Cyclopunk's News Digest 23-24.03.12

 Today's News: Julian Simon wins Volta a Catalunya Stage 5 (video!) - Boonen wins E3 (video!) - Kevin van Impe announces retirement - Tiernan-Locke out of Coppi e Bartali, Ulissi takes Stage - Provisional Critérium International start list released

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Volta a Catalunya Stage 5

The Volta a Catalunya never really leaves the mountains, but no stage this year can replace what would have been a spectacular Stage 3 - spectacular, that is, had it not have been cut short by heavy snow. Stage 5 came closest, meanwhile; with 207.1km, a 930m Category 2 and a 650m Cat 1 it could be considered a substitute Queen.

The start line was in Ascó on the Ebre river, a village made famous by two things - the excellent local fishing and a nuclear power station; the latter being the site of a radiation leak in November 2007 (which wasn't reported to the Spanish Nuclear Safety Council until April the following year), then after a very short downhill section in the first few kilometres, the terrain swung upward and then upward some more, reaching the 552m summit of La Granadella after 40km. Another short descent followed, then the riders headed into the sky again for that Cat 2, Villanova da Prade. A much longer descent encouraged high speeds down to Montblanc, at 390m considerably shorter than its namesake and in fact the lowest point for the next 50km or so, then they were heading upwards once more on the uncategorised 725m Sant Coloma de Queralt before more downhilling into a 45km section between Igualada and Monistrol de Montserrat with just a few small (but reasonably steep) climbs.

Cat 1 Alt de Montserrat was next and the point where the final outcome began to take shape. Cyclopunk's choices today were Michael Albasini (GreenEDGE), Denis Menchov (Katusha) and Rigoberto Uran (Sky). It was the 25-year-old Colombian from Sky who came closest to expectations, looking very much as though he was going to take a second consecutive win until Julien Simon (Saur-Sojasun) got the better of him in the final sprint and took the glory.

GreenEDGE continued as they did yesterday, rallying together around Albasini who, due to the decision not to count Stage 3's results towards the General Classification, unexpectedly remains race leader. With two stages left to race, it makes sense - with just one Cat 2 and six Cat 3s remaining, the Swiss rider's luck looks increasingly as though it might last. (Full results when available)

E3 Prijs

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If mountains aren't your thing (there are, apparently, a few cyclists out there who don't like 'em), then some down 'n' dirty cobbled Flanders action is probably what you're after - in which case, the legendary E3 Prijs Vlaanderen - Harelbeke on Friday was almost certainly right up wour cobbled street.

The UCI 1.HC-rated race that started in 1958 is for many fans a Monument in all but name, the latter half of its 203km studded with plenty of the near-vertical grinds that characterise Flanders races. The 2012 edition appears little changed from 2011; which is a good thing, because it means the riders faced some of the  some of the most dreaded hills in the region: De Muur with a maximum gradient of 19.8%; La Houppe, which at its steepest is "only" 10% but extends for 3.44km; Berg Stene, max. 17%; Boigneberg, max. 15%; Eikenberg, max. 11% but cobbled for 1.2km; Taaienberg, max. 18% and cobbled for 1.25km; Paterberg, the toughest of them all at max. 20% with cobbles for almost 0.4km; then Knokteberg and Tiegemberg, max. 13.3% and 9% in the final 25km. There are various cobbled sections thrown in for good measure too, such as Holleweg and the (in)famous Paddestraat. (Course guide)

Tom Boonen scores a record 5th E3 win
(image credit: DarkSideX CC BY-SA 2.0)

Cyclopunk was predicting a win for RadioShack-Nissan's Cancellara and the Swiss rider would certainly have liked one after coming so close at Milan-San Remo the day before his birthday last week, but it was not to be. His day got off to a bad start with a crash soon after the race began - fortunately he was unhurt and lost little time; but in the next few kilometres he was seen on at least two occasions to dab a foot on the road in order to stay upright, evidence perhaps that he might have been a little off-colour. In the Flanders Classics, the parcours has as much of a say in deciding the winner as riders' strength and skill and does - when the 31-year-old got a puncture not much further up the road it began to look as though today wasn't going to be his day. A second crash and two more punctures confirmed it and he had to settle for 22nd place.

Bad luck also befell Garmin-Barracuda's David Millar - a rider who has known more than his fair share of bad luck over the years. The 35-year-old crashed and broke the same collarbone he broke in the 2009 Paris-Nice. Second breaks often being more complicated, he may now need to undergo invasive surgery to repair it. Carlos Barredo (Rabobank) was also hurt. The 30-year-old collided with Cancellara who was changing a wheel on Oude Kwaaremont. As tends to be the way in a collision with Spartacus, who is 1.86m of solid bone and muscle, Barredo came off second best - he landed heavily on his arm and was confirmed to have broken it by his team some time after the race.

Things went much better for Tom Boonen of Omega Pharma-QuickStep, a team that is enjoying a phenomenal start to the season. Having spent the race concentrating on getting through with a good time, he waited as team mate Sylvain Chavanel recruited Astana's Dmitriy Muravyev into a two-man escape as the race entered the final 7km - a clever move which sent Sky and Vacansoleil into a flurried, successful attack to catch them and bring them back to the pack. One or two others had a go but got nowhere as the top teams began to ready themselves in the last 3km, then Sky stepped up the tempo going into the sprint. Boonen seemed to have left it too late but then outsprinted sneaky Oscar Freire who had been patiently lurking among the pack with an impressive display power, throwing himself over the line to a record fifth victory. Freire took a deserved second, followed by Sky's Bernhard Eisel in third. (Full results when available)

Kevin van Impe retires from racing

Kevin van Impe - nephew of Lucien, winner of the 1976 Tour de France - has announced his retirement after what his Vacansoleil-DCM team called "years of bad luck" when revealing the news via Twitter.

"Kevin approached us this winter to ask if he'd be able to help the team leaders in their Spring Classics campaign," says manager Daan Luijkx. "It's unfortunate that he won't be doing that, but his happiness is more importnat. I think he is wise to take this decision and I wish him all the best with his family."

"I feel relieved to have made the decision," the 31-year-old says. "I'm very pleased with the support the team have given me in recent months and happy that they respect my choice." 

Van Impe was at the centre of a controversy in 2008 when anti-doping officials demanded he provided a sample after approaching him at a crematorium where he was making funeral arrangements for his son, then threatened to sanction him if he refused. Shocked at the insensitivity, riders mounted protests at Paris-Nice and Tirreno-Adriatico that year and no charges were brought.

Other News

Britain's best hope at the Settimana Coppi e Bartali, 27-year-old Jonathan Tiernan-Locke, has been forced to abandon the race after contracting a stomach complaint. Currently leading the UCI Europe Tour, the Endura Racing rider will not concentrate on making a full recovery as soon as possible to preserve his advantage. Diego Ulissi (Lampre-ISD) won a second consecutive stage victory in Friday's Stage 5 after beating Danilo di Luca (Acqua&Sapone) over the line, while NetApp's Bartosz Huzarski took a sufficiently good time in third place to go to tomorrow's final stage time trial as race leader, 10" ahead of di Luca. Neither man is especially well-known for their TTs, so at this moment the outcome is impossible to predict.

Critérium International organisers have released a provisional start list. The famous event is due to take place over three stages and 275km this weekend.

Tweets

Koen de Kort ‏ @koendekort
Having no skin left on your entire right side of the body looks like this (all bandaged up) 

Cyclopunk's News Digest 16-17.03.12

Today's News: E3 Harebeke - Women's Cycling this weekend - Chicchi wins Handzame Classic - Cav and Boonen on Milan-San Remo - Flecha for Dwars door Vlaanderen - Gilbert backs Spartacus 

The big E3 fight - Boonen v. Cancellara

Altimetry - click for enlargement

Friday the 23rd of March brings us the legendary E3 Harelbeke: 203km of Flandrian cobbles, devastatingly steep climbs and, in all but official designation, a Classic. The climbs, as with those faced in the Tour of Flanders one week later, are short but notoriously difficult; challenging for their steepness and in many cases made worse by cobbles. The first of the big ones is the fabled De Muur, climbed in the opposite direction to the Tour of Flanders, 1.075km in length and reaching only 92m - while an average gradient of 9.3% and maximum of 19.8% ensure that while the race is unlikely to be won here (at halfway, it's too early),  it can most certainly be lost. D'Hoppe follows at 120km in the forested Henegouwen, then there are a further eleven along the way to the finish line including the Kwaremont - a name that tellingly derives from the ancient Gallo-Roman for "square mountain."

First held in 1958 (though it developed from races held here since 1955) when it was won by Armand Desmet, the unusual name comes from the E3 motorway that has since been renamed the A14 - and this year the race looks all set to offer an epic battle as Tom Boonen, Belgian winner of a record four consecutive editions between 2004 and 2007, seeks to wrestle victory from the mighty Swiss Fabian Cancellara who won in 2010 and 2011. It's a tough one - don't miss it. (Start list / parcours details)

Women still at work this weekend
Milan-San Remo dominates the European racing scene this weekend and the press will all but ignore everything else as a result. However, women's cycling continues as always, with two major events taking place. The first is the Classica Cita di Padova, a UCI 1.2 covering 113.8km of beautiful countryside over in the north-eastern corner of Italy this Saturday. It's one of the biggest events to fall at this time of year and provides an excellent opportunity for the teams to get some race miles under their tyres during Classics season, so several top teams are sending their very best riders.

Emma Johansson for Padova

(image credit: Eriohm CC BY 3.0)

Specialized-Lululemon and GreenEDGE, both enjoying fantastic first seasons this year, look like having the best chances at victory - Lululemon have Trixi Worrack, Ina Yoko Teutenberg, Chloe Hosking, Emilia Fahlin and Evelun Stevens on board while GreenEDGE have Judith Arndt, Loes Gunnewijk, Claudia Haussler, Tiffany Cromwell and Alexis Rhodes; all of them riders capable of winning this race. Cyclopunk will be backing Emma Johansson from Hitec Products- Mistral Home, meanwhile - following some superb results while still testing herself following the double broken collarbone she suffered in an accident earlier this year, this is the perfect opportunity for the 28-year-old Swede to let the world know she's back and every bit as good as before. (Start list.)

Bergseth for Cholet
(image credit. Hitec Products-Mistral Home)

On Sunday, we have the 9th edition Cholet Pays de Loire Dames - a tough race featuring four laps of an often rain-soaked 29.5km circuit. Cyclopunk likes the look of Hitec Products-Mistral Home's chances in this one, too - Johanne Bergseth and Lise Nostvold seem to have the form to win right now, but Pascale Jeuland's Vienne Futurscope and a strong Topsport Vlaanderen 2012-Ridley won't let them do so unchallenged. If you need to satisfy your cycling addiction in the wake of Milan-San Remo, this is undoubtedly the event with what you need. (Map and altimetry / start list.)

Cheeky Chicchi grabs second win this week
Francesco Chicchi has won the second edition of the UCI 1.1 Handzame Classic, which took place on  Friday the 16th of March on a route with some reasonably difficult climbs. This is the second victory in three days for the 31-year-old Italian of Omega Pharma-QuickStep - he won the Nokere Koerse on Wednesday.

A 15-man break got away early in the race but were not permitted to get anywhere, being reeled back in after achieving a lead of no more than 30". Four others tried again with 30km to go but they too failed, being caught within the last 7km where the peloton regrouped for a predicted bunch sprint to the line. 1t4i's Marcel Kittel was second and BMC's British rider Adam Blythe took third. (Start list / parcours / results.)

Cav on MSR: "We've got it covered"
Mark Cavendish is confident that Team Sky can propel him to a second victory at Saturday's Milan-San Remo. The race, which is the first Monument of the 2012 season, is also known as La Primavera and the sprinter's classic - the latter epithet ensuring that Cav, widely considered the fastest sprinter cycling has yet produced, was always going to be a favourite.

Cav: "We've got it covered."
(image credit: Richard Masoner CC BY-SA 2.0)

"This year I have great form, the team is strong, the spirit is good, we're strong enough to deal with anything," the 26-year-old told Cycling Weekly. Meanwhile, the Missile has said he may decide to leave this year's Tour de France before the race ends in order to concentrate on the Olympics. "Mark has said he wants to finish the Tour, but if he knows he can win the Olympics he will take the final week day by day," coach Rod Ellingworth told The Guardian. Doing so would prove popular with those British fans who follow sports in general, but less so among the dedicated cycling fans who make up the core of Cav's following. For us, the Tour is the ultimate: Olympic gold, even when won in London, will never be worth as much as a green jersey won in France. (Milan-San Remo will be live on British Eurosport from 13:15. Check times in other nations. Team Sky have various interactive coverage going on all day.)

Boonen on MSR: "I'm not afraid of Cav"

Tom Boonen has dominated the
Classics - except this one
(image credit: Tete de la Course CC BY-SA 2.0)

Omega Pharma-Quickstep's Tom Boonen established himself as one of the top Classics specialists of the last three decades some time ago, but Milan-San Remo has always remained just out of his reach. Things may change this year, the 31-year-old Belgian believes.

"I have confidence in a good outcome," he told Het Nieuwesblad. "If I have the legs that I had in 2010, I can win on Saturday." This race is known as the Sprinter's Classic and Team Sky's Mark Cavendish is known as the fastest sprinter in the world, but Boonen is mindful of the fact that if Cav's going to win in the last section beyond the Poggio climb he's got to first ride 292km. "Intrinsically, it is the fastest [who will win]," he says, "but after 300km it's a different kind of sprint. I'm not afraid to take him on."

Other News
Sky's Juan Antonio Flecha, recovering from a hand injury, will not ride Milan-San Remo but plans a return to competition next Wednesday (21st of March) when he will take part in the Dwars door Vlaanderen. Team mate Mark Cavendish will also ride, despite the tough climbs in the second half making this seem somewhat less than idea territory for him. For Flecha, it's all about getting used to the cobbles - the 34-year-old, who has performed so well in the Northern Classics that he's earned the nickname The Spanish Flandrian, has a greater goal firmly within his sights: "I don't think I will be on top form at the Dwars door Vlaanderen, but I will give it my all," he says. "Then I can be at my best and fight for victory at Paris-Roubaix."

Philippe Gilbert rates Fabian Cancellara as the favourite for Milan-San Remo and admits that his own form has not been good so far this season. “My feeling is that Cancellara [is the favorite] for a fortnight, in the races he likes: Milan-San Remo, the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix,” he told VeloNews.

Tweets

Andreas Klier ‏ @KlierAndreas
In my opinion 2morrow we are not in the position to say we are favorites for the MSR12-Race..but that's fine.Our spirit will carry us far..