On this day in 1967 Eddy Merckx - World Champion but yet to win a Grand Tour - married Claudine Acou, the daughter of the national team coach Lucien Acou who had himself been a professional cyclist during the 1940s and 1950s. During the service - which was conducted in French at the request of Merckx's mother, causing controversy in Belgium as Merckx is a Fleming - the priest told the couple, "You are now started on a tandem race; believe me, it will not be easy." It turned out to be yet another racing success for Merckx - they're still married now, nearly half a century later.
Jo Rowsell
Joanna Rowsell
Happy birthday to Joanna Rowsell, born in Carlshalton, London on this day in 1988. Rowsell was discovered by talent scouts from British Cycling while she was still at Nonsuch school in 2004 (the school places especial emphasis on science and sport; professional tennis player Melanie South is another ex-pupil) and, within a year, was winning National Championships as a junior rider. In 2008, Rowsell signed a contract with Halfords Bikehut, the team created around Nicole Cooke, and enjoyed a spectacular year in which she won the Team Pursuits at the World Championships (with Wendy Houvenaghel and Rebecca Romero), the European Under-23 Championships (with Lizzie Armitstead and Katie Colclough) and at the Manchester and Melbourne rounds of the World Cup (again with Armitstead and Colclough). In addition, she won the Individual Pursuit at Manchester and three road races in Belgium. She joined up with Armitstead and Colclough again to win the Team Pursuit at Copenhagen in 2009, then with Armitstead and Houvenaghel to win the same event at the Worlds and at Manchester.
2011 was an excellent year for Rowsell with victory in the Individual and Team Pursuit (with Houvenaghel and Sarah Storey) at Manchester followed by the Team Pursuit at the European Track Championships. 2012 was even better - at the London round of the World Cup, she won the Team Pursuit (with Dani King and Laura Trott, the Individual Pursuit and the 3km; then went to the Olympics and, with King and Trott, won the Team Pursuit there too, setting three new world records in the process.
In 2013, riding for the British Wiggle-Honda team owned and managed by Rochelle Gilmore, Rowsell made a return to road racing and won the National Individual Time Trial Championship, an indication that at 25 years of age she may have a whole new career still ahead of her. She is not yet finished on the track, however - that same year, she rode with King, Trott and Elinor Barker to win the Team Pursuits at the Nationals and at Manchester, also winning the Individual Pursuit at the latter.
Sylvère Maes
Maes, with tyre around shoulders
On this day in 1966, Belgian cyclist Sylvère Maes died; the winner of the 1936 (with four stage wins) and 1939 (two stage wins) Tours de France (the latter being the last one until 1947, despite Nazi attempts to resurrect the race during their occupation of the country). He won the King of the Mountains alongside the second victory and, in 1933, Paris-Roubaix. He was 57, having been born on the 27th of August 1909 in Zevekote. People commonly make the mistake of assuming Romain Maes, who won the Tour in 1935, was Sylvère's brother; but they were not related - nevertheless, 1935/6 are the only consecutive years in Tour history won by riders with the same surname.
1937 became known as one of the most miserable, unpleasant-to-ride Tours in history. The old rivalries between French and Belgian spectators turn ugly and threaten to flare up into real violence - Maes and his fellow Belgian, the independent Gustaaf Deloor looked to be in real danger of a beating when aggressive fans surrounded them at the end of Stage 16 in Bordeaux, angered that the two men had ducked under a level crossing barrier and ran across the tracks before continuing, while Belgian fans (and some riders) claimed that the barrier had been deliberately lowered to hold them up and prevent another Belgian win. The Belgians also complained that French fans had stoned them and thrown pepper in their eyes. In disgust, Maes pulled the team out and they returned home. Anti-foreign sentiments among the French and Belgians were unpleasant, but something much, much darker and uglier had appeared in the race - the swastika of Nazi Germany, worn on the jerseys of the German team.
In 1939, Sylvère had the honour of winning the first mountain time trial ever featured in the Tour (Stage 16b). Earlier in the race, he'd had some problems with his domestique Edward Vissers when he decided to attack during Stage 9 rather than ride support and went on to win the stage. Maes, however, was still able to climb to 2nd place in the General Classification, but was two minutes behind race leader René Vietto at the start of Stage 15 when they entered the Alps. Vietto was known as a superb climber, but Maes felt that he was the stronger man and turned up the heat on the way into Briançon, breaking away and finishing the stage an astonishing 17 minutes before his rival. When he completed the time trial, which ran over 64km from Bonneval to Bourg-Saint-Maurice, 10 minutes faster his victory was as good as set in stone provided he kept up a decent pace over the final stages and avoided accidents. In the end, he added more time and rode into Paris with an advantage of 30'38". He'd also won the Mountains Classification.
Bernard Sulzberger
Bernard Sulzberger
Born on this day in 1983 in Beaconsfield, Tasmania, Bernard Sulzberger earned his first victory when he won Stage 2 at the Tour of Sunraysia in Australia in 2002. Three years later, he won another stage at the Tour of Tasmania, then another at the Tour of Murray River, where he was second overall, which brought him to the attention of the British Driving Force Logistics-Cycling News-Litespeed team with whom he signed a contract for 2006 and with whom he remained for two seasons, picking up podium stage finishes at the Tour of Chongming Island, the Tour of Tasmania (where he was third overall) and the Herald Sun Tour.
In 2008, Sulzberger moved to the Letua team based in Malaysia and, having managed two podium stage finishes at the Tour of East Java and four at the International Cycling Classic, won Stage 1 and the first General Classification of his career at the Tour of Gippsland. Later in the season, he came top three on three stages at the Tour of Murray River and was third overall, then won the Cronulla GP. For the first time in 2009, he rode for an Australian team, Fly V Australia, and would stay for three years. In the first he won stages at the Bay Classic, the Tour of Atlanta and the Tour de Beuce, then two and the General Classification at the International Cycling Classic, another at the Tour of Utah and two one-day races before finishing the season with one third place, four second places, one stage win and the General Classification at the Tour of Tasmania. In the second, a stage apiece at the Joe Martin Stage Race and the International Cycling Classic; in the third one stage at the Bay Classic.
For 2012, Sulzberger signed to another British team, Raleigh-GAC, and had a successful season racing in Britain including one victory at Stoke-on-Trent. He returned to Australian teams in 2013 with Drapac and won the Tour of Taiwan, then a stage at the Tour of Tasmania.
Sulzberger's younger brother Wesley is also a professional cyclist, riding in 2013 with Orica-GreenEDGE.
Gianni Meersman
Born at Tielt on this day in 1985, sprinter Gianni Meersman is a member of one of Belgium's cycling dynasties - his brother Luigi was Novice 500m National Champion in 2003, his father Luc won bronze at the Junior National Championships of 1978 and enjoyed a reasonably successful professional career in the mid-1980s, and his grandfather Maurice raced professionally for a number of teams in the 1940s and 1950s, winning the GP Briek Schotte in 1947, Stage 1 at the Tour of the Netherlands in 1949 and second place at the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad in 1950. Gianni first showed real promise when he became National Novice Omnium Champion in 2001, a success that he followed up by winning the National Junior Pursuit Championship a year later - he was also second in the Points race, and at the National Junior Individual Time Trial Championship and the Junior Trofee van Vlaanderen, and in 2004 he won the Circuit de Hainaut.
Gianni Meersman
Early in 2005, Meersman won Stage 1 at the Under-23 Ronde de l'Isard d'Ariège and then three stages plus the General Classification at the Tour de la Province de Namur, which brought a trainee contract with Lotto-Davitamon. More good results, including victory at Pittem-Sint Godelieve and a stage win at the Tour de la Province de Namur came in 2006, and in 2007 he moved to the Discovery Channel team that was then home to some of the most successful riders in the world including Ivan Basso, Alberto Contador, George Hincapie and Levi Leipheimer; with them, he won stages at the Tour of Georgia and the Österreich-Rundfahrt, but at the end of the season Discovery withdrew from cycling and the team closed. He moved on to La Française des Jeux, with which he would remain through the team's various incarnations through to the end of 2011, and in 2008 won a stage at the Tour de la Region Wallonne before going to his first Grand Tour, the Vuelta a Espana: he did not finish the race, but managed an impressive 13th place on Stage 4. 2009 was a quieter year without victory, but in 2010 he returned to the Vuelta and further impressed with 16th place on Stage 6 and 14th place on Stage 19. 2011 was even better: second place at Paris-Troyes, Stage 2 and the General Classification at the Circuit des Ardennes, eighth at the Brabantse Pijl and a silver medal at the National Road Race Championship where he led a three-strong group that finished just 2" behind Philippe Gilbert, then rode his first Tour de France and came 14th on Stage 3, 17th on Stage 10, 15th on Stage 11 and 18th on Stage 13.
Française des Jeux became FDJ in 2012 and was demoted to Pro Continental status; Meersman, however, had by now amassed sufficient good results to negotiate a new Pro Tour contract and switched to Lotto-Belisol. Early in the season he won stages at the Volta ao Algarve and Paris-Nice, then put in a good showing at the Tours of the Basque Country and de Romandie prior to his first attempt at the Giro d'Italia, which he did not finish. Second place overall at the Tour de la Region Wallonne and third at the Clasica San Sebastian proved he had the fitness to go to the Vuelta and he once again impressed, finishing Stage 2 in eighth place, Stage 5 in third place (his best in a Grand Tour to date), Stage 7 in sixth place, Stage 9 in ninth place, Stage 10 in fourth place and Stage 19 in fifth place. His results on the mountain stages, unfortunately, were not so good, and he was 57th overall.
Meersman began 2013 with Lotto-Belisol, but then announced in February that he would complete the season with Omega Pharma-QuickStep. He won two stages apiece at the Volta a Catalunya and the Tour de Romandie, then after taking two second places and one third won the Points competition at the Critérium du Dauphiné, his most prestigious victory to date. Returning to the Vuelta later that year, he continued to finish high up on the sprint stages but once again victory eluded him - third on Stages 1 and 5, fourth on Stages 4 and 21, fifth on Stage 12 and eighth on Stage 6. coming 58th overall. Now 28, Meersman is at about the right age to achieve the greatest moments of his career and 2014 may prove to be a glorious year for him.
Retired Australian track rider Martin Vinnicombe was born today in Melbourne, 1964. In 1991, Vinnicombe received a two-year ban after testing positive for steroids - however, the ban was subsequently overturned as he had been given the medicine by his doctor to treat tendon damage.
On this day in 1935, Hubert Opperman set a new 24-hour road record in Melbourne, Australia when he covered 813.93km. Opperman rode his bike every day from the age of 8 until he was 90 when his wife Mavys made him give it up because she was worried for his safety.
Bruno Cenghialta, born on this day in Montecchio Maggiore in 1962, was an Italian professional who won Stage 14 of the 1991 Tour de France, the Coppa Bernocchi in 1994 and Stage 3 at the Tour in 1995. In retirement, he became a directeur sportif for Acqua & Sapone-Caffè Mokambo.
Bicycle Victoria, the largest membership cycling organisation in Australia and one of the largest in the world, was officially incorporated and renamed on this day in 2005 - having started 30 years previously as the Bicycle Institute of Victoria.
Other cyclists born on this day: Lionel Cox (Australia, 1930, died 2010); Craig Percival (Great Britain, 1972); Leen Buis (Netherlands, 1906, died 1986); Rosman Alwi (Malaysia, 1961); Pinit Koeykorpkeo (Thailand, 1951); Nicolas Reidtler (Venezuela, 1947); Heath Blackgrove (New Zealand, 1980); Valery Likhachov (USSR, 1947); Cor Heeren (Netherlands, 1900, died 1976); Antal Megyerdi (Hungary, 1939); Robert Fowler (South Africa, 1931, died 2001); Valentin Mikhaylov (USSR, 1929); Brad Huff (USA, 1979).
Giro Stage 7 (video) - Meersman abandons - Chongming World Cup start list - Tour of California - Bruyneel subpoena - Ruiter Dakkapellen closes women's team - New team for Davide Rebellin - Scott-Contessa struck by thieves - British riders recreate 1955 Peace Race - The news you might have missed - BBC Radio to broadcast Beryl Burton play
Giro d'Italia Stage 7
Paolo Tiralongo
Saturday's parcours (are we really a week into the Giro already?) extended over 205km between Recanati and Rocca di Cambio (the highest village in the Apennines, where evidence of an earthquake in 2009 can still be seen despite the wealth the Campo Felice ski resort has brought). Like Stage 6, it was rated as a medium mountain stage, but the Cat 3 and Cat 2 along the way are far more like proper mountains than Friday's hills - the Cat 3 rises to 1,190m and the Cat 2 to 1,392m (British fans should remember that this "medium mountain" is 48m higher than Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in the British Isles) and as we've seen over the last couple of stages, Giro organisers use a system all of their own when hinting at how difficult a stage might be.
Recanati was established as a city in 1150CE, growing up from villages that formed around three castles and became an independent republic 140 years later, but two necropolises dating from Neolithic times are evidence that the region was inhabited long before that. After a short downhill section over the first 5km, most of the first half of the race headed upwards with five hills leading to Cat 2 Col Galluccio some 96.1km into the race. A fast descent led into a long climb up an uncategorised 1,152km mountain (142km), then the riders enjoyed a chance to recover on a 46km descent to a little hill that came just before the 800m climb to the final few kilometres. The final 3km of this stage looked difficult on paper and seemed guaranteed to make a sprint finish improbable: the first 1.38km descended around 70m, then the remainder swung steeply upward and climbed 92m in a little over 1.6km; hitting a gradient of 10% over one 100m section 0.5km from the finish line. (Profile, final 3km)
Ryder Hesjedal
Reto Hollenstein (NetApp), Matteo Rabbotini (Farnese Vini-Selle Italia), Fumiyuki Beppu (Orica-GreenEDGE) and Mirko Selvaggi (Vacansoleil-DCM) took off early in the stage and had grabbed a lead of 7'05" after just 27km. As the stage drew towards its end, it was obvious that Mark Cavendish (Sky) fully realised how close he came to disaster yesterday when he finished within a minute of the time limit - keeping himself securely in the most populous part of the peloton, he let the momentum of the pack carry him up the hills.
As the finish line came within sight, José Herrada (Movistar) had a 100m lead but was rapidly caught and dropped, then Michele Scarponi (Lampre-ISD) powered away and must have believed he had it in the bag - but Paolo Tiralongo (Astana) was on him, following in his slipstream. The two Italians battled all the way over the last 300m, then Tiralongo fired up the afterburners with 100m to go, muscled his way past and was first over the line for the second Giro stage win of his career before collapsing on the cobbles completely exhausted. Frank Schleck was a slightly unexpected third, suggesting that RadioShack-Nissan manager Johan Bruyneel's emergency training camps after the Schlecks' dismal Classics campaign worked, while Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin-Barracuda) was fifth and becomes the new race leader with a 15" advantage over Tiralongo. He is the first Canadian to wear the maglia rosa leader's jersey.
Stage 8 is another medium mountain parcours (profile) over 229km between Sulmona and Lago Laceno. Sulmona - once home to the poet Ovid - lies on the flat and fertile Valle Peligna, formed when a prehistoric lake was filled in a a result of a series of earthquakes; but the riders head skywards almost immediately as they climb the uncategorised 1,284m Piano delle Cinque Miglia. The descent is gentle at first, then becomes steep before a short flat section followed by a smaller climb preceding a fast 10km descent to the foot of the day's first opportunity for King of the Mountains points, Cat 4 Valico di Macerone (684m, 61.9km). The middle section, from 65.5km to 197.3km, is hilly rather than mountainous with nothing too challenging; the highest point (Montemerano, 836m, 193.5km) coming at the end of a long, rather than steep, climb. The last climb, Colle Molella, is far more difficult - from 212.2km it ascends 589m to the 1087m summit in 12.2km, giving an average gradient of only around 7%, but more like 12% at the steepest point according to Climbbybike. Depending on the combined effect of all those little hills along the way, this is a stage that could conceivably go to a sprinter: the final 3km are flat with a left-hand turn leading into the last 500m.
The weather on Sunday isn't going to impress - there's a 90% chance of rain and temperature highs of 14C will feel much cooler at altitude. Winds should be no stronger than 19kph.
Gianni Meersman (Lotto-Belisol), who was reported by
Sportwereld to be suffering from a "tilted pelvis" this morning, has become the fifth rider to abandon this year's Giro after experiencing problems climbing some 70km into Saturday's Stage 7. The 26-year-old Belgian explained that while he could have finished the stage and possibly even remained competitive on future flat stages, he felt it unwise to risk compounding the problem that stems from a crash in Stage 2.
Tour of Chongming Island World Cup start list
Click to enlarge
Tour of California
Among many (European) fans, there is still a feeling that US races are insignificant frivolities, at best gaudy sideshow entertainment to keep us entertained between the grand European tours and at worst amateur attempts by the the upstart American racing scene to emulate the splendour across the Atlantic.
It's complete rubbish, of course. The Americans gave the world several of the best riders both male and female of the last three decades, they make some of the finest bikes in the world, several of their races are spectacular - how could they not be in a nation that has such a varied, beautiful landscape and so much of it - and the Tour of California, which feels far more venerable than an event in only its sixth year, is the best of them all.
Stage 1
The Tour returns this year in its usual eight stage format covering 1,180.5km, starting in Santa Rosa on the 13th of May and ending in Los Angeles on the 13th. Along the way, it visits San Franciso, San Jose, Big Bear Lake and Beverley Hills, as well as climbing mountains as high as 2,210m. Stage 1 starts in Santa Rosa (home to three-time winner Levi Leipheimer, who is racing this year but will not contest the title due to ongoing problems with injuries caused when he was hit by a car earlier this year), taking a 186.5km route first north, then west to the coast before heading south and east back to Santa Rosa. There are several climbs: an uncategorised 230m hill at 70km, three categorised hills rising to 457m (Cazadero and two climbs on Fort Ross Road) in a 20km section starting at 100km and a fifth to around 270m at 149km (Coleman Valley). At 175km, the parcours flattens out and rises only slightly on the approach to the finish line, meaning this stage is likely to end in a sprint. There are two intermediate sprints, the first coming after 52.2km, the second after 142.8km
Bruyneel served US subpoena?
According to widespread rumours, RadioShack-Nissan boss Johan Bruyneel was served with a subpoena as he stepped off his plane and onto US soil this week on his way to the Tour of California. Though the rumours remain unconfirmed, it doesn't take a huge leap of the imagination to connect the story to Floyd Landis, who rode for Bruyneel's US Postal team between 2002-2004 and is currently subject to federal investigation related to the "Floyd Fairness Fund" he set up to pay for his legal team when he was accused of doping. (More)
Ruiter Dakkapellen closes women's team
It's always a sad occasion when a cycling team is forced to come to an end. A team is not an easy thing to put together, and keeping it together is even more difficult - managers, helpers and, away from the big salary glitz of the men's ProTour, riders put in a great deal of effort, more frequently inspired by their love of the sport than by the salaries they might receive. Even more sad is when a team facing financial hardship takes the all too common decision to save money by closing down its women's team, as has been the case with Ruiter Dakkapellen now that their main sponsor has gone bankrupt.
It's not the team management's fault, really. After all, in times when even high-profile squads such as the legendary HTC-Highroad can fall by the wayside when new backing can't be found, securing sponsorship for a relatively little-known men's team such as Ruiter is a task that would challenge Hercules. Doing the same for a women's team, when women's cycling is entirely ignored by the majority of the media and has suffered for years from what sometimes seems almost willful neglect at the hands of the UCI, would be enough to make Hercules throw his hands in the air and give up. Perhaps the managers will be fortunate and find a new company to sponsor the men. The chances of doing the same for the women is unlikely, so they're forced to release the riders so that they can seek contracts elsewhere.
Can the UCI help to prevent this happening? Almost certainly. They could provide more financial assistance to races - several have found themselves in difficulty recently, and races are what create exposure. They could also encourage more race organisers to run women's races alongside men's races, as has already been done at many of the Flanders Classics and at Britain's Halfords Tour Series - and in both cases has generated increased interest. They could create a dedicated women's cycling commission to look into what needs to be done if women's cycling is to be saved and listen more to the riders and managers, many of whom have some extremely interesting ideas. Will they? Past experiences suggest not.
Good luck Joan Boskamp, Ilona Hoeksma, Anne Heijkoop, Britt Jochems, Nathalie van Katwijk, Tessa van Nieuwpoort, Julia Soek, Lisanne Soemanta, Noortje Tabak, Annelies Visser, Hannah Welter and Melanie Woering. See you all on a parcours soon.
New team for Davide Rebellin
The 40-year-old, who returned to cycling with Christina Watches-Onfone last year from a two-year suspension after he tested positive for EPO-variant CERA at the 2008 Olympics, will now ride for Croatian Continental team Meridiana-Kamen.
British rider David McLean, who has been with Meridiana since 2011, is favourable. "What was clear when I was training with him was that firstly he is very, very good still and secondly this guy is extremely professional," he said in his blog. "He lives a dedicated lifestyle that is based solely around cycling, he has no distractions, no family, no worries, just the bike."
Scott-Contessa struck by thieves
Beth Crumpton completed the Czech
MTB World Cup round in a borrowed
bike - and still came ninth!
The Scott Contessa MTB team was targeted by thieves who stole all the junior riders' bikes last night, just a day and a half before the start of the Nove Mesto na Morave round of the World Cup in the Czech Republic...
Beth Crumpton @BethCrumptoncant believe all junior bikes were stolen last night at czech, thankyou so much to @tracy_moseley and Annie for letting me and Al borrow!
Other News
"Cyclist Willow Rockwell gives up her Olympic dream" (ESPNW)
"Moyse mulling her sporting future" (The Guardian, Canada)
"BMX: Olympian Shanaze inspires young Jamie’s world bid" (This Is Wiltshire)
"Stolen Hog Hill bike recovered by police" (Cycling Weekly)
Cycling
British riders recreate 1955 Peace Race
It's been six years since the Peace Race was last held - once Eastern Europe's answer to the Tour de France, it gradually became superceded by other events and vanished: the end of a cycling era. This year, it lives again in the form of the Alf Buttler Peace Race Tribute Ride, in which cyclists will retrace the 2,414km and thirteen stages taken by the inaugural 1955 race between Prague (Czech Republic) and Warsaw (Poland).
Remarkably, the Ride came about as the result of one man's vision. Alan Buttler came up with the idea as a memorial to his father, a mechanic and manager with the British cycling team in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s and who died in 2008. Alan, accompanied by Geoff Wiles (whom some might remember as British Road Race Champion in 1976 and as the man who brought BMX to Britain), has been keeping a blog journal of their travels - it makes for fascinating reading.
The news you might have missed
Britain
"London cyclists invited to join Alex Dowsett and Sarah Storey on Nocturne Peloton ride this Thursday" (road.cc)
"Travel picks: top ten cycling destinations" (Reuters)
"Olver to be honored for cycling efforts" (Gazettenet, MA, USA)
"Cycling: At 76, mountain biking 'hoon' has no plans to slow down" (NZHerald)
"Help train cycling officials, Ale begs CFN, NSC" (Vanguard, Nigeria)
Wooden bikes - "Craftsman turns love of cycling into new business" (Idaho Statesman)
BBC Radio 4 to broadcast Burton play
Burton was arguably the mot successful
British athlete of all time
Those commemorating the anniversary of the birth of the legend that was Beryl Burton will be pleased to know that later this year a short play telling the story of her life and remarkable career is to be broadcast on BBC Radio 4. Titled La Yorkshire Dame a Bicyclette, the play will star Maxine Peake - who also wrote the script, her first - as the British cyclist who won numerous titles and set world records during the 1950s and 60s.
"Despite beating men and women in championships across the globe, Beryl received no support, training or sponsorship and in fact, very little acclaim in the UK and Maxine wanted to dramatise her story," says producer Justine Potter. No date has yet been set for the broadcast, but it is likely to go out in the station's 45-minute Afternoon Drama (formerly and popularly Afternoon Play) slot.
Festival Luxembourgeois Elsy Jacobs - Tour de Romandie - Romandie judges rule against Meersman complaint - Tour of Turkey (video) - Gracia Orlova - Schleck to lead team at Giro? - CAS decision on British lifetime Olympic ban next week - Merckx disagrees with de Vlaeminck on Paris-Roubaix - Other News - Tweets - Cyclists mobilised on London streets - Berkeley hit-and-run suspect arrested - Newswire
Racing Festival Luxembourgeois Elsy Jacobs
Fourth road race victory for Vos this season
Stage 1 followed the famous 102.6km hilly parcours of the GP Elsy Jacobs (map), the one-day race named in honour of the world's first Women's Road Race World Champion and from which this festival grew. It headed north out of Garnich, Jacobs' hometown, then followed a 53.6km loop up to Mersch and back to Garnich again where riders completed five laps of a 9.8km circuit. Those in the know say that it's always impossible to predict how this race will end, and more than once the fates have conspired to allow a relative unknown to take the glory.
Linda Villumsen (GreenEDGE) split the bunch by escaping with Elisa Longo Borghini (Hitec Products-Mistral Home) and Amber Neben (Specialized-Lululemon), then Ashleigh Moolman (Lotto-Belisol) and Tiffany Cromwell (GreenEDGE) tried to bridge the gap with Vos and a few others giving chase and forming a lead group as the race entered the second-to-last lap. Last year, the Dutch superstar stormed the course to wrest victory from Emma Pooley and Judith Arndt, but since the illness that forced her to stay away from the Ronde van Vlaanderen her form has perhaps not been quite as good as it was at this time in 2011. However, even if she ran at 50% Marianne would remain a force more than capable of dominating a race - she was many people's favourite today and she's never been a rider to let her fans down, crossing the finish line at the front of an eleven-strong bunch and taking over the General Classification lead as she did so.
"Not much happened on the main parcours not much happened, but on the Garnish circuit we faced a lot of attacks," Vos explained after the race. "Our rivals aren't going to make us a gift of this race, so I'm afraid we have a lot of work to do tomorrow."
Top Ten 1. Marianne Vos Rabobank 2h42'49" 2. Adrie Visser Skil-Argos ST 3. Pauline Ferrand Prevot Rabobank ST 4. Megan Guarnier Team TIBCO ST 5. Linda Villumsen GreenEDGE ST 6. Emma Johansson Hitec Products-Mistral Home ST 7. Noemi Cantele Be Pink ST 8. Tiffany Cromwell GreenEDGE ST 9. Ashleigh Moolman Lotto Belisol ST 10. Joanna Van De Winkel Lotto Belisol ST (Full results and GC)
Stage 3 begins with another lap of today's main route, but omits the five laps of Garnich in favour of five laps around Mamur - the village where Luxembourg's other most famous cyclist Nicolas Frantz was born, and where Vos again dominated last year. (More on the race) (Rabobank stage report)
Tour de Romandie
Penultimate Stage 4 (map, profile) covered 184km between Bulle and Sion - the latter being one of the most important ancient sites in Europe, inhabited for around 8,200 years; its Valère Basilica fortified church and the Château de Tourbillon that faces the church on the opposite side of the valley making this the most spectacular stage town of the race by some way. The parcours took the riders over the highest mountains in this edition: the three Cat 1 climbs Col des Mosses (1,452m), Veysonnaz (1,473m) and St-Martin (1,423m), with Cat 2 Basse-Nendaz (1,018m) thrown in for good measure at the end of a 65.5km flat section in the middle of the stage - a section that offered the roleurs, sprinters and chancers a fine opportunity to grab a big lead and prevent the climbing specialists having everything their own way.
Luis León Sánchez
All eyes were on Sky today, and as expected Mark Cavendish and Geraint Thomas left the race once the stage was over to begin preparations for the Giro d'Italia. For birthday boy Bradley Wiggins, whose General Classification lead began to look precarious yesterday when it was reduced to one second, a very great deal depended on this stage. Get things right and he'd be the last man to go in tomorrow's time trial, possibly even extend his advantage. Get it wrong and his chances of overall victory rest entirely on riding the time trial of his life on Sunday.
Things looked as though they might go his way as he was expertly paced up the final climb by Richie Porte and the peloton wore down a five-man break consisting of Roman Kreuziger (Astana), Mikel Landa (Euskaltel-Euskadi), Jesus Hernandez (SaxoBank), John Gadret and Rinaldo Nocentini (AG2R-La Mondiale), but it was not to be as Luis León Sánchez rode cleverly on the last descent to get himself into a good position for the final sprint, taking the yellow jersey and a nine second lead. Looks like Bradley had better forget about the birthday beers tonight, because he's going to need to have his wits about him tomorrow.
Top Ten 1. Luis Leon Sanchez Gil Rabobank 4h56'13" 2. Rinaldo Nocentini AG2R-La Mondiale ST 3. Branislau Samoilau MovistarST 4. Gorka Verdugo Marcotegui Euskaltel-EuskadiST 5. Paolo Tiralongo AstanaST 6. Pierre Rolland EuropcarST 7. Andreas Klöden RadioShack-NissanST 8. Cadel Evans BMCST 9. Roman Kreuziger AstanaST 10. Fabrice Jeandesboz Saur-Sojasun ST Kenny Dehaes (Lotto-Belisol), Gianni Meersman (Lotto-Belisol,), Jonathan Hivert (Saur-Sojasun), Michal Kwiatkowski (Omega Pharma-Quickstep), Matthew Brammeier (Omega Pharma-Quickstep), Kristof Vandewalle (Omega Pharma-Quickstep), Mark Cavendish (Sky), Geraint Thomas (Sky), Tejay Van Garderen (BMC), Joan Horrach Rippoll (Katusha), Allan Davis (GreenEDGE), Daryl Impey (GreenEDGE), Sergio Miguel Moreira Paulinho (SaxoBank) and David Tanner (SaxoBank) did not finish. (Full results and GC)
Tejay van Garderen (BMC) was forced to withdraw after strong winds blew a tree branch into his path where it hit him in the mouth. The team reported that he had suffered facial injuries, but it appears he wasn't seriously hurt. Gianni Meersman is reported to have abandoned. One of the official motorbikes crashed on a bend with 16km to go; fortunately no riders collided with it.
Stage 5 (map, profile) is a hilly 16.2km individual time trial beginning at 1.327m Montana village with a gentle rise to 1,302m in the first kilometre, then a 3km descent to the lowest point at 1,102m. Riders then face a Category 1 climb to Aminona, altitude 1,512m - very much the crux of the race, because a rider who can climb it fast and not expened too much energy in doing so will have an obvious advantage going into the final, flat 7.2km to the finish line at the Crans-Montana ski resort. With winds as high as 57kph expected, anything could happen.
Romandie judges rule in favour of Sanchez
Judges have declared that Luis Leon Sanchez did not deviate from his line in order to force Gianni Meersman into the barriers at the end of the Tour de Romandie's Stage 3. Meersman's Lotto-Belisol team launched an official complaint against the Rabobank rider after viewing video footage of the stage, which took place in Friday.
Tour of Turkey
This race too is drawing to its end, today's Stage 7 (map) being the penultimate. It began at Kusadasi before following the craggy coastline for 74km to Seferihisar, where it turned north and inland acros İzmir Province; arriving 21km later at the north-facing coastline by Güzelbahçe. After turning to the east, there were 28.6km remaining before arrival at the finish line in İzmir. One of the oldest cities in the Mediterranean region,
İzmir remains better known in the West by its ancient name Smyrna, birthplace (possibly) of Homer; though many of the ancient buildings were destroyed in an enormous fire that killed as many as 2,000 people (it wasn't all bad, however - it brought an end to the Greco-Turkish War, which some estimates claim killed as many as 100,000).
Iljo Keisse
Iljo Keisse (Omega Pharma-QuickStep) looked to be the most likely stage winner when he entered the final 2km with a 14" advantage, having mounted a solo attack from a six-man breakaway at 6km after his attempts to increase their speed met with a lack of enthusiasm. Then - apparent disaster as his rear tyre lost traction and he crashed with less than a kilometre to go. The pack bore down upon him, but he was up in a flash, got his chain back on and pedaled hard towards the line. Somehow, he got up to speed and, thought they were snapping at his heels throughout the last 50m to the line, he held them off to take the stage for what just seconds later Twitterers were calling the most dramatic victory of the race.
Ivaïlo Gabrovski (Konya Torku Sekersport) remains General Classification leader
Top Ten 1. Iljo Keisse Omega Pharma-QuickStep 2h52'38" 2. Marcel Kittel Argos-Shimano ST 3. Alessandro Petacchi Lampre-ISD ST 4. Andrea Guardini Farnese Vini-Selle Italia ST 5. Mark Renshaw Rabobank ST 6. Robert Förster United Healthcare Presented By Maxxis ST 7. Jean-Pierre Drucker Accent Jobs-Willems Veranda's ST 8. Daniele Colli Team Type 1-Sanofi ST 9. Alexey Tsatevitch Katusha ST 10. Juan Jose Haedo SaxoBank ST Cameron Meyer (GreenEDGE), Luke Roberts (SaxoBank) and Geoffroy Lequatre (Bretagne Schuller) did not start the stage. (Full results and GC)
On Sunday, Stage 8 (map) takes place on an urban parcours situated entirely in Istanbul. Starting out from Sultanahmet Square; fittingly the site of the Hippodrome of Constantinople and once the Byzantine Empire's version of Elis' Olympia or the Pythian Games at Delphi. It then passes out of the neutral zone on Kennedy Street, crosses the Galata Bridge and heads north-west along the shores of the Bosphoros, dipping briefly inland to get onto the Bosphorous Bridge which, at the time construction was completed in 1973, was the longest suspension bridge anywhere in the world other than the USA. When the riders reach the south-eastern bank, they have officially left Europe and are in Asia. When riders reach the Cadde Bostan Coastal Road, they will begin the first of eight laps of a 12.2km circuit.
Gracia Orlova
Stage 3 (map) began at Lichnov before heading south into the mountains where, after 30km, the riders face a climb to 1,000m - the highest point in the race. A fast descent led for 10km to the foot of an 800m climb lying just over 50km into the stage, then a third climb to 900m begans at around 70km. One last climb at 105km reached around 575m and, especially in the final part, looked horrendously steep; a real leg-breaker as the riders approached the last of the 122.4km on their way back to where they started.
Trixi Worrack
Specialized-Lululemon seem to have decided that the best way ahead is to win every stage in this race; today being the turn of Trixi Worrack.
Evelyn Stevens leads the General Classification with an advantage of 1'13".
Top Ten 1. Trixi Worrack Specialized-Lululemon 03h02'14" 2. Alena Amialyusik Be Pink +6" 3. Evelyn Stevens Specialized-Lululemon ST 4. Sharon Laws AA Drink-Leontien.nl +1'53" 5. Tatiana Antoshina Rabobank +2'13" 6. Olena Sharpa +4'08" 7. Olena Pavlukhina +5'19" 8. Paulina Bentkowska-Brzezna +6'14" 9. Andrea Graus Vienne Futuroscope ST 10. Ellen van Dijk Specialized-Lululemon ST (Full results and GC)
Sunday brings Stage 4 (map), the last of this year's race - and it's an tough-looking 100.2km parcours consisting of six laps of a 16.7km circuit including an 11% 50m climb in the last half of each.
Schleck "should lead his team in the Giro d'Italia"
Frank Schleck is the most likely candidate to replace Jakob Fuglsang at the Giro d'Italia, says the French language, Luxembourg-based L'Essentiel website following yesterday's announcement that the 27-year-old Danish rider would be unable to take part due to inflammation of the articular capsule and ligament in his left knee. Italy's Gazzetta dello Sport also believes Schleck will take his place, but at present nothing has been confirmed nor denied by RadioShack-Nissan - though several sources are reporting it as fact. Twitter reveals that many fans think Linus Gerdemann is a more likely choice.
CAS decision on BOA lifetime ban policy this week
The Court for Arbitration in Sport will publish its decision on whether British athletes to have been subject to a doping-related suspension in the past will be permitted to compete in the Olympics on the 30th of April. The case began with an appeal to the CAS made by the British Olympic Association after the World Anti-Doping Agency had ruled that the lifetime ban policy violates existing rules.
Central to the case, though not directly involved due to his own decision to stay out of it, is David Millar - the cyclist who served a two-year suspension for EPO before returning to cycling as one of doping's more intelligent and outspoken opponents. Dave Brailsford, British Cycling's performance director, has said that if the appeal is unsuccessful (as is widely considered likely) he will invite Millar to join the Olympic team. Millar, however, is reluctant; saying that he does not wish to be seen as a black sheep but hopes the Court will favour WADA so that he can compete at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
Merckx won Paris-Roubaix in 1968, 1970
and 1973
Merckx on Paris-Roubaix and Philippe Gilbert
Roger de Vlaeminck might not have been very impressed with this year's Paris-Roubaix - "there wasn't much excitement," he said rather sniffily, going on to say he hoped Fabian Cancellara would be around to provide Tom Boonen with some competition in 2013 - but the race has received Eddy Merckx's seal of approval.
"I was enjoying it from my armchair," says the winner of 525 professional victories. "And I know what I'm talking about - in the 1969 Tour of Flanders and the 1970 Paris-Roubaix I undertook such raids. I rode into the the Velodrome with a lead of five or six minutes on de Vlaeminck and the rest of the peloton. Tom is extremely important for the Belgian cycling. I've been saying since January that he'd win." Many people are wondering if Philippe Gilbert's amazing 2011 season was a fluke, but Merckx he'll return to form - "Only he knows why he's not riding as expected. I refuse to write him off." (More from Het Nieuwesblad)
Other News
British star Ruth Winder (Vanderkitten-Focus) has had to abandon the Festival Luxembourgeois Elsy Jacobs as she's still suffering headaches after her crash at Borsele last week.
Europcar took a third stage victory at the La Tropicale Amissa Bongo when Yohann Gène won Stage 5 this morning. Gène also won the first stage with Thomas Voeckler taking Stage 3.
"British Cycling’s Olympic Mountain Bike Coach Phil Dixon has hailed Annie Last’s first ever World Cup win in the new UCI Cross Country Eliminator World Cup as an essential factor in qualifying for the Olympic Games – and a trend that will continue" (British Cycling)
Tweets
Look out, racing world - there's a new Voigt about to make his mark...
Jens Voigt @thejensieAnd tomorrow first race of my son with a real license!! And i amfraid i am more nervous than my son- hahahaha
Russell Hampton @RussellHamptonKeisse big respect today #coolasacucumber
Cycling Cyclists mobilised on London streets
The London Big Ride - a mass participation event that seeks to put cyclist safety issues at the top of the capital's mayoral candidates agendas, attracted more then 5,000 riders despite torrential rain.
"The Big Ride is our best chance to show the next mayor we're serious about redesigning our streets to make them safer for everyone," says Ashok Sinha of the London Cycling Campaign, which organised the event. "Some of the mayoral manifestos show very weak commitments to cycling, so every person who comes to the Big Ride can help push safer cycling up the next mayoral agenda."
The car was reported as stolen on the same day, but it is not yet clear if the report was made before or after the accident - it's not unknown for drivers who have been in an accident to abandon their vehicle then claim it's been stolen in an attempt to escape charges and that he has subsequently been charged with "felony hit-and-run" suggests police believe this may have been the case. When arrested, he was found to be in possession of heroin and illegal ammunition, as well as being in breach of the terms of a probation order.
A video of the accident, caught on a helmet-mounted camera, has received more than 103,000 views on Youtube.
Newswire Britain
Cycling campaigners in Swansea are winning widespread support for their manifesto from across the political divide" (This Is South Wales)
Worldwide
"National Women’s Cycling Championship from May 1" (Daily Times, Pakistan)
"I touched a nerve with my most recent column debating the issue of whether cyclists need to show more respect on the road" (Marin Independent Journal, USA)
"His wife Hasmah Ibrahim is ailing but former national cyclist Shaharudin Jaffar still finds time to get involved in organising cycling related events" (Star Online, Malaysia)
"Cycling races demand that competitors have a team spirit. The windbreak that lead riders give the group and opportunities to sprint ahead of the pack follow a code of fairness. To underline the importance of good sportsmanship in cycling, the Spy Optics Belgian Waffle Ride held in April gave a “Wawful Freddy” distinction to the three cyclists who demonstrated the worst in sportsmanship" (The Coast News, USA)
"Cycling may be new product to draw tourists" (Bernama, Malaysia)
