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Hincapie beats a blizzard to ride Tirreno-Adriatico
George Hincapie was wrapped up in his stars-and-stripes BMC Racing kit to fight the cold and rain at the start of stage one of Tirreno-Adriatico, but the 36-year-old American was just happy to have made it to the start. A snowstorm in southern Europe meant he missed a flight from his base in Girona, Spain on Monday and he only made it to Italy on Tuesday afternoon after battling through a blizzard with some special help from a friend. "I tell you, I had a mission to get here in time for the ...Sagan impressive in Paris-Nice debut
20-year-old Peter Sagan remained humble after claiming his first professional win in Aurillac at the end of stage 3 of Paris-Nice, but his performances leading up to the victory had already gained the attention of his competitors. "I didn't know I could be so strong so quickly at the Pro Tour level," he underlined. "I had a first taste of it in Australia at the Santos Tour Down Under. I did well there. After that I thought I might go down a little bit but it's not the case here at ...Grabovskyy back on track with Tirreno attack
Dmytro Grabovskyy (ISD-Neri) was the only rider to go on the attack during the cold and wet opening stage of Tirreno-Adriatico on Wednesday, showing that his personal problems are perhaps behind him. The hugely talented Ukrainian won the under-23 world road race title in 2005 and was second in the time trial at just 19. He turned professional with Quick Step and then joined ISD-Neri but has suffered with a drinking problem that almost ended his career. He has admitted that he almost died twice after ...Farrar angry with Ginanni after Tirreno-Adriatico sprint
Tyler Farrar (Garmin-Transitions) was the only big-name sprinter to finish in the top ten on the opening stage of Tirreno-Adriatico and was angry that some dangerous riding in the finishing straight perhaps cost him a chance at victory. Farrar survived the terrible weather conditions and a testing climb on the two finishing circuits to finish seventh behind stage winner Linus Gerdemann (Milram). Farrar was especially angry with Italy's Francesco Ginanni (Androni Giocattoli) who finished tenth on ...Voigt hopes for Paris-Nice victory, will not race Criterium International
Jens Voigt is back in a yellow jersey, a situation he has experienced many times in his career, after finishing fourth on the stage to Aurillac today at Paris-Nice. The German, who is old enough to be the father of 20-year-old stage winner Peter Sagan, made an interesting request after the podium ceremony. "As much as there is the white as the distinctive jersey for the best young rider, there should be a grey jersey to award the best cyclist of the over 35 year old category," Voigt said ...Pepsi sponsorship saves Tour of Battenkill
The United States of America was close to losing the UCI-sanctioned Tour of Battenkill when its former sponsor pulled its funding two months ago, but organizer Dieter Drake has found a replacement in PepsiCo that will allow the event to continue as scheduled in Cambridge, New York on April 18. "I approached them back in January after we lost our presenting sponsor from last year during the Christmas holiday," Drake said. "With some persistence, they were receptive to talking about ...Tour of Utah returns to the NRC in August
The Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah will return to the United States' National Racing Calendar (NRC) on August 17-22 in Salt Lake City, Utah. The six-day stage race promises to bring back 17 of the top professional men's teams in the nation to compete over the challenging and mountainous parcours . The Tour of Utah mourned the loss of its former executive director Terry McGinnis, who passed away after a two-year battle against colon cancer in October. Karen Weiss was promoted to fill that role and ...Landis joins Bahati Foundation
Floyd Landis will compete for the Bahati Foundation in 2010 after the team announced its recent signing of the 34-year-old and US National Cyclocross Team rider Josh Berry. Landis will serve two roles - as rider and ambassador for the Bahati Foundation, with the organisation aiming to 'support inner-city youth and garnering positive attention through his [Landis'] success on the bike'. The move comes after Landis had made moves to join Rock Racing in an attempt to return to European racing given ...Paris-Nice stage shortened due to snow
The riders of Paris-Nice will face a shortened stage three from Saint-Junien - Aurillac after the first 53 kilometres were cut from the stage due to snow. The peloton will race the final 155 kilometres. The snowstorm struck at early Wednesday morning in Limoges and means the first two category 3 climbs of the day, the côte des Cars and the côte de la Croix de Teulet, will not be contested. Race organisers ASO are confident the remaining 155 kilometres to Aurillac will be covered without ...Giunti tests positive for EPO, suspended
Androni Giocattoli rider Massimo Giunti has been provisionally suspended by the International Cycling Union (UCI) after testing positive for EPO in a targeted out-of-competition test carried out last month. Giunti, 35, had been scheduled to start Tirreno-Adriatico on Wednesday morning, but was pulled out of the race following news of his positive result for the illegal blood-booster. "It's a bitter blow and I'm shocked but it's strange too," said Androni Giocattoli principal Gianni Savio. ...Gesink nearly stranded in Spanish snow
Rabobank's Robert Gesink must have felt more like an arctic explorer than a pro cyclist on Monday as he attempted to make his way to Italy for this week's Tirreno-Adriatico. The Dutchman had expected to take his regular taxi journey from Girona, Spain, to the local airport for a flight to Livorno, Italy, but hadn't counted on the weather working against him. A late winter storm dumped up to 25 inches of snow on the Costa Brava and Barcelona, the first snow in the region in 40 years. The chaos was ...HTC-Columbia frustrated at Paris-Nice
HTC-Columbia's Andre Greipel and Tony Martin have described the frustration of the opening days of Paris-Nice, which have seen both riders involved in crashes and miss out on hoped-for stage wins. Stages one and two looked tailor-made for the team's sprinter, Greipel, to contest mass sprint finishes, but in Monday's stage one, “the strong crosswinds made things difficult,” Greipel said on his website. “Unfortunately I crashed around 25 kilometres before the finish, so I didn't ...Women take charge of Thüringen Rundfahrt der Frauen
German women's race Thüringen Rundfahrt der Frauen is firmly in female hands, with former riders Vera Hohlfeld named the event's new Race Director and Franziska Rippin appointed to the role of Sport Director. Hohlfeld, 38, was named earlier this year to take over from Nico Kleinert. She had served as Sport Director for the race for several years. "I'm excited by the task at hand, especially since I know that I can rely on a well-rehearsed and proven management team which has run the Thüringen ...Sagan edges closer to first pro win
Liquigas-Doimo's Peter Sagan has continued his phenomenal introduction to the ProTour ranks with a second place finish behind William Bonnet (Bbox Bouygues Telecom) on the second stage of Paris-Nice, from Contre to Limoges. Riding in just his second world calendar event, the 20-year-old Slovakian has already proven that he can ride fast in circuits, strongly in the hills, efficiently in time trial and be competitive in bunch sprints as well. At the Santos Tour Down Under earlier this year, his ProTour ...Spanish Olympian Escuredo retires
Spanish track sprinter José Antonio Escuredo has announced his retirement at the age of 39. After almost three decades of racing that has brought him a silver medal in the keirin at the 2004 Athens Olympics, silvers at the World Championships in the same discipline in 2004 and 2006, 10 World Cup victories and no fewer than 31 Spanish titles, three of which he still holds, Escuredo has decided to quit having been hampered in recent months by persistent injuries. "I haven't been able to ...Bole bites it in Paris-Nice
Lampre-Farnese Vini rider Grega Bole was forced to withdraw from Paris-Nice after crashing during the second stage to Limoges, won by William Bonnet (Bouygues Telecom). Despite falling quite heavily the Slovenian should have no lingering injuries from the accident. "No fracture or internal damage, but only a small pneumothorax that won't need to be drained," explained team doctor Matteo Beltemacchi. Bole had started the day in 12th place on general classification after finishing second ...Contador passes first test after Paris-Nice crash
The day after crashing towards the end of stage one at Paris-Nice, Alberto Contador wasn't exactly smiling in the morning but he indicated that he could continue racing. "You have to put things into perspective," said Astana's general manager Yvon Sanquer prior to stage two. "There was a small loss yesterday; sometimes in Paris-Nice 17 seconds can be significant but what happened is also no catastrophe. I'm not saying everything is fine but in Mende on Thursday there will be a possibility ...Australian cycling legend passes away
Australian cycling legend Lionel Cox died overnight at the age of 80 following a bout of pneumonia. The Olympic gold medalist suffered a stroke last year and never fully recovered good health. Cox rose to prominence by winning gold in the tandem with Russell Mockridge at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics before taking silver in the sprint behind legendary Italian star Enzo Sacchi at the same meet. What made his performance so outstanding was that the young New South Welshman had never ridden a tandem, ...Tirreno-Adriatico set to start in near-arctic conditions
A rare snowfall that blanketed much of the Mediterranean coast this week means Tirreno-Adriatico may start in near-arctic conditions in Tuscany on Wednesday. It's not expected to force the cancellation or shortening of any stages, however. Despite the cold weather, the 148km stage from Livorno to Rosignano Solvay could still see some teams go on the attack to try immediately gain time on their rivals. Androni Giocattoli team manager Gianni Savio predicted the opening stage would be like a Belgian ...Tirreno-Adriatico set to start in near-artic conditions
A rare snowfall that blanketed much of the Mediterranean coast this week means Tirreno-Adriatico may start in near-artic conditions in Tuscany on Wednesday. It's not expected to force the cancellation or shortening of any stages, however. Despite the cold weather, the 148km stage from Livorno to Rosignano Solvay could still see some teams go on the attack to try immediately gain time on their rivals. Androni Giocattoli team manager Gianni Savio predicted the opening stage would be like a Belgian ...Travis Smith leads Canadian sprint team to worlds
For the past six years, Travis Smith has been the top-ranked Canadian sprinter. Winning two Commonwealth Games medals, seventeen national championships and traveling to countless international competitions – Smith has focused primarily on Sprint and Keirin events. This year, Smith’s focus for the World Championships in Copenhagen is leading the Canadian Team Sprint team. This change is due primarily to hiring of Richard Wooles as the Canadian Cycling National Track Coach. “When ...Wiggins looks to prove the critics wrong in Tour de France
Bradley Wiggins was perhaps disappointed not to win the time trial stage and secure overall victory at the Tour of Murcia but after a month of early-season racing he must be quietly satisfied with his early form and that he looks set to build on his fourth place in last year's Tour de France. This time last year Bradley Wiggins still thought he was only a track world champion and time trial specialist, who was happy to help to help his Garmin teammates target the Tour de France. Now, after his bitter ...Cavendish on the way back to form
Mark Cavendish is still trying to make up for the training he missed due to early-season dental problems, but will start Tirreno-Adriatico on Wednesday. The HTC-Columbia sprinter has made it clear he will ride Milan-Sanremo even if his form is not as good as it was in 2009 when he won the first Monument of the season on his very first attempt. Cavendish was in the dentist chair again on Tuesday morning before traveling to Livorno for the pre-race press conference. He has recently had a full ...Richmond Twilight postponed until 2011
Organizers of the Richmond Twilight Grand Prix have postponed their event for one year to allow more time to secure sponsorship funding. Organizers will reschedule the event to return to the National Racing Calendar (NRC) event in 2011. The event is formerly known as CapTech Classic, notorious for its challenging course situated in downtown Richmond, Virginia. The event was canceled four years ago but was scheduled to return this year as the Richmond Twilight Grand Prix on June 10 under the ownership ...Paris-Nice stage winner Bonnet padding his resume
Frenchman William Bonnet defied expectations in the Paris-Nice bunch sprint on stage two to Limoges, handing his Bouygues Telecom team its biggest victory since last year's Tour de France when it took home two stage wins. It was an important step in his 6th year as a professional, not the least of which is his team's uncertain future. For the relatively unknown sprinter from Vierzon, today was his first victory since the 2008 GP of Isbergues when he was declared winner over Wesley Sulzberger who ...
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...formuula one
Quick change - Formula One pit stops, 2010 style
Sporting Regulation, Article 29 comes into force in Bahrain and states that 'Cars may not be refuelled after they have left the pit lane before the race.' It means that, for the first time since the 1993 Australian Grand Prix, cars will start the race with enough fuel to go the distance. While there are all sorts of technical ramifications, it's perhaps the sporting impact on pit stops that will be most visible…The fight to be fit - Force India's Balbir Singh on driver training
We may just be catching our first glimpses of the drivers at work, but like all topflight sportsmen, today's Formula One heroes never really step off the treadmill. The winter provides a perfect opportunity to improve fitness. So whilst the engineers are slogging it out perfecting their 2010 cars back at the factory, the drivers are busy ensuring they'll be fit enough to drive them. Most teams rely on in-house physiotherapists to help devise training, and at Force India that duty falls to Balbir Singh, one time guru to multiple world champion Michael Schumacher. We caught up with Singh exclusively to learn more about his unique approach to fitness…FIA press conference schedule - Bahrain
It's an all-drivers affair for the official media sessions at Sakhir, with Thursday's conference featuring no less than four world champions and Friday's boasting some of the sport's brightest up-and-coming talent. The line-up in full…Exclusive Q&A with McLaren's Jenson Button
Not many drivers have been able to defend their title. Jenson Button's bid to join that small but illustrious group starts this weekend in Bahrain. Just to add to the challenge, he will have to race against two drivers who've done it: Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso. And with the likes of Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel, Felipe Massa, Nico Rosberg and Mark Webber also chasing his crown, this season promises to be a mouth watering affair…Exclusive Karun Chandhok Q&A: It's thrilling but surreal
Coming the week before the 2010 season gets underway, the launch of the HRT team (formerly Campos) - and the announcement of second driver Karun Chandhok - was a very last-minute affair. Although he is yet to drive the car, and despite the mountain of work and obstacles still facing the team, it's a dream come true for 26 year-old Chandhok, who had almost lost faith in realising his Formula One ambitions...Q&A with Renault's Robert Kubica and Vitaly Petrov
Renault's line-up for 2010 features the experienced Pole Robert Kubica and Russian newcomer Vitaly Petrov. Ahead of this weekend's season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix, Kubica sums up winter testing and his hopes for the year ahead, while Petrov reveals his emotions concerning his imminent F1 debut…Exclusive Kobayashi Q&A: With luck, we can fight for podiums
BMW Sauber's Kamui Kobayashi may look like he's just stepped out of Tokyo's trend-setting Shibuya district, but he's also a determined racer, keen to make an excellent impression as he embarks on his first complete Formula One season. After muscling his way onto everyone's radar with two sparkling performances last year as a stand-in for an injured Timo Glock at Toyota, watching Kobayashi in Bahrain will be a treat indeed…The 2010 Season Preview - Part Three
Can the midfield teams really upset the order at the head of the grid? We consider their chances…The 2010 Season Preview - Part Two
Although there are several new teams joining the grid this year, few would bet against the old established outfits sharing the majority of this year's championship spoils amongst themselves. So do the big guns head to Bahrain with the power to stay ahead of the chasing pack? We consider their chances…The 2010 Season Preview - new beginnings in Bahrain
The return of Michael Schumacher; four world champions on the grid; at least three leading teams in which team mates will be fighting head-to-head for the title honours; and the prospect of drivers having to display genuine finesse in nursing their tyres now that refuelling has been banned. Is it any wonder that 2010 is being billed as a fantastic season for the FIA Formula One World Championship? The wait is almost over...Bahrain Grand Prix - team and driver preview quotes
After months of preparation and weeks of testing, it is almost time for the 12 teams and 24 drivers that make up the 2010 FIA Formula One World Championship to finally put their cards on the table and show just what they can do. For the teams it will be their first real chance to see if they can really challenge for the title, while for the drivers the joy of racing again will be just as potent. The Formula One fraternity look ahead to the season opener in Bahrain…Karun Chandhok to race for HRT
The newly-rebadged HRT team have confirmed that Karun Chandhok will race for them this season. Chandhok, who has previously tested for Red Bull, will be the second Indian driver in the history of the world championship. The announcement was made during an official presentation in the Spanish city of Murcia on Thursday. During the event the team also unveiled their car for the 2010 season…FIA publish revised 2010 entry list
The official entry list for the 2010 FIA Formula One World Championship was republished by the FIA on Wednesday evening. Following weeks of speculation the sport's governing body has confirmed the North Carolina-based US team will not compete, which means 12 teams will line up on the grid at next week's season-opener in Bahrain. A subsequent statement released by the FIA said: “The US team have indicated that they will not be in a position to participate in the 2010 championship...Exclusive Ross Brawn Q&A: We're targeting victory in Bahrain
Ross Brawn is renowned for his no-nonsense approach, so it's no surprise that the Mercedes GP team principal is keen to avoid speculation about the MGP W01's competitiveness ahead of this month's season-opener in Bahrain. However, with a big upgrade set to be introduced at the Sakhir race, Brawn is confident seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher and team mate Nico Rosberg will have cars that are capable of challenging at the front...Ferrari feeling positive for Bahrain
Ferrari are in a confident mood for the season ahead after the F10 passed its final winter test with flying colours. Drivers Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa both enjoyed top-three placings during last week's four-day session at Barcelona's Circuit de Catalunya and reliably completed over 400 laps of the Spanish track. “We're very happy with the work done,” Massa told Ferrari's official website. "We wanted a competitive car and I think we've achieved our goal. We've reached a good level of reliability, which is very important. I am very satisfied with the car - when we simulated the qualifying and when we drove with lots of fuel on board.”
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