The Sticky Bidon – February 10, 2011

Posted on February 10, 2011 by

Fotoreporter Sirotti

Interesting cycling items from across the Internet, February 10, 2011


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2011 Team-By-Team Season Preview: Lampre-ISD

Posted on February 10, 2011 by


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Each year, Pavé previews the upcoming road season with a countdown of the top-20 teams in the sport. Today we picked things up with #13—here’s #12.

#12 – Lampre-ISD

Lampre finished 2010 as one of the sport’s most underrated teams. But with the majority of the team’s wins coming thanks to Alessandro Petacchi—a rider long-suspected of having doped to obtain them—it’s easy to see why.

But let’s do one better than CONI and take Petacchi out of the equation—there’s still a lot of talent here.  Even better, much of it is still under the age of 26.  (The team’s average age is only 29—and that’s with two 36-year-olds on the squad.)

Of Lampre’s young stars, Francesco Gavazzi, Grega Bole, Simon Spilak, and Diego Ulissi are the four names you should get used to hearing.  Gavazzi won a stage at Pais Vasco last year as well as the Coppa Agostoni.  A classics rider in the making, he’s someone who could win Milan-San Remo from a group and Fleche Wallonne on the Mur de Huy.  He doesn’t seem to enjoy the cobbles, but should he develop in a fashion similar to Philippe Gilbert, the hillier of those races could enter into his repertoire.

Grega Bole really came on last summer, winning a stage at the Dauphiné before becoming a critical member of Petacchi’s lead-out in the Tour.  With several top finishes on his 2010 resume stretching from Paris-Nice all the way to Worlds, the 25-year-old Slovenian is one to watch this spring. As for Spilak, he actually won last year’s Tour of Romandie after the disqualification of Alejandro Valverde. It’s a shame really—at 24-years of age he might have received more credit for finishing second than he did for assuming the win after Valverde’s DQ.

Finally we have Ulissi, a 21-year-old who took his first professional win at the GP Industria & Commercio di Prato last September.  Wisely used sparingly by Lampre last season, Ulissi will get more chances to compete in some of the Wolrds toughest races this season, perhaps getting his crack at a Grand Tour in the Giro.

But there’s more to Lampre-ISD than just young talent—at least General Manager Giuseppe Saronni hopes there is.  All eyes will be on Damiano Cunego to see if the Italian can rebound from a disastrous 2010.  He’s reportedly given-up his Grand Tour delusions for good now (although all bets are off by July), in favor of a concentrated focus on the Ardennes classics, Worlds (this year’s not the year though), Lombardia, and Grand Tour stage wins.  Cunego’s not quite 30—a startling fact considering the length of his career up to now.  If the Little Prince can rediscover the fitness that won him Amstel and Lombardia in 2008, Saronni will be a happy man.

Overall, Lampre-ISD is a surprisingly deep team that could be one of the best in the sport if its captains perform as expected. And if Petacchi manages to avoid suspension and win some races—that’s fine too!

Man of the Hour: Michele Scarponi comes to Lampre after a season in which he finished second in Tirreno-Adriatico and the Tour of Lombardy, and fourth in the Giro d’Italia.  For an Italian squad, results like these are invaluable.  With an impressive team supporting him and undisputed captaincy throughout the 3-week event, Scarponi should contend for a spot on the Giro’s final podium—especially on such a difficult parcours.  He’s also someone to watch in the Ardennes—Fleche Wallonne is a race for which he’s perfectly suited—unless he rides for Cunego.

On the Hot Seat: Petacchi’s on the Hot Seat for obvious reasons—it’s looking more and more as if he’s about to be implicated in the latest round of Italian doping investigations.  As for Damiano Cunego, he just needs to regain his stride—a win in the Ardennes would be a terrific way to do it.

Up-and-Comer: Bole, Spilak, Ulessi—take your pick!

Best Pick-Up: Grand Tour podium contenders don’t fall from trees—even if they come with a bit of “baggage” (who doesn’t these days?).  Michele Scarponi is a terrific pick-up for a team in need of a legitimate Grand Tour GC captain.

Biggest Loss: Mauro Da Dalto and Simone Ponzi didn’t light the world on fire, but they’re exactly the type of domestiques every team needs in order to win important races.  Dedicated, resilient, and occasionally able to score a result of their own, Lampre’s loss is Liquigas’ gain.

And that’s it for #12.  Come back tomorrow for #11 as well as a preview of this weekend’s events.

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2011 Team-By-Team Season Preview: Movistar

Posted on February 10, 2011 by

Fotoreporter Sirotti


Each year, Pavé previews the upcoming road season with a countdown of the top-20 teams in the sport.  Today the Preview continues with #13.

#13 – Movistar

Part of the “fun” of the Season Preview/Review process is getting halfway into it and realizing you’ve perhaps over or underestimated a team or two.  At least a preview gives one a bit more leeway in their estimations—after all, we’re talking about potential right?  Case in point: Movistar.

Movistar might be the first over-ranked team of this year’s Preview—at least on paper.  With few recognizable names, one can be excused for wondering how and why they made it this far.  But give them a chance—they might surprise you (they’ve already won more races than several teams).  Sure, they lost Luis Leon Sanchez and Alejandro Valverde’s been suspended. But Eusebio Unzue has proven himself to be a fine judge of talent—especially of the Spanish-speaking variety—and I’m certain he’s discovered a few future stars.

Beñat Intxausti is the first name to remember—even if you can’t pronounce it. After a second-place finish in last year’s Tour of the Basque Country and third in the Vuelta Asturias, the former Euskaltel rider looks ready to take the next step.  He underwhelmed in the Vuelta, but with another year in his legs, the 24-year-old should continue to progress.

Unzue’s best signing will likely turn-out to be Xavier Tondo.  Tondo finished sixth in last year’s Vuelta and quickly found a home after the announcement of Cervelo TestTeam’s demise.  The biggest knock against him is his age—he’s 32—but with a team more or less dedicated to supporting him in the mountains of France and Spain, there’s hope of top-10 finish in France and a top-5 in Spain.

As for the rest, David Arroyo’s a candidate for another top-10 finish in the Giro, while José Ivan Gutierrez and Francisco Ventoso are always good for a few wins.  Ignatas Konovalovas is someone to watch for the odd ITT victory here and there—especially during the final week of the Giro.

Overall, I have a hunch that Movistar will win more races than many will have expected as Unzue and his riders have a knack for pulling rabbits out of a hat—who knows, by next year we might be talking about his next superstar-to-be.

Man of the Hour: Few took Xavi Tondo seriously when he held on to win Stage 6 of last year’s Paris-Nice.  But after the Spaniard finished second at the Volta Catalunya, it was clear that Cervelo TestTeam had stumbled upon some talent.  After an up-and-down Giro, “Xavi” was given a chance to lead his team at September’s Vuelta, where he rode consistently to finish sixth overall in Madrid.  Now he gets his chance to lead Movistar into the 2011 Tour de France.

On the Hot Seat: David Arroyo shocked a lot of people by finishing second in the 2010 Giro d’Italia.  While the result was his third top-10 finish in the Italian Grand Tour, it was certainly several places higher (about eight) than many thought possible. He’ll be hard-pressed to equal last year’s performance in 2011.

Up-and-Comer: At 25, Jose Joaquin Rojas is Spain’s best sprinter since Oscar Freire.  After several top-10 finishes in last year’s Tour de France, the Movistar rider is already off to winning start in 2011 thanks to a victory in the Trofeo Deija at this week’s Challenge Mallorca.  While Rojas will likely never challenge Cavendish, Farrar, and Greipel, he’s more than capable of holding his own in smaller stage races—perhaps a win in the Giro or Vuelta is in the cards should things go well.

Best Pick-Up: I touted the merits of Branislau Samoilau in last year’s Preview—he did little to indicate my hype was unjustified.  (Unfortunately, he also did little to prove that it was.) Regardless, I still think the 25-year-old Belorussian is someone to watch—especially now that he rides for a team that’s a bit more Grand Tour-focused than Quick Step.  With time, he should build on his top-10 stage finishes in last year’s Giro and his twelfth-place GC ride at the Dauphiné.

Biggest Loss: Luis Leon won several major races over the course of his time with Caisse d’Epargne.  Had Unzue found a replacement sponsor in time Sanchez might have stayed around for another few years as the team offered a climate in which the Spaniard clearly thrived.  He’ll be missed.

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International Cyclocross Weekend Preview

Posted on February 10, 2011 by

Photo courtesy of Tim Van Wichelen


On Saturday, Middelkerke, Belgium plays host to the final installation of the Cyclocross Superprestige. Last weekend, in Hoogstraten, Sven Nys clinched his victory, holding his hands in the air to indicate his tenth overall victory in the Superprestige. Regardless, start contracts remain in place, so the big guns will still toe the line, and besides, the battle for second place remains wide open, with Zdenek Stybar, Kevin Pauwels, and Niels Albert all within striking distance. Of the three, Kevin Pauwels has the most to gain – Stybar has won the rainbow jersey, and Albert won the UCI World Cup. A second place in the Superprestige would be a nice honor for Pauwels, and would bode well for his chances of taking on Nys in the finale of the GvA Trofee next week.

On Sunday, a smaller group of elite riders head to the Grote Prijs Heus in Heerlen. Some big names toeing the line there, notably Stybar, Pauwels, Mourey, Aernouts, de Knegt, and Walsleben, but with a smaller field, we might be in for some surprises in the top ten – perhaps even American Jonathan Page, who rode to 10th place in Hoogstraten last weekend. Also on Sunday is the C2 race GP Stad Eeklo, which promises appearances from top riders including Stybar and Pauwels, but considering the fact that those two are also on the start list of Heerlen, I’m not sure what to expect.

Overall, it’s a quiet weekend – Superprestige is all but determined, and the finale of the GvA Trofee is not until next weekend. It’s possible that some of the biggest engines will be easy on their legs and we may see some perpetual top-five or top-seven level racers making their way to the podium. There’s nothing I’d like more than to see a big, late-season win from a rider who rides in the long shadows of the biggest names in the sport.

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The Sticky Bidon – February 9, 2011

Posted on February 9, 2011 by

Fotoreporter Sirotti


Interesting cycling items from across the Internet, February 9, 2011


Seen any cool links we missed? Share ’em in the comments below!

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It’s Not Over Until the French Champion Wins

Posted on February 9, 2011 by


Fotoreporter Sirotti


Laurent Mangel thought he won today’s stage–Thomas Voeckler had another thing in mind.


Fotoreporter Sirotti


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