Giro Donne: Stage 2 debrief

Shara Gillow is the new leader of the Giro Donne

Stage 2 of the Giro Donne may as well have been two separate races after the riders split themselves into a main group and a fourteen woman breakaway which maintained an impressive lead and dominated from early in the 91km stage. Riders only broke rank on the day's big climb, the 900m ascent of Madonna Regina where Valentina Scandolara triumphed, guaranteeing another day in the Mountain Classification jersey for herself. The climb was too much for some riders and when the leaders regrouped once over the summit, five had fallen back to the peloton and more were shaken off when Polish ex-mountain biker Sylwia Kapusta launched an attack so fierce that only Australian Sharon Gillow and Britain's Sharon Laws were able to respond, the three pulling away and gradually building up an ever-increasing gap between themselves and the rest.

Kapusta misjudged, however, and when the end was within sight she didn't have the reserves left to take on Gillow and Laws who fought all the way to the line, with the 28-year-old Queenslander finding enough left over to fuel one last thrust. Laws responded, but she was just beaten - closely enough that she was awarded the same time as first place.

Kapusta came in 10 seconds later, looking exhausted, and she had evidently wanted first today must be feeling proud of an heroic effort. Marianne Vos, our tip for the top today, managed tenth place in the end despite a sprint finish that should have suited her well and so will now hand the pink leader's jersey over to Gillow. The 23-year-old Queenslander was one of the less well-known names on the women's racing circuit but has become a formidable presence, winning the Oceania Road Race Championships and Australian National Time Trial. Let's hope she doesn't value anonymity, because when a rider makes an impact like she has so far this year the world will take notice.

Stage results:


1. Shara Gillow (Australia) Bizkaia-Durango 2h3’48”
2. Sharon Laws (UK) Garmin-Cervélo same time
3. Sylwia Kapusta (Poland) Gauss-RDZ-Ormu +10s
4. Christel Ferrier-Bruneau (France) Gauss-RDZ-Ormu +46s
5. Grace Verbeke (Belgium) Topsport Vlaanderen 2012-Ridley +48”
6. Andrea Dvorak (USA) Colavita-Forno d’Asolo +57”
7. Ina Teutenberg (Germany) HTC-Highroad +1’06”
8. Valentina Scandolara (Italy) Gauss-RDZ-Ormu +1’09”
9. Linda Villumsen (New Zealand) AA Drink-Leontien +1’32”
10. Marianne Vos (Netherlands) Nederland Bloeit +3’18”


General Classification:



1. Shara Gillow 4h49'35"  
2. Sharon Laws +04"  
3. Sylwia Kapusta +16 "
4. Christel Ferrier-Bruneau +56"  
5. Grace Verbeke +58" 
6. Ina Teutenberg +1'10" 
7. Andrea Dvorak +1'30"  
8. Linda Villumsen +1'42" 
9. Valentina Scandolara +1'50"  
10. Marianne Vos +3'17"

Tour de France: Stage 1 debrief

What a start to the 2011 Tour! As predicted, the first crash happened on the treacherous Passage de Gois and then it was crash after crash after crash - as soon as those caught up or held back by an accident caught up, there was another one to chop the peloton into pieces and spread it all over the place.

Perrig Quemeneur led a breakaway from
the first kilometre and deservedly wins
the combativity award.

There wasn't much sign of people taking it easy and checking one another out today, as soon as the race proper kicked off Lieuwe Westra (Vacansoleil),  Jérémy Roy (FDJ) and Perrig Quemeneur of local team Europcar leapt ahead and began working on a lead which, at one point, saw them more than seven minutes in front of the peloton. It wasn't long before the other team's top riders began to move up to the front and, gradually, the built the pace up and chased - it took most of the day, though, and the breakaway wasn't put back in their place until a few kilometres from the end.

The second crash saw Anthony Chartreau from Europcar go down, along with another rider from his team and two from Movistar after apparently clipping a piece of street furniture. One of the Movistar riders took a while to get back up again, but seemed alright.

It was a beautiful day in Vendee with a glorious sun in cloudless blue skies. By the looks of things, they've had a lot of sun down that way so far this year because the countryside along the road following the coast looked almost semi-arid, like the less productive regions of Spain. However, fields full of crops suggest water is available. Needless to say, there were vast crowds lining the roads and a good selection of national flags proving that the sport enjoys an international following.

Jurgen van de Walle went down in one of
several crashes, but despite a badly-torn
jersey was not injured.

Another crash, apparently once again due to street furniture, not much further on took down TeJay van Garderen (HTC_Highroad), Ivan Basso (Liquigas), Romaine Felliu (Vacansoleil) and Jurgen van de Walle (Omega Pharma Lotto). TeJay was quickly back onboard and surrounded by HTC domestiques helping him to fight his way back up the ranks. Van de Walle looked worst affected, his jersey being badly ripped. Frank Schleck only just avoided becoming caught up too, literally escaping by a few tyre widths.

Nobody quite knew how the new UCI rules for intermediate sprints would work out, but in the end the general consensus was that they were a success. Comments on Twitter, that immediate gauge of public opinion, ranged from "Great! made the sprint as exciting as a stage finish!" to "Horrible - one sprint at the end is bad enough, there's no need for added danger" but were definitely weighted towards the positive. The leading group maintained their advantage into the sprint, which extended over 3km, meaning there was no doubt they'd be taking the top three point allocations but there was everything to play for for those a little further back. In the end, Roy took first, Westra second, Quemeneur third and then Tyler Farrar fourth, Andre Greipel fifth. Mark Cavendish, the world's fastest sprinter, put in a good show but an error of judgement allowed Farrar to surge ahead, at which point the Manxman apparently gave up and rolled across the line in 11th place.

Fabian Cancellara, one of the world's most
successful riders, decided to do a bit of
domestique duty today!

Omega-Pharma Lotto were by this time dominating the front of the peloton with a phalanx of their riders keep things ticking over at a respectable rate. The order began to break down a bit as teams organised themselves in preparation for the feeding station at Rosnay, 104km into the stage. Matt Goss and Fabian Cancellara were seen ferrying bidons back to their teams - unusual behaviour for cyclists in their league, perhaps indicative that neither of them had any intention of winning the stage or even the race. There were no crashes as riders grabbed their musettes, feeding stations being notorious as one of the most dangerous sections in any race, but another incident a few kilometres on brought the peloton to a halt once again: what at first seemed to be yet another crash turned out to have been caused by a small group of riders taking what commentators refer to as a "nature break," known to rest of us as a piss, and other riders misreading the situation.

Camera crews caught up with Sky leader and best British hope Bradley Wiggins a little way further on - his fitness this year is obvious. There is not a gram of fat on his body and his legs look like steel cables. Whether or not we'll see him on the podium in three weeks remains to be seen, but if he stays out of trouble he'll almost certainly finish much higher up than he did last win when he could only manage 24th place, a very disappointing result after he achieved 4th the year before.

Linus Gerdemann was in a crash
that looked serious, but he and
Vincent Jerome were saved by
a soft landing.

A bottleneck going into a tight lefthand bend packed the riders so tightly into a narrow section that Linus Gerdemann (LeopardTrek) and Vincent Jerome (Europcar) were spat out the side, off the road and into the ditch. Lucky for them, they came to rest in a patch of soft grass - it was a hard crash and had it have happened in an urban area on concrete, the Tour might have been over for both of them. Gerdemann seemed to have problems getting his gears and chain working afterwards, but was soon back on and on his way.

With 50km to go, the breakaway group were being well and truly reeled in. Their advantage, whittled away for some time now, was down to three minutes and the trio were beginning to tire but there was no sign of any let-up from the baying mob behind them. David Arroyo, a runner-up in the Giro d'Italia, followed Cancellara's example and ran domestique duties here, carrying bidons from the Movistar team car to his team mates. It was also at about this point that Cadel Evans (BMC) started to assert himself at the front of the pack, pushing his way forward and fighting to stay there - evidence that he intended to account well for himself in this stage.

23km on and the gap between the leading group and peloton was down to under two minutes. Omega were still hogging all the front spots in the main group, but with Sky, HTC-Highroad and Euskaltel-Euskadi also holding their position it remained impossible to make a prediction with any certainty of accuracy. Then another crash took down Sky's Rigoberto Uran who, at this late stage, had to ride hard to regain his position.

As the race entered the final 30km, crossing some strangely corrugated terrain made of a series of small dips and hills, the leaders' advantage was reduced to 44 seconds. They'd had their fun and were going to be returned to anonymity without further delay by the main group which was bearing down upon them like hawks. 5km on  and it was down another 10 seconds and after another five it was eroded away to vitually nothing - with the race now taking place on a long, straight road, the peloton were visible just 11 seconds away, bearing down upon them mercilessly. Philippe Gilbert moved into position, ready to show them how a bike should be ridden.

The Devil, seen here receiving a medal from Andy Schleck, put in an appearance.

Then, what will be the highlight of the stage for many people: a Devil sighting! Didi stood at the roadside in his trademark costume, jumpimg with his usual energy up and down and waving his trident about. Several people noted that he's looking a lot slimmer these days - at almost 60 years of age, keeping up with the peloton might require a slightly more proactive approach to fitness than that assumed by the noticeably rounded Devil of previous years. Good to see it, too - in his 18 years of devilment, Didi has become one of the most popular figures in cycling and the colour he adds to racing will always be welcome. May whatever diabolical plan he has in mind remain a part of the Tour for many more years.

A very fast section followed with the peloton looking more like a motorbike race from the helicopter, such was the high speed maintained. Then, another enormous crash - a spectator got too close, was hit by an Astana rider and caused an accident involving around 30 bikes, more than enough to bring the race to a stand-still once again and splitting the peloton into several groups. Those ahead of the crash built up a lead, those in the crash formed various groups depending on how quickly they could extricate themselves, those behind it watched in despair as the others began to build up a lead which with just a few kilometres to go would be all but impossible to claw back.

The final 2km were uphill. This had led to some confusion among those of us who like to predict stage outcomes earlier, because it created uncertainty as to which sort of rider would be best suited to the stage profile. Would it be a stage specialist who could build up a big lead in the flatlands earlier on? Would it be an all-rounder or possibly one of those sprinters who can keep up a high speed for a long time? Or would it be a climber? What's more, there were a total of nine roundabouts in those last 2km and with the crash messing everything up the only thing that was certain was that there were still many riders in with a chance of a victory.

Luxembourg's Andy Schleck had been fortunate enough to escape the crash entirely, having been near the front when it happened and this led many people to hope he might triumph - an unexpected early win for the highly popular and well-liked rider. Schleckmania became heated when his group built up a 39" over Alberto Contador, who had been behind the crash - the exact number of seconds' lead gained by the Spaniard when he controversially decided not to wait for Andy lost his chain in Stage 16 last year -  with Tweets buzzing back and forth on the subject of how funny it would be if Andy beat his rival by this time. Andy has publically said that he has forgiven Contador for the chain incident, but it seems his legions of fans have not. In the end, it went to the sprinters - Andy, along with Bradley Wiggins, fell right back, taking 39th and Wiggins 67th. Another crash didn't help and would usually have invoked the rule stating that all riders behind a crash in the final 3km receive the same time, but for some reason this was overlooked at first, then apparently brought back into play when the final results as published on the ASO website changed.

Philippe Gilbert rode well and won the
General, Points and Mountain
Classifications for today.

In the end, though, it turned out that while the terrain was testing for the sprinters, it wasn't steep enough to prevent them laying down the power and streaming ahead those who, like Schleck, are so highly specialised to the climbs they just can't perform in the lowland flats. It was Fabian Cancellara, fed up of his earlier domestique duties, who made the first attack, emerging out of the pack like a rocket and blasting towards the finish line. Many spectators assumed there and then he'd win, but it was not to be because Philipe Gilbert, rated the number one rider in the world on the IG Markets index, was even faster. He gave chase and caught him but didn't overtake, keeping him just ahead which allowed others to follow. Then, he dropped the Swiss time trialler with metres to go, crossing the line in first place with a trail of riders in his slipstream.

It was, without doubt, one of the most thrilling first stages for many years and somehow, despite the carnage, all riders remain in the race.

General Classification:


1. Philippe Gilbert (4h41'31")
2. Cadel Evans (+3")
3. Thor Hushovd (+6")
4. Joaquin Rojas
5. Jurgen van den Broeck
6. Geraint Thomas
7. Andreas Klöden
8. Rein Taaramäe
9. Chris Horner
10. Tony  Martin (3-10 received same time)


Yellow jersey (overall) - Philippe Gilbert; green jersey (points) - Philippe Gilbert (will be worn tomorrow by Cadel Evans); Polka dot jersey (climber) - Philippe Gilbert; White jersey (youth) - Geraint Thomas; combativity - Perrig Quemeneur; team - Omega-Pharma Lotto.

Tweets

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Tour de France: Stage 1 Preview

After 49 long weeks, the day is finally here - the highlight of the cycling calendar and one of the most eagerly anticipated dates in sport: today brings Stage 1 of the Tour de France.

Passage du Gois: scene of carnage in 1999.
Who can predict what it will bring today?

It's an unusual one this year, because rather than a prologue as is usually the case Stage 1 is a proper road stage taking in a U-shaped 191.5km of the Vendée department in Western France, birthplace of Eleanor of Aquitaine, the only woman to have been queen of both France and England and one of the most powerful people in Medieval Europe. The Tour returns to the Passage du Gois, a tidal causeway visited in 1999 when it proved to have a pronounced effect on the day's results due to the slippery, algae-encrusted surface causing a crash which split the peloton by six minutes. Similar carnage may happen today, providing the 198 riders who are taking part with a good introduction to what promises to be one of the most challenging, thrilling Tours for many years.

There's nothing much in the way of climbing over the first 125km today. In fact, until Les Sables D'Olonne  where the road turns inland, when the riders will follow the flat coastline and the parcours reaches no altitude more dizzying than 9m above sea level. Who knows what will happen here? Some riders - especially those more endurance-orientated sprinters who can remain plugging away at a high rate pretty much indefinitely may choose to do so and win their chance to wear the yellow jersey. They may as well, because this is a Tour designed to favour the climbers and once reaching the mountains it's all going to be about them. On the other hand, they might all want to check each other out, assess who looks on good form and who doesn't and save themselves for a final every-man-for-himself dash at the finish.

Château de la Guignardière. You don't get a place like this  for cooking sausage rolls in Greg's.

Roughly halfway through the stage is Avrillé, which brings us to the beautiful 16th Century Château de la Guignardière. The château was built for King Henri II's favourite baker, no less, and has a collection of reproduction Easter Island figures in the garden. Avrillé is also the location of the stage's sprint over a 3km section with 20 points on offer for the victor. Britain's Mark Cavendish, who hasn't been riding half as well this year as he's proved himself able to do in the past, could decide to show what he's capable of here, reminding everyone why it is he's called the fastest man on two wheels and as a result become the first man to wear the green jersey this year. It's then downhill - gently - to the food station at Rosnay. By this point the race will already have covered 104km and so the domestiques will be ferrying musettes back to the captains in preparation for the road to Saint-Michel-Mont-Mercure which may only climb 250m in 70km, a gradient so slight as to go undetected, but remains enough to make its demands on the body. In between, they'll pass through several villages that are characteristic of this part of France including Mouilleron-en-Pareds, birthplace of Georges Clemenceau who, as head of the French Government during World War One was a signatory of the Treaty of Versailles.

Directly after passing through Saint-Michel-Mont-Mercure the parcours drops steeply into a rolling section of around 11km, the turns sharply heavenwards for the only categorised climb of the day in the shape of the Category 4 228m hill to Les Herbiers where, as it was the location of Thursday's team presentation, the spectators are already fired up and riders can expect an ecstatic welcome.

Ben Swift (Sky).

So, who'll win it today? It's always very hard to tell at this point in a big race. The riders in the top bracket, those who have a real chance of standing on the podium in Paris in three weeks' time, tend to hold back in the early stages - especially when it's a flat stage and the likely General Classification winners are all climbers - so the competition can be handed over to the rest of the pack. Since they tend to be the riders who receive less attention, this means it can be tricky to judge their form. However, it does appear that a battle between Highroad's Mark Cavendish and Sky's Ben Swift is on the cards: Swift is making his Tour debut this year and has hinted several times on Twitter and in press interviews that he plans to go after the Manx Missile. He's been tipped as the Next Big Thing in British cycling by many and has everything to play for, so might fancy wearing the green jersey tomorrow. But then, if he does well in the sprint, he might fancy a go at the yellow.

The one thing that's certain is that the long wait since last year's Tour will soon be forgotten in today's excitement.

Giro Donne: Stage 2 preview

It's a pity, really, that the Giro Donne - which has become the most important stage race in women's cycling since other prestigious races met their demise (usually due to lack of interest from sponsors) - takes place when it does, because there's some other race starting off in France today and it tends to get all the attention. Cycling fans would be well advised to keep at least a partial watch on the Italian action if they can do so whilst in the grips of Tour fever, because today's Stage 2 is the definition of "a real humdinger."

Abruzzo could have been made with cycling in mind.

Taking place in the mountainous Abruzzo region, right in the middle of Italy where it includes a big chunk of the Appennino Centrale, the day begins and ends at Pescocostanzo - but a time trial it certainly ain't. The terrain is used to great effect, creating a 91km stage that features both enormous climbs and equally enormous descents, doing so not by the inclusion of a high mountain but with a deep valley. Pescostanzo lies 1395m above sea level, high enough to catch out any riders who've been neglecting the altitude training before they even get started, and features a short descent of around a hundred metres in a few kilometres just outside town - while it's unlikely that anyone will want to really push the boat out in such an early section of the stage, it ought to be enough to spread the riders out a little. Yesterday, they all seemed happy enough to ride as a group for the greater part of the day, but once the field is broken up into leading and following groups we may well see some early attacks taking place as team leaders send out fast domestiques to test the form of rivals.

Look for climbing ability when choosing
your favourites for today. Having won
the Mountains classification in the Tour
du Grand Montréal in 2007, German 25-
year-old Claudia Häusler is a definite
contender.

Next comes a relatively flat section of 10km where the altitude hovers around the 1300m, then the day's main descent. Anyone who feels especially comfortable riding fast downhill and built up a small advantage coming out of Pescoconstanzo will have an opportunity to turn it into a big advantage here, because this descent is equally the equal of anything in the Tour de Suisse or even Tour de France - in fact, this could be one of the most exciting features of any race taking place today, and on a day like today that's really saying something. The route drops from 1300m to 400m in 24km to the poet Ovid's homecity Sulmona, also the home of confetti, the sweet sugared almonds which have become associated with the city and which the riders may find are passed to them by local fans turning out to see the race.

Big leads are not necessarily the same thing as safe leads in this race though, because any rider who has one and wishes to maintain it is going to need to be ready to endure the pain of a serious climb back out of the valley: it's back up to almost 1300m over the following 18km to reach the summit of Madonna Regina once the route has turned back into the Majella National Park, considered by many to be the most beautiful part of Abruzzo which is itself considered one of the most beautiful parts of Italy and where wolves and lynxes are still to be found, albeit in tiny numbers. Maybe a few'll give chase to help persuade any stragglers that riding fast up the mountain is a good idea. Another steep descent down to 900m follows before a climb back up to 1400m in 8km, giving an average gradient of 4.8km which, while not an especially steep hill, would test the thigh muscles of any rider at this late stage.

Britain's Emma Pooley is small,
light and very, very fit - which
may prove to give her a big
advantage today.

By this time, we should have a good idea of what the general classification is going to look like once today is over: the sprinters will have dropped right back from the top ten today as the grimpeurs take precedence and dominate the leadership board. However, those same sprinters - assuming they have the energy after today's ordeal - do have one final chance to earn some points because once the last big climb is over there's a gradual downhill section which, losing 100m in about 7km, should suit the faster riders rather well. The climbers, having got up there first, may already be on the next section but sprinters further back will be able to make up some of the difference here. That last section  features a final climb of just over 100m back to Pescoconstanzo. If the race hasn't already been decided by means of a huge lead built up in the big climbs earlier on, it could still be fought and lost here.

Who'll do well today? Marianne Vos will, because that's what she does - Scarlett Callovi said "Marianne Vos is unbeatable" after yesterday's stage. British champion Lizzie Armitstead may put in a good show too, because there are not so many climbers among female cyclists as there are among the men so her endurance racing skills may give her the tolerance for pain to keep going up the mountains when others need to slacken off the pace. Then there's Emma Pooley, who may be more of a Classics specialist but weighs just 50kg and is super fit, a combination which can count for a very great deal on this sort of terrain. But, with such an impressive starting list, nothing is certain at this time.

Further news on QuickStep bus

New reports are coming through stating that the Team QuickStep bus, seized by French police earlier today, has been examined and as nothing untoward was found aboard will soon be released back to the team.

There are unconfirmed rumours online that buses belonging to other teams were also stopped and searched at toll stations.

QuickStep bus seized by French police

French police have seized an entire Team QuickStep bus, according to reports in the French press. No further details have yet emerged, but it would appear to be part of the ongoing fight against doping. They swooped at 17.30 (local time) this afternoon at Challans and have taken the bus to a facility in La-Roche-sur-Yon says Belgian website Sportwereld. Directeur sportif Wilfried Peeters and the driver are both with the police. Most reports say nobody else is involved, but the Ouest France website appears to suggest that riders Sylvain Chavanel and Tom Boonen "are being heard," which may mean they're talking to the police.

Team spokesman Alessandro Tegner confirmed the story but is also unable to provide details and no reason for the seizure has been given, but the obvious answer is they suspect they will find banned doping products aboard.

The 2011 Tour is already looking to be on shaky ground with Wim Vansevenant and Sven Schoutteten - neither of whom would have been riding but have links to the Omega-Pharma Lotto and BMC teams - having been recently arrested for possession of banned substances.

Mauricio Soler Update 4

Tragically, things are not looking good for Colombian cyclist Mauricio Soler who was injured in a horrific crash in the Tour de Suisse last month. Early signs when doctors first brought him out of the medically-induced coma were promising, but Associated Press reports suggest he has suffered serious brain injury.

Giro Donne: Stage 1

In a career spanning nine years, Vos
has excelled in road, track, MTB and
cyclocross.

There were no huge surprises in today's Stage 1 of the Giro Donne with the Dutch and World champion Marianne Vos showing the skill and supremacy that have made her name, pacing herself with extreme precision and eventually crossing the line just a second before Ina Teutenberg and the group. The course itself threw up nothing unexpected either with riders taking it relatively easy for the earlier parts of the stage, no doubt sizing one another up and seeing who looks like they're on form and who isn't looking so good and concentrating on pacing themselves up the large climb to Castel Gandolfino, where Valentina Scandolara dominated and became the first to wear the green jersey.

Once up the climb - the altitude remained fairly constant thereafter - a few spats broke out with various teams and individuals making half-hearted attacks here and there. Scarlett Callovi made the best go, but the peloton hadn't yet got themselves in the mood for that sort of thing at this early point and refused to give her the space she needed. However, it would be completely wrong were we to give the impression that it was boring - when you have the likes of Nicole Cooke, Emma Pooley, Lizzie Armitstead and Marianne Vos all in the same race, the one it's never going to be is boring and the excellent form required of anyone who races at their level ensured that there was plenty of high-speed action through the beautiful countryside lying between Rome and Velletri. The area around Lago Albano being a particular highlight and not to be missed for anyone fortunate enough to visit the region.

Nicole Cooke, who has been having a difficult season since returning to the sport after illness, must have been having a bad day today as she finished in an uncharacteristic 50th place. Cooke has been striving to prove to the cycling press, much of which seems to have written her off forever, that she can return to the form that saw her win two Tours de France Féminin as well as the 2004 Giro Donne. Many fans will be hoping the Welsh star can do so, because at just 28 it would be a great pity were her career to come to an end now.

Things came to ahead in the final kilometres, which featured a small but definitely noticeable incline and where a sprint broke out with what looked to be most of the field involved. Armitstead, who powered past her team leader Pooley ( who came in 11th today) in a similar sprint to take the honours in the British Nationals last weekend, looked hopeful but in the end even she didn't have the strength required to best Vos and achieved fourth. With six major victories in the bag already this year, the 24-year-old Dutchwoman was always going to be a favourite in this race. Nothing is a foregone conclusion in a sport as dangerous and subject to unforeseen circumstances as cycling, however, and the close race today shows what an interesting race this is going to be.

Stage 1 results:



1. Marianne Vos (Netherlands) Nederland Bloeit, 02:11:56
2. Ina Teutenberg (Germany) HTC-Highroad, + 00:01
3. Emma Johansson (Sweden) Hitec Products (2-10 received same time)
4. Lizzie Armitstead (UK), Garmin-Cervélo
5. Judith Arndt (Germany) HTC-Highroad
6. Rossella Callovi (Italy) MCipollini-Giambenini
7. Elena Berlato (Italy) Top Girls Fassa Bortolo
8. Tatiana Guederzo (Italy) MCipollini-Giambenini
9. Rasa Leleivyte (Lithuania) Vaiano Solaristech
10. Martine Bras (Netherlands) Netherlands National Team


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Strange superstitions of the Tour de France

Lance Armstrong is just one of the
many riders who observed various
superstitions while competing in the
Tour de France

There are around 400 professional cyclists eligible for UCI competitions at any one time and an average of five will injure themselves in any one week - in other words, any rider who gets through an entire year without any injury has been reasonably fortunate. For this reason, all sorts of superstitions have arisen, some personal to the riders and some pertaining to the entire race.

Italian riders, for example, believe that they'll suffer bad luck during the race if they pass salt to one another during team meals both before the race and while it's in progress. Some are content to pick up a salt shaker once it's been replaced in the middle of the table while others prefer not to take risks and insist on having their own shaker and will not pass it to anyone. Another tradition peculiar to the Italians is their belief that a rider must eat pasta precisely three hours before a race begins - not such a problem in the Tour, but some races begin at 6am or earlier.

The salt superstition stems from the old belief that spilled salt somehow causes the devil to appear and get up to the sorts of high jinks with which he is associated. Danish Michael Sandstød was above all that: when he spilled salt during a team dinner, he decided to show his fellow cyclists a thing or two and deliberately brushed the salt onto the floor which is an absolute no-no among the superstitious - the correct thing to do is to pick up some of the salt and throw it over your left shoulder so that it hits the devil in the eye (and he really hates that because it stings). The very next day, Sandstød suffered a terrible crash on a fast downhill and smashed his shoulder and eight ribs, one of which punctured a lung so he spent the next few days on a ventilator. He retired not long afterwards.

Coincidence? Well yeah. But...

Tyler Hamilton always said he wasn't superstitious but began to carry a bottle of holy water and a vial of salt with him after being given them by a friend. Gradually, he began to feel he couldn't race without them until one day when he forgot them during one stage of the Tour of Holland - he crashed badly and cracked his femurCarlos Sastre displayed perhaps the strangest superstition, winning Stage 13 with a baby's dummy in his mouth as an auspicious welcome to the world for his new daughter.

Many riders have their hair cut before a race. There are practical reasons for this, since short hair  allows sweat to evaporate more easily (even in the pre-helmet days), but over time it's become a sort of superstition in its own right so that nowadays even riders with shaved heads have a trim before going out. Others, meanwhile, refuse to shave for certain stages.  A very great many riders suffer from triskaidekaphobia, making them extremely reluctant to wear the number 13. Hence, it's common to see a rider allocated the number - such as Jakob Fuglsang, another Dane, this year - pin it in place upside-down or overlapping a second patch to make 1313, which apparently is acceptable. The great Jacques Anquetil, who became the first rider to win five Tours, was as fascinated by astronomy as he was by cycling but even an interest in science didn't prevent him from being superstitious. In 1964, a fortune teller publically predicted that he would die on the thirteenth day of the race - fortunately for his team, that was rest day; but Anquetil refused to leave his hotel room until he was eventually coaxed out by a team manager and taken for food. The stress was so great on him that he was still suffering exhaustion the next day and he quickly dropped to a low position.

Louison Bobet

Louison Bobet, who won three Tours in the 1950s, refused to wear any item made of artificial fibre - including the yellow jersey which had included synthetic material since 1947. Organisers had to persuade manufacturers Sofil to make a new one in natural fibres overnight. However, this was not a superstition: Bobet had suffered from terrible saddle sores, became obsessed with hygiene as a result and believed synthetic fibres to be unhealthy. Lance Armstrong had certain rituals surrounding clothing, too - such as one which saw him refuse to wear the yellow helmet, as traditionally worn with the yellow jersey, except for on the final stage. He also had to always start and finish a stage on the same bike, meaning that his team mechanics would have to rush to complete repairs on a damaged bike before the end of the stage.

Keep a careful eye on the riders and bikes in the Tour this year - this is made easier by the camera crews who also seem to have an interest in the various bits of voodoo the riders exhibit - and see what odd things you can see hanging around their necks, stuffed in their jersey pockets and fixed to their bikes.

Andy Schleck cements his nice guy image

There are many reasons to like Andy Schleck - he's a truly great racing cyclist who is well on his way to becoming one of the finest mountain specialists of all time, which is worthy of admiration alone, but he also gives every impression of being a thoroughly decent sort of chap. Watch him in this year's Tour - if you don't know what he looks like, he'll be somewhere near the front wearing number 11, quite possibly on a yellow jersey once the race starts to reach altitude - and one thing that's highly noticeable about him is that whereas other riders grimace, Andy makes the effort to smile at his fans. Climbing an Alp as fast as you possibly can (which is very fast when Andy does it) hurts a lot, so this is a nice touch and shows his appreciation for those who pay his wages.

Schleck loses his chain, allowing Contador to surge ahead

We all know what happened last year, when Schleck followed rival Alberto Contador up every incline with a cheerful expression that seemed to say, "Hello! I respect your greatness, heroic Contador - oh, by the way, I'm coming to get you!" and before too long at all had the leader looking somewhat worried - in Stage 16, when Andy's chain came off, Alberto didn't stop and gained a controversial 39" lead, the same time by which he beat the Luxembourger overall, as a result. Schleck couldn't conceal his anger at the finish line, saying that in the same situation his sense of fair play would have stopped him from taking advantage.

He says now that incident is forgiven - "Last year was last year. It's completely over as far as I'm concerned, and I just hope nothing happens this year," he said, nipping the subject in the bud as soon as it was raised - and appears genuine in light of  his comments on the really quite unpleasant display of anger directed at Contador during yesterday's press conference when the crowd shouted abuse at the Spanish rider, this year's favourite for a general classification win despite the appearance before the Court for Arbitration in Sport set for August hanging over him like the Sword of Damocles. With obvious distaste but manners far too polite to directly attack the fans, he says: "It wasn't good for the team nor for Alberto, but some of the crowd are fans and some are not, that's life. It wasn't nice."

Both Andy and older brother Frank, who will also be racing for the LeopardTrek team following his seventh place success in the Tour de Suisse, have defended Contador's right to take part in the Tour; a right that looked to be in serious jeopardy due to uncertainty from the UCI after the Spanish cycling federation's decision to quash his suspension following a test sample that proved positive for a miniscule amount of the banned bronchodilator Clenbuterol which both he and many experts claim was likely to have come from contaminated beef (though banned from use in animals destined for food production int he EU, it is as popular among some farmers for its ability to promote muscle growth over fat - hence leaner, more valuable meat - as it among some cyclists).

"Alberto is here, that means he has the right to race," says Frank. "You have to respect that. Supporters should support and not boo - the legal procedure is underway and should be respected." It's a pity that more people don't share the Schleck brothers' views - if they did, we could all have been spared the ugly and shameful scenes that took place yesterday.

Being the nice guy is working out well for Andy who turned 26 less than a month ago - he is guaranteed widespread crowd support and he appreciates it. "Some riders don't need the fans, but personally I need to have the public and the people behind me," he told the press conference, "It gives me extra motivation." He undoubtedly deserves every bit of his popularity no matter what his performance is in this year's Tour.

Giro Donne set to be as good as le Tour

Can't wait for the action to get under way at the Tour de France? So excited you feel like you've just eaten a box of pills you found in Willy Voet's car glovebox? Friends and family already annoyed by your obsession?

Well, you can satisfy the craving simply enough, because there are actually two Grand Tour cycle races starting this week, and one of them starts this morning. It's the Giro Donne, also known as the Giro d'Italia Femminile, and today's stage features 86km of high-speed action from the stunning Italian countryside between Rome and Velletri where vineyards cover the rolling hills and castles are plentiful. Along the way, riders will pass through Castel Gandolfo which has been voted one of Italy's most beautiful towns and is the location of the pope's summer residence. Catholic riders may be hoping his presence will attract some divine assistance, because to get there they need to complete a steep climb to 425m.

Emma Pooley, one of the fastest women in cycling

There are a number of British entries in the race, some of them among the favourites to stand on the top step of the podium in San Francesco del Campo on the 10th of July. Among them are Emma Pooley who won the women's Flèche Wallonne last year and who will be accompanied by a crack Garmin-Cervelo team assembled from the best female cyclists in British racing, put together purely to help her win this race. Team members include Sharon Laws, Lucy Martin and Lizzie Armitstead who, so far this year, has been crowned British Road Race champion and won the Tour of Chongming Island. Pooley has stated that she considers this race to be the most prestigious in women's cycling and will be giving it everything she's got - and as anyone who has seen her race knows, she has a lot packed into her petite frame.

...and she'll need to be too, since Marianne Vos and Nicole Cooke are also after the top spot on the podium .

US National champion Shelley Olds is also taking part, as are ex-UCI World Champion Marianne Vos who will be many people's favourite for the general classification win and Nicole Cooke, the Welsh nine-time British champion and twice Tour de France Feminin winner who has been battling to regain the form that saw her take first place here in 2004. With a field made up of these seven, along with 119 women at the very pinnacle of modern competitive cycling and some challenging stages - 2,3 and 8 (with a summit finish at around 1,750m) all look like killers - the Giro Donne is set to be every bit as interesting as the Tour.

In fact, while it's often said that the race is overshadowed by the Tour and largely forgotten as a result, the sheer quality of women's racing at the moment may well see the Giro taking attention from her French brother for the next ten days.

Cycle race this weekend!

There is, apparently, some sort of bike race starting in France this weekend and it's attracted one or two fairly well-known cyclists who in turn are likely to attract a few journalists. This means that the Namibian Cycling Nationals are likely to be largely forgotten by the world outside Namibia.

Dan Craven

In the Tour de France, all teams arrived yesterday for a lavish presentation at Le Herbiers in Paris and team invites were sent out ages ago. Things are a little different in Namibia - cyclists can show up on Saturday morning unannounced, fill in a few forms and be racing in the time trial due to take place at 09.00 the same day. In fact, with less than 24 hours to go, organisers still don't know who'll be taking part. "We are hoping that this year we will come close to sixty entries," says Namibian Cycling Federation spokesman Rolf Adrian, but it's evident that nobody really knows. "There is a big chance than Dan will come because there are some points up for grabs for him to be able to qualify for the World Championships. If he manages to come and race then he will definitely be the favourite," he adds, referring to the ex-African Cycling Championships winner Dan Craven. Compare this to the British championships which took place last weekend - team rosters were completed and announced well before the race. How about if it had still been unclear whether Bradley Wiggins was going to show up a day before the race?

Despite the characteristically African approach to organisation, cycling appears to be in a healthy and vibrant condition in Namibia which is a fairly wealthy country by African standards but, with a GDP of $6,952 per capita (UK: $34,920, France: $34,077, Germany: $36,033, USA: $47,123) is extremely poor when compared to the First World. Junior champions Vera Adriana and Till Drobisch have each qualified for the Commonwealth Games in the Isle of Man and will in all likelihood be looking to use the Nationals as a practice race for those. Rolf Adrian seems confident that Adriana will take part, but says organisers won't know for certain about Drobisch until sometime on Friday.

The main road race starts at 08.00 on Sunday and, as organisers have reduced the length of the route to 136km in an attempt to attract more entries, it should be a fun event. We'll be trying to track down and publish further details while the cycling press are distracted by the Tour.

Fuglsang's concern

Jakob Fuglsang, who recently came 4th in the Tour de Suisse, is worried about the upcoming Tour de France. Is he fit enough? Are his team up to the job? Is his bike good enough?

Nope, none of that's bothering him - and nor should it: he's looking to be on top form of late, as are his team which includes second favourite Andy Schleck, and as part of LeopardTrek he has one of the gorgeous new Trek Madones for which Schleck thanked the manufacturer on Twitter earlier, saying "Thanks to Trek for making us these awesome bikes, I love them!"

It's his race number that is cause for concern, because it turns out the 26-year-old Dane is a bit on the superstitious side: "Saw a start list today. Looks like I'll have #13 on my back for 3 weeks. Should one number go up-side down? Crashed last time I had that no." he said.

Deaths on the roads fall - but not for cyclists

New statistics released by the British Department of Transport show that fewer people are dying on the nation's roads - in fact, in 2010, the total was 1,857. That's 1,857 too many, of course, but it's the lowest figure since records were first kept in 1926. If you add to this the number of people seriously injured, though, the total is 22,660, which is a shockingly high figure.

However, if the number of people killed while cycling is separated, it shows that the cyclist deaths figure rose from 104 to 111. Seven extra human lives might not seem that much to some, but it represents a 7% increase. Why does this figure rise when total deaths fall, even when cycling helmets are near-ubiquitous and the majority of riders have lights, now that good quality models cost so little?

We're not for even a second going to pretend there aren't plenty of idiots on two wheels out there, but a rise suggests one thing - the various schemes set up to protect cyclist's lives are obviously not getting through to motorists.

Contador: I can handle it

Alberto Contador would have been well aware when he woke up this morning that today would be an ordeal, knowing that he faced a grilling at the hands of the world's press who have gathered at Le Herbiers for the team presentations ahead of the Tour de France.

The questions were always going to be about one subject - the ongoing investigation into the doping allegations of which he was accused, then cleared and, come August, of which he must defend his innocence once again when he appears in front of the Court for Arbitration in Sport.

Yet Contador, who already has three Tour wins to his name, remained calm and retained his dignity. Through an interpretor, he told reporters that he understands this Tour will be the hardest race in which he has ever competed, physically and mentally. "The pressure is not only on the road but also outside of it," he said. "I have no problem with that." That preservation of dignity was not achieved by those in the crowd who booed his appearnane.

"I am sure it will be the case at the Tour de France where I will (be) one of the most tested riders" he added, thinking no doubt of those within the UCI and beyond - a recent poll conducted by French radio station Alouette FM revealed that almost two thirds of the nation's public believe he should have been barred from taking part in the Tour this year - who have hinted at their belief that his presence in the race is an embarrassment and makes a mockery of the hard-fought battle against doping. But, currently, he is cleared of all charges; he has been declared innocent, is free to race and nobody has more reason to ride clean than him - but even if every sample he produces is clean and wins by a huge margin, he will lose the title if the CAS find against him. That would be a pity, because even if he doped in the past he'll have to win this one fair and square.

Video of the day - Coppi wins the 1952 Tour de France

Fausto Coppi, born in 1919, absolutely dominated road racing for several years before and after the Second World War until a scandal surrounding his aldulterous love affair with Giulia Occhini and the death of his younger brother in a high-speed cycling crash began his decline. He died, tragically just 40 years old, in 1960 of malaria.



In the 1952 Tour de France, Coppi was so fast that the race organisers eventually decided to double the prize money for second place because the competing riders had simply given up any hope of beating him and the event was becoming boring. With five Giros d'Italia, five Giros di Lombaria, two Tours de France, one World Championship and a host of other titles including Paris-Roubaix, La Flèche Wallonne and speed records to his name, he remains one of the all-time indisputed greats.

Wiggo lists Bertie as favourite

Wiggo...

The British cycling star has downplayed his own chances of taking a top three finish in the year's Tour de France while being careful to point out he's got a much better chance of repeating his 2009 success than he did last year due to the excellent team he now has to assist him - and also making sure he mentions his current good form.

"I'm lighter, fitter - plus I have two or three years' more experience," says the 31-year-old, who recently won the Criterium Dauphine, considered a good indicator of Tour potential. So who is Wiggo's top Tour tip?  "From the Giro [d'Italia], I'd say Alberto is favourite," he says.

...Bertie...

However, Alberto - Contador, Spanish winner of two Tours - has been tellin reporters he's found it difficult to recover from the Giro. He's been known to downplay his own prospects before a major event, and also has a doping allegation hanging over him and faces a court appearance just days after the Tour finishes. He may be sandbagging, but either one of these factors could have an effect on anyone's chances.

If so, that leaves Andy Schleck, the Luxembourger who made Contador look distinctly uncomfortable last year until his chain came off and allowed the Spaniard to gain a 39" lead over him and who, if he's on top form, is one of the best climbers in cycling.

...or Schleck? Who cares?

If it turns out Wiggins can't keep up with these two he has nothing to be ashamed of at all - simply being spoken of in the same breath as them is an honour for any cyclist.

But that still leaves a third place on the podium, and going by Wiggins' form so far this year he has as good a chance as anyone else of standing on it once the race is over. Best not to dwell on that too much just yet, though - it's only a little over three weeks away and then we'll all have to wait another 49 weeks for the next Tour. This year's route looks set to offer some of the best, fastest, hardest and most exciting racing we've seen in a while, so let's just enjoy it while we can.

Viva la velo!

Sven S. worked for BMC on many occasions

As revealed by The Inner Ring.

So, Jim Oshowicz, here's a question (and it hurts to ask it, because I've been a big fan of yours for a long time): do you not know who is being hired to look after your valuable team members, or are you a liar?

We'll look forward to reading the press release, Jim.

Edit: Oshowicz now claims to have misunderstood the question put to him by a reporter earlier. "I was...I thought the reporter was talking about the incident that happened with the Lotto rider [he's referring, presumably, to Wim Vansevenant], who I don't know. It wasn't until later in the conversation that I realised he was talking about Sven, but yes - I do know Sven. I know Sven," he has subsequently said.

We're still looking forward to reading the press release and wonder if it'll be any more convincing.

More Belgian busts - who is Sven S.?

Hot on the heels of the Wim Vansevenant dope parcel story comes news that "a former BMC part-time soigneur" named only as "Sven S." has been arrested as part of an ongoing investigation into a consignment of performance enhancing drugs detected by Belgian customs in 2009.

BMC's website

The full identity of the arrested man remains secret, but BMC - current home of such illustrious riders as Cadel Evans and George Hincapie - are denying any connection with him. Co-team owner Jim Oshowicz told reporters that he'd never heard of him: "A part-time soigneur for us? His name means nothing to me." Meanwhile, team member Greg Van Avermet says he is aware of the man but states he has never worked for BMC. But a brief search of BMC's own website reveals the existence of one Sven Schoutteten, rather embarrassingly listed as a soigneur - while it's important to point out there's no proof that this is the arrested man (and unless proven otherwise, let's assume innocent until proven guilty), BMC really should have thought this one through because it's going to raise a lot of awkward questions - the team may get a hard time from the press today at the official presentation and will have to be more guarded in what they say.

Sven Schoutetten, eh? Oops.

The intercepted consignment is believed to have been made up of around 200 doses of the notorious red blood cell production-boosting EPO, one of the best-known doping products outside the cycling world. This is yet more bad publicity that cycling really could do without just before the Tour de France, the only time of year that the world's attention is turned to the sport.

Vansevenant mystery deepends

The Wim Vansevenant doping investigation takes a new twist this morning with doubts raised over what was in the package addressed to the ex-professional Belgian cyclist which was confiscated by customs officials two weeks ago. The three-time Lanterne Rouge was questioned by police for four hours on Tuesday and claims that he believed the package - which he has admitted was for him - contained legal amino acids and saying that he has been told the contents haven't been analysed to ascertain what they actually are.

He has also re-emphasised that the substances, whatever they were, were not intended for anyone else other than himself. Meanwhile, the team have taken further steps to disassociate themselves from him - he was due to drive one of their VIP coaches in France during the upcoming Tour but has been relieved of this duty. Now, Omega leader Philippe Gilbert has gone on record stating that Vansevenant has only limited links to the team: "I want to affirm in the strongest possible way that this story has absolutely nothing to do with me or my team," he said. "Trying to link this person with us has come from the imagination of someone whose intentions are misplaced."

Unfortnuately, it's probably too late for that regardless of who the package's contents were meant for and even of whether it contained amino acids or illicit doping products - only those with an interest in professional cycling will read today's developments in their newspapers. The rest of the world has seen the terms "doping" and "Tour de France" in the same headline and that's all it takes for cycling's image to be further blackened.

Vansevenant admits dope parcel was for him

Wim Vansevenant has admitted that a parcel of performance enhancing drugs intercepted by Belgian customs two weeks ago was destined for him.

Meanwhile, team bosses are doing their utmost to sever all links with Vansevenant, emphasising that they were in no way involved with the purchase of the drugs. "I hope, for his sake, that this is a minor controversy," says manager Geert Coeman, "but even if he is completely cleared we won't be using him at the Tour."

Vansevenant earned one of the most coveted positions in professional cycling by finishing last in a record three Tours de France, but had been employed by the Omega-Pharma Lotto team to drive one of their VIP buses during this year's event which begins on Saturday. However, he has denied that the contents of the parcel were to be supplied to or used by the team's Tour riders, claiming that the total amount was small and intended for personal use - depending on the drugs involved, this may be a criminal offence but would not involve UCI or WADA investigation as he is no longer a professional cyclist. Earlier reports do not state the quantity involved, merely that it was likely to be worth thousands of dollars - with the high prices of pharmaceuticals, this does not necessarily rule out personal use. The Belgian says that the drug was the synthetic peptide TB-500 which he claims he has been using to maintain muscle mass since his retirement.

Sadly, even if it can be proved beyond all doubt that the package's contents were indeed intended for Vansevenant and that he was acting entirely independently and even if all the Omega members produce clean samples for the barrage of tests to which they're now going to be subjected, the damage has already been done: a large percentage of the public is already convinced that all cyclists dope and that teams encourage them to do so. Even if this does turn out to be a minor controversy, doping scandals of any size put off sponsors and do enormous damage to the sport - especially in the weeks before the grandest of Grand Tours when the eyes of the world's press are on cycling and avidly awaiting even a suggestion of a doping story. For that reason, Omega are doing the right thing by cutting all links to him and should not reinstate them no matter what the outcome. Any hero status he once had is now lost.

Fire at Cambridge bike shop

The fire, at the Electric Transport Shop in Hope Yard just off the city's popular and most cosmopolitan street Mill Road was noticed and reported soon after breaking out and firefighters with breathing apparatus and a thermal imaging camera were quickly able to locate the source of the flames and extinguish them. The shop sells a wide range of electric bikes from the premises which are located in a converted stable block.

Damage was limited to the front doors and surrounding carpet tiles, says the shop's owner Eddie Kehoe who is a well-known figure on the Cambridge cycling scene.

Fire investigation experts are due to return to the shop today to try to find out for certain what caused the fire, which is at present being blamed on an electrical fault - which we'll do Mr. Kehoe the favour of pointing out means a fault in the building's wiring and not in one of his electric bikes, in case it puts off prospective customers.

Pendleton stops just short of announcing her retirement

Victoria Pendleton says that at 30 she is feeling the effects of her ten year professional cycling career. The British champion hasn't been performing as well over the last year as she did during her best days and admits this is due in part to declining enthusiasm, leading many to expect her retirement following the 2012 Olympic Games.

British and World champion Victoria Pendleton has as good as announced her retirement

However, the ex-Word Champion track cyclist won't be going out with a whimper - she says she'll be going for gold and as anyone who has followed her career knows, Pendleton - who has dominated women's track cycling in Britain since 2002 - is a force to be reckoned with on the track.

"I'm excited and enthusiastic about getting back into my training, which I haven't felt in a long time" she told The Manchester Evening News before adding, "It will be the final Nationals this year, the final Worlds - the end of everything. And I want to finish well and end on a high." What better way to do that than by winning a gold medal in her home nation?

UCI legal...?

TeJay's troubles trekking to the tour

The Highroad rider might
end up walking to Vendée

TeJay Van Garderen is having problems before the Tour de France even begins, using his Twitter account to keep fans posted on his progress as he makes his way - or attempts to make his way - to the race which begins this Saturday.

"Don't mean to be a snobby American, but its as if all european airports make a special effort to be as inefficient as possible" he said at around 09.45 (BST) this morning. Then, shortly afterwards, he decided that perhaps he was just in a cranky nood due to having had to get out of bed at 05.30. However, it's now looking as though whichever deity is in charge of European air transport and cycling requires appeasement - at 10.37 he reported his flight has been cancelled.

Good luck, TeJay!

Wiggo responds to Millar attacks

British Tour de France hopeful Bradley Wiggins has responded to David Millar's scathing criticism of him, his Sky team and his leadership skills in the interview published by The Guardian yesterday.

"Last season was just one thing after another," explains the 31-year-old in a report on the MailOnline website. "I came into the team late, not wanting to lead people I didn't really know. Withdrawing into myself as an individual leading this team, I didn't appreciate the knock-on effect on everyone around me. It's a big team as well - not just three other members of a team pursuit but 26 riders plus 30-odd staff. This year has been about giving back to guys."

Millar didn't pull his punches in the Guardian, saying that Wiggins "has no leadership skills" and that Team Sky were "big-headed and disrespectful" in last year's tour. Meanwhile, he praised Mark Cavendish who, if rumours are to be believed, may be joining Sky next season. "Mark understands the game... [he's] a natural-born leader," he said.

If Wiggins had problems settling into his new role last year - which would also explain his disappointing finish outside the top 20 (he came 4th in 2009) - there is evidence that he's pulled himself together now. Team mates Geraint Thomas and Ben Swift have been vocal in supporting their leader and have vowed to do all they can to help him and the team bring back glory. We'll know if Millar is wrong or if Eiggins has a future as leader of his team in Paris on the 24th of July.

First vegan in the Tour (well, almost)

Garmin-Cervélo rider and time trial specialist David Zabriskie may be a long way from favourite in this year's Tour de France, but he's guaranteed one first - he's the first vegan to compete in the race.

Veganism omits all animal products from the diet, unlike vegetarianism which omits only those that require the slaughter of an animal, which means none of the meat, eggs and dairy that professional cyclists traditionally consume in enormous quantities to ensure they take onboard sufficient protein and iron. However, Zabriskie didn't adopt the diet for the usual ethical reasons - he decided to give it a try after tests revealed that food sensitivity was a likely culprit behind a series of medical problems from which he had been suffering. He then began cutting out all meat from his diet and, when beneficial results became noticeable, he cut out dairy as well.

Zabriskie at the 2007 Tour de France

"I'm seeing food in terms of how it will make me think and will it give me clarity," says the 32-year-old who has won stages in all three Grand Tours, adding that since becoming vegan the rash and canker sores from which he used to suffer have cleared up and even claiming his vision has improved. This is not without precedent - many people who adopt veganism make similar claims, suggesting that sensitivity to meat and dairy is behind a host of common ailments. It's not for everyone, however - remaining healthy on a vegan diet, especially if one is to compete in events that place such high-stress demands on the body as professional cycling does, requires thought and attention if the body is not to be starved of essential nutrients. Some people who are unwilling to give their food intake that much consideration find they become ill as a result.

The Tour de France, though, is not like other sporting events. The demands it places upon riders are beyond anything imaginable to most people, and as such Zabriskie feels that he's going to need to make allowances. Following consultation with dirt track and Superbike motorcycling champ Ben Bostrom, who has been a vegan for some years, he's decided that he will eat small amounts of fish twice a week in order to boost his ability to absorb iron and vitamins. That, unfortunately, means his success if he finishes the Tour (he finished three of the five in which he has competed. Among his Tour appearances is 2005, when he beat Lance Armstrong in the Stage 1 time trial), proponents of veganism will be reluctant to hail him as their new hero.

In an average day on the Tour, Zabriskie will eat for breakfast oatmeal with molasses, an apple, hemp and flax seeds, coconut butter, cacao nibs and nuts. For dinner he has white rice or pasta, salad with dark leafed plants and vegetables with particular emphasis on spinach, broccoli and others rich in iron. During the day, including whilst riding, he'll consume a variety of vegan energy bars, gels and shots, the vegan sports milkshake developed by triathlete and vegan advocate Brendan Brazier (made from brown rice, flax and hemp seeds) and dates. Post ride, he eats white rice flavoured with cinnamon and maple syrup (we were just thinking that all this sounds quite tasty, but the rice might take some getting used to), goji berries, protein drinks and more of the sports milshakes which are marketed in the USA as Vega shakes. With that in mind, it's pity that vegans will feel they can't give him the honour he deserves because even if he's going to eat a little bit of fish on the Tour he proves that, with care, a vegan diet is no reason why an athlete cannot perform at the top of the game. (Thanks to AwesomePower CC for the food info. Cheers, guys!)

Directeur sportif Jonathon Vaughters was at first unimpressed when news of Zabriskie's new diet reached him. However, when his rider explained what he was doing, he began to relent and gave permission, even offering the tip that Utah-born cyclist include plenty of dark-leaved plants such as spinach in his diet as these are high in iron. He also said that Zabriskie would be required to have regular blood tests to ensure levels of the globular protein ferritin, which stores and releases iron into the bloodstream allowing haemoglobin to carry oxygen to the muscles - but was surprised when the results showed that ferritin levels remained the same. Then, Zabriskie began to win more time trials than ever before, providing more evidence that although it might not be for everyone, veganism suits him very well indeed.

Tour of Utah route announced

The 2010 Tour of Utah parcours has just been announced and looks to be even more brutal than would be expected of a state characterised by deserts and mountains, proving why it is that this event has become known as the toughest stage race in America. Taking in 409 miles (658km) of the diverse conditions to be found in the region, this year's Tour - the seventh to be held - places particular emphasis on climbing with almost 30,000 feet (9144m) to be tackled over six days. Add to this average summer temperatures of 29 to 39 degrees Celsius and it looks as though those taking part in the event are in for a tough time right from the prologue, which is an uphill-all-the-way time trial to be held at the Utah Olympic Park.

Stage 1 offers no let-up with 187km and 2514m of climbing. Risers will complete a circuit three times to finish the race, making it a superb stage from spectator's point of view, and face a sprint on the flat section to the finish line. Stage 2 is 161km and involves just 860m of climbs, but those metres are spread out across the stage and will catch out who found the previous night insufficient time to recover from Stage 1's tests. Stage 3 is a time trial, held on the Miller Motorsports racing track at Tooele. As a motor racing track, it features several bends to liven things up and though they're unlikely to be especially challenging when negotiated on a bicycle, they'll make an interesting alternative to the standard velodrome layout. Coming at a relatively early stage in the race, the stage should see TT specialists giving it their all and achieving respectable speeds. Stage 4 takes place on a road circuit in and around Salt Lake City of which competitors will need to complete eleven laps, making this another stage that will be popular with both spectators and television crews for the number of times they are able to see riders pass. Stage 5 is intended to be the Queen Stage. It's 161km but, being the final stage, the 3322m of climbing across four mountain sections - including gradients of up to 12% in the final climb - means that all riders will need to have paced themselves carefully over the previous stages if they're to stand any hope of finishing.

As ever with non-European races, steephill.tv offers your best chance of keeping up with the action and will be publishing results and photographs daily during the event. With Levi Leipheimer having achieved a surprise victory in the Tour de Suisse, expect to see him attempting a repeat of his Utah triumph of last year.

Lanterne Rouge champ suspected of doping

Belgian newspaper SportWereld carries a shock story this morning that Wim Vansevenant, who held the Tour de France Lanterne Rouge title a record three times for being the last rider to complete the race, is under suspicion of doping.

According to the paper, a package containing "thousands of dollars of cutting-edge superdoping was bought in Australia" and subsequently intercepted by Belgian customs agents two weeks ago at Zaventem airport just outside Brussels, but was not made public until yesterday. Vansevenent, aged 39, due to depart for the Tour de France where he was to drive one of the Omega-Pharma Lotto VIP coaches - though he is no longer going, his links to the team will immediately create suspicions that the performance-enhancing drugs contained within the package were destined for them. This, if one discounts the ongoing investigation into Alberto Contador, is the first scandal of this year's Tour which many riders, teams and fans were hoping would remain controversy-free after many years of similar problems. Omega riders - who include Philippe Gilbert, ranked number one in the world by the IG Markets Index - will now face increased tests as UCI anti-doping testers will want to be certain nothing is untoward.

Wim Vansevenant was Lanterne Rouge a record three times prior to his retirement in 2008

However, it is not yet known for certain where or with whom the drugs were intended to end up, or even if Mr. Vansevenant had in fact ordered them - it's not impossible that they were sent to him in a deliberate attempt to stir up problems for the team. Details of the investigation are secret, with Francis Clarysse, named by SportWereld as a "national hormones magistrate," saying that he "can only confirm an investigation [is in progress]." It also states that various sources believe the contents of the package were indeed destined to be used by cyclists which, even should the package prove to have been sent in an attempt to incriminate Mr. Vansevenant and the Omega team, is enough to further damage the sport's reputation.

Omega-Pharma Lotto subsequently denied all links to the parcel and stated that they are "stunned" by the news. "Everybody is very surprised - I'm surprised and have no idea where this came from," said team boss Marc Sergeant. "I saw Vansevenant at the Belgian championships and he acting normally and calmly. I think he himself knew nothing of the matter."