Cycling Road

06/07/08

Alex Wrubleski edges Leigh Hobson for women's road race victory

ST-GEORGES, Quebec - Olympic-bound athletes finished 1-2 in the women's road race at the Canadian national cycling championships Saturday, with Alex Wrubleski of Regina edging Leigh Hobson of Cambridge, Ont., at the line.

Felicia Gomez of Fredericton, finished third in the sprint for the bronze medal. Julie Beveridge of Calgary was seventh, and won the under-23 age category title.

The 114-kilometre event was a race of attrition, with the field of 60-plus riders whittled down to 12 shortly before the halfway point after a series of attacks by favourites including Wrubleski, Hobson, Erinne Willock of Victoria (Canada's third Olympic rider) and national time trial champion Anne Samplonius of Montreal.

The group stayed intact until the final few kilometres, when it began to splinter under constant attacks by Willock and Wrubleski.

Willock led out her professional cycling teammate Wrubleski until the final kilometre, when the Regina native went to the front and outkicked Hobson at the line.

"Erinne was so strong," said Wrubleski. "She had me hurting on the climbs. We had discussed a couple of strategies before the race, and we knew that if it came down to a sprint that Erinne would be working to set me up. It worked out perfectly. I think it shows that we have a strong team for Beijing."

29/05/08

Lower Hunter riders scoop the pool

Lower Hunter cyclists have ridden away from the NSW State Masters Cycling Championships at Port Macquarie with a swag of podium finishes. Cyclists from across the State converged on Port Macquarie on May 17 and 18 for a shot at State glory.

The tough Port Macquarie track boasted a painstaking set of hills, making tough going for competitors.

It was the Hunter District Cycle Club that stole the show on the weekend, taking out the Shield for the most successful club.

Maitland successes at the event included Bolwarra's Karen Webb, who took out gold in the Women's Masters Two Road Race and a silver medal in the criterium class while Belinda Farley of Seaham took out gold in the Women's Masters One Road Race.

The Maitland-based male contingent of the winner's circle included Brian Radcliffe from East Maitland, who secured the a bronze in the Masters Six Road Race and gold in the criterium and Maitland's Dennis Blunden took bronze in the Masters Nine Road Race.

Blunden said that while the course was a tough one, it was an enjoyable and successful weekend and applauded the recent successes of fellow rider Radcliffe.

"It was a very difficult course. It had hills then dead road then hills then dead road," he said.

"But it was really good track and a well run event. The Hunter District Cycle Club had a great result with Brian in particular riding really well. He is riding the best I can ever remember seeing him ride at the moment."

22/05/08

Lastras disappointed with second

Pablo Lastras (Caisse d'Epargne) has said he's disappointed with his second place finish on the Giro d'Italia's Stage 11. The Caisse d'Epargne rider was one of six riders to breakaway on the stage, but his run to the finish was interrupted by a rival's crash.

"I planned to attack today," said Lastras. "We cooperated very well and in the final everybody tried to attack on [the final] turn."

Lastras was one of three riders left from the original break with a shot at the stage win. The Spanish rider's efforts were however hampered when CSF Group Navigare rider Fortunato Baliani crashed on the final corner.

"Only three of us were left for the victory but Baliani's crash in the last kilometre changed the development of the sprint," he said. "I had to brake very hard and start again. [Alessandro] Bertolini, who was in the lead when that happened, took the opportunity to take some advance.

"It is a fact that I am disappointed for finishing only the second after I worked so hard during the whole stage," he added. "But on the other side I am also satisfied because I showed today that I am able to achieve something good in the Giro and I hope I will have another chance before we reach Milan."

Alessandro Bertolini (Serramenti PVC Diquigiovanni-Androni Giocattoli) claimed his first Giro stage win in a career spanning 16 years as a result of the finish. Bertolini had worked with Lastras, Laurent Mangel (AG2R La Mondiale), Baliani and Jussi Veikkanen (Francaise des Jeux) to break away at kilometre 42 of the 199 kilometre stage to Cesena.

08/05/08

Hincapie to defend Tour of Missouri title

The Tour of Missouri recently announced some highlights for its sophomore year on the North American racing calendar, including the return of defending champion George Hincapie, this time with his new High Road team.

"With my new team High Road, I will attend the Tour of Missouri this September to defend my championship," said Hincapie in a release. Hincapie won the inaugural race in 2007 as the last win for the Discovery Channel team.

"Being an Olympic year I plan on doing the Tour de France, the Olympics in Beijing, the U.S. Championships [in Greenville, South Carolina] and completing my season at the Tour of Missouri. For me, the race last year was special. The spectators and state were unbelievable. It was special as the last year with Discovery Channel team. I look forward to the race this year with my new team."

Lieutenant Governor Peter Kinder, chairman of the race, started a small trend of race involvement amongst state seconds in command. This year the Tour de Georgia was championed by its Lieutenant Governor Casey Cagle. "George Hincapie is a top world-class athlete and winner of last year's race," said Kinder in the release. He embellishes everything great about this statewide event. People will come in from around the country to see him and his team perform."

Another unique addition to the race from Kinder is the creation of a host city sign program in conjunction with the Missouri department of transportation (MODOT). "We have created a designated sign to provide demarcation with the help of MODOT for the 12 host cities. The cities have expressed support and pride in this program."

The program aligns with the stated goal of the race to promote tourism throughout the state. "This event is as much about tourism and economic impact as it is sport," said Kinder. "Our marketing programs are about promoting tourism within the context of the race.

The announcement of more teams participating in the race is expected in June.

05/05/08

Backpedaller

From The Sunday Times

May 4, 2008

Chris West

I grew up cycling in London. Off to a mate's house quicker than any bus could take me; flying back from school between four lanes of traffic in the Wandsworth one-way system, shouting: "No brakes!"

As an adult I stopped cycling in London after sitting on the top deck of a Routemaster swinging round Marble Arch and seeing a happy cyclist powering home, thinking he was in charge of his own destiny but in reality vulnerable to a second's lapsed concentration in any of the drivers around him.

As a family man moving from London to the countryside, I reckoned cycling would be fun again. It is, almost. Nothing in the world can get me giggling like a boy quite like riding through a muddy puddle. Sometimes you cycle down a road between two fields and wonder why it's there. It doesn't connect anywhere with anywhere. The only noise is the rattle of the old speedo on my handlebars where the rubber cuff has perished.

When I lived in London, it took me an hour of cycling to get to a road that was pleasant enough to make the effort worthwhile. Now, in the countryside, the perfect cycling road starts outside my front door.

The only problem with cycling in the countryside is cycling at night. It's the scariest thing I've done as an adult. I'd rented an office five miles away. By car it took 10 minutes; by bike it would take only another 10. I figured I would cycle to work.

I was full of beans the morning I set out, and the ride lived up to every bit of my expectations: a glorious hill to be climbed, gulps of fresh air at the top and 360 degrees of great view.

The return home in the dark was different. I had three fully working lights on the bike that I'd used in London. That would be plenty, I thought. I cycled down the curving road through the woods that took me home and as each car came up behind me, as the hiss of its tyres on crumbling, countryside tarmac became louder and louder, it wouldn't slow down or dip its lights or give any other indication that it had seen me. Until it went flying past.

It was worse when this coincided with a car coming in the other direction, the lights so bright they blinded me and, I know, dazzled the driver behind me.

I ended up pulling over to the side of the road each time a car approached from either direction, hoicking my bike into the verge, taking my front lamp off and waving it at the drivers until they went past.

It took me an hour to get home. When my wife asked if my ride home was great, I didn't have the heart to tell her how scared I'd been. I put my bike in the shed and drove to work the next day.

02/05/08

Timmer takes a break from the breaks

Albert Timmer is becoming a breakaway specialist. The Dutch rider for the Skil Shimano squad has been seen off the front at most of the races he has contested recently. Rund um den Henninger Turm was the latest in his 'off the front' adventures, when he took off with Gerolsteiner's Johannes Frohlinger (who hails from Gerolstein, where Gerolsteiner has its headquarters), after the first break of the day by Bjorn Papstein was reeled in.

During the Scheldeprijs he was part of a long escape with Koen Barbe (Topsport Vlaanderen) and in the Amstel Gold Race he was away in a three-man move.

However, the Skil Shimano rider was not entirely happy with his escape in the German race. "The race was not so great. The beginning was good, but we didn't get enough of a gap. We stayed away for only 70 kilometres, I think."

Timmer was realistic about the break. He never thought that they would stay away until the finish, but still seemed surprised that they weren't allowed more leeway. "It was very hard in the beginning to get just to a two-minute gap," said the 23 year-old, emphasising that the peloton never allowed them a big lead, most likely due to his companion being part of the home team, Gerolsteiner.

He confirmed to Cyclingnews that his form is good, but acknowledged that "you have to be a bit lucky, too, to get into the break."

"I did a bit of jumping in the beginning and then I got into the breakaway," he explained.

Johannes Frohlinger also had orders to be in the early breaks and Directeur Sportif Hans Michael Holczer showed his satisfaction during the race. "Johannes is doing exactly what we asked him to do. It's great!"

Timmer did end up with the mountains classification (and a giant beer mug) for his efforts, while Frohlinger took the sprints classification.

One thing he was hoping for was more companions. "Two isn't enough. You have to have at least five, six, seven guys, then it's a lot easier." At least he scored the mountains classification, which became an objective once he was in the break. "At least it's something!" the Dutchman was happy with receiving a gigantic beer mug. The duo split the hot spots, with Timmer taking the mountains and Frohlinger the sprints points.

Timmer is now taking a break from being in the breaks. His next race will be the Profronde van Fryslan, on May 14.

29/04/08

CYCLING: Road race coaching for youngsters

Tuesday, 29th April 2008

EIGHT youth riders from Spalding Cycling Club took part in five full days of road race coaching and training at Lincoln's closed road race track.

They had coaching from British Cycling regional manager Steve Crosslands, club coach Adam Ellis, professional cyclist Rob Sherman and British Talent team coach and Olympic Talent team selector Jenny Jenkins.