Tour de France leader Alejandro Valverde's custom Pinarello Prince
When Caisse D'Epargne superstar Alejandro Valverde stormed past Columbia's Kim Kircken in the last 200 meters of the opening stage of the 2008 Tour de France he did it on a brand new bike. The winning bike wasn't new in the sense of a new design - it is the same bike as his teammates ride, a Pinarello Prince - but it was new to Valverde. In fact, it was his first ride on the new bike. The late switch was the result of the bike's custom paint job commemorating Valverde's Spanish national championship title, which he won less than a week before the 2008 Tour's send off.
The Prince is the crown jewel of Pinarello's line. The Caisse D'Epargne team has been on the bike since last year's Tour, so its design isn't all that new. It's built with carbon from the well-respected carbon supplier, Toray. The carbon is a specific blend that Pinarello calls 50HM1K. The design incorporates Pinarello's ONDA FPX wave into the fork and seatstays. The company claims that the waves increase the damping abilities of the frame and fork without sacrificing any lateral stiffness. Both the frame and fork feature carbon dropouts and the frame sports asymmetric chainstays. The Pinarello M.O.st bars and seatpost are made from the same 50HM1K carbon as the frame and fork.
Caisse D'Epargne mechanics received Valverde's two custom painted frames and complementing components on Friday, the day before the start of the race, and quickly built the bikes with standard (aside from the Record Red shifters) 2008 Campagnolo Record 10-speed groups and Bora Ultra deep section wheels. Despite the somewhat average professional build the new bikes were, by no means, boring. The highlight is the stunning Spanish National paint job, which stretches over the frame, fork and many of the parts including the M.O.st Talon LE one-piece bar-stem, and M.O.st Tail LE seatpost.
Maybe the most unusual custom items are the outer arms of Valverde's Campy Record brake calipers. Both the front and rear were painted yellow to match the bike's Spanish theme. The only items that didn't match were Valverde's signature saddles. They bore the mark of 'Balaverde,' one of Valverde's nicknames - the Green Bullet.
Despite the fact that Valverde's new bikes are technically the same as his previous Princes, albeit maybe a little heavier because of the extra paint, they're special. For him to be able to come into a race where he is considered a favorite and to make a late charge in the sprint as he did for the win, it would be easy to credit his bike for something - confidence.
His Prince, in its special dress, gave him the bravado of a bullfighter's costume, a traje de luces and you can argue that a confidence is the most important ingredient of success.
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Greipel takes the high road
The High Road cyclist edged British teammate Mark Cavendish, who has already won two stages on this year's renewal.
Tour de France champion Alberto Contador retained the overall leader's pink jersey with four stages remaining.
Greipel and Cavendish, who won Commonwealth Games gold for his birthplace of the Isle of Man on the track in 2006 in Melbourne, raised their arms in triumph as they crossed the line almost in unison.
Cavendish had worked his heart out for his teammate and on several occasions stopped Italian rider Daniele Bennati from overtaking them. The Italian eventually finished third.
"After the finish line, everybody in the team was delighted," Greipel said in acknowledging that his victory was not a solo effort.
"Cavendish as well. It is a team victory. One doesn't win a sprint without it being so."
Contador for his part was happy that it hadn't been too testing a day following a rest day.
"It was a quiet day," said Contador, who will be unable to defend the Tour de France title as his Astana team were not been invited by race organisers as they have had several high profile drug scandals in recent years.
"I felt well. I didn't have any allergy problems.
"As for the final few days? Both Riccardo Ricco (second, 41 seconds behind) and Gilberto Simoni (third, more than a minute in arrears) are dangerous.
"But Simoni has more experience," Contador said, referring to the Italian's two Giro victories.
Ricco, though, gave Contador a boost as he revealed that he was not in the best of health.
"I am a little troubled by bronchitis today and had trouble breathing," he said.
"Last night, I could not sleep. I was still coughing during the stage.
"But even if it the cruel reality, I have no intention of giving up."
Copyright 2008 Premier Media Group Pty Ltd.
AG2R La Mondiale preparing for Dauphine Libere
French team AG2R La Mondiale will thoroughly prepare for the upcoming Criterium du Dauphine Libere (June 8-15) with a training camp in Corbier. The team will gather from June 2 to 5 in the place known for its skiing in the winter. The riders, however, will explore the uphills, with a special emphasis on the stages of the French build up-race to the Tour de France.
The team has nonetheless the opportunity to also reconnoitre the Col de la Croix Fer, which will feature in this year's Grande Boucle. The climb will go up towards Toussuire. The stage will finish on the famous Alpe d'Huez.
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Rabobank makes preliminary Tour selections
Denis Menchov, Oscar Freire and Thomas Dekker top Rabobank's preliminary selection for this year's Tour de France, but sport director Erik Breukink warned that nobody had a definite start place. Included in the 14 rider list is eight Dutch riders.
"Everything depends on the shape," said Breukink on rabobank.nl. "If shortly before the Tour the shape is not what it should be, then that rider will not start. It doesn't matter who; there are not exceptions."
Among the Dutch riders is one surprise, Pieter Weening. The 27 year-old has not raced yet this season because of a knee injury. "He is still hindered by it," Breukink said. "Pieter cannot put pressure on the knee, but he can do endurance training. Progress is being made."
Weening is scheduled to make his season debut at the Volta a Catalunya, May 19, to be followed by the Dauphine Libere. Weening may be on the Tour list, but Breukink doubted that he would make the final cut.
"It will be tough and Pieter knows that very well, but he has always been of solid and useful value during the Tour," he said. "We will first see how he fares in Catalonia and the Dauphine.
One name missing from the roster is Robert Gesink, but Breukink explained that the team and 21 year-old rider had agreed over the winter that he would not ride the Tour this year.
"We are not going to reverse that decision," he said. "Robert has had a heavy spring season. Right now, we are going to take things a more slowly. At any rate, the Tour still comes too early in his career. His next test will be the Dauphine, followed perhaps by the Olympic Games and for sure the Vuelta."
Rabobank's preliminary Tour de France roster: Denis Menchov, Oscar Freire, Thomas Dekker, Joost Posthuma, Juan Antonio Flecha, Laurens ten Dam, Bram Tankink, Sebastian Langeveld, Koos Moerenhout, Grischa Niermann, Pedro Horrillo, Bram de Groot, Mauricio Ardila and Pieter Weening.
Copyrigth Future Publishing (Overseas) Limited, a Future plc group company, 1995-2007. All rights reserved.
Astana scramble to prepare for Giro
May 5, 2008 -- Updated 1038 GMT (1838 HKT)
PARIS, France -- Tour de France champion Alberto Contador and his Astana team are facing a hasty scramble to compete in the Giro d'Italia after receiving a late invitation to take part in a race from which they were originally barred.
The organizers changed their minds and issued the invite last weekend for the race which gets under way next Saturday.
Astana had been in disgrace after a number of doping scandals last year and their eviction from the Tour de France when Alexandre Vinokourov tested positive for blood doping.
The team has been revamped and shown good form this season.
Whilst the news is welcome Contador said that it presents him and his colleagues with some unexpected problems.
"I would have preferred to know beforehand that I was riding the Giro so that I could prepare in the best possible way for such a prestigious race," said Contador, who beat Australian Cadel Evans by 23 seconds to win the Tour's yellow jersey last year.
"When the team told me we were going to the Giro I was on holiday in a hotel on the south of Spain. The Giro was not part of my schedule, so I'm not in the best possible shape - but I'll do as best as I can."
Astana team manager Johan Bruyneel, who took over when Marc Biver was sacked, said: "Preparation for a Grand Tour involves intensive planning, both for our staff and riders."
The former team manager of Lance Armstrong added: "Many people may not realize that riders schedule their season-long training programs around these three-week races.
"The one-week notice is certainly an extra challenge, but I'm confident that our Team will show up motivated."
Contador, whose mountain climbing is a big factor in his success, admitted he did not know any of the big mountain stages of the Giro.
It is conceivable that he could working for either Andreas Kloeden or Levi Leipheimer in the race for the pink jersey - all three riders were on Astana's team list handed in to Giro organizers Sunday.
It will be the first Giro for Kloeden, a former two-time runner-up at the Tour de France, and winner of last week's Tour de Romandie.
American Leipheimer said: "It was a big surprise to get the call from Johan. I was planning on training in the US for a couple of weeks, but now I need to fly to Italy and prepare for a tough three-week race."
For the race which awards the world famous yellow jersey, it was due to their role in the numerous scandals of last year's race. Astana were thrown out when Alexandre Vinokourov tested positive for blood doping.
For the race whose main prize is the pink jersey, Astana were initially left on the sidelines for 2008 because Giro organizers believed they would devalue the race by using it as a simple warm-up for the Tour.
At the time Giro organizers said: "If our race is not in their plans we shan't invite them."
But after a string of positive results on the road this season, including Andreas Kloeden's overall win at the Tour de Romandie, Giro organizer Angelo Zomegnan appears to have realized the team's fan-pulling power.
"Yes, I have invited Contador," he confirmed Sunday.
Tour de France officials are not expected to follow suit - organizers of the world's biggest, and most influential bike race are known to be particularly stubborn, especially when it comes to making a point.
Astana, to their credit, have been revamped in the wake of the doping scandal which led to their unceremonious exit from last year's Tour de France, the number one reason they were sidelined for the 2008 edition.
And although they are not about to pass up the opportunity to show they are worthy of shot at the pink jersey, Contador admits it will be a challenge just to get to the Giro start line in racing form.
"I would have preferred to know beforehand that I was riding the Giro so that I could prepare in the best possible way for such a prestigious race," said Contador, who beat Australian Cadel Evans by 23 secs to win the Tour's yellow jersey last year.
"When the team told me we were going to the Giro I was on holiday in a hotel on the south of Spain. The Giro was not part of my schedule, so I'm not in the best possible shape - but I'll do as best as I can."
Astana team manager Johan Bruyneel, who took over from Marc Biver after he was sacked, echoed Contador's thoughts.
"Preparation for a Grand Tour involves intensive planning, both for our staff and riders," said Bruyneel, the former team manager of Lance Armstrong.
"Many people may not realize that riders schedule their season-long training programs around these three-week races. The one-week notice is certainly an extra challenge, but I'm confident that our Team will show up motivated."
Contador, whose mountain climbing displays played a huge role in his yellow jersey victory last July, admits he doesn't know any of the big mountain stages of the Giro.
It now seems possible that Contador could end up working for either Kloeden or Leipheimer in the race for the pink jersey - all three riders figured on Astana's team list handed in to Giro organizers Sunday.
It will be the first Giro for Kloeden, a former two-time runner-up at the Tour de France, and has also jolted Leipheimer into action.
"It was a big surprise to get the call from Johan. I was planning on training in the US for a couple of weeks, but now I need to fly to Italy and prepare for a tough three-week race," said the Californian.
The biggest losers of this decision are small Swiss outfit NGC, who it appears have been told that their initial invite had come prematurely.
(c) 2008 Cable News Network. A Time Warner Company. All Rights Reserved.
Unlucky weekend for the Multivan Merida
The Multivan Merida Biking Team had nothing but bad luck at the Offenburg round of the World Cup last weekend in Germany. Although the team was fortunate not to have its bikes stolen as they were in Houffalize, abandons, illnesses and mechanical problems posed different challenges.
Gunn-Rita Dahle Flesja, Nina Wrobel and Ralph Naf all had to abandon their races due to health problems, and Robert Gehbauer decided not to start at all for the same reason. Dahle Flesja pulled out of her race in the second lap in order to save power for next weekend's World Cup race in Madrid. Wrobel faced a similar situation deciding to call it quits after half of the race. Naf's abandon came just after one lap in the men's race as he could not breathe freely due to a cold.
A determined Moritz Milatz went into the race afflicted with health problems as well, but he managed to finish a 28th nonetheless.
That left the team's main hopes pinned on Jose Hermida. The Spaniard chased eventual winner Julien Absalon hard in attempt to follow his decisive attack, but suffered bad luck himself when his chain broke on the final lap. Hermida ended up dropping to 24th place after his mechanical.
"I had to walk for quite a long distance which made me lose an incredible lot of positions," said the Spaniard after the finish. "I felt very good and therefore everything would have been possible today. But when your chain breaks in the final lap you hardly get a chance to chase back.
Copyright Future Publishing (Overseas) Limited, a Future plc group company, 1995-2007. All rights reserved.
High Road team left out of Spanish Vuelta
Reuters, Tuesday April 29 2008
MADRID, April 29 (Reuters) - High Road were surprisingly left out when Tour of Spain organisers unveiled their 20-team list for the stage race on Tuesday.
The team, known as T-Mobile before the German sponsor left cycling at the end of last season, are the only one of the 18 outfits in the elite ProTour not taking part in the Vuelta.
"I don't know why we have been left out," High Road leader Mark Cavendish told Reuters after his win in the Tour of Romandie prologue in Switzerland.
"However, the race is not as important as the Tour de France and the Giro (d'Italia) for our sponsors. Actually, the Tour of Britain and the Tour of Missouri are more important to them than the Vuelta.
"The organisers' decision is probably political, perhaps they want to please the crowd with more popular riders in their country."
Organisers Unipublic did not give any reason leaving High Road out, although the team's past doping record could be one of them.
They said the 20 teams invited had been chosen because they "met the necessary criteria in terms of ethics, image and administrative matters".
The Astana team barred from entering the Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia because of their implication in doping scandals over the past two years are among those invited.
The Aug. 30-Sept. 21 race is the only one of the big three tours Astana will ride in this year.
"We will have the best field of the three big tours," said Vuelta director Victor Cordero in a statement. "We have got a great route and the teams will be motivated and coming with the best riders they have."
The Vuelta had already made it clear Astana would be asked to take part, arguing the team should not be punished since they had sacked their disgraced riders and overhauled their structure.
Alberto Contador, Spain's most exciting young rider, joined Astana after his Tour de France triumph last year when his Discovery Channel team was wound up following the withdrawal from the sport of the sponsors.
Last November, Deutsche Telekom announced it was withdrawing from professional cycling, ending its contract with Team T-Mobile, now Team High Road.
Former T-Mobile riders Bjarne Riis, who won the Tour de France in 1996, and Erik Zabel admitted last year to using banned substances during the 1990s.
T-Mobile launched an anti-doping programme and the sacking of German Patrik Sinkewitz and Italy's Lorenzo Bernucci following positive dope tests, plus the dismissal of Ukrainian rider Serhiy Honchar for breach of conduct appeared to back Deutsche Telekom's zero-tolerance stance.
Teams:
Astana, Caisse D'Epargne, Euskaltel Euskadi, Saunier Duval, Andalucia-Caja Sur, Karpin Galicia, AG2r-La Mondiale, Bouygues Telecom, Cofidis, La Francaise des Jeux, Credit Agricole, Gerolsteiner, Team Milram, Lampre, Liquigas, Quick Step, Silence-Lotto, Rabobank, Tinkoff, Team CSC. (Reporting by Simon Baskett with input from Julien Pretot in Paris, additional reporting by Francois Thomazeau in Geneva, editing by Rex Gowar)
guardian.co.uk (c) Guardian News and Media Limited 2008
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