ProTour (UCI Road) 2009 Info and results

BKv2 · Postby **BKv2** » Tue Jan 20, 2009 1:20 pm

Okay folks, our man Crash takes care of the wonderful CX world, so I will let y'all know what's going on in the wonderful world of the ProTour.

Okay, so even if they are all doped (or are they?!) the show is always good...

Hope you will enjoy!

BKv2 · Postby **BKv2** » Tue Jan 20, 2009 1:27 pm

The first big event of season is under way in hot and sunny Australia.

Tour Down Under goes on until January 25th. Here's a wrap-up of yesterday (stage 1), from Cyclingnews.com. Of note, LA finished in the main peleton (120th) staying out of the final sprint :

Stage 1 - January 20: Norwood - Mawson Lakes, 140 km

By Les Clarke in Adelaide, South Australia

Revenge was sweet for Team Columbia's André Greipel as he took out the Tour Down Under's opening stage today in Mawson Lakes. After marginally missing out on victory in Sunday's Cancer Council Classic, Team Columbia regrouped and controlled proceedings in the final kilometres as the German strongman kicked off his Down Under title defence in the best possible manner - with a win ahead of Baden Cooke (UniSA-Australia) and Stuart O'Grady (Saxo Bank).

The furnace of Adelaide's hills provided a test of steel for the man who dominated last year's edition of the race, and he further proved that he's a champion whose time has arrived with yet another victory in the South Australian capital. He paid tribute to the city that raised the awareness of the cycling world to this giant rider from Germany.

"Australia is the place that made me," said Greipel after his latest win. "I feel awesome."

"The guys led me out and at the end I had the best luck. It was a hot day and everyone had to suffer, but it was really great," he added. He wasn't giving away much when asked if this win meant he would be the team's leader, saying, "We'll see."

That good luck included an injury to Katusha's Robbie McEwen, who hit a spectator's camera just as Greipel was coming off his wheel with 150 metres to go. McEwen, who beat the German in Sunday's Cancer Council Classic, suffered a laceration and severe bruising to the top segment of his forearm and despite team management reporting that he's fine, he wasn't in good shape after the finish.

"I don't think I've broken a bone," McEwen said whilst grimacing with the pain. "It really, really hurts. Look at the size of it... it went up that big straight away. I'll go and get them to have a look at it." McEwen was checked by Dr Peter Barnes and it's questionable whether he will start tomorrow's second stage.

Meanwhile, ahead of McEwen, Baden Cooke and Stuart O'Grady were challenging Greipel for the stage win and proving that they've brought their A-game to this year's Tour Down Under. O'Grady's third place seemed something of a surprise to himself, however. "To be honest, I didn't think I'd be up there in the sprint," he admitted.

"It wasn't my objective, but the crazy, competitive mentality takes over in the finale. I actually felt pretty good, and I had a chat [with his Saxo Bank teammates] and it's good for morale."

The South Australian had stated prior to the race that he doesn't feel he has the form to win the event - today's performance may have proved otherwise, and the home crowd was rapt in his finish. O'Grady recognised this. "The support's been phenomenal," he said. "It has been Lance mania - and deservedly so. It's just great to see everyone come out to watch the race."

The man in the hot seat was André Greipel, however, and Team Columbia's Directeur Sportif Allan Peiper was a satisfied man after the finish. "André brought it home with the help of a fantastic team," said Peiper. "We've got two gun sprinters in their own right helping him - Greg Henderson and Mark Renshaw. We've got a great group of guys to ride before that so the pressure's there but they did it, and that's great."

The defending champion takes a tidy five-second lead heading into tomorrow's second stage, bonus seconds which could prove useful later in the race when he could possibly lose time on the modified Willunga stage.

Peiper knows every second is vital to Greipel's chances of defending his title, and was very satisfied with the German's approach to gathering that crucial, if slim, advantage. "He [Greipel] said to the team mechanic during the race that today he was feeling good - very good - and when he went for that [time] bonification at 20 or 30km to go, where he took a second, I thought, ‘That's really good'. Even if he hadn't beaten anybody today, the fact that he took it was a bonus."

At the rear of the field, Astana's star Lance Armstrong took a cautious approach to his first ProTour stage since returning to the sport professionally. The Texan finished outside of the top 100 riders on the 140km jaunt around the Barossa.

"The day they said was going to be the easy day... the course, combined with the temperatures in the 40s made it tough," said Armstrong. "On all the steep little hills we had I felt pretty strong. I finished at the back. When I get to those bunch sprints I get out of the way and let those big guys do their thing."

How it unfolded
Despite claims that a break wouldn't get away during today's stage, a two-man escape made it clear within the first 10 kilometres of racing, although with the firepower on their heels it was always going to fail to get the finish in Mawson Lakes with its advantage intact.

Olivier Kaisen (Silence-Lotto) and Andoni Lafuente (Euskaltel-Euskadi) shared the spoils of both the sprint and KOM points throughout their 100km-plus break, with both eventually being reeled in with 20km remaining in the stage. Kaisen will wear the sprint classification leader's jersey for his efforts while Lafuente superior climbing earned him the KOM classification lead.

While these two riders were reabsorbed into the big bunch, local rider Jack Bobridge, riding for UniSA-Australia, made his bid for some airtime in front of his local fans. Attacking at the 110km mark, he quickly amassed a reasonable lead, although like the previous break his was doomed to be caught ahead of the wide, windswept stretch of parcours along Main North Road.

That's precisely what happened, and with 10km remaining Team Columbia and Rabobank wound up the pace for their sprinters - Greipel and Graeme Brown respectively - as the conditions heading into the finale were tailor made for a powerful train. The ‘yellow locomotive' rode perfectly for its ‘Germanator', with Rogers, Hincapie, Renshaw, Henderson and Eisel taking Greipel to the last 200m with excellent results.

Tomorrow's second stage will be a tough test of the bunch's early-season mettle, with a hilly circuit and a tight overall classification ensuring more power from Columbia and Saxo Bank, as a battle between what are arguably the ProTour's two most successful squads looms in Adelaide's hills.

Story, results, pics: http://www.cyclingnews.com/road/2009/ja ... lts/TDU091

TheBman · Postby **TheBman** » Tue Jan 20, 2009 1:36 pm

Thanks BK.......!

BTW... testers showed up AGAIN, unnanounced at Lance's hotel room in Kona just before he left for a ride while out there trainning for the Tour DU.

:roll:

Bman

Sir Crashalot · Postby **Sir Crashalot** » Tue Jan 20, 2009 2:16 pm

Keep On Rocking BK!

BKv2 · Postby **BKv2** » Wed Jan 21, 2009 9:21 am

Great day for a bike race in Australia today... for the second stage of the Tour Down Under. For the LA fans, the man showed he still has the legs when he was part a very fast and agressive group during the race, even sitting at the front of the show for a while.

Here's a round up, thanks to CyclingNews:

Allan Davis wins the stage

Allan Davis loves Stirling. He's not really into jewellery but it's in the town of the same name that he secured his fourth Tour Down Under stage after 145 tough kilometres that took rider from Hahndorf to the friendly village nestled in the Adelaide Hills. It's also where the race started the year he won his first stage in 2006.

One of the stages race director Mike Turtur modified to ensure more exciting racing, stage two of this year's edition of the race was being billed as such by team managers and riders alike, and all who started today's hot jaunt were aware of what they needed to do – stay alert.

Davis did just that, watching all the important moves that were made by those seeking Down Under glory and adjusting his own race strategy to maximise his chances of victory in a tough, uphill finale.

"We haven't had a finish like that in this tour since the start," said Davis, who has ridden all 11 editions of Australia's premier stage race. "It was a different course and I knew from the start – I had pretty good feelings during the day. I knew before the race I'd get better as the days and my race fitness progressed.

"It was very tough, and a finish like that sort of suits me a bit more than some of the bigger sprinters. It's good to get one up on them for a change," he explained.

Davis faced some stiff opposition for the stage win, and after a barrage of failed attacks throughout the final two circuits around Stirling, he had to counter those riders who left their run to the last kilometre. "Luis Leon Sanchez hit out with about 500 to go. He's an ex-teammate of mine so I know how good he is," said Davis.

"One of my best mates, Michael Rogers, was helping out Greipel. He went straight away so I got on his wheel. I had a quick look around and there was a gap; I was thinking the whole race: 'leave it to the last hundred.' When I looked around with 250 to go, that went out the window and I thought, 'Now I gotta go'. I put my head down and hoped I got there before anyone else."

He was there before anyone else, including Graeme Brown and Stuart O'Grady, who finished second and third respectively. The latter's result puts him well in the hunt for the overall win, and although he was playing that down after yesterday's stage, he now knows that he's in with a good chance of taking another Down Under crown.

"It was pretty harsh for January," O'Grady said of today's stage. "It was definitely a lot harder than probably any stage we have raced in the past Surprised by his sprint yesterday, O'Grady said, "That was just on freshness… it wasn't a real sign of my form, but today was. I am in the mix so anything is possible for the rest of the week.

"I think we did a really good job, we kept out noses out of the wind for three quarters of the race and when we hit the circuit we had a rider in every break which was important. I just tried to keep everything for the finale," he added.

Rolling into the finish with his injured right arm slightly shaking due to the damage done yesterday and today's tough stage, Robbie McEwen proved that his ability to weather almost any storm has served him well so far in this year's race. Having won the Cancer Council Classic on Sunday before colliding with the camera lens of a spectator in Mawson Lakes yesterday, McEwen battled on and only just missed out on being amongst the top finishers.

"I talked to Gert and asked him how he was feeling and I said, 'Look, we'll play it by ear and see how we go on the last climb'. It could have been the case that we were both dropped," said McEwen. "I made it into the last k but the legs were stinging, and when it really went in the last kilometre I just didn't have the legs to go. I'll have another go tomorrow."

How if unfolded

"Lumpy" and "tough" were just two of the descriptions of today's stage before riders left the German hamlet of Hahndorf, some 30km outside Adelaide's CBD. More big crowds greeted the rolling circus that this year's edition of the race has quickly become, with the attention again squarely focused on Lance Armstrong.

Like yesterday's stage, fans quickly diverted their energies on what was happening at the front of the race, which was characterised today by one long escape and a plethora of forays off the head of the bunch in the closing circuits of Stirling.

It only took six kilometres for a trio to fire the first bullets, as Cofidis' Guillaume Blot, Euskaltel-Euskadi rider Markel Irizar and UniSA's Aaron Kemps broke away and remained in front until the halfway point of the first lap around Stirling.

After building a maximum lead of 5:10 at the 22km mark, they were reeled in during the second time around the town before an 11-man group that included Lance Armstrong, Michael Rogers and Matt Lloyd went clear. It was a dangerous-looking attack that lasted about five kilometres, before it was time for Armstrong to join the fearless Jack Bobridge (UniSA), who has launched two offensives off the front in two days.

With about 25km remaining it was gruppo compatto, and a bunch sprint looked the inevitable outcome. Despite Team Columbia controlling the front of the race, and Sanchez' bullet during the last kilometre, Davis clearly took advantage of the gap that appeared and he was "rapt" after securing another win, his first for his new squad, Quick Step.

"Words can't describe…" said Davis, who has had a torrid three years since winning his first stage of this race in Hahndorf three years ago. "I'm with a new team, Quick Step. I might not be new to the race but I'm new to the team. They put a lot of confidence in me and I'd like to dedicate this to the management and the team for the trust they put in me. I'd like to say thank you to them.

"It's my third day of racing for the year and I've got the win," he continued. "That was my objective coming into the week; anything more than that is going to be a bonus now. It's a new team and I'm looking forward to the next couple of years more than ever."

Davis was playing down his form, although today's win bodes well for the coming months, particularly heading into the Spring Classics. "I still haven't got that much intensity – I've been in Europe all winter and it's been pretty hard to get some tough k's in mainly because of the weather," said Davis. "With my mate and trainer Neil Stephens we did as much as we could and left it to just after New Year to get in some stuff behind the motorbike.

"Normally I'm doing Bay Crits and what not before that, so I still haven't got that much intensity. I'm very confident looking to the future. It was a lot cooler than yesterday but I was definitely more comfortable.

"I'm definitely a lot stronger mentally; I know physically I can do pretty big things in this sport."

Story, pics and standings here: http://www.cyclingnews.com/road/2009/ja ... lts/TDU092

TheBman · Postby **TheBman** » Wed Jan 21, 2009 9:26 am

He always impresses me.....this tour sponsor is cancer based and was the reason LA went to represent.

After the day's races, he cleans up and heads for more meetings with the Prime Minister and Health Officials for roundtables and other info sharing sessions......a true dedicated machine!!

Bman

BKv2 · Postby **BKv2** » Wed Jan 21, 2009 2:33 pm

Just for you BMan... more stuff about the Livestrong Madone... bike porn included:

http://www.cyclingnews.com/tech/2009/pr ... vestrong09

TheBman · Postby **TheBman** » Wed Jan 21, 2009 2:37 pm

BK wrote:Just for you BMan... more stuff about the Livestrong Madone... bike porn included:

http://www.cyclingnews.com/tech/2009/pr ... vestrong09

....lol.....being part of Lance's Twitter fans, we got all that juice weeks ago!!!!

Hehehee!<

B

BKv2 · Postby **BKv2** » Thu Jan 22, 2009 2:27 pm

Another spectacular stage at the TDU earlier today (way earlier) which was marked by a crash that took out Team Columbia's leader (and defending TDU champ) Andrei Greipel. Solid sprint at the end that was won by Graeme Brown of Rabobank. MR. LA is showing a splendid form already, and was part of breakout group that came close to lose the peleton. He's currently 30 secs. behind the leader.

Here is what the GC looks thus far:

1 Allan Davis (Aus) Quick Step 10.47.11
2 Graeme Brown (Aus) Rabobank
3 Stuart O'Grady (Aus) Team Saxo Bank 0.05
4 Martin Elmiger (Swi) AG2R La Mondiale 0.14
5 Michael Rogers (Aus) Team Columbia - High Road 0.18
6 Matthew Wilson (Aus) UniSA 0.19
7 Mauro Santambrogio (Ita) Lampre - N.G.C 0.20
8 José Joaquin Rojas Gil (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne
9 Ryder Hesjedal (Can) Garmin-Slipstream
10 Jussi Veikkanen (Fin) Française Des Jeux
11 Mickaël Chérel (Fra) Française Des Jeux
12 George Hincapie (USA) Team Columbia - High Road
13 Mathew Hayman (Aus) Rabobank
14 Wesley Sulzberger (Aus) Française Des Jeux
15 Nicolas Roche (Irl) AG2R La Mondiale 0.24
16 Christian Knees (Ger) Team Milram
17 Luis Leon Sanchez Gil (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne
18 Mathieu Perget (Fra) Caisse d'Epargne
19 Vincent Jérôme (Fra) Bbox Bouygues Telecom
20 Matthew Lloyd (Aus) Silence - Lotto

All the details here: http://www.cyclingnews.com/road/2009/ja ... /TDU093#gc

BKv2 · Postby **BKv2** » Mon Jan 26, 2009 9:44 am

Was away this weekend so could not do some TDU updates...

But a great season start we got for sure! And the weekend stages had their share of drama as well.

Allan Davis of QuickStep concluded a magnificent TDU with style (including a surprise stage win on Saturday) and won the ocra jersey.

Here's the CyclingNews wrap-up of the final stage: http://www.cyclingnews.com/road/2009/ja ... lts/TDU096

Of note, Canadian Ryder Hesjedal (Team Columbia) finished 11th overall, only 40 seconds behind. And THAT guy that is making a racing comeback finished 29th, 49 seconds behind. Guess LA still has some juice left in those legs!

Here's the top 10:

1 Allan Davis (Aus) Quick Step 19.26.59
2 Stuart O'Grady (Aus) Team Saxo Bank 0.25
3 José Joaquin Rojas Gil (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne 0.30
4 Martin Elmiger (Swi) AG2R La Mondiale
5 Wesley Sulzberger (Aus) Française Des Jeux 0.37
6 Michael Rogers (Aus) Team Columbia - High Road 0.38
7 Matthew Wilson (Aus) UniSA 0.39
8 Mauro Santambrogio (Ita) Lampre - N.G.C 0.40
9 Jussi Veikkanen (Fin) Française Des Jeux
10 Mickaël Chérel (Fra) Française Des Jeux
11 Ryder Hesjedal (Can) Garmin-Slipstream
12 Luis Leon Sanchez Gil (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne
13 George Hincapie (USA) Team Columbia - High Road

The next big race of the season will be the Amgen Tour of California. This will be quite a showdown, with all the ProTour in attendance, and coming with most of their big guns!

Between now and then, I will keep posting some interesting stories, and probably a profile of each ProTour team.

TheBman · Postby **TheBman** » Mon Jan 26, 2009 10:09 am

Thanks BK...... whata great sprint finish!!
Nasty crash though.....could not begin to imagin the crazyness of that bunch sprint.....CRAZY!

Bman

La · Postby La » Mon Jan 26, 2009 10:59 am

BK wrote:Of note, Canadian Ryan Hesjedal (Team Columbia) finished 11th overall, only 40 seconds behind.

Actually, it's Ryder, not Ryan. :wink:

He's my new fave rider. Besides having a cool name, we share the same birthday.

I'm not quite old enough to be his mother, since he was born on my 17th BD. :wink:

BKv2 · Postby **BKv2** » Tue Jan 27, 2009 12:17 pm

Thanks La... I need to proof read myself better...!

BKv2 · Postby **BKv2** » Tue Jan 27, 2009 12:20 pm

Since I know many here read French, and if you are a Euro cycling lover there are also chances you might read french too, here are some great profiles (and not to long) about what are probably the top 12 Pro Tour teams for this year, on Eurosports. Nice summary of everyone, just need to navigate on the page a bit.

Profiles: http://www.eurosport.fr/cyclisme/presentation/2008-2009

BKv2 · Postby **BKv2** » Thu Jan 29, 2009 12:44 pm

Hey folks... how about a bit of Euro-Trashtoday, courtesy of PezCycling News. Enjoy!!

You'll notice that Cervelo Test Team, although not a ProTour team, is getting invited to all the big races so far. Smart and wise move to sign Carlos Sastre to begin with!

TheBman · Postby **TheBman** » Thu Jan 29, 2009 1:05 pm

Also as some FYI........Doping Control showed up at Lances home this morning before he went for his morning ride..... :shock:

Bman

BKv2 · Postby **BKv2** » Thu Jan 29, 2009 2:07 pm

They will have some much samples from him once they are done, that will probably be able to create... a Lance clone!

BKv2 · Postby **BKv2** » Mon Feb 02, 2009 10:08 am

Well... It did not take long!

Cervelo Test Team got their very first stage win today in Day 2 of the Tour of Qatar... Roger Hammond beat an elite field of cycling horsepower (including party boy Tom Boonen) to grab the win. And even more surprising (for this race) it was not a sprint finish.

Here's a story about it, courtesy of UK's Cycling Weekly:

Roger Hammond held off the surge from a group containing Quick Step's Tom Boonen and Steve De Jongh to win stage two of the Tour of Qatar in Doha.

The British rider was one of a handful of Cervélo Test Team riders who made the lead group on an exciting, aggressive day in the desert.

Hammond is the new overall leader, taking the gold jersey from his compatriot Bradley Wiggins (Garmin-Slipstream).

Crosswinds split the peloton to ribbons with Cervélo taking the initiative to get so many riders in the front group. Hammond was joined by team-mates Dan Lloyd, Gabriel Rasch, Heinrich Haussler, Andreas Klier and Xavier Florencio in the lead group.

At one point, Mark Cavendish (Columbia) was in the lead group but he sat up, deciding not to persist.

But despite their numerical advantage they still had to contend with the sprinters Tom Boonen of Quick Step and Danilo Napolitano of Katusha.

As the race entered the final ten kilometres Cervélo's Rasch tested the water with an attack.

With 2.8 kilometres to go Hammond attacked and his Cervélo team-mates sat back, waiting to see if the other teams would react.

Quick Step did react, but it was too late. Hammond, his mouth open, face twisted with the effort of turning the big gear, put his head down and went for it.

A couple of glances over the shoulder showed he still had a good gap going under the kilometre kite.

On the line, Hammond got it with Napolitano second.

The British rider takes the gold leader's jersey from the shoulders of fellow Brit Bradley Wiggins, whose Garmin team won yesterday's team time trial. Hammond leads Tom Boonen by six seconds.

Hammond said: "It was a really hard day. It was a day of attrition. We kept losing more and more riders. Cervélo Test Team won this race, it was a real team effort. At one stage we had seven riders, next best team was Quick Step with three.

"I was lucky I drew the right straw with the attack. Everyone knew it was going to be windy. We are specialists in the crosswinds because we're Classics riders."

It was only the fifth time in the race's history that a road stage has not ended in a sprint.

BKv2 · Postby **BKv2** » Wed Feb 04, 2009 9:38 am

For those not following this "misadventure" since last year, Belgian hot shot Tom Boonen was cleared by the judicial system of all accusations in regards to cocaine use.

How did he celebrate that? By winning a stage in the Tour of Qatar yesterday. Something tells me Big Tom will be on fire this year. Well, that is if he can focus on racing more than on the ladies and the parties!!

BKv2 · Postby **BKv2** » Thu Feb 05, 2009 9:52 am

Sad news in the cycling world today. Belgian up-and-comer Frederiek Nolf was found dead in his room last night in Qatar. Stage 5 of the ToQ was modified to a "neutralised" 20k leg earlier today.

I hope they won't find anything "fishy" in his blood if there's an autopsy.

Qatar continues in memory of Nolf
By Gregor Brown in Doha, Qatar

The Tour of Qatar continued Thursday despite the sudden death of Belgian Frederiek Nolf the night before at the official race hotel. The riders rode a shortened, neutralised stage of 20 kilometres from Al Kharaib to Doha in memory of the 21-year-old of Team Topsport Vlaanderen-Mercator, who died of a suspected heart attack in his sleep.

"The riders were not in shape to compete today, above all the Belgians. I think that to stop the race all together would have been bad. When [Fabio] Casartelli died they did not stop the stage [Tour de France stage 15, July 18, 1995 - ed.], they kept going," said cycling legend and race official Eddy Merckx.

The stage started at 14:05 after the 131 riders observed one minute of silence in honour of Nolf. Teams Katusha and Doha led the riders from the start at the camel racetrack.

The peloton covered the short ride east to Doha's capital city. Team Doha led a silent peloton over the line.

Riders reported the mood of the group silent and sombre during the stage.

The Tour of Qatar, February 1 to 6, concludes tomorrow with its final stage. The riders will face a 121-kilometre stage from Sealine Beach to Doha's waterfront.

Tom Boonen is the current general classification leader. The two-time winner leads in what is a three-way fight with two Cervélo riders: Roger Hammond at 10 seconds and Heinrich Haussler at 12 seconds back.

TheBman · Postby **TheBman** » Thu Feb 05, 2009 9:57 am

A sad sad day....... way to young for a Heart Att.

in other cycling news......Team Astana is in Southern Cali....and just after supper last night....according to LA...

...UCI anti-doping control just showed up. #16.

More testing than EVER......!

Bman

BKv2 · Postby **BKv2** » Thu Feb 05, 2009 9:59 am

They will NOT STOP! Told you, I think there is a secret lab in Europe somewhere working on a Lance clone, to be "born" as a Frenchman!

BKv2 · Postby **BKv2** » Fri Feb 06, 2009 9:27 am

Why not a little bike porn on this Friday morning.

I always love to droll all over the keyboard when I read the Cyclingnews pro rider bike section. This morning is even... better.

Click here for some SERIOUS Cervelo porn!!

TheBman · Postby **TheBman** » Fri Feb 06, 2009 10:45 am

That eliptical rotor is just plain SICK!

Cervelo is not my fave bike by far...but MAN Carlos is gonna ride the Jepers outta that thing!!!!!!!

Bman

BKv2 · Postby **BKv2** » Fri Feb 06, 2009 10:48 am

He He He... I am more interested in the Quarq Cinqo spider within that crank!!

It will be interesting to see what he does on that beauty. He was always an R3 man, while the rest of the CSC crew was on Soloists. But that new R3 is too sick to pass....

ProTour (UCI Road) 2009 Info and results

ProTour (UCI Road) 2009 Info and results

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