WWRDN? (What Will Riis Do Now?)

Posted on January 28, 2011 by

Fotoreporter Sirotti

Bjarne Riis just can’t catch a break. First he loses a massive chunk of his team and support staff to LEOPARD TREK, and now he’s poised to lose Alberto Contador for a year due to his positive test for Clenbuterol. What’s a Riis to do?

We here at Pavé have a few suggestions:

  1. Secretly campaign to uphold the radio ban. When he fails to show any results this year, claim it wasn’t his fault, but the result of no race radios
  2. Buy Telenet-Fidea and, just to hedge his bets, Landbouwkrediet and BKCP, so he can say Saxo won CX worlds in 2011
  3. Convince Zomegnan to not invite Geox-TMC to the Giro. Get Menchov to activate his contract’s “no Grand Tour, no Denis” doomsday clause. Help him achieve a podium position no one remembers in the Tour de France.
  4. Convince Jan Ullrich to put down the Nutella, and pick up a bike
  5. Come out of retirement, sign a deal with Gerber Assist, win all three GT’s and maybe a classic or two.
  6. Go shopping in the Pegasus buy one get one free aisle. (We hear Trent Lowe is looking…)
  7. Build his team for all of the one-week Tours everyone uses for training. Dominate.

Bjarne needs all the help he can get! Give your suggestions below!

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Weekend Preview – Calabria and Marseille

Posted on January 28, 2011 by

Fotoreporter Sirotti

The European road season begins this weekend with the traditional season openers in Italy and France: the 2.1 Giro della Provincia di Reggio Calabria and the 1.1 Grand Prix la Marseillaise.

A race traditionally known to favor Italian teams, Calabria began earlier today with Lampre’s Daniele Pietropoli taking the stage win over Fabio Taborre (Acqua & Sapone) and José Serpa (Androni-Giacotelli).  Last year, the Stage 1 winner, Matteo Montaguti, went on the win the overall title of the 3-day event, as the first stage traditionally is the only one to produce any significant time gaps.  Given the gaps and parcours of the 2011 edition, feel safe penciling in the Lampre rider now.

Pietropoli also rides with arguably the strongest team in the race—Lampre also has Damiano Cunego, Francesco Gavazzi, and Diego Ulissi in the fold, with Gavazzi a good bet to win one or two of the flatter stages still to come.  As for the rest of the field, Androni Giocattoli has started the season on a winning note with Serpa and Roberto Ferrari winning stages at the Tour de San Luis in Argentina.  Ferrari, the faster finisher of the two, could add to his season tally in Calabria.  That said, Francisco Ginanni’s a talented rider as well—he and Ferrari could prove to be the event’s fastest duo.

Liquigas was also in Argentina last week; they bring Daniel Oss, a youngster to watch in this year’s classics, to Calabria.  Oss finished tenth in today’s first stage—he’s another fast finisher who should contend over the next few days.

As for the rest, other riders to watch here include Acqua & Sapone’s Danilo Napolitano, Colnago-CSF Inox’s Sacha Modolo, and Miche’s Stefan Schumacher (who finished sixth today).  It also bears mentioning that Calabria will be Kevin Hulsman’s first race with his new Donckers Koffie-Jelly Belly squad—I wonder how long before Tom Boonen misses his trusted diesel?  And that’s it—we’re still weeks away from the seeing the star-studded startlists we so crave as most of the season’s biggest protagonists will be making their debuts later in Spain and North Africa.

Moving to France, the traditional French opener, the GP la Marseillaise, takes place Sunday, with a startlist filled with French teams and foreign professional continental squads taking advantage of the warmest invitations they can get at this point in the season—with one exception.

Pro Tour team Vacansoleil came close to winning this race last year with Johnny Hoogerland.  The team returns this weekend hoping to go one better with Hoogerland, Roman Feillu, Bjorn Leukemans, Marco Mancato, and the ever-aggressive Ricardo Ricco on board.  (If they can quit bickering long enough to try and win, don’t be surprised to see Ricco the one doing it.)  Without a doubt, they have the strongest roster of any team taking the start—and if the French teams are smart, the burden of making and controlling the race.

Other startlist highlights include last year’s winner Jonathan Hivert leading Saur-Sojasun in the team’s first race since being invited to the Tour de France; Eurocar’s debut with Thomas Voeckler; Cofidis’ Samuel Dumoulin, Julain El Fares, and Rein Taarame; and FDJ’s Remi Pauriol, Thibaut Pinot, and Benoit Vaugrenard.  Other men to watch include Landbouwkrediet’s Bert Scheirlinckx, Katusha’s Vladimir Gusev, and Team Type 1’s European debut as a Professional Continental squad.

As far as predictions go, I see Gavazzi, Ferrari, Oss, and Modolo lighting things up in Italy, while one of Vacansoleil’s captains takes the win in France—over a Frenchman.

Share your comments, picks, and predictions below.

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Cyclocross World Championship Preview

Posted on January 28, 2011 by


Photo courtesy of Alberto Concejal



Initial reports from St-Wendel in advance of this weekend’s Cyclocross World Championship races are that it will be bitterly cold. If there’s no snow, the frozen ground will be hard and fast. The course does feature some tricky sections – Podium Insight tweeted a picture of reigning champion Zdenek Stybar having a bit of difficulty with an off-camber section during some practice runs.

Elite Men

The last time that the World Championships were in St-Wendel, in 2005, Belgians swept the podium, and with the strength of this year’s team, it appears a possibility again. However, rumors of infighting suggest it’s entirely possible for somebody else to take advantage of a less-than-harmonious Belgian team and leap away for the victory as Belgians stare each other down, each unwilling to work for the other.

Favorites:
Niels Albert is the the hands-down favorite, who has dominated this winter. If anybody can beat him, though, it might be Zdenek Stybar. Styby, the Czech Champion, can be damn near untouchable at times, as he demonstrated with seven consecutive wins early this season. More recently, he took time off due to injury, and retreated from racing to focus on training. Without the fatigue of a full season, he may be poised to ride away with the win; but without recent races in his legs, he may lack a step. Recently, Kevin Pauwels has come into fine form, beating Albert in a two-up sprint in Pont-Chateau two weeks ago and coming in 2nd to Albert in Hoogerheide last weekend. He’s capable of winning races, but hasn’t shown the ability to dominate the other contenders. Expect a high placing from Pauwels, and though not out of the cards, a win would be fairly surprising.

Outside chances:
Sven Nys knows how to win a race, but for much of this past month, has been chasing the leaders. It’s difficult to write him off entirely, but he’s lost a step compared to some of his rivals. Adding further depth to the Belgian contingent is Bart Wellens, a savvy veteran with two World Championships and three National Championships under his belt. He can pull out a brilliant ride when you least expect, as evident by his 2nd place in this year’s Belgian National Championships.

Shots at the podium:
Francis Mourey is tenacious in a fast race. I waver between faith and disappointment in Mourey, but think that in a fast, close race, he can stay near the front and eek out a good result. Belgian Tom Meeusen‘s career is off to a good start – he’s got two big wins this season. Klaas Vantornout has had a grip of top-ten rides of late and is a threat to ride onto the low step of the podium.

Best of the rest: Challenging Mourey for the highest-placed Frenchman will be Steve Chainel. Dutchman Gerben de Knegt and German Philipp Walsleben are likely to aim for top-ten rides. USA’s best shot looks to be Tim Johnson, who has had a few respectable placings in his European campaign this past month.

Elite Women

American Katie Compton is looking to win her first World Championship. She’s no stranger to winning, having won seven consecutive National Championships, and with five World Cup wins under her belt this season. Last year, leg cramps spoiled her attempt to finally pull on the rainbow stripes. The two woman who could give her a solid run for her money are Hanka Kupfernagel, who has won seven consecutive medals at Worlds, and Marianne Vos. Vos, the defending World Champion is only 23 years old and might be the baddest ass bike racer on the planet, who can boast World Championships in cyclocross, road, and on the track, along with an Olympic gold medal – to say nothing of a handful of Fleche-Wallone wins, and podiums at the Ronde.

Pavé Picks

Erik:

  • Elite men: Sven Nys, Niels Albert, Zdenek Stybar, Francis Mourey, Philip Walsleben.
  • Elite women: Hanka Kupfernagel, Katie Compton, Marianne Vos

Erik says: “I always choose Nys, and I’m always wrong. Stybar has put it all on worlds this year, but with all the distractions, I wouldn’t be surprised if he misses the podium.”

Jeff

  • Elite men: Niels Albert, Zdenek Stybar, Kevin Pauwels, Sven Nys, Bart Wellens.
  • Elite Women: Katie Compton, Marianne Vos, Hanka Kupfernagel

Jeff says: “Erik, I’ll give you a dollar if Mourey beats Steve Chainel.”

Ciaran

  • Elite men: Zdenek Stybar, Niels Albert, Kevin Pauwels, Sven Nys, Bart Wellens
  • Elite women: Katie Compton, Marianne Vos, Hanka Kupfernagel, Helen Wyman

Ciaran says: “Nys didn’t impress me at all, and I think Wellens has a good hand of cards but is playing them very close to his chest.”

Whit

  • Elite men: Zdenek Stybar, Niels Albert, Philip Walsleben

Whit says: “Stybar does well in the cold and should be in super form. Walsleben will benefit from the Belgians effectively blocking each other off the podium.”

Mattio

  • Elite men: Kevin Pauwels, Niels Albert, Zdenek Stybar, Sven Nys, Francis Mourey
  • Elite women: Katie Compton, Marianne Vos, Hanka Kupfernagel.

Mattio says: “If the course is fast, I see a reply of Pont-Chateau, with Pauwels taking Albert to the line. And I’m reviving my hope in Francis Mourey!”

See also this week’s Power Rankings, and Valentin Scherz’s picks for Worlds!

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The Sticky Bidon – January 27, 2011

Posted on January 28, 2011 by

Interesting cycling items from across the Internet, January 27, 2011

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

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Review of the Week: The Sufferfest

Posted on January 27, 2011 by

 

www.thesufferfest.com


As Pavé’s readership increases (something for which we are extremely humbled and grateful), we’ve been surprised to find there are actually companies eager to send us products to review and share with you.  So in an effort to find a tasteful, unobtrusive way to honor such requests, here’s the first installment of our new, semi-regular column: “Review of the Week”.  This week’s ROW takes a look at The Sufferfest, a series of indoor training videos from Singapore’s (yes, Singapore!) Sufferfest Studios.

While training for a charity ride across Tibet and Nepal (wow), Sufferfest Studios Founder, David McQuillen struggled to find indoor workouts that were simple, effective, and perhaps most importantly, entertaining.  One day, while daydreaming about the days when he and his brother used to ride the trainer while watching videos of their Tour de France heroes, The Sufferfest was born.  It’s a simple idea really—by combining challenging workouts with actual race footage and an inspiring but not distracting soundtrack, you get about an hour of affordable, portable—and yes, painful—fun.

Each 60 to 85-minute video begins with some brief easy-to-follow instructions and a reminder that words such as “pain” and “suffer” are used only for entertainment value (a complete and utter lie), you’re off on your warm-up—a cruise through town, a local training ride, or a trip down a riverside bike path.

At this point, I recommend pausing the video and taking some time to stretch a bit.  These videos are hard—very hard if you do them properly—and a good stretch of your hamstrings, calves, quads, and back will go a long toward ensuring you’re not sore afterward.  Besides, if you don’t incorporate some stretching into your regular trainer routine, you’re already doing yourself a disservice.

Back to The Sufferfest and its carefully chosen mix of challenging workouts, inspiring music, and exciting race UCI footage.  I won’t ruin the fun for you, but let’s just say that an hour with The Sufferfest will be one of the most challenging and entertaining indoor workouts you have ever done from the comfort of your own basement or living room.

There is room for improvement though.  First of all, some of the race footage gets repeated several times over the course of the workout.  While it doesn’t detract seriously from the overall experience, there are times when you’ll wish you could see something other than the backs of the same three riders every time you launch an attack or lay down a serious effort.

These videos also don’t leave much room for those still building their training base.  If you’re just getting back onto the bike after several weeks (or in my case, months) of eating, drinking, and being merry, you’ll struggle to complete the workouts at the levels being asked of you.  Don’t get me wrong, you’ll have fun watching and listening nonetheless, but you’ll miss the benefits of the workouts as they have been designed.

But overall, for $10.99 and $16.99 for individual and group licenses respectively, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a more entertaining indoor training alternative. If I were you, I’d grab some friends and download all of the titles currently available with group licenses. While I won’t go so far as to say you’ll now get excited to ride the trainer, I can say that on the days you know you have no other option, you might look forward to doing it with The Sufferfest.

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Letters from Abroad – Valentin’s Picks for Worlds

Posted on January 27, 2011 by

Photo by Anthony Skorochod, Cyclingcaptured

For the past two seasons, Valentin Scherz, a 20-year-old elite cyclocross racer from Switzerland, has come to the US to compete in races as part of the Philadelphia Cyclocross School program. This season he was captain of their 2010 Cyfac-Champion Systems p/b Revolution Wheelworks Team. In 2010, Scherz successfully defended his Mid Atlantic Cyclocross Series titles (Elite & U23), while also competing in other events including Cross Vegas, Gloucester, Providence, and a few rounds of the USGP, winning five races and standing on the elite podium 11 times.

Scherz has since returned to Switzerland and is now competing in World Cup and other major European events as preparation for the World Championships, where he hopes to improve upon his 23rd-place from last year. Valentin’s graciously agreed to check-in with us periodically throughout the rest of the season, sharing his experiences and insights with us all from the perspective of someone who has competed at the top level both domestically and abroad.

Since returning from the US, I’ve competed in a number of top races and World Cup events, so it is interesting to see who is on form.  I’ve been asked to present my view of the favorites for the World Championships.  With exception of the women’s race, it looks to be fairly open.

For the elite men I see Niels Albert (BEL) or Zdenek Stybar (CZE) winning.  Albert just won the Belgian championships, which in a sense might be even more difficult than Worlds.  With his month off due to injury, Stybar should be well-rested and in form to defend his title.   I see it as a two-man fight, especially considering Sven Nys (BEL) has been ill, and Lars Boom (NED) will not be there to compete.

As challengers I see Kevin Pauwels (BEL) and Tom Meeusen (BEL); they are both fast with strong technical skills.   Maybe Nys will be back soon and recovered—only time will tell.  I am curious to see how Francis Mourey (FRA) performs, since he managed his season very differently by mostly staying home in France & Switzerland, and not competing much in Belgium or in the World Cup races.  The others I have mentioned have podiumed at the World Cups, so I expect the Worlds podium to be reflective of this, without many outsiders.

For the U23 race, it is wide open.  I expect to see especially Vincent Baestaens (BEL), Lars Van den Haar (NED), and a few other Belgians at the front.  I hope that my friend and teammate Arnaud Grand will also be at the front, and improve upon his 4th place finish last year.  He is capable, and as shown during the Swiss Championships, is very fit.  But there are a lot of fast guys, and the race will be very nervous.  Riders will take risks and anything can happen.

For the juniors, Lars Forster (SWI) is very strong; he is the reigning European Champion, and recently won a world cup.  I see him winning.

As for the women’s race, it’s going to be a fight between Katie Compton (USA) and Marianne Vos (NED).  I see Compton as the clear favorite to win as she has dominated most of the races this year.

That’s it for me–time to get some rest for the weekend!




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