Wow! I'm actually doing this early. The news seems quiet on the weekend...well, that and the fact that my husband said he needs the computer all night. I figured I should get this out quickly.
Tour de Suisse Stage 8 was today. Michael Albasini won the stage, and Rui Costa is still in the lead with 14 seconds over Frank Schleck.
June 16, Stage 8: Bischofszell - Arosa 148.2km
Albasini solos to Tour de Suisse stage 8 win
Michael Albasini (Orica-GreenEdge) took a fine solo victory at the Tour de Suisse on a day that saw Fränk Schleck (RadioShack-Nissan) edge closer to the overall lead of Rui Costa (Movistar). With one day of racing to go, Costa leads Schleck by 14 seconds, with Levi Leipheimer (Omega Pharma-QuickStep) a further 7 seconds back in 3rd.
It was ultimately a day of two races on the 148.2km trek from Bischofszell to Arosa. The first was a straightforward fight for stage honours that saw Albasini outlast his three breakaway companions and then pull away on the hors categorie climb to the finish; the second, a tense, tactical battle for the leader’s yellow jersey, in which the initiative ebbed and flowed between a number of contenders in the finale.
The foundations of Albasini’s win were laid in a low-key time trial display on Friday – definitively out of the overall picture, the Swiss rider had the freedom to infiltrate the day’s early break, which chugged away 15km into the stage. In the company of Peter Velits (Omega Pharma-QuickStep), Remi Cusin (Team Type 1-Sanofi) and Thomas Dekker (Garmin-Barracuda), Albasini had a lead of five minutes by the time he reached the stage’s two climbs, the second category Castiel and the final haul to Arosa.
Albasini launched his first attack at the foot of the Castiel, bringing Velits clear with him, and together the duo succeeded in maintaining a three-minute advantage by the time the road reared up for the final 8km to Arosa. Cleverly, Albasini once again attacked just before the climbing began in earnest and he quickly careered away from Velits and towards Switzerland’s first stage win of the week.
Rabobank sets the pace
Robert Gesink had shown signs in recent days that he had recovered from his sub-par outing on the opening road stage last weekend, and the Dutchman received a considerable vote of confidence from his Rabobank squad, as they did the bulk of the pace-setting in the yellow jersey group behind.
Indeed, such was the ferocity of Laurens Ten Dam’s tempo on the Castiel that he whittled the group of favourites down to just under twenty riders, with Costa among those riders struggling to maintain contact. While there was a brief regrouping on the descent, Gesink showed his intentions by clipping away for the bonus second on offer at Peist ahead of the final climb.
As the gradient pitched up to 15% on the final climb, Steven Kruijswijk took over pace-making duties for the Dutch squad and his efforts put Costa into difficulty once again. With the Portuguese rider’s grip on his yellow jersey guttering at the rear of the group, it was Fränk Schleck – and not Gesink – who delivered the anticipated attack, however.
The Luxembourger went away inside the final 4 kilometres, bringing Nieve and Leipehimer with him. Behind, Gesink was unable to get on terms, but after initially struggling, he settled to follow at a distance of around 20 seconds, accompanied by Kruijswijk and the impressive Thibaut Pinot (FDJ-BigMat).
Up front, Albasini had managed his resources perfectly on the steepest section of the climb and he then dosed his effort accordingly on the false flat run-in to the finish, and secured a fine stage victory.
Schleck led the pursuit behind, hoping that he might move into the yellow jersey, but his cause was not helped when Nieve and Leipheimer nipped around him for the bonus seconds on offer at the finish. Even so, the trio took 21 seconds out of Robert Gesink and it was left to Rui Costa to limit his losses to Schleck in the closing kilometres, with the help of his teammate Alejandro Valverde.
Costa succeeded in doing so, salvaging his yellow jersey by 14 seconds, but the Portuguese rider will face a stiff test if he is to repeat the feat on the tough final stage to Sörenberg on Sunday.
Full Results
| 1 | Michael Albasini (Swi) Orica GreenEdge Cycling Team | 3:45:39 | |
| 2 | Mikel Nieve Ituralde (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi | 0:01:15 | |
| 3 | Levi Leipheimer (USA) Omega Pharma - QuickStep | | |
| 4 | Frank Schleck (Lux) RadioShack-Nissan | | |
| 5 | Robert Gesink (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team | 0:01:36 | |
| 6 | Thibaut Pinot (Fra) FDJ-Big Mat | | |
| 7 | Thomas Danielson (USA) Garmin-Barracuda | | |
| 8 | Steven Kruijswijk (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team | 0:01:39 | |
| 9 | Roman Kreuziger (Cze) Pro Team Astana | 0:01:57 | |
| 10 | Jakob Fuglsang (Den) RadioShack-Nissan |
Cancellara has his sights firmly set on 2012 London Olympics
(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/cancellara-has-his-sights-firmly-set-on-2012-london-olympics)
Fabian Cancellara lost the time trial in his homeland Tour de Suisse by less than two seconds, but it does not bother him unduly, as his focus is on the 2012 London Olympics. He also said that he is not overly worried about the doping charges against Johan Bruyneel, his RadioShack-Nissan team manager.
Finishing second in Friday's time trial was “too bad, but not man overboard,” he told Het Nieuwsblad. “My focus is later this year: to become Olympic champion in London.”
And the pressure is already on to become champion there, and win not one but two gold medals. “I can't just go to London. I can really only lose. Four years ago I had gold and silver, so everyone expects that this time I will get double gold.”
Before that, however, he expects to ride the Tour de France, which this year features three time trials, but made clear that is not his top goal. “It would be nice to be there to win,” he said, but “I would not say that the Tour is a workout, but that I'm riding the Tour especially in view of what comes after. The focus is the Olympics. I have not checked out the time trials in France and am doing other things: my preparation for London.”
The Swiss rider is still looking for his first win after coming back from a fractured collarbone suffered in the Tour of Flanders on April 1. “It was a strange experience and hard to come back after an injury during the season. This is entirely different than getting back in shape after the winter,” he admitted.
“I was home with my family, but it was no vacation. I enjoyed it, but it was also a weird feeling, but I tried to keep it in perspective: 'Hey, I don't have a broken shoulder, it's only a broken collarbone,' I said then. I never panicked. But I didn't imagine that it would take so much time.”
The RadioShack-Nissan team is under a cloud this week following the news that manager Johan Bruyneel has been named by the USADA in its anti-doping investigation. Cancellara said, “There is an accusation, but we don't know what's going on, what is true and what is not. There have been many accusations raised against him. When I see how John and I work together, I do not look to the past. If I looked back on the past, I would not have worked with Bjarne Riis, for example.”
So here begins the Cavendish versus Greipel sprint fights. I'm wondering what will happen with Sagan thrown into the mix...
Greipel boosted by defeating Cavendish
(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/greipel-boosted-by-defeating-cavendish)
André Greipel has hailed his Lotto Belisol lead-out train as the best in the business after he beat his eternal rival Mark Cavendish (Sky) in the sprint on stage two of the Ster ZLM Toer in Schimmert on Friday.
The German rider’s 13th win of the season continues a rich streak of early summer form which has seen him take a clutch of stage victories at the Tour of Belgium and Tour of Luxembourg.
“I’m increasingly convinced that we’re going to have the fastest lead-out train at the Tour de France,” Greipel told De Telegraaf. “I have Jürgen Roelandts and Greg Henderson as my last men, and we’re getting more and more attuned to one another.”
With morale already on a high following his recent haul of wins, Greipel admitted that his confidence had received an additional boost from beating the world champion Cavendish. At last year’s Tour de France, Cavendish won five stages to Greipel’s one, but the German is hopeful that he can get the better of his former HTC-Highroad teammate more often this July.
“I knew I was going well, but to beat Cavendish in a direct duel strengthens the confidence of the whole team,” Greipel said.
Greipel’s thoughts were echoed by manager Marc Sergeant, who will also bring podium contender Jurgen Van Den Broeck to the Tour. “A win brings confidence within the team, a good atmosphere and happy sponsors,” he said.
For his part, Cavendish had some consolation for his second place on Friday as it was enough to elevate him into the overall lead, albeit in the same time as Mark Renshaw (Rabobank) and Greipel. The Ster ZLM Toer concludes on Sunday.
And because I feel I can't go without mentioning Lance's new investigation, here is another article:
Armstrong reportedly made $465,000 payment to Ferrari in 2006
(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/armstrong-reportedly-made-dollar-465000-payment-to-ferrari-in-2006)
Gazzetta dello Sport reports that investigators in Italy have uncovered a payment of $465,000 made by Lance Armstrong to Dr. Michele Ferrari in 2006. The news comes after the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) formally charged Lance Armstrong, Johan Bruyneel, Michele Ferrari and three other trainers with links to the US Postal Team with doping on Wednesday.
The alleged payment was discovered as part of a doping investigation opened by Padova-based magistrate Benedetto Roberti in 2010, which is centred on the activities of Ferrari. The controversial doctor is serving a life ban from the Italian Cycling Federation and any rider shown to have worked with Ferrari faces suspension.
Roberti’s team of investigators in Padova are understood to have worked closely with an inquiry in the United States led by Jeff Novitzky, which examined allegations of systematic doping and fraud at the US Postal team.
Federal prosecutors dropped that case in February of this year, however, and Gazzetta reports that the evidence from Padova related to Armstrong’s alleged $465,000 payment to Ferrari “was not ready” at that time.
Nonetheless, USADA CEO Travis Tygart had insisted that his body would look to obtain all evidence developed during the federal investigation in order to continue its own inquiry into doping in cycling.
Armstrong’s use of Ferrari as his trainer was a source of considerable controversy and intrigue during his run of seven consecutive Tour de France victories, and the American claimed in 2004 that he had ended their working relationship.
In September of last year, however, the Corriere della Sera newspaper reported that Armstrong had continued his contact with Ferrari when he came out of retirement and returned to the professional peloton in 2009. The newspaper also alleged that Armstrong had made a series of payments to a company based in Neufchatel, Switzerland, which was believed to be linked to Ferrari.
And this isn't a surprise...like Armstrong and Bruyneel, another person named in the USADA's investigation has denied the charges:
Spanish doctor denies USADA doping charges
(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/spanish-doctor-denies-usada-doping-charges)
Luis Garcia del Moral, one of the doctors named in the USADA doping investigation, has denied all the charges, saying he has never been involved with performance-enhancing drugs.
Garcia Del Moral was associated with the USPS team from 1999 to 2004, and with Astana in 2009-2010. Along with Lance Armstrong, Johan Bruyneel, and others he has been charged by USADA with being part of a massive doping conspiracy from 1998-2011.
Marca.com reported that Garcia del Moral said that “the charges are not true and without foundation" and “are motivated and driven by other interests.”
"These charges are the same as those which the Justice Department decided not to pursue after a two-year investigation, and once again and like every year, within weeks of the Tour de France, there is emerging news about cyclist doping allegations in which, again, we are involved,” he said.
"Never in my career have I used doping substances. Never in my career has there been a positive for doping among athletes who have trusted me with their health and sports medicine.”
And this article just makes me shake my head. Riddle me this, Batman...
Norway gives up Olympic women's mountain bike spot
(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/norway-gives-up-olympic-womens-mountain-bike-spot)
The Norwegian Cycling Federation decided to send one woman to the 2012 Olympic Games in London in August even though it had qualified two spots. Gunn-Rita Dahle Flesjaa, the recent winner of the European championships and the La Bresse World Cup, is definitely headed to London, but the second spot will go unfilled.
The two top candidates for the other spot were Lene Byberg and Elisabeth Sveum. Byberg, who unfortunately broken her wrist last weekend at the European Championships, has previously won World Cup races and Sveum has won a U23 World Cup race and finished third in the 2011 European Championships for U23 women. In the past two years, both women helped score the points that qualified the two spots for London.
The spot given up by Norway will go to another nation that did not initially qualify for the Games.
A controversial decision
Procycling.No reported on controversy surrounding the decision. Henrik Alpers had said on Terrengsykkel.no, "What is sad is that ... on the men's side on the road they [the Norwegian federation] has always worked to get as many athletes [to top competitions], regardless of level. The federation is not interested in having anyone there other than a gold [medal] candidate." According to Alpers, the Norwegian federation reportedly also asked Sveum's team to remain quiet about the matter so as not to interfere with the process.
Sveum was unhappy about missing out on the chance to go to the Olympics. "This is very disappointing," she said to ProCycling.No. "For off-road cycling in Norway, it is a slap in the face. We use the funds and effort to fight for Norway's two spots on the female side. Then it is a pity that the federation will not make use of both spots. For me personally, this could have been a great opportunity to learn from Gunn-Rita (Dahle Flesjå). I could have made use of it in the next Olympics."
When asked for a response on behalf of the Federation, national team manager Steffen Kjærgaard had told Procycling.No that he could not comment prior to when the federation would officially submit its decision on Monday.
While some countries will send younger racers to the Olympics who are not likely to medal, Norway is choosing to send only the medal contender in this case. Historically, countries take different approaches to filling all qualified spots. For example, Italy qualified two male mountain bikers and is sending medal candidate Marco Fontana and U23 rider Gerhard Kerschbaumer while Belgium had promised only to send a second male athlete if he met strict qualifying criteria; Sven Nys did so at the European championships last weekend, in the last race that could have qualified him; otherwise the nation would have forfeited its second male mountain bike spot.
Norway did not qualify any men for the 2012 Olympic mountain bike race.
