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May 8, 2008
Astana invited into Giro lineup
From the AP…
GENEVA (AP)—Giro d’Italia organizers have invited the Astana team to compete in the race, reversing an earlier decision to ban it because of doping scandals.
Astana officials confirmed Saturday they are hurrying to get elite American rider Levi Leipheimer from California to Palermo, Sicily, for the start of the three-week race next Saturday.
“It is a good moment for us. When we were told in February that we were not invited it was a disaster,” Astana spokesman Philippe Maertens told The Associated Press.
Alberto Contador, winner of the 2007 Tour de France, will also be at the starting line for Astana. The had been shunned by cycling’s biggest events this year, including the Tour, for involvement in doping scandals. It was asked to leave the 2007 Tour after team leader Alexander Vinokourov tested positive for a blood transfusion.
The Kazakhstan-backed team brought in Johan Bruyneel, the Belgian who guided Lance Armstrong to seven Tour victories, as director to overhaul its image and operations. It also signed Contador.
May 1, 2008
Tour of Pennsylvania offers US$150,000 purse
from BikeRadar…
With 18 domestic and international teams already selected to compete in the inaugural running of the American Eagle Outfitters Tour of Pennsylvania Presented By Highmark Healthy High, race organizers today released the details of the demanding 450-mile, six-day race route.
A complete field of 20 to 22 teams will compete June 24 through June 29 in this first-of-its kind U-25 cycling stage race that will showcase the sport’s next generation of superstars, and guarantee a prize purse of US$125,000.
The cyclists will battle for the leader’s jersey along a historically rich route. Beginning on hallowed cycling ground in Philadelphia, the route passes through towns and countryside that roughly follow Forbes Road (U.S. 30), which was forged in 1758 by British General John Forbes and Colonel George Washington. The race culminates in Pittsburgh as part of the city’s 250th anniversary celebration.
Seven Pennsylvania towns and cities will host the official race starts and finishes, with communities along the way gaining a first-hand look at the world’s best young talent in the kind of competition that is normally found only in Europe. In addition to Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, the host cities include Downingtown, Carlisle, Camp Hill, Bedford, Latrobe and Ligonier.
“The Tour of Pennsylvania offers $150,000 in total prize money, the richest in the world for Espoir class riders, plus it is the only UCI sanctioned race in the U.S. specifically for riders under age 25,” said David Chauner, Pro Cycling Tour president and executive director of the race that is being organized as part of a statewide celebration of Pittsburgh’s 250th anniversary.
April 30, 2008
Astana invited to Tour of Spain
from BikeRadar…
The Astana team will be allowed to contest this year’s Vuelta a España, the organiser Unipublic announced Tuesday.
After being refused entry to the Tour de France and Giro d’Italia, the team of the 2007 Tour de France winner Alberto Contador was expecting to target the Vuelta in the latter part of the season. The team had received a word of support from the Spanish Tour director Victor Cordero in February, but had to wait for the official invitation to be certain.
Of the 18 ProTour teams, only Team High Road is not on the list, having withdrawn its application for the race. Three wild card teams were invited, making a total of 20 teams for this year’s edition. The Spanish Karpin Galicia team of the Presidential Cycling Tour of Turkey winner David Garcia Dapena earned a nod, as did the Andalucía - Cajasur team of sprinter Francisco Ventoso, a former Vuelta stage winner. The Tinkoff Credit Systems team rounds out the roster.
The Unipublic statement said that 33 teams had requested to be included in the 2008 edition and that the teams which were chosen “meet the necessary requirements in terms of ethics, image and administrative matters” and are categorized by the UCI as “wild card” teams – a label which requires teams to adhere to the biological passport program and other considerations.
April 28, 2008
Tour de Georgia - Final Results
from the AP…
ATLANTA — Kanstantin Sivtsov kept his tires full Sunday. The rest was easy.
Sivtsov, competing in his first race in the United States, survived a rash of flat tires on the streets of Atlanta to win the Tour de Georgia.
Sivtsov won the week-long Georgia race as his Team High Road teammate Greg Henderson won the 63-mile final stage — 10 laps on a 6.3-mile course.
The course in downtown Atlanta was swept before the race, but late-morning rain washed debris back onto the streets, possibly including broken glass from the March 14 tornado that hit downtown Atlanta. Windows in high-rise hotels and office buildings near Centennial Olympic Park — the site of Sunday’s start and finish — are still being replaced.
According to one estimate, there were 17 flat tires in the first 30 minutes of Sunday’s final stage.
“The problem was the rain was kicking up a lot of debris on the road,” Henderson said. “As the course dried out a little more, that stuff doesn’t stick to your tires as much.”
April 25, 2008
Tour de Georgia - Stage Four Results
from VeloNews…
Starting the day one man down after Timmy Duggan’s frightful crash on Wednesday, an inspired Slipstream-Chipotle won the Tour de Georgia’s stage 4 team time trial Thursday at the Road Atlanta automotive raceway.
Slipstream rode four laps of Road Atlanta’s rolling 2.5-mile racetrack in 19:36, 3.41 seconds faster than Astana, at an average speed of 29.14 miles per hour.
The High Road team of race leader Greg Henderson finished third, 5.2 seconds back. Henderson retained the race lead, and because of time bonuses during the first three stages now sits 15 seconds ahead of race favorites Tom Danielson and Trent Lowe and 19 seconds ahead of race favorite Levi Leipheimer.
April 24, 2008
Tour de Georgia - Stage Three Results
from VeloNews…
After two slight misfires, High Road’s heavy artillery got its coordinates dialed Wednesday, firing Greg Henderson into the yellow jersey with an explosive win on stage 3 of the Tour de Georgia. Toyota-United’s Ivan Dominguez, winner of stage 1, lost the leader’s jersey when he came off the group in the hilly closing circuits of Gainesville.
With less than a kilometer to go, George Hincapie wound up High Road’s lead-out with Tour Down Under winner André Greipel on his wheel. Greipel, a big sprinter himself, took over right before the crest of a hill at 300 meters to go. Henderson jumped on the fast, downhill finish and bombed across the line, Greipel on his flank and Slipstream-Chipotle’s Tyler Farrar just behind for third.
April 23, 2008
Tour de Georgia - Stage Two Results
from VeloNews…
A tender hand didn’t slow CSC’s J.J. Haedo in the sprint finale of the second stage of the Tour de Georgia. Haedo took a convincing win in Augusta ahead of High Road’s Greg Henderson, stage 1 winner Ivan Dominguez (Toyota-United) and Tyler Farrar (Slipstream-Chipotle).
Just a week out of a cast, Haedo is riding Georgia with his left hand heavily taped.
Tuesday’s flat to rolling stage from Statesboro concluded after two, 5-mile laps of Augusta that ventured across the Savannah River into South Carolina.
A few riders went down coming into the final corner, but the crash occurred about 15 riders back and didn’t disrupt the contenders. Toyota’s Henk Vogels and Dominique Rollin led out the sprint from almost 1km to go. Rollin took Dominguez out of the last corner, and Dominguez jumped with 200m to go. It was just a little too soon. After waiting on the wheel for a few pedal strokes, Haedo launched past Dominguez so fast that the pair joked afterwards about Dominguez’s helmet getting blown off.
By finishing third, Dominguez keeps the leader’s jersey for another day.
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April 22, 2008
Tour de Georgia - Stage One Results
from VeloNews…
The sixth Tour de Georgia began Monday with a short and — for Toyota-United — sweet stage from Tybee Island into Savannah. Ivan Dominguez battled his way through the well-orchestrated lead-outs of Gerolsteiner and High Road to take a commanding sprint win on the 70.4-mile flat stage ahead of Jelly Belly’s Nic Sanderson and Gerolsteiner’s Robert Förster.
“With 2K to go I had my guys in front of me: [Ivan] Stevic, Henk [Vogels] and Dominque [Rollin],” Dominguez said. “I was telling them to keep it calm, that we go at the right time. At 1K Henk went, and at the same time [George] Hincapie went. So Henk got right on his wheel. At 500 meters Dominque went, and I was on him. He was going so fast I thought I would have a hard time coming around.
April 21, 2008
New road goodies from SRAM
from Bikeradar…
SRAM has taken some of the features introduced on its range-topping Red road component group and trickled it down to the less-expensive Rival and Force groups, the company announced at the Sea Otter Classic this weekend.
Nearly all of the upgrades have been applied to DoubleTap levers across the board. Force and Rival now get the same shift paddle and brake lever blade shaping as Red , plus independently adjustable reach for both. Both lever bodies will also offer dual-position cable routing for the derailleur housing. The front shifter has been enhanced with new Zero Loss internals and a big ring trim position which supersedes the original inner ring trim. Rival also gets a carbon fiber brake lever blade.
Rival receives the most attention from SRAM this year as the rest of the group has been freshened, too. As well as the lever changes, the crankarms get an upgrade to the the lighter and stiffer OCT hollow-forged technology and all components will be covered in a gloss black finish.
April 18, 2008
Race Preview: 2008 Tour de Georgia
from Velonews…
With no individual time trial and a trip planned up the steep Brasstown Bald mountain, the seven-day 2008 Tour de Georgia presented by AT&T, appears to be a climber’s race. Odds-on race favorites include 2006 overall winner Tom Danielson (Slipstream-Chipotle), Astana’s U.S. national champion Levi Leipheimer and Rock Racing’s Spanish climbing sensation Oscar Sevilla.
However, as last year’s Tour de Georgia proved, when a 13-man breakaway took 29 minutes on the race’s GC favorites, stage races don’t always go according to plan.
No defending champ, but several former winners …
Last year’s race winner, Janez Brajkovic (Astana), will not be in Georgia to defend his title. The 2007 runner-up, American Christian Vande Velde (Slipstream) will return to Georgia.
Two former overall winners return to Georgia — Danielson, overall winner in 2005, and Astana’s Chris Horner, who won the inaugural race in 2003, prior to the introduction of the climb up Brasstown. Horner was originally scheduled to race Sunday’s Amstel Gold Race, but was asked to fly to Georgia.
“The team is going for the win in Georgia,” Horner told VeloNews.
