Archive for the 'Cycling News' Category
Mario Cipollini calls it quites with the Rock Racing Team.
Italian Mario Cipollini has requested to end his contract with Team Rock Racing and may be racing in Tinkoff colours for this Saturday’s Milano-Sanremo, a race he won in 2002. ‘The Lion King’ and owner of the USA Continental team, Michael Ball, have had their differences since starting their relationship last fall, and now Cipollini is in a race to annul his contract.
The 2002 World Champion from Lucca has a renewed desire for racing the Milano-Sanremo since he returned from retirement in the Tour of California. He now faces a race against time if he is to participate in the 298-kilometre race known as La Classicissima as he needs his racing license resolved with Rock Racing, which he requested last week according to La Gazzetta dello Sport, before signing for a new team.
(Photo courtsey of VeloNews)
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Sara Best
One of the first pieces I ever wrote about pro cycling was a profile on Chris Horner for the Daily Peloton. I remember researching the article and reading about how Horner hit the road on Stage 2 of the 2005 Tirreno-Adriatico race. Pain shot through his leg but he got back on the bike, pushed past it and finished the stage. He started again the next morning but the pain was overwhelming and after coming in third-last on the next stage he abandoned the race.
Horner was disappointed by his experience in Italy and, despite still feeling pain from the crash, vowed to do better a week later at the Setmana-Catalana race in Spain. He made good on his vow and scored two top-10 finishes before ending the race 16th overall.
A week later, still unable to shake the pain, Horner finally saw a doctor and found out that he had raced the entire Setmana-Catalana on a broken leg.
I remember being so amazed by the physical extremes that these athletes put themselves through for their profession and I was reminded of that never-give-up attitude today when I read about young Linus Gerdemann of Team High Road crashing on Sunday at this year’s Tirreno-Adriatico and breaking his leg in two places. His response? “I will do my very best to be back on the bike as soon as possible and I will fight to become part of the 2008 Tour de France.”
Being a professional cyclist is anything but an easy job. In what other profession do you break your leg in two places on a regular day at the office and have to get up, dust yourself off and immediately start working with your doctor to figure out exactly when your bones will be healed enough to get right back to work? No whining. No complaining. No excuses.
I’ll never forget little Linus Gerdemann and his amazing stage win at the Tour last year. Overnight he went from being just one of those fresh young faces on the T-Mobile bus that no one had ever heard of, to having his name and face known by everyone in the sport. He’s part of that fresh crop of young riders who represent a break with the past and carry the hopes of all cycling fans for a brighter future.
I wish him a speedy recovery and I certainly hope we see him back on that bike before July.
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Sara Best
Happy St. Patrick’s Day and I do apologize for the lack of posting lately but it was all I could do to keep up with the whirlwind that was March Break at my house last week. Anyway, back at my desk now and trying to tackle the mountain of work that has grown during my week of neglect.
I stopped by Cycling News this morning to try to catch up and was truly horrified to read this story about Belgian cyclist Kevin van Impe of the Quick Step team who was visiting a crematorium recently to attend to the unthinkable task of making funeral arrangements for his infant son who passed away shortly after being born premature. While struggling through what must have been one of the worst days of his life, van Impe was met by a drug tester who demanded that van Impe provide a sample on the spot or risk a two-year suspension for failing to comply.
Who is this guy and please tell me he doesn’t have a job anymore. It’s amazing enough to me that professional cyclists have to submit themselves to the humiliation of having to “drop and give me a cup” at any moment of the day or night, at home, at work, even on vacation. But while preparing to bury your son? Surely that’s too far. Surely there was a line back there somewhere that we crossed without noticing.
Happily the Flemish Minister of Sport did concede that the timing of this particular request had been in bad taste stating that, “”I can well understand the rider had other things on his mind at the time of the test,” and promising to find a way to continue random tests while trying to avoid these kinds of unique circumstances.
Amazing.
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It sounds as though before the month is out Floyd Landis will have played his last card in his fight to have his name cleared and his win in the 2006 Tour de France reinstated. The Court for the Arbitration of Sport (CAS) told the Associated Press that the hearing would begin on March 19 in New York and is expected to last six days. It is not yet known when the arbitrators will give their final ruling on the case though so we could still be in for a long wait before we know the end of this chapter of Floyd’s story. Unlike the previous hearing that Floyd went through in California, this one will be held behind closed doors so we won’t be able to get as much information as we’d like - unless our friend Paula over at TBV gets the inside scoop for us as she so often does.
In other news, former T-Mobile rider, Patrick Sinkewitz has again done as he was told, this time agreeing to give up his plans to appeal the $61,000 fine that was handed down to him along with his one year suspension for using testosterone just prior to the 2007 Tour de France. As a result of his continued co-operation the German authorities have agreed to abandon their plans to take more court action to prevent him from racing again.
I get that the goal here is to do as much as possible to reduce doping within the sport (I don’t suppose anyone thinks it can be done away with totally) but something just doesn’t sit right with me when it ends up meaning that you can cheat, admit to cheating, and then all you have to do is co-operate fully with authorities, roll over and do exactly as your told, serve up as many others as you possibly can, and you get away with a slap on the wrist.
Sinkewitz is going to be racing again - assuming he can find a team to sign him (Rock Racing probably still has a few slots open) - by July of this year. July! He basically just misses out on the early part of the season. Guys miss more time than that after a nasty spill on the road.
I don’t fault Sinkewitz here particularly. He’s just playing the game as it’s been designed around him. He’s just trying to keep making a living. And, obviously, in order to break the cycle of doping within the teams you must get your hands on the information you need to get to the root of the problem somehow. But this just feels wrong to me.
Would Floyd have been racing at the Tour last year if he’d rolled over and done what he was told?
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Sara Best
First of all, thanks so much to everyone who commented on my clipless pedal post with your own tips, do’s, don’ts and hilarious stories of personal embarrassment. I have taken them all to heart and hopefully I’ll be able to learn from some of your experiences and not hurt or embarrass myself too badly. I will definitely keep you all posted on my early progress once the weather warms up here and I can get out for that first trial run.
Next, I need to talk about how excited I am that the Tour de Georgia has decided to include a Team Time Trial at this year’s race. Man, how long has it been since we’ve seen a good TTT? The Tour de France did away with it this year, the Tour of California opted against it. Thank you to those kind folks in Georiga for going old school and giving us fans a little extra thrill this year.
When I think TTT I can’t help but remember the days of the Big Blue Train of Discovery barraling down the road with Lance on the front gritting his teeth against the pain. Ah, those were the days. I really missed the event at the Tour this year and I’m really looking forward to seeing it again in Georgia. Astana will be the new Big Blue Train and with Levi at the front it’s going be just like the old days. I can’t wait.
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Tucson, Arizona is home of the Shootout. Over the weekend there was a controversial run in with a police officer in Green Valley, Arizona.
“It’s a great ride, I mean it attracts a lot of people that come from out of town to ride here during the winter.”
The Tucson Shootout Bike Ride happens every Saturday morning and is considered by some cyclists as one of the best rides in the country.
But now the ride has hit a speed bump.
“It’s unfortunate things like this are happening,” Emiliano Jordan said.
To watch the news clip click here.
http://www.kold.com/global/story.asp?s=7959848
(video news clip and image courtesy of KOLD)
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Sara Best
While many families look forward to next week’s March Break for a little fun in the sun, riders in the ProTour are under considerably more stress as the March 9-16 Paris-Nice race approaches.
The fight between the UCI, ASO and the French Cycling Federation (FFC) has been heating up since the FFC agreed to ASO’s request to organize Paris-Nice as an event on the national calendar, under the exclusive jurisdiction of French law.
UCI President Pat McQuaid has been very outspoken about his displeasure with the situation. McQuaid made it clear that the UCI will not be involved in any way in the organization of Paris-Nice under the current conditions. This means that, as far as the UCI is concerned, the event will have no classification and no winner, and no points will be awarded for it. Moreover, no anti-doping controls will be carried out by the UCI, nor will it be involved in the management of any tests which may be carried out under national law.
He has asked teams to boycott the event and last week sent out an open letter to all riders stating that, by participating in the race, they would, “Be joining a private circuit controlled entirely by ASO for the benefit of its commercial interests,” wrote McQuiad. “You would be abandoning the protection afforded by rules of the UCI which are designed to give teams and riders rights and not simply protect the interests of organizers.”
Read the rest of this entry »
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Sara Best
Portland, Oregon played host to the 2008 North American Handmade Bicycle Show (NAHBS) from February 8 - 10. NAHBS is this continent’s event of the year for handmade bicycle builders and enthusiasts. This year the event featured 150 exhibitors, one of which was Naked Bicycles and Design of Quadra Island, B.C which walked away with three of the show’s top awards: President Walker’s Choice, People’s Choice and Best of Show.
Naked Bicycles and Design’s Sam Whittingham and Andrea Blaseckie attended the show and brought with them only one bike; one bike that showcased all of Whittingham’s favorite ideas and components. Their award-winner took 6 weeks of daily work to make; the frame alone is a complex amalgam of over 250 individual pieces. It turned a lot of heads at the show, not the least of which was that of seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong who actually bought the bike for $12,000.
Sam remembers the moment well: “Robin Williams stopped by our booth on Sunday and asked if we had sold the bike yet. I had to tell him that it had already been bought, but that I was pretty sure he was friends with the new owner, who would probably let him ride it.”
Whittingham worked in bike shops and learned to weld, draft, machine and paint long before he put together his first frame. He spent years racing and perfecting bike fit and riding analysis for various disciplines. Whittingham has also been called the “fastest man on Earth.” He is undefeated in the realm of human-powered cycling speed, currently holding the world record for both top speed, at 81mph, and endurance: 52 miles covered in 1 hour.
Naked produces roughly 60-70 bikes each year, from road and mountain to track and touring machines. All production, from initial design, to welding and paint is handled in-house by Sam, while Andrea handles PR and administration.
To learn more, or to get your name down early on their rapidly expanding waitlist, go to the Naked Bicycle and Design Website at www.timetogetnaked.com
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More than 45,000 people have signed the online petition to “Let Levi Ride” in the 2008 Tour de France.
Leipheimer, third last year to winning Astana teammate Alberto Contador, will be on the sideline in July if Tour owner ASO (pronounce that as you will) continues to say that Astana is not welcome. ASO is punishing the reincarnated team for doping violations committed by riders no longer on Astana and management that is long gone.
Last week’s RBR poll asked if Astana should be allowed into the ‘08 Tour and 89% of 1,200 voters said yes. If you’d like to see Levi and his team in the Tour, it might help to sign the ASO-bound petition at http://www.letleviride.com
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Posted on: February 28th, 2008 By: Tyler Ford In:
Cycling News
Cycling’s governing body the UCI has warned teams it will not recognize this year’s Paris-Nice race in a move which could threaten the Tour de France.
UCI chief Pat McQuaid is angry with the organizers’ decision to manage the race only under French law rather than under the governing body’s jurisdiction.
“This measure will have far-reaching consequences,” said McQuaid.
McQuaid sent a letter on Monday to all teams to explain the dispute with Paris-Nice organizers Amaury Sports Organisation (ASO), which also organises the Tour de France.
Paris-Nice is the European calendar’s first major race of the season but the rift is a genuine threat to the Tour, cycling’s most famous and prestigious race.
(Image courtsey of Getty Images)
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Posted on: February 26th, 2008 By: Tyler Ford In:
Cycling News
