2012 Skoda-Tour de Luxembourg Stage 2

It is hard to find information on the Skoda-Tour de Luxembourg, so I'm using other sites.

Greipel triumphs yet again in Tour of Luxembourg

(http://www.velonation.com/News/ID/12009/Greipel-triumphs-yet-again-in-Tour-of-Luxembourg.aspx)

 

André Greipel repeated his performance of yesterday and scooped up another win in the Skoda Tour of Luxembourg. The Lotto-Belisol rider beat Ben Swift (Sky Procycling) by over a bike length, with Jurgen Roelandts (Lotto Belisol) third. French rider Jimmy Engoulvent, who won the prologue on Wednesday, keeps the yellow leader's jersey.

Gripel’s ride netted his fifth win in nine days and his eleventh of the season. "It may look simple to the people watching, but it's not," the German said after the finish. "The final was hard but in the end all went well."

The first hour of today's 183.9 kilometers long stage from Schifflange to Leudelange went at a very high pace. The peloton reached an average of almost 50 kilometers per hour as Radioshack kept the pressure on and let no one escape. Kim Andersen: "We are a Luxembourg team so this race is very important to us. Yesterday we tried to make the race tough with the wind but it didn't work out. We'll try again today," Radioshack's directeur sportif said before the start.

After an hour into the race two riders from smaller teams were allowed to break away. Kevin van Melsen from Accent Jobs-Willems Veranda's and Gediminas Kaupas of local team Differdange quickly gained a lead on the bunch who were tired after the fast first hour. The two had seven minutes before Radioshack, Team Sky and Lotto-Belisol started the chase.

In the last of the three local loops Van Melsen and Kaupas were caught. The sprinter teams kept everything together for a new bunch sprint. Before the final kilometer Andreas Klöden of Radioshack-Nissan-Trek attacked. "The only goal here is to win the yellow jersey on Sunday, everything else is a bonus. Last year we won with Gerdemann. I don't care who of the team will take the overall, as long as it is a Radioshack-Nissan-Trek rider'" Andersen said.

Klöden was caught in the final, 300 meters straight road to the finish. There it was Lotto-Belisol's André Greipel who triumphed ahead of Swift. His team-mate Jurgen Roelandts, who has only been back in competition for two weeks after a broken vertebra in the Tour Down Under, got a good third place.

Tomorrow the Tour of Luxembourg has its key stage from Eschweiler to Differdange, running over 205,4 kilometers. It has seven categorised climbs including the Col de l'Europe, a 7.6% climb which is included in the 9.5 kilometres long local circuit. Traditionally the overall classification will be determined in this stage.

(Picture from: http://www.velonation.com/News/ID/12009/Greipel-triumphs-yet-again-in-Tour-of-Luxembourg.aspx)

Results:

1	André Greipel (Ger) Lotto Belisol Team	4:29:20
2	Ben Swift (GBr) Sky Procycling
3	Jurgen Roelandts (Bel) Lotto Belisol Team
4	Romain Feillu (Fra) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team
5	Jean-Pierre Drucker (Lux) Accent Jobs - Willems Veranda's
6	Michael Van Staeyen (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen - Mercator
7	Samuel Dumoulin (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne
8	Roy Curvers (Ned) Argos-Shimano
9	Maxime Monfort (Bel) Radioshack-Nissan
10	Wouter Poels (Ned) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team

Liquigas and New RSNT Giro Leaders

Two of my favorites have just been announced that they will lead their teams in the 2012 Giro d'Italia:

Basso to lead Liquigas-Cannondale at Giro d'Italia

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/basso-to-lead-liquigas-cannondale-at-giro-ditalia)

While Ivan Basso had previously stated he'd wait until the conclusion of the Tour de Romandie to decide if he'd contest the Giro d'Italia, his Liquigas-Cannondale team announced today that Basso will indeed captain the Italian ProTeam at its home Grand Tour, beginning May 5 in Herning, Denmark.

"I wanted to dispel any doubts a day early because my hope and desire to do the Giro are great," Basso said. "I worked so hard to prepare for this event, doing extra work that has kept me anxious to the last. But now I have the confidence to fight for the pink jersey: I'm delighted to say that I'll be there."

Basso's preparation for the Giro has been hampered this spring by a knee injury suffered at Paris-Nice, followed by a crash at Volta a Catalunya which aggravated the injury. Basso is currently in 30th overall at the Tour de Romandie, 35 seconds behind leader Luis Leon Sanchez (Rabobank) in advance of tomorrow's concluding stage - a 16.5km individual time trial.

Basso will be supported at the Giro by a strong cadre of five climbers - Valerio Agnoli, Eros Capecchi, Damiano Caruso, Cristiano Salerno and Sylvester Szmyd - while Maciej Bodnar, Paolo Longo Borghini and Fabio Sabatini will round out the nine-man roster.

"All the boys are in great condition and above all motivated to take a leading role," said Liquigas-Cannondale directeur sportif Stefano Zanatta. "In recent weeks I have felt a great desire [for the Giro] and today we've got confirmation that Ivan will do it. At his side is a team that can support him in the best way.

"The Giro has always been the most important event of our season, we know the pressures and expectations," continued Zanatta. "Riders like Szmyd, Capecchi, Agnoli, Bodnar, Longo Borghini and Sabatini assure us experience both uphill and on flat terrain. Salerno has demonstrated reliability in the mountain stages while Caruso will provide valuable support for the captain and will have the opportunity to and grow and make a quantum leap.

"For the sprints we'll play the Sabatini card: the absence of [Elia] Viviani, unfortunately, is a great loss."

Liguigas-Cannondale roster for the 2012 Giro d'Italia:

Valerio Agnoli (Ita), Ivan Basso (Ita), Maciej Bodnar (Pol), Eros Capecchi (Ita), Damiano Caruso (Ita), Paolo Longo Borghini (Ita), Fabio Sabatini (Ita), Cristiano Salerno (Ita) and Sylvester Szmyd (Pol)

Fränk Schleck to head up RadioShack-Nissan at 2012 Giro d'Italia

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/frank-schleck-to-head-up-radioshack-nissan-at-2012-giro-ditalia)

Team RadioShack-Nissan has confirmed that Fränk Schleck will ride the 2012 Giro d'Italia. He replaces Jakob Fuglsang, who was to have been the team's captain but had to withdraw due to a knee injury.

On Saturday evening the team confirmed Schleck's nomination, which had earlier been rumoured. He finished third last year in the Tour de France and is expected to go for the podium in Paris again this summer along with his younger brother Andy.

Schleck has ridden the Giro once before, finishing 42nd overall in 2005.

“My season was directed at peaking in the Tour,” Schleck said, "but when you think about it, this situation creates opportunities. For sure, I will come to the start with a different preparation than the other GC riders, but that is not necessarily a bad thing. My condition is not so bad and it can only grow the coming weeks.

“The Tour of Italy is one of the big monuments of cycling as well, so it is at least a big challenge for me.”

“I see a lot of opportunities for Fränk as well as for the team,” commented Team Manager Johan Bruyneel. "Fränk is a born leader and a team needs a leader. Moreover – though bad luck and circumstances did not provide the right results - he has shown in the last few weeks that his condition has already reached a high level. I am confident he can surprise us in the coming weeks.

“It all reminds me of the 2008 Tour of Italy when, one week before the start, we got an invitation for the race. In the end we won the overall.”



Cocky? Or Just Confident?

Fränk Schleck declares himself one of the strongest at Amstel Gold

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/frank-schleck-declares-himself-one-of-the-strongest-at-amstel-gold)

He may have finished 12th at the Amstel Gold Race on Sunday, but former winner Fränk Schleck was satisfied with his own performance, where he was the best placed of the RadioShack-Nissan team.

"I had a bad position going into the Eysenbosweg but there was really no attack there," the 32-year-old said, having celebrated his birthday at the race. "So it ended up being a big group at the end. I felt good, my legs were in good shape. In the sprint I had a little cramp so I didn't have the punch I needed but it was good for my confidence and I think I was one of the strongest riders today."

Team director Kim Andersen said that given the overall result for the team - Ben Hermans 70th, Maxime Monfort 74th, Christopher Horner 82nd, Andy Schleck 91st, Jan Bakelants 118th, Laurent Didier DNF, Joost Posthuma DNF – said that it wasn't an "exceptional" day given the plan had been to get on the podium.

"With that in mind, we were in the front when the break went away," Andersen explained, with Posthuma and Laurent Didier patrolling the front of the chase. "We only used two guys, saving six others. But as the race unfolded we saw only Fränk was super strong today. It was weird to see so many sprinting for the victory at the end. I'm happy about Fränk's condition. He wanted to be in good shape and we see that he is looking good. We don't expect more from Andy at this point."

Fränk Schleck added: "Andy rode to protect me all day and he did a really good job. His shape is definitely improving. In fact all of the team worked hard all day and there was great teamwork here. I am looking forward to next week. Joost and Laurent worked so hard. Whatever Laurent had for breakfast, I want to have the same for the next races."

Can't He Get A Break?

...And I don't mean literally!

Dean collides with parked car at Catalunya, breaks leg

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/dean-collides-with-parked-car-at-catalunya-breaks-leg)

Julian Dean (GreenEdge) is facing an uncertain future after he crashed into a parked car on Stage 3 of the Volta a Catalunya on Wednesday, breaking his leg.

The stage race was Dean's first back following a fractured shoulder suffered at the GreeEdge training camp in the Australian Alps in early December. The 36-year-old had been due to return to racing at the Tour of Sardinia which was cancelled.

Wednesday's accident took place just 10 kilometres into the shortened queen stage. Dean was swerving to avoid riders who had crashed ahead of him on the slippery road, following horrific weather conditions in the Pyrenees, when he collided with a parked car.

"We are especially distraught about this loss," GreenEdge sports director Neil Stephens explained on the team website. "From a sporting perspective, it's terrible to lose a rider to a crash. From a personal perspective, we really feel for him. He has a lot of bad luck this year, and Catalunya was his first race back after a previous injury.

"The race took a really nervous start because of a hard climb in the opening kilometres. We went around a slippery right-hand corner, and some guys crashed in front of Julian. In an attempt to avoid them, Julian swerved and he hit a parked car."

Dean was transported by ambulance from Barcelona to his Valencia base, accompanied by GreenEdge sports director Vittorio Algeri.

"I have spoken to him and what I do know is that it's a severe break, it's going to need an operation which will possibly be plates, and therefore three to six months," Dean's wife Carole told Fairfax Media.

"Three months being the very happy end of the scale and six being crap, so basically it's the season."

The sprint veteran was eyeing a fifth Olympic Games in London and an eighth Tour de France.

"He's pretty tenacious and he doesn't sit on his bum and do nothing," Carole Dean continued. "He pushes his body through rehab, so it might be four months if we're lucky.

"The best case scenario I can think of is that he'll be ready to start the Tour of Spain. That might be a good starting point, but certainly the Giro and the Tour are out."

Dean signed a one-year deal with GreenEdge at the end of 2011, non-committal to his cycling future beyond 2012, saying "I am just looking one year at a time, and there are no specific plans to race in 2013. But you never say 'never'."

So who will be the RSNT Leader?

As much as I love Andy Schleck, he hasn't proven himself yet this year. However, Chris Horner has! In his first race back from his TdF crash last year! How is RadioShack-Nissan-Trek going to build a Tour de France team around a rider who has had a crappy season thus far? Thankfully there are quite a few more races to go yet.

Horner makes triumphant return to racing at Tirreno-Adriatico

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/horner-makes-triumphant-return-to-racing-at-tirreno-adriatico)

It's been approximately eight months since Chris Horner (RadioShack-Nissan) last turned his pedals in anger in competition, but the 40-year-old American has shown he's made a full recovery from a serious crash at the 2011 Tour de France by taking the overall lead today at Tirreno-Adriatico.

Horner suffered a broken nose, cracked ribs, concussion and a blood clot in the lung as a result of his crash on stage 7 of the Tour last year, and was forced to bring both his race and his season to a premature halt. The ongoing Tirreno-Adriatico, which began on March 7, would be Horner's first race since last year's Tour and his performance through the first four stages has indicated a return to form.

His RadioShack-Nissan team opened their Tirreno-Adriatico account with a second place finish in the team time trial, and Horner was well-positioned on general classification heading into today's decisive stage 4, culminating with an arduous climb to the finish in Chieti.

Horner finished in fifth place with the same time as stage winner Peter Sagan as part of the five-man group which escaped in the finale to contest the victory. Horner took over the race lead from Matt Goss (GreenEdge) and holds a seven second advantage over stage 4 runner-up Roman Kreuziger (Astana) and a 13-second lead on third-placed Cameron Meyer (GreenEdge).

"I'm sure many people doubted my fitness after my embolism but it shows today that it didn't effect my form," Horner said. "The team asked which races I wanted to do this year. I told [directeur sportif)] Dirk Demol that Tirreno-Adriatico would be a big objective and he supported me. "

Horner had targeted today's stage as one crucial to his overall ambitions and his assessment proved to be correct.

"Before the race today I thought for sure I might have the leader's jersey at the end of the day," Horner said on his team's website. "After the team time trial on Sunday, Fabian Cancellara and all the big riders on my team did a fantastic job, so today they protected me from the wind and brought me to the front at the bottom of the climb. Cancellara got me in position and then I knew to follow the moves from the best riders on the day."

Horner followed an attack by Danilo Di Luca (Acqua & Sapone) and Peter Sagan (Liquigas-Cannondale) on the finishing climb's steepest pitch and thought that would be the final selection for the stage, but a general classification rival made his presence known in the finale.

"Roman Kreuziger came along and threw an attack in on the three of us and I had to bridge that," said Horner. "He was the biggest threat to us on GC so I had to respond in order to take the jersey."

Sagan's teammate Vincenzo Nibali would also make the juncture and the five-man group would sprint for victory, although a mistake by Horner hampered his finishing effort.

"In the final to the line I accidentally shifted from the big chain ring to the small one and my hands were cramping up so I couldn't get it back up to do the sprint, leaving me to just spin the cranks at 130rpms to the finish, all the while losing ground," said Horner with a laugh. "Even if I could've shifted back I wouldn't have won the sprint, but maybe I would have been up a little further."

Horner still faces three more stages at Tirreno-Adriatico before he can claim a final overall victory, but his and the team's morale is high and he feels up to the challenge.

"Kreuziger is close on time and we both time trial pretty evenly, so it's going to be a fight," said Horner. "My legs are feeling very good, so certainly I have a shot at winning the overall."

Three Crashes in One Stage

Poor Levi...

Leipheimer's hopes for Paris-Nice victory dashed with one stage remaining

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/leipheimers-hopes-for-paris-nice-victory-dashed-with-one-stage-remaining)

Levi Leipheimer (Omega Pharma-Quickstep) started stage 7 at Paris-Nice in third overall, just 10 seconds down on leader Bradley Wiggins (Sky), but by the finish a trio of crashes had eliminated any hope of overall victory with only tomorrow's Col d'Èze time trial remaining. The 38-year-old American, accompanied by three of his teammates, crossed the finish line 16:50 down on solo stage winner Thomas De Gendt and more than nine minutes in arrears of the peloton which contained all of Leipheimer's general classification rivals.

Leipheimer suffered bruises on his right knee, hip and arm while his teammate Dries Devenyns was forced to abandon following the third and most harrowing incident, involving a collision with a parked motorcycle on a blind turn.

"On the first crash, there was a corner with gravel and I dropped my vest into my front wheel because everybody reacted," Leipheimer said. "I was holding my vest but had to let go to brake and it went in the front wheel. By the time I crashed I was going slow so it was not such a big deal. I hit my wrist, which is swollen, but it was OK.

"I got on my spare bike, but I did the Col de Vence climb and wasn't feeling as good on my bike. I wanted to get back on my other bike, back on the first bike. On the downhill, I was right there at the front with Bradley Wiggins and Alejandro Valverde. I was fine, I was paying attention, but someone from behind wasn't and they hit me hard and broke my bike at the same time as Movistar attacked."

As Leipheimer was making his way back to the peloton once again, paced by four of his teammates, it would be the third and final crash which proved to be most serious.

"Stijn Vandenbergh, Kevin de Weert, Dries Devenyns and Tony Martin waited for me, but we were really close to the bunch," said Leipheimer. "We arrived close to the group, but in the right corner there was a motorbike protecting someone from Lampre who crashed. We couldn't avoid them. I think everyone passed except Dries and I couldn't avoid it, and I crashed into him. It's easy for me to say I could have done this or that tomorrow, but that's part of the race. It was just bad luck."

Omega Pharma-Quickstep directeur sportif Brian Holm was pragmatic in his assessment of the day's unfortunate series of crashes.

"First of all you have to look at the positives," said Holm. "The third crash downhill, that was not fun. Going into something standing still you can really hurt yourself. I saw them hurt themselves badly, but don't think anybody broke anything.

"My first thought was 'shoot, arms and legs were broken.' Levi, he is made of chocolate. You know, third time down, to get back on your bike, you have to be very strong. I am just glad no one broke their bones. The team waited for Levi. Everybody waited for the captain. he goes down, everyone goes down. That's what they have to do.

The Belgian ProTour squad's only remaining rider high on general classification is French champion Sylvain Chavanel who remained in the peloton while his teammates went back to assist Leipheimer.

"Sylvain [Chavanel] was in the top nine so he did what he had to do," said Holm. "Stuff happens."

The truth or an excuse?

Schleck: Paris-Nice time trial was too early and too short

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/schleck-paris-nice-time-trial-was-too-early-and-too-short)

Andy Schleck (RadioShack-Nissan) lost over a minute in the opening time trial of Paris-Nice, but the Luxembourg rider claimed that the 9.4km test was too short and too early in the season to offer a reliable indicator of his progress against the watch.

Time trialling has long been the glaring Achilles heel in Schleck’s armoury and he lost the yellow jersey in the penultimate day time trial of last year’s Tour de France. In spite of his insistence that he has trained assiduously on his time trial bike since the arrival of Johan Bruyneel as manager, the fruits of their labour were not in evidence in Saint-Rémy-lès-Chevreuse on Sunday.

“I didn’t have such a good feeling in my legs today but don’t take this as a reference,” Schleck told his team’s website. “This is my first big competition of the season.”

Schleck finished the day in 142nd place, 1:01 down on winner Gustav Larsson (Vacansoleil-DCM). The 26-year-old explained that he began well on the course’s early climb, but struggled to keep a big gear turning over thereafter.

“On the top of the climb I had same time as Maxime [Monfort, who was 15th – ed.] but then I didn’t have the forces to push the big gear. This was a TT for the big engines. This is not a real test for me. The distance was too short and it’s too, too early.”

Schleck’s brother Fränk fared little better, coming home 54 seconds down in 121st place. Their teammate Andreas Klöden was among the last riders to start, just as the rain began to fall, and he took few risks in the treacherous conditions to finish 36 seconds behind Larsson.

Nonetheless, Bradley Wiggins (Sky) also had to perform on rain-soaked roads, but the Briton put in a fine showing to finish just one second off Larsson’s winning time. RadioShack-Nissan directeur sportif Alain Gallopin expects Wiggins to be the man to beat over the remainder of the week.

“Wiggins showed that he is the big favourite of the race,” he said. “Without the rain he would have won by 15-20 seconds.”

Paris-Nice, Stage 1

March 4, Stage 1: Dampierre-en-Yvelines - Saint-Rémy-lès-Chevreuse 9.4km

Paris-Nice: Gustav Erik Larsson takes opening stage

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/paris-nice-2012/stage-1/results)

Gustav Erik Larsson (Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling) won the opening stage of the 2012 Paris-Nice with a time of 11:19 in the 9.4km time trial from Dampierre-en-Yvelines to Saint-Rémy-lès-Chevreuse.

The Swedish national time trial champion beat Sky’s Bradley Wiggins by one second with Levi Leipheimer (Omega Pharma-QuickStep) finishing four seconds back. World time trial champion and last year’s winner of Paris-Nice, Tony Martin (Omega Pharma-QuickStep), lacked his usual cutting edge and finished in 28th place, 25 seconds down on Larsson.

"Of course I am very happy with the win," said Larrson. "It was a great course and the season started well for me. A great bonus when winning a prologue are all the jerseys and the lead in the general classification. I will work hard to defend that lead."

Vacansoleil-DCM directeur sportif Hilaire Van Der Schueren was pleased with Larrson's performance, noting that for the second straight year his team has won the opening stage at Paris-Nice. "I am really happy with this win after a lot of second places in the early season. Due to the weather we divided our time trial specialists over the schedule and that worked out fine. Last year it was De Gendt with his first win for his new team and now Larsson rewards the confidence of the team with a great win."

Alexandre Geniez (Project 1t4i) was the first rider out of the start house, kicking off the 70th edition of Paris-Nice. But the first significant time was posted by Thomas De Gendt, who rocketed up the 3rd category climb of the Côte des Dix-sept Tournants. The Belgian’s time was so impressive on the climb that he will wear the king of the mountains jersey on stage 2.

The likes of Alejandro Valverde (Movistar), Ivan Basso (Liquigas Cannondale) all came through the finish line without disturbing the leading names but it was Larrson who eventually dislodged De Gendt from the leaderboard, wit the Belgian falling to fifth by the end of the stage.

Wiggins, Martin and the evergreen Andreas Kloden were yet to start but just as all three began their march to the start house the heavens began to open. It was far from torrential but Richie Porte (Team Sky) and Tejay Van Garderen (BMC) were the last significant challengers to make it home before the road conditions were effected.

Wiggins started his effort conservatively, reaching the climb five seconds down on De Gendt but one second ahead of Larsson, and five ahead of Tony Martin.

The Brit pulled even further ahead of Martin in the second half of the undulating course, as the German faded on the slick roads.

But Larrson, the silver medal in the Worlds TT in 2009, had done enough. A combination of dry roads and fine riding, enough to secure his first win for his new team.

Full Results

1	Gustav Larsson (Swe) Vacansoleil-DCM	0:11:19
2	Bradley Wiggins (GBr) Sky Procycling	0:00:01
3	Levi Leipheimer (USA) Omega Pharma-Quick Step	0:00:04
4	Tejay Van Garderen (USA) BMC Racing Team	0:00:09
5	Thomas De Gendt (Bel) Vacansoleil-DCM	0:00:12
6	Sylvain Chavanel (Fra) Omega Pharma-Quick Step
7	Rein Taaramae (Est) Cofidis Le Credit En Ligne	0:00:13
8	Markel Irizar Aranburu (Spa) RadioShack-Nissan
9	Rémi Pauriol (Fra) FDJ-Bigmat	0:00:15
10	Jerome Coppel (Fra) Saur-Sojasun



Paris-Roubaix Route in Question

The Paris-Roubaix is only two months away and the route has not been finalized. If the cobblestones get cleaned, then we are set. However, if they don't get cleaned, the directors are not sure what is going to happen. Then, of course, there is the oil warehouse that no one is allowed to be too close to. Do they have enough time to alter the route?

Paris-Roubaix's famous Arenberg cobblestones in doubt

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/paris-roubaixs-famous-arenberg-cobblestones-in-doubt)


Two sections of the Paris-Roubaix route are in question for the running of the race on April 8. The famous cobblestones in the Arenberg Forest must still be cleaned as they are still too dangerous to be ridden.


"We had a meeting with the General Council of the North,”Jean-Francois Pescheux, sports director of the race, said Friday, according to AFP.  “The General Council and the associations concerned have agreed to clean up.”


He added that “everything depends on the decision of the DREAL”, the Regional Directorate of Environment, Physical Planning and Housing. That is the local environmental agency, which must first approve the plan.


The cobblestones are covered with moss and other plant growth, which makes riding very dangerous. Peschaux had already announced in January that if the cobblestones are not cleaned, the race course would have to be changed.


Another change may have to be made, which may be more difficult. The race may not be allowed to ride on the CD 40, near the northern French town of Denain. The road goes too close to the Valenciennes oil warehouses, a large fuel storage depot. Organisers say that rearranging the route would add too many kilometers to the race, pushing it above the 260 km allowed by the UCI.


Last summer the local government banned all gatherings, demonstrations and events near the oil warehouses, including sports events. Peschaux said that he hopes to be granted an exception.


"We will await the final position of the prefecture. It's not a comfortable situation two months before the race.” He said at the CD 40 is an important passage  which would be difficult to replace.


“We studied many alternatives, but the entire route would be extended 7 km. And I can not afford it.” The race is currently 257.5km.


Peschaux said that his target date for an answer on this section of the route is next Tuesday.

I think his priorities are backwards...

Wait....what?!?!?!

New baby won't clash with Mollema's Tour plans
(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/new-baby-wont-clash-with-mollemas-tour-plans)

Bauke Mollema has revealed that his girlfriend is expecting their first child in August of this year, but the Rabobank rider is still very much planning to ride in the Tour de France. The 25-year-old Dutchman, famed for his climbing prowess, has stated that the impending arrival will not jeopardise his position at the start line.

Mollema served notice last year that he can be a major force in Grand Tours after winning the points classification and finishing fourth overall at the Vuelta a Espana. He is seen as a key part in Rabobank's assault on this year's Tour de France.

"For the Tour, there is nothing wrong. That is still the main goal of my season," Mollema told telegraaf.nl.

Rabobank's sporting director Erik Breukink stated on his Twitter account that Mollema would not be distracted by the birth: "Missing the birth of your child is not the end of the world. That's part of life as a professional cyclist," he said.

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.

Armstrong vs. Evans

Haven't posted much about George Hincapie because as a domestique, he doesn't make it in the news much. And even when he does, as the article below points out, he's talking about two of the team leaders he's been with, Lance Armstrong and Cadel Evans.

"Calm" Evans is the perfect teammate, says Hincapie

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/calm-evans-is-the-perfect-teammate-says-hincapie)

Having been part of a winning team nine times, George Hincapie is ideally placed to identify what is required from a Tour de France winner. Hincapie was side by side with his compatriot Lance Armstrong for all seven of his victories in the race and he also assisted Alberto Contador in 2007 and Cadel Evans last year in the colours of BMC.

Hincapie knows Armstrong and Evans extremely well, and stated that the two men are very different on and off the bike. Hincapie will be looking to be part of a winning team for a record tenth time this summer, when Evans will look to successfully defend the title he won in 2011. If he gets to the start line in one piece it will be the 38-year-old Hincapie's 17th Tour - a statistic that offers proof of his longevity and his durability.

"Cadel is certainly more relaxed than Lance and doesn't interfere so much in team tactics - at least not in the other riders' presence," Hincapie told Danish website feltet.dk. "He does with [sporting director] John Lelangue, but he relies a lot on my input, and what John believes, especially when we are out on the road.

"In my eyes he seems more pleased with the people that surround him both on and around the team. He is calm when Lance was usually quite tense, and out on the route is always ready to attack the race. And when you think to yourself that he might be in trouble, you discover that he actually is calm and quite okay."

Hushovd: Racing in Giro and Tour!!!

YES!!!! Even though his child is due at the end of July, Thor Hushovd has been confirmed for both Giro and Tour! So happy!!!! Just hope he can prove the sprinter/all-rounder he is instead of working for Gilbert and Evans.

Hushovd confirmed for both Giro d'Italia and Tour de France

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/hushovd-confirmed-for-both-giro-ditalia-and-tour-de-france)

Thor Hushovd's participation in the Giro d'Italia this year does not mean he will skip the Tour de France. BMC Racing Team sporting director John Lelangue has confirmed that the Norwegian is part of the team's plans for both races.

“Of course. He is one of our main pieces for the Tour,” Lelangue told tv2.no.

It will be a busy year for the former world champion, with many highlights. “He wants to rest after Paris-Roubaix before the Giro. After the Giro he will prepare for the Tour,” Lelangue said. The Tour is followed almost immediately by the 2012 London Olympic Games and after that Lelangue says that BMC “must ensure that Thor is in shape for the world championships.”

Hushovd last rode the Giro in 2007. “He does not go to the Giro to win overall. For Thor, it is the perfect start in Denmark and a prologue that he is good at, and the opening stages suit him. So we'll see, but we will make sure he gets a few days of rest to recover,” Lelangue said.

The Norwegian made his BMC debut this month in Qatar, where “he was unlucky with crashes, punctures and bike trouble,” but Lelangue is satisfied and thinks he will be well prepared for the spring classics.

“We know that Thor is most focused on Flanders, Milan-San Remo and Paris-Roubaix. These are three of his main goals for the season. Gilbert, for example, is more focused on the Liege-Baston-Liege and Amstel Gold Race. There will be opportunities for everyone,” said Lelangue.

Always sad to hear this...

We all need to learn to share the road!!!

Two Christina Watches riders hit by cars in training

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/two-christina-watches-riders-hit-by-cars-in-training)

The season has taken a bad turn for Christina Watches-Onfone, as two riders have been hit by cars in training in the last few days.  Martin Pedersen has already had surgery following his crash in Italy, but Frederick Wilmann's injuries appear to be less serious.

Pedersen was training in Italy with fellow Danes Brian Vandborg (also with Christina Watches)  and Nicki Sorensen (Saxo Bank) when he was hit by a car at a roundabout.  At first it was feared that he had broken his hip, but it turned out to be a lesser fracture.

“The status is that it is a broken bone up around the hip and femur. Basically we can say that it is a pretty clean break, so it's definitely not something that keeps him out the rest of the season in any way," sport director Michael Blaudzun told sporten.tv2.dk.

Pedersen has already undergone surgery and is expected to be returned to Denmark soon for further recuperation.

Wilmann was training near Trondheim, Norway, when he was hit by the trailer being towed by a car going too fast.  “A car came up at between 60 and 70 km  per hour. We realized that it had too high speed, and one to two seconds later we saw that it had a trailer. The trailer swerved out from behind the car and took all of our lane. It hit me right in the thigh,” he told procycling.no.

Miraculously, he was not seriously injured.  “Thankfully nothing is broken. But I am really bruised and stitched in several places.” He is still in hospital for observation. 

“I am truly appalled that today I have to announce that another one of my riders has been run down,” said team owner Christina Hembo in a statement. “Frederick Wilmann is one of the team's absolute profiles and recently in Argentina rode a fantastic race.”

“It is still a big loss for the team and without Wilmann and Pedersen on the bike again soon, it looks serious. The main concern is Frederiks health and I am very sorry on Frederick's behalf and sincerely hope that he recovers from road traffic accident as soon as possible.”

Contador won't contest Tour of San Luis

Contador says he won't be a factor in San Luis

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/contador-says-he-wont-be-a-factor-in-san-luis)

Alberto Contador may be the star of the show at the Tour of San Luis in Argentina, but don't expect him to claim the overall at the end of the race. The Spaniard says he is still losing the weight he put on after this year's Tour de France, and won't play a role in the overall rankings.

“It is difficult now to go up against such well-trained men as Levi Leipheimer and Vincenzo Nibali,” he told Het Nieuwsblad. Nibali, with Liquigas, won the race in 2010.

“After the Tour I did nothing,” Contador said.  “I gained 7.5 kilograms. I have already lost four at the Saxo Bank training camp in Mallorca, but to be able to climb fast, you should be at your ideal weight. “

Still, Team Saxo Bank hoped to see him do well in the mountains,although the team is looking to brothers JJ and Sebastian Haedo to do well in the sprints in their homeland tour.

“We've put together a very versatile and powerful line-up. For the sprints we have both Haedo brothers and of course they're extremely motivated to perform on home ground and JJ seems very slim and focused,” said sports director Philippe Mauduit on the team's website.

“Even though it's early in the season, we can't hide the probability of seeing Alberto (Contador) do well on the climbs and on the time trial halfway through the race. Personally, I'm looking forward to be following our two debutants, Troels (Vinther) and Chris (Juul-Jensen) while Matteo (Tosatto) will be leading the battle on the road. The main goal is simply getting a stage win.”

The Tour of San Luis starts today and runs seven stages through January 29.

Flecha vs. Paris-Roubaix

Flecha dreaming of elusive Paris-Roubaix win

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/flecha-dreaming-of-elusive-paris-roubaix-win)

Could 2012 be the year when Juan Antonio Flecha breaks his duck at Paris-Roubaix? The popular Spaniard, who turns 35 this year, has had a series of near misses in the 'Queen of Classics', with three podium finishes and three other top ten placings. It's a race that he desperately wants to win, and he also told Cyclingnews of another burning ambition when we caught up with him at the Team Sky training camp in Mallorca.

"If I had to choose one race to win now, it would be Paris-Roubaix," he said. "I have been close there many times and to win it would be amazing. I know many Belgian fans would say ‘come on Flecha, the Belgian races are the best’, but for me right now I would have to say Paris-Roubaix would be my dream.

"I’d also really love to do the Tour de France again this year. It would be my tenth Tour in a row. That would make me very proud and I would really think ‘wow, look at that, that’s fantastic'. I know that I would be going there to work for Mark [Cavendish] and Bradley [Wiggins] and that will keep me occupied. But I’d be lying to you if I told you that I wouldn’t like to win another stage at the Tour. I won’t shirk any of my responsibilities to my team, but I can’t hide my desire to win a stage. I won a stage in my first Tour and it felt unbelievably good. I would love to feel that again."

Flecha has an enormous amount of faith in his coaches at Team Sky, and the feedback that he has received from them over the winter has given him confidence that he can still improve, even at this relatively late stage of his career.

"Can I still improve? It's an interesting question," he says. "I really believe that I can. As long as you show desire and want to improve, you will. If you think, even at my stage of my career, that you have done everything and that you can’t get better then you might as well retire. I am still a pro cyclist and I love it. It’s not my business to analyse how I can get better. It’s up to my coaches. If they think I can improve in certain areas they tell me what to do. And they believe that I can. I have total faith in them.

"I feel good at this stage of the winter but the most important thing is that my coaches are pleased with me. They plan exactly how they want me to be in January. The detail that they go into is very thorough. On my last day of training last season my coaches had already planned my first day of this season. Right now my numbers are exactly where they want them to be."

As a Spaniard who lives in Barcelona, Flecha is well-placed to discuss the relative merits of Mallorca as a training base. And despite some initial reservations he has been really impressed with both the location of the Team Sky camp and the meticulous fashion with which the riders' schedules have been planned.

"At first I was a bit sceptical about Mallorca because in the south of the island the geography is all very similar," he said. "But up here in the north you have flat roads, rolling hilly roads and sharp climbs, so there is a bit of everything. It can be windy but that’s ok as you ride with a group and at this time of year the roads are really quiet. At first I was thinking that there may be some better places in southern Spain for the camp but I have been really pleasantly surprised. It’s also just a 20-minute flight from my home in Barcelona so that makes things easy for me.

"The coaches and the sporting directors have prepared everything perfectly. We are doing everything – motor pacing, climbs and flat rides. I loved being here in December and I have loved this section of the camp too. Here we are solely focussed on riding our bikes. There are no distractions and you don’t have to decide anything for yourself. There is no deliberation as to which group you are going to join as you are told what to do. The five or six-hour rides only seem like a couple of hours, and that’s a really encouraging sign."

Fans can expect to see Flecha in action for the first time in 2012 at the Tour of Qatar next month, which has become a traditional curtain raiser for him.

"Qatar is a race that I like a lot," he said. "It’s a really nice race to enter to start off your season because you always stay in the same hotel, the transfers from the airport are small and the weather is usually good. So in some respects it’s a familiar, calm and gentle introduction to the season. I’m also suited to the cross winds that you have there."

Lose weight to win Giro

Fuglsang too fat to win the Giro d'Italia, Andersen says

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/fuglsang-too-fat-to-win-the-giro-ditalia-andersen-says)

Jakob Fuglsang is overweight, and if he doesn't lose weight, he won't win the Giro d'Italia next year. That is the opinion of his RadioShack-Nissan-Trek sporting director Kim Andersen, who also guided the Dane this year at Leopard Trek.

"He must lose two per cent of body fat. Otherwise he can not make it all the way up the steep mountains," Andersen told sporten.tv2.dk.

Fuglsang is listed on the team's website at only 69 kg, with a height of 182 cm.

Andersen sees the case as a simple one.  "If he loses the weight he can compete. If he loses the weight and is in good form, then he can be right up there.”

Fuglsang has already been named the team's captain for the Giro. “We will build a team around him,” said Andersen. 

However, the Giro captaincy will probably mean he will have only a helper role at the Tour de France, where the team goal is to bring Andy and Fränk Schleck on to the podium again. That is, if he even rides the Tour.

"It will be in an auxiliary role. I think we can count on that. But it is not certain that it will be so,” Andersen noted. “It is impossible to say, for it may well be that he is completely finished after Giro.”

Miracles Do Happen

Rabobank Women's team signs miracle athlete Monique van der Vorst

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/rabobank-womens-team-signs-miracle-athlete-monique-van-der-vorst)

One of the most amazing stories in the world of cycling has taken another remarkable turn this week as the Rabobank Women's Cycling team has announced the signing of Monique van der Vorst, a former handcycling athlete who was competing in a wheelchair until 2010. Van der Vorst had been disabled since she was 13 years old, and after a very successful career in handcycling, which saw her take the world championship title three times, she recovered the use of her legs and will now start a career in the pro peloton.

The Dutchwoman was on track in her preparation towards the 2012 Paralympic Games when she was hit by a bicycle while training in her wheelchair in the spring of last year. This third roadside accident of her career saw the now 27-year-old enter a lenghty rehab period, during which she gradually recovered the use of her legs. On November 20, 2010, she started walking again.

"Monique still has a lot to learn, but I'm sure that the rest of the girls will also learn a lot from Monique," said Rabobank Women Team director Jeroen Blijlevens. "She has the right mentality and willpower, she has proved that during her sports career. She would like to race on the road and we will support her to do it."

Van der Vorst herself was also happy to have signed with the Rabobank squad. "I am very honoured to be able to develop into a road rider with Rabobank. This team provides the best surroundings with a lot of experience and expertise. On top of that, I will be able to learn a lot from Marianne Vos," she said.

A New Training Program For Schleck Brothers

Schleck brothers anticipate 2012 Tour de France with evolving team

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/schleck-brothers-anticipate-2012-tour-de-france-with-evolving-team)

Andy and Fränk Schleck have seen the Tour de France 2012 parcours and it is full of time trial kilometres, the sub specialty which is their greatest weakness. The brothers are already contemplating how they will face the challenge, and are looking forward to accepting the challenge along with their new sport director, Johan Bruyneel.

The parcours which was accidentally published earlier this week has 96 kilometres of time trial, as compared to only 60 in 2011, of which only 42.5 were individual. “The time that you lose there must be made up on other terrain,” Fränk Schleck told Tageblatt.lu. “But we must focus more on time trialing.”

They will do that by “increasing muscle mass this winter and working on aerodynamic position. We have already talked to Johan Bruyneel about it. He insists that we work further on this.”

Andy Schleck is finally over the infections and problems associated with his dental problems. “I am swimming a lot right now and running and weight lifting, but I also know that I can't ignore cycling.  At the end of this week, I will start training on the road again.”

While the Schlecks have already spoken with Bruyneel, they know that he will not be able to turn his full attention to them until the current season is over.  They hope to set up a meeting for the new team in the next few weeks, and then will discover what the Belgian has in mind for them.

“I know that he has many ideas and maybe will plan a different programme from the last few years leading up to the Tour de France,” Andy Schleck said.  “I think there will also be different preparation for the Spring Classics.”

He called Bruyneel, “one of the best and most important men in cycling, maybe the man we have been missing.”

Fränk Schleck also praised “our strong new captain Johan Bruyneel.  He will surely steer this boat  well.  He has a very strong hand and behind him  to co-ordinate things is Kim Andersen, our right hand in training, who puts our programme together.”

As to the composition of the new team, Andy Schleck said that  “I think the right choices have been made, at any rate I am satisfied.”  While he regrets losing Stuart O'Grady, “On the other hand, we will have riders like Andreas Klöden at our side. I know 99.5 percent of which riders we have and which staff, and it is a team that we will be proud to be with in the future.”