Daily News Roundup 07.03.2012

(image credit: Gazzetta.it)

Tirreno-Adriatico, the second big stage race of the European cycling season, kicks off with a 16.9km team time trial between San Vincenzo and Donoratico today. This is the 47th edition of the event, also known as The Race of the Two Seas, which has been won by some of the biggest names in professional cycling including Francesco Moser, Joop Zoetemelk, Tony Rominger, Davide Rebellin, Fabian Cancellara and Cadel Evans who won last year before going on to win the Tour de France. Roger de Vlaeminck holds the record with six consecutive victories between 1972 and 1977. Evans is the favourite to win this year, but Vincenzo Nibali and Peter Velits are both out to stop him and take cycling's most unique trophy - a huge golden trident - for themselves. Mark Cavendish is expected to account for at least one or two of the seven stages. Steephill have a full start list and parcours details.

BMC's Taylor Phinney has quit
Paris-Nice due to stomach problems
(image credit: BMC Racing Team)

Meanwhile, the gastroenteritis that forced Andy Schleck to abandon Paris-Nice yesterday is cutting a swathe through the race. Schleck's team mates Joost Posthuma and Jan Bakelants have now come down with the illness and given up, leaving the RadioShack-NissanTrek squad just five riders. Lotto-Belisol have lost Olivier Kaisen (see Tweets at the bottom of the page) and Adam Hansen while BMC have lost Taylor Phinney, who complained about the illness on Twitter...

Taylor Phinney ‏ @taylorphinney
Woke up at 2:30am and threw up everything I ate yesterday... Seems to be a stomach bug going around at this race. #livingthedream

Get well soon, chaps. Gastroenteritis is no fun at all!


A provisional start list for the Women's Gent-Wevelgem has been announced - 2012 is the first time that a women's race has been held in the 78-year history of the event, which has been held annually since 1934 except for 1940-1944. Some of the greatest female riders in the world are due to take part on the 25th of March; including Vera Koedooder, Lizzie Armitstead, Janneke Kanis, Kirsten Wild, Marijn de Vries and Margriet Kloppenburg. The parcours extends between Middelkirke, just south-west of Ostende, and Wevelgem south of Kortrijk. The as-yet incomplete list is available here.

World's third oldest stage race the Volta a Catalunya has announced a tough parcours with plenty f challenging climbs after being upgraded to UCI WorldTour status. The event begins on the 19th of March and ends on the 25th. The six stages: 1, Calella - Calella, 138 kms;  2, Girona - Girona, 161 kms; 3, La Vall d'en Bas (Sant Esteve d'en Bas)-Port Aine, 210 kms; 3, Temple-Asco "La Vostra Energia", 199 kms; 4, Asco "La Vostra Energia" -Manresa, 207 kms; 5, Sant Fruitós-Bages Badalona "Centre Comercial Màgic", 169 kms; 7, Badalona "Centre Comercial Màgic"-Barcelona (Sarria), 119 kms.

The cobbles of Arenberg have seen
their share of racing - and smashed
bones
(image credit: Jack Thurston CC BY-SA 2.0)

Paris-Roubaix organisers have announced that the notorious pavé of the Trouée d'Arenberg will feature in this year's edition says race director Jean-François Pescheux. The 2.4km stretch of cobbles was first incorporated into the race at the suggestion of Jean Stablinski, who had worked in the mines underneath the forest before becoming a professional cyclist, in 1968 and has been a part of almost every edition ever since. Widely considered the most dangerous section, there had been worries that moss growing on the stones made them too slippery even by the standards of this infamously dangerous race. Organisers approached local authorities in an effort to get the route cleared but until today could not say if the work would be completed by the 8th of April, when the race takes place.

Nick Nuyens suffered a broken hip when he crashed during the Paris-Nice opening time trial, managers have confirmed. As one of the strongest riders on the SaxoBank squad, his misfortune will come as bad news in the wake of their loss of Alberto Contador, the recently-banned rider who was responsible for a large portion of the points they need in order to retain a ProTour licence.

Monique Sullivan has won a gold medal for Canada at the UCI PanAmerican Championships, currently underway in Argentina. The 23-year-old beat Cuban Lisandra Guerra in two of three heats to win her first international victory.

It's looking increasingly like Mario Cipollini's comeback plans are nothing but a publicity stunt designed to generate a bit of free exposure for his bike range. The Italian sprinter had said he was considering riding in this year's Giro d'Italia, but the UCI have other ideas - under anti-doping rules, any athlete wishing to return to competition must have been subject to standard controls for six months, and the Giro is two months away. Secondly, he had said he intended to ride as sprint lead-out man in support of Andrea Guardini; but Guardini's Farnese Vini-Selle Italia team management say they hadn't heard anything of the plan before it hit the news yesterday.

A Belgian court has stated that it could find no evidence of doping in samples provided by cyclo crosser Bart Wellens, says Cycling News. The 23-year-old, who starred in a TV reality show in his native country, has not failed any anti-doping controls but agreed to submit the samples due to persistent rumours following hospitalisation for heart muscle inflammation.

Tweets...

Matrix Fitness UK ‏ @MatrixFitnessUK
@prendas Looking forward to seeing the team wearing the new kit as they ride around Stoke as part of official team launch activity this w/e!

Stephen Cook ‏ @trustyrusty10 

Andy Schleck's tummy bug is confirmed as a case of "gastrotimetrialitis".

Ted King ‏ @iamtedking 
To those playing at home, Im the guy catapulting over a Katusha rider w/10k to go. "Tis a flesh wound!" I landed on a soft patch of pavement

Olivier Kaisen ‏ @olivierkaisenCe n'est vraiment pas dans mes habitudes d'abandonner mais là, ça n'avait plus beaucoup de sens de continuer. Y a plus qu'a se retaper. (Trans: "It's not my style to give up, but there's no point in trying to continue. That's all there is to say."