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!

No UCI points for Movistar from Valverde

Valverde's success will not benefit Movistar

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

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

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

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

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

Hushovd and Garmin-Cervelo

Hushovd was never close to staying with Garmin

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/hushovd-was-never-close-to-staying-with-garmin)

Thor Hushovd doesn't seem to regret leaving Garmin-Cervelo. Despite a highly-successful Tour de France, the former World Champion wasn't entirely satisfied with his time at the team, and will ride for rival American team BMC Racing Team as of 2012.

He only ended up there, he told Procycling.no, because of the merger of the Garmin and Cervelo teams. “I had my contract with Cervelo. They dragged me along in the package to Garmin.”

Hushovd was unable to meet his major goal of the year, winning one of the Spring Classics. “It was arranged for me to win a Classic.  The conditions and luck were such that it did not work out.”

He made up for the lack of success in the early part of the year at the Tour. He pulled on the leader's yellow jersey after his team won the second-stage team time trial, holding on to it for seven stages. The Norwegian then went on to win two individual stages.

There have been rumours all season that Hushovd was not happy at the team or with team manager Jonathan Vaughters, although both publicly denied any problems. 

Now, though, Hushovd says, “I was not very close to staying. They came to me very late to say they wanted me. So I moved my focus, and a change was something I wanted.

“There were several offers throughout the season. I reckoned up all the pluses and minuses. BMC ended up with many pluses, so I chose to go with them.”

There is no enmity between Hushovd and Vaughters, though. “We are on speaking terms,” the Norwegian said.

Hushovd acknowledged that one problem was actually his own fault. He did not receive a bonus for winning the 2010 World Championship. “I signed a contract with Cervelo without a World Championship bonus and it's my fault. It's something I've said all along.”

And the UCI is blamed again...

Any governing body will always have issues, but I think the UCI really needs to take a step back and assess itself and the group is runs:

UCI deny threatening teams in lead up to Tour of Beijing

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/uci-deny-threatening-teams-in-lead-up-to-tour-of-beijing)

The UCI has denied any wrong doing over suspicions that the sport's governing body threatened a number of WorldTour teams in the build up the Tour of Beijing.

Cyclingnews understands that a number of teams' sponsors were sent letters by the UCI threatening their applications and status among the WorldTour if they carried through with their plan to boycott the race in China.

The boycott stemmed from the argument over race radios. The boycott was eventually scrapped after the UCI and teams found a compromise to uphold the current status on race radios for 2012 while a independent commission was set up to determine the future over the heated issue.

The Tour of Beijing is a race that the UCI has developed and initiated through GCP – its own subsidiary body charged with globalising the sport through new events. The event is a source of income for the UCI and the possibility of high profile teams deciding to shun the event could have seriously jeopardised its future. The event itself got off to a successful start this week, with world time trial champion Tony Martin winning the opening time trial. It is understood that the UCI saw the boycott as a direct threat to its governance and the expansion of cycling.

Cyclingnews has obtained letters that show that the UCI attempted to pressurise team sponsors.

In a letter to one team the UCI said: "The UCI World Tour is a very important part of the UCI calendar, your team is a member of that World Tour, and in recent years the UCI have been working on a strategy to globalise the UCI World Tour. This is for obvious reasons, to further develop our sport, bring it to a truly global audience and indeed to give a valuable return on investment for our sponsors."

The letter goes on: "I can also assure you that any team who does not take the start line in Beijing will be brought before the UCI Licence Commission at the end of the year and risks losing its licence and all the associated benefits. UCI doesn't like involving sponsors in the internal affairs of our sport but in this case we felt that as a sponsor of this team, it was felt important that you should be informed."

Finally the UCI also allude to how a sponsor's business may in fact suffer:

"they [the Chinese organisers] will take this as an offence and it could have repercussions of a commercial nature. This event is being promoted by the City of Beijing under the direction of the Mayor of Beijing, Gou Jinlong and the word boycott has a very high resonance in the Chinese culture for different reasons and they will feel that as an insult to the Chinese people."

Cyclingnews contacted the UCI for comment.

In an email a UCI press officer said he had talked to the President Pat McQuaid, who said, "This subject is closed as far as UCI is concerned the UCI does not wish to comment."

The attempt to pressure sponsors appears to a clear and direct attack on a number of team managers who have voiced several concerns with the UCI this year. Earlier this spring a number of team bosses including Johan Bruyneel and Jonathan Vaughters openly discussed the option of a breakaway league competing against the UCI. At one point 11 major teams were said to be considering the project. Although the discussions remained little more than just blue sky ideas, the UCI saw fit to openly condemn the idea.

"It's all very well for the managers of certain teams at the top level to think they can create a different league or a series amongst themselves for their own personal gain and ambitions and think they can go in a different direction but it's not as simple as that," McQuaid said at the time.

Bruyneel fired back: "You know, we don't care anymore about the threats of McQuaid. If he goes on the way he has been going, maybe we will stop with everything or maybe something else will happen."

If this is a known problem...

So if you know these meats are treated with banned substances...maybe you should bring your own?!?! It might not be the most ecomonical, but I'd rather spend the extra money than risk testing positive for a banned substance.

Tour of Beijing teams wary of clenbuterol in food

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/tour-of-beijing-teams-wary-of-clenbuterol-in-food)

Cyclingnews has learned that teams have advised their riders not eat beef or pork during the Tour of Beijing in order to avoid accidentally testing positive for clenbuterol. The drug is used in the farming of certain meats in countries including China and has lead to a number of positive tests.

Last year Alberto Contador tested positive for the drug during the Tour de France. The amount of clenbuterol was 40 times less than the amount World Anti-Doping Agency accredited labs must be able to detect, however his sample was transported to a clinic in Cologne which is able to detect minuscule amounts of the substance. If his sample had been tested in Paris or most other European labs he would have likely escaped a positive test.

Garmin-Cervelo told Cyclingnews that its riders were under orders to avoid all beef and pork products during their stay in China, as a precaution.

"I advised my riders not to eat beef and pork. You can't use clenbuterol on chicken or fish," said Garmin-Cervelo manager Jonathan Vaughters.

Vaughters raised the issue of clenbuterol fears at a recent meeting with the UCI at the world championships and was advised that his riders should keep away from beef and pork and stick to eating fish and chicken, which are not treated with Clenbuterol.

According to Vaughters the fear wouldn't be over testing positive in China but once the athletes leave the countries. For example, an out of competition test taken in Europe or the US in a two to three day window after the race could lead to a positive. Testing will be carried out during the race, contrary to rumours that circulated on the web in the build up to the race. However the Beijing lab used for testing is not as precise in detecting clenbuterol as some other labs.

"Imagine if they get off the plane and they're tested the day after or two days after in an out of competition test and it goes to UCLA, or Europe and it goes to Cologne or Sydney in Australia, because those labs could detect the traces of it. I imagine other teams are advising the same thing but I don't know."

Hushovd's Big Move

I had another post ready to go up today, but I'm glad I waited. This article that I'm posting instead is hot off the press!!!!

Hushovd moves to BMC Racing Team in 2012

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/hushovd-moves-to-bmc-racing-team-in-2012)

World road champion Thor Hushovd has signed with BMC Racing Team for 2012, the team announced today in a press release. After spending one season with Garmin-Cervelo, the 33-year-old Norwegian has signed a three-year contract with BMC.

Hushovd recently had a very successful Tour de France, in which he won two stages and wore the leader's jersey for seven days. The two-time Tour de France points classification winner is looking forward to joining the American ProTeam.

"It's a serious team where it looks like everything is well-organized," Hushovd said. "There's a plan put together for the riders for all the big and important races. Everyone knows what to do. That's a good thing."

Hushovd said one ambition remains when it comes to his Classics career. "My biggest goal is still to win Paris-Roubaix. The BMC Racing Team has good riders to support me or for me to help someone else on the team win."

BMC Racing Team President/General Manager Jim Ochowicz said signing Hushovd fits perfectly into the future plans of the organization. "Thor brings a lot of qualities to us and complements other riders on the team in races like the Spring Classics and the Grand Tours," Ochowicz said. "We're very happy to have his talents, enthusiasm and expertise now working with the BMC Racing Team family for 2012 and beyond."

Exact terms of Hushovd's contract are not being disclosed, Ochowicz said, other than the deal extends through the end of the 2014 season.

I am actually very excited about this news, although I do like Garmin-Cervelo and Jonathan Vaughters. However, now Hushovd will be teammates with Tour de France champion Cadel Evans, along with an amazing lead-out man, George Hincapie. I can't wait to see what the 2012 season brings for BMC!!!