2013 Cycling Thread

[Smallville22]

UCI election intrigue to end in Florence

It is fitting that the International Cycling Union (UCI) presidential election on Friday is being held in the Italian city of Florence, theatre of so many political intrigues.
Incumbent Pat McQuaid, who hopes to secure a third term, and his challenger Brian Cookson have been trading bitter blows for months, accusing each other of bending the rules as cycling still reels from the Lance Armstrong doping scandal.
Irishman McQuaid, who was first elected in 2005, is seeking another four-year term to, he says, get rid of the doping culture in the sport.
Cookson, the British Cycling president backed by Russian oligarch and Katusha team owner Igor Makarov, has promised to change the way the sport is governed, with notably the creation of an independent anti-doping authority.
"The riders are the last ones to be asked. We're just pawns in their games," said Briton Bradley Wiggins when asked about Friday's election.
The 2012 Tour de France champion, however, believes Cookson "is already in".
Not quite.
The election will be decided in a vote by 42 delegates at the UCI Congress at Florence's Palazzo Vecchio.
Cookson believes he will have all 14 European votes after the delegates were instructed to back the Briton following a vote at the European Cycling Union (UEC) earlier this month. The UEC, however, has no control over the delegates' votes.
The presidents of the federations of Canada and the United States have expressed their support for Cookson, who has also received the backing of the Oceania confederation and its three votes.
The American confederation, which has given no instruction to its delegates, has nine votes.
McQuaid is relying on Asia (nine votes) and Africa (seven votes).

CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS

The Irishman, however, is not even sure he will be able to stand for re-election after failing to secure nominations from his home federations - Ireland and Switzerland, where he resides.
Thailand and Morocco have nominated McQuaid, but the UCI's constitution only allows for presidential candidates that have been nominated by their home federation.
On Friday morning, the UCI Congress will vote for or against amendments to the constitution, which would allow McQuaid to stand.
"Even if Mr McQuaid falls foul of the nomination process, even if congress say that he doesn't have a valid nomination, I will still ask for a positive vote in favour of me by the congress," Cookson said.
"I will not take on the job by default. I don't want a coronation, I want a proper election and I want to take on the role of UCI president with the full support of the congress.
"I'm not a magician myself, I'm trying to stick to the rules," Cookson added. "I'm trying to run a campaign with integrity and honesty. I think the UCI has seen too much of these shenanigans - I hope that's a word that translates easily - these kind of machinations in the future."
That assertion was contested on Thursday when the president of the St Lucia federation said he was offered an incentive by one of Cookson's PR people should he vote against McQuaid.
In a letter to all cycling federations, Cyril Mangal, who supports McQuaid, wrote: "St. Lucia is very concerned that when we were contacted by someone supporting Cookson, the person indicated 'I would like you to be on the right side after the election, so you are on the priority list of the federations which would be helped.'
"We sincerely hope that this would not be the way Mr Cookson would operate should he win the presidency of the UCI."
Cookson has denied the allegation.

 

[Smallville22]

McQuaid denies telling team member not to cooperate

International Cycling Union (UCI) president Pat McQuaid denied on Thursday an allegation that he told an employee of a professional team to "keep his mouth shut" if asked to cooperate with an investigation into disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong.
"Never did anything like that," McQuaid told Reuters.
Garmin Sharp manager Jonathan Vaughters claimed that McQuaid, who stands for re-election on Friday in Florence, asked an unidentified employee to ignore the team's instructions to cooperate with a US federal investigation in May 2010.
McQuaid, who has had to deal with the fall-out from the Armstrong doping scandal, was first elected in 2005 and is facing a stern challenge from Britain's Brian Cookson in his bid to secure a third four-year term.
The election will be held from 07:00 on Friday.

 

[Smallville22]

Trott and Clancy claim national track titles

Double Olympic champion Laura Trott powered to victory at the British Cycling national track championships in Manchester.
Trott edged out fellow London 2012 gold medallist Dani King by nearly a second and a half in the individual pursuit, clocking 3:34.973, while Scot Katie Archibald completed the podium.
Ed Clancy claimed his second title in two days with a victory in the men's points race, with Sam Harrison and George Atkins taking second and third.
And he finished second in the men's kilo, Kian Emadi retaining his title while Matt Crampton took third.

 

[Smallville22]

Armitstead ready to perform in world road race

Lizzie Armitstead insists she is ready to push her body to the limit in order to add a World Championship road race medal to the Olympic silver she won in London last year.
The 24-year-old is Britain's lead rider for Saturday's women's road race in Tuscany where she will be supported by Katie Colclough, Nikki Harris and Lucy Garner.
Armitstead didn't ride at last year's World Championships in Valkenburg having focussed solely on the Olympic road race in London where she took silver behind Marianne Vos.
She was seventh in the road race at 2011 global gathering and ninth the year before that but, unlike previous editions, is the out-and-out leader of the British team in Italy.
And she has a fine support cast with Katie Colclough already a world champion in the team time trial in Tuscany and Garner the winner of the 2011 and 2012 junior road race crowns.
Armitstead has struggled with her health this season however but, with Olympic silver and five World Championship medals on the track, she's going all out for further success.
"It's always hard to miss a worlds," said Armitstead, who finished tenth in the team time trial with Boels Dolmans in Tuscany, Colclough winning with Team Specialized-Lululemon.
"I think this one is going to be extremely difficult from all the rumours I have heard from people who have seen the course, but I've got nothing to lose so I'm excited.
"As a rider I hope I'm one that can peak for the big days. I've been thinking about the road World Championships, it's not an ideal course for me but hopefully I can perform out of my skin and do something.
"It's been a difficult season. I've had health issues, I'm looking forward to the end of the season when I can rest and get something sorted and look forward to 2014 when I hope I will have that strong feeling back again.
"At the moment I've struggled to feel good all season so it is a case of fingers crossed for the World Championships. I know the form isn't bad, if I have a good day and the race goes my way I think I can still do something.
"We are missing experienced riders but I think it's great Lucy has been given the opportunity for a big experience and I think we'll have to play the fact we have a smaller squad to our advantage, hide in the race and look for opportunities."

 

[Smallville22]

Cookson wins UCI presidential election

Briton Brian Cookson was elected International Cycling Union (UCI) president on Friday amid farcical scenes to bring an end to the lurching eight-year reign of Pat McQuaid.
Cookson won by 24 votes to 18 in the vote that took place towards the end of a long and chaotic UCI congress in Florence after an acrimonious campaign with mud-slinging from both camps.
"It is a huge honour to have been elected president of the UCI by my peers and I would like to thank them for the trust they have placed in me today," a calm Cookson said in his post-election speech as McQuaid, chairing the congress, looked stunned.
"The campaign to get to this point has been intense but I am under no illusion that the real work starts now. So I call on the global cycling community to unite and come together to help ensure that our great sport realises its enormous potential.
"This is the vision that will drive and focus my activities over the next four years.
Cycling is still reeling from the Lance Armstrong doping scandal, during which the credibility of the UCI under McQuaid and his predecessor Hein Verbruggen has been questioned, notably by the U.S. and World Anti-Doping agencies.
British Cycling President Cookson, backed by Russian oligarch and Katusha team owner Igor Makarov, had promised to change the way the sport is governed and create an independent anti-doping authority.
U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) CEO Travis Tygart, the man behind Armstrong's downfall, welcomed Cookson's win over McQuaid, who had called into question USADA's evidence and methods following the investigation into the American rider.
"The outcome of the UCI election sends a powerful message that sport leaders who fail to fully protect the rights of clean athletes and the integrity of their sport will be held accountable," Tygart said in a statement.
"We are confident that as president, Mr Cookson will take the decisive action needed, so that cycling can truly unshackle itself from the past and pursue a clean culture for future generations of cyclists."
Irishman McQuaid had been seeking a third consecutive term as president but the congress began with discussions over his eligibility to stand in the election because he was not nominated by his home federation as required by the UCI constitution.
His candidacy was backed by Thailand and Morocco, which McQuaid said made him eligible, a point reiterated by two lawyers from Switzerland, where the UCI is based. No details were given as to who had hired the lawyers.
Following a confusing morning at the majestic Salone dei Cinquecento in Florence's stately Palazzo Vecchio, which housed the office of 16th century Italian politician Niccolo Machiavelli, a planned vote on a change to the UCI constitution making it clear McQuaid could stand in the election plunged into chaos.
New Zealand delegate Richard Leggat suggested the vote on constitution changes be held next year after the federations had been consulted.
The meeting then took on a surreal tone with delegates, and the watching media, at times unclear what congress was actually being asked to vote on.
Eventually, after heated debate, a few laughs echoed around the room as the 42 delegates agreed to a secret vote on whether voting on constitutional changes should take place on Friday.
Almost inevitably, the result was 21-21 and McQuaid agreed there would be no vote on constitutional changes because there was no absolute majority, still leaving most of the media in a state of confusion as to his eligibility.
After five hours of argument and apparent indecision frustration began to creep in with an Algerian delegate telling the congress: "Are we here to vote if we should respect the rules? It's a lack of respect. We're also here to see some cycling and we're going to miss the (Under-23) race".
In the end, it was down to Cookson, who in his pre-election speech had pointedly mentioned his nomination from his national federation, to remind the congress what they were there for, saying: "We've had enough of this. I propose that we go straight to the vote between the two candidates."
It was a bold move that ultimately paid off.

 

[Smallville22]

Mohoric wins U23 men’s road race

Matej Mohoric claimed gold in the men’s U23 road race, beating Louis Meinjes and Sondre Enger to the finish.
The Slovenian claimed silver and gold at least year’s junior men’s time trial and road race world championships in Valkenburg and went one better this year as he took the solo win.
The 18-year-old, who is due to turn pro with Cannondale next year, showed his credentials with a near-perfect race in Florence.
Mohoric, with a clear tactic from the off, reserved his energy during the first seven laps and then bridged across to Julian Alaphilippe with two laps to go before going it alone on the last ascent of the Fiesole climb. An expert climber, the Slovenian had plenty left in the tank and opened up a considerable lead – 28 seconds as the road plateaued.
The chasing pack attempted to claw back some time on the race leader – with Meintjes coming close to overtaking - but Mohovic proved too strong as he claimed the win.

 

[Smallville22]

Cookson faces monumental battle to restore trust

After a farcical election process that further damaged the International Cycling Union's (UCI) credibility, new president Brian Cookson faces a monumental challenge to restore trust in a sport crippled by scandals.
Briton Cookson was elected president ahead of Ireland's Pat McQuaid, who was seeking a third term, after five hours of heated debate about whether the outgoing president should have been allowed to stand after questions over whether his nomination was valid.
In his opening comments, Cookson called for unity in the cycling ******, which will be a difficult task.
"It's been a pretty destructive campaign so the biggest challenge is to get everyone reunified," Garmin-Sharp manager Jonathan Vaughters, who supported Cookson, told Reuters by telephone.
"Everyone needs to step back, swallow their pride or walk away and the people who won should not get carried away. We have a new leadership to fix the problems but the problems aren't fixed."
Members of the UCI's sports services, who declined to be identified, complained that the Cookson camp "sprayed" the voting delegates with money to swing the vote, which the Briton won 24-18.
McQuaid, however, had said before Friday's sometimes controversial election that he would go quietly if beaten after eight years in charge.
"Brian has set out what he intends to achieve over the next four years and I would encourage all cycling federations to support his efforts to work for the good of the sport," said McQuaid.
McQuaid will likely be followed out of the sport by his predecessor Hein Verbruggen, the man who has repeatedly said that Lance Armstrong had never cheated, before the American, now stripped of his seven Tour de France titles, confessed he had been on *****.
According to Vaughters, Cookson's election will improve the UCI's relationships with all the anti-doping bodies, after repeated conflicts with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) and the French Anti-Doping Agency (AFLD) over who should have control of anti-doping, suggest.
Vaughters also said the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which has the power to add or withdraw sports from the Olympic Games, would take notice if relationships were better with all the anti-doping bodies.
INDEPENDENT ANTI-DOPING BODY
After Cookson's election, IOC spokesman Mark Adams said: "We of course congratulate him and look forward to working with him."
USADA's reaction was predictably more enthusiastic.
"The outcome of the UCI election sends a powerful message that sport leaders who fail to fully protect the rights of clean athletes and the integrity of their sport will be held accountable," USADA, whose investigation led to Armstrong's downfall, said in a statement.
"The UCI tried to obstruct our investigation into doping in cycling at every turn, and then, after the release of our reasoned decision, the previous leadership failed to take necessary and decisive action to fully clean up the sport.
"The election of a new UCI President who is committed to transparency and a new direction, is a monumental moment for the sport."
McQuaid has often been labelled as Verbruggen's puppet. Cookson, himself, has been backed by Russian oligarch Igor Makarov, the Katusha professional team owner.
Whether Cookson will stay independent from the man who helped him secure the backing of the European Cycling Union - and its 14 delegates - could determine his presidency.
Cookson is in favour of a truth and reconciliation process, even though he is not comfortable with the name.
"We need to look at the analysis of what has gone wrong. People have talked of a truth and reconciliation commission - I'm not entirely comfortable with those words but we certainly need to have a thorough review," he said this month in a conference call with a select group of reporters.
"I want to get that under way as soon as I can in the first few weeks of my presidency."
The Briton's first move sends an encouraging message as he looks to set up an independent Anti-Doping authority. Quizzed about specifics on Friday, Cookson said he would call WADA on Monday to set it in motion.
Cookson's job will also be to continue the globalisation of cycling started by McQuaid and his team.
Qatar delegate Majid Ahmed Al Naimi said: "I think change is something acceptable everywhere, nobody will remain in this position forever.
"We hope, as everybody hopes, the new president also will push forward cycling, particularly in the third world, particularly in the Middle East, in Africa and Asia because I think we are on the right path now but we need big support from the new President."

 

[Smallville22]

World champion Kenny adds national keirin title to resume

Three-time Olympic champion Jason Kenny outpowered rival Matt Crampton to take the keirin title at British Cycling's national track championships in Manchester.
World champion Kenny held his nerve in a tight finish, as last year's winner Crampton settled for second and Lewis Oliva completed the podium.
"It was nitty gritty on Matt's (Crampton) wheel in third place. I was just happy to hold station knowing Matt was one of the race favourites," said Kenny.
"The national Keirin championships is always tight so going to the front quite early on I was a bit of a sitting duck.
"Lewis (Oliva) went down the inside and pushed me out wide so I had no choice in going to the front."
Elsewhere, Jess Varnish and Laura Trott claimed their second titles of the week in the women's sprint and points race respectively.
Varnish edged out Victoria Williamson while Trott again bested London 2012 team-mate Dani King.
"It was really hard, it was a tough race; it's not like a pursuit, that's predictable, but in the points people use different tactics so you never know what's going to happen," said Trott, the double Olympic champion.
Sam Harrison took the men's scratch race ahead of Olympic team pursuit gold medallists Ed Clancy and Steven Burke.

 

[Smallville22]

Russian bikes stolen ahead of world championships race

The Russian team have had all of their bikes stolen at the cycling world championships, team leader Alexandr Kolobnev said on Saturday.
A similar incident happened in February when the Garmin-Sharp team had all their bikes stolen during the Tour Mediterranéen in France.
The men's elite road race will be held on Sunday over 272.3 kilometres (272.3 miles) from Lucca to Florence.
"Police at work... Stolen ALL the bikes last night. No start tomorrow," Kolobnev, a silver medallist at the world championships road race in 2007 and 2009, wrote on his Twitter feed.

 

[Smallville22]

Cancellara the danger man in world road race

Once again, Fabian Cancellara will start a one-day race with a big target on his back in Sunday's elite race at the world cycling championships.
Cancellara's sheer power, combined with his ability on tough, short climbs, make him the clear favourite for the 272.3-km trek from Lucca to Florence.
After 106.6 kilometres on the flat, the peloton will go around a 16.6-km circuit which includes the Fiesole climb (4.4 km with a gradient of 5.2 percent) and the Via Salviati (600 metres at 10.2 percent), where the pure sprinters will be eliminated.
The race will then turn into a duel between the climbers and riders such as Swiss Cancellara and Slovakian prodigy Peter Sagan, 23.
"We will be trying to make it the hardest race possible, to try to isolate the sprinters and make it more of a climber's race," said Tour de France champion Chris Froome, who is not at his best as the end of an exhausting season looms.
"I think Sagan and (defending champion Philippe) Gilbert (of Belgium) are the two to really look out for most. If they get into difficulty with the amount of climbing then I think it would be more of a climber's race but as long as they're there, then it's basically up to them.
"I'm not exactly very punchy or explosive when it comes to a bunch sprint or final kick, so I think if I am to win I'm going to have to try and go clear on possibly the last couple of laps."
Froome and Team GB, which also features Bradley Wiggins, should be helped in that task by other climbers' teams such as Spain and Colombia, who will work for Tour runner-up Nairo Quintana.
Spain have several cards up their sleeves with Joaquim Rodriguez, Alejandro Valverde, Dani Moreno and Alberto Contador.
Somehow, Froome forgot to mention Cancellara.
The Swiss, who achieved a rare Tour of Flanders/Paris-Roubaix double this year, tried to ease the pressure on himself, saying after claiming the bronze medal in Wednesday's time trial: "I don't want to talk about it.
"Everyone wants to know about Sunday - how I feel, how I go and how I look. There's no way I give that information to you."
The hugely talented Sagan, who won the Grand Prix de Montreal in awe-inspiring fashion this month, will also be a marked man, though less so than Cancellara.
The Swiss showed Sagan how it was done at the Tour of Flanders, when his acceleration in the brief but ****** Paterberg climb left the Slovakian stuck on the road as the youngster settled for second.
Home hopes lie with Vincenzo Nibali, winner of the Giro d'Italia and runner-up at the Vuelta this year, although he has yet to shine in a one-day race.
According to his team mate Alessandro Ballan, Nibali could be the surprise winner even if Cancellara is the man to beat.
"He seemed to be in great shape in the time trial, he has lost some weight, he is fast and powerful," said Ballan, who won the rainbow jersey in 2008 after team leader Paolo Bettini had been marked all day.
"He will be marked and all the riders will be racing against him as they did against Bettini in 2008. That's why we could end up with a surprise winner."
Rain is forecast and could have a bearing on the result.
"In that case, it could be a lottery," said Gilbert, who himself feels "relaxed, having already been world champion".
France, who have had a fine season with four stage wins at the Vuelta, could cause an upset with Warren Barguil, Thibaut Pinot, Thomas Voeckler or Arthur Vichot.

 

[Smallville22]

Vos attacks late to retain road race title

Marianne Vos surprised her rivals by attacking on the steepest section of the Via Salviati ascent to take victory in the women’s road race at the world cycling championships.
The Dutch rider made her move from four kilometres out, quickly opening up a five second gap on world number one Emma Johansson and Rossella Ratto.
And although Johansson and Ratto worked together to try and claw Vos back, their attempts were to no avail as they finished second and third respectively.
The Italian team, with double world champion Giorgia Bronzini, were looking to isolate Vos, but she never looked troubled, having Anna van der Breggen to thank after her team mate protected her all day.
Vos now has 13 cycling gold medals from world championships or Olympic Games.
It was also the 26-year-old Vos's eighth consecutive world road race podium after she won the title in 2006 before taking second place five years in a row.
Great Britain’s Lizzie Armitsead fell away from the lead group and finished outside the top 10.

Results

1. Marianne Vos (Netherlands / Netherlands) 3:44:00"

2. Emma Johansson (Sweden / Sweden) +15"

3. Rossella Ratto (Italy / Italy)

4. Anna van der Breggen (Netherlands / Netherlands) +33"

5. Evelyn Stevens (U.S. / U.S.) +46"

6. Linda Villumsen (New Zealand / New Zealand) +50"

7. Tatiana Guderzo (Italy / Italy) +52"

8. Elisa Longo Borghini (Italy / Italy)

9. Tiffany Cromwell (Australia / Australia) +1:40"

10. Tatiana Antoshina (Russia / Russia)

 

[Smallville22]

In-form Kenny claims another national cycling title

Jason Kenny warmed up for the World Cup season by claiming his second title in 24 hours with a men's sprint victory at British Cycling's national track championships in Manchester.
Kenny followed up on his win in the men's keirin by beating Peter Mitchell in the final while Matt Crampton completed the podium.
"Absolutely over the moon, it's the first race on wood because we've been training on concrete over the summer so I was only just finding my feet towards the end of the night," he said.
"But winning is a habit so let's hope we can carry it on through the Track World Cup."
Elsewhere, Jess Varnish and Danni Khan took women's team sprint gold, Corrine Hall won the women's scratch race and Adam Duggleby, Timothy Lawson, Jacob Ragan and Alistair Rutherford won the men's team pursuit title

 

[Smallville22]

Team Sky rider 'under suspicion' by UCI

A Team Sky rider has been asked by the UCI to explain suspect ***** values, according to a report in the Sunday Times.
In a report from David Walsh, one the key figures in the investigation that eventually exposed Lance Armstrong as a ***** cheat, it is claimed that the UCI have written to 2012 Tour of Britain winner Jonathan Tiernan-Locke asking him for clarification into ***** values dating back to September lasy year.
British rider Tiernan-Locke joined Team Sky at the start of the season but the suspect samples date from before he joined the team.
The Devon-born cyclist was selected to represent Great Britain at Sunday's world championship road race in Florence but withdrew citing 'lack of form.'
Team Sky’s principal Sir Dave Brailsford told the Sunday Times: "I'm not in a position to say anything at this point."
Walsh's piece notes that: "According to Sunday Times sources, Tiernan-Locke’s problem arises from variations in his biological passport data, which have been irregular enough to cause the UCI authorities to begin the investigation process.
"(He) has three weeks from the time he received the letter to offer an explanation for the variations in his ***** values. His response will then be assessed by the same three-man panel of experts that made the original decision to investigate. If they are not satisfied by the rider’s response, they will pass the case to a panel of 11 experts who will decide whether the rider should be disciplined."
Team Sky have a 'zero tolerance' policy towards doping and following the Lance Armstrong scandal, the British team asked riders and support staff to sign up to a written statement saying they had no past or present involvement with *****.
At that time, sports director Steven de Jongh and race coach Bobby Julich quit after admitting to taking ****** substances earlier in their careers.
Tiernan-Locke competed for the Endura team last season but as they mainly competed in cycling's lower tiers, their riders were not part of the biological passport data system.
However, Tiernan-Locke won the Tour of Britain in 2012 and after that victory he began to have regular ***** tests.
The Sunday Times notes that French newspaper L'Equipe raised questions about his form last season after he won the Tour du Haut Var and the Tour Mediterranean.
"Are we in the presence of a champion or a chimera?" the paper wrote at the time.
"Tiernan-Locke can only be one or the other to win five races in a row. He’s part of a team from the third division, a category where the riders don’t have to submit to biological monitoring, via the ***** passport programme of the Union Cycliste Internationale."

 

[Smallville22]

Costa edges Rodriguez in road race

Portuguese Rui Costa kept his composure in a tense finale to upset the favourites and win the cycling world championships road race following a series of crashes and persistent rain on Sunday.
After sitting behind and refusing to take turns at the front, Costa made his move some 1.5 kms from the finish to bridge the gap with Joaquim Rodriguez and beat the Spaniard in a sprint finish to become the first Portuguese to win the event.
Another Spaniard, Alejandro Valverde, took third place for his fifth podium at the event although he has never won the coveted rainbow jersey after a poor tactical choice possibly cost Rodriguez the win.
"My first concern was to stay safe because there was a lot of rain and make to the finish in one piece but in the end, when we were only a small group left in front I thought I had a chance," Costa told a news conference.
"I stayed behind Rodriguez (ahead of the final sprint), played a tactical game and I was hoping that my legs would not fail me."
Home favourite Vincenzo Nibali, who launched the decisive ****** in the Fiesole climb despite being one of several riders to crash during the 272.3 kms race, had to settle for fourth.
The move left one-day race specialists Fabian Cancellara of Switzerland, Peter Sagan of Slovakia and defending champion Philippe Gilbert of Belgium stuck on the tarmac on the final of 10 laps on a 16.6 kms circuit.
About half of the peloton had already abandoned midway through the race and the whole British team had dropped out with five laps to go on a woeful day for Tour de France champion Chris Froome and his team mates.
Only 61 riders of the 208 on the start list finished.
"It was carnage out there. When you got into that second half of the peloton there were crashes everywhere," said Briton Geraint Thomas.
"I saw at least five or six big crashes. As soon as that happens people lose the wheel on the climb and then you're destined to get dropped."
Multiple crashes and the Italian team's pace at the front split the peloton but Sagan, Cancellara and Gilbert held on until Nibali attacked. He was followed by Rodriguez, Valverde, Costa and Colombia's Rigoberto Uran, who was ruled out of contention when he crashed in a descent.
Rodriguez was the most active rider, attacking relentlessly but his moves were covered by Nibali, who however could not follow the Spaniard's acceleration some three kms from the line on drying roads.
Costa, who served a five-month doping suspension in 2010 after taking a contaminated food supplement, stayed on the wheels of Valverde and Nibali, declining to take turns in the chase when prompted by the Giro d'Italia champion.
Costa, who this year won a Tour de France stage at Le Grand Bornand in gruelling weather conditions, left no chance to Rodriguez.
"I tried to play with his nerves but once he had caught me I knew it was over because I was so tired," said Rodriguez, who could not understand why Valverde failed to cover Costa's ******.
Former world champion Cadel Evans of Australia, as well as Ireland's Dan Martin and Vuelta winner Chris Horner of the United States. pulled out after being involved in crashes.
Next year's world championships will be held in Ponferrada, Spain.

Results

1. Rui Costa (Portugal / Portugal) 7:25:43"

2. Joaquim Rodriguez (Spain / Spain) ST

3. Alejandro Valverde (Spain / Spain) +17"

4. Vincenzo Nibali (Italy / Italy)

5. Andriy Grivko (Ukraine / Ukraine) +31"

6. Peter Sagan (Slovakia / Slovakia) +34"

7. Simon Clarke (Australia / Australia)

8. Maxim Iglinskiy (Kazakhstan / Kazakhstan)

9. Philippe Gilbert (Belgium / Belgium)

10. Fabian Cancellara (Switzerland / Switzerland)

 

[Smallville22]

Runner-up Rodriguez dejected after Valverde lets Costa go

Joaquim Rodriguez lost out to Portugal's Rui Costa in the world championships road race on Sunday but the Spaniard could be forgiven for also thinking he was beaten by compatriot Alejandro Valverde.
Valverde, who finished the 272.3-km race in third place, failed to cover Costa's decisive ****** 1.5-km from the finish before the Portuguese caught Rodriguez and outsprinted him to the line.
Had he followed on Costa's wheel, Valverde could have "sandbagged" his rival - sat behind him and toyed with his nerves. If Valverde had managed to rejoin Rodriguez, the Spaniards would have been in a two-against-one position.
Rodriguez, also known as Purito, looked truly stunned when he saw Costa alone catch him.
"Losing like this is stupid," a dejected Rodriguez, who cried on the podium, told reporters.
"We had the numbers, we were the strongest, we should not have lost."
Asked why he did not cover Costa's move, Valverde said: "I just could not. He attacked in a curve and at first (Italian) Vincenzo Nibali tried to catch his wheel and I could not follow.
"I had no legs after 270 kilometres."
That explanation did not appear to placate Rodriguez, who did not look at his Spanish team mate during the post-race news conference.
"This (silver) medal does not count for anything, I wanted to win," said Rodriguez, who finished third overall in the Tour de France.
"When Rui Costa caught me, I knew it was over because I was very tired."
Costa and Valverde both race for Movistar and trade team alliances sometimes occur at the world championships which are raced by national sides, however this was not the case on Sunday.
"We should have won the world title," said Spanish team coach Javier Minguez.
"You can't let Rui Costa go. Rodriguez had the title in his hands and Nibali was dead."

 

[Smallville22]

British coach criticises team after abandonments

All eight British riders in the world championship road race abandoned on Sunday, capitulating meekly midway through the battle and prompting coach Rod Ellingworth to hit out at their attitude.
Tour de France champion Chris Froome pulled out with six 16.6-km laps remaining, following Bradley Wiggins and Mark Cavendish on the way to the team bus.
"Tough race out there, really dangerous once we reached the circuit, the rain has been relentless," said Froome.
Ellingworth was critical of his team.
"We should be very disappointed," he said.
"The lads' attitude wasn't where it needs to be, to be honest. I'm not sure they really took this on thinking it was going to be as hard as it actually was.
"Chris said he struggled with the cold and the rain, but it is the same for everybody. That's what makes the worlds what it is."
Froome, who did not seem to be at his best going into the race, was not ready to continue the effort almost alone after being isolated in the peloton.
"(It was hard) mentally more than anything else. It meant that I had to fight for my position on my own and there was a long way to go," he said.
Geraint Thomas was the last British rider to pull out when he climbed off his bike towards the end of the fifth lap.
Only 61 riders from the 208 on the start list made it to the finish of the 272.3-km, rain-hit race, but Britain were the only major nation with no representative at the finish.
"All of them sat on the bus with 100km to go is very disappointing. Luke (Rowe) and Cav (Mark Cavendish) were average, the other guys were well below average," said Ellingworth.
"I'm sure Brad will be disappointed with his performance. It is not as if he didn't have the form. He had the same problem as he had in the Giro: he couldn't get down the hill, went out the back and was gone."
Former world champion Cadel Evans of Australia crashed out and was sent to hospital for checks.
The American team also suffered with Taylor Phinney, Chris Horner and Tejay van Garderen pulling out.

 

[Smallville22]

Olympic champions power to new team pursuit world record

Olympic champions Dani King, Joanna Rowsell and Laura Trott set a new world record as they ended their campaign at British Cycling's national track championships in style.
The trio were joined by Elinor Barker as they won the 4,000m women's team pursuit in 4:32:721 - nearly 40 seconds quicker than their nearest rivals in Manchester.
King, Rowsell and Trott won London 2012 gold over 3,000m and claim the change in distance and addition of a new team member - to bring the event parallel with the men's programme - is a challenge to savour.
It will be great to see how we progress this year," said Rowsell.
"We've got the three kilometre world record, which should stand forever, and it's exciting to be able to try and do that all over again with the new event.
And King insists the team - and their rivals - will only get quicker as they get used to the new discipline.
"It's quite different really, an extra four laps, but there's an extra rider as well so that changes things. We're learning all the time and think we can only go quicker," she said.
"We took a similar approach to when we were a three, it's all about maintaining speed."
Jess Varnish claimed her fourth national title as she added to victories in the sprint, team sprint and 500m time trial with a win in the women's keirin.
Treble Olympic gold medallist Jason Kenny teamed up with Matt Crampton and Kian Emadi to win the men's team sprint while Trott and King also won the women's madison.
I just wanted to get a good week's training," said Varnish. "I've never actually won a keirin before, and I'm quite surprised that I actually have."
Meanwhile, Tour de France winner Chris Froome admitted there was no excuse for a poor British showing in the men's road race at the World Championships in Florence.
Only 48 of the 208 starters completed the 272.5km course - and not a single British rider was in that number.
Bad weather made conditions treacherous and Froome, who was leading a team that included Sir Bradley Wiggins, Mark Cavendish, Luke Rowe, Steve Cummings, Josh Edmondson, Ian Stannard and Geraint Thomas, pulled out with 80km remaining.
"The conditions are the same for everyone. We've got no excuse, we just weren't there," he said.
"It's a big disappointment, especially having made it such a big objective but with these conditions it just wasn't meant to be.
"The first three laps on the circuit there were crashes everywhere. The weather hasn't let up an it's rained solidly all day.
"Given we've come up empty handed we'll have to go back to the drawing board [ahead of the Rio Olympics]."
Double Olympic champion Geraint Thomas described the race as carnage with Portugal's Rui Costa eventually taking the rainbow jersey, beating Spain's Joaquim Rodriguez in a two-man sprint.

 

[Smallville22]

Yates twins sign for ORICA-GreenEDGE

Australian cycling team ORICA-GreenEDGE have signed Britain’s Adam and Simon Yates on neo-pro contracts.
The identical twins have both had outstanding years underscored by their success at the Tour de l’Avenir and Tour of Britain, earning them plenty of
Neo-pro contracts are short-term deals for newly professional riders seeking to prove themselves, and the Yates twins claim that joining GreenEDGE was their *****.
“This was our first choice,” said Adam. “When we decided to turn pro next year, we knew GreenEDGE was one of the best teams for us both.
“It’s a good opportunity in terms of development. From everything we’ve heard and seen, we know the team looks after their young guys very well.”
“We did have quite a few offers,” Simon confirmed. “This seemed like the right place for us. Knowing the way the team has developed the other young Aussies was an important part of our decision.
“Look at Cam Meyer. He came from the track just like us, and he’s already achieved quite a lot on the road. We’d love to develop the way he has.”
The 21-year-old twins began racing on the track 10 years ago when their ****** brought them to the Manchester Velodrome for local Friday night racing.
The young boys quickly fell in love with cycling but it wasn’t until this year that their place in the sport became obvious.
“We both started on the track and very slowly worked our way up the ladder,” said Simon, who won the points race at the World Championships in Minsk, Belarus last February.
“We didn’t have an exceptional start. There was absolutely nothing remarkable about our early results. It’s not like anyone who saw me race at the beginning would say I would go on to win a world title.”
“We’ve both switched our focus to the road much more this year,” Adam explained. “We’ve put in a lot of work. The results have just taken off from there, really.”
Adam came in second overall at the Tour de l’Avenir; second in all of the classements. In a three up sprint on stage five, Adam finished second to his twin.
Simon’s stage win in Morzine, just ahead of Adam, was followed by a second stage win the following day. He finished 10th overall at the race billed as the “Mini Tour de France.”
Simon backed up the result by winning a stage at the Tour of Britain where he faced far stiffer competition amongst a professional field.
The list of former Tour de l’Avenir winners or runners up read like a who’s who of young professional cycling. Nairo Quintana, Andrew Talansky, Jan Bakelants, Rui Costa, Tejay Van Garderen, Robert Gesink, Bauke Mollema and Tony Martin have all stood on the podium at the Race of the Future.

 

[Smallville22]

Injured Froome pulls out of Tour of Lombardy

Tour de France champion Chris Froome has pulled out of Sunday's Tour of Lombardy because of a back injury, his Team Sky said on Saturday.
"A scan this week revealed that Chris is suffering from an inflamed sacroiliac joint. We are monitoring him as a team but unfortunately the injury means he will not be able to take part in the race this weekend," team doctor Alan Farrell said in a statement.
Froome, who won the Tour de France in July, abandoned last Sunday's world championship road race in soaking conditions along with his seven British team mates.
The Tour of Lombardy is the World Tour's (elite) penultimate race of the season.
Froome leads the World Tour standings with an 80-point advantage over Spain's Joaquim Rodriguez of the Katusha team.

 

[Smallville22]

Sweet revenge for Rodriguez with Lombardy win

Spain's Joaquim Rodriguez gained some consolation for last weekend's world championships defeat by winning the Tour of Lombardy for the second consecutive time on Sunday.
The Katusha rider, who finished second behind Portugal's Rui Costa last Sunday after a tactical error from fellow Spaniard Alejandro Valverde (Movistar), beat his compatriot by 17 seconds in the one-day race.
Poland's Rafal Majka (Saxo-Tinkoff) took third place at the end of a 242-km trek from Bergamo to Lecco, with pre-race favourite Vincenzo Nibali of Italy crashing out.
Rodriguez attacked in the Villa Vergano climb with just under 10 kilometres left and never looked back.
Nibali, fourth in last weekend's world championships road race, was caught in a crash just ahead of the Muro di Sormano, a 1.9-km climb at an average gradient of 15.8 percent.
In the descent, Valverde and his Movistar team mate Nairo Quintana powered away from a group of favourites and were joined by three other riders.
Thomas Voeckler, looking to become the first Frenchman to win the Classic of the Fallen Leaves since Laurent Jalabert in 1997, joined them and attacked with 60 kilometres left.
He built a three-minute lead at the top of the Madonna del Ghisallo but was caught with 12 kilometres remaining, shortly before Rodriguez made his move.
The result meant Rodriguez overtook Britain's Team Sky rider Chris Froome, who pulled out injured before the race, in the elite World Tour rankings.