SB Nation User Blog: gavia

CycleTweet du Jour

gavia — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 17:00:17 -0000

This one comes from cyclocross World Champion Marianne Vos.

Weather forcast near Nommay (Fra) http://bit.ly/4ELyJI. Rain, rain, rain!
#unrecognizablemudmonstersonwheels

It's all about the tags.

The Wednesday Session

gavia — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 20:49:33 -0000

Welcome to this week's edition of the Wednesday Session, which sometimes publishes on Wednesday, but not all that often.

This week, it's a compendium of curiosities and cycling oddities including a strange tale of Italians bringing bike racing to America. Will there be Pinarellos? Here at the Sesh, we know how to ask the important questions. But please, do come on in and stay a while. I promise, this won't hurt a bit.

We begin today in Italy, where something must surely be in the water. Or, maybe it was the grappa. According to an interview run in Wednesday’s Gazzetta dello Sport, the Giro d’Italia wants to come to America, and in particular, to Washington D.C. Oh Zomes, is this the best you can do? A helmet troll has more subtlety. Zomegnan explained that the Giro has long wanted to do a start in American and claimed that he has talked to the mayor of Washington D.C. and Mr. Mayor is enthusiastic about the possibility. When not mayoring, the mayor of Washington D.C. is a triathlete, which pretty much explains everything right there.

Okay, I’ll bite. What if Zomes is serious about this Washington D.C. plan? First off, I can’t think of a less Italian city than Washington D.C. Omaha, maybe. And we’re talking easily seven hours in a plane and a hefty six hour time difference. That sounds fun. Pity the poor ink-stained wretches who have to interview a bunch of jet-lagged bike racers and fight their circadian rhythms to file their stories on time. Not that I would know anything about that, the on-time part I mean. And pity the bike racers, who have to fly back to Italy after this American holiday and race the real Giro. You know, the one with ginormous mountains and such. Twitter would certainly crash under the flood of complaints about late-night meals, missed massages, and sleepless nights. Does anyone really want to listen to that? Zomes, please, spare us this suffering. If the bike racers don’t pull at your heart strings, how about the mechs and staffers, who somehow have to keep the bikes wrenched, the kits cleaned, and the musette bags filled? They so do not deserve a trans-atlantic grand tour.

Still, I’m sticking with my original view that Zomes is headline-whoring. He knows that he has to compete with the Armstrong-headlined Tour of California for the attention of the American tifosi. Really, he under-estimates us. We are perfectly capable of watching two races at once. Sponsors, take note. Of course, Zomes did achieve a measure of success with his little gambit. He commandeered the headlines in two of the most important English-language cycling news sites, including the Journal of Competitive Cycling. Footnotes also sold separately. More importantly, he made the Sesh, a goal many strive for, but few achieve.

A nasty virus is sweeping the peloton, a virus that turns every rider into a Tour de France hopeful. Samuel Sánchez is the latest victim. Second place behind Alejandro Valverde at this year’s Vuelta a España, Sánchez told El País this week that his season will be "the Tour and nothing but the Tour." The Olympic road race champion hopes to reach the podium in Paris and pick off a stage win along the way. A boy can hope, anyway. Fränk Schleck has also caught the Tour bug and is hoping to finish on the podium. I’m not quite sure what he intends to do with his brother Andy Schleck, who actually has finished on the Tour podium. Arsenic in the water bottles, maybe. This Tour podium, it begins to look a bit crowded. Little wonder Zomes felt the need to troll up a few headlines.

In other Schleck-related news, the women of Luxembourg have gone into deep mourning today after Fränk Schleck asked his girlfriend Martine to marry him. Apparently, she said yes. Fränk picked a poolside venue in Caracao for the occasion and managed to avoid falling in, a good omen if ever there was one. The dolphins were not available for comment.

Philippe Gilbert, so not a joiner. The Belgian, who raced 97 days this season for a total of 15,987 kilometers, confided to Sporza this week that he would very likely skip the Tour next season, as it offers him too few opportunities. He also dismissed the Giro as too difficult. Instead, Gilbert will devote his season to winning as many classics as possible and to chasing the Rainbow Jersey in Melbourne at next year’s World Championship road race. The OmegaPharma-Lotto rider will take the start of the Vuelta a España, but only as prep for the Worlds. Gilbert explained that the departure of Cadel Evans from the team increased the pressure on him to achieve results, and he intends to put all his focus on the one day races where he has the best chance of success.

The UCI tells us today that Alberto Fernandez de la Puebla Ramos has tested positive in an out-of-competition test. The offending substance was EPO and the test resulted from abnormalities in Alberto’s bio-passport. You didn’t think I was actually going to type that name more than once, did you? Anyway, the Fuji-Servetto rider is provisionally suspended pending b-sample and whatnot. Over at TAS, meanwhile, the Court held an eight hour hearing on the case of Stefan Schumacher, currently suspended for a positive CERA test. The TAS decision is due in mid-December. Doping, bah.

In more news about Names of Unusual Length, Serramenti PVC Diquigiovanni Androni Giocattoli is changing its name next season. I really can’t imagine why. The team will race as Androni Giocattoli, which might actually fit on the front of their jerseys.

Andalucia-Cajasur has picked up José Angel Gómez Marchante, who passed an anonymous season at Cervélo TestTeam. The Spanish team also hired Manuel Vázquez from Contentpolis-Ampo. Andalucia-Cajasur rode pretty much every breakaway at this year’s Vuelta a España and are hoping that the addition of Gómez Marchante will boost their chances of a big result at the home tour. Of course, the team also dreams of a wildcard invite to the Tour de France. But so does everyone else on the planet. In other transfer news, Footon-Servetto has signed 26 year old Danish rider Martin Pedersen. Pedersen last year won the Rond um Köln and is a past winner of the U23 Liège-Bastogne-Liège. Footon-Servetto has also signed neo-pro Fabio Fellini, who at 19 years old is the youngest rider on a pro tour team.

BMC Racing should have no difficulty with the wildcard invites. The team announced this week that they team will begin their season at the Tour Down Under. World Champion Cadel Evans will attend the festivities. The team does not have a pro tour license and will need wild cards to start the big races. I doubt anyone is losing sleep over this, as the Rainbow Shirt does have a tendency to open the gates. Evans’ former team, meanwhile, was taken completely by surprise by his transfer. In a moment of snark, OmegaPharma guy Marc Coucke said of Evans, "when he came to us, he was Mr. Nobody." And how are those grapes tasting, hmm?

Lampre-Vini Farnese now considers Damiano Cunego a rider for the one-day classics. Nice to see that they’ve finally caught up with the rest of us. Saronni explained in an interview with Tuttosport that the team expects his results next season to come from the one-day races. The 2004 Giro is in the past: "In relation to the Cunego of 2004, who won the Giro d’Italia, there is nothing more to be said." Despite a season that proved less successful than he’d hoped, Cunego still accounted for five of Lampre’s 15 victories, never mind that Columbia-HTC wins that many races in a week. Saronni is psyching over the transfer of Alessandro Petacchi and confided that he has wanted to hire the sprinter since 2004. Petacchi is in with a chance at the next two editions of the World Championship road race, Saronni believes, because they look to favor the sprinters. Saronni also has hopes for Francesco Gavazzi, who has picked off a few results in the sprints over the last year. The team will be "very different from the past," but the team management hopes the riders will be "more competitive." Translation: Dear Race Win Fairy, Please bring us some victories. Anything will do. Love, Lampre.

Last, but not least, Team Sky will make yet another annoucement concerning their team roster for next week. I've lost count as to just how many of these announcements it has taken to fill out the roster. The announcement is scheduled for tomorrow. Bradley Wiggins? Your guess is as good as mine. I'm just the writer chick.

And that, my friends, is that. Come back for more next week. One day, the Session will appear.

Until then!
~Gav

Boulder Cup Cyclocross: Sand Traps

gavia — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 05:31:40 -0000

U.S. National road champion Meredith Miller navigates the sand pit.

Fearless photographer Fred Marx journeyed to Boulder on Sunday for more Cross adventuring. The results repeated Saturday's race as Katie Compton of Planet Bike won the women's elite race and Tim Johnson of Cannondale-Cyclocross World won the men's race. The course at the Boulder Reservoir was all about sand. No muddy this time, just deep, wheel-sucking pits of sand. Head over to CX Magazine for more story and full results.

We're all about pictures. More on the flip!

U.S. U23 National Champion Amy Dombroski finished second behind Katie Compton after floating through the sand.

Former mountain bike World Champion Alison Dunlap finished third at Boulder.

Hello, Jeremy Powers... Powers finished second to Cannondale-Cyclocross World team-mate Tim Johnson.

Mike Kracht of Church of the Big Ring powers through the sand.

Bunny-hopping the barriers.

The day's happy winner, Tim Johnson of Cannondale-Cyclocross World.

See Fred's full gallery from the Boulder Cup.

All photos copyright Christopher See and are used with permission.

Transfers and Teams: Part 2, The Revenge

gavia — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 22:51:52 -0000

Teams, riders, results, oh my! Here is the second part of the monster Chris created last week, an overview of the teams after the transfer season is all-but closed. The list follows no particular order, because that would be far, far too organized. Okay, let’s go.

Lampre-Vini Farnese

v. 2009. It was a forgettable season for Lampre this year. World Champion Alessandro Ballan lost most of his season to illness, and left Lampre with few, if any results, in the early season. Talk about curse of the Rainbow. Damiano Cunego hit his peak for the Ardennes races two weeks early at the Settimana Coppi e Bartali, which gave him a nice win, but not the big one he wanted. After an ordinary campaign in the Ardennes, where he won the Amstel Gold Race in 2008, Cunego rode an anonymous Giro where he received more attention for his press comments about doping than for his results on the road. Formerly the darling of the Italian media after his Giro win in 2004, Cunego struggled to meet the expectations heaped upon him by the press and his team management. At Italian Nationals, the team led-out Francesco Gavazzi, but Cunego finished higher, out-sprinted for the win by Filippo Pozzato. The Vuelta a España brought better days to Lampre as Paolo Tiralongo rode to a top ten placing in the general classification and Cunego won two stages in the high mountains. Mauro Santambrogio, meanwhile, picked off a semi-classic win in Italy. After the success of the Vuelta, Cunego’s fall campaign, including the Giro di Lombardia where he has three wins to his credit, fizzled. No win at Worlds, despite starting the race as a big favorite, no win at La Foglie Morte. All in all, more went wrong than right for Lampre this season, and no doubt they are dreaming of better days.

v. 2010. Lots of turn-over at Lampre. Alessandro Ballan heads to the new, deep-pocketed BMC, while Enrico Gasparotto transfers to Astana. Say Adio to Lampre’s cobbles team. They didn’t really want to ride well in Belgium, did they? Climber Paolo Tiralongo leaves for Astana, after publicly slamming Cunego for his poor leadership. Marzio Bruseghin, formerly a podium finisher at the Giro, leaves for Caisse d’Epargne. The ambitious neo-pro Mauro Santambrogio signs for BMC. The team management have gone shopping at the old LPR. Most notably, they have brought Italian sprinter Alessandro Petacchi to Lampre for next season. This signing brings sighs of relief all around, as the team will now have something to do at the Giro other than pretend that Cunego is the same rider he was in 2004. He isn’t. Cunego will change his focus at next year’s Giro from the general classification to stage-chasing. This tactic served him well at the Vuelta a España, and there’s no reason to think it won’t work at the Giro. Gilberto Simoni was also rumored to Lampre, though no formal announcement has surfaced. Lampre has also signed several other assorted Italians, Balloni, Bernucci, Pietropolli, Spezialetti.

Wish List. Dear Santa Claus, Please bring us some results. Any results will do. A win in the Ardennes for Cunego would go far toward quieting his critics and ease his trip to the Giro. He really really wants to win Liège-Bastogne-Liège. So Santa, how about it? Stage wins for Alessandro Petacchi at the Giro and the Tour would also be really really nice. If the press could forget about that inhaler problem, that would be even better still. But we’re not picky. Just bring us some results and we’ll be happy. XOXO, Lampre-Vini Farnese.

Liquigas-Doimo

v.2009 A teeming green horde of general classification riders: Ivan Basso, Franco Pellizotti, Vincenzo Nibali, and Roman Kreuziger. Kreuziger also found the podium at Classicá San Sebastián and was frequently near the front in the Ardennes. The Green Team is a talented bunch, for sure. No doubt Pellizotti would like to have won the Giro d’Italia, and Ivan Basso’s finish off the podium at the Vuelta a España was less than he’d hoped. Still, many teams would die for a season like Liquigas-Doimo enjoyed this year. The fly in the champagne came from sprinter Daniele Bennati, who spent much of the season injured and came up uncharacteristically empty-handed.

v.2010 Transfer season brought some minor changes to the roster, but it’s mostly the same show. Francesco Chicchi, the team’s young sprinter, may leave, though his plans remain unknown. Next year, it’s more of the same for the Green Team, with young riders like Nibali and Kreuziger hoping to build on their successes. Basso v. 2.0 will be hoping he can keep up.

Wish List. Dear Santa, Please bring us a healthy sprinter. Bennati is lovely to look at, but we’d like it very much if he could win a race or several next year. Also, could you help us on the polemica front? We desperately need a magic potion that will ensure that our team leaders don’t kill each other somewhere on the road between Amsterdam and Paris. We’ll take anything you got, as long as it’s WADA-legal. One last thing, if you don’t mind, could you bring Quinziato a result on the cobbles? He was always right there last season, but never quite in the winning move. Otherwise, well, we’d really like to win the Giro and the Tour. I don’t think that’s too much to ask, is it? XOXO, Liquigas-Doimo.

BMC Racing Team

v. 2009 The team everyone’s talking about these days. BMC divided the season between the United States and Europe and picked up more results on the North American circuit than they did in Europe. They rode Paris-Roubaix and the Critérium Dauphiné Libéré, though not with too much in the way of results.

v. 2010 The Money Machine. BMC has opened the check book and gone shopping. Ownership of the team changed hands and the deep-pocketed Andy Rhis is willing to pay whatever’s necessary to assemble a top level team. They’ve signed George Hincapie, Alessandro Ballan, Karsten Kroon, Mauro Santambrogio, and Marcus Berghardt. Plainly, they have hopes for the cobbled races. As if that were not enough, BMC also lured the current World Champion Cadel Evans away from his troubled relationship with Silence-Lotto. Rumor puts the deal at 2 million euro per year for three years. Also, Evans had to pay out a year’s salary to Silence to end his contract early. No word on whether BMC picked up the tab on that aspect of the transaction. Anyhow, this BMC is pretty much a whole new team, and several of the American riders on last year’s roster may be left without chairs as the music winds down.

Wish List. Dear Santa, We just spent a shit-ton of cash buying riders. Please don’t let any of them get injured or test positive. Also, can you hook us up with some of that team bonding potion you gave Liquigas-Doimo? I think we may need it. Don’t forget to leave us some grand tour invites. After all, we’ll need something for all these riders to do. A win for Hincapie at Paris-Roubaix would make our season. So would a repeat for Ballan at the Ronde. Honestly, though, we’ll settle for a win somewhere in Belgium. Just about anywhere will do. If you could find a way for Evans to replay Mendrisio at Liège-Bastogne-Liège or La Flèche Wallone, we certainly wouldn’t complain. Also, please send us a Tour podium finish for Evans. XOXO, BMC.

OmegaPharma-Lotto

v.2009 Maybe they should re-name their team after Philippe Gilbert. Certainly, he saved their season this year. Leif Hoste waved his arms to no avail on the cobbles. If not for Gilbert, there’d have been no results in Belgium for the team. Not exactly the way to make the local sponsor proud. But Gilbert saved the day with an impressive fourth at the Ronde van Vlaanderen, and showed a hint of the results yet to come. Gilbert also saved the late season for Silence and pulled the rare Autumn Double of Paris-Tours and Giro di Lombardia. When you’re hot, you win lots of races. Gilbert also picked up a fourth at Liège-Bastogne-Liège, despite a too-early attack. The young Belgian has made it clear that there are few one-day races on the calender that he can’t win. Good thing, because Silence doesn’t have much else to hope for. Cadel Evans, meanwhile, planned his season around the Tour de France, only to ride anonymously around France. He did win a crono at the Critérium Dauphiné Libéré and finish second overall at the pre-Tour stage race. Evans saved the best for last, and one his only major one day race at the World Championship road race. If you’re only going to win one, you might as well go big.

v.2010. Evans has taken his rainbow shirt and moved on to BMC much to the poorly concealed shock and dismay of the Silence-Lotto team management. Indeed, a story, perhaps apocryphal, circulated around the time of Worlds, that sports director Marc Sargeant had made the rounds of the press room at Worlds to make sure that the assembled press knew that Evans remained under contract Silence-Lotto. The departure of Evans leaves a ginormous hole in the Silence-Lotto roster at precisely the wrong time of year. Most of the big name riders are signed and sealed by now. Silence-Lotto does have some cash, because the Evans buy-out cost the total of a year of Evans’ salary. But that’s cold consolation in November. Philippe Gilbert will certainly win more races, which will keep OmegaPharma-Lotto in the headlines throughout the season. The team management can only hope that Hoste finds his form and puts more energy into pedaling his bike than waving his arms. Hoste needs a result on the cobbles this season. The arrival of Jan Bakelants could help the cobbles cause. The young Belgian won oodles of races as an U23, but passed a quiet first season as a pro. At the moment, this team is in disarray, and it’s not clear how they can come about.

Wish List. Dear Santa, Please find us a rider to replace Evans. Also, could you send Hoste a result? Any result will do. Actually, if you send any of our riders a result, that would be great. Another monument win for Gilbert - either Liège-Bastogne-Liège or Ronde van Vlaanderen - would make our season. Please Santa Claus? We promise to be good. XOXO, OmegaPharma-Lotto.

Caisse d’Epargne

v.2009. Alejandro Valverde made the most of his inability to race in Italy - which ruled out starts at the Tour de France and Giro d’Italia - and won the home tour. Smiles all around. Joaquím Rodríguez rode to second place at the Liège-Bastogne-Liège and to third at Worlds, and is steadily amassing a nice pile of one day results. Luis León Sánchez took Paris-Nice out from under full-on pre-race fave Alberto Contador. Sánchez also bagged the overall at Tour Méditerréen and a Tour stage. Nice season, there for Sánchez.

v.2010. Joaquín Rodríguez takes his toys to Katusha next season. Christophe Moreau signs on. I suppose he will chase stages at the Tour and make goofy faces at the camera. Every team needs a guy like that. Marzio Bruseghin leaves Lampre for Caisse. A good rider is Bruseghin, but that podium finish at the Giro d’Italia feels like a long time ago, and next season’s grand tours will not do the crono specialist any favors. Juan Mauricio Soler, by contrast, is a very nice pick-up if he can stay uninjured. The ex-Barloworld rider has a Polka Dot jersey to his credit and will find plenty to like about both the Giro d’Italia and Tour de France next season. Another handy rider for the high mountains, Juan José Cobo comes to Caisse next year. Cobo won a mountain stage at the 2008 Tour de France, and a stage at the 2009 Vuelta a España. In the main, Caisse d’Epargne have used their checkbook wisely this transfer season, though hopefully, they did not pay an overly high price for Moreau, who is a tad past it.

Wish List. Dear Santa, We’ve been really really good this year. Please make the CONI case against Valverde go away. He promises never to see a gynecologist again. Also, if it’s not too much trouble, could you leave a lump of coal for Etorre Torri? He’s a very bad man. We’d also like some one-day race mojo for Valverde. Where is the rider who has twice won Liège-Bastogne-Liège? A Tour start wouldn’t suck either, but we already mentioned that silly CONI thing. If Valverde can’t get his legs around the idea of a one day racing, we need someone to take the place of Rodríguez. We’ve all but given up hope that a certain Tour de France champion will win free of his contract. Maybe you could stick him wrapped up with a big red bow under our tree next year ? XOXO, Caisse d’Epargne.

Euskaltel-Euskadi

v.2009 Samuel Sánchez and Heinrich Haussler could start a Second Place club. Sánchez finished second behind Alejandro Valverde at the Vuelta a España, which was his main objective of the season. Then, the Olympic road race champion finished second behind Philippe Gilbert at the Giro di Lombardia. Sucks to be second. Igor Anton, the big Orange Hope for the grand tours, never really got it going, and overall, the results came few and far between for the Basque team. Anton and Sánchez each won minor races in Spain, while Koldo Fernández took out a hand full of sprint victories. I’m not sure anyone outside the devoted Euskaltel-Euskadi tifosi really noticed. Even resident Basque tifosa Albertina admitted, "the year pertained somewhat to flat txakoli."

v.2010 The Euskaltel-Euskadi team management has been busy this shopping season, and has picked up a number of talented young things. The most exciting signing for the Orange team is Romain Sicard, who carries French citizenship but is of Basque heritage. Sicard rode away with the U23 Tour de l’Avenir and won the U23 World Championship road race. Though the results might not come immediately for the 21 year old Sicard, who rides his first pro season next year, his talent is clear. Beñat Intxausti comes to Euskaltel-Euskadi from Fuji-Servetto and has been widely touted a one of the next big Iberian talents. Jonathan Castroviejo comes from the same U23 team as Sicard and won a stage of the Tour de l’Avenir. According to Albertina, he time trials. Brilliant, no? Gorka Izagirre, Miguel Minguez, and Daniel Sesma have also signed for next season.

Wish List. Dear Santa, We have signed a lot of young riders, and we hope they will make the transition to the pro ranks smoothly. Also, we’re sorry about those two positive doping controls, this year. We promise to do better in the future. If it’s not too much trouble, we’d dearly like a major one day win for Samuel Sánchez and a high finish at the Tour de France. We don’t expect him to win, but maybe a top five? That would be nice. If you could bring Igor Anton a stage win either in France or at the Vuelta a España, that would really help put things back on track for him. He seems to have lost his way, maybe you can help? No, not that kind of help, we promised not to do any of that! Anyway, just a few results, that’s all we’re asking. XOXO, Euskatel-Euskadi.

Cervélo TestTeam

v.2009 It was break-out year for the newly formed Cervélo TestTeam, with a consistent string of results throughout the year, from Thor Hushovd’s win at Omloop het Nieuwsblatt to Phil Deignan’s stage win at the Vuelta a España. Simon Gerrans picked off stages at the Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France. Though Carlos Sastre fell short of his general classification ambitions, he won two mountain stages at the Giro d’Italia. The Tour was unfortunately forgettable for Sastre. Heinrich Haussler turned from second tier sprinter to all-arounder and won a stage at the Tour and finished second to a flying Mark Cavendish at Milano-Sanremo.

v.2010 Cervélo loses four riders: Hayden Roulston, José Angel Gómez Marchante, Serge Pauwels, and Simon Gerrans. A talented all-arounder, Gerrans brought Cervélo stage wins at the Giro and Tour, and his absence leaves a hole in the roster that will not be easy to fill. Pauwels did strong support for Sastre in the Giro, but the relationship soured over the team car débâcle that saw the Belgian pulled off a stage winning two-man break. Despite these departures, Cervélo still has plenty of strong legs on the roster. They will also pick up sprinter Theo Bos from the Rabobank Continental team. A former multiple World Champion on the track, Bos started his full-time transition to road this season. Thor Hushovd and Heinrich Haussler remain the team’s go-to boys for the sprints, but Bos could pick them up a result or two along the way.

Wish List. Dear Santa, Please bring us a season of solid results again next year. Could you give Barbie a big race win? So many seconds is a little rough on the boy, don’t you think? Sastre needs a high finish at the Giro. Could you make him win it? Maybe that’s too much to ask, but it never hurts, right? We’d also like a stage win or two, if you could swing it. And don’t forget those grand tour invites. Perfect stocking stuffers! XOXO, Cervélo TestTeam.

Bbox Bouygues Télécom, Cofidis,
AG2R-La Mondiale, & Français des Jeux

Not much is changing for these four teams. All four will be looking for wins in the local French races and we can expect to see them all in the early, often-doomed breakaways at the grand tours. Pierrick Fédrigo and Tommy Voeckler of Bbox Bouygues Télécom have shown that riding the breaks is not always a fruitless effort. Expect more of the same, next season.

More Halloween Cross Fun: Surf City Cyclocross

gavia — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 23:48:50 -0000

More Halloween Cross Fun: Surf City Cyclocross

Podium Insight has a gallery of photos from the Surf City Cyclocross race, sponsored by Velo Bella-Ellsworth. Carmen D'Alusio and Justin Robinson took the wins in the A races.

And, there was a costume race, yay!

Halloween Hijinx: Blue Sky Velo Cup, Colorado

gavia — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 16:51:19 -0000

Bike wash. Pit crews had a busy day with the muddy conditions.

Tim Johnson and Katie Compton won Saturday's Blue Sky Velo Cup in Longmont Colorado. A solid snow storm blew into Colordo late last week and created sloppy, muddy conditions for race day. Pit crews played a key role as the leading riders swapped bikes every two laps. Cannondale-Cyclocross World went 1-2-3 in the mens race with Tim Johnson, Jeremy Powers, and Jamie Driscoll swept the podium. Johnson turned out sub-6 minute laps in the muddy conditions. The New Englander likes him some mud.

Katie Compton of Planet Bike rode away from the womens race and crossed the line two minutes ahead of second placed Georgia Gould of Luna Chix. Allison Dunlap, also riding for Luna Chix finished third. Although it was Halloween, there was a shocking lack of costumes. Colorado, what's with? Check CX Magazine for full results.

More photos from Fred Marx on the flip.

Katie Compton, Planet Bike, powers through the mud.

Barbara Howe of Vanderkitten rocks the kitty ears on the run-up.

Our fearless correspondant Fred Marx keeps his eye on the important things.

Tim Johnson of Cannondale-Cyclocross World hearts him some sloppy conditions.

Danny Summerhill, Slipstream-Holowesko Partners, looking a bit muddy.

Katie Compton celebrates another win.

See Fred's full gallery from Blue Sky Velo Cup.

All photos copyright Christopher See and are used with permission.

The Wednesday Session

gavia — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 02:25:35 -0000

Welcome to the Wednesday Session. This week, the Sesh shows up on Pretend Wednesday as opposed to the Day Actually Known As Wednesday. Reality is so over-rated.

I promise it wasn’t my fault. I received an urgent call: Yes, this is Gav. What? But I have to write today, it’s Wednesday. I have to write the Wednesday Session. What? 15 feet? You’re joking. You’re not joking? Uh, I’ll be right there. The buoys said I had to go. Who am I to argue?

But I have not forgotten the Sesh, no indeed. This week, we have Mountains in Italy, Grumpy Old Men, Stupid Cobbles, a Liar, and a Fainting Couch. What could possibly go wrong?

We begin in Italy today where next year’s Giro d’Italia course is now official. Unless you’ve been stuck under a rock or living underwater with the fishes in sea, you know that next year’s Giro starts with three stages in the Netherlands, before returning home to romp around Italy. Orange and pink, I quake at the potential for fashion disaster. Just remember, Prosecco before beer, in the clear. The Giro offers a climber-friendly course this time around and includes visits to the Terminillo, Zoncolan, Plan de Corones, Mortirolo, Gavia, and other assorted uphill curiosities. Though there are four time trials, which sounds like lots, they are all short, and one goes uphill. For the climbers, rejoicing all around. Carlos Sastre, who is waiting for the Vuelta a España course announcement before committing, commented that he likes the looks of this Giro course very much and is leaning toward spending May in Italy. Really, there’s nothing not to like about this course for the zippy little climber dudes.

But the Grumpy Old Men are not amused. Both Felice Gimondi and Francesco Moser think the Giro has gone too mountain mad. In my day, we had to train in the snow. Grumble, grumble. Gimondi says that the course penalizes the crono specialists too heavily and privileges the climbers. Gimondi also does not like the rest day before the time trial on the Plan de Corones. In my day, we raced without rest days. Hmph, kids these days, grumble, grumble. The ex-World Champion, who is the only living Italian to have won the Tour de France, thinks that the Giro riders should have to contest the final week’s mountains without a rest day. Only then would the strongest rider emerge. Moser is also among the critics. This Giro, it has too many mountains, he says. Grumble, grumble. And it’s too hard. Grumble, grumble. In my day, we had time trials, and helicopters to draft us so none of those smelly foreigners could win. Grumble, grumble.

On the subject of the Giro, Damiano Cunego is so totally over the Pink Jersey. Been there, done that, nailed it shut. Next year, the tiny Italian is turning stage chaser and is hoping to match his performance at this year’s Vuelta a España, where he won two stages in the high mountains. In an interview following the Giro presentation, Cunego dismissed the general classification battle as far, far too stressful. The new Lampre bus will include a fainting couch for when the team leader is overcome. Don’t forget to pack the smelling salts. The Lampre rider likes the looks of the stage finishing on the Terminillo and the Plan de Corones time trial. No doubt Franco Pellizotti will have something to say about the Corones. Cunego has yet to detail his other plans for the year, though it seems likely that the Ardennes races will again figure high on his list of ambitions. Sadly, no further word has surfaced on the transfer of Gilberto Simoni to Lampre. The most recent news had Simoni joining Astana, which will likely earn him more cash, but is way less funny.

Alessandro Ballan, meanwhile, has left Lampre for BMC, and he will ride his first ever Giro d’Italia next season. That’s right, after seven years as a pro and an Italian pro at that, Ballan will start his first Giro next season. Ballan is hoping for a stage win, and should enjoy the jaunt to Montalcino, which passes over gravel roads in homage to the Eroica classic.

It seems that Matteo Priamo was less than honest with the doping police when they came to inquire about his activities. Who is Priamo, you are asking? He’s the dude who allegedly provided the CERA that made Emanuele Sella climb really really fast, and then got him busted. Sella named Priamo as his dealer, but Priamo claimed that he could not possibly have given Sella the goods, because he was not at home at the time. Surveillance tapes collected in the Via col Doping investigation, run by a cycling-loving prosecutor in Padova, reveals that Priamo was not where he said he was. Or rather, he was where he said he wasn’t. If the evidence proves solid, Priamo is now in deeper doo-doo than he was when he was just a dope dealer. Liar, liar pants on fire. Prosecutors, so not down with the perjury. If they prove their case, Priamo could serve up to three years in prison. Let that be a lesson to you kids. Don't chop down the cherry tree.

Enrico Lazarro, meanwhile, the doctor also implicated in the Via col Doping affair, has been placed under house arrest after surveillance showed him giving doping products to athletes. Matteo Priamo, Davide Rebellin, and Andrea Moletta were allegedly among his customers. According to information from the investigation, Lazarro’s House Specialty involved extracting small amounts of blood, adding ozone gas to the sample, then returning the ozone-ated (is this a word? I think I make it one) blood to the athlete. Apparently, this practice improves the oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood cells without altering hematocrit or hemoglobin levels. Is there biologist in the house? Really, I have no idea how this works. Anyway, the practice is undetectable by existing doping controls, natch, and Lazarro now appears to be in all kinds of trouble. Don’t mess with the cycling-loving prosecutor, obviously.

Cobbles are stupid. At least, that’s what Andy Schleck said in reaction to the inclusion of several kilometers of cobbles in next year’s Tour de France. "It is a terrain where one can not win the Tour, but where one can certainly lose it," he said. "This makes no sense. It appears to me ridiculous." All the same, Andy plans to man up and race the Ronde van Vlaanderen. It’ll be a rough ride for the little dude, who doesn’t really have the ballast for cobbled roads. Which do you think weighs more, Andy Shleck or Fabian Cancellara’s right buttock?

Rumor has it that the Vuelta a España will journey into the Asturias mountains next year. The Lagos de Cavodonga and the Alto de la Cobertoria are among the passes rumored to be included in the still un-announced course. I really have nothing funny to say about this. I do think December is a rather long time to wait. But nobody asked me.

To no one’s surprise, Serge Pauwels has left his former team Cervélo TestTeam. Pauwels will ride for Team Sky next season. No doubt Pauwels will be hoping that his new team will not pull him back from the winning break during a grand tour stage. During last year’s Giro, Pauwels was in a two-up break with local boy Leonardo Bertagnoli, when he received the call from the team car to drop back, a call which cost him the stage victory and did little to influence the general classification position of team captain Carlos Sastre. It wouldn’t be surprising if Pauwels decided to leave the team right then and there. Anyway, Pauwels will move on to Sky. In somewhat related news, Michael Barry, Chris Sutton, and David Viganò are also confirmed for Team Sky as of this week. No word on Lucy or the diamonds.

From the unwanted guests file, Riccardo Riccò will return to racing in time for Milano-Sanremo next season. The Cobra, or perhaps the now de-fanged Cobra, will return in the colors of Ceramica Flaminia, who hopes to receive a wildcard invite to the major Italian races. In a confusing turn of events, the UCI decided to shorten Riccò’s ban after they previously lengthened it. Yes, this story is running in circles. Originally, the UCI overturned the CONI decision in relation to Riccò in favor of the two year ban thrown down by the French Federation, who also opened a case against the Italian climber, since his doping offense took place in France. To complicate matters, Riccò had provided information on the case to the Italian authorities, but the UCI did not receive that information. Two cases, two bans, one rider. Now, it seems, the UCI has received the information from Italy, and the short ban is back. Short bus also sold separately.

We also learned this week that Johan Bruyneel does not like Alberto Contador. In other news, the sky is blue, espresso is good, and chocolate is better. Like we needed another interview from old Bruny on this one. Right, we get it, he’s immature, makes too much money, and he’s not Lance. Next question? Moving right along, it appears that Contador will stay with the newly re-organized Astana, unless he transfers to Caisse d’Epargne or Garmin-Slipstream. Since Astana looks prepared to spend buckets of euros to keep the Spanish Tour winner, I’d put my money on the Kazakhs. The grand finale of this drama is expected next week, but I wouldn't bet on it. The fat lady is still lounging on her fainting couch, and can't possibly be bothered with singing just now.

And that, my friends, is all the Session you get this week. But don’t worry, we’ll do it again next week. Maybe, we’ll even get crazy and do it on Actual Wednesday as opposed to Pretend Wednesday. I do fear that The Wednesday Session on Actual Wednesday might cause the cosmos to crack. I would not want to be responsible for such an eventuality.

See you next time!
~Gav.

Contador Situation Remains Uncertain

gavia — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 16:55:30 -0000

Just a short update on the state of the Contador-Astana relationship as of this morning. Feel free to add reports that you see throughout the day. So far, the most clear explanation I've seen comes from Joe Lindsey at the Boulder Report. I certainly recommend it for anyone interested in this story.

The relationship between Contador and his Astana team remains in question today, after a flurry of media reports yesterday that a UCI rule passed in July of this year could free him from his un-wanted contract with Astana. The rule allows for the termination of rider contracts if the team does not receive a pro tour license by October 20. According to reports in today's Spanish press, Contador's lawyers are studying the matter and are not certain that the path to freedom is as straightforward as some have presented it.

As Joe Lindsey points out in one of the more clear explanations of the situation to date, the precedent is not entirely clear on this issue. Pierrick Fédrigo, for example, tried to leave his Bouygues Télécom team after the team did not receive a pro tour license, but was prevented from doing so by French labor law. The UCI rule may also not apply to contracts signed before the rule came into force.

Unfortunately for us, who wait in suspense of the outcome of this story, we do not know the details of Contador's contract with Astana. It's also not clear which country's labor laws would govern the relationship and whether those laws conflict with the UCI rule. So we must wait still a bit longer before we know the eventual destination of the two-time Tour winner.

The Wednesday Session

gavia — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 01:48:37 -0000

Welcome to this week’s edition of the Wednesday Session. Yes, yes, it’s still Wednesday here in California. Suck it, Europe. Australia? Don’t even talk to me. I even made it before sunset. Eight minutes to spare, baby. Alrighty, this week, it’s mix and match, this and that. Some Lombardia, some Lampre tomfoolery, a few transfers, a dash of doping, an air-reverse, a lay-back snap, a sushi roll, and a partridge in a pear tree. I skipped the lady’s dancing, we try to keep it family at the Sesh, and I still haven’t mastered the rodeo, so we’ll have to do without one of those. Maybe next week.

We begin with the Giro di Lombardia, where Gilbert killed it to take the Autumn Double. Gilbert, he likes his classics, and next season, the talented Belgian is planning a full-on assault on Milano-Sanremo, Liège-Bastogne-Liège, and the World Championship road race. There was no tactical hocus-pocus for this Lombardia, as quite simply, the strongest rider won. In the closing kilometers, Gilbert looked to be negotiating with Sánchez. A quick camera shot showed Sánchez shaking his head, no deal. Not that it mattered, for in truth, Gilbert had no need to go shopping and he easily beat Sánchez at the line.

But it wouldn’t be an Italian race without the hint of treachery and a rumble of recrimination. Italian Damiano Cunego threw himself into the polemica breach in his post-race comments. The Lampre rider, who has three wins at Lombardia to his credit, criticized his team-mate Mauro Santambrogio for going up the road, leaving Cunego to his own devices among the favorites. Santambrogio transfers to BMC Racing at the end of the season, and no doubt has ambitions of his own. Anyway, what’s wrong with a little freelancing among friends? Cunego, not a fan of the freelancing apparently, would have much preferred that Santambrogio chose loyalty over ambition. But really, who is he fooling? Like Cunego really had the legs to follow Gilbert? Bitch, please. Gilbert owned that race. Better luck next time to the mini-Italian, who really needs a new nickname. Little Prince. Bah.

He may need a few new team-mates, too, this Cunego. Lampre has long specialized in hiring riders who look exactly like Cunego. Raise your hand if you confused Santambrogio with Cunego at least once during the Giro di Lombardia? They all look the same, these Lampres. Or at least, they did. One of the Other Cunegos, Paolo Tiralongo has decided to transfer to Astana, where he will ride in support of Alberto Contador, who looks nothing like him, for far, far, far more cash. Okay, I exaggerate, but everyone knows that Lampre has the smallest budget in the pro tour, or one of them, despite the addition of a new sponsor next season, Vini Farnese. The Other Cunego left a nice parting gift in the press for the Real Cunego, calling his former team captain self-centered, and completely incapable of gauging his form. According to Tiralongo, Cunego never knows if he has the legs to win, yet always demands that his team-mates ride for him. It’s easy to see how this might cause just a little bit of tension in the team bus among the Other Cunegos. So anyway, they - both Tiralongo and Santambrogio - are leaving, and Saronni was last seen traveling the length of Italy in search of More Cunegos. In the meantime, four riders from LPR will join Lampre-Vini Farnese next season: Alessandro Petacchi, Alessandro Spezialetti, Lorenzo Bernucci, and Daniele Pietropolli. With the co-sponsor and riders heading for the exits, it seems that Bardonali’s LPR is done for. Shall we have a moment of silence? No? Sheesh, I was just trying to be nice. Remind me not to try that again.

Astana has been on quite a hiring spree lately, though the much-desired pro tour license remains elusive. In addition to Tiralongo, 29 year old Rubén Plaza has joined the team. Rumor also suggests that Allan Davis will leave Quick-Step, as his contract is up, and head to Astana. Goradz Strangelj, Enrico Gasparotto, and David de la Fuente may also join the team. Rumor also attached Juan José Cobo to Astana, but Cobo is also linked to Caisse d’Epargne. Gilberto Simoni may also head to Astana. This can not happen. Comedy demands that he transfer to Lampre. The Grapevine promised me comedy. It would be such a let-down, if the Simoni-Lampre deal fell through. Simoni and Contador, so not as funny as Simoni and Cunego. Besides, I do think Damiano could use a solid dose of Simoni, so long as WADA does not object. In any case, Astana looks pretty serious about this bike racing thing, and will learn sometime in November whether the UCI agrees and will toss a pro tour license their way. Meanwhile, Giuseppe Martinelli has signed on as a sports director. I haven’t come up with anything more to say about this move since this morning. So, I’ll just repeat myself. Yuck.

A few random signing newsbits: Jakob Fuglsang has re-signed with Saxo Bank. Are we surprised? Er, no. Dani Moreno transfers to Silence-Lotto for next season. Johnny Hoogerland is considering offers from various teams, though Vacansoleil included him in their roster for next year, announced today. Sprinter Michele Muro goes to Fotoon-Servetto. Is it me, or is Fotoon the most bizarrely spelled sponsor since Camaiooro? Yes, thank you, pass the vowels. Pierrick Fédrigo has decided to stay at Bbox Bouygues Télécom, and Nicholas Vogondy may join him. Gerben Löwik, lately of Vacansoleil, did not receive a new contract and is chatting with Silence-Lotto. No contract, just yet though. Eduard Vorganov leaves Xacobeo-Galicia for Katusha. Katusha, so much easier to spell.

So Spain has a new doping case to ignore. Maybe I could get the Spanish judiciary to tell my landlord that I don’t have to pay the rent? That would be cool. Anyway, Moises Dueñas, remember him? He tested pozzy for EPO at the Tour. Dueñas decided to have a chat with the authorities in the hope of shortening his vacay from cycling. He gave up the name of his supplier, a certain Dr. Jesús Losa. According to El País, Dueñas paid 6000 euros to Losa in 2008. Cheap date, this Losa. Not coincidentally, Maribel Moreno, who tested positive in Beijing and fled the Olympics, also offered up the very same name. We have previously encountered this Dr. Loser. David Millar named him as a supplier for EPO, and he was fired from Euskaltel-Euskadi due to doping-related troubles. From the Basque team, Losa went to work for a regional sports medicine center in Castilla y León. Investigators seized SMS exchanges between Losa and several clients. According to El País, Francisco Mancebo, currently of Rock Racing, Luis León Sánchez of Caisse d’Epargne, and Alexandr Kolobnev of Saxo Bank are among the riders in correspondence with Losa. What will happen in this case? Yes, that was a trick question.

Moving right along to the next doping story du jour. Der Spiegel tells us this week that Jan Ullrich reportedly visited Dr. Fuentes on 24 occasions between 2003 and 2006, and paid out at least 80,000 euros for the doctor’s services. This number comes from two bank transfers that investigators found in Ullrich’s financial records. Rudy Pavenage reportedly also frequently visited Fuentes and travelled to Madrid on 15 occasions. Maybe they were just good friends. Pavenage, an apologist to the end, told investigators that Ullrich visited Fuentes for help with his oft-publicized weight problems. I don’t know about you, but I always visit my OB-GYN for diet advice. All of the men have now fled the room. It’s okay boys, you can come back now, we’re done talking about the Girly Doctors. The new information about Ullrich’s habits came from a computer obtained by investigators in a raid of Pavenage’s crib. Der Spiegel obtained portions of a 2000 page document prepared in connection with the fraud investigations of Jan Ullrich between 2006 and 2008. It seems that the information will not lead to any further prosecution of the retired Tour winner and Olympic road race champion, though the report also concludes that Ullrich used the services of Fuentes to win races with the help of banned methods and substances. 2006, so last year.

Oh, and by the way, the B-samples for the three Liberty Seguros riders who were allegedly doing the naughty during the Tour of Portugal came back positive. That’s Nuno Ribiero, Isidro Nozal, and Hector Guerra for those of you playing along at home. Really, I have nothing to add.

Route announcements galore! The Tour of California will hold a presser in Sac’to to announce the stage towns for next year’s romp around California. So far, no rumors of gravel roads or team time trials have emerged. That’s Giro 2, Tour of Cali, 0. Next, they’ll be heading out back to compare mountains. For their part, the Italians will announce next year’s Giro d’Italia route, the not-Centenario Giro, on Saturday evening. Forget the route, I’m here for the fashion. Who will take the place of the missing Riccardo Riccó as the King of Fashion Disaster? Whose hair will look like an alien set loose from a mid-century horror film? And who will win the prize for the Most Beautiful of Them All? These, my friends, are the vital questions of the day. I positively shiver with suspense.

In the meantime, run along and amuse yourselves. My work is done here.

B’bye,
gav.

The Session

gavia — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 18:22:12 -0000

Somehow it got to be Friday. And as we all know, Friday is a long way from Wednesday. Those pesky days, where do they go? I blame the Boy Who Was Actually Not in the Balloon. This week, some Giro rumors, fun with suits, look who's got a pro tour license, and other hap's.

Let’s start with the Giro, whose course is steadily taking shape. Milano, you’ve been shunned. Next year’s Giro will not visit the traditional finish city. Actually, the shunning is mutual as the city government is not feeling the love toward the RCS of late. Milano-Sanremo will also forswear Milano and take the start outside the city, making it Milano-Sanremo That Is Actually Not in Milano. The Giro, meanwhile, will conclude with a crono running between Soave and Verona, similar to the 1984 edition when local boy Francesco Moser won the Pink Shirt ahead of Laurent Fignon.

From the sounds of it, this Giro course promises a surfeit of transfers. According to reports circulating in the Italian press, there will be no rest day in the first week to accommodate the transfer from the Netherlands to Piedmonte. The riders will fly from the Netherlands to Northern Italy. Best of luck to the mechs, who will have to drive the team bikes and equipment the length of Europe. The first stage on Italian soil will be a team time trial in Cuneo. Eat your heart out Tour de France. Then, it’s time to celebrate il Campionissimo with a stage between Novara and Nove Ligure. The Giro will subsequently pay a visit to the Strada Blanca in Chiancino. Oh yeah, you got cobbles? Well, we have white gravel, so suck it Tour de France. It’s the 10th anniversary of the death of Gino Bartali, so a stop in Firenze is likely. The Terminillo will mark the first mountain-top finish of the race, and shows up on a tifosi-friendly Saturday during the first week. Sunday, the Giro finishes at Cava de’Tirreni, a city in Sorrento just inland from the Amalfi Coast. That stage should be stunningly picturesque, though the Giro will have to cover a great deal of ground to get from Rotterdam to Sorrento in just one week of racing. I have jetlag just thinking about it.

After a rest day, the Giro heads into Abruzzo and pays a visit to Foggia and l’Aquila. The visit to Abruzzo honors the earthquake victims of l’Aquila and Abruzzo’s campione Vito Taccone. A stop in Cesenatica in celebration of Marco Pantani is also rumored. There will be climbing during the sojourn in Abruzzo, including Monte Trebbio and Monte Grappa. Somehow, the Giro will make it to Friuli in time for an appointment with the Zoncolan on Sunday, 23 May. The second rest day serves as a transfer day to Alto Aldige and follows the Zoncolan stage. Last year’s Giro had very few transfers. They seem to be making up for it this year and then some.

The final week is all about climbing, beginning with a crono up the Plan de Corones. A stage between Pejo Terme and Brescia follows and involves unspecified climbing. The Mortirolo is paired with the Passo de Vivione in a stage between Brescia and Aprica on 28 May, while the Gavia pairs with the Tonale the following day from Bormio. The Tonale reportedly hosts the mountain-top finish. Then, it’s on to Bardalino in Verona for the final crono.

If the rumors have it right, the Giro returns to its roots with this edition. It’s very mountainous. Indeed, next year’s grand tours look to be very much a feast for the climbers, with the climber-friendly Tour course already announced. Two trips up the Col de Tourmalet? Seriously? Like one isn’t enough? Anyway, the Giro course looks heavy with climbing and light on the cronos - a team time trial in Cuneo and the final crono in Verona. We can expect much grumbling about the transfers next year, that’s for certain, especially the first week jump from the Netherlands to Piedmont. #goodluckwiththat. This course also may discourage the Tour-preppers. The heavy climbing in the final week may be a big ask for the riders who are thinking more Paris than Verona. Not surprisingly, Armstrong has yet to send in his r.s.vp.

On the subject of Armstrong, Team RadioShack today received its pro tour license, though several riders still remain in limbo due to the on-going contract disputes with Astana. Haimar Zubeldia is stuck with Astana, though he had reportedly transfered to RadioShack. Bruyneel liberated himself, no doubt with buckets of euros and a well-suited lawyer. It’s all about the suits. Alberto Contador was again rumored to QuickStep this week, but we all know who those rumors go. Really, my very small brain can’t keep up with all these hijinx. I think I need a flow chart.

The suits will certainly be on display on 16 November when TAs will consider the first of two cases involving Alejandro Valverde. This case represents Valverde’s challenge to the CONI decision to ban him from racing for two years as a consequence of their analysis of the Puerto evidence. The gift that keeps on giving, that Puerto. According to the press statements from Valverde’s well-suited lawyer, the challenge hinges on the question of jurisdiction. The Valverde team claims that CONI has no right to ban him. CONI says they do. Nyah nyah nyah. Anyway, we can expect a decision on this case sometime in the far distant future when Campag introduces 20 speed derailleurs, framesets are made from nanotubes, and extraterrestrials have taken over the planet.

The Critérium Dauphiné Libéré wants to pay the Alpe d’Huez a visit next year. A bit of trouble has arisen for the long-running race, though, thanks to the purchase of the Dauphiné Libéré newspaper, who organized the Tour de France pre-party. A bank, Crédit Mutuel, now owns 100% stake in the holding company that includes the Dauphiné Libéré, and its unclear if they will prove willing to underwrite a bike race. According to a report in the Dauphiné daily, the course planning is underway and a romp up the Alpe d’Huez is planned for Saturday 13 June following a Friday stage finishing in Grenoble. We can only hope the bank loosens the purse strings.

In women’s news, Nicole Cooke has signed on with a new team. Like shoes, you can never have too many teams. Skyter - not to be confused with the British Team Sky - has taken over as the sponsor for the Nürnberger Versicherung team in Germany. Cooke will race along side Trixi Worrack and Amber Neben with the new team and has signed a one year contract.

The Wednesday Comment, which shockingly actually appears on Wednesday.... What’s up with that? These real journalists, so on deadline and stuff. Anyway, Lionel Birnie has this week written a brief but insightful comment on the death of Frank Vandenbrouke. If you haven’t read it, go do it now. Wait, you’re not saying you actually read the Wednesday Comment on Wednesday, are you?

Giro di Lombardia tomorrow! That's Saturday, for those of you who keep track of such things. This is so totally one of my favorite races of the year. Filippo Pozzato, who claimed he wanted to win this year, reportedly has come down with a flu thingy. No hair club? How will we ever survive? Hopefully, Pellizotti can carry the Hair burden for tomorrow’s race. I want Cunego to win, of course. But it’s certainly hard to argue with the screaming fast form of Philippe Gilbert. Out-sprinting Tom Boonen on the Grammont? Shit boy, that’s going big, even if Boonen did badly misjudge that particular finish. Tomorrow’s edition of the Dead Leaves should be quite the showdown, in contrast to some years when no one really feels like racing around the hills of Northern Italy in late October. Wusses.

Okay, that’s all the words I got for today. I’ll come back next week sometime and we’ll play some more. Maybe, I’ll even show up on Wednesday. Deadlines, shmeadlines. Happy weekend to all!

~Gav.

SB Nation User Blog: gavia

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