Monday Musette – Paris-Nice Wrap-Up, Sad News from Poland, & One Great Ride

Posted on March 15, 2010 by

Here’s today’s Monday Musette:

1. Let’s begin with yesterday’s completion of Paris-Nice, where Astana’s Alberto Contador kept his cool to survive an onslaught of attacks from Caisse d’Epargne to win his second Paris-Nice. Give me some credit for predicting the top-3—even though I had Contador and Valverde in the wrong positions.

Here’s what we noticed:
–Astana and Katusha work well together. Maybe it was just a coincidence, but I found it interesting to see Katusha—not Astana—setting the pace at several points during yesterday’s stage. Were they trying to place Joaquim Rodriguez higher on the GC? Maybe, but more likely a deal was made where Katusha offered support to Astana for a favor to-be-named-later.

–Peter Sagan’s for real. At one point, I thought he was going to win a third stage on Saturday. Liquigas heads to Milan with perhaps the strongest overall team for Saturday’s La Primavera. If they’re smart, they’ll work to keep the young Slovakian tucked safely near the front of the pack, ready for the attacks on the Cipressa and Poggio, as well as a possible small group sprint. He’ll be one of my top favorites in Friday’s Milan-San Remo Preview.

–Where was Levi Leipheimer? If you’re Johan Bruyneel, you’re worried.

–The French rode a respectable race, taking two stages and placing two riders in the top-10. Cofidis’s Reim Taaramae might be Estonian, but he rode a fantastic race as well—I might have learn how to spell his name as we could be seeing more of it.

–Watch-out for Sylvain Chavanel when we get to Belgium. He put in some attacks here and there during the week and is certainly hoping to be peaking in 10-days time. With Stijn Devolder conspicuously absent down in Italy, Chavanel looks to be Quick Step’s #2 man for the cobbled classics.

–Nicholas Roche appears closer and closer to earning a big win—he finished 11th in Paris-Nice. Look for a top-10 result this Saturday—if his team’s up to the challenge of keeping him in contention.

2. Moving to Tirreno-Adriatico, the action over the last 3 days has been pretty exciting as we’ve seen some difficult finishes. As we expected, Michele Scarponi and Stefano Garzelli seem to be waging a two-man civil war for the GC, while Cadel Evans lurks in 3rd. We’ll let the race finish tomorrow before making our final judgments, but for now I’ll say this: the next 3 weeks should be very exciting.

3. I wasn’t surprised to hear of the Szczepaniak brothers testing positive for EPO at Cyclocross Worlds this past January. And while I smirked at how obvious their transgressions were after the fact, I’m saddened to have heard the news of younger brother Kacper’s suicide attempt following the news. First of all, let’s hope the kids get some help as clearly they have bigger problems than giving back their medals. But the bigger question remains: when will we learn that doping goes beyond just being a cheater. It’s like faulting a student for failing an exam without considering the fact that they can’t read. Maybe there’s a better analogy, but at some point I hope the UCI, WADA, and the IOC devote some money to not only catching dopers, but also to researching why they do it in the first place.

4. Here are two great sites I found recently—one from New Zealand and one from Italy. They’re connected, but I’ll let you read to find out for yourself. Great stuff!

5. Thanks for finding this video, BQ. Close your eyes if you’re squeamish.

6. And finally, I don’t talk about my own riding too much, but yesterday I participated in a ride that was too good not to share. It’s called the Philadelphia Spring Classic; it’s unsanctioned, unadvertised, and unlisted—but if you know someone who knows someone, you can get the details. Occurring over 3 weeks, the Classic incorporates some of the dirtiest, narrowest, and craziest roads, trails, and paths Philadelphia has to offer. Each week is about 55 miles in length—If you ride all 3 “stages” you’ve completed the equivalent of a “real” classic and have earned the right to enjoy a cold stout and a warm cigar upon crossing the finish line.

Due to NAHBS and some family commitments last weekend, I was only able to partake in yesterday’s final stage—luckily the wind, rain, and cold temperatures arrived to celebrate my participation. What ensued was several hours of some of the most fun I’ve ever had on my bike including one crash (not me), several flats (not me), at least two flasks of hooch (okay, I had a little), several cans of sardine “nourishment” (not quite there yet), and one leg-cramping ascent up The Wall in Manayunk.

I’ll be certain to make arrangements for next year’s event well in advance—those cigars looked mighty satisfying.

As always, thanks for reading—share your comments below.

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Paris-Nice & Tirreno-Adriatico Live Streams

Posted on March 13, 2010 by

Here are to USA-friendly links to live streams of today’s racing in France and Italy.  They’re a bit slow, but better than nothing.

Enjoy!

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Weekend Preview – Paris-Nice and Tirreno-Adriatico

Posted on March 12, 2010 by

This weekend’s main festivities take place in France and Italy with the conclusion of Paris-Nice and the continuation of Tirreno-Adriatico. So far, the racing’s gone more or less as expected in both events: the Spanish are ruling the Race to the Sun and sprinters and breakaways have traded punches in Tirreno.

The current GC in Paris-Nice holds few surprises. Thanks to his peloton-shattering attack on La Croix Neuve in Thursday’s Stage 4 to Mende, the Astana rider leads his compatriot, Alejandro Valverde, by 20 seconds and Liquigas’ Roman Kreuziger by 25. Valverde’s teammate and defending Paris-Nice champion, Luis Leon Sanchez, sits in 4th with Euskaltel’s Samuel Sanchez tucked just behind in 5th. While seemingly indomitable, Contador’s lead is anything but assured. A 20-second deficit is not much, especially when the task of overcoming it lies in the capable hands of Valverde. With Leon Sanchez close to the lead as well, Caisse d’Epargne possesses a numerical advantage over the other favorites; they need to double-team Contador, subjecting him and his relatively weaker Astana team to a constant series of attacks. Throw Roman Kreuziger and Samuel Sanchez into the mix, and Contador’s lead begins to look even shakier—if they all ride aggressively.

Aside from the battle for GC supremacy, Paris-Nice has proven to be the coming-out party for Peter Sagan, Liquigas’ young (he’s 19!) superstar. Pavé’s been talking about Sagan as early as the Tour Down Under, where he impressed the likes of one Mr. Armstrong with several strong performances. With two stage wins this week, he seems to be this year’s revelation—a la Heinrich Haussler and Edvald Boassen Hagen.

And speaking of Haussler, he dropped-out of the race midway through Stage 4—his knee’s still bothering him, apparently. One hopes he can recover in time to do battle in Milan-San Remo and the cobbled classics, the races where he announced his stardom last year.

As for the final two stages, tomorrow’s Stage 6 features 8 categorized climbs including the 1st Category Col de Vence—although its summit lies about 35 kilometers from the uphill finish in Tourettes-sur-Loup. This will be the first chance for Contador’s challengers to earn back some time. Sunday’s final stage features three 1st Category ascents: the Col de la Porte, La Tarbie, and the Col d’Eze. Paris-Nice has been decided on the last day in the past—this year might provide a similar finale.

As for Tirreno-Adriatico, we expected a clash between breakaways, sprints, and the weather. So far, all has progressed as expected with a breakaway succeeding in Stage 1—Milram got another win from Linus Gerdemann—and sprinters finding success in Stages 2 and 3 with Tom Boonen and Daniele Bennati taking the victories. As for the overall, Bennati holds the lead by a mere 4 seconds over Gerdemann and Boonen.

Tomorrow’s stage might produce an exciting arrivo—the last 8 kilometers are quite difficult, with two ascents containing pitches over 15%. Look for a strongman to take the win, possibly a rider like Philippe Gilbert or Filippo Pozzato. Cadel Evans lurks back in 9th-place on GC; a strong finish from him could put BMC atop the podium and into an overall leader’s jersey for the first time this season. Sunday’s Stage 5 offers an interesting finish as well. The line comes 1km after a short, but sharp climb with an average gradient of 15% (it’s steepest section is 20%). This might be an even better day for the men we’ve already mentioned—if their teams can set them up well coming into final 2000 meters.

It looks like we’ll have some tough choices to make Saturday and Sunday with several options for live viewing. Overall, it will be an exciting 2 days of racing, with almost of the favorites ready to shine.

And what about you? What do you expect to see happen this weekend? Share your comments below.

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Tirreno-Adriatico Preview – Will the Stars Shine in Italy?

Posted on March 9, 2010 by

With perhaps the most star-studded list of participants we’ve seen this year, the Tirreno-Adriatico stage racebegins tomorrow in Livonro, Italian with 148 Tuscan kilometers. Tirreno’s become the preferred build-up race for sprinters and classic stars, with several of the most recent winners of Milan-San Remo, the Tour of Flanders, and Paris-Roubaix having used Italy’s “race between two seas” to race themselves into top shape.
This year’s route offers few real difficulties—there are no true summit finishes, and the toughest days feature little more than several successive hills well before the finish line. Therefore, aside from the weather—it’s predicted to be a cold and rainy week—there is little reason to expect anything more than large and small group sprints.

Of the true field sprinters, Tirreno offers our first chance to see Mark Cavendish, Thor Hushovd, Tyler Farrar, Alessandro Petacchi, Daniele Bennati, Tom Boonen, Oscar Freire, and Robbie McEwen compete head-to-head. They arrive with varying levels of fitness, but it’s safe to say that on any given day we’ll see at least a handful of them testing their legs in advance of next Saturday’s Milan-San Remo. Aside from these men, several second-tier sprinters—many of whom are enjoying successful seasons—make the trip as well. Look for the likes of Robert Hunter, Yauheni Hutarovich, and Luca Paolini to try and surprise the big boys.

Along with Hushovd and Boonen, several men hoping for April success in Belgium and France are taking the line as well. In fact, we might as well cut-and-paste this list into our race previews for the next few weeks, as these are the names we’ll get used to seeing from the E3 Prijs to Roubaix including George Hincapie, Alessandro Ballan, Marcus Burghardt, Karsten Kroon, Manuel Quinziato, Leif Hoste, Greg Van Avermaet, Stijn Devolder, Nick Nuyens, Edvald Boassen Hagen, Juan Antonio Flecha, Filippo Pozzato, Fabian Cancellara, and Stuart O’Grady. These riders will certainly be seen mixing it up here and there in breakaways and bunch sprints—regardless, their real goals are yet to come.

But Tierreno’s not only about sprinters and hard men, as several favorites for the Ardennes classics and Grand Tours are heading to Italy, perhaps to avoid what would have been a head-to-head conflict with Contador and Valverde in Paris-Nice. Alexandre Vinokourov, Cadel Evans, Vincenzo Nibali, Franco Pellizotti, Robert Gesink, Michael Rogers, Kim Kirchen, and Andy Schleck top this list. While few if any will be racing for the overall title, look for several to try and gauge their fitness during some of the race’s more difficult days, especially those toward the mid-point of the event.

And let’s not forget the Italians hoping to score a stage or two in front of their home crowds, men like Giovanni Visconti, Stefano Garzelli, and last year’s winner Michele Scarponi come to mind. Here’s where you might find an overall favorite or two, as they’re fast enough to finish near the front in a sprint, while aggressive and lithe enough to perhaps steal time on hillier days. Scarponi won the race last year; he’ll be extra-motivated to defend to his title.

Overall, this year’s race is certain to be a treat—especially if the stars decide to flex their muscles. One can only hope at least a few of them engage in their own version of “King of the Hill”—if they do; we’re in for a treat.

In particular, I’ll be watching a few things closely:

1. Is Mark Cavendish over his dental issues? Tirreno ends the Tuesday before the defense of his Milan-San Remo title—will he have raced himself into shape by the end of Tirreno?

2. BMC claims it will be racing aggressively in Tirreno. I’ll want to see them attacking, with Ballan, Hincapie, and Burghardt demonstrating some speed as we inch closer and closer to the cobbled classics.

3. What roll will the weather play? The forecast right now is for wet and near-freezing conditions. Look for crashes and colds to claim at least 2 or 3 riders by the time we hit the line in Milan next Saturday.

4. Stijn Devolder’s lack of form was a bit too obvious for comfort during Belgium’s opening weekend. Not that Tom Boonen cares, but will Tirreno help Devolder rise to the occasion once the action returns north?

5. Can Tyler Farrar win a stage against such tough competition? We know he can win bunch sprints, but I’d like to see him take a stage on a day with a more difficult profile, perhaps beating the likes of Hushovd, Freire, and Pozzato. If he can survive a tough day to take a win, he’ll be one of my top favorites for MSR in 10-days time.

That’s it! It’s time sit back, relax, and enjoy what’s certain to be one of the most entertaining races of the year. Isn’t it hard to believe we’re almost to Milan-San Remo?

Share your thoughts and comments below. What are looking for in this year’s edition?

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Monday Musette – Weekend Wrap-up, Great Videos, and Two Rides You Should Do

Posted on March 8, 2010 by

We’ve got a lot to get to today—let’s dive right in!  First, a brief recap of the weekend’s events:

1. While I didn’t come right out and say he would win, give me some credit for indicating that Frantisek Rabon was someone to watch for.  Yes, there were bigger names behind him, but at this point in the season, Rabon had to be considered a threat.  Aside from Rabon, Bradley Wiggins seems to be building quite nicely for April and May.  I’m eager to see how well he fares at Paris-Roubaix and the Giro.  As for Lance, Bruyneel’s apparently decided that Radio Shack needs more racing, an uncharacteristic admission from a team usually known to have all its I’s dotted and T’s crossed.

2. In L’Eroica—I mean, the Montepaschi Strade Bianche—Astana’s successful start to the season continued with Maxim Iglinsky taking the win following an aggressive ride in the final 10km. Pippo Pozatto, a man who seems to be simmering just in time for Flanders and Roubaix finished 4th.  Garmin’s Ryder Hesjedal was 5th on the white roads; L’Eroica’s quickly becoming for him what Roubaix is for George Hincapie. 

3. And speaking of L’Eroica, many of us were dismayed at the lack of live coverage available.  Clearly this race has yet to warrant the kind of large-scale publicity we all know it deserves.  For a good video overview though, I’ve found 2 sources on YouTube—one in 5 parts, the other in 2 parts.  Here’s a link to 1 of 5; and here’s a link to 1 of 2.  Enjoy!

4. And finally, the weekend closed with an exciting 8km time trial to open Paris-Nice.  For those in the know, Lars Boom’s win was anything but a surprise; if he can continues to ride this well he must considered a favorite for the overall.  I’m particularly eager to see how he handles the hills later in the week, as I have a hunch he might turn-out to be better suited to the Ardennes than the cobbled classics. 

While all of the favorites were grouped toward the top of the standings after yesterday, things got more interesting today when wind and crashes caused some problems at the end of the stage. Greg Henderson took the win while pre-race favorites such as Alberto Contador, Samuel Sanchez, and Levi Leipheimer lost time, as a small group (including Boom) slipped-away to finish 17 seconds ahead of the next group.  While everyone’s still sitting relatively near the top, Boom’s a rider that cannot afford to be ignored—these lost seconds might prove tough to win back.  There are still several hard stages left, but Boom looks to have the brains and the brawn necessary to win.

5. If like me, you sometimes have a hard time watching these races live (for training, work, or family reasons); I’ve found something you might find helpful: YouTube’s World Cycling Channel 2 seems to have videos of just about event soon after it’s happened.  It’s not live, but it’s worth-it just the same—especially if you can only watch your races in small doses due to other commitments. 

Did you miss the final stage in the Vuelta Murcia?  WCC2 has it.  Did you want to see the Prologue from Paris-Nice but had a ride in the morning and a family dinner in the evening?  Don’t worry, it’s there.  What about the GP Lillers?  Oui, they have that too.  Sorry you missed the 3-Days of West Flanders?  Normally it’s there directly, as the Belgians say.  Check it out!

6. If these videos are too long though, consider Cosmo’s “How the Race Was Won” series over at Cyclocosm.  Cosmo gets all the highlights and commentary into one short, digestible segment—perfect for a coffee break or bus ride.  Even better, he’s given me permission to embed them here at Pavé, further expanding the content we have to offer.  Why not get started now—here’s Het Nieuwsblad:

7. I’m starting to worry a little bit about BMC.  A team that’s so stacked really needs to have more of a presence at the front of spring races—especially since the squad’s chances become much longer at the end of April.  Now they’ve been uninvited to Dwars door Vlaanderen, an important yet expendable semi-classic run the Wednesday before the E3 Prijs and Ghent-Wevelgem.  I understand taking the “slow and steady” approach to building your form, but at some point we’ll need to know for certain whether Ballan, Hincapie, and Burghardt have what it takes to be protagonists this spring or not.

Good luck to Xacobeo, by the way.  Have fun in Flanders.

8. It’s spring, and that means time for embrocation.  One of the sport’s fastest growing trends is the homemade, all-natural embro market, with Mad Alchemy setting the bar for performance, price, and quality.  At NAHBS, I had the pleasure of meeting both Mad Alchemy’s Peter Smith, as well as Brad Ford, the owner of Classic Cycling Essentials, a local guy and the new kid on the block in the embrocation market.  Both were happy to donate some samples that I’m looking forward to trying soon.  Stop-by both sites and sample their wares—Mad Alchemy has a wonderful chamois cream, while CCE makes Mustache Wax—for the hipster you love.

9. And if you’re in the Mid-Atlantic region and looking for a reason to buy some embrocation, consider these two rides: the Hell of Hunterdon and the Fool’s Classic.  Both feature some of Buck’s County’s finest roads, and both offer few conflicts with other events—domestic and abroad.  And if you attend, you might even get a free Pavé sticker.  If that’s not reason enough of a reason to come then what is?  Pre-registration for Hell ends on March 28th and for the Fool’s Classic on April 18th.  Hope to see you there!

10. And last but not least, if you haven’t yet added Michael Barry’s blog, Le Métier, to your RSS reader you need to.  He’s without a doubt the most talented English-speaking writer/rider on the professional scene, and offers a glimpse into the pro life that few can match.  His “Classics” post is just a taste of what he has to offer.  Photos too!

That’s it for today—come back tomorrow for a Tirreno-Adriatico Preview. 

And as always, share your comments below.

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Weekend Preview – Murcia, West Flanders, L’Eroica, and the Race to the Sun

Posted on March 6, 2010 by
The season’s heating-up with several important events taking place this weekend. Here’s a run-down of what’s going-on:
1. Let’s begin in Spain, where the 5-day Vuelta a Murcia continues through Sunday—albeit without any Italian and some important Spanish teams. Tomorrow’s flat 22km time trial offers our first chance to see some of the Grand Tour favorites test their legs against the clock—and one another. The race marks Lance Armstrong’s 2010 European debut; he’s already expressed his willingness to use tomorrow’s ITT as a chance to check his progress. Andreas Kloden, Denis Menchov, and Bradley Wiggins will certainly use the stage as an opportunity to gauge their fitness as well. All four men sit within 5 seconds of Josep Jufré’s lead; a good ride Saturday will take the leader’s jersey. Watch-out for Frantisek Rabon; he’s proven he can time trial, and he’s 3rd behind Jufré, with the same time. While not a contender for the overall, Garmin’s Danny Pate seems to be riding himself into form; he’s no slouch in a time trial and could surprise tomorrow. The same can be said for Pate’s teammate Michael Kreder, who’s quickly looking to be a star in the making.
Sunday’s stage offers two more categorized climbs, but none come near enough to the finish to cause any shake-ups. Look for the leader at the end of the day tomorrow to carry-through to the finish of the Spanish stage race.
2. In Belgium, the Dreidaagse van West-Vlaanderen started today in Kortrijk with Cofidis’ Jens Keukeleire following-up his win in Le Samyn with another win. As a result, he takes what has to be considered one of the most unique leader’s jerseys in the world—are there any things more Belgian than frites, hops, endives, and bricks?
This 3-day Belgian affair takes place mainly on the flatter side of Flanders, with wind, rain, and cobbles constituting the main difficulties the riders will encounter. Sunday’s final stage does offer some hills, taking-in the major climbs of the traditional Ghent-Wevelgem route including the Rodeberg, the Monteberg and Kemmelberg, with finishing circuits that include 3 passes over the smaller Keiberg. The 2008 winner and this year’s Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne victor Bobbie Traksel returns hoping for another title—his victory Sunday proves he’s no wuss when it comes the worst Belgium has to offer. Other notable starters include Saxo Bank’s Nicki Sorensen, Milram’s Robert Forster, Landbouwkrediet’s Davy Commeyne, Topsort-Vlaanderen’s Geert Steurs, Skil-Shimano’s Kenny Van Hummel, and the ever-present Niko Eeckhout from An Post.
It’s a shame this race has no other choice but to share a weekend with L’Eroica and Paris-Nice, otherwise we might have another chance to see the stars hit Belgium’s cobbles.
3. This weekend’s main events begin Saturday in Italy with the 4th running of the Montepaschi Strade Bianche. Also known as L’Eroica, this race navigates over 55 km of Tuscany’s white gravel roads—the strade bianche that give the race its name. You can do the same in October during the L’Eroica cyclosportive event.
Taking place a few days before the Tirreno-Adriatico stage race, L’Eroica’s start list is conveniently filled with classics specialists including favorites on both the cobbles and in the Ardennes. Throw-in several Italian’s looking for a shot of glory and you’ve got all the makings of an exciting race.
From top to bottom, the strongest team in this year’s edition seems to be Garmin—a squad who’s come close to finding success here in the past. With Farrar, Hesjedal, Maaskant, Van Summeren, and Wilson, Garmin has a team capable of controlling the race from start to finish, and hopefully placing a man or two in the winning break. Other favored teams include Sky, who brings a squad nearly identical to the team that took a win in the Omloop and 3rd in Kuurne (but minus Edvald Boassen Hagen), and Katusha, who hopes Filippo Pozzato and Kim Kirchen can bring home a win. BMC brings two of the focal points of their Ardennes and Northern classics programs in Cadel Evans and Alessandro Ballan; Saxo Bank does the same with Andy Schleck and Fabian Cancellara—two more riders who have proven effective at handling L’Eroica’s white roads. Cervelo’s trio of Roger Hammond, Jeremy Hunt, and Andreas Klier could continue to exhibit the form they displayed in Belgium last weekend, while Omega Pharma-Lotto will be hoping Leif Hoste and Greg Van Avermaet can begin to show some fitness. And never forget HTC-Columbia—Cavendish is listed as a participant, but the bulk of the team’s hopes lie with Michael Rogers, Marco Pinotti, and the Velits Brothers. And last but not least, Liquigas might work for Franco Pellizotti, but they’re better-off trying to get Daniele Bennati into a situation in which he can find success.
As this race grows in prestige, it will soon become one of the highlights of the spring—it’s already a favorite event for many riders, especially the Italians who consider the race their version of Paris-Roubaix. I wonder how long before we see someone do the L’Eroica-Roubaix double?
Overall, this is tough race to pick—especially with so many favorites taking the line. In the end, I have a feeling Cadel Evans might be up to the challenge, but Pippo Pozzato will get the better of him. Acqua e Sapone’s Luca Polini will be up there as well—I just have a gut feeling.
4. The weekend ends Sunday with the first stage of the Race to the Sun, Paris-Nice. This 8-day, 1288km stage race begins Sunday with a short time trial in Montfort-l’Amaury before making a beeline for warmer weather on the French Riviera. Several long, hard stages are in store for this year’s participants, including several with multiple 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Category climbs. By the end, we’ll have a worthy winner, able to ride consistently well over the diffucult terrain. The main protagonists of the last 2 editions—Alberto Contador and Luis Leon Sanchez—are back for more, but several challengers seem primed for victory as well.
Last year’s winner, Luis Leon Sanchez, faces the tough task of not only overcoming Aleberto Contador for a second year, but also dealing with his teammate, Alejandro Valverde. It will be interesting to see how these two interact, as both have the form to dominate the race. Their toughest challenge will come from Contador’s Astana team, a squad brimming with confidence following Contador’s overall win in Portugal at the Volta Algarve.
Other challenges could come from Euskaltel’s Samuel Sanchez, Liquigas’ Roman Kreuziger, Lotto’s Jurgen Van den Broeck, and Radio Shack’s Levi Leipheimer. Dark horses include FDJ’s Christophe Le Mevel, Quick Step’s Kevin Seeldraeyers, HTC’s Tony Martin, Saxo Bank’s Frank Schleck, and Rabobank’s Lars Boom, a rider whose potential continues to impress. Garmin also brings a solid team of men hoping for good overall results including Tom Danielson, Dan Martin, and Christian Vande Velde.
In addition to these overall favorites, several riders come to the start Sunday hoping for stage wins including one-day stars like Quick Step’s Sylvain Chavanel, Cervelo’s Heinrich Haussler, and Lotto’s Philippe Gilbert. Katusha’s Alexander Kolobnev, Sergei Ivanov, and Joaquin Rodrigues will be hoping to hone their form for later in the spring—perhaps with a stage or two here—as will Lampre’s superstar Damiano Cunego. Team Sky’s Simon Gerrans is certainly hoping to continue his team’s successful start to the season. And let’s not forget French hopes Pierrick Fedrigo, Thomas Voeckler, and Samuel Dumoulin—all could take wins for the home fans.
Of the sprinters taking the start, HTC’s Andre Greipel, Saur-Sojasun’s Jimmy Casper, Liquigas’ Francesco Chicchi, Katusha’s Daniele Napolitano, and Vacansoleil’s Borut Borzic are the cream of the crop, with Sky’s Greg Henderson and Saxo’s Juan José Haedo hoping to steal a win as well.
In the end, I’m picking an all-Spanish podium with Valverde taking the win over Contador and Sanchez—but only by a handful of seconds. It will be one of the most exciting events in years, with everything coming down to the final day.
And you? It’s a big weekend, who are your picks?
Share your comments below.
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