2012 London Nocturne video - penny-farthings and folders

For footage of the Elite Men and Rapha Women's Criterium, make sure you don't miss the Channel 4 coverage at 07:10 on Sunday 17th June.

Aalburg - second win in as many days for Annemiek van Vleuten

Video below

Two wins in two days for
Annemiek van Vleuten

Baking heat, strong winds and a crash just 7km into the parcours proved too much for a big chunk of the field and caused the peloton to split rapidly into three groups; a small lead group being chased by a second and a big pack of riders simply trying to survive some way down the road as the tough conditions dissuaded anyone from even thinking about putting in more effort than was strictly needed. An attitude of "We're all in this together; let's just get through it" developed, made most evident when Senger mechanics went to the aid of Specialized-DPM-SRAM rider Anouska Kloster - a nice demonstration of the friendliness that, for the most part, is found in women's cycling; but nevertheless many riders preferred to sit it out in the autobus and no doubt wished that they were aboard a real, air con-equipped bus.

It wasn't until the final part of the race that the attacks began. Chantal Blaak (AA Drink-Leontien.nl) was first to go but didn't get far, then van Vleuten and Shelley Olds (AA Drink-Leontien.nl) went together, apparently as much to check out one another's strength as in the hope of actually achieving anything because they'd let off the pace and were back with Blaak moments later. Blaak, meanwhile, was feeling the effects of the heat and was replaced by Amanda Spratt (Australian National Team), the three of them working together to grab an extra 50m and 30" going into the 108th kilometre.

Judith Bloem

Spratt launched an attack of her own a short while later but was soon back. The final 5km, with the three of them calmly riding together, was a fantastically tense bit of racing - each of them demonstrated the sort of self-control of which a poker player would feel proud and gave absolutely no indication of when, or even if, they were about to launch what might well prove to be the winning move. They were still together at 2km to go, then 1km, then 200m...and then van Vleuten lit the fuse and flung herself up the road towards the finish, getting there mere fractions of a second before Olds with Spratt 4" behind. The chase group arrived 1'42" later with Marieke Van Wanroij getting a 2" advantage over the rest, then a third group led by Roxane Knetemann came in just shy of three minutes after the winner. The autobus arrived at +6'23" and turned out to have no fewer than 68 riders onboard, then Judith Bloem (Restore) closed up the race when she crossed the line 6'56" after van Vleuten. Chapeau to everyone who finished - 49 riders did not.

Top Ten
  1.  Annemiek van Vleuten Rabobank 3h04'44"
  2.  Shelley Olds AA Drink-Leontien.nl ST
  3.  Amanda Spratt Orica GreenEdge-AIS +04"
  4.  Marieke Van Wanroij AA Drink-Leontien.nl +1'42"
  5.  Chantal Blaak AA Drink-Leontien.nl +1'44"
  6.  Iris Slappendel Rabobank ST
  7.  Pauline Ferrand Prevot Rabobank ST
  8.  Gracie Elvin ST
  9.  Suzanne De Goede Skil-Argos ST
  10.  Roxane Knetemann Rabobank +2'59"

(Full results)

Photos by Bart Hazen

Giro d'Italia Stage 20 - Passo dello Stelvio

Words cannot convey what today's stage entails. It is truly epic, not merely a challenge as are most things to which the word epic is these days applied, and any rider who finishes - no matter what his place in the results, or even if he does so outside the permitted time - can feel proud of his achievement. This is what the 2012 Giro all boils down to...

The Passo dello Stelvio. 2,757m, 36 hairpin bends, maximum gradient 15% - though get too close to the apex on some of those hairpins and you can be faced with a short but strength-sapping ramp far in excess of 20%. And as if all that's not enough, to get there the riders will first need to climb the 1,852m Mortirolo with its 18% maximum gradient. In theory, this edition of the Giro could be won on this stage; in reality, it's more likely to dramatically reorder the riders' times as they go to Sunday's time trial.

Did that look a bit too easy? How about on a fixie track bike?

Stelvio is...

...the second highest true mountain pass in the Alps. Only the Col d'Iseran is higher, and then by only 13m.

...making its tenth appearance in the Giro this year. The last time was in 2005. The fastest riders to the top...? 

 1953 - Fausto Coppi

1956 - Aurelio Del Rio

1961 - Charly Gaul

1965 - Graziano Battistini

1972 - José Manuel Fuente

1975 - Francisco Galdós

1980 - Jean-René Bernaudeau

1994 - Franco Vona

2005 - José Humberto Rujano Guillén

...often regarded as the hardest climb in the Giroirst climbed by the Giro in 1953, when Fausto Coppi used it to crack Hugo Koblet and take the maglia rosa.

...closed between October and May each year due to snow - as can be seen in the photo taken by Anthony McCrossan this morning. Snow can fall at any time of the year here, as was the case in 1965 when organisers and fans had to clear the roads using shovels. Nowadays, Mercedes Unimog snowploughs do the job when necessary.

...is also sometimes featured in the Giro Donne, the last of the women's Grand Tours. The first time was in 2010, when Mara Abbott was the fastest rider to the top (she also won the overall General Classification). 

Passo dello Stelvio live webcams 1 2

From Bormio to the summit of Stelvio

Teut takes Gatineau

 

 Race report and results here

Evening Cycling News 12.05.12

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.

Top Ten

  1.  Paolo Tiralongo Astana 5h51'03"

  2.  Michele Scarponi Lampre-ISD ST

  3.  Frank Schleck RadioShack-Nissan +3"

  4.  Joaquin Rodriguez Oliver Katusha ST

  5.  Ryder Hesjedal Garmin-Barracuda +5"

  6.  Domenico Pozzo Vivo Colnago CSF ​​Bardiani +9"

  7.  Daniel Moreno Fernandez Katusha ST

  8.  Ivan Basso Liquigas-Cannondale ST

  9.  Mikel Nieve Ituralde Euskaltel-Euskadi +11"

  10.  Gianluca Brambilla Colnago CSF ​​Bardiani ST

(Full stage result and GC)

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.

Sulmona webcam

Lago Laceno webcam
Stage reports

Meersman abandons

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)

"Champion cyclist urges Leeds kids to saddle up" (Yorkshire Evening Post)

Worldwide 

"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.

Radio 4 is available worldwide on the Internet.

Liège-Bastogne-Liège

Iglinsky takes the most unexpected
Classics win of the season so far

Maxim Iglinsky (Astana) took a superb victory in the final seconds at Liège-Bastogne-Liège, gaining the upper hand over Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas-Cannondale) with a combination of sheer power and a cool head after a hard-fought battle up and over some of the steepest hills in the Ardennes.


(Videos at the foot of the page)

Samuel Sanchez (Euskaltel Euskadi), tenth last year and a favourite this time around after his stunning performance in the Tour of the Basque Country got into difficulties when his Orbea let him down on the Stockeau and while successful in getting back to the front, doing so used up a lot of energy as the race entered its final part. A breakaway group of eight - Pierre Rolland (Europcar), Vasil Kiryienka (Movistar) and David Le Lay (Saur-Sojasun), Dario Cataldo (Omega Pharma-QuickStep), and Kevin Ista (Accent Jobs-Veranda's Willems), Reinier Honig (Landbouwkrediet-Euphony), Gregory Habeaux ( Accent Jobs-Veranda's Willems ) and Alessandro Bazzana (Type 1-Sanofi) - were building up a lead by this time, the pace proving too much as they approached Theux and suddenly found themselves down to five men.

However, at no point were they permitted to form a gap that might be described as dangerous - a selection of fast riders hovered around the front of a pack of 40 men and kept things ticking over far to quickly for that. Philippe Gilbert (BMC) was a notable face among them, never far from pole position and evidently now well on his way back to good form after a slow start to the season. With 25km to go, their lead was down to 37" and looked doomed to failure, while a second group trailing Gilbert's pack was gradually making up the difference and bringing with it several riders in with a good chance of shaking things up on the last climbs, among them Frank Schleck (RadioShack-Nissan).

By the time they reached the Cote de la Roche aux Faucons, the break had only 14" and the hill looked as though it might once again prove decisive with its average gradient of around 9.9%. Rodriguez (Katusha)  experienced some difficulty on the way up, dropping back from the front of the group, then so too did Sanchez - an unexpected sight as many believed he'd be out to reach the summit fast and then use his legendary descending abilities to get into a good place for the end. Nibali was first up and cruised over the summit without challenge, then mounted a solo attack with 18.5km still to go and rapidly gained 22". A brave and, in all likelihood, ultimately doomed effort with Côte de Saint-Nicolas and the tricky little climb in the last couple of kilometres to Ans, one would have thought, but guaranteed to bring glory if it worked, much like Tom Boonen's already-legendary win at Paris-Roubaix this year. And, perhaps more importantly, beautiful to watch.

It looked like it was in the bag for
Nibali

Gilbert, Gasparotto (Astana), Iglinsky, Sanchez (Euskaltel-Euskadi), Rodriguez, Kiserlovski (Astana), Mollema (Rabobank), Rolland (Europcar), Voeckler (Europcar), Scarponi (Lampre-ISD), Van Den Broeck (Lotto-Belisol), Nocentini (AG2R-La Mondiale), Hesjedal (Garmin-Barracuda), Martin (Garmin-Barracuda), and Vanendert (Lotto-Belisol) went after him, but Nibali's attack seemed to have thrown them all into a state of confusion and there was so little organisation to their attempts that with 15km to go the race looked briefly to be a done deal. Perhaps there were simply too many of them - once the chasers had been whittled down to a more manageable seven, they fell into shape and began to work together. Then, the Italian produced a completely unexpected ace from up his sleeve - it turns out he can descend very, very well indeed; sufficiently so to increase his lead to 40" as he neared the final 10km. That threw the chasers into a panic once again so that before too long only Iglinsky was concentrating on the task in hand.

Iglinsky kept up the pressure, clawing his way up to the leader and getting to within 15" as they passed Liège stadium, Nibali looking quite surprised to see him there as they entered the last 3km - and then, incredibly, Iglinsky dropped him as they passed under the 1km banner! Precisely where he found the power after 256.5km is a mystery, but find it he did - and he powered up the last climb to take a 21" advantage and what must be the most unexpected victory of the 2012 Classics so far.

  1.  Maxim Iglinskiy Astana 6h43'52"
  2.  Vincenzo Nibali Liquigas-Cannondale +21"
  3.  Enrico Gasparotto Astana +36"
  4.  Thomas Voeckler Europcar ST
  5.  Daniel Martin Garmin-Barracuda ST
  6.  Bauke Mollema Rabobank ST
  7.  Samuel Sanchez Euskaltel-Euskadi ST
  8.  Michele Scarponi Lampre-ISD ST
  9.  Ryder Hesjedal Garmin-Barracuda ST
  10.  Jelle Vanendert Lotto-Belisol ST
(Full results)

La Fleche Wallonne report and results

Women's race (with video) - Men's race (with video)

Pooley abandons, Stevens takes Fleche victory

Emma Pooley

Emma Pooley (AA Drink-Leontien.nl) was forced to abandon the Fleche Wallonne Femmes after her gears apparently broke twice, a third mechanical problem and three crashes. In the first, she went down along with several other riders but was unhurt; in the second, she collided with a rider who had unexpectedly stopped, breaking her deraileur and while beginning to feel rather battered could continue on a spare bike; in the third. another rider collided with her and she was thrown to the ground, then a motorbike ran over her bike and damaged it beyond repair (AA Drink-Leontien.nl report here). Eye witnesses say she was bleeding as she climbed the Muur for the last time, but she's said to have only very minor injuries (updates as soon as possible). Faren-Honda's Nicole Cooke is reported to have abandoned "after a few kilometres."

Marianne Vos, four-time winner of this race, looked set to repeat her previous success after taking the lead on the final climbed of the infamous Muur to the finish line after a five-rider break formed with 15km to go and managed to join up with Linda Villumsen, Clara Hughes and Lucinda Brand. However, she was surprised in the last 30m by Evelyn Stevens who suddenly appeared from behind her and powered past to the line looking as though she had a rocket under her saddle - an absolutely superb win for the American rider and as good as a big tick next to her name on the Olympic selection list.

Evelyn Stevens, now with
Specialized-Lululemon

Women's Top Ten
1. Evelyn Stevens (Specialized-Lululemon) 3h26'32"
2. Marianne Vos (Rabobank) +4"
3. Linda Villumsen (GreenEDGE) +20"
4. Lucinda Brand (AA Drink-Leontien.nl) +27"
5. Ashleigh Moolman (Lotto Ladies-Belisol) +41"
6. Judith Arndt (GreenEDGE) ST
7. Megan Guarnier (TIBCO) +44"
8. Clara Hughes (Specialized-Lululemon) +48"
9. Emma Johansson (Hitec Products-Mistral Home) ST
10. Karol-Ann Canuel (Vienne Futurscope) +51"

Best Brit: 20. Sharon Laws (AA Drink-Leontien.nl) +1'10"
(Top 40)




The women's race is, of course, the fourth round of the Women's Road World Cup. The standings after today look like this:

1. Marianne Vos (Rabobank) 200 pts
2. Judith Arndt (Specialized-Lululemon) 139 pts
3. Emma Johansson (Hitec Products-Mistral Home) 86 pts
4. Kirsten Wild (AA Drink-Leontien.nl) 80 pts
5. Evelyn Stevens (Specialized-Lululemon) 75 pts
6. Trixi Worrack (Specialized-Lululemon) 62 pts
7. Adrie Visser (Skil-Argos) 56 pts
8. Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (Rabobank) 52 pts
9. Kristin Armstrong (USA) 50 pts
10. Tatiana Guderzo (IMCipollini-Giambenini) 50 pts

Videos

Videos courtesy of Sebastien Tytgat

La Fleche Wallonne Men
Dirk Bellemakers (Landbouwkrediet-Euphony) livened up the race when he decided to launch a breakaway only an hour into the race. He took Anthony Roux (FDJ-BigMat) along with him for the ride and the pair did very well to build up a lead that surpassed seven minutes for a short while before Lotto-Belisol declared their game was up and upped the pace to reel them back in.

Andy Schleck (RadioShack-Nissan) - perhaps remembering some of the basic things a professional cyclist is supposed to do during a race after spending the season so far gazing around and apparently wondering what he was doing on a bike - launched an attack with 42km to go. Precisely what he was hoping to achieve is known only to him: we'll have to assume it was an attempt to give big brother Frank (also RadioShack) a hand, with several descents to go it certainly wasn't going to win him this race because while Andy can climb like an angel he can't descend for love, money nor the glittery kitten stickers he probably collects. Which is why he ended up taking 81st place.

Joaquim Rodriguez
(image credit: Haggisnl
CC BY 3.0)

Joaquin Rodriguez, meanwhile, can downhill with the best of them - and he can climb too, which isn't a common combination. Having saved his fuel when Andy tried to tempt the peloton, he was able to light the afterburners on the final ascent of the Muur and for a time looked as though he was going to reach the finish line way ahead of the pack; but Michael Albasini and others responded well and came in just 4" behind him.

Men's Top Ten

  1. Joaquin Rodriguez Oliver  Katusha  4h45'41"
  2. Michael Albasini  GreenEDGE  +4"
  3. Philippe Gilbert  BMC  ST
  4. Jelle Vanendert  Lotto-Belisol  ST
  5. Robert Kiserlovski  Astana  +7"
  6. Daniel Martin  Garmin-Barracuda  +9"
  7. Bauke Mollema  Rabobank  ST
  8. Vincenzo Nibali  Liquigas-Cannondale  ST
  9. Diego Ulissi  Lampre-ISD  ST
  10. Jurgen Van Den Broeck  Lotto-Belisol  ST

Best Brit: 138. Luke Rowe (Sky) +10'17"
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Cycling News from around the World 18.04.12

Hopes for 2013 Russian Tour - Saxobank to challenge UCI, Riis sees no reason Contador won't be on the team for 2013 - Canadian students develop bike crash test dummy - Other News - Today's Top Tweets


Fleche Wallonne News

Russia hopes for "mini-Tour"
The world's largest nation is taking advantage of UCI efforts to expand cycling out of its traditional western European heartlands, which has already seen races in the Far East, Australia and elsewhere, with its own week-long tour - and the first edition could be run as early as 2013.

"We plan to call it the Tour of Russia - a smaller version of the famous Tour de France race," says Alexander Gusyatnikov of the Russian Cycling Federation. "It would start in St Petersburg, continue to Moscow, then riders would fly to Sochi for another three or four days through the Caucasus mountains."

Sochi, on the Black Sea coast, is already home to a four-day cycling tour and will host the 2014 Winter Olympics - the only city with a sub-tropical summer climate to ever do so - and a round of the Formula 1 Grand Prix series. (More from Yahoo)


Saxobank to challenge UCI, Riis sees no reason Contador won't be on the team for 2013

Contador

Bjarne Riis' SaxoBank team is to challenge the UCI rule that any points scored by a rider during the first two years since return from a suspension cannot count towards his or her team's overall ranking. The rule has been widely criticised by riders, team officials and fans who feel that once a rider has served a ban, he or she should be free to continue their career.

It - and getting it repealed - is of especial relevance to SaxoBank if they are to re-sign Alberto Contador when his current ban expires on the 5th of April: "We cannot, under any circumstances, accept this rule," Riis told Denmark's Politiken newspaper. "It's the same as if Lionel Messi was re-signed to play for Barcelona after a ban and scored goals, but his goals were not counted. It's grotesque."

"We are currently engaged in a thorough investigation of how we should proceed," the ex-professional rider continues. "I know about the UCI's stance, and now it's up to us to demonstrate that an attempt to overturn the ruling stands a chance. It's a purely legal battle and we can't take anything for granted - I can't say anything more right now.

"Before we really get started with UCI, we obviously need to make sure Alberto will sign a contract with us for 2013 - I've not yet given that much thought, but I assume it's as much as guaranteed. Negotiations are ongoing, and I can say that there's no obvious reason it won't go ahead.”

Two days ago, Contador told Spanish radio station Cadena Ser that SaxoBank are his first choice: "Without a doubt, though, my priority is SaxoBank - they gave me their unconditional support through difficult times, which is something money can't buy."


Canadian students develop cycling crash test dummy
Students at Carleton University, Ottawa, are developing a cycling crash test dummy - the first project of its kind anywhere in the world. "The idea is that we should be able to throw this crash test dummy into whatever situation and get a reasonably accurate result, regardless of whether we know (in advance) what injuries we’re going to have," mechanical engineering student Evan Hayes explained to the Ottawa Citzen. Crash test dummies used in car safety testing are designed specifically for that purpose, making them little use for studying what happens in a cycling accident which places the body under a different set of stresses.

The dummy is fitted with two accelerometers, each of which can be relocated on its "body" - at present, the students have placed one within its head to reveal whether helmets fitted with a visor cause the head to snap back in a crash, thus heightening the likelihood of concussion. (More from the Ottawa Citizen)


Other News
"British cyclists will continue to deliver Olympic success even if Dave Brailsford gives up day-to-day control of the team, says GB rider Ed Clancy" (More from BBC Sport)

"Cycling is going to be our strongest sport" at the Olympics, says Sir Steve Redgrave (More from The Sun)

"A ground-breaking new cycling festival will be hosted in Pietermaritzburg from 25 to 30 April, entrenching the city's status as a premier cycling destination, and providing a rare opportunity for spectators and the cycling community to enjoy elite BMX, track and mountain biking events, all in close proximity." (More from SouthAfrica.info)

"The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall will visit the Isle of Man Cycling Club at the NSC, where they'll watch youngsters taking part in a race" (More from Energy News)


Tweets

Anthony Pope ‏ @Plastic_Peloton
The 'Walloon Arrow' sounds like a mediocre super hero. Special powers - ability to ride in cross-winds and drink vast quantities of beer

Chloe Hosking ‏ @chloe_hosking
Hey @MagnusBackstedt & the other ESPN commentator! Asking about things u havent mentioned today? The women's race. Won by @evelyn_stevens.

Cycling News from around the World 11.04.12

Brabantse Pijl - Mayors may force police to work Amstel Gold - Amstel presentation and start to be broadcast live, available online - Boonen won't race Amstel - Martine Bras hopes for late April return - Viviani injury less serious than thought - Cameron Meyer turns down Olympics to concentrate on road racing - The Badger to ride in Tour of Conamara - Kuna, Idaho welcomes Exergy Tour - London's best bike shops - British Government launches ride planner website, allocates £11m for Bikeability scheme - Trail Rage in New Zealand

Racing
Brabantse Pijl
The 52nd edition of the Brabantse Pijl takes place over 196km near Brussels today. It starts off at Leuven before passing through Overijse, then heading west to Halle before doubling back to Overijse for a nasty little circuit made up of five  ascents of four tough hills ans it's a tough race, even by the standards of the hilly Classics, with an incredible 28 climbs in total to be tackled along the way - some of them with gradients surpassing 14%. For those who enjoy competitive cycling for the scenery, it takes in some of the most historic locations in Belgium, including a town with 12,000 years of history and the site of the Battle of Waterloo.

Live coverage should be available online from around 14:00 BST (15:00 local time/CEST). Parcours guide, local sites, maps, profile, weather etc. available here. Definitive start list here.

Local mayors could force police to work at Amstel Gold

Following the story yesterday that striking police officers had threatened this year's Amstel Gold Race comes news that mayors along the route could use court action to force them to work at the event if they believe that the peloton or public are likely to be in any danger. Since the race is one of the most popular in cycling-mad Belgium and draws huge crowds along the 256.5km parcours, it seems likely that magistrates would automatically rule in favour of the mayors, allowing the 47th edition of the race to go ahead as planned this Sunday. (More from Cycling News)

However, it seems that in Belgium even angry police officers don't wish to cause too much disruption to cycling. Speaking to BNR Politiek, police spokesperson Jan Willem van der Pol said, "We are in consultation with the organisers [as to] what we can do and to find a way which will allow them to have a beautiful Amstel Gold Race yet still allow us to perform our action."

Amstel start to be broadcast live
Regional sports TV station Limburg1 (L1) will be broadcasting the team presentation and start of the race live online from 08:30BST (09:30 local time/CEST), the first time that the either has been televised. It looks as though the footage will be available via a legal stream at the station's official website, which has some videos of the race organisers and parcours already up; if not, there are various websites offering access to the channel, including this one -

Team Sky confirmed for Road Cycling Show
British-based ProTour Team Sky will make an appearance at the all new IPC Road Cycling Show at Sandown Park on the 21st and 22nd of April this year where riders and managers from the squad will conduct talks and a coaching seminar (the latter open only to those with an invitation to attend.) More details at the Show's website.


Other Racing News

Martine Bras
(image credit: Dolmans-Boels)

Omega Pharma-QuickStep's Tom Boonen has confirmed that he will not race in the Amstel Gold this weekend as he needs more time to recover after his winning streak at Paris-Roubaix, E3 Harelbeke, Gent-Wevelgem and the Ronde van Vlaanderen.


Martine Bras will stay away from competition until at least the end of April, Dolmans-Boels have announced. The rider was in a serious crash during a training ride in march, suffering concussion, cuts to her face and a severe contusion to the shoulder. She had returned to training but experienced headaches after riding, causing doctors to advise her to take an extended break rather than risk permanent problems and now hopes to be recovered in time for Luxembourg's GP Elsy Jacobs and GP Nicolas Frantz. (More on the team website)

Elia Viviani's pelvic injury - sustained during a crash with Chinese rider Liu Hao during the Omnium at the UCI World Track Championships in Melbourne last week - is not as serious as initially feared. Team doctor Roberto Corsetti describes the injury as the "smallest fracture" and a "small subcutaneous haematoma" and has given the go-ahead for the Italian rider to resume training in ten days' time.

Australian Cameron Meyer has deselected himself from his national Olympic program because he'd prefer to concentrate on developing his road racing career. The 24-year-old has been a successful track rider, forming part of the winning Team Pursuit squad at the World Championships in 2010, but feels his future is on the road with GreenEDGE. "It was a very hard decision to make but ultimately my passion for the team pursuit isn't 100 percent," he says. With many fans feeling a certain sense of resentment every time a rider drops out of the Tour de France, which is seen by cycling fans as the greatest event in sport, his decision may prove popular. (More from Yahoo)

Ever wanted to ride with Bernard Hinault? Whatever for? He's a miserable, foul-tempered old bugger. Nevertheless, you now can - and since he's now 57 and has returned to the good old days when cyclists carried a spare tyre (in this case, around his waist) you might even beat him. The Badger is taking part in the Tour of Conamara, part of a four-race Celtic sportive series that includes the Tour of Pembrokeshire in Wales, the Scottish Graeme Obree Ayrshire Sportive and the Tro Bro Leon in Hinault's native Brittany (or Breizh, as the Celtic Bretons would have it). The event begins on the 26th of May with a fun ride suitable for children, then gets on to the proper racing on the 27th with a choice of an 80km and 140km parcours. (More details from the race website)

Business owners in Kuna, Idaho, are delighted that this year's Exergy Tour (which offers what is believed to be the biggest prize fund in the history of women's competitive cycling, $100,000) with local caterers especially welcoming of the event. "Oh, it means a lot to us because we are going to have a lot more business," says local restaurateur Enrique Contreras. "Hopefully they come here to see the race, and they get hungry come here and eat, and have a drink too." Cycling races always bring a huge injection of funds into local economies, but local residents are also supportive of the race simply for the spectacle. "[This] is a pretty big honor for Kuna, should be a lot of fun, and I know Kuna will make them all feel really welcome. Sometimes you can still see horses ridden on the road and to have the world class athletes riding their really fancy bicycles will be quite a contrast, won't it?" says Vern Cornish. (More from KVTB.com)

Cycling
The days when bike shops were dark caves where few women dared tread - and were made to feel unwelcome if they did by rude and chauvinistic staff - are, thankfully, long gone (well, mostly. You know who you are, Mr. Ken Willis, and Mrs. Cyclopunk had a big wad of cash to spend on a bike that day you were so rude to her she walked out of your horrible little shop). Writing for the Daily Telegraph, a British Toryrag that would be utterly avoidable were it not for the surprisingly good cycling coverage, somebody called Nemone who is, apparently, famous has come up with a list of what she believes to be the best examples in London. It's especially good to see Condor Cycles on there, because they've been one of the best for six decades. You can see the list here.


They may have closed down Cycling England, but the government in Britain are still trying to promote cycling (presumably so long as it doesn't cost anything, which Cycling England did) - and the Department for Transport has just launched a new online cycle journey planner. "Our route planner helps people wanting to get out and about and enjoy cycling, as well as those who want to map the best bike route to work," says Minister for Local Transport Norman Baker, LibDem MP for Lewes (Baker has been campaigning since 2005 for full disclosure of MPs' expenses and was largely responsible for the Dark Lord Mandelson's second resignation, so he's one of the good guys). At present, it's only much use for plotting fairly sedate recreational rides as options are limited to "quietest," "quickest" and "most recreational" and it' seriously hamstrung by an inability to search out routes of more than 50km; but it has data on every road in the country and is likely to be a valuable resource for many cyclists, especially those new to the sport. Here's a review of it.

The Department has also announced the allocation of a further £11million for the Bikeability scheme, which will train 300,000 schoolchildren to cycle safely and confidently. Another £24million will be provided to the scheme in the coming two years


We've pretty much all be subjected to a barrage of foul-mouthed abuse from a driver at some point in our lives - cars bring out the worst in people, after all. Bikes, meanwhile, generally do not; which is why New Zealand mountain biker Jordan Brizzell was shocked when he found himself on the receiving end of a verbal and physical assault courtesy of a fellow cyclist on Christchurch's Flying Nun trail. Fortunately, Brizzel was wearing a helmet-mounted camera at the time and the footage has been handed over to the police who are now looking for the man.

You might want to turn the sound right down if you're at work - there's some no-holds-barred language!

Tweets

Christopher Keiser ‏ @CKeiser
My Roubaix video has only 19k views. Mountain biker hit by antelope has 13.5M. Guess who's gonna bring an antelope to Roubaix next year.

News Digest 07.04.12

Energiewacht Tour Stages 4a and 4b - Tour of the Basque Country Stage 6

Energiewacht Tour 2012 Stages 4a and 4b

Stage 4a - click to enlarge
(image credit: Energiwacht Tour)

Stage 4a (Saturday 7th) both starts and ends at Winsum, a town sometimes termed the treasure of the north according to the Tour website - with two traditional Dutch mills and what is reputed to be The Netherlands' oldest pub (Der Gouden Karper) set among quintessentially Dutch countryside.

The parcours leaves Winsom to the north, travelling up to Baflo and then taking a long, fast loop west and south-west to Mensingeweer. Next, it heads east along a road called the Wildeveldseweg (which must sound fantastic in a Dutch accent). Just visible to the south-west from this point is Ezinge, the oldest continually-inhabited village in the country.

The terp at Ezinge, the Netherland's oldest village
(image credit: Ruben Binnendijk CC BY-SA 3.0)

Long before the ancient tribes who would become the Dutch worked out how to drain the boggy landscape, they would create artificial islands upon which to live (now known as terps and, since drainage, resembling low hills) - the example at Ezinge is still evident and is now occupied by the village's 13th Century church. During the early 20th Century, worked who dug peat for fuel began finding strange objects that were obviously of great age in the area, soon attracting the attention of archaeologists who found many more - including Roman artifacts and part of a sword almost identical to another dicovered at the Sutton Hoo ship burial in Great Britain. By dating the objects, they determined that people have lived in Ezinge since at least 600BCE, making it among the oldest continually-inhabited villages anywhere in Europe. The riders will complete five laps of the route, which should allow Ezinge to be seen even if there is early morning mist, bringing them up to a total of 76.6km.

Stage 4b, the team time trial, takes place on Saturday afternoon and covers 26.5km, beginning at Veendam some way off to the south-east from 4a. After beginning in the centre of the town on JG Pinksterstraat (53° 6'19.91"N 6°52'27.74"E), the teams pass through the streets and cross the canal, then the N33 motorway as they head into the flat fields. A route made up of fast straights punctuated with 25 bends and corners will make for a fast stage, but one in which a slower rider could very easily be dropped off the back of the squad and never find her way back. When they arrive at Oude Pekela, they follow Feiko Clockstraat into town, then turn left to arrive at the finish on Raadhuislaan (53° 6'17.39"N 7° 0'24.65"E).

Stage 4b - click to enlarge
(image credit: Energiwacht Tour)

Marianne Vos has pointed out that Stage 4b is likely to prove the pivotal point in the campaign of any rider - including herself - who hopes to win this race, because a race leader's General Classification advantage can very rapidly be wiped out by a slow team. For fans and rivals, this is our first opportunity to see how well the Rabobank Women's team, which was formed with the express intention of supporting Vos, performs under team time trial race conditions; making this stage one of the most important races so far this season.


Cyclopunk's prediction: GreenEDGE take the stage, but with an insufficient advantage to knock Marianne off the top spot in the GC

Weather: The riders face a chilly start to the day - it's currently only 4C at Baflo, and with a northerly wind of 25kph it feels more like -2C, possibly -4C in exposed places. At present, it's raining lightly - it should dry up later, but further showers are likely. Veendam looks set to be similar, though afternoon temperatures of 7C will at least feel above freezing though not by much, perhaps 3C.

As ever, the best way to get information during the race is by following the official Twitter @ewacttour, hashtag #EWT12 and @richiesteege. Local TV RTL7 is broadcasting a short highlights show daily: Stage 4a will be shown at 14:45 BST (+1 hour for local time/CEST), Stage 4b will be shown along with Stage 5 tomorrow at the same time.

Stage 1 (video) / 2 / 3 / 4a / 4b / 5 / Guide / Video Vault

Vuelta Ciclista al Pais Vasco

Stage 6 - click to enlarge
(image credit: Diario Vasco) 

Far away to the south, the Tour of the Basque Country enters its sixth and final stage (final stage? Seriously? How did that happened already?!). It's an 18.9km individual time trial and the only stage in this race without mountains, though there are two small hills to take the edge off top speeds.

By the looks of things, it's going to be a a very interesting stage, too: a look at the General Classification reveals numerous riders who could win overall simply by winning today - the top 17 riders are all within a minute of one another. Climbers Joaquin Rodriguez (currently 1st in GC, Katusha) and Samuel Sanchez (currently 2nd, Euskaltel-Euskadi) have got some serious work to do today, not just if either one of them would like to win this year but simply in order to finish in the top 10.

So you're racing Tony Martin in an
individual time trial? Good luck with
that one, chaps.
(image credit: Petit Brun CC BY-SA 2.0)

Will they do it? Hard to say. The riders currently in the top positions are, unsurprisingly, almost all climbers; but there are some good all-rounders seeded among them - Michele Scarponi (5th, Lampre-ISD), Ryder Hesjedal (8th, Garmin-Barracuda), Chris Horner (10th, RadioShack-Nissan). Most dangerous of all, however, is Tony Martin of Omega Pharma-QuickStep. 56" is a big gap to make up, but Martin is the man who took the World Time Trial Championship from Fabian Cancellara. If anyone can do it, Martin's your man.

Weather: More rain. Worse still, it'll come as scattered showers, so some riders may have enjoy a dry course while others have to tackle it wet - which can make all the difference and lose the race. Currently, the temperature in Onati is a chilly 6C, which probably feels more like 0C with the 17kph westerly wind. It should warm up to around 12C this afternoon and, since the wind will change to south-west (coming over land rather than sea) it'll feel like 12C too.


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


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