Vuelta Ciclista al Pais Vasco Stage 6 report and results

Sammy Sanchez

If you don't feel astounded right now, look at this...

Stage 6
1 Samuel Sanchez Gonzalez (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 28'48
2 Bauke Mollema (Ned) Rabobank +6
3 Tony Martin (Ger) Omega Pharma-Quickstep +7 (Full stage results when available)

That's right - climber Samuel Sanchez beat World Time Trial Champion Tony Martin in the closing time trial stage of the Tour of the Basque Country. And that means...

Overall General Classification
1 Samuel Sanchez Gonzalez (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 20h58'15"
2 Joaquim Rodriguez Oliver (Spa) Katusha +12"
3 Bauke Mollema (Ned) Rabobank +42" (Full GC results when available)

...which is, quite frankly, an incredible result. The two small climbs turned out to be surfaced with rather poor condition tarmac were far harder than the stage profile suggested, with heavy rain not helping on the tricky descents. Joaquin Rodriguez (Katusha) went into the stage with a 9" advantage after getting the better of the Euskaltel captain in Stage 5 and rode what may prove to be the best time trial of his life; however, while Sanchez has developed into an enormously talented all-rounder, Rodriguez remains very much a climber and his efforts simply couldn't deliver what he needed

Euskaltel-Euskadi has suffered very public financial problems in the last year. While acting as the Basque national team, the economic recession has hit Spain and Portugal hard, with the autonomous Basque Country also experiencing problems - and with the Basques obsessed by the sport, the loss of this team would be a greater tragedy than is normally the case when any other team vanishes. With luck, this result will prove sufficient to bring a new backer onboard.

There'll be a lot of patxaran drunk in Euskal Herria tonight - and Sammy deserves every toast.

Interesting Stuff: Sky race report Katusha report

Tour of the Basque Country: 1 (video) / 2 (video) / 3 (video) / 4 (video) / 5 (video) / 6

Vuelta Ciclista al Pais Vasco Stage 5 report and results

Kiserlovski (now with Astana) didn't
win the stage, but he can rightfully
claim to have done a good day's
work today
(image credit: BestKevin CC BY-SA 2.0)

For the second consecutive day the mountains of the Basque Country played host to an epic battle between Joaquin Rodriguez (Katusha) and Samuel Sanchez (Euskaltel-Euskadi), and once again it was Rodriguez who gained the upper hand.

Third place Robert Kiserlovski had spent a lot of time and effort in a solo break, remaining unmolested until the Spaniards attacked simultaneously, sparring with each other and overtaking him after just 500m. He managed to stay with them for a short while, then couldn't and then - just when it seemed he'd given up, he somehow dredged up enough energy to have another go. However, his efforts were to no avail and Rodriguez and Sanchez knew it, neither man paying him much more than cursory attention as they concentrated on trying to wear one another down before an explosive sprint. Against riders of their ilk, he did fantastically well to cross the line 2" after them.

Sanchez lies 9" behind Rodriguez in the General Classification.


  1.  Joaquin Rodriguez  Katusha 4h27'16"
  2.  Samuel Sanchez  Euskaltel-Euskadi ST
  3.  Robert Kiserlovski Astana +2"
  4.  Vasil Kiryienka Movistar +5" 
  5.  Lars Petter Nordhaug Sky ST
  6.  Daniele Ratto Liquigas - Cannondale ST
  7.  Michele Scarponi Lampre-ISD ST
  8.  Damiano Cunego Lampre-ISD +7" 
  9.  Rui Alberto Faria Da Costa Movistar ST
  10.  Jean-Christophe Peraud AG2R-La Mondiale ST


Best Brit: 109. Luke Rowe (Sky)


(Full results)

Tour of the Basque Country: 1 (video) / 2 (video) / 3 (video) / 4 (video) / 5 (video) / 6

Vuelta Ciclista al Pais Vasco Stage 4 report and results

Stage preview, profile etc.

Joaquim Rodríguez 
(image credit: Petit Brun CC BY-SA 2.0)

Having set out from Eibar, the peloton enjoyed a flat 20km  taking in some of the Basque Country coastline on the way to Cat 3 Alto de Itziar, then a long and similarly unchallenging run up to Oiartzun-Fortaleza - from which point the race transformed into an entirely different, tougher beast altogether.

As expected, the flat start encouraged a break. Evgeni Petrov (Astana) got things going by being the first man to escape with Maciej Paterski (Liquigas-Cannondale), Diego Ulissi (Lampre-ISD), Marcos Garcia (Caja Rural) and Angel Madrazo (Movistar) joining him over the next few kilometres, then more men later . For a time, the five got their lead up to two minutes and they did well to stay out over the mid-course mountains, but by the time they reached the last climb only Petrov, Michael Albasini (GreenEDGE) and Nicki Sorensen (SaxoBank) survived - before Omega Pharma-Quickstep increased the pace and swept them up.

That last climb, Cat 1 climb to Bera-Ibardin, was always going to be the decider today. It might start off deceptively easy from 144.8km and it might remain so until 150km, but from there it becomes steadily steeper until, 500m before the finish line, it hits a torturous 18%. Joaquim Rodríguez (Katusha) chose it as the place to make his move, hammering at the pedals as he leaped away and left Samuel Sanchez (Euskaltel-Euskadi), who started the day with an equal overall time, completely unable to respond as he crossed the line with a 9" advantage to take the stage win and the lead in the General Classification. Sergio Henao of Sky was third, arriving 3" after Sanchez.

Top Ten

  1.  Joaquin Rodriguez Katusha 3h55'56"
  2.  Samuel Sanchez Euskaltel-Euskadi +9"
  3.  Sergio Henao Sky +12
  4.  Robert Kiserlovski Astana ST
  5.  Lars Petter Nordhaug Sky +16" 
  6.  Michele Scarponi Lampre-ISD ST
  7.  Jurgen Van Den Broeck Lotto-Belisol +17" 
  8.  Wout Poels Vacansoleil-DCM ST
  9.  Simon Spilak Katusha ST
  10.  Ryder Hesjedal Garmin-Barracuda ST


Best Brit: 120. Steve Cummings (Sky)


(Full results when available)

Tour of the Basque Country: 1 (video) / 2 (video) / 3 (video) / 4 (video) / 5 (video) / 6

News Digest 05.04.12

Energiewacht Tour Stage 2
Stage results and report

Stage 2 visits Germany - click to enlarge
(image credit: Energiewacht Tour)

Kristin Armstrong rode an excellent time trial to begin this years' edition of the Dutch race, completing the 15.1km in 19'42" and beating Clara Hughes and Marianne Vos into second and third place. Whether she can retain her lead on today's parcours remains to be seen - it's similarly flat, but with more corners and apparently more suited to Dutch champion Vos.

Held in Bad Nieuweschans (53°10'60.00"N 7°11'60.00"E), it takes us further out into the countryside andcovers 107.3km with four circuits of the route; making a sortie over the border into Germany. Once again, there are no hills, which makes this an ideal parcours for a breakaway - a group of fast riders who manage to get away early on and keep going might just succeed in escaping the peloton for the rest of the race, but with that 2.2km flat prior to the last set of corners before the finish they'll have their work cut out for them as the stage reaches its climax.

Local TV RTL7 is broadcasting a short highlights show daily, today's being at 16:45 BST (+1 hour for local time/CEST). Follow @ewachttour for regular updates before and during the race. Official site here.

Vuelta Ciclista al Pais Vasco Stage 4
The Tour of the Basque Country is already more than half completed with the riders today facing a selection of flat sections and peaks in Stage 4. They begin at Eibar - in the town, rather than from the mountain upon which Samual Sancez won yesterday - then enjoy 20km of flat riding before reaching Cat 3 Alto de Itziar. The earlier part of the stage runs partially along the beautiful Basque Country coastline, making this stage one of the highlights of the race.

Stage 4 (click to enlarge)
(image credit: Diario Vasco)

At only 225m, Itziar isn't much of an obstacle and won't be likely to put too great a dent into the advantage of any breakaway that succeeds in escaping the peloton during the route there - and with around another 50 flat kilometres on the other side, a break might prove able to stay away for a good chunk of the stage. Chances are it'll meet its doom at 85km, though, because Alto de Aritxulegi is a much tougher climb; rated Cat 2 and topping out at 440m it's very capable of finishing off any rider who has expended too much energy earlier in the race. Alto di Agina lurks just beyond it, another Cat 2 and higher at 545m (though as the ascent begins at higher altitude, there's less climbing to be done) and then there's another Cat 2 in the shape of Alto de Ibardin just a short way off.

The final 26km features a couple of small hills, nothing likely to cause problems, and as such could prove encouragement for a late break in addition to plenty of scope for the peloton to work on bringing it back. However, the stage ends with another Cat 1 summit finish, this time into Bera-Ibardan - and it's a hard one, with a short stretch in the final couple of kilometres that's almost too steep for goats, never mind bikes. Yesterday, Sanchez showed us how good a climber he is. As he combines that ability with a skill most unusual among climbers, an ability to descend fast, he could well make use of the mountains along the parcours today to get himself into the right place for another unbeatable assault on the finish line. (Map from Steephill)

Rain is forecast throughout the stage with temperatures unlikely to rise much above 9C. Winds should be light, but it'll be chillier on the mountaintops.

Euskal Irrati Telebista provide a free and legal stream of the race each day from 14:15 (BST - add 1h for CEST).

Numerous injuries at Scheldeprijs
Several riders were hurt in yesterday's Scheldeprijs, the worst being SaxoBank's Jonathan Cantwell who was left with fractured ribs and a punctured lung after a pile-up caused when a rider lost control on the wet roads and careered into Taz Darling, a photographer working for Roleur magazine. Darling received even worse injuries and is now in hospital with fractures to her collar bone and eye socket and a ruptured spleen. Vacansoleil-DCM's Wouter Mol also sustained a broken collar bone after crashing 8km before the finish line. Best wishes for a speedy recovery to all of them.

Rouleur ‏ @rouleurmagazine
Latest on Taz: she is out of surgery and doing well but in a lot of pain. So many kind messages, thank you all.

Tweets

Luuc Eisenga ‏ @EisengaLSteven Kruijswijk won't start today's stage, due to a viral infection. Couple of days rest, programm remains unchanged. @RaboCycling (Retweeted by Rabo Cycling)

News Digest 04.04.12

Cav becomes a dad - Energiwacht Tour Stage 1  - $100k on offer at women's Exergy Tour - Tour of the Basque Country Stage 3 - Scheldeprijs - new Weylandt memorial - Crash for Galimzyanov - Leukemans may miss Paris-Roubaix - Guesdon to retire

A warm welcome to Delilah Grace Cavendish 

Delilah Grace Cavendish, daughter of Mark Cavendish and Peta Todd, came into the world late last night - Mark announced the news shortly after midnight on Twitter:

Mark Cavendish ‏ @MarkCavendish

Delilah Grace Cavendish was born a couple of hours ago. She & @petatodd are doing very well. So proud of my girls! Happiest day of my life.

Delilah was a day early - she's already fast! 

Stage 1 - click to enlarge
(image credit: Energiwacht Tour)

Energiwacht Tour Stage 1
Stage report and results here.
For 2012, the women's Energiwacht Tour has grown to five days - a promising sign in these times when so many races are disappearing for lack of sponsorship or, worse, interest. There's not much in the way of hills in this part of the world (in fact, at a few points along the way the riders will be below sea level), which makes some people think it won't be an interesting race; however, that couldn't be further from the truth - flat stages such as these promote breakaways and attacks, leading to a fast and furious sort of race.

Stage 1 is a 15.1km individual time trial heading west out of Appingedam (53°19'13.91"N 6°50'48.52"E) and through the flat pastureland to Garrelsweer (53°18'48.25"N  6°47'0.82"E) where it turns east to head back, following the canal past some grand country houses. With good roads and no hills, it promises to be a very fast parcours indeed despite a cold north-easterly wind - definitely territory for the time trial specialists (but one where a sprinter might also do well), which is why current World Time Trial Champion (won on a parcours not too dissimilar to this) Judith Arndt is the rider to watch today. There's an up-to-date start list here and the route details are here.

Appingedam
(image credit: Appingedam.nl)

If you're fortunate enough to find live coverage or even get to the race, there's plenty to see along the route (in addition to racing, of course). The outward trip to Garrelsweer passes through some typically Dutch countryside with a number of little churches and cottages dotted among the wide, flat fields and there's a traditional windmill located on the corner of Meedenweg and Hoeksmeersterweg (53°17'51.76"N 6°47'9.31"E - which, for its views and two corners to slow the riders and prevent being nothing but a brightly-coloured flash of movement as they pass by at full speed, looks a good spot from which to view the race). On the return journey, the entire Alberdaweg follows the attractive canal back to Appingedam with views of the boats on the right and the country houses on the left.

Local TV RTL7 is broadcasting a short highlights show daily, today's being at 16:45 BST (+1 hour for local time/CEST). Follow @ewachttour for regular updates.

$100k on offer at women's Exergy Tour

The organisers of the 2012 Exergy Tour - due to take place in Idaho, USA from the 24th to the 28th of May - have managed to put together a women's prize fund of $100,000. It's believed to be the largest pot in the history of women's professional cycling - note that the prize fund for the women's race at Gent-Wevelgem was €1000 ($1,314.20) in total.

“One of the primary reasons we founded the Exergy Tour is to help gain notoriety and exposure for the advancement of women’s professional cycling and to encourage media, corporate sponsors, governing bodies, spectators and fans to recognize the value of women’s competitive athletics,” said James Carkulis, CEO of Exergy Development Group, the race's main sponsor. “Offering a significant payout for this race elevates the excitement to a level equal in stature to men’s pro cycling. Our hope is for the Exergy Tour to bring opportunities for both marketing and the media to open up more possibilities for women’s cycling in the USA and abroad.” (More from PRWeb)

It's good to see a sponsor put their money where their mouth is in supporting women's cycling!

Vuelta Ciclista al Pais Vasco Stage 3
Stage report and results here.
The Tour of the Basque Country continues rolling through the mountains; but whereas Stages 1 and 2 provided opportunity for the sprinters, Stage 3 is one for the climbers - it ends with a summit finish 580m up on the Alto de Usartza at Eibar, a city made famous by the manufacture of guns and scooters and which will also mark the finish of Stage 3 in the Vuelta a Espana this year. There's an introductory video, route details and start list available at Diario Vasco.

Stage 3 - click to enlarge
(image credit: Diario Vasco)

The stage begins in Vittoria-Gasteiz, the Basque Country's second-largest city and, like all Basque cities, a place where beautiful ancient and modern architecture exist side-by-side to create a whole greater than the sum of its parts. The first 35km is flat, which is likely to encourage early breakaways hoping to make good use of the descent from first climb Alto de Kruzieta (Cat 2), but from 55km onwards it's climbs all the way with two Cat 2s, a Cat 3 and a Cat 1 in the following 100km - so if an early break does form, its members are almost certainly doomed to failure and replacement by later attempts.

Riders to watch: Frank Schleck probably isn't going to win today, but he's worth keeping an eye on - how well he does on the climbs (especially the last one) will give us some indication of his own and brother Andy's form. Damiano Cunego may do well and Euskaltel-Euskadi's Gorka Verdago could do too. Whoever you're backing today, save an extra cheer for Thomas Löfkvist - it's the Swedish-born Team Sky member 28th birthday today.

The Basque EITB TV station is covering the race and will provide a legal, free online stream each day from 14:15 BST.

Scheldeprijs
The 100th edition of Scheldeprijs Classic took place in Flanders today, covering 202.2km between Antwerp and Schoten. It's usually considered a sprinters' race, and several cobbled sections make it far from an easy one.

Scheldeprijs profile - click to enlarge
(image credit: Flanders Classics)

Marcel Kittel
(image credit: Thomas Ducroquet CC BY-SA 3.0)

Mark Cavendish is a three-time winner, including 2011, but stayed away this year due to the birth of his daughter last night (see above). When the race ended with the expected sprint, specialists Tyler Farrar (Garmin-Barracuda) and Marcel Kittel (Argos-Shimano) literally threw themselves at the line - Kittel proved the fastest by fractions of a second, taking the first victory for his team. A crash just down the road just after they finished left one Europcar rider lying in the road and a photographer being taken to hospital.


  1.  Marcel Kittel Argos-Shimano 4:30:53
  2.  Tyler Farrar Garmin-Barracuda ST
  3.  Theo Bos   Rabobank ST
  4.  Romain Feillu Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team ST
  5.  Manuel Belletti AG2R-La Mondiale ST
  6.  Elijah Favilli Farnese Vini-Selle Italia ST
  7.  Alexander Porsev Katusha ST
  8.  Sebastien Turgot Europcar ST
  9.  Giacomo Nizzolo RadioShack-Nissan ST
  10.  Guillaume Boivin Spider Tech Powered By C10 ST


Map here, start  list here. Full results (when available) here.

Other news
As announced in early March, a plaque in honour of Wouter Weylandt was unveiled yesterday in Middelburg. Netherlands - site of the rider's Stage 3 victory in the 2010 Giro d'Italia. Weylandt was killed during the Giro 364 days later. (Full story from Cycling News)

Luke Durbridge (GreenEDGE) won Stage 2 at the Circuit de la Sarthe, completing the 6.8km individual time trial parcours in 8'15". @ccgdd and @tourdejose reported that Katusha's Denis Galimzyanov, Stage 1 winner, has been involved in a serious crash in the event. More when further details emerge.

Bjorn Leukemans (Vacansoliel-DCM) has "inflamed knees," leading to uncertainty as to whether he'll be able to ride in Sunday's Paris-Roubaix.

Frédéric Guesdon, the oldest rider in the UCI WorldTour at 40.5 years, will retire after Paris-Roubaix says his FDJ-BigMat team.

Tweets

bikeradar ‏ @bikeradarBug-Bike 

News Digest 03.04.12

Tour of the Basque Country - Top blood-doping expert quits in "muzzling" row - Contador will not appeal CAS decision, attacks anti-doping movement - Fabs back at the end of May - Vos will race in Energiwacht Tour

Stage 2 (click to enlarge)
(image credit: Diario Vasco)

Vuelta Ciclista al Pais Vasco Stage 2

“I didn’t come into today’s stage expecting to win. We were riding for Allan. When I found myself with the gap, I decided to take it. The boys worked so well early in the race and held it all together in the sprint. It’s a massive victory -definitely the biggest moment in my career.” (Daryl Impey)

Today brought us Stage 2 of the Vuelta Ciclista al Pais Vasco, better known in Britain as the Tour of the Basque Country - and it was a tough, hilly 165.7 km ride from Güeñes to Vitoria-Gasteiz. Stage 1's selection of mountains (five Cat 3s, one Cat 2 and 1) looked harder than today's 5 Cat 3s and single Cat 2; but today's were higher with the race reaching 810m at the Alto de Zaldiaran, which was climbed twice. (Steephill map here)

It was a very different sort of parcours, however, and not least because of the cold and rain that persisted through most of the day. Whereas the last of the climbs were over and done with plenty of flat terrain running up to the finish line yesterday, the peloton reached Zaldiaran's summit for the second time with only 9.3km to go today; then faced a long descent before the last very short flat section. That made it difficult for teams to arrange themselves into lead-out formations in an effort to get their sprinters into position. As expected, the earlier part of the stage was dominated by a break - Jérôme Pineau (Omega Pharma-Quickstep), Thibaut Pinot (FDJ-Big Mat) and Mads Christensen (SaxoBank) were off up the road after just 7km. A couple more riders joined them 25km later and the merry band worked well together to build a lead of seven minutes before that last Zaldiaran climb proved too much and they fell back into the peloton like spent fireworks.

Daryl Impey
(image credit: darylimpey.com)

Wesley Sulzberger (GreenEdge), Alexsandr Dyachenko (Astana)  Dominique Nerz (Liquigas-Cannondale) and Edvard Vorganov (Katusha) were the next to go, taking their chances on the climb and reaching the summit first. It wasn't long until the peloton followed them onto the last descent and, shortly afterwards, caught all of them except for Nerz who managed to stay out for a little longer until Astana brought him to heel - unfortunately, in doing so they used up too much of their own energy and rapidly began to show signs suggesting they were out of contention for this one. As the 1km to go point approached GreenEDGE took over the reins in a movement that is rapidy becoming as familiar as it is effective, keeping the pack in check as their man Daryl Impey leaped away to line, closely followed by team mate Allen Davis for second place by no more than two bike lengths. Sky's Davide Appollonio led the pack and took third; the next 94 riders crossing in quick sucession and all taking the same time as Impey.

  1.  Daryl Impey GreenEdge 04:10:07
  2.  Allan Davis GreenEdge ST
  3.  Davide Appollonio Sky ST
  4.  Jose Joaquin Rojas Gil Movistar ST
  5.  Michael Matthews Rabobank ST
  6.  Daniele Ratto Liquigas-Cannondale ST
  7.  Francesco Gavazzi Astana ST
  8.  Fabian Wegmann Garmin-Barracuda ST
  9.  Gianni Meersman Lotto-Belisol   ST
  10.  Daniele Pietropolli Lampre-ISD ST 



The full results are here. Best British rider was Sky's Luke Rowe in 115th. Cyclopunk's two top tips for today? Ah, well... Sammy Sanchez (Euskaltel-Euskadi) was 15th, Jens Voigt (RadioShack-Nissan) was 155th.

The Basque EITB TV station is covering the race and will provide a legal, free online stream each day from 14:15 BST.

Tour of the Basque Country: 1 (video) / 2 (video) / 3 (video) / 4 (video) / 5 (video) / 6

Doctor quits anti-doping body in "muzzling" row
Dr. Michael Ashenden, who is considered to be one of the world's top experts on blood doping, has declined to take up his new position with the Athlete Passport Management Unit, a new body that will take over much of the responsibility for anti-dope tests from the UCI and International Association of Athletics Federations, saying that new contracts issued to panel members - which include tight confidentiality clauses - are an attempt by the APMU to "manage the message."

"It seems to me that too much emphasis is being placed on controlling what the media are told. There should be nothing to hide, so why stop the experts from talking?" Dr. Ashenden told the BBC. "We constantly struggle to overcome their omerta, their refusal to tell us what is happening in their sport. We want them to blow the whistle on their colleagues. And yet here Lausanne is imposing its own omerta."

Dr. Ashenden acted as expert witness in the trials of Alberto Contador and Lance Armstrong, and has been a vocal critic of biological passports after discovering the system can be cheated by microdosing. The new clause demands that panel members must seek permission from the APMU whilst representing them and for a period of seven years after stepping down, effectively giving the Unit the power to silence members as and when they choose - which would allow them to prevent a member from voicing his or her concerns. "I believe it's important media have the opportunity to ask hard questions. Unless they're well informed about how the passport operates, they won't know which questions to ask," he says. (More from the BBC) (NYVelocity have a must-read interview with Dr. Ashenden here)


Contador will not appeal
Alberto Contador has confirmed he will not appeal the CAS decision to uphold the two-year ban he received following a long-running doping case. The announcement comes as a surprise since an appeal was widely expected, especially in the wake of a Belgian Court of Appeal judgement that ruled the UCI had acted unfairly in banning Iljo Keisse under broadly similar circumstances and ordered cycling's governing body to pay the Belgian rider €100,000.

Contador had stated previously that he might appeal in the Swiss courts. However, talking to the Spanish El Mundo newspaper, he said that his legal team see little point. "I have lost confidence in the sports courts. I have not doped and I am punished," he added, also complaining that the anti-doping movement has become "a business... a source of revenue for laboratories, TAS, lawyers, researchers, doctors, cheats."

Other News
Fabian Cancellara, who suffered a quadruple fracture of the collarbone at the Ronde van Vlaanderen (Fabs is not a man who does things by halves), plans a return to competition by the end of May. Fans have been treated to some absolutely top quality Fabianese since the crash, which has been blamed on discarded bidons...

Fabian cancellara ‏ @f_cancellara
The rumours are were i have touch it the ground on the feedzone in the #rondevanflanderen they must make new asphalt,there is a big hohle

 (More on Fabian and his upcoming press conference at Cycling News)


Rabobank's Marianne Vos is reported to have recovered from the 'flu that kept her away from the Ronde van Vlaanderen, leaving her free to race in the Energiwacht Tour which begins on Wednesday. Rabobank annonunced the good news on Twitter...

Rabosport Wielrennen ‏ @rabowielrennen
Marianne Vos is hersteld van griep. Start woensdag in Energiewacht Tour. Selectie: Vos, Slappendel, Van Vleuten, Düster, Kitchen, Antoshina. (Trans: Marianne Vos has recovered from flu. Starting Wednesday Energiewacht Tour. Selection: Vos, Slappendel, Van Vleuten, Duster, Kitchen, Antoshina.)

News Digest 02.04.12

 GP de Dottignies (video) - Tour of the Basque Country (video) - Leipheimer accident - Bidons blamed for Cancellara crash - Irene van den Broek out of competition

GP de Dottignies

The big women's cycling event of the day was the Grand Prix de Dottignies, a 133.25km race taking place in the French-speaking Walloon region of Belgium. The race consisted of one 77.25km parcours with a couple of interesting climbs halfway through and one in the latter half, followed by four passes of a flat 14km circuit. Maps here: 77.25km / 14km; profiles here: 77.25km / 14km.

Monia Baccaille
(image credit: ghirolfo CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

With the 14km circuit being flat, the peloton played cat and mouse games with various riders feigning attacks and then mounting real attacks as the entire pack slowed down and then sped up repeatedly and apparently at random as they dared one another to make an early break. The 23-year-old Belarusian Alena Amialiusik (BePink) did extraordinarily well to maintain her lead once the riders down the road began to pick up the pace as the finish line drew near (especially considering she was 10th at the Ronde van Vlaanderen and must have been feeling it), but she was eventually caught with 2km to go.

There was no surprise when it all ended with a bunch sprint but with several of the top riders also still feeling the effects of the Ronde in their legs, it was a sprint that could have gone anywhere right up until the last second and a number of less-well-known riders were battling it out with the big guns right to the line. In the end, a group of thirteen crossed the line as a group, but nobody could top the sheer power of Monia Baccaille (MCipollini) when she launched herself from the group and crossed the line like a luminous green rocket to take a stunning victory. Emma Johansson (Hitec-Mistral) was just behind her for second place, followed by Alona Andruk (Diadora-Pasta Zara) for third.  (Full results)

The finish (thanks to Sebastien Tytgat)

  1.  Monia Baccaile MCipollini-Giambenini-Gauss 03:29:49
  2.  Emma Johansson Hitec Products-Mistral Home ST
  3.  Alona Andruk Diadora-Pasta Zara ST
  4.  Christine Majerus Team GSD Gestion  ST 
  5.  Rasa Leleivyte Vaiana-Tepso  ST   
  6.  Valentina Scandolara S.C. Michela Fanini Rox  ST  
  7.  Carmen Mcnellis Small ST  
  8.  Isabelle Soderberg AA Drink - Leontien.nl  ST  
  9.  Nathalie Lamborelle Kleo Ladies Team  ST 
  10.  Nicole Cooke Faren-Honda Team  ST (Best British rider)

GP de Dottignies photographs and video by Sebastien Tytgat: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4

Vuelta Ciclista al Pais Vasco

Vuelta Ciclista al Pais Vasco, the Tour of the Basque Country, began today after surviving a touch-and-go period in which it was uncertain whether the race could go ahead at all this year, the event's future for the next two years having been guaranteed by the bank Sabadell Guipuzcoano.

This being Euskal Herria, the Greater Basque Country, the races crosses the border from Spain into France to visit Iparralde (the northern parts of the Basque region) and Spanish Navarre, as well as autonomous Euskadi itself - and with the Basque people's legendary adoration for bizikleta, it's become a hugely important race in which the world's top teams will be cheered through stunning countryside by vast, passionate crowds of fans. With that in mind, it seems odd that Eurosport won't be showing the race - it seems a perfect way to promote both the region and the sport, after all. Thankfully, there is Euskal Irrati Telebista, who provide a free and legal stream of the race each day from 14:15 (BST - add 1h for CEST).

The final kilometres (thanks Cyclingflash12)

Stage 1 profile (click to enlarge)
(image credit: Diario Vasco)

As might be expected in a Basque race, there are climbs aplenty throughout; with 153km Stage 1 featuring seven categorised summits that included Cat 1 Alto de Ubal and plenty more seeded right through the parcours. While the rest of the climbs were tough, they were not super-tough and the stage could best be described as rolling rather than hilly. Note that the final 35km, meanwhile, was almost flat with the exception of Cat 3 Alto de San Cosme, after which it was completely flat for the final 6.2km: sprinter's territory, so a sprint was fully expected.

Davide Mucelli (Utensilnord Named) and David De La Fuente (Caja Rural) got themselves into their sponsors' good books with a fine and long-lived breakaway, getting their lead up to five minutes for a while before Euskaltel-Euskadi demonstrated their knowledge of these hills and shaved off a big chunk. The wildcard pair made it into the last 50km, however; but once the big teams started picking up the pace with a view to getting their sprinters into position it was all over. A crash on the last climb then shook up the formations and left several sprinters far from where they wanted to be, creating a bit of a flap and creating opportunity for a few hopefuls to make unsuccessful attempts to escape the pack.

José Joaquín Rojas
(image credit: Thomas Ducroquet CC BY 3.0)

A sprint took place, too, but it wasn't the sort we all thought it would be - the climbs had taken their toll and several of the real sprint specialists were nowhere to be seen as the line approached, their places taken by all-rounders such as Wout Poels (Vacansoleil-DCM), Fabian Wegmann (Garmin-Barracuda), Arthur Vichot (FDJ-Bigmat), Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin-Barracuda) and even a sprinkling of lesser-known faces such as Daniele Ratto (Liquigas-Cannondale). Of course, if there was a sprinter who'd also made a bit of a name for himself in the mountains, then that sprinter would have an obvious advantage in this stage. A sprinter rather like José Joaquín Rojas (Movistar), perhaps, who won with his brain as much as his brawn. Keeping cool all the way to the last 500m as he patiently waited for Poels to move over from crowd barriers (patently and bravely - after all, Poels might not), he then shot through the gap as soon as it appeared. Poels realised what was happening, but he had no chance against a specialist.

  1.  Jose Joaquin Rojas Gil Movistar 03:57:44

  2.  Wout Poels Vacansoleil-DCM ST

  3.  Fabian Wegmann  Garmin-Barracuda ST

  4.  Daniele Ratto Liquigas-Cannondale ST 

  5.  Arthur Vichot  FDJ-BigMat ST 

  6.  Ryder Hesjedal  Garmin-Barracuda ST 

  7.  Gianni Meersman Lotto-Belisol ST 

  8.  Gorka Izagirre Insausti Euskaltel-Euskadi ST 

  9.  Francesco Gavazzi Astana

  10.  Paolo Bailetti Utensilnord-Named ST 

Best Brit: 12. Luke Rowe (Sky)

(Stage 1 details) (Start list) (Stage Map from Steephill) (Full results)

Tour of the Basque Country: 1 (video) / 2 (video) / 3 (video) / 4 (video) / 5 (video) / 6

Levi Leipheimer in 2008
(image credit: Montgomery CC BY-SA 3.0)

Leipheimer hit by car

Omega Pharma-Quickstep's Levi Leipheimer is the latest rider to have been hit by a car during a training ride - the accident coming just one day before he was due to start the Tour of the Basque Country. The team have since confirmed that the 38-year-old American escaped serious injury - he was taken to hospital where no broken bones were found after the car drove into him from behind and he will now return to California for further tests so that a recovery program can be devised. Leipheimer, who came third at the 2007 Tour de France, has long been one of the most popular faces in the peloton; not least of all for his caring nature - with his wife, he has become involved in fund-raising for animal welfare charities and is in the process of setting up an animal sanctuary in California.

Bidons to blame for Cancellara crash

Cancellara's crash could easily have ended his
career - bidons were to blame
(image credit: Fliedermaus CC BY-SA 1.0)

Sylvain Chavanel and Filippo Pozzato have both claimed that discarded bidons were to blame for the crash at yesterday's Ronde van Vlaanderen which left Fabian Cancellara with a quadruple fracture to the collar bone and ended his Classics campaign (he has since undergone successful surgery, as reported by Cycling News). Bidons were also blamed by Mark Cavendish, who crashed at the Dwars door Vlaanderen on the 21st of March, leading to calls from the Manx sprinter for all riders to undergo training in an effort to improve safety. Using his Twitter account, Cav stated: "Said it before: EVERYONE involved in a bike race should take a written & practical test to get licence."

With Cancellara's crash being the type that can very easily bring a premature end to a cyclist's career (it was initially feared that he had broken a hip or his pelvis), it looks like Cav is right and the UCI need to address the issue.

Irene van den Broek out of competition

Dolmans-Boels' Irene van den Broek - who finished in second place at the Dutch National Championships last year - has been forced to bring a temporary halt to her racing due to a lung complaint. The 31-year-old suffered painful breathing throughout the Trofeo Binda and Ronde van Vlaandered, leaving her unable to finish in both cases. She'll now undergo medical tests to find out what's wrong.

Other news

Saxobank are safe for the time being - the UCI had requested permission to withdraw the licence it granted to the Bjarne Riis-managed team, until recently home to Alberto Contador; but the request was denied by the Licence Commission. (UCI press release)