EuroTrash Monday!

I hope you have all recovered from the New Years Eve celebrations? The year has kicked off with the first cyclo-cross in Belgium and the first road race in Australia, Nys dominated in the cross and GreenEdge didn’t on the road! Lots of race news at the moment, Cobo has a team, but others don’t! It’s all up’s and down’s in today’s EuroTrash, but don’t miss the mini Tour de France!

“Top Story”

Leave Cyclo-Cross to the Belgians?
It seems that cyclo-cross has never been as popular as it is at the moment, not particularly for riding, but for the spectators. If you are ever lucky enough to get to a cyclo-cross in Belgium you will know what I mean. It’s like the World Series or the FA Cup Final with a great bar and cycling mad fans all thrown in, the atmosphere is like nothing else. Yes you need to pay to get in, but that helps to pay for everything. There have been some champion cross riders from outside Belgium, the Dutch, Swiss, Germans, Italians and the Czechs have all been up there over the years, but the Belgians have the best record. Recently cyclo-cross has become very popular in the U.S. and maybe this has raised the interest of the UCI. They are very keen on a more international cyclo-cross scene, more like the present Mountain bike calendar.

But all the top riders, races and sponsors are in or from Belgium, so should we not leave it to those who know what they are doing with the sport? It’s great that the world Championships are held in different countries and the 2013 Worlds in Louisville, Kentucky will show cyclo-cross at its best. But for the UCI World Cup, the Gazet van Antwerpen Trofee and the Super Prestige series belong, mostly, in the heartland of the sport…Belgium.

Fidea Cyclo-Cross Leuven, Belgium 2011
Sven Nys (Landbouwkrediet) won the last of the Fidea cyclo-cross races on Friday for his tenth win of this cross season and a domination of the series. Rob Peeters (Telenet-Fidea) was the early attacker, but the all-seeing Nys was on him and the two pulled away with Radomir Simunek (BKCP-Powerplus). Behind Sven Vanthourenhout (Landbouwkrediet) and Philipp Walsleben (BKCP-Powerplus) were in front of the chasing pack, but not catching the three leaders and basically it stayed that way to the finish. Jonathan Page (Planet Bike-Blue Bicycles) managed to get into the action, but missed out on a ditch to still take a fine 7th place.

Fidea Cyclo-Cross Leuven Result:
1. Sven Nys (Bel) Landbouwkrediet in 1:00:10
2. Rob Peeters (Bel) Telenet-Fidea at 0:55
3. Francis Mourey (Fra) FdJ at 1:16
4. Radomir Simunek (Cze) BKCP-Powerplus at 1:26
5. Sven Vanthourenhout (Bel) Landbouwkrediet at 1:31
6. Philipp Walsleben (Ger) BKCP-Powerplus at 2:05
7. Jonathan Page (USA) Planet Bike-Blue Bicycles at 2:14
8. Joeri Adams (Bel) Telenet-Fidea at 2:26
9. Egoitz Murgoitio Rekalde (Spa) Grupo Hirumet Taldea at 2:30
10. Kenneth Van Compernolle (Bel) Style & Concept at 2:36.

Here is the link to the race on vt4.be.

GvA Trofee – G.P. Sven Nys 2012
The 1st day of the year saw Sven Nys win his own Grand Prix in his home town of Baal. He rode away from Klaas Vantornout (Sunweb-Revor) with five laps to go for a solo win. For the first time in this cyclo-cross season there was mud on the course, which suited Nys anyway. Of the others; Zdenek Stybar (Omega Pharma – Quick-Step) rode on a pink Specialized to a fast start that ran out of steam. Kevin Pauwels (Sunweb-Revor) was second, Bart Wellens (Telenet-Fidea) was third and Niels Albert (BKCP-Powerplus) was not on a good day in 6th. Pauwels extended his lead over Stybar in the GvA Trofee.

GvA Trofee – G.P. Sven Nys Result:
1. Sven Nys (Bel) Landbouwkrediet in 1:00:12
2. Kevin Pauwels (Bel) Sunweb-Revor at 0:46
3. Bart Wellens (Bel) Telenet-Fidea at 1:10
4. Zdenek Stybar (Cze) Omega Pharma – Quick-Step at 1:30
5. Rob Peeters (Bel) Telenet-Fidea at 1:40
6. Niels Albert (Bel) BKCP-Powerplus at 1:46
7. Sven Vanthourenhout (Bel) Landbouwkrediet at 1:50
8. Bart Aernouts (Bel) Rabobank-Giant at 2:16
9. Klaas Vantornout (Bel) Sunweb-Revor at 2:39
10. Jonathan Page (USA) Planet Bike-Blue Bicycles at 2:44.

Here is the link to the race on sporza.

Jayco Bay Cycling Classic 2012
So the 2012 road season has started. Race 1: in the Jayco Bay Classic in Geelong, Australia on Sunday kicked off 2012 with some disappointment for the new GreenEdge team who dominated the race from the start. In the end it came down to New Zeeland fastman Greg Henderson riding for Degani Bakery Cafй to outsprint Chris Sutton (Urban Hotels) and Allan Davis (Mitchelton Wines-Lowe Farms).

Jayco Bay Cycling Classic Race 1 Result:
1. Greg Henderson (NZ) Degani Bakery Cafe in 59:58
2. Chris Sutton (NSW) Urban Hotels
3. Allan Davis (QLD) Mitchelton Wines/Lowe Farms
4. Bernie Sulzberger (Tas) Urban Hotels
5. Steele Von Hoff (Tas) Bike Bug
6. Anthony Giacoppo (WA) Bike Bug
7. Dean Windsor (NSW) Degani Bakery Cafe
8. Leigh Howard (Vic) GreenEdge Cycling
9. Caleb Ewan (NSW) NSWIS
10. Zak Dempster (Vic) Degani Bakery Cafe at 0:09.

Here is 2010 Jayco Bay Classic Race 1 from 2010:

First win of the season for Specialized-lululemon’s Hosking
Press Release: Australian Chloe Hosking won the first round of the Jayco Bay Series in Geelong on Sunday, starting her 2012 season with positive momentum.

The 21 year old sprinter from Canberra soloed to victory at the end of an action filled race and will now wear the yellow leaders jersey going into the second of four stages.

The victory from Hosking came after the seven rider break she was involved in early in the race was halted due to the race being neutralised by a serious crash on the course. When racing resumed Hosking was quick to go on the attack again and rode the final three laps to her solo victory.

“It was a really exciting race,” said Hosking. “It was aggressive from the start and the Green Edge girls made the race pretty hard. My teammates were fantastic and I was lucky to have my new teammate Loren with me today.”

Specialized-lululemon’s newest recruit Loren Rowney, racing with Hosking this week as part of the local Total Rush Team, rode an extremely professional race. After bridging to the seven rider break early in the race, she drove the pace for Hosking and later also helped her teammate by to victory by ensureing she was still in the action after the mid-race crash.

Racing continues tomorrow at Eastern Park in Geelong as the girls lead into the Mars National Championships this weekend in Ballarat.

16 Teams for Volta ao Algarve
Sixteen teams have been chosen to ride the Portuguese stage race starting on February 15th for five days. Ten WorldTour teams; Ag2r, BMC, Garmin-Cervelo, Lotto-Belisol, Omega Pharma – Quick-Step, Rabobank, RadioShack-Nissan, Saxo Bank, Sky and Vacansoleil. Along with two ProConti teams; Topsport Vlaanderen and UnitedHealthcare, the other four places will be filled by Portuguese teams. Of the stars down to ride, Alberto Contador, Tyler Farrar, Bradley Wiggins, Stijn Devolder and Andreas Klцden are the main ones.

This is stage 3 of the 2010 Volta ao Algarve:

20 Teams for Tour du Haut Var
The French stage race; Tour du Haut Var-matin has twenty teams lined up to start on February the 18th for two stages. Astana, FdJ-Big Mat, Ag2r-La Mondiale, BMC, Saxo Bank, GreenEdge, Movistar, and Vacansoleil from the WorlsTour, then ProConi teams; Cofidis, Saur-Sojasun, Bretagne-Schuller, Accent Jobs-Willems Veranda’s, Europcar, Project 1t4i, and Type 1-Sanofi and Conti teams; BigMat-Auber 93, La Pomme Marseille, Roubaix Lille Metropole, Veranda Rideau and the Scottish sponsored Endura Racing.

This is Thomas Voeckler on the attack in the 2011 Tour du Haut Var.

14 Teams Apply as Wild Card Entrants on RCS Sport WorldTour Races
Press Release: RCS Sport has announced that at midnight on December 31, 2011 (deadline for submitting the application as a wild card for the World Tour races organized by RCS Sport by 22 UCI Professional Teams), have sent their request the following teams:

Androni Giocattoli (ITA)
Acqua & Sapone (ITA)
Champion System Cycling Team (CHN)
Colnago-CSF Inox (IRL)
Colombia-Coldeportes (COL)
Farnese Vini (GBR)
Landbouwkrediet (Bel)
Project 1T4I (NED)
RusVelo (RUS)
Saur-Sojasun (Fra)
Team Europcar (Fra)
Team Netapp (Ger)
TEAM TYPE 1-Sanofi (USA)
Utelsilnord Named (IRL)

The remaining eight teams, not having sent any request or documentation, will not be taken into consideration in the choice of wild cards that will be distributed as follows: Giro d’Italia 4 wild cards, Tirreno-Adriatico 2 wild cards, Milano – Sanremo 7 wild cards, Il Lombardia 7 wild cards.

We also remind you that on Tuesday 10 January, the RCS Sport Wild Card Cycling Commission (composed of five members: Giacomo Catano, CEO of RCS Sport, Michele Acquarone, General Manager of RCS Sport, Mauro Vegni, technical manager of the cycling, Marco Gobbi Pansana, marketing Manager of the cycling; Pier Bergonzi, representing the Direction of La Gazzetta dello Sport) will meet to choose among 14 candidates.

Some great old Retro action here from the 1968 Giro d’Italia stage 12 from Gorizia to Tre Cime di Lavaredo, with interview’s with modern riders.

Valverde to ride Tour Down Under
Alejandro Valverde’s first race back after his doping ban will be the Santos Tour Down Under later this month with his new team; Movistar. If you are in Madrid next Wednesday you can see the new jersey and all the riders at the Movistar offices.

These are the best bits of Valverde’s 2009 season, before, er…

Still No Work for Ex-Geox Riders!
With riders with the class of Vuelta a Espaсa winner; Juan Josй Cobo (just joined Movistar,see blow) and David de la Fuente still looking for a team for next year it’s not looking good for many Spanish cyclists. Noticias de Gipuzkoa has reported that Alava Arkaitz Duran has signed for the amateur Azysa-Telco’m-Conor team for next year, he was short on wins but did ride the Vuelta a Espaсa and the Tour de France.

This is David de la Fuente crossing the summit of the Col du Peyressourde:

Cobo perfect finishing touch for 2012 Movistar Team roster
The current reigning champion of the Vuelta a Espaсa closes squad’s lineup for the next season, completes a strong block for the telephone team’s second season in the top tier.

Press Release: The last winner of the Vuelta a Espaсa, Juanjo Cobo, will wear the Movistar Team jersey for the upcoming two seasons after the agreement reached by both parties. Cobo (Cabezуn de la Sal, 1981) was crowned last September as victor of the Spanish grandtour, a honour that took him definitely into the world elite in cycling after five seasons with notable performances, such as his wins in the 2007 Vuelta al Paнs Vasco overall, a mountain stage in the 2009 Vuelta or the Queen stage in the 2008 Tour de France. The Bisonte de La Pesa will clinch his ninth season as pro rider and return to the team directed by Eusebio Unzuй, a squad he already made part in 2010. For the telephone squad’s general manager, the signing by Cobo “is another step forward in the quality of our roster. I think the victory in the Vuelta changed his mentality, while his physical conditions will remain just as strong as we saw this season. I think his arrival and Alejandro’s will make us take a leap above our previous status, mostly because the team surrounding them is even stronger than last year’s support.”

In turn, Cobo showed confident and joyful about this new challenge in his career: “I’m really satisfied because Movistar Team is one of the biggest squads in the world and will give a chance to be in the most important races in the calendar. I know they did an effort for me. In 2010 I rode under the direction of Unzuй and things did not go as expected. I think both of us were feeling disappointed about that and now I’m sure it all will turn out better. I’m really willing to do well and get together with my new teammates.”

Movistar Team for 2012:
Andrey Amador (CRC), David Arroyo, Marzio Bruseghin (ITA), Rui Costa (POR), Imanol Erviti, Ivбn Gutiйrrez, Jesъs Herrada, Beсat Intxausti, Javier Iriarte, Vasil Kiryienka (BLR), Ignatas Konovalovas (LTU), Pablo Lastras, David Lуpez, Angel Madrazo, Sergio Pardilla, Rubйn Plaza, Josй Joaquнn Rojas, Enrique Sanz, Branilau Samoilau (BLR) & Francisco Ventoso.

New: Jonathan Castroviejo (Euskaltel-Euskadi), Juanjo Cobo (Geox), Josй Herrada (Caja Rural), Vladimir Karpets (RUS-Katusha), Javi Moreno (Caja Rural), Nairo Quintana (COL- Colombia es Pasiуn), Alejandro Valverde & Giovanni Visconti (ITA-Farnese-Vini).

On the slight chance I might get a discount on my Movistar phone bill here is one of their adverts, It’s football, but funny!

Carlstrцm also Unemployed
Half of the Finnish riders in the WorldTour will not have a team for next year. Kjell Carlstrцm, one of only two Finnish riders in the top end of Pro cycling, did not have his contract renewed by the Sky team for next year. The 35 year old turned Pro in 2002 for Amore e Vita, and then moved to Liquigas for five years before Sky for the last two years.

A bit of Japan Cup action in 2008 for Kjell Carlstrцm:

Six Garmin Women to AA Drink-Leotien.nl
It’s looking like six riders who were with the Garmin-Cervelo women’s team last year will be taken on by the Dutch AA Drink-Leotien.nl team for 2012. British riders; Emma Pooley, Lizzie Armitstead, Sharon Laws, Lucy Martin, Belgian Jessie Daams and Australian Carla Ryan will all ride for the team run by ex-champion; Leontien Zijlaard-Van Moorsel.

And this is Leontien Zijlaard-Van Moorsel doing a bit of work for ENECO.

Scheirlinckx & Pardini for Geofco-Ville d’Alger
Two more Belgian riders have joined the new Belgian/Algerian team for next year. Bert Scheirlinckx turned Pro in 2000 for Collstrop and rode for them for one year, since then has ridden for Landbouwkrediet and with two wins to his name. Olivier Pardini has been a Pro since 2007 and has ridden for smaller Belgian teams. Both riders will be joining a mixed bag of Belgians, Algerians and Estonians in the UCI Continental Geofco-Ville d’Alger team.

And if you fancy a holiday in the Ville d’Alger here it is:

UnitedHealthcare on Neil Pryde
The ProConti UnitedHealthcare team will be astride frames from Neil Pryde in 2012, swapping from Chris Boardman bikes. Originally a manufacturer of windsurfing goods the Neil Pryde Company has in recent years turned its hand to frame manufacture in collaboration with the BMW Group Designworks in the US. Neil Pryde commented in a Press Release: “Our partnership with the Team allows us to further refine the award-winning Neil Pryde Diablo and Alize by incorporating pro level Team riders into our integrated R&D process working with our in-house engineers and this collaboration will certainly drive the development of exciting new models such as the Bayamo-Plus and Bura-SL.” The team has strengthened their roster and look forward to a full season.

Windsurf anyone?

Mini Tour de France
What else can I say? This is a mini Tour de France! Great bit of animation though.

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