Sure to sire more arguments regarding the use of disc brakes in the peloton. Let’s face reality. Disc brakes are the future, and they work well, in my opinion. Caliper brakes suck. They get hot, and they fail. They get wet, and they fail. They get cold, and they fail. The cable stretches and they fail. Use them on carbon wheels and have the carbon resin heat up and see what happens. I have ridden on a bike, downhill, at over 30moh, and had the rear brakes fail. It sucks. My next road bike will have disc brakes. But there is some arguments about safety, as disc brakes, being more effective, slow folks faster, potentially causing mass stack ups in the peloton. I am sure someone will glom onto this story and say they are unsafe for this reason, though actual causation of this wound is not demonstrated. http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/ventoso-injured-by-disc-brake-at-paris-roubaix/ Francisco Ventoso’s (Movistar) Paris-Roubaix ended with the former Spanish champion being taken to hospital with a deep wound in his leg. According to a report on the Spanish website El Periodico, Ventoso’s injuries were sustained as a result of a disc brake. Related Articles Ventoso came down on the Quérénaing à Maing sector of pavé, around the 140km mark. He later posted a photo of himself following the incident on Twitter. The Movistar rider looks dazed as greeted by directeur sportif Chente García Acosta and his left leg is heavily bandaged just below the knee. “It was so deep that you could see the tibia,” García Acosta told El Periodico. The article reports that the disc brake was from the bike of a Direct Energie rider although does not name who. Direct Energie was one of a number teams trialling the disc brake system at the Classics. Lampre-Merida also began testing the system while the Pro Continental outfit Roompot have been using it since the beginning of the season. Cyclingnews contacted both Movistar and Direct Energie, both were unavailable to comment. There has been a lot of debate on the subject of disc brakes since the UCI allowed their use in the peloton and some have raised their concerns about potential hazard they possess, however this appears to the be the first incident caused by one – should it be confirmed that this is the case. Following the incident, riders Manuel Quinziato and Joaquim Rodriguez wrote on Twitter that while the braking system is good in practice they need to have some form of protection on them. Ventoso has undergone surgery to ‘apply suture and drain on his cut’ and will fly home today (Tuesday). It’s not clear when he will be able to return to racing. Movistar’s Imanol Erviti had a much better day out compared to his teammate, making it into the break and taking ninth pl
I do not understand the science behind all those mechanics so I will have to pass up even trying to reply to your interesting post. Suffice it to say that my hope is that the bikes will be made far safer. Ditto for the wheels, brakes, etc. I would also hope that elbow, hip, and knee pads can be made that will help protect the riders without adding needless weight or causing any wind resistance. Safety first!
Tejay? I don;t know. I think in some regards he lacks a killer instinct, an insatiable desire to win even at risk of his own injury or crash. Hailed as the next great American cyclist, he tends to disappoint. He has a great team surrounding him, and yet struggles in the TdF, and by struggles I mean fails to live up to the hype., he still places pretty well. I am more of a Talasnky sort of guy at this point, and for the future I think that Craddock may be better. http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/tejay-van-garderen-americas-next-tour-de-france-icon/ He is arguably the USA’s best chance of success at the Tour de France in over a decade but as he tells Cyclingnews, Tejay van Garderen doesn’t see himself as a national cycling icon. Not yet, anyway. Atop Mount Etna in early spring, van Garderen makes his final checks as he plans for the day’s training with several BMC teammates. A quick espresso and he’ll soon be out the door. It’s just another day at altitude camp for the American flyer. This year, just as in the previous four seasons, van Garderen is plotting a path to success at the Tour. Having finished fifth twice, and won the white jersey in 2012, he is part of elite group of riders capable of finishing on the Tour de France podium. It’s a realistic aim for the 27-year-old from Washington, and who knows, with the rub of the green, healthier lungs than he had in 2015, a step or two higher on the podium is possible. How important success at the Tour de France would be for cycling in the USA is hard to quantify. The nation and its fans have seen the gloss taken off their previous accomplishments. The USA’s official Tour de France record stripped back from ten to three in a blink of an eye following Lance Armstrong’s disqualification and suspension. Now a generation of new riders trying to emerge and remedy a healing sport and van Garderen is very much front and centre in that story. “You know, I read that article Jonathan Vaughters wrote for CN the other day,” van Garderen casually tells Cyclingnews before is morning training ride. “He had some interesting things to say about how the sport in the US always pointed towards an icon.” “In other countries there are more general fans of the sport and I thought that was an interesting point Jonathan said. We don’t have a Lance Armstrong or a Greg LeMond, or one of those big icons, so maybe people in the US, who grew up with those icons move onto another sport of they don’t find them nowadays.” Labeling van Garderen as a current icon of US cycling would be unfair, not to mention misleading. Related Articles Ochowicz: Having both Porte and Van Garderen is a great problem to have USA Week: Watch 25 races live streaming on Cyclingnews USA Week on Cyclingnews A beginner's guide to the 2016 USA Cycling Pro Road Tour Despite consistency in stage races he is 29th in the UCI’s WorldTour rankings. He is the USA’s highest ranked rider with Lawson Craddock the next run on the ladder in 58th spot. There’s a collective of talented US riders but there’s not one star that fans and sponsors can gravitate to. 
 “It’s a pretty big ask to make me out to be an icon. I’m not that. It would be cool if I could become that one day but I want people to be fans of the sport, not just an individual. That’s got to be what it’s about, right?” van Garderen suggests. He’s right. Short termism would dictate the need for an icon and it’s not always a path that has worked out for the best [ed. see that ten to three stat once more]. For van Garderen, the desire is to give US cycling fans something to cheer about - whether that’s at the Tour de France, this summer’s Rio Olympics or at the other races he’ll ride in the build up to July. “Of course I want to please the fans and give them something to cheer for. The thing is…” he says before pausing, “…I can only do my best and if it doesn’t happen then will the fans in the US be disappointed? I’m out there riding and training my hardest so there’s not much more than they can expect of me. That said, yeah, I’d like to give them something to cheer for. I hope I can deliver for them.” Like 7-Eleven in the eighties The US’s current position regarding talent was perhaps best demonstrated by their gusty ride in last year’s elite men’s race at the world championships in Richmond. They had numbers in every effective move bar Peter Sagan’s final attack and young riders rode out of their skins to animate the race. The US team lacked someone to truly finish off the job but each rider competed with their head held high and with their reputations enhanced. When you can’t win, at least do your team and your jersey proud. At the finish in Richmond it almost felt like a cathartic experience for the men’s US elite scene – after a period of disgrace, retributive language and then reflection, a new dawn had begun. “I was never in those other eras,” van Garderen says when talking about the years of LeMond and Armstrong.

“But if I think about it, the generation we have now, they’re probably closer to the 7-Eleven era from the 80s. I guess they had Greg back then but I look at how 7-Eleven operated with these young guys coming into the sport and who popped off a few big results and made the best of what they had. I wouldn’t compare myself to Greg or Lance but maybe Taylor Phinney is like Steve Bauer and I could be like an Andy Hampsten. I see us as the underdogs riding together, being strong friends, being excited to be here but also capable of taking on the best.” The best for such a long period was of course Armstrong. He dominated and even eclipsed the sport for many a season. His hold on the sport has been severed with his life-time ban but his presence is still felt. Only Armstrong could take attention away from the Tour de France as he did last year when he showed up for a charity ride, and only he could remain such a divisive figure – a human hand-grenade for the current US riders to chuck between each other in the press, all fearful that each comment they make could blow up in their face at any moment. Van Garderen has suffered that fate probably more than most. When he was pictured being motor-paced by Armstrong he was castigated on social media and burned as a result. Van Garderen is resolute and smart enough to know that Twitter and public popularity are not indicators as to whom one should associate, even if the outcome of a former doper offering you a pacing favour is somewhat predictable. “A lot of people would say no comment [when asked about Lance] and I might have taken some bad press but I don’t know. Even to this day I have trouble coming up with the words for it. Lance is a very intelligent guy and despite everything I still have respect for him and there’s still much you can learn from a guy like that. The fact is we both have homes in Aspen and we’re going to run into each other. I try to soak up knowledge from anywhere and that’s what I was doing. I wanted to get his advice and one of those times he motor-paced me. There’s nothing to justify, it’s just a neighbour helping a neighbour out.” “We need to move on from that era but you have to learn from the past, what was good and what was bad, because that’s how you forge forward.” This summer van Garderen will be focused on forging his own path on the roads of France. He may not yet have icon status, and perhaps never will but if he does his best and is a true role model for cycling in the USA, isn’t that better than an icon built on falsehood
Ode to the criterium Not familiar with criterium races, or crits as they are commonly called? Not surprising. They are usually run in places where streets are easily closed. A crit race is a closed circuit race for a certain amount of time, such as 30 minutes, plus a lap or two. Generally less than 2 miles, and at that short of time, you end up with folks bunched together, waiting until the final lap bell, ready to sprint to the win. Usually there are a couple of prize laps in the middle, somewhat random, to keep things interesting midway through. They are fast, they are dangerous, and most of all they are fun to watch and race. Corners are always dicey, sometimes slick, and generally where a lot of crashes happen. [video=youtube;n6UZVXot4lg]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6UZVXot4lg[/video]
Not many folks have heard of cyclocross. Certainly it is not popular int he US, though there are pockets here and there. Think of it as a cross country races, through the dirt, through mud, and on the street. They use heavier framed bikes with lower gearing and bigger tires trying to balance between traction and resistance. Popular in Belgium, the cycling crazy country. Anyway, after years of allegations of mechanical doping, small motors and batteries hidden inside of bikes giving a bit of power when needed, this young lady was caught. Sort of. A bike was found in her pit with a motor hidden inside. She claimed it belonged to a friend. Her firend claimed it as theirs. However, UCI bars motorized bikes anywhere in team pits. Additionally, at points in the same race, there appeared to be wires hanging from her bike, and review of the race indicates a couple of spots where the young lady was zipping away uphill, at one point even while not pedaling, but rather trying to get her bike to shift. So she was disciplined, and she retired rather than try to fight it. However, she is still banned from sanctioned races for 6 years. Keep in mind the punishment for actual doping is a 2 year ban. While the sport of cycling has always rife with doping. Always. Folks were poisoning themselves for 100 years before Lance Armstrong came along. Amphetamines, coke, anything that would give a boost. Now mechanical doping. Why? It is the little percentage that some folks need. In a sport where watts per kg is what is needed, an extra 15 watts of power at times is enough, just enough, to get you closer to the front. As your speed increases, your wind resistance increases, and going from 25 to 26 mph is exponentially more difficult than going from 12 to 13 mph. So you get folks doing what this young lady did. http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/van-den-driessche-handed-six-year-ban-for-mechanical-doping/ Femke Van den Driessche has been banned for six years for mechanical doping, the UCI announced Tuesday. The ban is backdated to October 11, 2015, and she must also pay a fine of 20,000 Swiss francs. "Ms. Femke Van den Driessche is found to have committed a violation of art.1.3.010 in combination with art.12.013bis (Technological fraud) of the UCI regulations," the UCI said in its press release. "This decision follows the discovery of a concealed electric motor in one of the rider’s bikes during checks at the Women Under 23 race of the UCI Cyclocross World Championships in January 2016. The bike concerned was scanned using the new magnetic resonance testing deployed this year by the UCI. This detected the motor whilst the bike was in the rider’s pit area. The motor was a Vivax which was concealed along with a battery in the seat-tube. It was controlled by a Bluetooth switch installed underneath the handlebar tape." The suspension runs from October 11, 2015, through October 10, 2021. All her results since that time shall be disqualified, "notably Under 23 European Champion title and Under 23 Belgian Champion title)". Dutch rider Maud Kaptheijns is likely to be awarded the U23 European title having finished second to Van den Driessche, and Laura Verdonschot the Belgian national title. She was ordered to return all medals and prize monies, and pay a fine of 20,000 Swiss francs, as well as the costs of the UCI proceedings
The Giro start list is out. Shockingly, unremarkable, Italian heavy, and missing many of the top names who are presumably grace t our western shores and race int eh Tour of California. The American with the best chance? I don;t know. I would say maybe Joe Dombrowski, but he is young and the Italian course, fans, and racers eat kids like him for breakfast. To date, Andy Hampsten is the only American to win the Giro. http://www.steephill.tv/giro-d-italia/#rosters
The Giro is on! After stage 3, Kittel is in the pink jersey, a remarkable showing for the young guy that has struggled with his health for so much of his career. Will it last? probably not, as he is a sprinter, but it shows him living a bit more up to his potential. Highest placed American right now is Chad Haga, whose one claim to fame in his racing career is his being hit by a car during a training ride. 1 Marcel Kittel (Ger) Etixx - Quick-Step 9:13:10 2 Tom Dumoulin (Ned) Team Giant-Alpecin 0:00:09 3 Andrey Amador (CRc) Movistar Team 0:00:15 4 Tobias Ludvigsson (Swe) Team Giant-Alpecin 0:00:17 5 Moreno Moser (Ita) Cannondale Pro Cycling 0:00:21 6 Bob Jungels (Lux) Etixx - Quick-Step 0:00:22 7 Matthias Brandle (Aut) IAM Cycling 0:00:23 8 Roger Kluge (Ger) IAM Cycling 0:00:25 9 Chad Haga (USA) Team Giant-Alpecin 10 Georg Preidler (Aut) Team Giant-Alpecin 0:00:26 11 Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Astana Pro Team 0:00:28 12 Lukasz Wisniowski (Pol) Etixx - Quick-Step 0:00:29 13 Tanel Kangert (Est) Astana Pro Team 0:00:30 14 Steven Kruijswijk (Ned) Team LottoNl-Jumbo 0:00:31 15 Giacomo Nizzolo (Ita) Trek-Segafredo 0:00:32 16 Alejandro Valverde (Spa) Movistar Team 0:00:33 17 Moreno Hofland (Ned) Team LottoNl-Jumbo 0:00:34 18 Jakob Fuglsang (Den) Astana Pro Team 0:00:37 19 Diego Ulissi (Ita) Lampre - Merida 0:00:38 20 Elia Viviani (Ita) Team Sky 0:00:39 21 Nicolas Roche (Irl) Team Sky 22 Jhoan Esteban CHAVES RUBIO 23 Stefan Kueng (Swi) BMC Racing Team 24 Leigh Howard (Aus) IAM Cycling 25 Sean De Bie (Bel) Lotto Soudal 0:00:40 26 Ilnur Zakarin (Rus) Team Katusha 0:00:41 27 Pieter Serry (Bel) Etixx - Quick-Step 28 Giovanni Visconti (Ita) Movistar Team 29 Ryder Hesjedal (Can) Trek-Segafredo 0:00:42 30 Rigoberto Uran (Col) Cannondale Pro Cycling 31 Bram Tankink (Ned) Team LottoNl-Jumbo 0:00:43 32 Arnaud Demare (Fra) FDJ 33 David De La Cruz (Spa) Etixx - Quick-Step 34 André Greipel (Ger) Lotto Soudal 35 Manuel Quinziato (Ita) BMC Racing Team 0:00:45 36 Christian Knees (Ger) Team Sky 37 Carlos Betancur (Col) Movistar Team 0:00:46 38 Aleksei Tsatevich (Rus) Team Katusha 39 Rafal Majka (Pol) Tinkoff Team 0:00:47 40 Alexander Porsev (Rus) Team Katusha 41 Rein Taaramae (Est) Team Katusha 42 Maxime Monfort (Bel) Lotto Soudal 43 Mikel Landa Meana (Spa) Team Sky 0:00:49 44 Kanstantsin Siutsou (Blr) Dimension Data 45 Stefano Pirazzi (Ita) Bardiani CSF 46 Alberto Bettiol (Ita) Cannondale Pro Cycling 0:00:50 47 Valerio Agnoli (Ita) Astana Pro Team 48 Rick Zabel (Ger) BMC Racing Team 0:00:51 49 Simon Clarke (Aus) Cannondale Pro Cycling 0:00:52 50 Marcel Wyss (Swi) IAM Cycling 51 Artur Ershov (Rus) Gazprom-Rusvelo 52 Pavel Brutt (Rus) Tinkoff Team 0:00:53 53 Michele Scarponi (Ita) Astana Pro Team 0:00:54 54 Boy Van Poppel (Ned) Trek-Segafredo 0:00:55 55 Fabio Sabatini (Ita) Etixx - Quick-Step 56 Domenico Pozzovivo (Ita) AG2R La Mondiale 0:00:56 57 Liam Bertazzo (Ita) Southeast - Venezuela 58 Valerio Conti (Ita) Lampre - Merida 59 Daniel Martínez (Col) Southeast - Venezuela 60 Davide Formolo (Ita) Cannondale Pro Cycling 0:00:59 61 Sergey Firsanov (Rus) Gazprom-Rusvelo 62 Gianluca Brambilla (Ita) Etixx - Quick-Step 63 Jose Joaquin Rojas (Spa) Movistar Team 64 Sebastian Henao (Col) Team Sky 65 Andrey Zeits (Kaz) Astana Pro Team 0:01:00 66 Enrico Battaglin (Ita) Team LottoNl-Jumbo 67 Sacha Modolo (Ita) Lampre - Merida 0:01:01 68 Matteo Montaguti (Ita) AG2R La Mondiale 0:01:02 69 Pavel Kochetkov (Rus) Team Katusha 0:01:07 70 Carlos Verona (Spa) Etixx - Quick-Step 0:01:08 71 Maxim Belkov (Rus) Team Katusha 0:01:10 72 Matej Mohoric (Slo) Lampre - Merida 73 Marco Coledan (Ita) Trek-Segafredo 74 Ivan Savitskiy (Rus) Gazprom-Rusvelo 0:01:13 75 Simone Petilli (Ita) Lampre - Merida 76 Manuele Mori (Ita) Lampre - Merida 0:01:14 77 Davide Malacarne (Ita) Astana Pro Team 0:01:15 78 Mikel Nieve (Spa) Team Sky 0:01:17 79 Kristian Sbaragli (Ita) Dimension Data 80 Paolo Simion (Ita) Bardiani CSF 0:01:18 81 Pawel Poljanski (Pol) Tinkoff Team 0:01:20 82 Matteo Busato (Ita) Southeast - Venezuela 83 Heinrich Haussler (Aus) IAM Cycling 0:01:21 84 Andrei Solomennikov (Rus) Gazprom-Rusvelo 0:01:23 85 Darwin Atapuma (Col) BMC Racing Team 86 Jos Van Emden (Ned) Team LottoNl-Jumbo 0:01:25 87 Eugenio Alafaci (Ita) Trek-Segafredo 0:01:26 88 Merhawi Kudus (Eri) Dimension Data 0:01:30 89 Alexander Kolobnev (Rus) Gazprom-Rusvelo 0:01:31 90 Mirco Maestri (Ita) Bardiani CSF 0:01:32 91 Andre Cardoso (Por) Cannondale Pro Cycling 0:01:35 92 Manuel Belletti (Ita) Southeast - Venezuela 0:01:36 93 Matteo Trentin (Ita) Etixx - Quick-Step 0:01:40 94 Caleb Ewan (Aus) Orica-GreenEdge 95 Eugert Zhupa (Alb) Southeast - Venezuela 0:01:42 96 Luka Mezgec (Slo) Orica-GreenEdge 0:01:45 97 Roberto Ferrari (Ita) Lampre - Merida 0:01:46 98 Nicola Ruffoni (Ita) Bardiani CSF 0:01:50 99 Johann Van Zyl (RSA) Dimension Data 0:01:52 100 Matteo Pelucchi (Ita) IAM Cycling 0:01:56 101 Benoît Vaugrenard (Fra) FDJ 0:01:57 102 Michael Hepburn (Aus) Orica-GreenEdge 0:02:06 103 Alexandre Geniez (Fra) FDJ 0:02:07 104 Viacheslav Kuznetsov (Rus) Team Katusha 0:02:15 105 Jay McCarthy (Aus) Tinkoff Team 0:02:26 106 Manuel Senni (Ita) BMC Racing Team 0:02:27 107 Patrick Gretsch (Ger) AG2R La Mondiale 0:02:30 108 Lawrence Warbasse (USA) IAM Cycling 0:02:33 109 Amets Txurruka (Spa) Orica-GreenEdge 0:02:37 110 Ian Boswell (USA) Team Sky 0:02:39 111 Lars Ytting Bak (Den) Lotto Soudal 0:02:47 112 Przemyslaw Niemiec (Pol) Lampre - Merida 0:02:50 113 Evgeny Petrov (Rus) Tinkoff Team 114 Egor Silin (Rus) Team Katusha 0:02:54 115 Filippo Pozzato (Ita) Southeast - Venezuela 116 Ilia Koshevoy (Blr) Lampre - Merida 0:02:58 117 Mickael Delage (Fra) FDJ 0:03:00 118 Igor Anton Hernandez (Spa) Dimension Data 0:03:01 119 Hubert Dupont (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale 0:03:04 120 Albert Timmer (Ned) Team Giant-Alpecin 0:03:11 121 Francesco Manuel Bongiorno (Ita) Bardiani CSF 0:03:13 122 Jesus Hernandez (Spa) Tinkoff Team 0:03:15 123 Guillaume Bonnafond (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale 0:03:17 124 Jelle Vanendert (Bel) Lotto Soudal 0:03:18 125 Adam Hansen (Aus) Lotto Soudal 0:03:20 126 Jaco Venter (RSA) Dimension Data 0:03:37 127 Daniel Oss (Ita) BMC Racing Team 0:03:46 128 Philip Deignan (Irl) Team Sky 0:03:49 129 Julen Amezqueta (Spa) Southeast - Venezuela 0:05:08 130 Vegard Stake Laengen (Nor) IAM Cycling 0:05:11 131 Alexander Serov (Rus) Gazprom-Rusvelo 0:05:41 132 Pim Ligthart (Ned) Lotto Soudal 0:05:49 133 Nikias Arndt (Ger) Team Giant-Alpecin 0:05:53 134 Axel Domont (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale 0:06:01 135 Gianfranco Zilioli (Ita) Nippo - Vini Fantini 0:06:11 136 Giacomo Berlato (Ita) Nippo - Vini Fantini 0:06:20 137 Damien Howson (Aus) Orica-GreenEdge 0:06:31 138 Ramunas Navardauskas (Ltu) Cannondale Pro Cycling 0:06:38 139 Tim Wellens (Bel) Lotto Soudal 0:06:40 140 Maarten Tjallingii (Ned) Team LottoNl-Jumbo 0:06:41
Goodness, has it really been since May? Did I miss out on the ToC, with Sagan's awesome destruction of others in the breakaway cruising south on 1? I suppose so. But have no fear, as tomorrow something really special happens, the Tour de France starts! The start list is out, so let's take a look. http://www.cyclingnews.com/tour-de-france/start-list/ Cannondale-Drupac is interesting. They seem to be going all in with Pierre Rolland, with a very young group of riders. According to reports, Craddock, on his first grand tour, has been given free license to do what they young rider does best, seemingly hang with the bigger and older guys, which I am guessing Vaughters is endorsing in the hopes that he will keep the team in the running. Dimension Data is putting out Cavendish with his lead out battering ram, Renshaw. Not familiar with Renshaw and his tactics? See the video below. While these two may be contenders for a lot of stage wins, they are not what one would call contenders for the overall. [video=youtube;r1JtMpBiSWQ]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1JtMpBiSWQ[/video] Etixx Qucik-Step you have Kittel and Dan Martin, one a great sprinter and one a definite contender for the overall. Could be a player, but I am not sure Martin can hang in the mountains as much as needed. BMC certainly seems into the overall, with Porte, Van Garderen, and Bookwalter all on the same squad. last year, at times Porte looked like he was stronger than whom he was supporting, but that is a lot of ego on one team. Whom is willing to take the backseat to help with the overall? Sky? Not so sure that Froome has the supporting cast. Tinkoff? Contador has done it before, then got popped for doping, and while strong, he is old for a cyclist. Movistar has Quintana, who is simply getting faster and faster up the mountains as he comes into his own at age 26, and is considered one of the favorites. He may be even end up being a better climber than Contador ever was, and is totally untainted by past scandal.
Contador went down. First stage and he has a decent case of road rash. Enough to end his race? Probably not, but I bet he will be sore tomorrow.
Cavendish wins the first stage. http://www.cyclingnews.com/tour-de-france/stage-1/results/ Dimension Data’s Mark Cavendish won the opening stage of the Tour de France and with the victory took the first yellow jersey of his career when he led the bunch into Utah Beach. Advertisement The Briton finished ahead of Marcel Kittel (Etixx-Quickstep) and Peter Sagan (Tinkoff), having come off the Slovak world champion’s wheel in the final 100 metres to secure his 27th stage win at the Tour. "I’m so happy. I really wanted to win here today," Cavendish said. "The lads were incredble. Edvald [Boasson Hagen] did the most incredible turn at the end. He rode out of skin today. I’m so happy to do this for Dimension Data today. There’s no better way to highlight the Quebeka charity.
Missed a few days here. Cavendish wins again, although Saga retains the overall for now. First time either have had the maillot jaune. I believe Cavendish is now tied with Hinault for second most stage wins, 6 behind all time leader Merckx. http://www.cyclingnews.com/tour-de-france/stage-3/results/ Mark Cavendish (Dimension Data) continued his storming start to the 2016 Tour de France with a second stage victory on stage 3, where he got the better of André Greipel (Lotto Soudal) by a hair’s breadth. It was the German who raised his arm as he crossed the line but both riders faced a nervy wait while the commissaires reviewed the photo finish, and it was the Manxman who was able to indulge in jubilant – if delayed – celebration. It marks his 28th stage win at the Tour de France, drawing him level with Bernard Hinault and one closer to the 34 of record holder Eddy Merckx. Frenchman Bryan Coquard (Direct Energie) was third on the slightly uphill drag to the line in Angers but the final 100 metres represented a two-way tussle between old foes Cavendish and Greipel – the ferocious and tense contest in stark contrast to what was largely a yawn of a 223.5km journey from Granville to Angers. It was the German who opened the sprint, his lead-out man Jurgen Roelandts having led round the right-hand bend into the final 300m, but Cavendish came roaring back. After spending a couple of seconds in the slipstream, the green jersey wearer launched his bid to come round but it was a protracted affair as Greipel found a second wind, and the overhaul was only completed at the last gasp and by the slimmest of margins. “I thought I had it but you never know,” Cavendish said. “I kind of knew I’d got it but you have to wait. “We planned this stage, and I knew I’d have to come from behind. That’s why when Mark [Renshaw] went I wanted to be behind Greipel. Last year after I didn’t win the first sprint I was nervous and maybe went too soon in the following stages and I thought that might be the same for Greipel here.” Peter Sagan was fourth in the sprint and retained his lead atop the general classification, though he did cede the top spot in the points classification to Cavendish, who’ll wear the green jersey again on stage 4 but this time as the rightful owner. “To think when I started cycling I’d my name in the same sentence as Bernard Hinault… it’s incredible. It’s a pretty special thing today," Cavendish added.
Still waiting for news stories on today's stage, but the GC after 4 stages is as follows for the top 10. 1 Peter Sagan (Svk) Tinkoff Team 20:03:02 2 Julian Alaphilippe (Fra) Etixx - Quick-Step 0:00:12 3 Alejandro Valverde (Spa) Movistar Team 0:00:14 4 Michael Matthews (Aus) Orica-BikeExchange 0:00:18 5 Simon Gerrans (Aus) Orica-BikeExchange 0:00:18 6 Lawson Craddock (USA) Cannondale-Drapac 0:00:35 7 Samuel Dumoulin (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale 0:00:59 8 Bryan Coquard (Fra) Direct Energie 0:01:15 9 Sondre Holst Enger (Nor) IAM Cycling 0:01:40 10 Mark Cavendish (GBr) Dimension Data 0:01:43 Lawson Craddock is in 6th. Not bad for the 23 year old Texan.
So why breakaways when they do not stick? Because every once in a while, one does. BMC's Van Avermaet ran a heck of a race today, coming in over 5 minutes ahead of the field, and over 2 minutes ahead of the otehr fellow in the breakaway. Though not expected to hold into the mountains, a strong showing for a guy that perpetually seems to not win. http://www.cyclingnews.com/tour-de-france/stage-5/results/ Greg Van Avermaet (BMC) soloed into Le Lioran to claim victory on stage 5 of the Tour de France and move into the yellow jersey at the end of a demanding day in the Massif Central that saw Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) surrender all hopes of final overall victory and a struggling Alberto Contador (Tinkoff) concede yet more ground to his chief rivals. Related Articles Part of the day's early break of nine riders, Van Avermaet was well worth his victory, and he dropped his final companion Thomas De Gendt (Lotto Soudal) with a spirited attack on the penultimate climb, the Col du Perthus, with 17.5 kilometres still to race. Van Avermaet crossed the line 2:34 up on his fellow countryman De Gendt and more than five minutes ahead of the group of overall contenders, meaning that he now holds an overall lead of 5:11 over second-placed Julian Alaphilippe (Etixx-QuickStep), though he is mindful that his hold on the maillot jaune will be an ephemeral one with the high mountains to come in just two days' time. "One day is enough, and then afterwards we'll see how long I can keep it," Van Avermaet said. "But the Pyrenees will be too hard for me." Indeed, the rolling roads of the Massif Central have already proved fatal to any podium aspirations that may have been held by Nibali, while the finale suggested, too, that Contador's decline in this race following his crash on stage 1 might be a terminal one. Nibali was among the many riders distanced on the stiff category 2 ascent of the Pas de Peyrol, with 35 kilometres remaining, when Nairo Quintana's Movistar team began to force the pace at the front of the peloton. The Sicilian would eventually come home 13:45 behind on the stage and more than eight minutes behind Quintana, Chris Froome (Sky) and his Astana teammate Fabio Aru. The combination of hillier terrain and higher temperatures of the Massif Central made for an abrupt change from the Tour's opening stages in the north, and the transition was a brutal one for some riders. Indeed, Nibali was far from the only man to struggle. Yellow jersey Peter Sagan (Tinkoff) and Tom Dumoulin (Giant-Alpecin) were also dropped, as Movistar's forcing reduced the group of favourites to just 25 riders by the summit. A hunched Contador, meanwhile, masked his suffering for much of the afternoon, and looked to have resisted the worst of the pressure when Sky set a rather steadier tempo on the Col du Perthus. A sharp acceleration from local rider Romain Bardet (Ag2r-La Mondiale) atop of the final ascent of the Font de Cère strung out the group just under three kilometres from the line, however, and Contador was immediately dislodged. While Quintana, Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) and Thibaut Pinot (FDJ) led the group back up to Bardet over the summit of the climb, Contador was unable to get back on terms, and he crossed the line 33 seconds down on all of his principal rivals for overall victory. The Spaniard now lies 25th overall, 6:38 behind Van Avermaet, but already 1:21 behind Froome and Quintana.
Van Avermaet stays in yellow. Sadly, Craddock is dropping back. Still, first GT for the 23 year old. As for the rest of the field, Martin, Froome, Van Garderen, and Quintana are tied. http://www.cyclingnews.com/tour-de-france/stage-7/results/ Steve Cummings gave Dimension Data its fourth stage win of this Tour de France, soloing away from the day's breakaway on stage 7 before the Col d'Aspin and then surviving the climb to take the second Tour stage of his career. Related Articles Tour de France stage 7 highlights - Video Cummings turns Olympic snub into Tour de France success "Of all my victories, I think it's the best one. The Tour is the Tour, it's special. I didn't need to win a stage this year. I had a different condition from last year as I started the Tour riding for Mark [Cavendish] who is such a winner and an inspiration. It's brilliant, it's fantastic," Cummings said. Daryl Impey (Orica-BikeExchange) out-sprinted Daniel Navarro (Cofidis) for second on the stage, while Greg Van Avermaet (BMC) kept his race lead by going into the day's breakaway and coming in three minutes behind Cummings, well ahead of the chasing peloton that was waylaid by a collapsed 1km to go banner. Cummings was part of a 29-rider breakaway that went clear after a hectic start to the 167.5km stage from L'Isle-Jourdain to Lac de Payolle, one that started flat but kicked up into the Pyrenees, tackling the category 4 Cote de Capvern and the category 1 Col d'Aspin just 7km before the finish. Also in the group was race leader Greg Van Avermaet (BMC Racing), who took the initiative to protect his team from having to work after an attack-filled opening to the stage. "It was a bit strange because they kept on attacking, and some big breaks were going off. My team was getting tired in the end, so I just wanted to take the pressure off my team and go by myself," Van Avermaet said. I think it was a smart decision to do this. They didn't have to work today and they still have the same at the end of the day. It was a pretty good day for BMC." Cummings was also a man to take the initiative, forging clear on his own just before the intermediate sprint with 25.6km to go, then steadily building up an advantage over a chasing group containing Giro d'Italia winner Vincenzo Nibali (Astana), Navarro and Impey. "I wasn't confident in that group with [Vincenzo] Nibali and [Dani] Navarro. The idea was that Navarro will cook himself before the climb, so I put pressure on Astana to chase behind. I felt if I can get in front with a smaller number of riders, I'd have more chances of winning. I cooked myself actually. I think I was riding on the flat quite a lot," Cummings said.
And Contador is out. He never fully recovered form those two rather violent crashes, and then ended up sick. http://www.latimes.com/sports/sport...tador-tour-de-france-20160710-snap-story.html Diminished by a fever and still reeling from crashes on the opening two days of the race, two-time champion Alberto Contador pulled out of the Tour de France during the toughest Pyrenean stage on Sunday. Slightly more than 100 kilometers (60 miles) from the end of Stage 9 from the Spanish town of Vielha to the ski resort of Arcalis in Andorra, the 33-year-old Spaniard stopped at the side of the road, hopped off his bike and got into the passenger seat of his team car. ADVERTISING “I could not keep going,” Contador later said at his team hotel. “This morning I had a fever. And I did not feel good since I crashed on the first day.” Contador crashed in each of the opening stages - damaging his right shoulder, elbow and hip - and had already lost time on the other overall favorites. He was in 20th position at the end of Saturday's eighth stage — 3 minutes, 12 seconds behind leader Chris Froome, who said Contador's departure from the race was a “big loss for the Tour de France.” “We are not going to have to chase his attacks 100 kilometers out anymore, it's one of the less things for us to worry about, but it's maybe a shame of the race,” Froome said. During Sunday's stage, Contador dropped back to his team car four times before finally withdrawing. He had started the stage in a bright fashion, though, attacking alongside fellow Spaniard Alejandro Valverde to catch a group of early breakaway riders on the first climb. But Contador could not continue his effort and was quickly brought back by the pack before he pulled out in the Port del Canto climb. He then handed his bike to a mechanic and waved to TV cameras as he exited the race that made him famous. The withdrawal occurred on Contador's home roads near the town of Vilamur in Spain. “It's bad news for me,” said Tinkoff team owner Oleg Tinkov, who is planning to leave the sport. “It was my last try to win the Tour de France. But who knows, maybe I'll come back in a few years.” Chris Froome holds steady despite wicked weather Chris Froome holds steady despite wicked weather Contador, who won cycling's showpiece race in 2007 and 2009, had made the Tour de France his main goal of the season, skipping the Giro to focus on the Tour. If he recovers, Contador is still expected to compete in the road race at the Rio Olympics last month. “I will undergo tests to find out what is going wrong,” Contador said. Contador was stripped of the 2010 Tour title and suspended for two years after testing positive for the banned steroid clenbuterol in the final week of the race. He was among the three pre-race favorites this year alongside defending champion Chris Froome and Colombian climber Nairo Quintan
Froome still wears yellow, although there are some serious contenders within a minute or so. After Sunday's stage, has he shown a bit of vulnerability? He attacked and was not able to shake Quintana. Quintana attacked and Froome felt the need to chase him down. Also, note BMC has two riders within 2 minutes of the lead. http://www.cyclingnews.com/tour-de-france/stage-10/results/ Michael Matthews (Orica-BikeExchange) took the first Tour de France stage win of his career Tuesday in Revel, out-kicking Peter Sagan and a small group that held on from the day's breakaway. Matthews' teammate Daryl Impey led out the six-rider sprint before Greg Van Avermaet (BMC Racing) launched from the rear of the group in the final 200 metres. Matthews quickly countered, but Sagan was unable to get on terms with the Australian speedster. Sagan finished second, with Edvald Boasson Hagen (Dimension Data) in third. "It's just sinking in actually," said an elated Matthews, 25. "I just won a stage of the Tour de France after two really bad years in this race. I was really close to giving in on this race. I just thought this race is maybe not for me and I'd focus on other races. But today my dreams came true." Matthews' best finish so far in this year's Tour was his fifth place on stage 2 in Cherbourg. By making the breakaway with two teammates, the 25-year-old, who raced his first Tour last year, seriously improved his odds for today's stage win. But he said getting into the breakaway was never part of the team's pre-race plan. "We were hoping to have a bunch sprint in the finish after the hard climb coming into the final," he said. "We have such a strong group of guys here. The way we work as a team, whoever's up on that day we give that rider 110 per cent. You could s
Sagan in a sprint with Froome? Now that is different. Great video exemplifying the difference between a climber slashrouleur and a sprinter who is getting closer to a rouleur. Interesting choice for Froome to attack on the flats. Gained a bit of time, but enough to clearly establish himself as the lead? Not sure. http://www.cyclingnews.com/tour-de-france/stage-11/results/ Peter Sagan (Tinkoff) won his second stage of the 2016 Tour de France Wednesday in Montpellier from a four-rider group that also included race leader Chris Froome (Team Sky), who increased his lead over his general classification rivals by joining the cheeky move that went away with 12km to go. Froome finished second on the day, followed by Sagan’s teammate Maciej Bodnar. Alexander Kristoff (Katusha) led the field in six seconds later.
Crazy day in the TdF. Apparently one of the camera motorcycles stopped short,either a mechanical or spectators. Porte crashed into the back of it, followed by Froome crashing into Porte, and apparently another motorcycle ran over Froome's bike. So what does he do? Starts running up Ventoux. While running he radios back for another bike. The judges grant him the 3km time even though that rule does not necessarily apply to climbing stages. http://www.cyclingnews.com/tour-de-france/stage-12/results/ In a scene never before witnessed in the Tour de France, the race leader Chris Froome (Team Sky) was forced to leave his broken Pinarello behind and run up the Mont Ventoux in a tumultuous finale to a shortened stage. Although Froome finished more than a minute behind his rivals for the overall in the Tour de France, the race officials later reversed the time gaps due to the crowd-induced chaos, keeping the Team Sky rider in the maillot jaune. It was an unprecedented level of mayhem, even for the Tour de France. It began with 125kph winds moving the finish from the moonscape of the summit down the mountain 7km to Chalet Reynard, and ended with roadsides heaving with frenzied fans, all pushing into the road to get a glimpse of the riders. Froome, Richie Porte (BMC), and Bauke Mollema (Trek-Segafredo) were clear of the other contenders when they were swarmed by the crowds outside of the barriers of the final kilometre. A camera motorbike was halted by the crowd, getting a closer-up shot than intended as Porte crashed into it. While Mollema made it around, Froome's bike was broken in the mayhem, and he had to run up the climb until neutral support could give him a bike. But the machine did not fit, and by the time Froome finally got one of his own bikes with 500m to go and rode across the line, he was 1:14 behind the Quintana group and 1:40 behind Mollema. The judges awarded Porte and Mollema with the same time as Froome, 5:05 behind De Gendt, and 19 seconds ahead of the Quintana group containing all of the top 10 except Dan Martin (Etixx-Quickstep) and Sergio Henao (Sky). Had the race jury not reversed the gaps, Adam Yates would have claimed the maillot jaune, with Mollema at 9 seconds and Quintana at 14 and Froome in sixth overall at 53 seconds. Now, Froome leads Yates by 47 seconds, having been awarded the time gaps that held at the time of the incident. "What a final. In the final kilometre, the moto braked suddenly in front of us, and Richie, Bauke and I crashed into it, and then the moto behind me ran over my bike and broke it," Froome said. "I said to myself 'I have no bike'. And I knew the car with my bike was 5 minutes behind on the road, so I need to run.
ITT! And guess who came in second? Froome, extending his lead a bit. However, the race still has something like 8 more stages, so anything goes, and Quintana is still holding close. http://www.cyclingnews.com/tour-de-france/stage-13/results/ With the previous day’s attack on the Bastille Day celebrations in Nice, which reportedly killed at least 84 people, it was a sombre day at stage 13 of the Tour de France. Tom Dumoulin (Giant-Alpecin) won the 37km time trial from Bourg-Saint-Andéol to Pont-d'Arc. He covered the lumpy course in 50:15, beating Chris Froome (Team Sky) by 1:03 and Nelson Oliveira (Movistar) by 1:31. Related Articles Tour de France stage 13 highlights - Video It was Dumoulin’s second stage victory at the Tour de France, after attacking his breakaway companions in the finale of stage 9 to Andorra, but he spoke about the day being both saddened by the incident in Nice and the tough decision the event and riders had in starting the stage. "It was a just question whether we should race or not today,” Dumoulin said. “In the end, it was a just decision to race because we can't let terrorists rule our lives in our society. It's terrible what happened and overshadows the day a lot. So you're speaking to a man with two sides to his face today. Of course I'm happy with the win, but at the same time my thoughts are with everyone involved in the horrific attacks in Nice." Froome proved to be the strongest of the overall contenders and built his lead out to 1:47 over Bauke Mollema (Trek-Segafredo) and 2:45 over Adam Yates (Orica-BikeExchange), who both put forth strong time trial performances. Event officials changed the traditional podium presentation following the time trial in honour of the tragic attack in Nice. All jersey holders walked on stage together to display the jerseys and show their solidarity. There were no sponsors presented or podium music, only a moment of silence. “I think it was good that we stand together,” Froome said. "Things have been put into perspective here for us. Of course, I’m happy with how the time trial went, but really the atmosphere here is sad and everyone’s hearts are with those affected down in Nice. It’s a special place for me also, close to my home base, and I can’t image what those people are going through down there.”
Missed a few days, but yesterday was yet another ITT. Tough one too. Uphill for most of the way. Some folks used TT bikes, some road bikes, some road bikes with clip on bars. the final portion was some pretty tough chicanes making sprinting difficult. And Froome appears to have this one sewn up, making it his third in 4 years. The battle for the podium continues though, with Porte trying to fight his way onto it after a pretty impressive TT yesterday. http://www.cyclingnews.com/tour-de-france/stage-18/results/ Chris Froome (Team Sky) stormed to victory at the Tour de France during the 17km mountain time trial from Sallanches to Megève. He finished the course in a blistering 30:43, beating Tom Dumoulin (Giant-Alpecin) by 21 seconds and Fabio Aru (Astana) by 33 seconds. Related Articles Tour de France: Stage 18 finish line quotes Aru on the up as Tour de France reaches its climax in the Alps Tour de France: Stage 18 highlights - Video Froome edges closer to Tour de France title with time trial victory Tour de France: Mollema maintains second overall after time trial Dan Martin: I've never felt this good this late at the Tour de France "I didn't expect to beat Tom today," Froome said. "I think that pacing was key today. I started off steady and really controlled that first part and then just gave it everything I had over the top and through the last part. I'm really happy with that [performance]." Froome's winning time trial pushed him even further into the lead of the overall classification, now positioned 3:52 ahead of Bauke Mollema (Trek-Segafredo) and 4:17 ahead of Adam Yates (Orica-BikeExchange). The second time trial at the Tour de France was a much calmer affair compared to the stage 13 jaunt from La Caverne du Pont-d'Arc. There were no broken bones, crashes or riders being lifted off the tarmac by strong gusts of winds and blown into the rocky roadsides – this time around, it was just man versus mountain. Stage 18 was all the talk among the overall contenders after the previous day's summit at Finhaut-Emosson, the first day in the Alps, and as the next place for riders to gain or lose time in the overall. It was also highly anticipated as the first mountain time trial at the Tour since l'Alpe d'Huez was used in 2004, and even though Froome picked up more time on his rivals in Finhaut, he was looking to increase his lead on the climb to Megeve. The first four kilometres were a forgivingly flat section of the course, but the route soon kicked up the Côte de Domancy and then on to the Côte de Chozeau. The riders then descended into Megeve. The crowds roared when it was time for the last block of riders to start, the best of the best in the overall classification at the Tour de France. And with Dumoulin's benchmark time of 31:04, all eyes were on the GC riders to see if they could out-do the Dutch time trial specialist. Richie Porte (BMC) who chose to use a road bike instead of a time trial machine, was the first to create a 'wow' moment when he clocked 11:33 at the top of the Cote de Domancy, the first time check, nine seconds faster than Dumoulin. But his speed dropped after that, to nine seconds slower than the Dutchman at the second time check. Following the descent, the Australian flew through the finish line with 31:16. In the end, it stood out as a strong performance, good enough to finish fourth on the day and to remain in sixth place overall. Fabio Aru (Astana) also set a quick time to the fir
I'm watching today's stage. Sad to say, I do not have the same enthusiasm for TDF as I did in the past. This due to all the trouble caused by Texas's Lance Armstrong. He has brought such great shame upon it that everyone should be embarrassed to say he is from Texas and the USA.
Understandable. I think the Armstrong era was filled with folks who were fighting left and right to beat him, though all doped to the gills. In 2003 Armstrong beat Ulrich by 61 seconds over a three week race. That was incredible, though in retrospect two guys whose biggest advantage was being better at doping than others. You have Armstrong's battle up Ventoux with Pantani. Today's racing seems a bit milquetoast in comparison.
Froome's 4+ minute lead appears to be insurmountable. And yes, today's TDF races don't appear to be as exciting as they were in the past. As I've said before, the Tour needs reform such as a shorter course and fewer days in the competition.
The sport is ruined for me and has been so for many years. I mean.... Just look at this list of winners the past 50 years and how few didn't admit to doping or failed a test. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doping_at_the_Tour_de_France The sport has also lacked competition the past decades. You had Indurain and Armstrong who made the Tour boring. And Froome is doing the same. I have serious doubts about Froome being clean as well. His performances and distance to his rivals indicate that he is just another doper.
And it is over. It appears Froome can win without Porte. Quintana claims to have some mysterious illness. Van Garderen again disappoints American fans. In short, not so exciting this year. http://www.cyclingnews.com/tour-de-france/stage-21/results/ Chris Froome cruised to the overall victory in the Tour de France for the third time in his career, enjoying a sunny and uneventful final stage to Paris with his Sky teammates. After dominating from the first mountain stage to Luchon through the final showdown to Morzine, the Briton finished the race with more than four minutes ahead of second placed Romain Bardet (AG2R La Mondiale) and Nairo Quintana (Movistar). said from the podium. "I wouldn’t be standing here if it wasn’t for your commitment. A massive thank you to Dave Brailsford and my coach Tim Kerrison. This is one special team and I’m so proud to be part of it. To Michelle my wife and my son Kellen, your love and support make everything possible. Kellan I dedicate this victory to you." "This Tour has taken place against the backdrop of the terrible events in Nice and we pay our respects once again to those who lost their lives. Of course these events put sport into perspective but they also show why the values of sport are so important to free society. We all love the Tour de France because it’s unpredictable but we love the Tour more for what stays the same – the passion of the fans for every nation, the beauty of the French countryside and the bonds of friendship created through sport. These things will never change."
