Showing posts with label Cycling News. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cycling News. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 5, 2016
Cavendish outsprints Greipel to clinch Tour stage three
Mark Cavendish has joined Bernard Hinault in second on the all-time list of Tour de France stage winners. The British rider pipped Andre Greipel of Germany to take Monday’s third stage, his second success of the race.
Losers are bitter, moans Tour de France sprint king Cavendish
Angers (France) (AFP) - Losers are taking unnecessary risks because they're bitter towards the winners, sprint star Mark Cavendish has claimed.
The Manx Missile won his 28th stage at the Tour de France on Monday, claiming victory by a whisker from German Andre Greipel.
It put him second on the all-time stage win list alongside French great Bernard Hinault, and only behind Belgian legend Eddy Merckx, out front alone on 34 success.
But after discussing how sprint finishes were getting increasingly dangerous, the 31-year-old Brit pointed the finger at those who can't win.
"The difference between guys who win and those who lose is that the guys who win understand it," said the Team Dimension Data sprinter.
"They have respect for each other and are the first to congratulate them (for winning). But the guys who never win anything -- a lot of guys who don't win feel bitterness to the guys who win.
"Instead of appreciating it, they resent it and kind of take their frustrations out in that way (by taking risks)."
Safety has been an important watchword in the Tour this year with overall race leader Peter Sagan also hitting out at what he described as riders who "don't care about their life" and cause "stupid crashes".
- 'Great pressure' -
The safety row went some way to detracting from Cavendish's own fine achievements, having won two of the first three Tour stages this year.
Although his flow of victories has slowed in recent years, he remains one of the best sprinters in the world and he says he's enjoying his cycling more than ever.
He won 23 stages from 2008-2012 with HTC Highroad and then Sky, but he says he prefers the more laid back atmosphere at African team Dimension Data.
"I'm very fortunate in my career to have ridden for probably the biggest teams in cycling," said Cavendish.
"They were successful years, I had a lot of fun and made a lot of friends. I had a great time but obviously with the biggest teams and biggest funds comes great pressure.
"I'm lucky to have had great teams behind me to deliver but unless you're in this position, it's hard to know the stress I've had.
"From the moment I turned professional I was winning and I had pressure to win. Now it's something more than winning and more than being a moving billboard."
His African team are involved not only in trying to compete at the top of cycling but also in projects to promote the sport on their continent, including the Qhubeka 5000 challenge, a fundraising initiative aimed at buying bicycles for 5,000 African children.
"We ride for a cause, for a charity, it's something we really do care about," said Cavendish.
"It's 50% of what we do, along with 50% results."
Results obviously help with getting publicity, though.
"It really is more than a spiel, this is more than representing sponsors," said Cavendish.
"We have great sponsors... but we really ride for a cause -- we want to get 5,000 children on bicycles in Africa.
"There's no better way to do that than at the biggest bike race in the world, and even better: winning the biggest bike race in the world."
Tour de France: Cavendish sprints to photo finish win
ANGERS, France -- Wearing the yellow jersey, Peter Sagan considered stopping at a cafe.
Hardly pedaling, the overall leaders in the Tour de France spent most of Monday's third stage chatting to one another and riding at such a leisurely pace that they could have fit right in on a town bike path.
"It was a very relaxed day for us. We went slow. It was nice," said Sagan, who playfully bumped shoulders with some of the other riders just to keep things interesting. "I was thinking one moment we were going to take the coffee like old time."
The morning caffeine didn't kick in until the very end of the lengthy and mostly flat 223.5-kilometer (139-mile) leg from Granville to Angers.
That was when Mark Cavendish showed off his sprinting experience by edging German rival Andre Greipel in a photo finish.
Having also won Saturday's opening stage at Utah Beach, it was Cavendish's second victory in this Tour and 28th overall. The British rider with Team Dimension Data matched five-time Tour champion Bernard Hinault for second on the all-time list behind Eddy Merckx, who had a record 34 stage wins at the Tour.
"To even be mentioned in the same sentence as Bernard Hinault is something that I couldn't even have dreamed of," Cavendish said. "But I'm never going to compare myself to him."
On a very slightly uphill finish, Cavendish kept pedaling to the line while Greipel, who was ahead, put his head down a bit too early.
Neither rider knew who won immediately.
Greipel started celebrating, raising his left finger to the sky, but then quickly took it down. Cavendish clenched his fist briefly and then just fiddled with his bike computer until the victory was confirmed -- then started hugging his teammates.
"I normally know when I win or I lose. When I crossed the line, I kind of knew I got it today," Cavendish said. "But I was quite lucky to just get him."
On the winner's podium, Cavendish was greeted by the 61-year-old Hinault, now at his final Tour in an ambassador role.
Bryan Coquard of France crossed third, while Sagan was fourth.
"I just made one mistake, and it was a kind of reflex to go into the biggest gear," Greipel said. "If I had kept it in the gear I had, then I think I would have made it."
Sagan, the world champion from Slovakia who took the yellow jersey on Sunday, remained eight seconds ahead of Julian Alaphilippe of France and 10 seconds in front of Alejandro Valverde of Spain in the overall standings.
Defending champion Chris Froome moved up one spot to fourth, 14 seconds behind Sagan.
Cavendish clocked nearly six hours as the Tour moved out of the Normandy region over a southeasterly route that concluded in Angers, in the Anjou region of the Loire valley.
The stage began on the Normandy coast. Nicknamed "the Monaco of the north," Granville was built on a rock and is known for its casino.
Armindo Fonseca, a French rider with the Fortuneo-Vital Concept team, attacked at the opening flag and established a lead of more than 10 minutes at one point.
For much of the stage, the peloton rode at 33 kph (20 mph) -- well below the predicted time table, which was based on an average speed of 39-43 kph (24-27 mph).
"It was a rest day for everyone," Sagan said. "Just the last 20-30 kilometers were hard."
Taking advantage of the peloton's pace, French rider Thomas Voeckler attacked midway through the stage and quickly bridged the gap to join Fonseca in the lead.
The duo was caught by the main pack with eight kilometers (5 miles) to go.
Stage 4 Tuesday is the race's longest, a slightly more challenging 237.5 (148-mile) leg from Saumur to Limoges.
"If the stage is shorter we'll be faster," Sagan said. "Tomorrow will be a long day."
The first mountain stage comes in Stage 5 on Wednesday in the Massif Central.
CREDIT TO:http://www.dailydemocrat.com/general-news/20160704/tour-de-france-cavendish-sprints-to-photo-finish-winSaturday, March 12, 2016
Boonen and Kristoff fined at Paris-Nice stage 4 - News Shorts
Spectacular crash ends Haas' Paris-Nice, Modolo aspired for better results, Cheung King-lok to gain experience with Orica-GreenEdge
Boonen and Kristoff fined at Paris-Nice in stage 4 at Paris-Nice
Tom Boonen (Etixx-QuickStep) and Alexander Kristoff (Katusha) were among 25 riders that were levied with a 100 CHF fine for failing to sign on ahead of stage 4 of Paris-Nice on Thursday. Riders must sign on ahead of every stage or risk some punishment.
It’s
not the first time that a large group of riders have been stuck with a
fine for not signing on. At the 2014 Tour de France, all off the
Cannondale riders were handed a fine when they failed to sign on before a
stage as the area around the stage was muddy and the riders didn’t want
to clog up their cleats with mud.
It is unclear what the reason for such a large number not signing on, if it was a form of protest against the riding conditions in the previous day’s stage or if it was down to the freezing temperatures and riders wanting to stay in the buses as long as possible.
Nathan Haas out of Paris-Nice after overcooking corner in stage 4
Dimension Data's Nathan Haas did a disappearing act on stage 4 of Paris-Nice yesterday, miscalculating a corner with 30km to go and ending up in a ditch. The Australian had gone on the attack with the breakaway's advantage dropping to under one minute, having climbed and descended the Côte de Saint-Uze. Haas came into the right-hand corner and upon realising he was travelling too fast to successfully navigate it, tired to correct his line, pulling his right-leg out of the pedal to no avail and riding into a ditch.
Although he was forced to abandon the race, Haas later tweeted that he sustained no serious injuries.
"All good! X-Ray's no break, just super sore. Thought I was back on the mountain bike. Thanks @TeamDiData Med team," he wrote.
Modolo aspired for better results
Lampre-Merdia's Sacha Modolo says that he aspired for better results as he takes on the sprinters at Tirreno-Adriatico this week. During stage 3 of the WorldTour race, the Italian placed eighth behind stage winner Fernando Gaviria (Etixx-QuickStep) and a series of other strong sprinters.
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SOCCER PREDICTIONS FOR SATURDAY 12-03-2016
GERMANY BUNDESLIGA1:
Bayern Munich - Werder Bremen 1WIN
HUNGARY OTB BANK LIGA:
Ferencvaros - Puskas Academy 1WIN
Debrecen – Honved 1WIN
HOLLAND EREDIVISIE:
PSV – Heerenveen 1WIN
NORTHERN IRELAND PREMIERSHIP:
Crusaders – Ballymena 1WIN
SCOTLAND PREMIERSHIP:
Partick - Celtic 1WIN
Aberdeen – Kilmarnock 1WIN
SLOVAKIA FORTUNA LIGA:
Podbrezova – Zilina 1WIN
Ruzomberok – Skalica 1WIN
SPAIN PRIMERA DIVISION:
Barcelona - Getafe 1WIN
Celta Vigo - Real Sociedad 1X
Atl. Madrid - Dep. La Coruna 1WIN
"I aspired to obtain a better result, I'm not happy with today's performance," Modolo said in a team press release. "The final of the stage was suitable for my skills, I thought to have an advantage on the pure sprinters, my teammates were great in driving me to the front positions.
"Maybe we had an hesitation when we were close to the fence on the left side of the road, however, I could start my sprint in the proper moment, but Gaviria had already a good advantage thanks to an impressive speed.
"I was aware he could have been the favourite, however, I could not imagine he could be so strong."
Cheung King-lok to gain experience with Orica-GreenEdge
Cheung King-lok, double Asian Championship gold medallist, has secured a spot with Orica-GreenEdge in order to gain valuable experience ahead of the Olympic Games this summer. The Hong Kong Cycling Association made the announcement.
Cheung won the road race and the time trial at the Asian Championships in January.
Canyon-SRAM sprinter Cecchini ready for Ronde van Drenthe - Women's news shorts
Bastianelli brings winning sprint to the Netherlands, Tibco-Silicon Valley Bank continue European campaign, Astana Women split team
Young Elisa Cecchini with the combined jersey.(velopalmares.free.fr)
2016 Astana Women's Team launched(Astana Women's Team)
Marta Bastianelli (Alé Cipollini) wins the bunch sprint at Omloop van het Hageland - Tielt-Winge 2016
Canyon-SRAM's Elena Cecchini says she's ready to put forth a strong performance at this weekend's Ronde van Drenthe,
the second round of the Women's WorldTour. The 138.3-kilometre course
includes five cobbled sections and three trips up the man-made VAM-berg,
but it is still a race for the sprinters.
“I
expect I can give some good competition, and especially since I prefer
to start with a flat race rather than a hilly one. I imagine the race
will be tough because I’ve seen that there are a lot of motivated teams.
Every corner and every breakaway can be dangerous so you have to be
focused from start to finish," Cecchini said in a team press release.
She will be joined by a strong team that includes Trixi Worrack, Alexis Ryan, Lisa Brennauer, Tiffany Cromwell and Alena Amialiusik. The Women's WorldTour started at Strade Bianche last weekend, after which, Canyon-SRAM continued on with a team training camp.
“We wanted to keep training as a group as there aren’t so many opportunities throughout the season for that.” said team manager Ronny Lauke, and added a note about the predicted nice weather for Ronde van Drenthe.
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“It’s almost too good of a weather forecast for that race. It usually has a better character when there are cold and rainy conditions. The narrow lead into the man-made hill and the cobble sections are the dangerous parts but somehow in the nicer weather conditions we can expect a bigger group to make it to the final.”
Bastianelli brings winning sprint to the Netherlands
Ale Cippolini will lined up at the Ronde van Drenthe with their winning sprinter and former world champion Marta Bastianelli. The Italian won the Omloop van het Hageland earlier in March and will no doubt be looking for another win.
The Italian team will be at both Ronde van Drenthe on Saturday and Drentse Acht van Westerveld on Sunday with the same team: Malgorzata Jasinska, Marta Bastianelli, Marta Tagliaferro, Anna Trevisi, Emilia Fahlin and Ellen Skerritt.
"We know the Dutch classic, a race that suits the characteristics of our ladies Jasinska and Bastianelli, who enjoy the best physical condition," director Fortunato Lacquaniti, said in a team press release. "In our hearts and legs there is the desire to ride well in order to best honour our participation."
Tibco-Silicon Valley Bank continue European campaign at Ronde van Drenthe
American team Tibco-Silicon Valley Bank will continue their European campaign at the Women's WorldTour Ronde van Drenthe on Saturday. The will also be on the start line at Trofeo Alfredo Binda (March 20), Gent-Wevelgem (March 27) and Ronde van Vlaanderen (April 3).
Recommended SURE BET:
SOCCER PREDICTIONS FOR SATURDAY 12-03-2016
GERMANY BUNDESLIGA1:
Bayern Munich - Werder Bremen 1WIN
HUNGARY OTB BANK LIGA:
Ferencvaros - Puskas Academy 1WIN
Debrecen – Honved 1WIN
HOLLAND EREDIVISIE:
PSV – Heerenveen 1WIN
NORTHERN IRELAND PREMIERSHIP:
Crusaders – Ballymena 1WIN
SCOTLAND PREMIERSHIP:
Partick - Celtic 1WIN
Aberdeen – Kilmarnock 1WIN
SLOVAKIA FORTUNA LIGA:
Podbrezova – Zilina 1WIN
Ruzomberok – Skalica 1WIN
SPAIN PRIMERA DIVISION:
Barcelona - Getafe 1WIN
Celta Vigo - Real Sociedad 1X
Atl. Madrid - Dep. La Coruna 1WIN
Lauren Stephens will lead a strong team that includes Emily Collins, Lauren Hall, Jo Kiesanowski, Lauren Komanski and Brianna Walle. Together the women will work for a top results through the events challenging parcours that includes sections of pavé and steep climbs.
Astana Women's Team send six to Netherland's weekend
Astana Women's Team will send a team of six to the weekend of racing in the Netherlands; Ronde van Drenthe and Drentse Acht van Westvelch.
The Astana Women's Team selected six riders with include Natalya Sokovnina, Fanny Riberot, who'll make her race debut with Astana's jersey, Arianna Fidanza, Ingrid Drexel, Kseniia Dobrynina and Svetlana Vasilieva while the sports director will be former italian road and time trial champion Gabriella Pregnolato.
The team will split as four riders are currently racing with the Kazakhstan National Team at the Biwase Cup. Those riders are Nadezhda Geneleva, Tatyana Geneleva, Viktoriya Pastarnak and Yekaterina Yuraitis. The Biwase Cup, in Vietnam, has a peloton of almost 70 riders and 14 teams and it will conclude on Wednesday March 16th in the town of Thu Dau Mot: after two stages Tatyana Geneleva is in the top10 of the general classification.
CREDIT:http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/canyon-sram-sprinter-cecchini-ready-for-ronde-van-drenthe-womens-news-shorts/
