Cycling Evening News 08.05.12

Giro d'Italia Stage 3 - Tour of the Gila - Two Days of Bedford - Serpa hopes to continue Giro - Nibali denies team change rumours - Other news (links) - Cycling (links)

Giro d'Italia Stage 3 - fast finish brings carnage

Monday's Stage 3 (map, profile) was the last in Denmark before a rest day on Tuesday. 190km in length, starting and ending in Horsens on the east of the country, it was another flat parcours liable to finish once again with a sprint.

The race began with a minute's silence, speeches and tributes in honour of Wouter Weylandt (right), the 26-year-old Leopard Trek rider who was killed in a high-speed crash as he descended the Passo del Bocco during Stage 3 last year. Tribute was also paid to Horsens mayor and cycling fan Jan Trøjborg, who was instrumental in bringing the Giro to the city but never lived to see it after suffering a fatal heart attack on Sunday.

Matt Goss

Mads Christensen (Saxo Bank), Reto Hollenstein (Team NetApp), Miguel Minguez (Euskaltel-Euskadi), Martijn Keizer (Vacansoleil-DCM), Alfredo Balloni (Farnese Vini-Selle Italia) and Ramunas Navardauskas (Garmin-Barracuda) got away, but on such a fast, flat stage the peloton was unwilling to let it last and began drawing them back as soon as they'd got three minutes' lead - and since Navaradauskas would have come within 22" of Taylor Phinney's General Classification leadership had the break worked, it was BMC who provided the bulk of the effort required to catch them.

Mark Cavendish was a favourite to win the stage, but somehow he became separated from Geraint Thomas, once again doing service as lead-out man and he wasn't where he needed to be this time. He sought familiar ground, tucking in behind Mark Renshaw (Rabobank), but the simple fact of the matter was that where Sky failed Orica-GreenEDGE excelled, and the Australian team expertly position Matt Goss for a win that looked inevitable with 300m to go. Of course, Cav wasn't about to sit up and let him take it unchallenged, but the moment he took after Tyler Farrar into the sprint Robert Ferrari (Androni Giocattoli-Venezuela) suddenly swerved from his own line and directly into the Manxman's path - causing a crash that saw both Cav and Phinney hit the tarmac hard. Cav was up first and carried his bike across the finish line, Phinney stayed down longer but, thankfully, has since been declared free of injury. Ferrari finish ninth, but after viewing video footage it was decided that he had acted recklessly and he was relegated to last place - a controversial decision. Cav claimed that he'd been thrown out of races for less. Goss agreed: "Some guys don't have much regard for the safety. It's win at all costs at some points," he said.

Other riders have since been revealed to have been injured in the crash - William Bonnet (FDJ-Bigmat) has extensive bruising and his team mate Mickaël Delage has a painful shoulder. Cav might have been worse off were it not for the catlike reactions of the Farnese Vini-Selle Italia riders behind him: Andrea Guardini managed to somehow avoid him, Elia Favilli bunny-hopped right over him (seriously impressive move there, Elia!) while Pierpaolo de Nigri slammed on the brakes but couldn't escape a collision, going down beside him and bruising his hip. It could have been much, much worse. Cav says he was traveling at 75kph when the crash happened. That's the same speed Weylandt was doing when he died.

Stage 4, team time trial

Ferrari, originally, was dismissive; in a post-race interview, he claimed to be uninterested in what takes place behind him, apparently suggesting that it's up to those following him to take evasive action when he does something unpredictable and dangerous. Androni manager Gianni Savio sounded no less arrogant: "Ferrari goes on instinct, he didn't know what he did behind him," though he later told Cycling News that he would apologise for his rider's actions. It's since been reported that Ferrari will publicly apologise too.

Cycling is a dangerous sport, as Stage 3 of the Giro d'Italia will always remind us after the tragedy of last year - things can go terribly, horribly wrong in the blink of an eye and riders therefore have a duty of care, an obligation not to endanger one another. Ferrari is directly responsible for a crash that could have ended the race for five riders - or their careers, or worse. Cav's right: he shouldn't be permitted to continue. Apologies - especially ones that inly come after the backlash, are not enough, and there is a very good case for disqualifying him. If Savio is truly sorry, it won't come to that - because he would already have sent Ferrari home.

Sky provided a press release stating that Cav "suffered considerable road rash but his injuries haven't worsened overnight and he wasn't complaining of any serious discomfort during the transfer to Italy. The medical team will continue to monitor his progress throughout today but we're confident he will be able to ride on."

Top Ten

  1.  Matthew Goss Orica-GreenEDGE 4h20'53"
  2.  Juan Jose Haedo SaxoBank ST
  3.  Tyler Farrar Garmin-Barracuda ST
  4.  Arnaud Demare FDJ - BigMat ST
  5.  Mark Renshaw Rabobank ST
  6.  Thor Hushovd BMC ST
  7.  Alexander Kristoff Katusha ST
  8.  Romain Feillu Vacansoleil-DCM ST
  9.  Fumiyuki Beppu Orica-GreenEDGE ST
  10.  Andrea Guardini Farnese Vini-Selle Italia ST
(Full stage results and GC)


On Wednesday, the Giro returns to Italy for a 33.2km team time trial around Verona. It's another fast, flat course with only a little pimple of a hill shortly after the first time check and several long straights on the outward and return journeys followed by a straight 800m section to the finish line.

Stages 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 / 11 / 12 / 13 / 14 / 15 / 16 / 17 / 18 / 19 / 20 / 21

Tour of the Gila

This race belonged to Armstrong from
start to finish

Kristin Armstrong has been nothing short of untouchable this year, winning four of five stages and apparently giving away the one she didn't win in order to save energy for the challenging Stage 5 - her form is nothing short of remarkable right now, very possibly the best of any cyclist male or female. The Gila Monster, as Stage 5 is known, is a tough parcours by anyone's standards however, and even she had to work hard to win with three categorised climbs along the 115.6km - a Cat 4 to 2,070m at 20km, Cat 2 Wild Horse Mesa/Meadow Creek rising to 2,278m beginning at 85km (though precisely how this climb rates at Cat 2 rather than 1 is a mystery) and a final Cat 4 before the finish line; along with the uncategorised Continental Divide rising to 2,045, halfway through. 

Armstrong, however, is not a rider who likes to rest on her laurels and take things easy, even if - as was the case after Stage 4 - she starts a race with a comfortable 4'46" advantage, so she gave it her all and won by an impressive 1'56". The teams played a complex game throughout the stage as they fought it it not just for good places in the GC, but also for the Youth jersey with attacks firing off at several points along the route and a stellar display of well-controlled high-speed descending by Alison Powers and Carmen Small, who took second and third for the stage and reverse the positions for the GC.

Tayler Wiles won the Youth
category

Top Ten Stage 5

  1.  Kristin Armstrong Exergy Twenty12 3h15'44"
  2.  Alison Powers Now and Novartis for MS +1'56"
  3.  Carmen Small Optum p/b Kelly Benefit ST
  4.  Janel Holcomb Optum p/b Kelly Benefit +2'15"
  5.  Tayler Wiles Exergy Twenty12 +2'17"
  6.  Jade Wilcoxson Optum p/b Kelly Benefit +2'18"
  7.  Emily Kachorek Primal/MapMyRide +2'21"
  8.  Andrea Dvorak Exergy Twenty12 +2'26"
  9.  Anna Barensfield Optum p/b Kelly Benefit ST
  10.  Jacquelyn Crow Exergy Twenty12 ST
(Full Stage 5 results)

Top Ten Overall General Classification

  1.  Kristin Armstrong Exergy Twenty12 11h51'28"
  2.  Carmen Small Optum p/b Kelly Benefit +6'41"
  3.  Alison Powers Now and Novartis for MS +7'19"
  4.  Jade Wilcoxson Jade Optum p/b Kelly Benefit +10'07"
  5.  Janel Holcomb Jade Optum p/b Kelly Benefit +10'21"
  6.  Emily Kachoek Primal/MapMyRide +10'46"
  7.  Olivia Dillon   Now and Novartis for MS  +12'27"
  8.  Tayler Wiles   Exergy Twenty12  +12'31"
  9.  Andrea Dvorak   Exergy Twenty12  +12'44"
  10.  Robin Farina   Optum p/b Kelly Benefit  +13'09"
(Full overall GC)

Rory Sutherland

The men's race, which tool place over 170.1km and added two ascents of 2,284m Anderson Vista (Cat 2 on the first ascent, Cat 1 on the second), lit up after 13km when a 21-man break escaped and rapidly began building a significant gap which, for a while, reached six minutes before the Vista took its toll and they were reduced to seven riders. Only Chad Beyer (Competitive Cyclist) and Lawson Craddock (Bontrager Livestrong) had the energy to continue and broke away, gaining 30" on the chase group before being joined by Craddock's team mate Ian Boswell who mounted a superb solo attack after 140km to give Bontrager a serious advantage going into the last part of the race. Working together, they soon left Beyer behind and rode together to the finish.


While Kristin Armstrong fought tooth-and-nail through the stage, the men's GC leader Rory Sutherland took it easy and stayed out of trouble despite starting the day with a 33" lead - 4'13" less than hers. Nevertheless, it worked: he ended the stage with just 15" over second place over Beyer, but it won him the General Classification.

Ian Boswell's solo attack won team mate
Lawson Craddock the stage

Top Ten Stage 5

  1.  Lawson Craddock Bontrager Livestrong 4h27'33"

  2.  Ian Boswell Bontrager Livestrong ST

  3.  Chad Beyer Competitive Cyclist +06"

  4.  Francisco Mancebo Competitive Cyclist +2'10"

  5.  Tyler Wren Jamis-Sutter Home +2'12"

  6.  Rubens Bertogliati Team Type 1-Sanofi +2'14"

  7.  Joe Dombrowski Bontrager Livestrong ST

  8.  Cameron Wurf Champion System +2'17"

  9.  Mathew Cooke Exergy +2'20"

  10.  Sebatian Salas Optum p/b Kelly Benefit ST

(Full stage results)

Top Ten Overall General Classification

  1.  Rory Sutherland United Healthcare 13h28'12"

  2.  Chad Beyer Competitive Cyclist +15"

  3.  Joe Dombrowski Bontrager Livestrong +22"

  4.  Francisco Mancebo Competitive Cyclist +1'10"

  5.  Lawson Craddock Bontrager Livestrong +1'39"

  6.  Sebastian Salas Optum p/b Kelly Benefit +1'56"

  7.  Chris Baldwin Bissel +1'59"

  8.  Rubens Bertogliati Team Type 1-Sanofi +2'30"

  9.  Mathew Cooke Exergy +2'59"

  10.  Nathan English Kenda/5-Hour Energy +3'52"

(Full overall GC)

Two Days of Bedford

Ciara Horne (in green) leads the Reading Women's Omnium

Sarah Storey (For Viored) took a 5" lead in the General Classification after the Stage 3 individual time trial, completing the 2km course 10" faster than second place Elinor Barker (Scott Contessa) despite the wet conditions as the last riders went - insufficient to allow predictions for the eventual outcome, so everything rested on the rain-soaked Stage 4.

Originally intended to consist of nine laps and 85km around the Milbrook Vehicle Test Track, the stage was shortened to eight laps when the rain showed no sign of stopping. Barker, who started the stage with a 26" disadvantage behind Storey, read the conditions perfectly and knew that strong winds would give the peloton problems; so she attacked in the first stage in the hope that if someone went with her, they'd be able to work together to improve their places and keep out of trouble. However, nobody did, leaving her looking for a while as though she might have made a big mistake. Ultimately, though, it paid off and after settling into a fast rhythm she'd managed to gain a lead of a minute and a half. Ciara Horne (Node 4-Giordana) realised that, unless Barker was caught, her chances of overall victory were over and gave chase in the last two laps. She never did catch her, but reduced the gap to 8" as she crossed the line - enough to take the overall General Classification by one second. (Stages 1/2 report here)

Stage 3 Top Three

  1.  Sarah Storey For Viored 4'23"
  2.  Elinor Barker Scott Contessa +10"
  3.  Ciara Horne Node 4-Giordana +12"


Stage 4 Top Three

  1.  Elinor Barker Scott Contessa 1h54'05"
  2.  Ciara Horne Node 4-Giordana +8"
  3.  Lucy Garner Node 4-Giordana ST


Overall General Classification Top Ten

  1.  Ciara Horne Node 4-Giordana  
  2.  Elinor Barker Scott Contessa Epic +1"
  3.  Lucy Garner Node 4-Giordana +1'01"
  4.  Sarah Storey For Viored +1'02"
  5.  Amy Roberts Scott Contessa Epic +1'25"
  6.  Molly Weaver Scott Contessa Epic +1'39"
  7.  Corrine Hall Node 4-Giordana +1'44"
  8.  Emily Kay Scott Contessa Epic +1'46"
  9.  Helen Wyman Matrix Fitness-Prendas Home +1'51"
  10.  Harriet Owen Node 4-Giordana +1'55"

Add caption

José Serpa hopes to continue Giro

Robert Ferrari might have made himself persona non grata with his dodgy sprinting, but Androni Giocattoli-Venezuela team mate José Serpa is this edition's first hero after remaining in the race despite breaking a finger in Stage 2. While the other riders enjoy a rest day in Verona to recover from the drive down from Denmark, Serpa is spending the day in Turin undergoing X-rays to make sure the fracture didn't become any worse during Stage 3. If not, he will be fitted with a cast designed to allow him to both grip and release the handlebars so that he can remain in the race. (More from Cycling News)

Nibali denies team change

Vincenzo Nibali has denied that he is planning to leave Liquigas-Cannondale at the end of this season, as was widely reported at the weekend (including here). The team revealed that it had not yet heard from the rider after making him an offer said to be worth 1.8 million euros for 2013: "We made him an attractive offer. He has not responded and is therefore not in our contract proposal. The case is closed for us." Rumours then circulated that BMC and Astana had offered him 2.5 million. Liquigas have since issued a new statement saying that "while they are aware "of the rumours that have surfaced over the contractual position for the immediate future, so far no official negotiations have been made on a possible contract extension."

Other News

"Giro d'Italia remembers Wouter Weylandt" (Cycling Weekly)

"Ticket prices revealed for Box Hill area of Olympic road race" (Bike Radar)

Cycling

Britain

"Evolution of cycling" (The Guardian)

"Walkers and cyclists to be rewarded" (UKPA)

"Cyclists hit out at motorists endangering them by parking in bike lanes" (This Is Plymouth)

"Cyclist slams Bedfordshire's ‘strange’ cycle lane" (LocalGov)

Worldwide

"City looks to reduce 'doorings' of cyclists" (CTV, Ottawa)

"Cycle of Fear" (Why riding in NYC will make you happy, New York Times)

Cycling Evening News 06.05.12

Giro d'Italia (video) - Two Days of Bedford - Tour of the Gila - The 100mph bike designed in the bath and made from genius - Nibali to leave Liquigas - US start for future Giro? - Other News (links) - Cycling

Giro d'Italia Stage 2

Sunday brought the first road race stage, a 206km loop from Bjarne Riis' hometowen Herning up to the Limfjorden (an enormous, brackish fjord that cuts off the north of the country rom the south, effectlively turning it into an island) north of Holsterbro, then south along the western coastline including a ride along the 13.2km Bøvling Klit isthmus separating Nissumfjord from the North Sea. Having travelled as far as Ringkobingfjord, they headed inland again for a straight 50km run back to Herning. This being Denmark, the parcours was flat all the way - a situation that looked likely to encourage the likes of Mark Cavendish (Sky), Theo Bos (Rabobank) and the other sprint specialists to show what they're capable of doing at the long, straight final section to the finish line.

The first half of the race was ruled by a three-man break consisting of Olivier Kaisen (Lotto-Belisol), Alfredo Balloni (Farnese Vini-Selle Italia.) and Miguel Rubiano (Androni Giacattoli-Venezuela), who managed to push their lead up to thirteen minutes for a while and had the race have been a few days further in, they might have been allowed to get away with it. However, with the teams seeking to assert their authority at this stage of the proceedings, they were all caught with 40km to go. Taylor Phinney, who gained the pink jersey yesterday with his individual time trial win, had a lot of work to do today to hang onto it - and he'll be more surprised than most that he still gets to wear it tomorrow after his chain came off with 8km to go leaving him with around half a minute to make up if he was to remain in contention. That he did so is testament to just how fast he is, and just how useful Danilo Wyss, who dropped back to assist him, can be.

We all knew that, barring disaster, this stage was going to end in a sprint and so the teams had already got their sprinters into position before the final corner with around 150m left. That proved fortunate because at that point Bos touched the wheel of the rider in front of him and then collided with Alexander Kristoff, who hit the barriers and finished with a bleeding face. Of course, the accident had no influence on the eventual outcome because the end of this stage might as well have been made for the Manxman, and he was the first of a bunch of sixteen over the line. Orica-GreenEDGE's Matt Goss followed him while Geoffrey Soupe (FDJ-Bigmat) hung on or dear life and an unexpected third. Cav's Sky team mate Geraint Thomas took tenth.

Cav - could it have been any different?

Top Ten
  1.  Mark Cavendish Sky 4h53'12"
  2.  Matthew Goss Orica-Green Edge ST
  3.  Geoffrey Soupe FDJ-BigMat ST
  4.  Tyler Farrar Garmin-Barracuda ST
  5.  Roberto Ferrari Androni Giocattoli-Venezuela ST
  6.  Mark Renshaw Rabobank ST
  7.  Thor Hushovd BMC ST
  8.  Daniele Bennati RadioShack-Nissan ST
  9.  William Bonnet FDJ-BigMat ST
  10.  Geraint Thomas Sky ST
(Full results and GC when available)

On Monday, Stage 3 (map, profile) is the last in Denmark before a "rest day," actually spent traveling down to Italy for the remainder of the race. 190km in length, starting and ending in Horsens on the east of the country, it's another flat parcours liable to finish once again with a sprint. The riders will pass through Horsens three times along the way.

As far as the weather goes on Monday, the factor that will most cheer the riders is a notable drop in windspeed between morning and afternoon - from 22kph down to around 10kph, which is insufficient to give any problems. It's enough to take the edge off the temperature early in the day - with 4C in sheltered spots near the start feeling more like 2C. When it drops, the maximum 11C will be unaffected. There's a 30% chance of rain, but if it comes it'll be in fast-moving showers that will end almost as soon as they begin.

Stages 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 / 11 / 12 / 13 / 14 / 15 / 16 / 17 / 18 / 19 / 20 / 21

Two Days of Bedford
Giro got you in the mood for some hardcore bike action? Craving the sweet scent of chain oil and the thrill of lycra flashing past your face at 45kph? Can't quite stretch to filling up the tanks on the Gulfstream IV for a jolly over to Denmark? Well then - if you live anywhere in the British South-East or southern part of the Midlands, you might be interested to know about the Two Days of Bedford.

The long-running event consists of four stages over two days (6th and 7th of May) with a 7.4km team time trial followed by an 80km road race on the Sunday, then a 6.4km individual time trial and an 85km race made up of nine laps of the Milbrook Vehicle Testing Facility - and believe me, you will not get more excitement for what it'll cost you to get to this race anywhere in the country (and you won't even have to change your pounds for krone). (More information here)

Sarah Storey crashed with 2km to go, landing in a patch of nettles which she said prevented her from losing skin. On Twitter after the race, she blamed the crash on the rider in front of her after turning "left+right on herself to avoid a tiny hole in the tarmac," then thanked well-wishers:

Sarah Storey ‏ @MrsSarahStorey
Thanks for the messages peeps,I'm fine just shocked at amount of unnecessary swerving+hard braking going on by a v small minority of riders.

Nikola Butler also crashed:

Nikola Butler ‏ @nik_tweet
one minute I was trying to sprint up the hill and the next minute I was on my face. Someone rode into my back wheel :-( sore 

Nikola Butler ‏ @nik_tweet
no idea whose fault it was. Just one of those bunch sprint things maybe

Stage 1 (Team Time Trial)
  1.  Node 4-Giordana 10'08"
  2.  For Viored +1"
  3.  Scott Contessa Epic +8"
  4.  Matrix Fitness-Prendas +14"
  5.  Abergavenny RC +30"

Stage 2 Top Ten
  1.  Amy Roberts Scott Contessa Epic  2h09'30"
  2.  Ciara Horne Node 4-Giordana ST
  3.  Lucy Garner Node 4-Giordana +15"
  4.  Sarah Reynolds Matrix Fitness-Prendas ST
  5.  Corrinne Hall Node 4-Giordana ST
  6.  Emily Kay Scott Contessa Epic ST
  7.  Laura Massey Vivelo Bikes ST
  8.  Lauren Creamer Abergavenny RC ST
  9.  Tamina Oliver Abergavenny RC ST
  10.  Harriet Owen Node 4-Giordana ST

Tour of the Gila
Stage 4 was an urban criterium race around a 1.74km square Silver City parcours with three bonus sprints and course hazards that include, according to the race bible, "rough pavement and errant pedestrians." The Pro Women completed 25 laps to make a total of 43.5km, the Pro Men 40 laps for 69.5km - precisely the sort of race in which a rider such as Kristin Armstrong (Exergy Twenty12), who at 38 specialises in the sort of endurance athleticism necessary on long stages (and which has seen her win the three stages prior to this one) might lose time to the younger women.

Loren Rowney

That turned out to be the case, though far less so than expected: while Armstrong came ninth, she was only 4" behind winner Loren Rowney (FCS Rouse presented by Mr. Restore, loaned by Specialized-Lululemon) and thus sees her General Classification lead only drop to 4'46" (from 5'01" after Stage 3) once bonification times have been taken into account. She was at the front for the first half of the race but, perhaps realising that she stood little chance of winning, chose to work for her team by chasing down attacks - not an entirely selfless decision, as it also enabled her to save some juice for the final Gila Monster stage. FCS Rouse guessed what she was up to,  simply waited until the final part of the race when they knew she'd be tired and made sure they had a rider ready to respond each and every time it looked like someone might make a break for the line. The plan was to tag along with an Exergy or Now and Novartis sprint train and see what they could do, but when Rowney found herself six riders back at the final corner she thought her chance was lost. Then, in a turn of good luck, the seven leaders took a fraction of a second longer than she'd expected to launch, allowing her to the velocity she'd carried through the bend to power into the lead and hold them off to the line.

Top Ten
  1.  Loren Rowney FCS Rouse p/b Mr. Restore 1h04'45"
  2.  Carmen Small Optum p/b Kelly Benefit ST
  3.  Christina Gokey-Smith Now & Novartis for MS ST
  4.  Alison Powers Now & Novartis for MS ST
  5.  Joanie Caron Colavita-ESPNW ST
  6.  Olivia Dillon Now & Novartis for MS ST
  7.  Jade Wilcoxson Optum p/b Kelly Benefit ST
  8.  Emma Grant Optum p/b Kelly Benefit ST
  9.  Kristin Armstrong Exergy Twenty12 +04"
  10.  Janel Holcomb Optum p/b Kelly Benefit ST
(Full results and GC)

Alejandro Borrajo

Marlon Alirio Perez Arango (Colombia-Comcel) pleased his team's sponsors and the spectators alike with a superb solo break, attacking the peloton and getting away only a few minutes from the start and then riding alone with an advantage hovering about the minute mark until Bissel decided enough was enough and got their hooks into him with twelve laps to go - he finished 65th in the end, but he's the man the fans will have been talking about on the way home. As the race neared its conclusion, Jamis-Sutter Home took the opportunity to show us all how a lead-out train ought to be conducted with all their men at the front of the pack protecting their top sprinters, brothers Alejandro and Anibal Borrajo, and getting them into perfect position - Alejandro proved fastest of a bunch of 21 while Anibal was right behind him for second place. Afterwards, Anibal dedicated the victory to an older brother who died a few days ago. Rory Sutherland took eleventh place and retains his GC lead, his overall advantage now up to 33" from 26".

Top Ten
  1.  Alejandro Alberto Borrajo Jamis/Sutter Home 1h33'40"
  2.  Anibal Andres Borrajo Jamis/Sutter Home ST
  3.  Luca Damiani Kenda/5-Hour Energy ST
  4.  Eric Young Bissel ST
  5.  Francisco Mancebo Competitive Cyclist ST
  6.  Weimar Roldan GW-Shimano ST
  7.  Avila Vanegas Edwin ST
  8.  Chad Beyer Competitive Cyclist ST
  9.  Gavin Mannion Bontrager Livestrong ST
  10.  Shawn Milne Kenda/5-Hour Energy ST
(Full results and GC)


Sunday brings the climax of the race, and what a climax it is - the 170.1km Gila Monster (map and profile) is almost certainly the toughest stage in North American professional cycling with two Category 4 climbs (16.1km, 2,070m; 166km, same), two Cat 2s (Anderson Vista, 83km, 2,284m; Wild Horse Mesa/Meadow Creek, 89km, 2,278m) and a Cat 1(Anderson Vista climbed from the opposite direction, 120km).

The 100mph bike - designed in the bath and made from genius

The remarkable Graeme Obree

Anyone who knows the story of Graeme Obree's Hour Record will know that the bike upon which he broke it, Old Faithful, used washing machine bearings. Anybody who knows a little more will know that the Scotsman later regretted telling anyone that, because it was all the newspapers cared about.

Obree is now planning to set a new record by becoming the first man to travel on a bicycle - on road and without pacing - at 100mph (161kph) aboard a new bike which, in characteristic Obreean style, he dreamed up while lying in the bath and later sketched out on bits of wallpaper. Once again, the ever-resourceful Obree has used items found about the house: this time, the rests that will support his shoulders as he lays prone on the carbon fibre-skinned machine have been made from an old saucepan. Hence Sunday's Telegraph headline: "The 100mph bike – designed in the bath and made from an old saucepan."

Hopefully, this time around, more people will look beyond that one single fact and remember that Obree is a remarkable engineer who builds his bikes from a wide range of remarkable materials, not only old washing machines and pots and pans; the most important being ingenuity and genius.

Nibali to leave Liquigas
Tuttobiciweb reports that Vincenzo Nibali has chosen not to sign an extended contract with Liquigas-Cannondale - said to be worth 1.8 million euros per year. According to rumour the 27-year-old, who already has one Grand Tour under his belt after winning the 2010 Vuelta a Espana, is being courted by BMC and Astana, both of which are said to be offering him 2.5 million euros per year.

"We made an offer, we gave him time to think it over, he has not responded. For us, the matter is closed," says Liquigas directeur sportif Paolo Dal Lago.

Giro may start in USA - one day
Organisers of the Tour de France looked seriously into the possibility of taking the race to the USA in the past but concluded that, at the time, the expense of doing so was simply too great. Nevertheless, it's an idea that has remained on a back-burner ever since. After all, American companies have been pouring sums of money into the sport that make the majority of European contributions look relatively puny, and American and Canadian riders are a fixture in the Grand Tour pelotons - in fact, it sometimes looks as though the old prediction that the USA would turn out to be the future home of cycling might eventually prove true.

Michele Acquarone

Now Giro d'Italia director Michele Acquarone has turned up the heat, because he wants his race to be the first Grand Tour to cross the Atlantic.

"To do this would be very expensive - at the present time, with the world's economy in the state it is, it's simply not an option," he admitted to Sportwereld. "But cycling is now global, increasingly so, and the Giro should be a driving force in that evolution. When we're through the financial crisis and cycling has dealt with its problems, this dream should be achievable. Imagine: we start in the US, have a few stages on Amercian soil, then the riders fly buiness class overnight to Italy... I really think this is possible."

Other News and Features
"Stephen Roche: Triple Crown 25 years on" (Cyclosport.org)

"Irish Para-cycling world champion Colin Lynch reveals dazzling new gold prosthetic" (Inside World Parasport)

"Top collegiate cyclists make their move in Ogden" (Standard-Examiner, Utah)

"Rwanda: Soras Boost Ascension De Mille Collines Cycling Tour" (AllAfrica)

Cycling
Newswire
Britain
"Cyclist knocked down on Gosport to Fareham bus route praises driver for saving his life" (The News, Portsmouth)

"Cycling in Leicester is just too dangerous" (This Is Leicestershire)

Worldwide
"Cyclists gear up for cross-Canada trek" (Times Colonist)

"A blessing for those who brave city streets on two wheels" (New York Times)

"Kids join the cycling fun at bike rodeo" (Silver City Sun-News)

"Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition to Honor Three Women for Cycling Volunteerism" (NoozHawk)

"It's wedding bells and bikes for this couple" (AsiaOne)

Cycling Evening News 05.05.12

Rabo revelation is no surprise, nor worthy of note - Giro d'Italia - Two Days of Bedford - Lotto Cup Knokke-Bredene - Tour of the Gila - Nuyens still hurting - Railways team wins Pakistan Women's Nats, Afghan women impress - NetApp bus burglary - Other News - Cycling

Racing
Doping tolerated pre-'07 at Rabo "revelation"
According to the "revelation" of Theo de Rooij in Dutch newspaper Volkskrant, doping was tolerated in the Rabobank team between 1996 (when the team was formed from Novell Software-Decca) to 2007 - including between 2003 and 2007, when de Rooij was general manager.

Cycling is not the sport that it was before 2007, nor is
Rabobank the team that it then was

No! Really? There was doping in cycling during the Festina Affair-Operacion Puerto era? A lot of fans seem to be distinctly underwhelmed by the news, which is to be expected really. If anyone can exclusively reveal that there was a major team that wasn't involved in doping at that time, we'll all be a lot more surprised. Rabobank have said they see no reason to investigate the claims. "Since 2007, we've had a new Board and new leadership," a spokesperson told Het Nieuwsblad. "We wish to stress that there is a zero-tolerance policy in today's team."

Fair play to them. It may have taken several deaths and a pair of scandals that very nearly killed the entire sport to finally wake cycling in general up to the fact that something - many things, actually - needed to be done about doping but, since then, Rabobank has been at the vanguard of those teams that stopped talking about it and got on with actually fighting. What happened when de Rooij was in charge and before his tenure no longer matters, there has been a sea change in cycling over the last half-decade and we are now in a different age. That chapter is over, dead, buried, done. What matters is what's happening now, and Rabobank set a shining example.


Giro d'Italia

If you didn't know that the Giro d'Italia started today, you're probably some sort of hermit. Stage 1 was an 8.7km individual time trial on what looked set to be quite a tricky little parcours around the Danish city Herning, following the long tradition of the Grand Tours paying visits to nations other than their own.

The start line is right in the centre of the city (56° 8'14.19"N  8°58'1.99"E) and the riders immediately head for the first of fourteen tight corners - there's an especially compact series after 1.11km to keep the attentive. The last part along Dronningen's Boulevard and Holsterbrovej is a very different sort of route with long, fast straights to the final corner and a final half-kilometre sprint along H.P Hansens Vej to the finish line (56° 8'41.20"N 8°56'56.45"E).

Top Ten
1. Taylor Phinney (BMC) 10'26"

2. Geraint Thomas (Sky) +9"
3. Alex Rasmussen (Garmin-Barracuda) +13"
4. Manuele Boaro (SaoBank) +15"
5. Gustav Erik Larsson (Vacansoleil-DCM) +22"
6. Ramunas Navardauskas (Garmin-Barracuda) ST
7. Brett Lancaster (Orica-GreenEDGE) +23"
8. Marco Pinotti (BMC) +24"
9. Jesse Sergeant (RadioShack-Nissan) +26"
10. Nelson Oliveira (RadioShack-Nissan) +27"


While an individual TT doesn't give a perfect indication of form, partially due to the riding positions being very different and partially because a certain percentage of an individual rider's form can only be seen in the way he integrates with his team mates. It's also impossible to say with any certainty who might be in with a chance of winning because the finish line is three weeks and three-and-a-half-thousand kilometres away. Nevertheless, today we got our first look at the riders. Here are some initial thoughts...

Alessandro Ballan

Theo Bos (Rabobank) probably won't make it onto many lists of potential winners, but he's looking good to grab more than his fair share of points. For such a stocky man, he rode smoothly today and his legs have that "elasticated" look that indicates large reserves of stored power. He'll certainly give Cav a run for his money.
Geraint Thomas (Sky) is going to win a Grand Tour this year. Last year, for a short while at the Tour after Bradley Wiggins had gone home with a broken collar bone, it looked as though that victory would come sooner rather than later - which is why many people will have watched him carefully today. His TT form was exquisite, but that Grand Tour's not coming this year.
A lot of people are tipping Roman Kreuziger (Astana) this year, but I don't see it myself - chiefly for the same reason as Thomas; ie at his age he still lacks that certain "GC contender" quality that only the most exceptional have (Merckx had it at 25, so did Contador - Andy Schleck still hasn't). In two years, things will be very different.
Alessandro Ballan (BMC) is known primarily as a Classics rider and the majority of his stage race success has been in the shorter events. However, he can occasionally surprise in the later stages of a long race; as was the case at the 2010 Tour de France when he came second on Stage 15. Ballan has always been somewhat on the skinny side, but today he resembled an anatomical model of the human muscles. Is he perhaps hoping to do well on the mountains, like he did that day in the Tour? Ballan's another one who won't make it onto every list of likely lads, but he's worth keeping an eye on (unless you're trying to uncover who ate all the pies - he can definitely be ruled out of that investigation).
Frank Schleck (RadioShack-Nissan), who only found out he was coming to the Giro a few days ago, appears to have better form than many people might have expected. His season thus far has been a little underwhelming, but he's got the loose-limbed legginess of a climber. Don't write Frank off just yet, because he may surprise us in the mountains - his time trialing hasn't improved at all over the winter, however, inspiring at least one Twitterer to wonder if the police might want to breathalyse him as he wobbled around the course.
Joaquim Rodriguez (Katusha) is in good shape, as always, and his rivals do not allow themselves to forget that he's a rider with a near-unique combination of abilities: he has Classics toughness, he can climb and he can hold his own in a sprint. A potential winner? Maybe. Top five? Certainly.
Filippo Pozzato looks good around the legs, but seems to have a little trace of belly fat at the moment - which was unexpected, because he didn't have it at the Ronde van Vlaanderen (or maybe it was just the new Farnese Vini-Selle Italia strip; because nobody could look good in that monstrosity). Having said that, it really was the merest suggestion of belly fat, nothing that he won't have burned off long before the mountains.

Ivan Basso

Ivan Basso (Liquigas-Cannondale) is looking good, no trace of excess fat and the right balance between all-rounder muscle and the stringy limbs of a climber. Barring accident, he'll do well in this edition.
Damiano Cunego (Lampre-ISD) is another rider who, like Rodriguez, has a rare combination of three abilities; though in his case it's time trialing, sprinting and climbing. When Cunego shows up at the start of a stage race, he is immediately a GC contender. That's as true this year as ever.
Finally, Michele Scarponi, the man who finished in second place last year but wore pink today after the disqualification and suspension of Alberto Contador. His form is visibly good, his legs look springy, everything is as it ought to be. More importantly, pink suits him very well. Now he's had a taste, he'll want to show the world that he can take first place purely on his own merit.

Sunday brings the first road race stage, a 206km loop from Herning up to the Limfjorden north of Holsterbro, then south along the western coastline including a ride along the 13.2km Thorsminde causeway separating Nissumfjord from the North Sea. Having travelled as far as Ringkobingfjord, they head inland again for a straight 50km run back to Herning. This being Denmark, the parcours is flat all the way - expect to see the likes of Mark Cavendish and Theo Bos showing what they're capable of doing at the end of the stage.

Stages 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 / 11 / 12 / 13 / 14 / 15 / 16 / 17 / 18 / 19 / 20 / 21

Two Days of Bedford
Giro got you in the mood for some hardcore bike action? Craving the sweet scent of chain oil and the thrill of lycra flashing past your face at 45kph? Can't quite stretch to filling up the tanks on the Gulfstream IV for a jolly down to Italy? Well then - if you live anywhere in the British South-East or southern part of the Midlands, you might be interested to know about the Two Days of Bedford.

The long-running event consists of four stages over two days (6th and 7th of May) with a 7.4km team time trial followed by an 80km road race on the Sunday, then a 6.4km individual time trial and an 85km race made up of nine laps of the Milbrook Vehicle Testing Facility. Over the years, it's grown to become one of the premier events on the British women's cycling calendar and now attracts some of the top names in the international sport, including the legendary paralympian Sarah Storey and, riding for the world-famous Matrix Fitness-Prendas team, Hannah Walker (National Derny Champion 2011), Annie Simpson (winner, 2011 Oldham Johnson HealthTech GP), Hannah Rich (Commonwealth Games contender, 2010), Penny Rowson (bronze, National Junior Cyclo Cross Championships), Jessie Walker (winner, Women's Track League 2011) and Sarah Reynolds (Team GB). Matrix Fitness won the 2011 Johnson HealthTech GP Series and is home to European Team Pursuit Champion Dani King, National Pursuit Champion Jo Rowsell and six-time National Cyclo Cross Champion Helen Wyman - an indication of the high level of competition in this race.

Believe me, you will not get more excitement for what it'll cost you to get to this race anywhere in the country (and you won't even have to change your pounds for krone). (More information here)

Lotto Cup Knokke-Bredene
Over on the other side of the North Sea, another women's race in the shape of the Knokke-Bredene took place on Saturday afternoon with one 47.6km main section followed by eight laps of a 7.8km circuit to make a total of 110km.

The race forms part of the Lotto Cycling Cup, a series that aims to bring the best cyclists in the world to Belgium in order to increase the profile of the sport. Among the top names on the start list this year: Irene van der Broek, Laura van der Kamp and Elena Tchalykh (Dolans-Boels); Evelyn Arys and Grace Verbeke (Kleo); Vera Koedooder (Sengers); Christine Majerus (GSD Gestion); Linda Ringlever (NWV Groningen); Nathalie van Gogh and Laura Trott (Ibis); Thalita de Jongh, Iris Slappendel, Roxanne Knetemann, Liesbet de Vocht and Tatiana Antoshina (Rabobank).

Video credit: @Velowijf

It became evident soon after the race began that, barring just about anything short of alien invasion and/or zombie apocalypse, somebody from Rabobank was going to win - just 30km into proceedings they had four riders at the front and never let up from that point onwards, keeping control all the way. Once the race began to near the finish line de Vocht, Knetemann, Else Belmans and Maaike Polspoel (Topsport Vlaanderen-Ridley) attacked, escaping the peloton and forcing speeds upward to tire the pack - and it worked splendidly: in the final 500m, de Vocht put her foot down and launched herself towards the line. Belmans and team mate Maaike Polspoel went after her and managed to hang onto her back wheel all the way, but neither could get ahead.

Top Ten
  1.  Liesbeth De Vocht Rabobank 2h45'01"
  2.  Else Belmans Topsport Vlaanderen-Ridley 2012 ST
  3.  Maaike Polspoel Topsport Vlaanderen-Ridley 2012 ST
  4.  Roxane Knetemann Rabobank +05"
  5.  Sarah Düster Rabobank +19"
  6.  Latoya Brulee Topsport Vlaanderen-Ridley 2012 ST
  7.  Lauren Kitchen Rabobank ST
  8.  Martina Zwick ST
  9.  Kelly Druyts Topsport Vlaanderen-Ridley 2012 ST
  10.  Evelyn Arys Kleo ST
(Full result)

Tour of the Gila

Carmen Small is riding fantastically well
jut to stay anywhere near Kristin
Armstrong, who has perhaps the best
form of any procyclist this season

The Stage 3 individual time trials took place on a 26.6km parcours with two testing climbs - the first, a Category 4, began 2km into the race and involved around 600m of climbing to a summit 1,949, above sea level, though the maximum gradient was not especially challenging. The second is the same mountain, approached from the opposite side on the return journey. It's much steeper when approached from that angle, hence an uprade to Cat 3. The start and finish line was located in Tyrone, a ghost town.

Kristin Armstrong (Exergy Twenty12) apparently plans to win this race by the simple-if-hard-to-achieve method of "completely and utterly dominating the field in every stage," and as a result she won for the third time in a row - and what a win it was: the 38-year-old Tennessean smashed Clara Hughes' time on the same parcours in 2011 by a whole two minutes. What matters more, of course, is she also beat the competition; crossing the line 2'05" faster than Alison Powers (Now and Novartis). Her advantage in the General Classification now stands at 5'01" over second place Carmen Small.

Top Ten
  1.  Kristin Armstrong Exergy Twenty12 37'13"
  2.  Alison Powers Now and Novartis for MS +2'05"
  3.  Carmen Small Optum p/b Kelly Benefit +2'11"
  4.  Tara Whitten Team TIBCO +2'46"
  5.  Jasmin Glaisser Colavita-ESPNW +2'48"
  6.  Anne Samplonius Now and Novartis for MS +3'18"
  7.  Jade Wilcoxson Optum p/b Kelly Benefit +3'28"
  8.  Alison Tetrick Exergy Twenty12 +3'29"
  9.  Calle Williams Colombia NT +3'38"
  10.  Olivia Dillon Now and Novartis for MS +3'50"
(Full results and GC)

Rory Sutherland

Catching Armstrong looks increasingly like an impossible task, but the eventual outcome seems far less certain among the men where Rory Sutherland (UnitedHealthcare Presented By Maxxis) leads the GC by only 26", an advantage that could very easily be lost on the last two stages. Evan Huffman, who has been trying to improve his TT performances, was experimenting with a different bike position and has apparently found one that works because he was the fastest man on the parcours with a finishing time 3" faster than Sutherland. "I think I can call myself a time trialist now," he said after the race.

Top Ten
  1.  Evan Huffman  California Giant     34'23"
  2.  Rory Sutherland UnitedHealthcare Presented By Maxxis +3"
  3.  Joe Dombrowski Bontrager Livestrong +17"
  4.  Jeremy Vennell Bissel Pro +24"
  5.  Lawson Craddock Bontrager Livestrong +38"
  6.  Francisco Mancebo Competitive Cyclist +45"
  7.  Nathaniel English Kenda/5-Hour Energy +50"
  8.  Ian Burnett Competitive Cyclist +52"
  9.  Benjamin Day UnitedHealthcare Presented By Maxxis +56"
  10.  Marc De Maar UnitedHealthcare Presented By Maxxis ST
(Full results and GC)

Tour of the Gila Stage 4

Stage 4 is an urban criterium race around a 1.74km square Silver City parcours with three bonus sprints and course hazards that include, according to the race bible, "rough pavement and errant pedestrians." The Pro Women will complete 25 laps to make a total of 43.5km, the Pro Men 40 laps for 69.5km.

Nick Nuyens still suffering
SaxoBank's Nick Nuyens was left disappointed after his Four Days of Dunkirk comeback, the injured hip he sustained in Paris-Nice two months ago making it impossible for him to ride as well as he'd hoped.

"I saw the fugitives still pulling away, but I couldn't respond," he told Het Niuewslad. "My hip still hurts, much more than I had expected after the training. The muscles around the hip are still weak, so I was uncomfortable on the bike. This was no fluke - I hope it'll improve given time."

Railways wins Pakistan Women's Nationals

Afghan Women's Team in training

Pakistan Railways won overall at the Pakistan Women's Championships on Thursday night, accumulating a total of 177 points at the Lahore velodrome during the event. Education High Commission took second with 160 points while Punjab was third with 86. The real stars of the Championships, however, have been the Afghan Women's team - despite hailing from a nation where until not too long ago any woman caught doing anything even remotely resembling a competitive sport would be publicly beheaded and although there are no races to speak of in Afghanistan, they won a number of medals and took fourth place overall with 68 points.

The Afghan women, the first foreign team to be invited to the race, impressed sufficiently for organisers to say they'll look into the possiblity of inviting teams from other Central Asian nations in future. Their performance was also a great encouragement for the athletes themselves - "I know that it will take time to win at an international level," says rider Karishma Ibadi, "but as sports grow we will be able to produce good players who will win abroad."

Other News
Team NetApp, competing in the Giro on a wildcard invitation this year, have had their first bout of misfortune - their bus was broken into and damaged on Friday night. Thieves got away with the vehicle's GPS system and items of the riders' clothing and shoes. So, if you happen to be in Herning and somebody offers you a cheap jersey that looks like the one on the left (probably without Reto Hollenstein in it), don't buy it and notify the police.

Peter Stetina (Garmin-Barracuda) escaped injury when he was hit by a car during a training ride yesterday. The incident was reported as a hit-and-run but, the rider - who has been given the go-ahead to start the Giro - praises the driver, telling Wielerland that he/she "was attentive and the car just came in contact with my rear wheel."

"Latecomer Schleck finds Giro course to his liking" (The Independent)

Heather Moyse had already made
her name in both bobsleigh and
rugby before coming to cycling

"Canadian gold medalist Heather Moyse becomes triple-threat with cycling success" (Calgary Herald)

"They just don't come any tougher than cycling's double world champion Laura Trott" (Daily Telegraph)

"Reasons to get excited about cycling this summer" (The Guardian)

"Reviving a cycling legend" (That's Greg Lemond, btw. SFGate, USA)

"Reta Trotman graduates in style at Nationals" (NZHerald)

"Pursuit squad thrilled with Kiwi made super sleek racer" (NZHerald)

"High school league fills niche" (PE, California)

Cycling
Newswire
Britain
"As far as oiling the wheels of big City deals goes, cycling is the new golf" (Daily Telegraph)

"Urban cycling: top 10 safety tips" (The Guardian)

"Cyclist badly hurt by deer" (Diss Express)

Worldwide
"Packs of cyclists need to obey traffic laws" (Times Colonist, Canada)