2013 Cycling Thread

[Smallville22]

Retired Dutch cycling star Niermann admits doping

German rider Grischa Niermann, who rode for the Rabobank team for 12 years, has admitted using ****** substances to boost his performance.
"Thanks to the people around me I realised in 2003 that ****** substances was not the path I wanted to follow, the 37-year-old said.
"I will give anti-doping bodies and relevant commissions all further information," Niermann was quoted as saying on the federation website (www.knwu.nl).
The federation said the rider, who retired last year, admitted to using EPO "several times" between 2000-2003.
"I went through hell and back the last few weeks, but I decided that this is the only possible way to go for me," said Niermann, who competed in nine editions of the Tour de France.
Niermann is the latest of several German cyclists to have used ****** substances.
Jan Ullrich, Tour champion in 1997 and three-times runner-up to Lance Armstrong, was found guilty of doping by the Court of Arbitration for Sport last year in relation to the Operation Puerto *****-doping scandal that engulfed cycling six years ago.
He was ****** for two years and CAS annulled his results from 2005 until his retirement two years later.
Former Rabobank rider Thomas Dekker, suspended for two years in 2009 for doping, said last week he would give the Dutch Anti-Doping Agency the full extent of his knowledge about cheating.
Cycling has long battled a doping problem and this month American Armstrong admitted to using ****** ***** in all of his seven Tour de France victories after the International Cycling Union stripped him of his titles last year.

 

[Smallville22]

Streamline Schleck vows to challenge at Tour

Andy Schleck has shaken off concerns that he could struggle to make a mark at this year's Tour de France after the Radioshack-Leopard rider made a less than convincing start to the new season in Australia last week.
The 27-year-old Luxembourger struggled in the Adelaide heat and abruptly returned to his hotel after a mechanical problem in Sunday's final stage ended his Tour Down Under campaign prematurely.
Still fighting to recover from a broken pelvis suffered during the Criterium du Dauphine last June, Schleck, however, remains confident he will be in prime shape for the 100th edition of the Tour de France starting in Corsica on June 29.
"I have no doubt I have the engine to come back," said Schleck, who was almost 40 minutes behind the leader when he abandoned on Sunday.
"It's just a matter of working well and doing the right things. I need to be patient."
The crash prior to last season's Tour de France ruined his 2012 season and an overweight Schleck staged a brief, unimpressive comeback at the Tour of Beijing in October.
"My feelings are a lot better - if you have pictures from Beijing, I was basically a fat pig then," he said.
"I was 4kg more than now."
Looking ahead to the Tour de France, Schleck highlighted the firepower of the British Team Sky outfit comprising defending champion Bradley Wiggins, Chris Froome and Schleck's former Saxo Bank team mate Richie Porte.
"I see him as a really big guy this year," the 2010 Tour de France winner said of Australia's Porte.
"Last year he improved a lot. I knew him when he was with us and he can go really well. I believe he can climb as well as Froome and Bradley.
"Maybe he's the guy they don't announce."

 

[Smallville22]

Spanish doctor had clients in football and tennis

Spanish doctor Eufemiano Fuentes, accused of masterminding a doping ring in cycling, told a court on Tuesday he also had clients in other sports including football, tennis, athletics and boxing after finally taking the stand in a high-profile and much-delayed trial.
Fuentes and four other defendants are appearing before a Madrid judge almost seven years after police seized anabolic steroids, transfusion equipment and ***** bags as part of a investigation code-named "Operation Puerto".
The trial has attracted close international scrutiny because anti-doping authorities, who are represented in court, are hopeful it will finally lead to evidence of wrongdoing by athletes in sports other than cycling being made available.
Legal experts say it could also change the way doping issues are dealt with by criminal justice systems around the world.
Fuentes, who denies doping, was due to be cross-examined on Monday on the trial's opening day but his testimony was delayed as Judge Julia Santamaria dealt with procedural issues.
He was again mobbed by dozens of reporters, photographers and camera crews as he arrived with his lawyer on Tuesday and before he took the stand Santamaria agreed to a prosecution petition that disgraced American cyclist Tyler Hamilton be called as a witness later in the trial.
She also said she would consider a request from the World Anti-Doping Agency for access to the ***** bags giving them three days to provide a written justification.
Wearing a dark blue suit, white shirt and striped tie with his spectacles on a string around his neck, the softly-spoken Fuentes was grilled for around three hours by Santamaria about transfusions and other services he provided.
As Spain's current anti-doping legislation was not in ***** in 2006 when the police raids took place, Fuentes and his fellow accused, including his ****** Yolanda, are being tried for ********* public health regulations and the public prosecutor has asked for prison sentences of two years.
Speaking clearly and confidently, Fuentes described in painstaking detail how he would help athletes control the proportion of red cells in their ***** by extracting some if the level were too high and injecting stored ***** if it were low.
The ***** bags, some of which contained traces of erythropoietin (EPO), were linked to a host of professional cyclists including German Jan Ullrich and Italian Ivan Basso, who were both excluded from the 2006 Tour de France.
Basso, a double Giro d'Italia champion, is due to give evidence next month along with Alberto Contador, the Spaniard stripped of one of his three Tour de France titles after testing positive for a ****** substance.
Fuentes told the judge he had worked with athletes from "all kinds" of sports. He specifically mentioned cycling, football, tennis, athletics and boxing but said the overwhelming majority were cyclists.
Santamaria did not quiz him any further about the other sports or the names and nationalities of clients.
The ***** bags had code numbers and names for each client and Santamaria asked Fuentes why this secrecy was necessary and why some of the treatments took place in hotels around Madrid.
"Sometimes the client asked to use an alias, which is always more convenient than a name and surname," Fuentes said.
Regarding the hotels, he added: " The clients didn't want to bump into each other. If you have breast implants you don't want to bump into someone you know at the clinic."
After Santamaria finished her three-hour cross examination, Fuentes answered a number of questions from the state prosecutor before it was the turn of the lawyers representing organisations including WADA, the Spanish Cycling Federation (RFEC) and the International Cycling Union.
However, Fuentes informed the judge he would exercise his right not to answer and sat grim-faced as a litany of questions about the ***** transfusions, the ******* substances seized and other issues was read out for the court record.
The four other defendants are due to take the stand starting on Wednesday.
With Madrid competing with Istanbul and Tokyo for the right to host the 2020 Olympic Games, the Spanish government hopes the trial will help to dispel the impression that the Iberian nation has been soft on doping, particularly in cycling.
Due to end in mid-March, it will put cycling's problems with ******* **** use back in the spotlight days after American cyclist Lance Armstrong admitted doping on each of his seven Tour de France victories.

 

[Smallville22]

WADA v UCI row escalates over truth commission

The long-standing row between the International Cycling Union and the World Anti-Doping Agency took a farcical turn when WADA boss John Fahey denied having agreed to work with the UCI on a truth and reconciliation process.
On Monday, the UCI said it was disbanding the Independent Commission investigating the Lance Armstrong ***** scandal in favour of a truth and reconciliation commission (TRC), a move which, it said, was supported by Fahey.
The WADA president angrily begged to differ on Tuesday.
"WADA is dismayed by the press release issued by UCI yesterday, both in terms of its content and its deceit," he wrote in a statement.
"Instead of any continuing professional dialogue with WADA's president, UCI has publicly announced by way of a press statement that WADA has agreed to work with it on some form of truth and reconciliation," the statement said.
"This is not only wrong in content and process, but again deceitful. The fact is that WADA was awaiting a reply to the correspondence when the UCI release was delivered."
UCI president Pat McQuaid said in Monday's statement that WADA had "no confidence in the existing Independent Commission process".
Fahey said: "WADA has never questioned the integrity and independence of the members of the commission, but solely the ability of the commission to work properly under the contract given by UCI to the commission."
Two weeks ago, Fahey had accused the UCI of setting up a "useless" independent commission, while cycling's governing body was at the time ruling out the possibility of a truth and reconciliation process.
WADA and the UCI had already fallen out in 2006 over the UCI-commissioned Vrijman report that cleared Armstrong of any wrongdoing after sports daily L'Equipe had revealed that samples from the American from the 1999 Tour de France showed traces of EPO.
Armstrong was ****** for life and lost his seven Tour titles last October after a report by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency showed the Texan had set up a sophisticated doping programme.
After more than a decade of denials, Armstrong admitted this month that most of his career had been built on a lie.
The Independent Commission expressed its regret after being disbanded by the UCI.
"The commission remains concerned as to WADA's and the UCI's ability to agree the scope, timing and structure of the TRC and also whether the T&R process is sufficiently advanced to justify the UCI's termination of this inquiry," it said in a statement.
"Neither the UCI nor interested stakeholders have provided sufficient co-operation to enable the commission to do its job. This failure to cooperate makes our task impossible."

 

[Smallville22]

Cavendish to lead OPQS in Qatar

British sprint king Mark Cavendish will lead Omega Pharma-Quick Step at the Tour of Qatar with Tom Boonen ruled out of the race with a back problem.
The Manxman, who signed for the Belgium-based team from Team Sky ahead of the 2013 season, will be the focus for his team-mates at the six-day race, which runs from February 3 to 8.
Boonen underwent an operation at a hospital in Belgium to rectify a septic elbow, which flared after a mountain bike crash.
The procedure was a success and he has already returned to the saddle in a bid to make the Tour of Oman, but the Tour of Qatar will come too soon.
"This year Tom Boonen won't be at the start," sports director Wilfried Peeters said. "So we will focus our attention on other riders, and of course on Mark Cavendish."
"He knows the parcour and the conditions we will find in Qatar. We will work for him, to give him the best situation for the sprint. But we also have other riders who can do well in Qatar. We will try to win at least one stage, and put at least one rider in the high part of the GC."
"OPQS specialises in these kinds of races in the desert, with a lot of wind. Mark can benefit from the experience of the team on this kind of parcour."
Cavendish has already opened his new account with victory in the first stage of the Tour de San Luis in Argentina.
He will be joined in Qatar by Boonen's replacement Zdenek Stybar, Iljo Keisse, Niki Terpstra, Matteo Trentin, Guillaume Van Keirsbulck, Stijn Vandenbergh and Martin Velits.

 

[Smallville22]

Boonen recovers in time for Tour of Oman

Omega Pharma-Quick Step sprinter Tom Boonen is set to ride the Tour of Oman after recovering from a septic infection in his elbow.
The six-times Tour de France stage winner picked up the problem in his left elbow following a mountain bike crash and was ****** to undergo an operation at the Herentals Clinic in Belgium last week.
The 32-year-old confirmed the procedure was a success and that he will be able to compete in the six-stage road race in the Arab state, which runs from February 11 to 16.
"If everything will be okay as it is now, I will participate in the race," Boonen said. "The Tour of Oman will be an important step to build up my condition prior to the Classics."
The Belgian national champion has already returned to the saddle and is expected to join the Omega Pharma-Quick Step team camp in Mallorca on Wednesday.
"Fortunately things are going well," said Boonen. "I went out for a short ride on Saturday, and on Sunday and yesterday I was able to put together three hours of training.
"Today (Tuesday) I did two hours on the home trainer because of the bad weather here in Belgium.
"I feel every day a little bit better, which is a good sign. That's why, together with the team, I decided to join some of my team-mates busy with the training camp in Mallorca.
"I'm really happy to join the group — it's also important for my morale."

 

[Smallville22]

Armstrong slams 'pathetic' McQuaid, is the 'scapegoat'

Disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong feels he is the scapegoat of a sport that has always been subject to cheating, and has called UCI president Pat McQuaid "pathetic".
Asked whether he felt he was the 'fall guy for an entire sport/system', Armstrong, who was ****** for life and stripped of his seven Tour de France titles for doping, told Cyclingnews: "Actually, yes I do. But I understand why. We all make the beds we ***** in."
Armstrong, 41, confessed to doping this month, saying he used performance-enhancing ***** from the mid-1990s to 2005.
He believes, however, that every cycling generation cheated.
"My generation was no different than any other. The 'help' has evolved over the years but the fact remains that our sport is damn hard, the Tour was invented as a 'stunt'... and for a century all (riders) looked for advantages," he said.
"From hopping on trains a 100 years ago to EPO now. No generation was exempt or 'clean'. Not Merckx's, not Hinault's, not LeMond's, not Coppi's, not Gimondi's, not Indurain's, not Anquetil's, not Bartali's and not mine.
"As much as I'm the eye of the storm this is not about one man, one team, one director. This is about cycling and to be frank it's about all endurance sports. Publicly lynching one man and his team will not solve this problem."
Armstrong also launched a stinging ****** on UCI president Pat McQuaid, saying: "Pat is just in constant CYA (Cover Your Ass) mode. Pathetic.
"A long time ago, when I was on speaking terms with Pat McQuaid many, many months ago I said, 'Pat, you better think bold here. A full blown, global TRC (Truth and Reconciliation Commission) is our sport's best solution. He wanted to hear nothing of it."

 

[Smallville22]

Frank Schleck ******, to miss 2013 Tour

Frank Schleck will miss the 2013 Tour de France after he was handed a one-year backdated ban for failing a dope test during last year's race, the Luxembourg Anti-Doping Agency (ALAD) has said.
Schleck, third overall in the 2011 Tour, tested positive for the diuretic Xipamide following the 13th stage.
ALAD representative Raymond Mousty told a news conference that the ban started from the day Schleck failed the test on July 14, 2012.
Schleck, who has denied knowingly taking a ****** substance, will be eligible to compete again two weeks after the start of the Tour.
"Of course I am disappointed by the verdict that has just been announced. I think that the decision to suspend me during one year is too severe considering the fact that the Council acknowledged that I unintentionally consumed a contaminated product," Schleck said in a statement.
"Unfortunately the provisions of the UCI are such that an *********** contamination is sufficient in order to pronounce a punishment.
"We will now analyse the decision in detail and decide on potential further steps. However I bear a positive aspect of the decision in mind, the judges acknowledged that I am not a cheater."
The 32-year-old rider, who also finished fifth overall in the 2008 and 2009 Tours, faced a possible suspension up to two years.
In its reasoned decision, ALAD explained that it opted for a one-year ban on grounds of proportional punishment, stating that it was Schleck's first doping offence.
The disciplinary committee stated that "the presence of Xipamide is explained by the ingestion of (nutrition) supplements" and that the substance had not been "used as a performance enhancing substance or a masking agent".
Schleck can appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). The International Cycling Union (UCI) and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) can also refer the case to CAS if they want a longer ban.
In a similar case, the Spanish federation cleared Alberto Contador after he had failed a dope test on the 2010 Tour de France which he won, only for CAS to hand him a two-year retroactive ban after the UCI and WADA appealead.
According to the WADA code, "the Athlete has the possibility to avoid or reduce sanctions if the Athlete can demonstrate that he or she was not at fault or significant fault."

 

[Smallville22]

Sky confirm Froome and Wiggins for Tour of Oman

Team Sky duo Chris Froome and Bradley Wiggins will link up together for the first time in 2013 at the Tour of Oman in February.
The eight-man squad for the February 11-16 stage race includes debutants Dario Cataldo, Joe Dombrowski and Vasil Kiryienka, with Christian Knees, Richie Porte and Peter Kennaugh also working for the British team.
Preparation for the spring Classics continues the week before at the Tour of Qatar, where Sky’s Tour Down Under squad - Edvald Boasson Hagen, Bernhard Eisel, Mathew Hayman, Luke Rowe, Ian Stannard, Chris Sutton and Geraint Thomas – will be joined by debutant Gabriel Rasch.
Sky will send a rotatable team to simultaneously contest each race on the four-day Mallorca Challenge. Wiggins will ease into the season there, while Ian Boswell, Josh Edmondson, David Lopez and Jonathan Tiernan-Locke should make their debuts in Spain.
After the Volta ao Algarve on February 14-17, the Classics begin with a double-header of Omloop Het Nieuwsblad (February 23) and Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne (February 24).
The line-up there of Boasson Hagen, Eisel, Hayman, Rasch, Stannard, Swift and Thomas will joined by Salvatore Puccio at Het Nieuwsblad, while the next day Rowe and 2011 winner Sutton swap places with Puccio and Rasch in the Kuurne line-up.

 

[Smallville22]

Van Staeyen triumphs in Etoile des Besseges opener

Michael Van Staeyen won the 152km first stage of the Etoile de Besseges in a bunch sprint.
The Belgian held off Frederique Robert of Lotto-Belisol and Justin Jules of La Pomme Marseille in the race to the line in Beaucaire.
The 24-year-old Topsport Vlaanderen-Baloise rider has not won a stage since 2011, but now holds the lead of the five-day race.
The race continues with a 157km route from Nimes to Allegre les Fumades.

 

[Smallville22]

Coquard takes debut victory in Etoile des Besseges

Europcar's Bryan Coquard won stage two of the Etoile de Besseges in Allegre Les Fumades.
The 20-year-old sprinter, who won an Olympic track silver medal at London 2012, recorded his first professional victory on the road in a bunch gallop at the end of the 157km stage from Nimes.
He beat stage one winner Michael Van Staeyen (Topsport Vlaanderen-Baloise) to the line although the Belgian retains the overall lead.
Baptiste Planckaert (Crelan-Euphony), Stefan Van Dijk (Accent Jobs) and Jonas Van Genechten (Lotto-Belisol) completed the top five.
Thomas Vaubourzeix (La Pomme Marseille), Alphonse Vermote (An Post – Chainreaction) and Jimmy Engoulvent (Sojasun) escaped early and had a lead of nearly four minutes after 50km.
They crossed the two king of the mountains climbs still well ahead. Their lead was at 3:50 with 67km to go but that was gradually whittled down to two minutes with 30km remaining before the sprinters' teams completed a successful chase.
Stage three of the early-season five-day race held annually in Southern France sees the riders travel 152km, beginning and finishing in Besseges.

 

[Smallville22]

Rasmussen admits to 12 years of doping

Danish cyclist Michael Rasmussen on Thursday admitted to 12 years of doping after making a tell-all deal with anti-doping authorities.
The 38-year-old Rasmussen said in a televised news conference that he took performance-enhancing ***** between 1998 and 2010, both before and after he served a suspension for evading doping controls.
"I have cheated and lied. I'm ready to make good and take my punishment. I'm glad that I no longer have to lie to you, as I have done for so long," said Rasmussen, adding that he was quitting cycling immediately.
In a deal with Danish, American and Dutch anti-doping authorities as well as world anti-doping agency WADA, Rasmussen agreed to confess everything about his experiences with doping, including naming other guilty riders.
His agreement with the authorities prohibited him from disclosing further details at the moment, he said.
Rasmussen admitted to using EPO, insulin, growth hormones, cortisone and other ***** as well as getting ***** transfusions.
Danish anti-doping authorities confirmed in a statement that Rasmussen had offered "substantial assistance" and met preconditions for a reduced sanction, meaning they would request a two-year ban instead of eight years.
In 2007, Rasmussen was kicked off the Tour de France by his team while leading the overall standings for lying about his whereabouts - information required under anti-doping regulations. He served a two-year suspension between 2007 and 2009.
His revelations came after American Lance Armstrong this month admitted he took performance-enhancing ***** during all his seven Tour de France victories, saying he was part of a doping culture in the sport.

 

[Smallville22]

****** doubles up for Europcar at Etoile des Besseges

Europcar enjoyed back-to-back victories at the Etoile de Besseges as Jerome ****** won stage three.
The 23-year-old Frenchman beat FDJ duo Anthony Roux and Arthur Vichot to the line after an 11-man escape group held off the peloton to contest the stage.
Björn Leukemans and Bert-Jan Lindeman (Vacansoleil-DCM), Pierrick Fedrigo (FDJ), Cyril Gautier (Europcar), Romain Bardet and Hubert Dupont (AG2R-La Mondiale), Jonathan Hivert (Sojasun) and Julien Antomarchi (La Pomme Marseille) were the other escapees on the 152.6km stage around Besseges.
Three ascents of the first category Col de Trelys saw an action-packed stage with Gautier, Dupont, Hivert, Lindeman, Antomarchi and Vichot joined by Jurgen Van de Walle (Lotto-Belisol) and Georg Preidler (Argos-Shimano) in an early escape that held a lead of over two minutes.
That gap was down to 30 seconds with 40km to go when ******, Roux, Leukemans, Fedrigo and Bardet bridged the gap and with 10km left the remaining 11 leaders held a 1:10 over the Topsport Vlaanderen-Baloise- and Big Mat-Auber 93-led peloton.
****** now takes the overall race lead from stage one winner Michael Van Staeyen (Topsport Vlaanderen-Baloise) who led the peloton over the line in 12th place.
Stage four of the early-season five-day race held annually in Southern France sees the riders travel 154km from Sabran to Pont Saint Esprit.

 

[Smallville22]

Coquard doubles up in Etoile des Besseges

Europcar's Bryan Coquard claimed his second victory in the Etoile de Besseges race by winning stage four in Pont Saint Esprit.
The 20-year-old sprinter, who won the Olympic omnium silver medal at London 2012, recorded his first professional victory on the road in a bunch gallop on Thursday and followed it up with success at the end of the 154km stage from Sabran.
He beat Lotto-Belisol’s Frederique Robert and Samuel Dumoulin (AG2R-La Mondiale) to the line.
Coquard's team-mate Jerome ****** retains the overall lead going into the final day which sees a time trial and a short road stage.
Lieuwe Westra (Vacansoleil-DCM), Pierrick Fedrigo, Jeremy Roy and Arthur Vichot (FDJ), Ricardo Garcia Ambroa (Euskaltel), Georg Preidler (Argos-Shimano), Evaldas Siskevicius (Sojasun), Arnaud Gerard (Bretagne-Seche Environnement) and Julien Antomarchi (La Pomme Marseille) launched an early ****** but were caught by a vigilant peloton.
However Antomarchi's team-mate Thomas Rostollan instigated another break and was joined by Axel Domont (AG2R La Mondiale) with the duo holding a lead of 5:50 with 41km remaining.
But they were reeled in 3km from the finish to set up a bunch sprint where Europcar took their fourth consecutive stage victory in the early-season five-day race held annually in Southern France.

 

[Smallville22]

Team Blanco suspend rider Sanchez over Fuentes links

Spanish rider Luis Leon Sanchez has been suspended pending an investigation into a possible link with the trial of a doctor at the centre of a doping probe in Spain.
"Team Blanco started an investigation into rider Luis Leon Sanchez after stories in the media about his possible involvement in (the Eufemiano) Fuentes case," the team said on their official Twitter feed.
"Pending the results of the Team Blanco investigation into rider Luis Leon Sanchez, he will not be put on a Blanco race roster."
Spanish doctor Eufemiano Fuentes is on trial for allegedly masterminding a doping ring in cycling.
He is appearing in court in Madrid with four other defendants almost seven years after anabolic steroids, transfusion equipment and ***** bags were seized as part of a investigation code-named "Operation Puerto".

 

[Smallville22]

Dumoulin sprints to stage five success

AG2R rider Samuel Dumoulin claimed the short sprint fifth stage of the Etoile des Besseges.
Dumoulin beat out fellow Frenchmen Bryan Cocquard (Europcar) and Mathieu Drujon (BigMat-Auber 93) to win the 69km journey to Ales Ales.
Jerome ******, winner of two stages for Europcar, remains ahead in the general classification ahead of the sixth and final stage later on Sunday.

Stage five results:

1 DUMOULIN Samuel AG2R La Mondiale 16 20

2 COQUARD Bryan Europcar 11 12

3 DRUJON Mathieu Auber 93 6 7

4 PATOUX Cyrille Roubaix - Lille Métropole 5 5

5 KOCJAN Jure Euskaltel - Euskadi 4 4

6 BOUET Maxime AG2R La Mondiale 2 3

7 ROUX Anthony Equipe Cycliste FDJ 2

8 VAN HOECKE Gijs Topsport Vlaanderen – Baloise 1

9 WESTRA Lieuwe Vacansoleil - DCM

10 DECLERCQ Tim Topsport Vlaanderen – Baloise

 

[Smallville22]

Cavendish sixth as Bookwalter takes Qatar jersey

American rider Brent Bookwalter won a sprint finish to the opening stage of the Tour of Qatar to don the leader’s jersey.
BMC Racing’s Bookwalter was part of a three-bike breakaway including Switzerland pair Martin Elmiger (IAM Cycling) and Gregory Rast (RadioShack Leopard).
The trio made a move towards the end of the 145.2km tour-starter from Katara Cultural Village to Dukhan Beach, opening up a 45-second lead on the peloton.
All three were almost reeled completely in by the group ahead of the finish, which saw them retain minimal distance with Bookwalter crossing the line first.
Elmiger edged Rast for second, while Team Sky’s Austrian rider Bernhard Eisel finished fourth after outsprinting former stablemate Mark Cavendish (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) and fifth-placed Italian Elia Viviani (Cannondale).

 

[Smallville22]

Dehaes wins Trofeo Palma

Kenny Dehaes won a sprint to the line to win the Trofeo Palma, the first leg of the Mallorca Challenge.
The Lotto-Belisol rider held off Garmin-Sharp's Tyler Farrar and Team Sky's Ben Swift to take the honours in the race, which consisted of 10 laps of a 11.6km circuit in the centre of the Balearic island's capital.
It was a first win in five years for Dehaes, who overhauled Farrar and Swift in the final 200m.
Perrig Quemeneur of Europcar and Fran Moreno of Caja Rural tried an early breakaway and pulled out a four-minute lead in the race, traditionally dominated by sprinters, but they were caught with 20km to go.

 

[Smallville22]

Hivert wins Besseges crown after time trial drama

Jonathan Hivert won the Etoiles de Besseges title after a dramatic final stage in France.
The Sojasun rider finished in a solid ninth place in the final time trial stage of the race in Ales to give him a four-second victory over Europcar's Jeremy ******.
FDJ's Anthony Roux, winner of the sixth and final stage of the race on Sunday, was a further second back in third place.
Roux edged his FDJ team-mate Jeremy Roy to take the final stage time trial, his time of 14 minutes 45 seconds for the 9.7km loop putting him just three seconds ahead of Roy and 23 seconds ahead of third-placed Liuewe Westra.

 

[Smallville22]

Hoogerland hit by car in training

Vacansoleil's Johnny Hoogerland is in hospital after he was hit by a car while training for the Tour Méditerranée in Spain.
The 29-year-old was going slightly downhill in front of a scooter which was going to pace him for a training ride when a car turned out in front of him.
He was taken to the hospital in Villajoyosa where they diagnosed some rib fractures and other injuries that require further tests on Monday.