I have a spin bike in my living room I have been working out on for the last couple of months. Brutal.
10 minutes turning less than 200 watts. Keep in mind mine is a fixed gear, meaning it does not coast. Imagine it this way. I imagine weighing 190 pounds and getting on a road bike and riding it at 23-24 miles an hour for 10 minutes straight without hesitating or coasting. It is tough. You can turn the resistance down. But it is still tough.
Good luck. It is only as brutal as you make it, although even spinning without resistance will wear you out. High cadence is not necessarily natural feeling, but it gets you ripped quick.
Sagan takes another. He is certainly looking noticeably more thin than he was last year, when he appeared nearly obese by cycling standards. Not a fan, I think he is a bit of a clown and definitely lives to be on camera. Contador is also making his first major appearance after his suspension is over. Considering the current climate over doping, it will be interesting to see what he gets invited to this year. http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/tour-of-oman-2013/stage-3/results Peter Sagan (Cannondale) unleashed a ferocious sprint to take stage three of the Tour of Oman and strengthen his grip on the red jersey of overall leader. In the uphill finish at Wadi Dayqah Dam, Sagan ripped away from the reduced leading group to win ahead of Greg Van Avermaet (BMC) and Tony Gallopin (RadioShack Leopard). Sagan won in the same place in last year’s Tour of Oman, and he availed of his local knowledge to time his effort to perfection and win by a considerable margin. Alberto Contador (Saxo-Tinkoff) was vigilant in the finale to finish a solid fourth, but Bradley Wiggins (Sky) was among those dropped on the fast, rolling run-in to the finish. Overall, Sagan holds a lead of 16 seconds over Gallopin, with Van Avermaet a further 10 seconds back in third. However, Contador and Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) lurk with intent just over half a minute back ahead of Thursday’s potentially decisive summit finish at Green Mountain.
Froome takes the fifth stage in the Tour of Oman. Froome is not a household name, quite yet. However, last year during the Tour, he was a team mate of Wiggo, and did manage to drop Wiggins a couple of times accidentally when he was supposed to be supporting him. An impressive young kid built along the lines of Riis, very tall and very thin. In my opinion, Froome is one of cycling's young guns along with folks like Ben King and Van Garderen. I think he will be a player in the future. http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/tour-of-oman-2013/stage-5/results Chris Froome (Team Sky) set up overall victory at the Tour of Oman after beating Alberto Contador (Team Saxo-Tinkoff) and Joaquim Rodriguez (Katusha) to win stage five. The Kenyan-born Briton was in no mood to give away the stage victory after Contador had launched several attacks on the late climbs of the stage. Froome led out the sprint into a headwind and had the speed and power to hold off Contador who was coming from behind. Rodriguez was third a few bike lengths behind. A chase group containing Cadel Evans (BMC Racing Team) and five other riders finished four seconds back. However Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) had a bad day, finishing 34 seconds down, while Tour de France winner Bradley Wiggins (Team Sky) worked for Froome during the stage and finished 8:07 behind. Froome now leads Contador by 27 seconds, with Evans third at 39 seconds. With just Saturday's final stage to the Muscat Corniche left to race, Froome looks set to win his first ever stage race as a professional and confirm his credentials as Team Sky's leader for the Tour de France. It is still the start of the season and Froome's rivalry with Contador will surely produce lots more scintillating racing before July. Froome showed his Tour de France ability in 2012 but his performance in Oman and his beating of Contador, Evans and Nibali, has confirmed him as one of the favourites to win the yellow jersey in July. "My goal today was just to make sure there wasn't any time lost to him (Contador) and just go straight into defence mode if he did attack, and then try and just keep them at bay," Froome explained as he rode the rollers to help his recovery. "The climb was extremely hard. Going over it three times, from different sides each time. The last time up we were just in ones and twos, it was a lot more brutal than it looked on paper. I had in my mind that I'd always be with teammates and be able to control everything. To have it all blown to pieces on the second time up the climb, did make feel a bit exposed." Froome stopped to hug teammate Ritchie Porte after the stage. The Australian again played a vital role in helping Froome win and is rapidly becoming his closest lieutenant at Team Sky. "On the second last climb Saxo Bank lit it up and took a lot of people by surprise. The bunch got blown to pieces," Froome explained. "I was fortunate to have Ritchie Porte with me in the front group, who helped me control things up there, and set a really good tempo on the climb. We took it up from the beginning." "Over the last climb Contador attacked. Rodriguez and I were just behind and managed to close the gap over the top. Coming down to the bottom we knew we only had a small advantage and just rolled through together. The last two kilometres were quite tactical, with lots of attacking between us.” No gifts Froome had thoughts about letting Contador or Rodriguez win the stage. There was not time for gifts in the heat of the battle. "There were bonus seconds at the finish and Contador is so close to me, so I think it's understandable that it was race on there," Froome said. "I could see the sprint was a bit of head/cross wind. I was on the front and thought I'd just start the sprint and try and finish it off. It surprised them just how much of a headwind there was and with it curving to the right, it meant they had to go the long way round." Froome is now set to win his first professional stage race on Saturday. His last victory was stage seven of the 2012 Tour de France to La Planche des Belles Filles. His second place overall at the Tour de France behind Wiggins has projected Froome into the role of team leader for this year's race. It is a huge responsibility but he seems to getting used to it and victory proves he can handle this first incremental increase in pressure and expectation, even in February, when perhaps he is still not at his best. "I've never been in this position now and it's a great feeling going forward," Froome said. "The team is doing really well. The training camps in Mallorca were a big success again for us this year and everyone has been really professional and serious during the winter, and I think it's starting to show. Cycling is changing. Guys are going a lot faster earlier in the season but I don't think any of us are at our best yet." Saturday's final stage is over 144km. It starts on the coast south of Muscat, in the Hawit Nagam Park and then rolls through the hills before the three laps of the spectacular Muscat Corniche. http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/tour-of-oman-2013/stage-5/results
Froome takes the overall, sharing the podium with two former TDF winners. Impressive feat, and he was paid back by Wiggo for his help at last year's TDF. http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/tour-of-oman-2013/stage-6/results Chris Froome secured overall victory at the Tour of Oman - his first ever professional stage race win - after a final show of strength by Team Sky, who guided him to victory during the final 144km stage on the Muscat Corniche. French national champion Nacer Bouhanni (FDJ) had been close to victory several times in Qatar and Oman and produced a perfect sprint to end his trip to the Middle East with a win. Bouhanni beat Matt Goss (Orica-GreenEdge) by a bike length, with Taylor Phinney (BMC Racing Team) third and a pack of other sprinters just behind them. Tom Boonen (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) was seventh despite a late puncture. Froome finished safely in 31st place, with key teammate Ritchie Porte at his side as he had been throughout the six-day race. Bradley Wiggins finished off the back after sitting up following a huge turn on the front in the final kilometres. Froome finished 27 seconds ahead of Contador in the final general classification, with Cadel Evans (BMC Racing Team) third at 39 seconds. Froome was framed by two former Tour de France winner's on the podium photographs, something that did not go unnoticed by the 2013 Tour de France contender. "That was quite a special feeling. It hasn’t quite sunk in yet that this is my first ever stage race win," Froome told journalists after the podium ceremony. "Any victory over the riders that are here - Contador, Evans or Nibali - is a huge victory. I'm really happy with this. It's a comfortable way to start things. I know I've got new responsibilities and a new role in the team. This is an excellent way to start the season. "To be honest I wasn’t expecting to come out on top. I was hoping for the top five somewhere. To be in this position gives me a lot of confidence and builds the team around me, it gives them confidence in my ability." Team Sky worked to protect Froome during the final stage, especially on the high-speed circuits on the Corniche. "I literally had an armchair ride to the finish during the last stage," said Froome. "With the finishing circuit having a little bit of a climb on it, I was worried about something going wrong with the bike or a crash in front of me. The main thing was to stay at the front and out of trouble. The team took it up on the final circuits and lifted the pace, giving me a smooth ride in. Brad did some massive pulls and everyone did their part. It was fantastic. "It's been a useful exercise to learn and take experiences away from the race. I've been able to test myself against the world's best and have the team working for me. It could have gone better." Allez Bouhanni, allez Elissonde French cycling was also celebrating after the Tour of Oman thanks to Nacer Bouhanni winning the final stage on the Muscat Corniche and his young team Kenny Elissonde taking the best young rider's jersey after a breakout performance on the climb to the finish on Green Mountain. Elissonde is a pure sprinter we could hear much more about in the Giro d'Italia, if not seven sooner, while Bouhanni has confirmed he is a deserved national French champion. The final stage was a fairly quiet affair until the riders hit the Corniche for the two and a half laps of a 7.5km finishing circuits. Gatis Smukulis (Katusha), Wesley Kreder (Vacansoleil-DCM) and Andrea Di Corrado (Bardiani Valvole-CSF Inox) formed the long breakaway of the day but were caught as the peloton passed through the finish area. Marcel Kittel (Argos-Shimano) pulled out of the race with stomach problems after being dropped on the short climb, while Boonen was chasing in the cars after a late puncture. Suddenly the sprint was wide open and uncontrolled. Bouhanni made sure he did not miss a great chance to show his red, white and blue national champion's jersey and charged down the middle of the road to victory. "I finished in the top ten nine times during twelve days of racing but I really wanted to win a stage," Bouhanni said. "We were here to sort things out with the team and work on our lead outs. I did everything to ensure that the teammates trust me to deliver. We made mistakes in four or five sprints, but to finally take one home, it's great teamwork. We were also third in the team classification and everybody has played their part in the success." Bouhanni's next goal is a stage victory at Paris-Nice, where he hopes to win on home soil while wearing the red, white and blue French national champion's jersey. - - - Updated - - - Froome takes the overall, sharing the podium with two former TDF winners. Impressive feat, and he was paid back by Wiggo for his help at last year's TDF. http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/tour-of-oman-2013/stage-6/results Chris Froome secured overall victory at the Tour of Oman - his first ever professional stage race win - after a final show of strength by Team Sky, who guided him to victory during the final 144km stage on the Muscat Corniche. French national champion Nacer Bouhanni (FDJ) had been close to victory several times in Qatar and Oman and produced a perfect sprint to end his trip to the Middle East with a win. Bouhanni beat Matt Goss (Orica-GreenEdge) by a bike length, with Taylor Phinney (BMC Racing Team) third and a pack of other sprinters just behind them. Tom Boonen (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) was seventh despite a late puncture. Froome finished safely in 31st place, with key teammate Ritchie Porte at his side as he had been throughout the six-day race. Bradley Wiggins finished off the back after sitting up following a huge turn on the front in the final kilometres. Froome finished 27 seconds ahead of Contador in the final general classification, with Cadel Evans (BMC Racing Team) third at 39 seconds. Froome was framed by two former Tour de France winner's on the podium photographs, something that did not go unnoticed by the 2013 Tour de France contender. "That was quite a special feeling. It hasnt quite sunk in yet that this is my first ever stage race win," Froome told journalists after the podium ceremony. "Any victory over the riders that are here - Contador, Evans or Nibali - is a huge victory. I'm really happy with this. It's a comfortable way to start things. I know I've got new responsibilities and a new role in the team. This is an excellent way to start the season. "To be honest I wasnt expecting to come out on top. I was hoping for the top five somewhere. To be in this position gives me a lot of confidence and builds the team around me, it gives them confidence in my ability." Team Sky worked to protect Froome during the final stage, especially on the high-speed circuits on the Corniche. "I literally had an armchair ride to the finish during the last stage," said Froome. "With the finishing circuit having a little bit of a climb on it, I was worried about something going wrong with the bike or a crash in front of me. The main thing was to stay at the front and out of trouble. The team took it up on the final circuits and lifted the pace, giving me a smooth ride in. Brad did some massive pulls and everyone did their part. It was fantastic. "It's been a useful exercise to learn and take experiences away from the race. I've been able to test myself against the world's best and have the team working for me. It could have gone better." Allez Bouhanni, allez Elissonde French cycling was also celebrating after the Tour of Oman thanks to Nacer Bouhanni winning the final stage on the Muscat Corniche and his young team Kenny Elissonde taking the best young rider's jersey after a breakout performance on the climb to the finish on Green Mountain. Elissonde is a pure sprinter we could hear much more about in the Giro d'Italia, if not seven sooner, while Bouhanni has confirmed he is a deserved national French champion. The final stage was a fairly quiet affair until the riders hit the Corniche for the two and a half laps of a 7.5km finishing circuits. Gatis Smukulis (Katusha), Wesley Kreder (Vacansoleil-DCM) and Andrea Di Corrado (Bardiani Valvole-CSF Inox) formed the long breakaway of the day but were caught as the peloton passed through the finish area. Marcel Kittel (Argos-Shimano) pulled out of the race with stomach problems after being dropped on the short climb, while Boonen was chasing in the cars after a late puncture. Suddenly the sprint was wide open and uncontrolled. Bouhanni made sure he did not miss a great chance to show his red, white and blue national champion's jersey and charged down the middle of the road to victory. "I finished in the top ten nine times during twelve days of racing but I really wanted to win a stage," Bouhanni said. "We were here to sort things out with the team and work on our lead outs. I did everything to ensure that the teammates trust me to deliver. We made mistakes in four or five sprints, but to finally take one home, it's great teamwork. We were also third in the team classification and everybody has played their part in the success." Bouhanni's next goal is a stage victory at Paris-Nice, where he hopes to win on home soil while wearing the red, white and blue French national champion's jersey.
Good bye Lance. Cheaters never win and winners never cheat. Today was the deadline for Lance to come clean under oath with USADA, which he refused to do. Thereby, his ban for life from participating in sanctioned triathlon events is upheld. So he kind of half ass came clean, but not really, and is probably going to lose much of his fortune, all of the respect anyone had for him, his racing titles, and all of those endorsements. I say good riddance to bad rubbish. http://www.cnn.com/2013/02/20/us/armstrong-investigation/index.html Cyclist Lance Armstrong will not cooperate with the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency's investigation of performance-enhancing drug use in the sport, an Armstrong attorney said Wednesday. USADA had given Armstrong -- who publicly admitted such drug use last month -- until Wednesday to decide whether he would cooperate under oath with investigators as part of a possible path to altering his USADA-imposed lifetime competition ban. "Lance will not participate in USADA's efforts to selectively conduct American prosecutions that only demonize selected individuals while failing to address the 95% of the sport over which USADA has no jurisdiction," Armstrong attorney Tim Herman said in a written statement Wednesday. USADA CEO Travis Tygart issued a statement Wednesday saying that "over the last few weeks (Armstrong) has led us to believe that he wanted to come in and assist USADA, but was worried of potential criminal and civil liability if he did so." "Today we learned from the media that Mr. Armstrong is choosing not to come in and be truthful and that he will not take the opportunity to work toward righting his wrongs in sport," Tygart said. "At this time we are moving forward with our investigation without him and we will continue to work closely with (the World Anti-Doping Agency) and other appropriate and responsible international authorities to fulfill our promise to clean athletes to protect their right to compete on a drug-free playing field." Armstrong was stripped of his seven Tour de France titles by international cycling's governing body in October after a damning report by USADA accused him and his team of the "most sophisticated, professionalized and successful doping program" in cycling history. He first admitted using performance-enhancing drugs and blood doping during a January television interview with Oprah Winfrey. The USADA banned Armstrong, 41, for life but said the ban could be reduced to eight years if he cooperated under oath with investigators. Armstrong's competitive cycling career is long over, but he moved on to triathlons and won several of them in 2012. The agency initially gave Armstrong a February 6 deadline before extending it by two weeks.
Just found this. I enjoy watching cycling, but let's face reality. It is not exactly all over the TV. In fact, it is pretty hard to find. Versus used to have some coverage, but they became NBSports and they have been a bit wonky for a few months. Anyway, I just came across their schedule for cycling for the coming year! Very exciting, at least in my book. It looks like the Tour of Flanders, the Giro, and the Vuelta are all sadly lacking in coverage. http://www.nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/50797969/ns/sports-cycling/ http://www.nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/50797969/ns/sports-cycling/
The Paris Nice prologue was today. The entire thing was 2.9k. Not sure what the organizers were thinking, but it appears the flat course with a myriad of turns was designed to not display who was fastest, but who was the most lucky in negotiating the course. For starters, it was short, really short, and the riders could use their TT bikes or their road bikes, with most opting for the TT in order to try and save a second or two, with predictable results. A lot of slide outs in the corners and dodgy handling. My favorite for the race, BMC's Van Garderen, looked off the entire race, all 3.6 minutes of it. http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/gaudin-wins-game-of-inches-to-spring-surprise-at-paris-nice Do you like this? Damien Gaudin (Europcar) in the lead after the Paris-Nice prologue Damien Gaudin (Europcar) in the lead after the Paris-Nice prologue Damien Gaudin (Europcar) in the lead after the Paris-Nice prologue Damien Gaudin (Europcar) speeds through the prologue Damien Gaudin (Europcar) Damien Gaudin (Europcar) enjoys his time on the Paris-Nice podium view thumbnail gallery Frenchman takes first professional victory The margin of victory was tight and the scope for error was non-existent, but Damien Gaudin (Europcar) emerged triumphant from the game of inches in Houilles to claim a surprise win in the prologue of Paris-Nice on Sunday. After more than five years of trying, it all came down to a fraction of a second for the Frenchman, who held his nerve to take his first professional win, edging out Sylvain Chavanel (Omega Pharma-QuickStep) and Lieuwe Westra (Vacansoleil-DCM). “Today was the first time I ever took so many risks in a race and I think I needed to,” Gaudin said afterwards. “Chavanel was only a few hundredths of a second behind, I think, so if I’d braked any more I wouldn’t won. It still hasn’t sunk in, it’s just a lovely surprise.” The consensus beforehand was that the technical 2.9 kilometre time trial might throw up a surprise winner; a sprinter perhaps, someone who might thrive on the repeated explosive accelerations required by the course’s 13 corners. The name Damien Gaudin was certainly not on anyone’s lips before the start, but his pedigree over a similar distance on the track – he is the reigning French pursuit champion – meant that he harboured quiet ambitions of his own. “I’m used to racing the pursuit and doing a lot of track, so it’s a similar effort in a lot of ways: a violent effort,” said Gaudin, who has also won a slew of national titles in the team pursuit and Madison over the years for good measure. On the road, however, Gaudin’s results have been rather more modest, with a second place finish in the prologue of the 2011 Tour of Luxembourg behind Fabian Cancellara perhaps the stand-out performance before now. Gaudin boasts a similar physique to Cancellara – “a rider who makes me dream, a specialist,” he said – and that result was an important boost to his morale. “I did everything I could to prepare for today, but I still needed to take some risks too,” Gaudin said. “I had good sensations and I felt good going around, but in a race that only lasts three and a half minutes it’s still hard to tell just how well it’s going.” Such was the competition for places in Europcar’s Paris-Nice line-up that Gaudin was unsure of his own berth until shortly before the start, and that he wanted to repay manager Jean-René Bernaudeau’s faith by delivering a solid performance in the prologue. “We had twelve riders who were up for going but only eight places. Thankfully Jean-René picked me, and I decided to focus everything on the prologue.” With his robust build and qualities as a rouleur, it is hardly surprising that Gaudin eschews the grand tours – he was lanterne rouge in the 2009 Vuelta a España – in favour of the cobbled classics. Indeed, Gaudin secured his professional contract by winning the espoirs Paris-Roubaix in 2007. After watching his close friend and sometime Madison partner Sebastien Turgot finish third in last year’s elite Paris-Roubaix, Gaudin has dreams of springing a similar surprise on the famous old velodrome this April. “I’m a specialist for the cobbled classics and now my focus is on Paris-Roubaix,” he said. “I’ve shown what I’m capable of now and I hope that this result is the déclic for me."
Wow. 193 kilometers. That is a serious workout. The first stage of Paris Nice was ran today, and it would appear the French cyclists are making it a banner year after a decade of relative irrelevance. http://www.cyclingnews.com/paris-nice/stage-1/results Nacer Bouhanni (FDJ) took victory on stage one of Paris-Nice after edging out Alessandro Petacchi (Lampre-Merida) and a rapidly-closing Elia Viviani (Cannondale) in a breathless sprint finish in Nemours. It was Bouhanni’s second victory of the season and the resultant ten-second time bonus was enough to see him leapfrog ahead of Damien Gaudin (Europcar) and into the yellow jersey of race leader. A boxer in his youth, Bouhanni’s still follows a fighter’s regimen as part of his winter training, and the instincts born of his background in the sweet science served him well in Nemours, where he went toe to toe with a heavyweight slugger in Petacchi. First, Bouhanni showed nimbleness of mind and foot to latch onto Sylvain Chavanel’s rear wheel when the Omega Pharma-QuickStep man jumped with 300 metres to go, and then he had the punch to outstrip Petacchi when the two came shoulder to shoulder in the middle of the road inside the final 200 metres. “It was great to get the win today and to take the yellow jersey as well,” Bouhanni said afterwards. “The team was super today.” While Bouhanni came away pleased with his afternoon’s work, a number of other sprinters were left nursing myriad regrets about how they were left sprawling on the canvass. Viviani showed considerable invention to untangle himself after getting boxed in as the sprint began, but the prodigious ground he made up on Bouhanni and Petacchi en route to his third-place finish will also be source of frustration. Mark Renshaw (Blanco) showed his form by winning the Clasica Almeria last week, and though he found himself well-positioned as the bell sounded for the sprint here, he could only manage 6th. The Australian was perhaps a victim of his own etiquette: as Petacchi and Bouhanni drifted towards one another in the finale, Renshaw hesitated rather than claim the gap between them as his own, and the door shut on his prospects of victory. The greatest regrets will be those of pre-stage favourite Marcel Kittel (Argos-Shimano), however, who didn’t even get the chance to sprint. After a relatively sedate day of racing – thanks largely to the still conditions – a sharp rise in pace with 20 kilometres to go forced a split in the peloton, and saw a sizeable group that included Kittel and Tom Boonen (Omega Pharma-QuickStep) removed from contention. The German attempted to chase back on, but was forced to relent when the gap stretched out beyond 40 seconds. Split The sunny, still conditions that greeted the peloton in Saint-German-en-Laye on Monday morning ensured that there would be no repeat of the windswept drama of last year’s opening road stage, when the race for overall victory was reduced to just a handful of riders. Once the flag dropped, a three-man break featuring Romain Sicard (Euskaltel-Euskadi), Bertjan Lindeman (Vacansoleil-DCM) and Yannick Talabardon (Sojasun) was given its bon de sortie for the day, with the Europcar squad of yellow jersey Damien Gaudin content to maintain a steady pace on the front of the peloton. The leading trio’s chugged away to a maximum lead of seven minutes underneath the watery spring sunshine, while behind, the combination of narrow roads and a bunched peloton saw a spate of crashes inside the final 50 kilometres: Rui Costa (Movistar) was forced to abandon with a wrist injury, while Alexander Kristoff (Katusha) and Kevin Seeldraeyers (Astana) were also among the fallers, and Viviani was caught up in another crash. As the finish drew closer, BMC – and world champion Philippe Gilbert in particular – came to the front of the peloton to add impetus to Europcar’s pursuit of the break, who were eventually caught with 22 kilometres to go. Gilbert’s cameo was an encouraging sign for the Belgian with the classics on the horizon, but it was a less promising afternoon for his fellow countryman Tom Boonen, who was uncharacteristically caught out when the peloton split shortly after the break was swept up. Boonen’s Omega Pharma-QuickStep teammate Sylvain Chavanel was in the leading group, however, and the Frenchman appeared to be turning the pedals with disarming facility in the closing kilometres. Indeed, such was Chavanel’s confidence that he even attempted to surprise the sprinters in the finishing straight. While that bid fell short, Chavanel remains just one second off the yellow jersey, albeit now in third place following Bouhanni’s fine win.
And Kittel wins yesterday's stage. Looks like a major accident took out some of the top riders, but at this point, it is still anyone's race. As we hit the mountains later this week it should start to thin out a bit. http://www.cyclingnews.com/paris-nice/stage-2/results Marcel Kittel (Team Argos-Shimano) made up for his absence from the previous day's finale by winning the sprint of the second stage at Paris-Nice by a clear margin. Elia Viviani of Cannondale was second followed by Leigh Howard of Orica-GreenEdge in third. The second place result was enough to secure the overall lead for Viviani. He took over the yellow jersey from FDJ's Nacer Bouhanni, who crashed out of the stage, but was said not to be seriously injured. Viviani now leads by seven seconds over Sylvain Chavanel (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) and eight seconds on prologue winner Damien Gaudin (Team Europcar). "The final was really hard," Kittel said. He said the plan was to come up to the front as late as possible, but he found himself up there earlier than planned. "I found my way through and powered on to the finish line." The German sprinter for the Dutch team had looked to win the mass sprint in yesterday's first stage, but missed a decisive split in the peloton after an untimely puncture and found himself in the second group. The 24-year-old sprinter was determined to make amends in today's finale. "I was really frustrated yesterday," he said. "I was really happy that it worked today." Break groups and crashes Once again the early break formed virtually from the start, with Gatis Smukulis (Katusha), Kris Boeckmans (Vacansoleil-DCM) and Mads Christensen (Saxo-Tinkoff) taking off within the first kilometer. They built up a lead of up to 4:05 before Boeckmans was pulled back by his team after winning the first intermediate sprint. The other two were reeled back in after 43km in front. Vacansoleil-DCM wasn't through for the day, though, and about 20km later the Dutch ProTeam sent Thomas De Gendt and Romain Feillu up the road. They were soon joined by Mikel Astarloza (Euskaltel-Euskadi) and Maxime Bouet (Ag2r La Mondiale). Their gap topped out at just over four minutes and stayed generally around that mark. No one was in a hurry today with the pace exceptionally slow as the riders faced a stiff headwind. The sun of the previous days was gone, too, as rain started sprinkling down with about 70km to go. There were several crashes around that time, with Gaudin hitting the pavement and having trouble chasing back to the field, although he eventually caught up. As slowly as everyone was going and as reluctant as the field was to catch the group too early, the gap started falling and soon was around the one minute mark. Bouhanni left the race with about 60km to go after slipping out on a left hand corner and landing on his face. A momentary truce was called in the peloton to await word of Bouhanni's condition, but the French champion's fate was sealed when an ambulance appeared on the scene and the FDJ rider was taken away on a stretcher. With their leader out of the race, FDJ stopped setting tempo at the head of the peloton and Argos-Shimano eventually moved up to take over the task. With 44.4km to go, the break was over and the sprinters' teams started eying one another. The pace still didn't pick up and the field rode along as one big mass. Many teams shared the low-speed lead work, with the Belgian national jersey of Tom Boonen (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) often seen up front. The second intermediate sprint was at the finish line, which the field crossed before setting off on a closing circuit. Viviani took the three points and three seconds ahead of Sylvain Chavanel, who took second place with two points and seconds. Ruben Perez Moreno of Euskaltel was third. That was enough to give Viviani the virtual yellow jersey. Boonen continued to lead the field and by now the pace had picked up noticeably. Boonen dropped back as the race neared the finale, so as to avoid the madness of the expected mass sprint. Several riders tried to take off from the group, but were brought back quickly. The group came en masse under the flamme rouge at 1km to go and FDJ moved to the front, with Yoann Offredo driving hard. Lampre-Merida responded but the team's veteran sprinter Alessandro Petacchi found himself alone in the lead too early. On the other side of the road, however, Kittel powered his way to the front to take the clear win.
Another lead change. American Tejay Van Garderen remains in 4th place 33 seconds back. As they hit the hills, expect the field to spread out more. http://www.cyclingnews.com/paris-nice/stage-5/results Team Sky’s Richie Porte produced a hugely impressive performance to win the fifth stage and take the race lead at Paris-Nice on the Montagne de Lure. The Australian finished alone on the misty summit after breaking clear of the lead group with two kilometres of the climb remaining. Porte shot past Denis Menchov (Katusha), who had made an attack moments earlier, and increased his advantage over his rivals all the way to the line. Yellow jersey Andrew Talansky finished third, 35 seconds down on the Australian, who now leads the American by 32 seconds. With a time trial still to come on the Col d’Eze, Porte, who was very well supported by his Sky teammates today, now looks well to retain the “race to the sun” title for the British team following Bradley Wiggins’ success last year
Been busy for a few days,a nd finally got all caught up form DVR last night. Richie Porte won Paris-Nice,a nd the young American Andrew Talansky took a surprise second. My favorite for the race, Tejay Van Garderen, came in 4th. Certainly a strong, young American showing with the likes of Leipheimer and Hincapie off into ban-land/retirement. http://www.cyclingnews.com/paris-nice/stage-7/results Richie Porte (Sky Procycling) made history today as the first Australian to win overall at Paris-Nice. The 28-year-old Tasmanian sealed his general classification victory with a win on the final stage time trial up Col d'Eze, a climb the Monaco resident knows by heart. Porte duplicated the double final day victory of 2012 by teammate Bradley Wiggins and thus kept the Paris-Nice title within the Sky family. "I just never thought or believed that I could win Paris-Nice," said Porte. "For me personally I've never had a nice experience at this race so it's a massive monkey off the back to come here and win it. "I can't believe it. The first Aussie to win such a big race and it's just an honour to have my name up there with Bradley Wiggins, Tony Martin and all the big champions. "I woke up this morning and I knew that I had good legs. After the armchair ride that I got from the team yesterday – as well as on stage five and for the entire week – I knew I'd be in good shape. The guys were just incredible this race." Andrew Talansky (Garmin-Sharp) finished second on the day with a time of 19:39, 23 seconds off the pace of Porte. The 24-year-old American defended both his second place GC position, finishing 55 seconds behind Porte overall, as well as his best young rider classification lead. Nairo Quintana placed third on the uphill race of truth, four seconds behind Talansky. The 23-year-old Colombian confirmed his climbing mettle as one of only four riders to crack the 20-minute barrier on the day, and the youngest to do so. The Movistar rider ultimately finished 15th overall on general classification, plus placed fourth overall on the best young rider classification. Jean-Christophe Peraud (AG2R La Mondiale), fourth on the stage, jumped from fifth to third overall to earn the final overall podium position, 1:21 behind Porte, the first time in the Frenchman's career that he achieved such a result at a WorldTour event. American Tejay van Garderen (BMC), best young rider at last year's Paris-Nice, finished fifth on the stage and fourth on the final general classification, plus second to compatriot Talansky for the white jersey. Stage six winner Sylvain Chavanel (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) started the Col d'Eze time trial in third on general classification and put in an admirable 9th place performance amidst stellar climbers to ultimately place fifth overall, perhaps a harbinger of good results to come during the upcoming spring Classics. Dutchman Rick Flens (Blanco), the first man out, set a reference time of 22:35 but he was quickly toppled from top spot by France's Jeremy Roy (FDJ), the first rider under 21 minutes in 20:59. The Frenchman's mark was improved by Italy's Mattia Cattaneo (Lampre-Merida) in 20:51. While Jerome Coppel (Cofidis) avenged a disappointing Paris-Nice to date with a fine 20:33, former Giro winner Michele Scarponi (Lampre-Merida) seized the lead with a time of 20:19. The first rider under 20 minutes was Colombia's Nairo Quintana (Movistar), who showcased his climbing abilities with a 29.2 kph average speed on the uphill time trial to stop the clock in 19:43. Former junior world champion Diego Ulissi (Lampre-Merida) in 20:16 and Slovenia's Simon Spilak (Katusha), 4th overall last year, in 20:11, were unable to improve on the former Tour de l'Avenir winner's time. Even American Tejay van Garderen (BMC), seen by many as the pre-race favourite, failed to crack the 20-minute mark and Quintana's time would prove enough to earn him a podium placing on the stage. When the top five riders on the general classification started, the big battle for the final podium did as well. Jean-Christophe Peraud (AG2R La Mondiale), starting the day in fifth overall, avenged a crash in the first turn by clocking what would be the 4th fastest time in 19:48, enough for him to finish on the final podium. White jersey holder Andrew Talansky (Garmin-Sharp) also impressed by bettering Quintana's times with every kilometre, but there was no denying Richie Porte (Sky) a victory he amply deserved. The Australian led from the gun and crossed the line in 19:16, only four seconds slower than teammate Bradley Wiggins's record climb of a year ago.
Yeah, that was a bit of a cluster. Quite a combination of different types of riders for the sprint finish. http://www.cyclingnews.com/milan-san-remo/results Gerald Ciolek (MTN-Qhubeka) won a shortened version of Milan-San Remo, as snow forced organisers to cut the first two climbs. The German sprinter took the close win ahead of Peter Sagan (Cannondale) and Fabian Cancellara (RadioShack-Leopard) in a thrilling sprint finish. As so often this season, the weather played a major role in the race. Snow forced the organizers to take the Turchino and La Manie climbs out of the race, with the nearly-frozen riders re-starting the race in Cogoleto, after a nearly two-hour break. Ciolek was part of a six-rider group which formed on the descent of the Poggio that included Sagan, Cancellara, Sylvain Chavanel (Omega Pharma-QuickStep), Ian Stannard (Team Sky), and Luca Paolini (Katusha). The German sprinter let the others take the lead on the sharp, steep descent, and played his cards cleverly in the finale. Stannard led the way in the final kilometre, and Sagan opened the sprint once the break caught sight of a closing Taylor Phinney (BMC). However Ciolek, came off Sagan’s wheel to take the biggest win of his career and firmly put the MTN-Qhubeka team on the map. Chavanel, who had attacked with Stannard on the Cipressa, was forced to settle for fourth. “It’s unbelievable,” said Ciolek after crossing the finish line. “This is an unbelievable success for us and just an incredible day. We just came here as a wildcard and now we’re standing here with the trophy. This is great. I knew I had to follow all the best riders on the Poggio and it worked out perfectly. “When I chose this team, people wondered why I would join a Pro Continental team but it’s just been unbelievable. The coaching and staff on this team is so professional. I have never seen management care so much for the riders. I am happy to be on this team." Snow, rain, cold and buses Slate grey skies and low temperatures greeted the riders as they gathered in Milan’s Piazza Castello and much of the start-line chatter was focused on the weather forecast, although at that point few anticipated the severity of the impact it would have on the day’s events. A light rain began to fall just as the peloton began to snake its way out of the city centre, but 150 kilometres away, the Passo del Turchino was already banked with snow. When the flag dropped, however, rumours of a neutralised Turchino were just that, and there was a typically fast start to proceedings. The early break went away shortly beyond the city limits, with Diego Rosa (Androni-Venezuela), Pablo Lastras (Movistar), Lars Bak (Lotto Belisol), Matteo Montaguti (Ag2r-La Mondiale), Maxim Belkov (Katusha) and Francesco Fortin (Bardiani-CSF Inox) forging clear, and after 15km, their lead was already five minutes. At Pavia (40km), the sextet had 10:35 in hand, and they averaged a brisk 46.4kph for the first hour of racing. By that point, however, the rumours of snow on the Turchino had been confirmed and the race organisers were compelled to come up with an ad hoc solution to ensure the safety of the riders. It was decided that the race would be neutralised for 46km between Ovada and Arenzano: rather than climb the Turchino, the peloton would stop at the 117km point and clamber back aboard their team buses, re-starting over an hour later. Given that snow had fallen overnight on the Turchino, questions will be asked as to why the race organisers had not taken more satisfactory measures beforehand to circumvent the climb, but there was no time for the break to debate the whys and wherefores as they sped through the snow towards Ovada. Their race had now become something of a time trial, as they sought to build up as big a lead as possible before the re-start, and they duly reached the stop with 7:10. La Manie, the next climb, was also taken out, and the race was restarted in heavy rain at Cogoleto. Not all the riders took to the second part of the race, with Omega Pharma-Quick Step's Tom Boonen being the biggest name to remain in the bus, with hard words for race organizers. The weather stayed cold and wet, and more riders abandoned as the race went on. With 40km to go, the climbing finally started, but by then only three riders were still in the lead. Bak, Rosa and Belkov had shed their other three companions along the way, with the trio holding a two-minute lead up the Capo Berto. A reduced peloton, by now shedding its extra layers of clothing, was determined to catch the break group before the Cipressa. The cold conditions began to take a toll on even the best and Vincenzo Nibali was the biggest casualty as he pulled out due to the cold. By now, Sky had attempted to stamp their authority on the race and it appeared to be working until a crash saw Geraint Thomas and several teammates hit the deck along with Tyler Farrar (Garmin-Sharp). The first attack on the Cipressa, led by Omega Pharma-QuickStep's Sylvain Chavanel, was not successful, while surprisingly, Sky's Edvald Boasson Hagen fell off the back of the group. He was not the only one, as Andre Greipel (Lotto Belisol), Simon Gerrans (Orica-GreenEdge) and 2005 winner Alessandro Petacchi all lost the struggle to hang on. The group topped out on the Cipressa with only about 40 riders. World Champion Philippe Gilbert of BMC led the way down, perhaps hoping to build up enough of a lead to stay away for the remaining 20 kilometres. It was not to be, as Chavanel lead a group of six, including Sagan up to the Belgian. The next lead group to form was Chavanel, Eduard Vorganov (Katusha) and Ian Stannard (Sky). The field didn't want to let them go, and kept them within 30 seconds, as the rain started again. Vorganov lost ground on the Poggio and was quickly passed by Maxim Iglinskiy. But on the descent Sagan led a counter attack with Cancellara and reeled in Chavanel and Stannard. Ciolek also made the move. They caught the two leaders with just less than 4km to go. Stannard jumped, but Sagan led the chase, and then took off on his own. Cancellara gave chase, with all coming together, until Stannard jumped again with 1.8km to go. The six came through the final kilometre with a sufficient gap, but it was the sight of Phinney tearing across that ignited the sprint and set the wheels in motion for Ciolek.
