Cyclingnews Racing News

Tetrick lines up for Exergy Tour in comeback bid

Laura Weislo — Fri, 25 May 2012 01:39:13 GMT

Alison Tetrick will take the start line for Exergy TWENTY12 when Idaho's Exergy Tour flies off the start line with the downtown Boise prologue time trial Thursday night. Tetrick was not originally on the team's race roster but will be filling a spot left vacant when Pascal Schnider fell ill. The Exergy Tour will mark Tetrick's return to top-level international racing since recovering from multiple concussions in just 18 months. Doctors cleared Tetrick to start racing again just before the Sea Otter ...

Giro d'Italia boss Michele Acquarone promotes globalization

Laura Weislo — Thu, 24 May 2012 21:50:10 GMT

As a new Grand Tour promoter, the Giro d'Italia 's general director Michele Acquarone inaugurated a previously unseen way of communicating about the wild-cards, giving total transparency about the identity of the candidates , the panel of selectors and the reasons of their choices for teams invited to Milan-San Remo, Tirreno-Adriatico, Giro d'Italia and Il Lombardia by RCS Sport. With three days to go into the Giro d'Italia, NetApp is the only invited team without a stage win but they have animated ...

Video: Stetina discusses his support role for Hesjedal at the Giro

Peter Hymas — Thu, 24 May 2012 20:54:56 GMT

As the Giro d'Italia enters its final three days, featuring two difficult days in the mountains followed by the concluding time trial in Milan, Garmin-Barracuda leader Ryder Hesjedal is perfectly positioned to win his and his US ProTeam's first Grand Tour. Heading into Friday's 19th stage, Hesjedal occupies second place on general classification, just 30 seconds behind Giro leader Joaquim Rodriguez (Katusha). Playing a crucial support role in the mountains for Hesjedal is Peter Stetina , a 24-year-old ...

Gallery: Women's Exergy Tour gets underway

Laura Weislo — Thu, 24 May 2012 20:00:05 GMT

The women's Exergy Tour in Boise, Idaho, a UCI 2.1 race that boasts an international field of 2012 Olympic hopefuls, gets underway tonight with the 3.2km prologue time trial through the streets of downtown. Four more stages – three road races and an individual time trial – follow before the race crowns its first-ever champion on Memorial Day. The race offers a $100,000 purse and important UCI points, which determine how may riders each country can send to the Olympics. "The opportunity ...

Guardini marks Giro debut with dramatic sprint victory

Laura Weislo — Thu, 24 May 2012 19:22:29 GMT

Mark Cavendish (Sky) crossed the finishing line with rage as he lost stage 18 of the Giro d'Italia in Vedelago, arriving runner-up to second year pro Andrea Guardini , 22, from Farnese Vini-Selle Italia . The world champion admitted that the young Italian was "faster and more powerful" than him on that day. "I've always believed that I'd beat Cavendish one day," Guardini said. "I knew that I had to anticipate him in the sprint. In the last three kilometers, I took a place ...

Hincapie sad to see US Pro move from Greenville

Laura Weislo — Thu, 24 May 2012 18:14:05 GMT

For seven years, George Hincapie has had the luxury of competing in his national championships right near his home in Greenville, South Carolina. But after this weekend, the race will move on to Chattanooga, Tennessee for the next two years at least. At 38, going on 39 next month, Hincapie will give it at least one more go to try and secure the stars and stripes jersey in his own backyard. Coming off a taxing Amgen Tour of California , Hincapie told Cyclingnews that he was feeling good after not ...

Team Tibco bikes recovered ahead of Exergy Tour

Mark Robinson — Thu, 24 May 2012 15:53:15 GMT

Team Tibco to the Top got off to a rough start before the 2012 Exergy Tour in Boise, Idaho, when thieves made off with the squad's supply of race machines from a trailer in the hotel parking lot early Wednesday morning. But by Wednesday afternoon Boise police announced that all of the bikes had been recovered following a citizen tip. The UCI 2.1 race starts Thursday evening with a 3.2km opening prologue time trial in downtown that partially runs along the edge of the Boise State University campus. ...

Wegelius: Giro suits Hesjedal more than the Tour

Peter Hymas — Thu, 24 May 2012 13:33:43 GMT

Recently retired as a pro cyclist, Charly Wegelius was in the Garmin-Barracuda team car following and advising via radio Ryder Hesjedal over the climbs on the way to Cortina d'Ampezzo, "the pearl of the Dolomites". Late at night, he admitted to Cyclingnews that his protégé is the main beneficiary of stage 17 . "For several numbers of reasons, [Ivan] Basso tried to keep the race constant," Wegelius said. "Ivan is a big diesel, plus going downhill is a slight ...

Cancellara satisfied with return to racing in Bayern Rundfahrt

Susan Westemeyer — Thu, 24 May 2012 10:52:08 GMT

Fabian Cancellara has finally returned to racing, more than seven weeks after suffering a quadruple fracture of the right collarbone . The RadioShack-Nissan rider said that he was “satisfied” with his performance in the Bayern Rundfahrt , where he finished at the rear of the 125-rider strong group with the same time as winner Alessandro Petacchi. On April 1, the four-time World time trial champion crashed over a bidon in the Tour of Flanders . His return to racing took longer than expected. ...

Moseley to carry Olympic torch

Sue George — Thu, 24 May 2012 08:43:31 GMT

British mountain bike star Tracy Moseley (T-Mo Racing) will be the Olympic Torch bearer when it visits Fort William, Scotland in the United Kingdom on June 9. As the Olympic Torch Relay cavalcade cruises through the Scottish Highlands, its appearance at the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup will be at the downhill start just before qualifying on the Saturday according to the UCI. A five-time winner of the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup in Fort William and 2010 World Champion, this year Moseley is making ...

Team TIBCO suffers equipment theft on eve of Exergy Tour

Peter Hymas — Wed, 23 May 2012 21:58:53 GMT

On the eve of the Exergy Tour , the biggest women's international stage race in the U.S., Team TIBCO's trailer was broken into and 14 of the team's Specialized bicycles were stolen. The trailer was parked in the parking lot of the Exergy Tour race hotel parking lot in Boise, Idaho. Thieves stole six Specialized Shiv time trial bikes and eight Specialized Amira road bikes. "These bikes are top-of-the-line race bikes, built with top-of-the-line SRAM Red components," said team founder and ...

Sam Bewley joins Orica-GreenEdge

Peter Hymas — Wed, 23 May 2012 20:50:14 GMT

Orica-GreenEdge announced that New Zealand's Sam Bewley has joined the Australian ProTeam. With the retirement of Robbie McEwen , a space on the roster became available for the 24-year-old New Zealander who had been without a professional contract this season after spending the previous two years on the RadioShack team. While Bewley begins his tenure at Orica-GreenEdge immediately with a start in Bayern Rundfahrt, he won't be completely focused on the road until the conclusion of the 2012 London ...

Italian Giro d'Italia contenders impressed by Hesjedal

Peter Hymas — Wed, 23 May 2012 20:02:44 GMT

Race leader Joaquim Rodriguez (Katusha) won stage 17 of the Giro d'Italia , the first mountainous foray in the Dolomites, but the main beneficiary of the stage's outcome is Ryder Hesjedal ( Garmin-Barracuda ). The three Italian general classification contenders echoed "Purito" who concluded clearly: "Hesjedal is the hot favorite now. With the current time gaps, it's impossible for me, for [Ivan] Basso or [Michele] Scarponi to beat him after the time trial." "Today in the ...

Sun Valley contest opened to mountain bikers

Sue George — Wed, 23 May 2012 18:59:42 GMT

Many mountain bikers will be headed to Sun Valley, Idaho just after the Fourth of July US holiday for the US Mountain Bike National Championships. Two lucky mountain bikers will win an all expenses paid trip to Sun Valley from July 1-8, 2012. Displaying their sense of humor, the folks in Sun Valley put together a video explaining why mountain bikers suffering from singletrack deficit disorder might want to enter the contest to win a trip to Sun Valley that will cure their symptoms. Sun Valley is ...

Rodriguez pays tribute to Tondo with Giro stage victory

Peter Hymas — Wed, 23 May 2012 18:15:42 GMT

Just after crossing the line in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Joaquim Rodriguez hugged Ivan Basso and told him in a few words why he felt obliged to win stage 17 of the Giro d'Italia, even though no time bonuses were at stake at the finish. Exactly one year ago on this day, May 23, was the tragic death of Movistar rider Xavier Tondo while he was training in Sierra Nevada with his teammate Benat Intxausti , who is currently sixth on GC at the Giro d'Italia . "I wanted to win today because it's a special ...

Video: NetApp looks back at first half of Giro d'Italia

Susan Westemeyer — Wed, 23 May 2012 17:35:51 GMT

Team NetApp “may have started the Giro d'Italia as underdogs,” but it has gone on to make its presence known in nearly every stage. In the latest edition of the video series “Against All Odds,” the team reflects on its success in the first eleven stages of its first Grand Tour. The team has been very active in escape groups, and has brought in numerous top 10 finishes. But the first really big success came on stage 10, from veteran Bartosz Huzarski , who used his experience ...

Outstanding La Bresse World Cup pays off for Näf and Vogel

Sue George — Wed, 23 May 2012 16:50:29 GMT

The most recent UCI Mountain Bike World Cup in La Bresse, France , was the final race that counted toward the nations qualifications for the Olympics. It was also the final race at which riders could qualify for their respective national teams headed to the 2012 London Olympic Games . The day brought of mix of success for some and disappointment for others, especially for those trying to make it on to the super competitive Swiss Olympic team. The Swiss qualified, as expected, the maximum three men ...

Video: Pinotti on the stage 17 startline at the Giro d'Italia

Mark Robinson — Wed, 23 May 2012 13:39:11 GMT

BMC's Marco Pinotti spoke exclusively to Cyclingnews on the start of stage 17 at the 2012 Giro d'Italia this morning and the veteran Italian predicted that the next five days will be hardest of the race so far. Pinotti singled out his teammate Taylor Phinney for praise and talked up the American's chances of doing well in the final time trial this Sunday. With five Italian national time trial championships on his palmares, Pinotti is certainly well-qualified to pass judgement. He also identified ...

Bos withdraws from Giro d'Italia

Mark Robinson — Wed, 23 May 2012 11:13:05 GMT

Rabobank are yet to win a stage at the 2012 Giro d'Italia and they will be tackling the remainder of the race without the services of Theo Bos, after the Dutchman withdrew this morning ahead of stage 17. The earlier withdrawals of Mark Renshaw, Graeme Brown, Tom Leezer and Dennis van Winden means that Rabobank have just four riders left as the race moves towards its conclusion this weekend. With the last part of the race dominated by climbing, Bos and his team decided it would be counter-productive ...

Schleck and Bruyneel deny rift after Giro d'Italia withdrawal

Susan Westemeyer — Wed, 23 May 2012 10:39:03 GMT

Fränk Schleck is to return to hospital today for further medical examinations of the injuries resulting from his crash in the Giro d'Italia , which caused him to abandon the race . The RadioShack-Nissan rider denied that he had planned all along leave the race early, saying “It's not in my nature to give up.” In addition, he and team general manager Johan Bruyneel had a long discussion before he left Italy, and although both are disappointed, they will now work together for good ...

Liquigas-Cannondale team doctor: how cycling helps science

Daniel Benson — Wed, 23 May 2012 09:31:14 GMT

One year after starting the operation of the “ Liquigas laboratorio viaggiante (traveling laboratory)”, Dr Roberto Corsetti gave an interview to Cyclingnews . He explained that the “no needle policy” put in place by team doctors in cooperation with the UCI is still in place. “It’s part of the rules and it gets respected”, Corsetti firmly stated. “Cycling is the first sport to have implemented such a regulation for ‘no injection’. As doctors ...

Video: 2012 Giro d'Italia stage 17 preview

Daniel Benson — Wed, 23 May 2012 07:16:29 GMT

Come stage 17 of the Giro d’Italia there will be no place left to hide for any of the race contenders. The stage marks the first and perhaps most testing soirée into the Dolomites with four demanding, energy-sapping mountain passes. The peloton will begin with Falzarego, one of the climbs immortalized by Fausto Coppi, then wade into Passo Duran and the Forcella Staulanza. Each of the trio are legendary and brutally hard, but the real pain is to be found on the last climb of the day, ...

Team Sky's Henao and Uran well-placed entering Giro's mountainous finale

Peter Hymas — Tue, 22 May 2012 20:37:47 GMT

With three very hard mountain stages to come at the Giro d'Italia , Team Sky is in an interesting position with Colombian climbers Sergio Henao and Rigoberto Uran positioned eighth and eleventh overall, 1:55 and 2:56 back respectively behind leader Joaquim Rodriguez . Henao, 24, is the revelation of the race so far and has been able to hold his own in the mountains against the overall GC contenders. "In the initial prologue, he lost some time," team Sky principal Dave Brailsford said. ...

Izagirre marks Grand Tour debut with stage win at Giro

Peter Hymas — Tue, 22 May 2012 19:16:38 GMT

Fifteen years after José Luis Rubiera prevailed in Falzes, another Spaniard, Jon Izagirre ( Euskaltel-Euskadi ), has won a Giro d'Italia stage in the northern Italian city near the Austrian border. It is only the third time that the Giro has finished a stage there in the Dolomites, with Damiano Cunego also a winner in 2004. Izagirre was a member of the 10-man breakaway that dominated stage 16, the first day of racing after the Giro's second rest day. With a final climb in the last 5km, featuring ...

Daniel Martin on course for Tour de France debut

Daniel Benson — Tue, 22 May 2012 18:05:42 GMT

While his teammates battle on at the Giro d’Italia , Daniel Martin ( Garmin-Barracuda ) continues his training as he focuses on the Tour de France . July’s start in Liege is still some weeks away, and the American ProTeam has yet to even announce their long list, let alone their final nine, but all being well, the Irish climber will make his debut at the Tour. After his best ever start to a season which has included 5th in Liège - Bastogne – Liège and 6th in La Fleche ...