EuroTrash Monday!

It’s a real mixed bag of EuroTrash today with road racing from Japan, cyclocross from the Czech Republic and track racing from the Netherlands. We also have transfer news, retirement news and the launch of the Giro d’Italia route for 2011. All this and more in yet another packed trashcan – it’s EuroTrash time!

Dan Martin Finishes Season On A High
Ireland’s Dan Martin finished his superb season in the best possible way on the weekend with a victory in the Japan Cup yesterday. Martin did it solo style finishing ahead of the peloton by almost a minute giving the 24year old Tour of Poland winner time to celebrate as he crossed the line.

Leading home the peloton was 2009 Aussie champion, Peter Mcdonald (Drapac Porsche) and Japan’s first podium finisher in this race since 1997, Yusuke Hatanaka (Shimano).

Japan Cup 2010 Results:
1. Daniel Martin (Garmin)
2. Peter McDonald (Drapac Porsche) +0’57″
3. Yusuke Hatanaka (Shimano) s.t.
4. Taiji Nishitani (Aisan Team) s.t.
5. Shinri Suzuki (Shimano) s.t.
6. Takashi Miyazawa (Nippo) s.t.
7. Johannes Frцhlinger (Milram) s.t.
8. Anders Lund (Saxo Bank) s.t.
9. Yukiha Arashiro (Bbox Bouygues Telecom) s.t.
10. Luca Mazzanti (Katusha) s.t.

CarmioOro-NGC Finishes
The Italian CarmioOro-NGC team is yet another casualty of a tough 2010 after it was announced that the team has been unable to find enough funding to continue next year. The team which was originally created in 2008 has had some good results this year with most notably Francisco Ventoso and Sergio Pardilla. Ex Saunier Duval rider, Ventoso took the semi classic, Paris-Brussels this year in what was probably the team’s biggest win of the year and with that victory he bought his ticket back into the bigtime with a contract next year with Movistar.

Also going back to the bigtime is Ventoso’s friend Pardilla who will be joining him at Movistar. Unlike Ventoso, Pardilla is not a sprinter but a GC rider having won the Vuelta a la Communidad de Madrid this year and finishing 2nd overall in the Tour of Austria. So no problems for these two to find a new home but that might not be the case for the 18 other riders who are left without a team in these tough times.

Giro Announces 2011 Route
The organisers of the Giro d’Italia have announced the route for their race next year and it looks like it’s going to be a spectacular race – if you’re a spectator that is! As for being a rider in the race, things look tough with a total of 8 summit finishes to test even the best climbing legs. Highlights of the route also include an opening stage team time trial of 21.5km and a concluding stage of a 32.8km individual time trial that finishes in the shadow of the spectacular Milan Duomo.

In between those two stages there will be lots of action with some very tough mountain stages which include a mountain finish on the slopes of the Etna volcano in Sicily and a return to the dirt road climb of the Colle delle Finestre. This epic climb near Sestriere is sure to be popular with the fans but perhaps not so popular with the non climbers in the race. Check out Pez’s own ride of the Colle delle Finestre here for a special preview of the pain that awaits the riders in next year’s race.

Another highlight should be the brutal uphill time trial on Stage 16 which could go a long way to sorting out the final GC battle for pink honours in Milano.

2011 Giro d’Italia Route:
1 Sat 7/05/2011 21,5 Km Venaria Reale – Torino (TTT)
2 Sun 8/05/2011 242 Km Alba – Parma
3 Mon 9/05/2011 178 Km Reggio Emilia – Rapallo
4 Tue 10/05/2011 208 Km Quarto dei Mille – Livorno
5 Wed 11/05/2011 201 Km Piombino – Orvieto
6 Thu 12/05/2011 195 Km Orvieto – Fiuggi Terme
7 Fri 13/05/2011 100 Km Maddaloni – Montevergine di Mercogliano
8 Sat 14/05/2011 214 Km Sarpi – Tropea
9 Sun 15/05/2011 159 Km Messina – Etna
Mon 17/05/2011 Rest Day
10 Tue 17/05/2011 156 Km Termoli – Teramo
11 Wed 18/05/2011 160 Km Tortoreto Lido – Castefidardo
12 Thu 19/05/2011 171 Km Castefidardo – Ravenna
13 Fri 20/05/2011 159 Km Spilimbergo – Grossglockner
14 Sat 21/05/2011 210 Km Lienz – Monte Zoncolan
15 Sun 22/05/2011 230 Km Conegliano – Gardeccia/Val di Fassa
Mon 23/05/2011 Rest Day
16 Tue 24/05/2011 12,7 Km Belluno – Nevegal (ITT)
17 Wed 25/05/2011 246 Km Feltre – Sondrio
18 Thu 26/05/2011 147 Km Morbegno – San Pellegrino Terme
19 Fri 27/05/2011 211 Km Bergamo – Macugnaga
20 Sat 28/05/2011 242 Km Verbania – Sestriere
21 Sun 29/05/2011 32,8 Km Milano – Milano (ITT)

Amsterdam 6 Day
German pairing Robert Bartko and Roger Kluge upset the hometeams at the finish of the Amsterdam 6 day race on the weekend finishing with a 38 point lead over hometown heroes, Danny Stam and Leon Van Bon and crowd favourites, Franco Marvulli and Niki Terpstra a further 11 points down. The win makes it two wins in a row for Bartko and Kluge after winning the same event last year.

Amsterdam 6 Day Results:
1. Robert Bartko – Roger Kluge 285 points
2. Danny Stam – Leon Van Bon 247
3. Franco Marvulli – Niki Terpstra 236
4. Wim Stroetinga – Leif Lampater 213 +1 tour
5. Pim Ligthart – Jens Mouris 162 +1
6. Yoeri Havik – Peter Schep 172 +4
7. Tim Mertens – Kenny de Ketele 108 +6
8. Matthй Pronk – Jos Pronk 71 +12
9. Arno Van der Zwet – Nick Stцpler 103 +13
10. Michel Kreder – Raymond Kreder 65 +14

Appollonio Aims For The Sky, Not Movistar
After originally being announced as a new recruit for the Caisse d’Epargne replacement team, Movistar, young Italian up and comer Davide Appollonio has instead decided to go to Team Sky for 2011. Earlier this season it was announced that Movistar had snapped up the first year Cervйlo pro on a 3 year deal but it’s Sky that has finally secured his signature.

Appollonio created quite a buzz around him in this his first season as a pro with his attacking style and never say die attitude which landed him a nice victory in the 4th stage of the Tour du Limousin and 2nd in both the Grand Prix de Fourmies and the Tour du Vendйe.

Appollonio is now the 4th recruit for Team Sky’s 2011 campaign following on from the signings of young Brit Alex Dowsett (Trek/livestrong U/23), Colombian Rigoberto Uran (Caisse d’Epargne) and the Spaniard Xabier Zandio (Caisse d’Epargne).

Lance To Race One More Time
Lance Armstrong’s career as a professional rider isn’t quite over yet after the man himself announced that he’ll contest one final race outside of the US before re-entering retirement – the 2011 Tour Down Under. After being warmly received in Australia the last two years Armstrong has decided that Adelaide will be a great venue to finally say goodbye to his international fans.

His statement on the race below though suggests that perhaps it won’t be his final goodbye with the door certainly being left open for some more racing in the U.S;

“I’m excited to be competing in my last professional ride outside the US at the Santos Tour Down Under. It will be my third time to the event, and Im sure I will enjoy it as much as I have the first two times.

I will never forget the reception we received in Adelaide when we kicked off the LIVESTRONG global campaign. I look forward to racing and also checking in on the progress in South Australia.”

Meanwhile South Australian Premier Mike Rann was ecstatic that Lance was coming back as he knows that Lance’s attendance immediately increases visitor numbers and media coverage;

“This is an amazing opportunity for cycling fans across the globe to head to Adelaide and be part of history as Lance competes in his farewell ride as a professional on international soil. Lance is a true hero of the sport and we are delighted he has chosen to compete again in South Australia and make his international farewell here.

The impact Lance has had on the Santos Tour Down Under and the interest in cycling in South Australia has been astounding. I would encourage people not to miss this once in a lifetime opportunity to watch Lance compete for the very last time here in Adelaide in January.”

Riccт To Work WIth Sassi
The infamous Ricardo Ricco (Vacansoleil) has decided to try and improve his public image by collaborating for the 2011 season with respected anti doping coach, Aldo Sassi. Sassi recently stated in the media that he would love to try and coach Ricco and ensure that his comeback is 100% clean stating;

“I know that with [Riccт] I would risk my reputation but sometimes you have to step up for an important objective. If somebody doesn’t do it and doesn’t believe in this sport, how can things change?”

Ricco obviously read Sassi’s interview as he contacted him upon Sassi’s return from the World Championships in Australia and a coaching deal was quickly made between the two in a meeting last week. Ricco will undergo his first tests at the Mapei centre next month before commencing a training program designed specially for him by Sassi. I’m sure that Ricco is hoping that by working with Sassi and making his testing data available to the public he will regain some credibility in the same way that one of Sassi’s other charges, Ivan Basso has done in recent years.

According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Sassi finished his meeting with Riccт by telling him, “I have a life expectancy that goes as far as July, you’re my last gamble.”

Sassi is suffering from a terminal brain cancer but still continues to work hard currently personally coaching Ivan Basso (Liquigas), Cadel Evans (BMC), Dario Cioni (Sky), Cameron Wurf (Liquigas), Kjell Carlstrцm (Sky), Charlie Wegelius (United Health Care) and Eros Capecchi (Liquigas).

Omega Pharma-Lotto Fills Up
Team Omega Pharma-Lotto has signed its final rider for 2011 with yet another HTC Columbia rider making the switch to the squad in the form of German, Marcel Sieberg. Other HTC riders coming to the Belgian team include Pez favourite, Adam Hansen, Vicente Reynes, Gert Dockx and of course their most famous signing, Andre Greipel.

With 21 wins this year alone Greipel has won more than Lotto normally wins in a whole year – even with Philippe Gilbert in the team – and it will be up to the likes of Sieberg, Hansen, Reynes and Dockx to see that those wins continue next year but this time in an Omega Pharma-Lotto jersey.

Amazingly Omega Pharma-Lotto has a total of 14 new riders coming to the squad next year with Jurgen Van De Walle, Frederik Willems, Klaas Lodewijck, Sven Vandousselaere, Bart De Clercq and Jens Debusschere, David Boucher, Jussi Veikkanen and Oscar Puyol all joining the above mentioned HTC riders for what should be a truly new look Omega-Lotto team next year.

The Other Armstrong To Make A Comeback
Returns to competition seem to be fashionable if your last name’s Armstrong with news this past week that Olympic Champion, Kristin Armstrong plans to make a comeback from retirement. The reason? Her competitive drive is still alive and kicking and Armstrong has intentions of taking that drive just to the 2012 Olympic Games in London where she will try and defend her time trial crown.

Amazingly Armstrong has made the decision just one month after giving birth – a time when most young parents have little time for anything at all, Armstrong (37) is planning on taking on an Olympic sized training programme;

“Most likely, the biggest challenges are not going to be about my training, or nutrition, the things that a lot of people struggle with to be at the top, it’s going to be about the challenges of raising a child.”

Stybar Slays Them Again
World champion Zdenek Stybar (Telenet-Fidea) continued his unbeaten run this season with a win yesterday in Round 2 of the Cyclocross World Cup. In his home country of the Czech Republic, Stybar started strongly from the gun only being challenged by Niels Albert (BKCP-Powerplus) who led the Czech early on. Stybar faded though, eventually dropping to 3rd and it was the Belgian Kevin Pauwels (Telenet-Fidea) who was the only one now within challenging distance of the dominant Czech. A late puncture hurt his chances though and consequently nobody was able to spoil Stybar’s hometown win which was his 7th consecutive victory of the season!

World Cup Round 2 Results:
1. Zdenek Stybar (Telenet-Fidea)
2. Kevin Pauwels (Telenet-Fidea) +0’18″
3. Niels Albert (BKCP-Powerplus) +0’33″
4. Francis Mourey (FDJ) +0’41″
5. Sven Nys (Landbouwkrediet) +0’42″
6. Klaas Vantornout (Sunweb-Revor) +1’07″
7. Philipp Walsleben (BKCP-Powerplus) +1’10″
8. Bart Aernouts (Rabobank) +1’13″
9. Dieter Vanthourenhout (BKCP-Powerplus) +1’21″
10. Enrico Franzoi (BKCP-Powerplus) +1’29″

Get In Early For RBC GranFondo Kelowna
The organizers of the RBC GranFondo Whistler are offering you an opportunity to register for the 2011 RBC GranFondo Kelowna in advance of registration being open to the general public.

The RBC GranFondo Kelowna is on Saturday, July 16, 2011 and is another ride you’ve been waiting for: a spectacular route starting in Kelowna and touring through the Okanagan Valley. Cradled within a glorious range of mountains, Kelowna is a sanctuary filled with pristine lakes, verdant pine forests, abundant orchards and vineyards, and sandy beaches.

Our website will be up shortly and we will announce it to the rest of the cycling community in a few days, but if you want to become a Founding Rider for our newest ride, we welcome you to register now.

Register for the 2011 RBC GranFondo Kelowna here

GranFondo Canada Team
For event related inquiries: 604-816-1731
For registration related inquiries: 604-628-7782

More Fondo Fever: Granfondo Axel Merckx Okanagan
Cycling legend Eddy Merckx one of the first to sign up with Axel and friends

For Immediate Release – October 25, 2010
VANCOUVER – Cyclists of all levels can now register for the inaugural Granfondo Axel Merckx Okanagan by visiting: www.granfondoaxelmerckx.com.

Axel Merckx announced on Sunday that his Father the legendary five time Tour de France champion Eddy Merckx will be joining him in his first Granfondo event in the Okanagan Valley for the Granfondo Axel Merckx 2011. “I am pleased to support my son in his inaugural event,” said Eddy Merckx. “I have no doubt that Axel will host a premier cycling spectacle and I look forward to greeting all the cyclists at the start line in the beautiful Okanagan.”

Eddy Merckx will join legendary Vancouver Canuck, Trevor Linden, and other soon-to-be-announced celebrity special guests that will take part in this memorable event.

The inaugural Granfondo Axel Merckx Okanagan will bring together more than 2,500 cyclists of all ages and abilities in a ride that will take them on a heart-thumping 150km journey through the picturesque southern Okanagan region. Beginning and ending in Penticton, British Columbia, the Granfondo Axel Merckx Okanagan provides a challenge and a rider experience that is second to none.

For more information contact:
Jason Curran
Granfondo Axel Merckx Okanagan
E-mail: [email protected]
Web: www.granfondoaxelmerckx.com.