Step 0:00:58
3 Lieuwe Westra (Ned) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team 0:00:59
4 Denis Menchov (Rus) Katusha 0:01:21
5 Rui Alberto Faria Da Costa (Por) Movistar Team 0:01:26
6 Tiago Machado (Por) RadioShack Leopard 0:01:30
7 Jesse Sergent (NZl) RadioShack Leopard 0:01:40
8 Jonathan Castroviejo Nicolas (Spa) Movistar Team 0:01:45
9 Andreas Klöden (Ger) RadioShack Leopard 0:01:53
10 Rigoberto Uran Uran (Col) Sky Procycling 0:02:31

Despite different reports coming out every day, it appears that reigning Tour de France Champion, Bradley Wiggins is not planning on defending his Yellow Jersey. His goal this year is the Giro d'Italia instead:

Wiggins: "I never thought for one minute I wanted to do it all again"

Bradley Wiggins (Sky) headed home from the Tour of Oman slightly disappointed by his own overall performance in the six-day race but convinced he has done the right thing by choosing different objectives and choosing the Giro d'Italia as his major goal of the season instead of a second Tour de France.

Wiggins lost 1:21 on stage one after being blocked by a late crash. Wiggins did not have the form or ambition to take on Contador, Nibali and Evans after training and racing hard the week before Tour of Oman and so he did his bit to help Chris Froome win overall.

"I was quite tired when I got here, especially on the first day, and it has not really got any better," Wiggins conceded in an interview with written media present in Oman.

"I kind of stayed where I was on that first day. When you come into a race with [training fatigue, you never know if you fly off it or if you’ll be mediocre, and I’ve been pretty mediocre…."

Wiggins is not worried about his form or lack of early season results. His approach to the 2013 season is radically different to 2012. With the Tour de France finally on his palmares after four years of trying, Wiggins has set himself a new challenge for 2013. It is not about winning every stage race he rides, it is not about learning how to win the Tour de France.

Instead, he will target the Giro d'Italia, have a go at Liège-Bastogne-Liège along the way in late April and perhaps try to complete a Giro-Tour double if he recovers well and if Froome's ambitions do not get in the way.

Wiggins seems almost relieved not to have to return to Paris-Nice, the Tour of Romandie and the Criterium du Dauphine, knowing that anything less than another victory could be considered a disappointment.

"I never thought for one minute I wanted to do it all again. It was more like: ‘No way, I ain’t doing all that again’. But I’ll do something else which is completely different and a new challenge, that for me was the Giro and other races along the way.

"I didn’t want to lack motivation at Paris-Nice and have direct comparison with last year all the time. There was only one outcome unless I won it all again and that would have been to fail. I really wanted to avoid that. I didn’t want to put that pressure on myself.

"I’ve committed to a completely different programme this year by targeting the Giro. Last year was about gaining the confidence through the year that I could actually win the Tour de France. Now there's a much more looking at the bigger picture of the season.

"We've worked back from that, and this period of racing and training is pretty important. Everything this year has been shuffled forward. It’s what April and May were last year for the Tour. I spent most of early January and February in Mallorca. It’s not about results but about getting the work in."

Wiggins will soon head to Tenerife with several teammates for a key block of controlled training at altitude.

He first real test of his form and first real objective will be the Volta a Catalunya (March 18-24). He will study some of the key Giro d'Italia stages and ride the Giro del Trentino (April 16-19) before probably teaming up with Froome to target Liège-Bastogne-Liège (April 20) and then taper for the Giro d'Italia (May 4-26).

"I had five races before the Tour and have five this year. Liège is two weeks out from the Giro, so you should be pretty ready to go.

Weight is a massive thing for me and Liège is all about power to weight and fitness. I’m 82kg in the off season, 75kg now and 70kg at the Tour. It takes me a long time to get there, a lot of hard work. But the plan is to be ready to go, two weeks out from the Giro, and so Liège-Bastogne-Liège fits in nicely."

Emotion is the base line, all the rest is science

Team Sky gives the impression that it is driven by science, logic and a desire to produce results, with little room for emotion and improvisation. It is about hitting the right numbers and discovering marginal gains, being different and better to the rest of the peloton.

Yet Wiggins seems to need emotions to find his motivation and fire up his mojo. He's more attracted by the Giro d'Italia, with the screaming tifosi and iconic maglia rosa, than another tilt at the Tour de France.

"Emotion is the baseline, then the next step is to get the machine ready to do the job," he explained.

"I’d love to be able to do these incredible escapes in the mountain, but the reality is that I’m not that good a climber, so I have to work hard, be meticulous about what I do, and that’s made me incredibly successful.

"The Giro is special for me. It goes back to my childhood. It was one of the few races on TV along with the Tour de France when I was a teenager. I grew up reading magazines about it and the Giro was always stuck in my mind. I particularly remember Hampsten climbing in the snow (in the 1988 Giro, over the Passo Gavia). It seemed quite inspirational.

"The Tour of Italy's just a lovely race. It's the only race in cycling where they never really mention doping in the whole race. It's kind of refreshing in some way when you’re there, for the racing, because the people come out and watch the sport and idolize the racers.

"I said I’d never go back there in 2010 because it was so hard. But I’ve always had a love-hate with it and always had a soft spot for it."

No 'What If….?

Wiggins is preparing for the Giro d'Italia one step at a time. It's pointless to ask him what he will do and how it will affect him, or if he doesn’t win the Giro d'Italia. But the problem is that Wiggins doesn't do 'What if…?'"

"I don’t try and think 'what if?', especially post match. What if I die tomorrow? It means we won’t have to worry about the Giro, I never look too far ahead. I used to do that and worry. But really, it's just about taking one step at a time."  

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."

2012 Tour de France Stage 9, 7/09/12

July 9, Stage 9: Arc-et-Senans - Besançon (ITT) 41.5km

Wiggins crushes time trial in Besançon

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/tour-de-france/stage-9/results)

Team Sky stamped their authority on the Tour de France with a commanding display in the 41.5-kilometre time trial to Besançon. Race leader Bradley Wiggins won in a time of 51:24 with teammate Chris Froome in second at 35 seconds. The result moved Froome up to third in the general classification and strengthened Wiggins’s grip on yellow.

Defending champion Cadel Evans (BMC) lost time at each time check point before finishing 6th, 1:43 behind Wiggins. Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas-Cannondale), who started the day in third place overall, managed to limit his losses, finishing in 8th, 2:07 down on Wiggins, and now lies 4th in the race for yellow.

"I'm just really pleased with how I put the day together, mentally, too. The noise when I rolled off the ramp was incredible and not letting that phase me and not going out too hard. So I’m just really satisfied with how I put the whole day together an that’s what I’ve been focusing. So at the moment it’s just relief and pride in myself for doing that," Wiggins said.

"When I get back tonight, that when you start thinking about the context of how it fits into the whole Tour and everything. Numbers are being thrown around, you got this on Cadel, this on him but at the moment it’s a lot to take in."

Heading into the stage BMC had hoped to limit their losses to less than a minute but after just a few kilometres of Evans’s ride Wiggins was up on the 2011 winner. At the first time check, 16.5km into the stage, Wiggins cruised through at a time of 21:05, five seconds up on Froome but already over a minute up on Evans. The Sky pair obliterated the time of Fabian Cancellara and from there Evans began a campaign of damage limitation.

At the second time check at 31.5 kilometres it looked to be working with Wiggins only adding 19 seconds to his time on the Australian but by the finish the British rider had extended his lead to 1:43, the exact time gap between the two riders posted at last month’s Dauphine.

Earlier in the day, world time trial champion Tony Martin (Omega Pharma-QuickStep) cut a sorry figure on the start ramp in Arc-et-Senans. With a wrist strapped due to a broken bone the German was perhaps riding his last stage in this year’s Tour but his luck, which as deserted him throughout the race, was in no mood of changing, and within the first few kilometres suffered a puncture. Despite the misfortune Martin posted the fastest time at each check point to take an early but incomprehensive lead.

Fabian Cancellara (RadioShack-Nissan) put Martin out of his misery setting a time 39 seconds faster at the first check, and 1:19 quicker at the finish. However, when French time trial champion Sylvain Chavanel (Omega Pharma-QuickStep) came through the first check just a handful of seconds down on the Swiss rider, it was clear that the former world time trial champion was far from firing on all cylinders.

It wasn’t until Tejay van Garderen (BMC) came through the first check three seconds faster that it was confirmed that Cancellara would not repeat his prologue success. The American, riding in just his second Tour, looked at ease over the testing first part of the course, catching Ivan Basso (Liquigas-Cannondale) for three minutes and going fastest at the second check. Although he tired by the finish, crossing the line nine seconds down on Cancellara, the RadioShack-Nissan rider’s position was in the line of fire.

By now the GC contenders, Froome included in that echelon, were on the road. The Kenyan-born rider, who beat Wiggins in an individual time trial at the Vuelta last September, stormed to a 24-second lead at the first check. Denis Menchov (Katusha), in his Russian national time trial champion's kit, could only manage 7th with Nibali in 10th and Evans 12th. Wiggins was still to reach the 16.5km mark but his rhythm and speed looked on course, and he crossed the check point five seconds faster than Froome.

Sky’s Froome was looking almost as assured as Wiggins in his time trial position, out of the saddle on the rolling terrain, and faster than Van Garderen at the second check point. Wiggins came in 16 seconds faster than Froome, cementing his position as Sky’s undoubted leader in the race.

Menchov crossed the line, then Nibali, but both were off the pace and looking set to lose over two minutes. Froome meanwhile had crushed Cancellara by 22 seconds with just Evans and Wiggins left on the road.

Having gained 35 seconds on Froome, 1:43 on Evans and over 2 minutes on his nearest rival Wiggins will be greatly satisfied with his day and tomorrow’s rest day will give the British rider time to let the events sink in. The Tour is far from over but Wiggins has landed a heavy blow.

Full Results

1	Bradley Wiggins (GBr) Sky Procycling	0:51:24
2	Christopher Froome (GBr) Sky Procycling	0:00:35
3	Fabian Cancellara (Swi) RadioShack-Nissan	0:00:57
4	Tejay van Garderen (USA) BMC Racing Team	0:01:06
5	Sylvain Chavanel (Fra) Omega Pharma-QuickStep	0:01:24
6	Cadel Evans (Aus) BMC Racing Team	0:01:43
7	Peter Velits (Svk) Omega Pharma-QuickStep	0:01:59
8	Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale	0:02:07
9	Denis Menchov (Rus) Katusha Team	0:02:08
10	Andreas Klöden (Ger) RadioShack-Nissan	0:02:09