EuroTrash Monday!

We catch up with the first two stages of La Vuelta and the Vattenfall Cyclassics this morning, plus we hear from Alberto Contador and Igor Anton on their Vuelta hopes. Lots of transfer news, the Davis Phinney Foundation, USA Pro Challenge and track cycling in Britain, add in some videos and we have EuroTrash Monday…Enjoy!

“Top Story”

La Vuelta a Espaсa
The Spanish Grand Tour has started and so far, so good. The race looks like it’s going to be the best three week stage race of the season, the Giro d’Italia was very good with attacks every day and continual surprises, this Vuelta should come out in the same sort of manner, just look at the role call; Alberto Contador with a point to prove, Chris Froome as undisputed Sky leader, the attacking style of Joaquim Rodriguez, Igor Anton making up for crashing out when leading and add all the other riders who will be thinking they have a chance. At the Tour de France what did we have for excitement? Time trials and measured efforts in the mountains and only Vincenzo Nibali willing the shake the race up a bit. So bring on La Vuelta for some old fashioned attacking and throwing caution to the wind style of racing and the fans (and me) will be happy.

Vuelta a Espaсa 2012
The opening team time trial in Pamplona had a surprise winner in the Movistar squad by 10 seconds. Many people expected the Sky team of Chris Froome to be at the head of affairs at the end of the day, but Omega Pharma – Quick-Step, BMC, Rabobank and then Movistar were all faster. Jonathan Castroviejo was 1st across the line for Movistar and he pulled on the first red leader’s jersey.

“I am thrilled by the team,” Alberto Contador said of his team; Saxo Bank-Bank Tinkoff saying it had been a “very, very good time. I am happy, the team has given everything and, whatever the result was, I am very happy with the team and its motivation.” Alberto emphasized at all times the work of their team mates. “I had not seen them for a long time and though it’s only 16 kilometres in a three week tour, every day is important and so I’m very happy. Now we have to go home and recover, tomorrow we have a very demanding day,” said Alberto, who returned to the hotel on the same bike with which he did the race, equipped with an ice jersey. Alberto said his sensations in this first stage have been “good, but you have to go day by day.”

Eusebio Unzuй, the Movistar team manager: “I’m tremendously happy. Firstly, because it was a victory against very big squads that showed to be pretty balanced to each other. Today we talked about a crucial factor: mental focus, feeling confident, concentrated on such an effort a discipline like team time trialling obliges you. Everyone was riding on full steam for 19 minutes with incredible suffering. The guys were able to cope with it into an evening of terrible heat. I was fortunate to witness many important victories, but on an emotive point of view, this victory is above almost all of them.

The Red jersey Jonathan Castroviejo: “In principle, I wasn’t planning to come to this year’s Vuelta a Espaсa, and that’s why I came here with the motivation of helping the squad and giving an extra in this time trial. I’m really happy. It’s a very important stage win, notching it up here at home was a goal for us. We had prepared really well for this TT, we knew the route well and were focused since the very start, and it all turned out perfectly. We didn’t have neither a predefined tactic nor a talk on who should have crossed the line first. It was a TT to ride on full steam from the start and that final kilometre on cobbles that made it really hard for us.

Vuelta a Espaсa Stage 1 Result:
1. Movistar in 18:51
2. Rabobank at 0:10
3. Omega Pharma – Quick-Step
4. BMC
5. Sky at 0:12
6. Lotto-Belisol
7. Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank at 0:14
8. Katusha at 0:15
9. Euskaltel-Euskadi at 0:28
10. Orica-GreenEdge at 0:33.

Vuelta a Espaсa Overall After Stage 1:
1. Jonathan Castroviejo Nicolas (Spa) Movistar in 18:51
2. Javier Moreno Bazan (Spa) Movistar at 0:01
3. Benat Intxausti Elorriaga (Spa) Movistar
4. Nairo Alexander Quintana Rojas (Col) Movistar
5. Alejandro Valverde Belmonte (Spa) Movistar
6. Juan Jose Cobo Acebo (Spa) Movistar at 0:04
7. Niki Terpstra (Ned) Omega Pharma – Quick-Step at 0:10
8. Dario Cataldo (Ita) Omega Pharma – Quick-Step
9. Kevin De Weert (Bel) Omega Pharma – Quick-Step
10. Kristof Vandewalle (Bel) Omega Pharma – Quick-Step.

Here is the link for the stage 1 TTT on rtve.

Stage 2 started without Astana’s Enrico Gasparotto who crashed during Saturday’s team time trial, he did finish, but was out of the time limit and it was found he had broken both collarbones. Pamplona was the hottest place in Spain on Saturday with a temperature of 41.5єC, Sunday wasn’t much cooler, but there was some wind. The Caja Rural team were back to their usual green jerseys after the red and white kit for the TTT. Francisco Javier Aramendia Llorente (Caja Rural), Javier Chacon (Andalucнa) and Mikhail Ignatyev (Katusha) broke away early and had a lead of over 5 minutes with around 120 kilometres to race to the finish in Viana, but Movistar decided that was enough and lifted the pace to start pulling them back in the last 80K. With 25 kilometres left to race Javier Chacon gave up the break and was caught by the bunch within 5 kilometres, Aramendia and Ignatyev came through the finish line with an advantage of 39 seconds with just under 19 kilometres to go. The peloton came together 12 K’s out and all teams put riders on the front, Saxo/Tinkoff had control, but had no sprinter. Sergey Lagutin (Vacansoleil-DCM) went for a solo at 7 kilometres on a slight rise, but Orica-GreenEdge had the gas on and a fast peloton shot into the last kilometre. Ben Swift (Sky) went for a long one with John Degenkolb (Argos-Shimano) and Allan Davis (Orica-GreenEdge) on his wheel, Swift was not fast enough and they came past for the German to take the stage from the Australian. The overall was the same.

Overall leader Jonathan Castroviejo was pleased with stage 2: “It was quite a comfortable stage due to the head winds all over the stage. We were a bit worried about the tension on the final loop because wind could change and blow harder as well as any possible crashes, but fortunately we went perfectly over the day and kept the jersey, so we can stay happy. The team was A-plus. It’s a pleasure to work with people like this. There’s an important day ahead for the squad tomorrow in Arrate. Even though it’s not a long climb and I know it well, we must be realistic and the strong riders for the overall must be up-front, so we hope that a team-mate stays in the lead. It’s a typical finish from the Vuelta al Paнs Vasco, a short, yet hard climb where we’ll see who can win this year’s Vuelta.”

“If tomorrow I can take another 2 or 6 seconds, that will I do” Alberto Contador surprised everyone on the final part of the race going in front of the pack and sprinting behind the two escapees, which meant two seconds bonus. The leader of Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank explained the manoeuvre at the team bus after his shower. “It was not the target, but I saw it and instead of someone else, I got it myself. I was well placed, told my teammate Nicki and as it was a little uphill, I tried, because the effort was not very big”, said Contador. “You never know for how much a race can be decided. If tomorrow I can take another 2 or 6 seconds, I will do.” Alberto said the team had been very good in the last part of the stage “seeking to protect me at the maximum”. And warned against drawing too many conclusions yet. “You have to go day by day, to see how I am tomorrow. I hope as the Vuelta progress, I’ll be getting better. The goal, however, is to arrive in Madrid, so I go day by day”.

Vuelta a Espaсa Stage 2 Result:
1. John Degenkolb (Ger) Argos-Shimano in 4:38:40
2. Allan Davis (Aus) Orica-GreenEdge
3. Ben Swift (GB) Sky
4. Elia Viviani (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale
5. Klaas Lodewyck (Bel) BMC Racing Team
6. Vicente Reynes Mimo (Spa) Lotto-Belisol
7. Davide Cimolai (Ita) Lampre-ISD
8. Gianni Meersman (Bel) Lotto-Belisol
9. Manuel Antonio Leal Cardoso (Por) Caja Rural
10. Daniele Bennati (Ita) Radioshack-Nissan.

Vuelta a Espaсa Overall After Stage 2:
1. Jonathan Castroviejo Nicolas (Spa) Movistar in 4:57:31
2. Nairo Alexander Quintana Rojas (Col) Movistar
3. Javier Moreno Bazan (Spa) Movistar
4. Alejandro Valverde Belmonte (Spa) Movistar
5. Benat Intxausti Elorriaga (Spa) Movistar
6. Juan Jose Cobo Acebo (Spa) Movistar at 0:04
7. Dennis Van Winden (Ned) Rabobank at 0:10
8. Niki Terpstra (Ned) Omega Pharma – Quick-Step
9. Kevin De Weert (Bel) Omega Pharma – Quick-Step
10. Alessandro Ballan (Ita) BMC.

The last kilometre from EuroSport:

İspanya Turu: 2. Etap por EurosportTurkiye

Vattenfall Cyclassics 2012
Young Frenchman Arnaud Demare of FDJ-BigMat took some big scalps in the sprint at the end of the German classic in Hamburg. Demare outsprinted Andre Geipel (Lotto-Belisol), Giacomo Nizzolo (RadioShack-Nissan) and Tom Boonen (Omega Pharma – Quick-Step). Earlier in the race Andeas Dietziker (NetApp), Jesse Sergent (RadioShack-Nissan) and Gregor Gazvoda (Ag2r-La Mondiale) made a good effort, but they were replaced upfront by Marco Pinotti (BMC), Alexander Porsev (Katusha), Matthieu Ladagnous (FDJ-BigMat), Martin Mortensen (Vacansoleil-DCM), Yaroslav Popovych (RadioShack-Nissan), Christopher Juul Jensen (Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank) and Matteo Bono (Lampre-ISD). They were caught on the Waseberg with a lap to go, after a few attempts at attacks it came down to the sprint where the Frenchman won from a battling bunch. There was a crash on the run-in to the finish and also Stuart O’Grady fell earlier in the race and retired with a broken collarbone.

Tom Boonen earned 4th place in the bunch sprint. “Today was an extremely hot day” said Boonen. “On the second to last passage on the Waseberg I tried to attack to select a group of riders and tried to go to the finish. The move was good, but then it wasn’t so easy to organize the breakaway. I think that everybody was simply tired and suffering from the heat. At that point I tried to attack again, hoping that three or four riders could have followed me — but nothing happened. So we decided to wait for the final sprint. Pineau, Vandenbergh and Ciolek did a good job to prepare the sprint. Maybe I was a little bit too far in the last meters, but I have to say that I’m happy about my sprint and my result. If I was a little bit more in the front, maybe I could have fought for second place. Congratulations to Demare, he did a great sprint and he deserved the victory. He’s a talented rider.”

Vattenfall Cyclassics Result:
1. Arnaud Demare (Fra) FDJ-BigMat in 6:03:20
2. Andre Greipel (Ger) Lotto-Belisol
3. Giacomo Nizzolo (Ita) Radioshack-Nissan
4. Tom Boonen (Bel) Omega Pharma – Quick-Step
5. Edvald Boasson Hagen (Nor) Sky
6. Mark Renshaw (Aus) Rabobank
7. Heinrich Haussler (Aus) Garmin-Sharp
8. Manuel Belletti (Ita) Ag2r-La Mondiale
9. Tom Veelers (Ned) Argos-Shimano
10. Borut Bozic (Slo) Astana.

A different view of the day!

A Quick Interview with Alberto Contador
The day before the 2012 Vuelta a Espaсa Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank team leader; Alberto Contador sat down with the press for a short interview, here is what he had to say:

You arrive as the undisputed favourite, would it be a disappointment to finish second?
“Being the favourite is more a matter of the press and fans. I simply am looking forward to being in the Vuelta, with enthusiasm to do my best. I will fight for victory, sure, but I know that all is possible because there is a big list of strong rivals that are well prepared. We will have to suffer.”

– How do you feel emotionally, do you feel rage to prove something?
“I’m fine; I’m eager and highly motivated for this race. What has happened these past two years, not only in the last six months, has marked me, of course, but now I want to be focused on the future, although you can never forget the suffering. With the support of the people I’m ready for anything and I don’t feel rage, but looking forward to enjoy the bike and racing for the win, which is what I like to do in every race.”

-You’re fresher in comparison to other riders, what is best to tackle the Vuelta?
“To be fresh is relative, because most of the time is harder to train than to compete, as you can be a long time quiet in the peloton. I have trained very hard over the last six months, but I recognize that I will be mentally fresher. Those who arrive with more days of competition that me can do better at the start of the race, but I hope that I’ll progress along the Vuelta.”

– Asturias stages will be the most difficult and decisive?
“On the paper, no doubt, together with the big effort of the individual time trial. Ancares, Covadonga and Cuitu Negru will mark the Vuelta, but will still be the Bola del Mundo to try new things depending on how the classification is.”

– Are we going to see a more calculating Contador or a more explosive one, like in the Tour of 2011?
“Here you go day by day, especially in three weeks tours, which are always different, but we must take every opportunity, because anything can happen. The Vuelta will be spectacular and very difficult to ride calculating it.”

– What are your rivals, and in particular, Chris Froome will be your biggest rival?
“The Vuelta has plenty of rivals and three of them already know how to win this race. Froome, if we look at the results, is the rival to take into account, also because he performs well in the time trial and he has a very strong team. He is a great rider and in last year Vuelta had a chance to win with a different tactic. Then was the strongest in the Tour, although it is unclear if he could win, because Wiggins was very strong in the time trial. I am very glad he’s here because it gives more quality to the race. All of us together we will do a good show.”

-Do you have any doubts about your performance, with so few days of competition?
“I don’t have the same security than other years, because training is not the same as to compete. I’m happy with the Eneco Tour, but there were no long climbs and I didn’t do any in the last two weeks. Probably the first week will not be the best for me, but I hope to go better as the race progress.”

Alberto at the Eneco Tour:

What does Igor Anton, Leader of Euskaltel Euskadi think of La Vuelta
Igor Antуn, with four stage wins in La Vuelta, is the leader of the formation led by Miguel Madariaga. The Galdakao climber gives his feelings before the start of the last great trial of three weeks.

– How is the form of Igor Anton?
“I believe I’m in a good form, similar to the 2010 season. Last year I noticed the efforts of the Giro for the preparation of the Vuelta. I notice that I get cooler in that sense. I’ve been focused on high, looking to improve my preparedness. I hope that racing comes to light after all that work and effort.”

– Have you reconnoitred the route? What do you think?
“I’ve been looking at some stages. There are very demanding days from the start. On paper highlights the high mountain three days in a row and in Asturias and Galicia stages. In addition, you start with high demands, the third stage ends at Arrate, the fourth in Valdezcaray … And the penultimate day, when the forces are more than the limit, on the Bola del Mondo … ”

– With what result would you go home satisfied?
“You have to be very calm and with respect. The Vuelta is a race I love; it has given me a lot. My first win as a professional was at Calar Alto and most recently in Bilbao. I do not set a specific goal; I want to go home with the satisfaction of having given everything on the bike. With that effort, let’s see how far I get.”

– Which riders aspire to the podium?
“The list of participants is very upscale. Number one is Alberto Contador. He has been a while without competing, because in the races you get a spark that training is very difficult to get. But if anyone can do this it is Alberto. He was the great ruler of the Tour, Giro and Vuelta in recent times and each race he is in, he is the favourite. Then there is a fairly broad triplet. Froome, second in the Tour 2012, Vuelta 2011, he is itchingly close to winning a race as demanding as the Giro, Cobo won the Vuelta last year … Van den Broeck, Gesink … They are all names of great quality, with big wins. All have said much in cycling and still have much to say. Each of them may surprise fans, all are well known. All are great opponents that I respect a lot.”

– How is your team?
“We have a very strong team. The nine have been chosen, but I know that managers had a struggled to choose because there are colleagues who are also in form and are not with us. We have a mix that I like a lot, even experienced riders in the Tour as Verdugo, Astarloza, Txurruka and Reuben. Juanjo Oroz and Velasco also well aware of the Vuelta and then there are a couple of young riders coming; Romain and Mikel are going strong. I think it’s a very balanced blend youth and experience and very strong for the mountains, an area in which to win the Vuelta.”

Igor Anton in Casilla y Leon:

End of the Season for Thor Hushovd
Atle Kvеlsvoll, Thor Hushovd’s coach, has told Fжdrelandsvennen that Thor has been to the US for further tests and will not race for the remainder of the season. His BMC team had run test on the Norwegian ex-World champion earlier in June at the Mapie Centre, team doctor; Max Testa said that there were signs of an earlier viral infection. Depending on the results from the further tests, plans will be made for Thor’s future.

The Mighty Thor:

Fuglsang to Astana
Jakob Fuglsang will be riding for the Astana team until the end of 2015. It had been suggested that the Dane would be returning to the Bjarne Riis team of Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank from his present RadioShack-Nissan team which he had a falling out with due to his non-selection for the Tour de France. At Astana he will be alongside the other new signing; Vincenzo Nibali, but it is unlikely that they will race in the same Grand Tour as Nibali is aiming at the 2013 Giro d’Italia and Fuglsang want to ride the Tour de France. “Our agreement with Fuglsang is a cornerstone of Pro Team Astana’s strategy for 2013,” Astana manager Giuseppe Martinelli said. “With him, Nibali and Brajkovič, we have got three excellent leaders for competing in next year’s three Grand Tours. He is still a young rider who can give his best in our team.

Kiryienka to Sky
Vasil Kiryienka is leaving the Movistar team at the end of the season to join Sky for the next 3 years. Always been a hard worker, but has also won two stages of the Giro d’Italia and the overall in the Route du Sud in his five year Pro career.

Le Mйvel to Cofidis
Christophe Le Mйvel has signed a 2 year contract with French team; Cofidis from Garmin-Sharp. He was 4th in the Clasica San Sebastiбn last Tuesday and is at the moment riding the Vuelta a Espaсa. He turned Pro for Credit Agricole in 2002 and since then has ridden for FdJ before Garmin.

Guardini also to Astana
Andrea Guardini will also be riding for Astana for the next two years, team Manager Giuseppe Martinelli said: “We have taken on Guardini because we want to compete on all fronts, and he is without doubt the sprinter we were missing. He is young, but in two years as a professional with Farnese he has already picked up 21 wins. I am sure he will rise to new and more important achievements from next year onwards. We have got excellent riders in our ranks – Guarnieri, Kangert and Grivko to name just a few – who will give him support and put him in a position to compete with the best sprinters in the world.

“Pro Team Astana is building a fantastic team, and it will be up to the riders and all the staff to repay the faith that has been shown in us.”

Tschopp to New Swiss IAM Project
The new Swiss ProConti team; IAM Project has signed the recent Tour of Utah winner Johan Tschopp to its twenty man roster, as reported by Le Matin. He will be joining Gabriel Rasch (FDJ-BigMat), Reto Hollenstein & Marcel Wyss (Team NetApp) and Sйbastien Hinault (Ag2r-La Mondiale) with more to be announced soon. Serge Beucherie will be the team manager, Serge is an ex French National road champion and was DS at Credit Agricole, GAN and Z-Peugeot, plus taught me some choice French phrases which I can’t repeat here.

A young Johan Tschopp:

Sanchez Stays with Euskaltel-Euskadi
Ex-Olympic champion Samuel Sanchez will more than likely finish his career with the team he started with, the Basque team; Euskaltel-Euskadi. He has signed a three year extension to his contract which will take him into his 38th year and his 15 year as a professional cyclist.

No Vuelta for Vanmarcke
Het Nieuwsblad winner Sep Vanmarcke will be leaving his present team Garmin-Sharp at the end of this season and due to this he has not been picked to ride the Spanish Grand Tour. It seems to be the practice of teams these days to non-select leaving riders so that they don’t take any new WorldTour points to their new team. Vanmarcke had wanted to ride La Vuelta, but will now ride the Tour of Britain and the Vattenfalls Cyclassic, which team he will be riding for next year he is not saying.

Omega Pharma – Quick-Step to USA Pro Cycling Challenge
Press Release: From Monday the team will be busy also in Colorado at the USA Pro Cycling Challenge, a seven-stage race from August 20th until the 26th. The race includes a 15km finishing time trial, in Denver, which could decide who wins the GC. The team will line up the same squad who took part in the Tour of Utah a few days ago, with defending champion Levi Leipheimer.

“I’m looking forward to racing the USA Pro Challenge again and with the help of my Omega Pharma – Quick-Step teammates,” Leipheimer said. “I hope to defend my title from last year. Colorado is a beautiful place with literally breathtaking courses that will take us over 12,000 foot passes. Last year the support from the fans was incredible and rivaled the Grand Tours in Europe. I can’t wait to experience it again.”

20.08-26.08 USA Pro Cycling Challenge (USA) 2.HC
Riders:
Matthew Brammeier (IRL),
Francesco Chicchi (ITA),
Jeroen Hoorne (BEL),
Levi Leipheimer (USA),
Martin Velits (SVK),
Peter Velits (SVK).
Sports Director Rik van Slycke (BEL).

Stages:
Stage 1 Durango – Telluride 202.1 km
Stage 2 Montrose – Crested Butte 159.6 km
Stage 3 Gunnison – Aspen 210.0 km
Stage 4 Aspen – Beaver Creek 156.4 km
Stage 5 Breckenridge – Colorado Springs 189.7 km
Stage 6 Golden – Boulder 166.2 km.
Stage 7 Denver 15.3 km (ITT).

RadioShack-Nissan-Trek’s line-up for the USA Pro Cycling Challenge (Colorado)
Riders:
George Bennett,
Matthew Busche,
Jakob Fuglsang,
Chris Horner,
Ben King,
Andreas Klцden,
Jens Voigt,
Oliver Zaugg
Directors: Alain Gallopin & Lars Michaelsen.

BMC Racing Team Ready For Assault On Rockies
Press Release: The BMC Racing Team roster for the USA Pro Challenge in the Colorado Rockies includes 2011 top 10 finishers Tejay van Garderen (third), George Hincapie (fifth) and Cadel Evans (seventh), as well as Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah winner Johann Tschopp.

Solid Week Of Training
Assistant Director Michael Sayers said the BMC Racing Team is riding a wave of momentum from Tschopp’s victory last Sunday. “We’ve had a solid week of training at altitude for the guys who weren’t here for the Tour of Utah, so I think we’re ready to go,” Sayers said. “We certainly have a lot of good morale from that race and the guys know the courses well from all the reconnaissance.” The seven-stage race begins Monday in Durango and finishes Sunday in Denver with an individual time trial. Joining the aforementioned riders on the BMC Racing Team’s roster are Mathias Frank, Taylor Phinney, Ivan Santaromita and Michael Schдr. Frank, Santaromita and Schдr played valuable roles in helping Tschopp win in Utah.

Extra Motivation For Stage 6
Van Garderen said a victory is the only thing missing from his season that includes winning the best young rider classification at the Tour de France on the way to a fifth place finish overall. “If I can get it at this race, it would be incredible,” he said. “The course suits me well, but some of the best riders in the world are coming. So it’s not going to be easy. But we have a strong team that is built for a couple of us to do well.” Van Garderen said there is extra motivation to do well on the stage that finishes in Boulder. “I just bought a house with my wife, Jennifer, right on Broadway so the race will go directly past it,” he said. “You definitely want to do your best in front of friends and family who don’t often have a chance to see me race. So this is a great opportunity for them.”

Hincapie’s Last Race
Hincapie, a stage winner here a year ago, said he had initially considered making the Tour de France his final race. But the three-time former U.S. national road champion opted to close his 19-year professional career in a race in his home country. “I felt like Colorado has become quite a big and important race on the calendar, so the opportunity was there to have this be my last race,” he said. “It’s certainly meaningful to end my career in the U.S.” Hincapie said he learned a valuable lesson in last year’s race. “The biggest challenge is definitely the altitude,” he said. “We’re not used to doing efforts at 10 or 12,000 feet. The climbs may not be as steep as the ones in the Alps or the Pyrenees, but they’re long.”

Phinney Eyes Final Time Trial
Phinney, who missed the inaugural edition last year while competing in the Vuelta a Espaсa, said he is also anxious to race in his home state. The Boulder, Colo., native said he would like to do well in the final time trial after finishing second in a race against the clock at the Eneco Tour of Benelux and fourth at the Olympic Games. “There’s not a lot of races on the calendar that you’re really, really excited about, but this is one of them,” he said. “The crowd level is something that’s really special here. It makes our job a little easier when you’ve got thousands of people lining the road cheering you on.”

Download the official race card (PDF with roster, bios, statistics, etc.): https://bit.ly/PzZgOF.
https://bit.ly/PzZgOF

BMC Racing Team USA Pro Challenge Roster:
Cadel Evans (AUS),
Mathias Frank (SUI),
George Hincapie (USA),
Taylor Phinney (USA),
Ivan Santaromita (ITA),
Michael Schдr (SUI),
Johann Tschopp (SUI),
Tejay van Garderen (USA).
Sport Directors: Michael Sayers (USA) & Thomas Craven (USA).

The US Pro Challenge:

RadioShack-Nissan-Trek Line-Up for Poitou-Charentes
Tour International du Poitou-Charentes (France) – UCI 2.1 (August 21-24)
Riders:
Ben Hermans,
Giacomo Nizzolo,
Yaroslav Popovych,
Joost Posthuma,
Jesse Sergent,
Robert Wagner,
Haimar Zubeldia.
Director: Dirk Demol.

Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank for the Tour of Denmark
The Post Danmark Rundt or Tour of Denmark starts on the 22nd of August and runs through to the 26th with six stages, including a split stage on the 25th with a 90 kilometres road race in the morning and a 14.5 kilometre TT in the afternoon.

Saxo/Tinkoff Riders:
Juan Jose Haedo,
Jonathan Cantwell,
Michael Morkov,
Jonas Aaen,
Christopher Juul,
Mads Christensen,
Manuele Boaro,
Jaroslaw Marycz.

Stages:
1. Randers-Randers 191 kms.
2. Logstor-Aarhus 211 kms.
3. Silkeborg-Vejle 185 kms.
4. Ringe-Odense 90 kms.
5. Kerteminde 14.5 kms TT.
6. Slagelse-Frederiksberg 165 kms.

Davis Phinney Foundation Fundraiser Will Include BMC Racing Team
Press Release: A unique opportunity to meet members of the BMC Racing Team is only part of the excitement of the inaugural “Living the Ride” event, a fundraiser for the Davis Phinney Foundation that will take place after the final stage of the USA Pro Challenge.

Once-In-A-Lifetime Event
Tour de France participants Cadel Evans, George Hincapie and Tejay van Garderen and U.S. Olympian Taylor Phinney will be among the BMC Racing Team riders at the multi-faceted event at Denver’s Grand Hyatt Hotel on Sunday, Aug. 26 at 5:30 p.m. They will be joined by members of the historic 7-Eleven Pro Cycling Team – the first American team to compete in the Tour de France – for a night that includes a four-course gourmet dinner, cycling fashion show, book signing and silent auction. “This is truly one of those once-in-a-lifetime opportunities you can’t pass up,” BMC Racing Team President/General Manager Jim Ochowicz said. “Whether you have been a cycling fan for 30 years, three years, or only the past three months, to have a chance to meet some of cycling’s greatest riders of yesterday and today and some of the stars of tomorrow is well worth the price of admission.”

Benefits The Davis Phinney Foundation
Joining Davis Phinney from the 7-Eleven team will be fellow riders Raul Alcala, Chris Carmichael, Dr. Eric Heiden, Ron Kiefel, Jeff Pierce and Tom Schuler. The book signing session features Ochowicz’s book, “Team 7-Eleven: How an Unsung Band of American Cyclists Took on the World” and Davis Phinney signing his book, “The Happiness of Pursuit: A Father’s Courage, a Son’s Love and Life’s Steepest Climb.” “Top Chef” season five winner Hosea Rosenberg of Blackbelly Catering will prepare the gourmet dinner and the fashion show will feature apparel from BMC Racing Team sponsors Hincapie Sportswear, lululemon and 2XU.

Tickets are $250 each and are available through the event’s official website, www.cyclingsoul.com.www.cyclingsoul.com. Proceeds from the event benefit the Davis Phinney Foundation for Parkinson’s, which was founded in 2004. The foundation is committed to supporting programs and research that delivers inspiration, information and tools that will enable people living with Parkinsons to take more control in managing their disease.

Davis Phinney back in 1989:

British Cycling Leads the way with Games Legacy
Tickets go on sale for Track World Cup as Glasgow makes its debut on the international cycling stage.

Press Release: The Olympic flame has only just gone out but British Cycling is already underway with plans to continue the London 2012 legacy and build on the phenomenal success of the Great Britain Cycling Team.

Reaffirming its commitment to growing the audience for cycling in the UK, British Cycling has confirmed that it has already lined up three national and international events to continue the Games legacy: the British National Track Championships in Manchester at the end of September, a Track World Cup round in Glasgow in November and a UCI BMX Supercross World Cup round in Manchester in April 2013.

Kicking off the action for home fans will be The British Cycling National Track Championships at the Manchester Velodrome from 26th-30th September 2012. The championships are the traditional competitive curtain raiser to the winter season and offer new fans a great way to get acquainted with the sport.

Following the national championships the action heads north of the border as the second round of the UCI Track Cycling World Cup Classics sees Glasgow make its debut on the international stage from 16th-18th November 2012. It will be the first major event to be staged at the new Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome, which forms part of the Ј113million Commonwealth Arena. Tickets will go on sale to British Cycling members at 2pm on 16th August before going on general sale at 12 noon on 22nd August and can be purchased via www.ticketmaster.co.uk. Spectators are encouraged to book their tickets early to avoid disappointment as high demand is expected.

Chair of Glasgow Life and the Executive Member for the Commonwealth Games, Councillor Archie Graham, said: “The London 2012 Olympic Games captured the imagination of the nation, with the sensational performances of the Team GB cycling team among the real highlights. The atmosphere at the Olympic velodrome was incredible and we can’t wait to get a feel for that when the Track Work Cup comes to the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome in November.”

“Glasgow is one of the world’s leading sporting cities in part thanks to our world-class events programme, which is growing all the time as we continue to invest in the very best facilities. And as we look ahead to the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games, the Track World Cup will give people the chance to see just what they can expect when the world’s top cyclists go for gold in our new velodrome.”

Paul Bush OBE, Chief Operating Officer for EventScotland said: “Scotland is the perfect stage for events, and with the opening of the new Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome we can proudly add the sport of track cycling to our extensive portfolio of major international events. Following the success of Sir Chris and his fellow Team GB athletes at the Olympics, the excitement and enthusiasm for the World Cup event in Glasgow is going to be huge.”

All of the latest information about all upcoming events, joining British Cycling and getting involved with cycling can be found on the British Cycling website: www.britishcycling.org.uk.

A David Brailsford Video Tribute
Vanessa from Viral Verse has sent us another new video, this time GB and Sky supremo; David Brailsford. “Big respect to Dave Brailsford, Performance Director of British Cycling. The GB cycle teams were spectacular to watch in the London 2012 Olympics!! This is my small offering of tribute.”

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