2013 Cycling Thread

[Smallville22]

Presidency row takes spotlight off 'good year'

Cycling is on the road to recovery from the Lance Armstrong doping scandal but a good season for the sport has been overshadowed by a bitter presidency campaign, incumbent Pat McQuaid has said.
McQuaid is locked in an ugly election wrangle with challenger Brian Cookson, with the pair exchanging accusations for months as they seek control of the International Cycling Union at elections later this month.
"It has overshadowed it, yes," McQuaid, also a member of the International Olympic Committee, told Reuters at the IOC session in the Argentine capital. "Cycling has had a good year. It is unfortunate that it (campaign) has done that."
The Irishman, who is backed by Thailand and Morocco after losing the Irish as well as Swiss support for the election, said he was still confident of winning the vote in Florence.
Cookson has headed British Cycling since 1997 and is the only challenger.
"My campaign is going well and much of the information going out (from Cookson) is unfounded," said McQuaid, who has been at the helm since 2005.
Efforts to stop him from running, including failed attempts to see his candidature blocked by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, were "interfering with democracy," he added.
"It is up to the (UCI) congress to elect their president, to choose who they want to represent them."
Cookson has based his candidacy on restoring trust in the UCI, which was criticised heavily for not doing enough to catch **** cheat Armstrong, who was stripped of his seven Tour de France titles last year.
McQuaid has already described Cookson's election manifesto as "half-baked, fundamentally flawed and financially impractical."
"I have full faith that the voting members will make a correct, educated decision," said McQuaid, running for his third mandate after being re-elected unopposed in 2009.
The sport is trying to recover from the doping scandal surrounding Armstrong, who admitted to years of systematic doping in January.
McQuaid, who hopes to get considerable support from Asia, where he has helped set up tours and races, is also banking on the help of fellow IOC members to influence votes from their countries.
"Some IOC members have offered me support within the countries they live in," he added.

 

[Smallville22]

Froome and Wiggins in British squad for worlds

Tour de France champion Chris Froome and Bradley Wiggins, the man he deposed this year, have both been named in Britain's provisional squad for the road world championships in Italy.
Sky team mates Froome and Wiggins are expected to be part of a strong British contingent in the men's elite road race with sprint king Mark Cavendish and Geraint Thomas also named on Tuesday ahead of the championships later this month.
Olympic champion Wiggins is expected to support Froome's road race title attempt while going for individual gold in the men's elite time trial.
Lizzie Armitstead, a silver medallist in London, will lead Britain's women in the road race with 2010 world champion Emma Pooley set to ride in the time trial.
"I think the selection of the elite teams speak for themselves; we've got Olympic medallists, Tour de France winners and former world champions all in the mix and I think we could do well across the board there," British Cycling's performance manager Shane Sutton said in a statement.
The world championships take place in Tuscany from Sept. 22 to 29.

 

[Smallville22]

Movistar Team seal Sutterlin capture

Talented German youngster Jasha Sutterlin has agreed to join the Movistar Team for next season.
20-year-old Sutterlin, who has gained a number of plaudits for his exploits throughout the U23 season following impressive performances in time trials and in sprints, will help to improve Eusebio Unzue’s team during 2014.
Sutterlin has been regarded as one of the best amateurs following his development with the Thüringer Energie Team and has had a stellar record over the last few seasons, winning two consecutive national U23 individual TT titles in 2012 and 2013, the overall classification of the prestigious Tour of Berlin U23 in 2011, two stages of the recent Giro della Valle d'Aosta as well as the bronze medal in the U23 TT European Championships.
The 20-year-old will be the third rider to join Movistar Team following the capture of Steffen Radochla and Daniel Becke.

 

[Smallville22]

Mollema claims stage 17 win, Nibali retains overall lead

Dutchman Bauke Mollema surprised the sprinters with a late charge for the line to win the 17th stage of the Tour of Spain in Burgos on Wednesday.
Best known as a climber, Mollema sheered away from a front group of around 35 riders to take victory a few metres clear of Norway's Edvald Boasson Hagen, with Argentina's Massimo Richeze in third. Italy's Vincenzo Nibali remains the overall race leader.
"I had thought of going for the overall but I could see pretty quickly in the first part of the race that wasn't going to happen," said Mollema, sixth in the Tour de France.
"Instead of fighting for 15th or 20th in Madrid, I decided to go for stage wins. I already got third in one stage, and today it's all paid off.
"There's only four Belkin riders left in the Vuelta, but I think the morale in the team hotel will be pretty high tonight," he added.
On a fast-paced chaotic stage, a mass ****** by Spanish squad Movistar and Danish team Saxo-Tinkoff 25 kilometres from the finish of the flat 189-km stage split the bunch into several groups.
"We'd been warned by our team management there would be a dangerous point in the race with around 25 kilometres to go where it could split in the winds, and that's what happened," Mollema said.
"We got three of our four guys in the front group, so that was pretty good.
"Then I was waiting for the right moment, and with 500 metres to go I shot away and didn't look back until I had 50 metres left to go."
With all the main favourites in the front group, Nibali stayed 28 seconds ahead of American Chris Horner in the overall standings with Spain's Alejandro Valverde 1:14 behind the Italian.
Nicolas Roche of Ireland moved up to fifth overall ahead of Italy's Domenico Pozzovivo, who dropped to sixth.
On Thursday, the Vuelta returns to the mountains with a 186.5-km stage culminating with a six kilometre, lung-bursting steep ascent to Pena Cabarga in northern Spain.
"It's a climb I like very much. I have very good memories of it," said Nibali, who took the lead of the 2010 Vuelta at Pena Cabarga.
"I did very well there before and maybe I'll do something this time round again, perhaps go on the ******." The Tour of Spain finishes on Sept. 15 in Madrid.

Stage 17 Results

1. Bauke Mollema (Netherlands / Belkin) 4:44:28"

2. Edvald Boasson Hagen (Norway / Team Sky) ST

3. Maximiliano Richeze (Argentina / Lampre)

4. Tyler Farrar (U.S. / Garmin)

5. Fabian Cancellara (Switzerland / RadioShack)

General Classification

1. Vincenzo Nibali (Italy / Astana) 68:50:29"

2. Chris Horner (U.S. / RadioShack) +28"

3. Alejandro Valverde (Spain / Movistar) +1:14"

4. Joaquim Rodriguez (Spain / Katusha) +2:29"

5. Nicolas Roche (Ireland / Saxo - Tinkoff) +3:43"

 

[Smallville22]

Horner hopes to cap career with reign in Spain

After 17 years of professional racing, Chris Horner faces arguably the most important five days of his career this week as the American battles to become cycling's oldest ever Grand Tour winner.
Going into Wednesday's 17th stage, the 41-year-old is lying second overall, 28 seconds down on Vincenzo Nibali and after the Italian suffered badly on Monday's final Pyrenean stage, Horner believes that victory in Madrid this weekend is within reach.
"Everybody knows that. All it takes is one bad day (for Nibali) and anything is possible,” the RadioShack-Leopard rider said.
Sitting less than half a minute off the lead and with Spanish climber Alejandro Valverde a further 46 seconds adrift, Horner, whose best previous Grand Tour placing was ninth in the 2010 Tour de France, believes Nibali is vulnerable.
"Everybody knows that it's really a three-way battle for the win, with possibly (Spain's) Joaquim Rodriguez (fourth overall, 2:29 behind Nibali) also in the race," he added.
"But Rodriguez needs to make up a lot of time and three guys ahead of him overall to drop back.
"Valverde needs a small margin and two guys to crack. But all I need is a gap. Twenty eight seconds, that's all, and I can take the leader's jersey."
A former winner of the Tour of California and Tour of the Basque Country, Horner is hoping to target Nibali perhaps as soon as Thursday on the short explosive ascent to Peña Cabarga's summit finish.
"They tell me differences can be made there but I'm not sure, though, because it's probably the first time I'm doing that climb," he said.
Horner admitted that in a career dating back to the small American NutraFig squad in 1995 he had "forgotten a lot of the climbs I've done before".
However, the final and toughest mountain challenge up the Angliru on Saturday is "definitely unfamiliar to me. That one you would know if you'd done in the past, because of its history and its name."
Horner added that racing hard before the final climbs of stages was a solid strategy to beat Nibali.
"Because if you don't, you're not going to drop him," said Horner, who has already claimed two stage victories in this year's race.
"He's one of the best guys in the world, he's won the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta here, his resume is quite good," Horner added.
"So if you want him to crack, you've got to make the race hard. If he gets there (the final climb) fresh, he's going to be impossible to drop.
"But it's like I said, all it takes is one bad day and anything is possible."
Wednesday's stage is a flat 189 km run from Calahorra to Burgos that is likely to favour the sprinters. Three hilly stages follow before the race ends in Madrid on Sunday.

 

[Smallville22]

Valverde: Nibali is getting unfair advantage

Alejandro Valverde believes some riders in the Vuelta a Espana, including overall leader Vincenzo Nibali, are getting an unfair advantage by using helicopters to get back to their team hotels.
Speaking on Tuesday's rest day, Valverde told reporters that with most riders having already raced in one Grand Tour this season, general fatigue was a bigger factor than usual.
"It's not the same getting to your hotel in half an hour in a helicopter as taking nearly three hours in a bus like my team did yesterday from the finish to our team hotel," he said.
"When you need to rest, that's a big difference."
Valverde, the runner-up in last year's race, also said he thought Italian favourite Nibali was beginning to look vulnerable.
Nibali's lead of 50 seconds was slashed to just 28 on Monday over veteran American Chris Horner with Movistar rider Valverde 76 seconds behind.
"I would now say that Horner's even stronger than Nibali on the climbs," Valverde said. "And if he hadn't had such a poor (stage 11) time trial, he'd be ahead of Nibali overall."
Victory in the Vuelta would make Nibali, winner of the Giro d'Italia in May, the first rider to win two Grand Tours in a single year since Spaniard Alberto Contador took the Giro and the Tour of Spain in 2008.
Valverde said the 20th stage ascent of the Angliru, reputed to be Spain's toughest single climb, could be where Nibali loses the lead.
"If you've got a minute's advantage going in there as leader, then you should be okay," Valverde said. "But with 28 seconds, that's another story."
Valverde said all the riders were at the limit of their endurance at this stage of the race which ends in Madrid on Sunday.
"That's why using my team mates in Movistar, like I did yesterday, to make the race much harder before the final climb is what will make Nibali crack. As we saw after a hard day, that's when he's vulnerable," he said.

 

[Smallville22]

Wiggins almost quit 2012 Tour after Froome ******

Bradley Wiggins threatened to quit the 2012 Tour de France because of the aggressive riding of team mate Chris Froome, according to Team Sky's former sports director Sean Yates.
Froome, who finished second overall to Wiggins before going on to win this year's race, caused a storm when appearing to ****** his team mate on a mountainous Stage 11 rather than help his British compatriot retain the yellow jersey.
Wiggins reacted later by sending a text message saying it would be "better for everyone if I went home", according to Yates in his autobiography It's All About the Bike which lifts the lid on the intricate relationship between the two riders.
"Froomey was keen to establish himself in second place overall and have a free hand," Yates wrote in his book of the infamous climb up the Col de la Croix de Fer when Froome threatened to leave Wiggins trailing in his ****.
"(Team Sky general manager) Dave (Brailsford) and I wanted to stick to the original plan of Brad taking the yellow jersey all the way to Paris. Brad was obviously supportive of that. But wary of what could happen if Froomey was to ride off.
"We decided, without any ambiguity that Froomey would stay at Brad's side until the last 500 metres, when he would be free to ****** if he wished, the idea being that he could take time out of (Vicenzo) Nibali and (Cadel) Evans in the race for second without endangering Brad's lead."
What actually happened was that Froome accelerated with four kilometres to go with Wiggins obviously struggling to keep pace.
"For a moment I couldn't believe it," Yates wrote. 'What the xxxx?' I said. God knows what Brad thought, as he had been riding pretty close to his limit for the previous kilometre, believing that Froomey was spent.
"I made it pretty clear on the radio that this was NOT the plan and he had better wait. He did."
The incident caused a media frenzy, according to Yates, and left Wiggins threatening to quit.
"I got back to my room and received a text from Brad reading 'I think it would be better for everyone if I went home.' I went straight to his room. He was upset and felt like Froomey had stabbed him in the back after the discussion we'd had before the stage. He couldn't understand why he's gone back on the agreement, especially with everything going so well."
Yates said he and Brailsford had to talk Wiggins into remaining in the race which he eventually won to become the first British man to win the Tour de France.
Both riders in action at the Road World Championships in Italy this month where Wiggins is expected to go for the time trial title and Froome for the road race.

 

[Smallville22]

Kiryienka wins stage as Horner almost takes red

Vasili Kiryienka (Team Sky) took a solo victory in the stage 18 of the Vuelta a Espana as a superb late ****** almost gave Chris Horner the red jersey.
Belarusian Kiryienka was out on his own for the last 50km and built up enough time to take the victory despite a ****** finish.
The GC contenders stayed together until the final 2kms before Horner (Radioshack) launched a stunning late ****** which put just three seconds behind overall race leader Vincenzo Nibali (Astana)
Horner blew past his rivals and time trialled for the line despite a gradient of over 20 per cent and gained 25 seconds on Nibali.
However, the Italian had a 28 second at the start of the day which saw him just hang on to his lead.

Results from Vuelta a Espana (Burgos - Pena Cabarga, 186.5 km) on Thursday

1. Vasil Kiryienka (Belarus / Team Sky) 4:46:48"

2. Chris Sorensen (Denmark / Saxo - Tinkoff) +28"

3. Adam Hansen (Australia / Lotto) +1:18"

4. Martin Kohler (Switzerland / BMC Racing) +1:34"

5. Egoi Martinez (Spain / Euskaltel) +1:42"

6. Chris Horner (U.S. / RadioShack) +1:53"

7. Amets Txurruka (Spain / Caja Rural) +2:02"

8. Joaquim Rodriguez (Spain / Katusha) +2:13"

9. Alejandro Valverde (Spain / Movistar) +2:14"

10. Vincenzo Nibali (Italy / Astana) +2:18"

11. Nicolas Roche (Ireland / Saxo - Tinkoff)

Classification from Vuelta a Espana after Stage 18 on Thursday

1. Vincenzo Nibali (Italy / Astana) 73:39:35"

2. Chris Horner (U.S. / RadioShack) +3"

3. Alejandro Valverde (Spain / Movistar) +1:10"

4. Joaquim Rodriguez (Spain / Katusha) +2:24"

5. Nicolas Roche (Ireland / Saxo - Tinkoff) +3:43"

6. Domenico Pozzovivo (Italy / AG2R) +5:44"

7. Thibaut Pinot (France / FDJ.fr) +6:14"

8. Leopold Koenig (Czech Republic / NetApp) +6:35"

9. Samuel Sanchez (Spain / Euskaltel) +7:51"

10. Tanel Kangert (Estonia / Astana) +11:10"

 

[Smallville22]

Wiggins excited by Tour of Britain challenge

Sir Bradley Wiggins believes the Tour of Britain could help him finish a miserable year on a high.
Wiggins enjoyed a 2012 to remember - his historic Tour de France win followed closely by Olympic time trial gold in London - but has endured a 2013 to forget.
He quit his principal target for the year - the Giro d'Italia - and wasn't fit enough to defend his yellow jersey as Chris Froome established himself as British cycling's new *****.
But a home Tour and the forthcoming time trial World Championships in Florence could give a fit-again Wiggins a boost as he looks towards 2014.
Last year Jonathan Tiernan-Locke became the first British winner of the event since the race was reconstituted in 2004.
However, he won't be defending his title with Wiggins expected to lead the home challenge in the strongest field ever assembled for the event.
And this year's route should certainly suit the former Tour de France winner.
The 16km time trial will be staged next Tuesday - on Wiggins's home roads in Lancashire - although fellow British rider and Giro d'Italia stage winner Alex Dowsett will also challenge.
This year's stages also feature tough climbs in the Lake District and Snowdonia, though the profiles should not be enough to scare Wiggins, while the race's first-ever summit finish in Dartmoor could also be decisive.
"It's a race I'm fond of and it's nice to see it growing," said Wiggins.
"The crowds and the roads make it special and it's always very humbling to see the fantastic support that we get from the public.
"I'm coming into the race feeling really good. It finishes in close proximity to the world time trial championships, which is my main late-season goal.
"The Tour of Britain is always a tough event and I'm looking forward to getting started."
This year's Tour of Britain starts with a regulation 208.6km first stage around the Scottish Borders between Peebles and Drumlanrig Castle on Sunday.
Tour de France runner-up Nairo Quintana will lead a strong international field but former world champion Mark Cavendish will also look to feature, with next Saturday's penultimate seventh stage between Epsom and Guildford seemingly at the mercy of the sprint specialist.
Cavendish won three stages of last year's race, including the showpiece finish in central London.

 

[Smallville22]

Rodríguez takes stage win as Horner nicks red jersey

Joaquim Rodríguez won stage 19 of the Vuelta a Espana in Alto del Naranco whilst American Chris Horner took another step towards becoming cycling's oldest Grand Tour winner as he edged out Italy's Vincenzo Nibali from the Vuelta a Espana leader's jersey on Friday.
Fifth on the Alto de Naranco stage behind winner Joaquim Rodriguez of Spain as the front group of favourites split up close to the summit, Horner gained six seconds on ninth-placed Nibali.
With Nibali previously just three seconds ahead and losing time on each mountain stage since Monday, Horner now leads by three seconds and was confident he could widen the gap on Saturday's final mountain stage.
"Tomorrow (Saturday) if the legs are good, I should have the leader's jersey in Madrid," Horner, already the winner of two stages in the 2013 race, told reporters.
"It's a big surprise to have the lead today, I thought I wouldn't get it until maybe tomorrow. Today's climb was hard, but it wasn't really that hard."
Horner said he had let Rodriguez ****** in the final kilometre because he was more interested in shadowing Nibali and Spain's Alejandro Valverde, third overall.
"It was all about tactics," said the 41-year-old American, who took the Vuelta lead for the first time on stage three to become the oldest leader of a Grand Tour since 37-year-old Andrea Noe in the 2007 Giro.
Asked if he was worried about forecasts of rain on Saturday, the race's hardest climb to the Alto del Angliru, Horner said "I prefer heat to rain because of my age. But if it is raining I'll just wear more clothes.
"I've not gone up there before, but I'm not so worried when it's steep like the Angliru, I'll watch a replay on TV tonight and work out what's best to do."
Rodriguez left his final ****** on the Naranco until there was less than a kilometre to go, and said that after an uneven start to the Vuelta it was the stage win not the time gap that mattered the most.
"With a climb as hard as the Angliru tomorrow, today was my last real chance," said the 34-year-old Spaniard, lying fourth overall. "I knew that with a kilometre to go, it was the hardest part of the climb, so I had to make a gap there."
Asked if he could still win the Vuelta, the Katusha rider answered defiantly, "Why not? Tne Angliru is a climb where the differences will be measured by much bigger gaps than the few seconds I pulled back today."
"I'm at less than two minutes on Horner and when I had more of a disadvantage on the race leader in the Tour, I still didn't give up and I got third. Why not still keep dreaming?"
The Vuelta finishes on September 15 in Madrid.

Results from Vuelta a Espana (San Vicente de la Barquera - Alto del Naranco, 181 km) on Friday

1. Joaquim Rodriguez (Spain / Katusha) 4:16:13"

2. Diego Ulissi (Italy / Lampre) +11"

3. Daniel Moreno (Spain / Katusha)

4. Samuel Sanchez (Spain / Euskaltel)

5. Chris Horner (U.S. / RadioShack) +14"

6. Alejandro Valverde (Spain / Movistar)

7. Michele Scarponi (Italy / Lampre) +16"

8. Leopold Koenig (Czech Republic / NetApp) +20"

9. Vincenzo Nibali (Italy / Astana)

10. Nicolas Roche (Ireland / Saxo - Tinkoff) +23"

Classification from Vuelta a Espana after Stage 19 on Friday

1. Chris Horner (U.S. / RadioShack) 77:56:05"

2. Vincenzo Nibali (Italy / Astana) +3"

3. Alejandro Valverde (Spain / Movistar) +1:06"

4. Joaquim Rodriguez (Spain / Katusha) +1:57"

5. Nicolas Roche (Ireland / Saxo - Tinkoff) +3:49"

6. Domenico Pozzovivo (Italy / AG2R) +6:00"

7. Leopold Koenig (Czech Republic / NetApp) +6:38"

8. Thibaut Pinot (France / FDJ.fr) +7:02"

9. Samuel Sanchez (Spain / Euskaltel) +7:45"

10. Daniel Moreno (Spain / Katusha) +11:05

 

[Smallville22]

Gesink claims GP de Quebec

Robert Gesink of Belkin Pro Cycling edged a bunch sprint to claim victory at the Grand Prix Cycliste de Quebec.
The Dutch rider finished strongly to beat Arthur Vichot (FDJ) and Greg Van Avermaet (BMC) at the line in the first of a World Tour double-header in Canada.
The route around the French-speaking city took in 16 laps of an undulating 12.6km course which included four climbs and plenty of opportunity for riders to ******.
Niki Terpstra (Omega Pharma) did just that on the final lap, opening up a gap of over 30 seconds which Team Sky, led by Geraint Thomas and then Jonathan Tiernan-Locke at the front of the bunch, tried to close near the finish.
Sky soon faded though, leaving Peter Sagan (Cannondale) and Van Avermaet to break free and catch Terpstra. Sagan too found the going too tough though and he was eventually swamped as the race reached a climax.
Gesink flew past both Vichot and Van Avermaet in the final run in to secure victory, with Fabian Wegmann (Garmin-Sharp) and Rui Costa (Movistar) completing the top five.
The Grand Prix Cycliste de Montreal takes place on Sunday.

 

[Smallville22]

Elissonde solos to stage 20 success, Horner drops Nibali to keep red jersey

Frenchman Kenny Elissonde won the penultimate stage of the Vuelta a Espana on Saturday, with American Chris Horner finishing second and tightening his grip on overall victory.
Horner dropped his most persistent rival, Vincenzo Nibali of Italy, with a little over one kilometre to go to the race's final summit finish, the Alto de l'Angliru.
Spain's Alejandro Valverde was third in the 142.2-km stage from Aviles.
With one easy, 109.6-km stage from Leganes to Madrid remaining on Sunday, Horner looks all but certain to win the race outright, with Nibali second overall and Valverde third.

Stage 20 Results

1. Kenny Elissonde (France / FDJ.fr) 3:55:36"

2. Chris Horner (U.S. / RadioShack) +26"

3. Alejandro Valverde (Spain / Movistar) +54"

4. Vincenzo Nibali (Italy / Astana)

5. Andre Cardoso (Portugal / Caja Rural)

6. Dominik Nerz (Germany / BMC Racing)

7. Jose Mendes (Portugal / NetApp) +1:15"

8. Joaquim Rodriguez (Spain / Katusha) +1:45"

9. Serge Pauwels (Belgium / Omega Pharma - Quick-Step) +1:52"

10. Thibaut Pinot (France / FDJ.fr) +1:59"

GC Classification

1. Chris Horner (U.S. / RadioShack) 81:52:01"

2. Vincenzo Nibali (Italy / Astana) +37"

3. Alejandro Valverde (Spain / Movistar) +1:36"

4. Joaquim Rodriguez (Spain / Katusha) +3:22"

5. Nicolas Roche (Ireland / Saxo - Tinkoff) +7:11"

6. Domenico Pozzovivo (Italy / AG2R) +8:00"

7. Thibaut Pinot (France / FDJ.fr) +8:41"

8. Samuel Sanchez (Spain / Euskaltel) +9:51"

9. Leopold Koenig (Czech Republic / NetApp) +10:11"

10. Daniel Moreno (Spain / Katusha) +13:11"

 

[Smallville22]

Cavendish: I could win British Tour - but not this year

Mark Cavendish insists he could one day win the Tour of Britain - though not this year.
Cavendish won three stages of last year's race and believes it could be possible for a sprinter to win the eight-stage event.
But the profile of this year's edition - with a 10km time trial next week and some demanding climbing, including a first-ever summit finish - means he'll have to wait for his chance.
"With time bonuses, given the right course, there is a year I believe I could win here," said Cavendish, who won the sprints and points jerseys in the 2007 race, his debut professional season.
"This year there is a 10-mile time trial, so it's a very British route in some ways.
"It is a very difficult race so, as a pure sprinter, it's not possible this time. But who knows in the future, if the course is different."
Last year massive crowds lined the roads for the week long event, despite miserable weather, as Britain basked in the glory of their Olympic achievements.
And Cavendish memorably won the final stage in Guildford to conclude his year in the world champion's rainbow jersey.
"To be able to get that win was very significant for me," he added.
"I was unfortunate not to win my first race in the jersey, I was sick, but I won my second race in it. So to win my second and last race book-ended quite a spectacular year.
"I was honoured to be able to finish that off, in front of home crowds. That was superb."
This year's race starts on the Scottish Borders and will move through the Lake District, Snowdonia and Dartmoor before concluding with a showpiece finish in central London that will be a key Cavendish target.
Former Tour de France winner Sir Bradley Wiggins is among the race favourites along with Nairo Quintana, second behind Britain's Chris Froome in this year's Tour.

 

[Smallville22]

Viviani claims opening stage

Italian sprinter Elia Viviani (Cannondale) took victory in the opening stage of the Tour of Britain at Dumlanrig Castle in south west Scotland as home favourite Mark Cavendish found himself boxed in as the race neared its finale.
Alessandro Petacchi (Omega Pharma QuickStep) and Gerald Ciolek (MTN-Qhubeka) finished second and third respectively.
An early breakaway group of five riders built up a lead of five minutes before the blustery conditions took their toll and the peloton began to reel them in.
With the gap down to under a minute and 43 kilometres left to ride, Sojasun's Anthony Delaplace broke clear from the chasing pack and quickly overhauled the group ahead before taking the lead outright.
But, despite building a healthy lead, his bid for solo success ended 14 kilometres from the finish as Sky dragged the peloton back into contention.
The riders jostled for position in the final stages, which led to a huge pile-up with 200m remaining, as Viviani’s late surge proved decisive.

 

[Smallville22]

Horner becomes oldest Grand Tour winner

American Chris Horner, nicknamed 'Grandpa' by his peers, created more than one landmark when he won the Tour of Spain on Sunday at the age of 41.
Horner is the first rider from the United States to win cycling's third Grand Tour. Andy Hampsten won the Giro d'Italia in 1988 and Greg LeMond took the Tour de France in 1985.
At almost 42, Horner is also the oldest Grand Tour winner by a hefty margin. The ******-of-three, who lives in Bend, Oregon, outstrips the Vuelta's oldest previous winner, Tony Rominger of Switzerland in 1994, by nine years, and he is almost six years older than the Tour de France's most senior winner, Fermin Lambot of France in 1922.
"How long will I continue racing? I have no idea. At least two or three years would be good," the RadioShack rider told reporters before the start of Sunday's final stage.
"If my legs are still turning the same way, I will continue.
"But I hope people appreciate everything I've done, it's so complicated to get to this level. This is the hardest victory of my career so far," added Horner, a professional of 19 years, who said he did not yet have a contract for 2014.
"The problem is my age. If I was 20, it would be very different, 50 different teams would be offering me a job."
Born in Okinawa, Japan, where his ****** was serving in the U.S. army, Horner began working in garages and building sites as a teenager in order to buy his own bike. He turned professional for the small U.S.-based Nutra Fig squad and spent a decade mostly with ***** American teams.
In 2005, aged 33, he took part in his first three-week stage race, the Tour de France, finishing 33rd, and then raced for two years as a team worker with Belgian squad Lotto.
Horner's breakthrough in Grand Tour racing came when he finished ninth in the Tour de France in 2010, the same year that he took his first major stage race, the Tour of the Basque Country.
In 2011, after winning the biggest race in the United States, the Tour of California, a bad crash and subsequent abandon put him out of the Tour de France, although the following year at RadioShack Leopard, his current team, he finished 13th.
This year started badly for Horner, with a knee injury wiping out almost the first half of the season. However, a victory in the toughest mountain stage of the Tour of Utah in August and second place overall showed that the American had rising form for his one Grand Tour of the season, the Tour of Spain.
"For many his victory is a surprise but not for me and I've been working with him for five years now," Horner's sports director Jose Azevedo told El Mundo newspaper on Sunday.
"He's come to this race rested because (before Utah) he had not been racing for several months and at this point in the season that makes a big difference."
Famous for his love of hamburgers and chocolate bars and his upbeat temperament, Horner's nickname in the peloton of the Tour of Spain is 'el abuelo' - 'Grandpa'
"I've always been under-rated or not quite given the leadership when I think I should have had it for different reasons," Horner said earlier this week.
"Maybe (because of) my age, or maybe I'm not brass enough, but there's always something in my career that made people think I'm not as good as I am."

Stage 21 Results

1. Michael Matthews (Australia / Orica) 2:44:00"

2. Tyler Farrar (U.S. / Garmin) ST

3. Nikias Arndt (Germany / Argos)

4. Gianni Meersman (Belgium / Omega Pharma - Quick-Step)

5. Maximiliano Richeze (Argentina / Lampre)

6. Grega Bole (Slovenia / Vacansoleil)

7. Adrien Petit (France / Cofidis)

8. Reinardt Janse Van Rensburg (South Africa / Argos)

9. Francesco Lasca (Italy / Caja Rural)

10. Robert Wagner (Germany / Belkin)

Final Standings

1. Chris Horner (U.S. / RadioShack) 84:36:04"

2. Vincenzo Nibali (Italy / Astana) +37"

3. Alejandro Valverde (Spain / Movistar) +1:36"

4. Joaquim Rodriguez (Spain / Katusha) +3:22"

5. Nicolas Roche (Ireland / Saxo - Tinkoff) +7:11"

6. Domenico Pozzovivo (Italy / AG2R) +8:00"

7. Thibaut Pinot (France / FDJ.fr) +8:41"

8. Samuel Sanchez (Spain / Euskaltel) +9:51"

9. Leopold Koenig (Czech Republic / NetApp) +10:11"

10. Daniel Moreno (Spain / Katusha) +13:11"

 

[Smallville22]

GP de Montreal: Sagan sprints clear of rivals for victory

Peter Sagan of Cannondale left behind his rivals to triumph in the GP de Montreal in Canada.
Sagan, fresh from winning the green jersey at the Tour de France, manoeuvred himself into the perfect position before striking for home to win by four seconds.
Several breakaway attempts, including one from Tour de France champion Chris Froome, were foiled by Sagan on the final 12 kilometre lap before the Slovakian flew away from the field.
Simone Ponzi (Astana) finished second ahead of home favourite Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin).

Results

1. Peter Sagan (Slovakia / Cannondale) 5:20:07"

2. Simone Ponzi (Italy / Astana) +4"

3. Ryder Hesjedal (Canada / Garmin)

4. Greg Van Avermaet (Belgium / BMC Racing) +7"

5. Filippo Pozzato (Italy / Lampre)

6. Rui Costa (Portugal / Movistar)

7. Enrico Gasparotto (Italy / Astana)

8. Lars Petter Nordhaug (Norway / Belkin) +9"

9. Jon Izagirre (Spain / Euskaltel)

10. Jan Bakelants (Belgium / RadioShack)

 

[Smallville22]

Horner no-show 'is anti-doping agency's fault'

American rider Chris Horner missed a random anti-doping test on Monday after Spanish Anti-Doping Agency (AEPSAD) officials went to a wrong hotel looking for him, the Vuelta champion's team said.
"The testers came to the team hotel, Horner was not there, he was in the hotel where his wife was staying," a RadioShack press officer told Reuters.
"It's mentioned in the whereabouts form, they got the wrong hotel," he added.
"Horner had changed his hotel. It was the Spanish agency that came on behalf of USADA (the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency)."
An AEPSAD spokesman said the agents had gone to the hotel address provided by the U.S. agency early on Monday.
They checked another hotel but Horner was not there either and AEPSAD did not know his current whereabouts, the spokesman added.
"We do not want to make any kind of judgment about whether this was a ********* of the rules as we do not have all the facts," he said.
Horner, who turns 42 next month, became the oldest Grand Tour champion and the first U.S. winner of the Tour of Spain when he sealed victory on Sunday for the biggest win of his 19-year career.
Riders are obliged to provide anti-doping authorities with information about their whereabouts.

 

[Smallville22]

Ciolek claims stage two, leads overall

Gerald Ciolek claimed stage two of the Tour of Britain with an excellent uphill finish as he took the overall lead.
The MTN-Qhubeka rider confirmed his place as one of the tour’s best in poor conditions as he powered through the final uphill stretch in the cold and rain.
The German won Milan-San Remo in poor conditions that included snow and rain back in Mach and again showed his credentials by powering away at the finish.
Ciolek ****** late solo attacker Thomas Lokvist as well as Sam Bennett who looked to mount a challenge.
Gaining six seconds on the peloton, the 26-year-old took the gold jersey.

Results:

Gerald Ciolek (Ger) MTN-Qhubeka 5:01:01

Sam Bennett (Irl) An Post-Chainreaction

Thomas Lövkvist (Swe) IAM Cycling 0:00:06

Simon Yates (GBr) Great Britain

Michal Golas (Pol) Omega Pharma-Quick Step

Jack Bauer (NZl) Garmin-Sharp 0:00:09

Martin Elmiger (Swi) IAM Cycling

Marco Coledan (Ita) Bardiani Valvole-CSF Inox

Sergio Pardilla Bellon (Spa) MTN-Qhubeka

Julien Vermote (Bel) Omega Pharma-Quick Step

General Classification

Gerald Ciolek (Ger) MTN-Qhubeka 11:05:30

Simon Yates (GBr) Great Britain 0:00:20

Michal Golas (Pol) Omega Pharma-Quick Step

Marco Coledan (Ita) Bardiani Valvole-CSF Inox 0:00:23

Sergio Pardilla Bellon (Spa) MTN-Qhubeka

Julien Vermote (Bel) Omega Pharma-Quick Step

Martin Elmiger (Swi) IAM Cycling

Sacha Modolo (Ita) Bardiani Valvole-CSF Inox

Scott Thwaites (GBr) Team NetApp-Endura 0:00:26

Francesco Manuel Bongiorno (Ita) Bardiani Valvole-CSF Inox

 

[Smallville22]

Wiggins claims stage three to lead overall

Sir Bradley Wiggins won the stage three time trial of the Tour of Britain to take an overall lead.
Despite wet weather and greasy roads, Wiggins was determined to perform in front of many friends and ****** on the ten-mile circuit around Knowsley Safari Park.
He was the only rider to beat the 20-minute barrier and now enjoys a 33 second in the general classification over Sky teammate Ian Stannard, who also produced an impressive stage three time trial performance for second.
"It was obvious through my commitment, even in the rain, how much I wanted this," said Wiggins, who crashed during stage two as bad weather caused havoc as the peloton crossed the Lake District.
"It's not been a great season for me but the minute I knew I was riding this race, I've been training locally and I can't tell you how many times I've been around this course because I only live about 20 minutes away.
"It's nice to put in a performance like that in front of your friends and ******. I'm not a great climber so I need as much out of that time trial as possible and get every second I could if I think of winning races like that."
Defending the gold jersey will not be easy, IAM Cycling's Martin Elmiger is third overall and 47 seconds adrift, with Team Sky needing to keep the race disciplined with the toughest and ultimately decisive stages of the race to come.
Wednesday's fourth stage takes the race from England into Wales, running from Stoke-on-Trent to Llanberis, including some tough climbs in Snowdonia.

Stage three result

1 Bradley Wiggins (Team Sky) 19:54

2 Ian Stannard (Team Sky) +32

3 Jack Bauer (Garmin-Sharp) +42

4 Martin Elmiger (IAM Cycling) +54

5 Alex Dowsett (Movistar) +56

 

[Smallville22]

Cavendish wins stage four, Wiggins retains overall lead

Mark Cavendish timed his sprint perfectly to hold off Elia Viviani and win stage four of the Tour of Britain after a frantic finish in Llanberis at the foot of Mount Snowdon in Wales.
It was Cavendish’s first victory in the 2013 Tour after getting boxed in at the climax of the opening stage before failing in a solo bid to take stage two.
Steele Van Hoff placed third but was lucky to avoid a crash after clipping stage one winner Viviani’s rear wheel close to the finish.
A group of eleven riders broke away from the peloton early in the stage as it travelled from Stoke-on-Trent but the gap was bridged with a kilometre to go to set up a sprint to the line.
Sky’s Bradley Wiggins retained the leader’s gold jersey after his dominant time-trial on Wednesday.
Thursday’s stage winds south through Wales from Machylleth to Caerphilly with two ascents of Caerphilly Mountain set to shake-up the overall standings.

Stage Four Results

1 Mark Cavendish (GB) Omega Pharma-Quick Step 4:45:42

2 Elia Viviani (Ita) Cannondale Pro Cycling

3 Steele Von Hoff (Aus) Garmin-Sharp

4 Matteo Pelucchi (Ita) IAM Cycling

5 Jose Joaquin Rojas Gil (Spa) Movistar Team

General classification

1 Bradley Wiggins (GBr) Sky Procycling 16:11:36

2 Ian Stannard (GBr) Sky Procycling 0:00:37

3 Martin Elmiger (Swi) IAM Cycling 0:00:47

4 Jack Bauer (NZl) Garmin-Sharp 0:00:55

5 Alex Dowsett (GBr) Movistar Team 0:00:57