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CYCLING: Power of Guardini

Mon, 27 Feb 2012 12:01:46 GMT

ANOTHER bunch sprint ended the third stage of the Le Tour de Langkawi (LTdL) yesterday, and again the peloton found no answer to the power of Andrea Guardini who powered to his second consecutive triumph. The Italian's seventh LTdL stage win came after his Farnese Vini team were again stretched as a four-man breakaway pushed clear of the peloton after 16km of the 187.6km stage and opened up a gap of over five minutes before the remnants of it were pulled back 20km from the finish.

Escapees Shinichi Fukushima of the Terengganu Cycling Team, Taiji Nishitani of Aisan Racing Team, Alex Coutts of RTS Racing Team and Malaysia's Fauzan Ahmad Lutfi swept the intermediate sprints on offer between them. In the third intermediate sprint after 136.2km in Chaah, Fauzan decided to resign from the breakaway group and dropped back into the peloton, stating he was instructed to do so by coach Syed Mohd Hussaini Syed Mazlan in order to preserve himself for the Genting Highlands stage on Wednesday.

The three remaining riders were caught 10km later as Farnese Vini lined up Guardini for the final sprint, and was given a hand by United Healthcare, Astana and Colnago-CSF. Asian riders' classification leader Dmitriy Gruzdev of Astana gave it a go and broke away solo in the final 10km , but was easily brought back as the bunch sprint was set up. As the peloton spread out for the final 100 metres, it was clear that Guardini would feature up front.

Garmin-Barracuda's Raymond Kreder gave it enough to take second spot while local hope Anuar Manan was again disappointed in having to settle for third. Garmin-Barracuda were, however, given a scare when general classification contender and 2003 LTdL winner Tom Danielson was involved in a pile-up that included Terengganu Cycling Team's Harrif Salleh inside the final three kilometres of the stage. The distance of the crash from the finish line salvaged Danielson's fourth position overall, with still a minute and 26 seconds deficit from teammate David Zabriskie, who held on to the yellow jersey for a third day.

Guardini's second straight win meant he held on to the points classfication lead with 30 points and his much anticipated battle with Anuar for stage wins and the blue jersey has taken shape with the Malaysian just four points adrift. "Today it was more difficult than yesterday (Saturday) because Colnago-CSF knew that I was not very good on the climbs and they tried to attack in the king of the mountains point, 10 kilometres from the finish with Marco Canola. But my team did a perfect job today," said Guardini, 23.

"I was a bit surprised by another Colnago rider, Sonny Colbrelli, in the final sprint because he started his sprint with 400 metres to go, but with 100 metres to go I managed to get in front."Stage Four, covering 169.4km from Batu Pahat to Muar provides another opportunity for a bunch sprint in which Guardini will be confident of another victory, while Anuar is determined that his Champion System outfit will improve further today and help him break the Italian stranglehold on the bunch sprint victories so far.

Why are cyclists so angry?

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 10:53:51 GMT

A lot of people whinge about cyclists. They complain that we don’t pay rego; get in the way of cars; think we’re morally superior; wear Lycra; treat red lights as yield signs; have tip-tap shoes; and take up space at cafes.

Cyclists are also accused of being aggressive road users. If cycling is supposed to be such fun, why are bike riders so shouty? I must confess I have, at times, been a bellicose bicyclist.

I didn’t start out that way, but I can remember the day things shifted. I was riding my new racer on Sydney’s northern beaches. A glance at the bike computer told me I was doing 35km/h on the flat and it felt like I was flying.

A minute later, I really was flying. A car driver waiting to cross my direction of travel at an intersection had accelerated without warning. My bike collided head-on with her SUV, and I slid across the bonnet and the windscreen before landing on the road.

If I had died that day, my last utterance would have been “WHOA!” – hardly a contender for a dictionary of quotations. Instead, I was supremely fortunate; all I had was a tweaked neck, a flayed shoulder and a bruised hand. I was also lucky that an off-duty police officer behind the driver was ready to testify that I had right of way. My bike was bent in two. And what did the driver say? “I didn’t see you.”It’s a phrase so familiar to cyclists that it has its own acronym, SMIDSY: “Sorry, mate, I didn’t see ya.”Well, my body healed, and insurance replaced my bike. I was soon back on the road - and as nervous as a kitten in a room full of rottweilers.

There were positives from my crash. I now never fully trust a motorist to give me the right of way - which has spared me an accident several times. Also, I got my new bike in yellow, as the original choice of black was a bad one.

But in the months that followed, I shouted at a lot of cars. Mostly, this was at drivers whose actions were making me nervous. But I was scared, and this fear was translating into short-fused fury. The problem is that the stakes are so different for cyclists and motorists. If a car and a bike collide, the motorist goes to the panel-beaters. The cyclist winds up in hospital; or a wheelchair; or the morgue.

But motorists often don’t understand that what they see as a happy outcome – “whew, that was close!” – is a near-death experience for a vulnerable road user. And that’s why the cyclist is ranting. After a while, I calmed down again. I realised aggression wasn’t helping anyone, least of all me. I smile at fellow road users, I wave to say thanks, and if someone nearly wipes me out, I try have a calm, polite chat with them if I get a chance. Mostly, they are genuinely sorry.

I also ask myself: why are motorists so angry about cyclists? Let’s face it, with all the traffic lights, the buses, the jaywalking pedestrians, the T3 lanes and above all, the other cars, cyclists are pretty low on the list of things that get in their way. And it's very hard for a cyclist to put a motorist in hospital.
Still, I truly believe things are improving on our roads, despite the efforts of shock jocks, TV news, politicians and a certain cricketer. It’s actually not a war zone out there, and 99 out of 100 people – motorists and cyclists – are trying to do the right thing.

It helps that more and more people are joining the two-wheeled revolution. In years to come, we’ll hopefully be wondering what all the fuss was about. Meanwhile, don’t SMIDSY me, and I promise I won’t shout at you.

Cycling: Brailsford likes team's timing

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 15:48:30 GMT

Great Britain won seven medals from 10 Olympic events - four gold, one silver and two bronze - plus Joanna Rowsell's gold in the non-Olympic individual pursuit at the weekend's Track World Cup in a competition which doubled as the 2012 Games test event.

And Brailsford, who masterminded Britain's haul of seven gold medals from 10 events in Beijing in 2008, hailed his team as the Olympic track programme approaches from August 2 to 7. "This is the best performance across the board for a good couple of years," Brailsford said. "It shows we're building momentum, we're heading in the right direction and hopefully we've got our timing right.

"We're definitely moving forward and we're a lot closer in some events than maybe we thought. It's very pleasing. "If we can build on this momentum then it could be good fun."Brailsford has repeatedly said that - partially as a result of changes to the Olympic track programme - replicating the haul from China is unlikely. However, if the London competition was about managing expectation, the displays perhaps only served to fuel it. Brailsford said: "It can't be any higher than it was already. After Beijing the expectation's always been there. But it's only something in your mind, it's not tangible. "You can decide whether you want to feel anxiety or pressure or not. We don't, so I'm not worried about the expectation."

A 6,000-capacity partisan crowd roared every revolution made by a Briton and Brailsford believes the experience was invaluable. He added: "It's very difficult to quantify the effect of a home velodrome and home crowd. I think we've seen some of it this weekend - it does make a difference."Sir Chris Hoy led from the front with a haul of two individual gold medals - in the Keirin and sprint - and a team sprint bronze to demonstrate that, although his 36th birthday is fast approaching, his talent remains formidable.

Brailsford praised Hoy and the performances of the team pursuit squads - the women won gold in a world record time, the men finished runners-up to Australia - the women's team sprint squad of Victoria Pendleton and Jess Varnish and the coming of age of 19-year-old Laura Trott, who won team pursuit gold and omnium bronze.

"Where they were at the Europeans (clocking 4:01.475 last October to win gold), it wasn't their best performance," said Brailsford of the men's team pursuit squad of Ed Clancy, Geraint Thomas, Steven Burke and Peter Kennaugh. "If you just take our performance, where it was and where it is now, they have made big strides forward and they're going to continue to get better.

"The way she (Trott) has ridden here is phenomenal. She's only young, she's only going to get better.
"At the other end of the spectrum, you've got Chris Hoy coming back into the form of his life. "If he continues to build on what he's got now, he's going to be right in the mix."The changes to the track programme have also altered the number of competitors each nation can field - with one rider or team per nation per event permitted, meaning a multiple haul in a single event is no longer possible.

That pits Hoy against Jason Kenny, current world champion and Beijing silver medallist, for the sprint berth. Hoy appeared to take the initiative in the duel by winning the event in London, but Brailsford is prepared to wait to see Kenny's response at April's Track Cycling World Championships in Melbourne. Brailsford said: "He (Hoy) has come out of this very well, but that doesn't rule anything out. None of the decisions are made yet. "We'll see where we are come April, May."Notable commentators including Chris Boardman and Jamie Staff have suggested Kenny should focus his attentions on the crucial man one role in the three-man, three-lap team sprint, which Germany won from France.

It was a role fulfilled by Ross Edgar on Friday, but Kenny has previously performed in the position, which is crucial to slingshot the riders following in the team. Brailsford said: "We're going to have to look at that very carefully. "It's an obvious and logical thing to do (to select Kenny). We decided we'd look to see where Ross was at, but given our performance here, you've got to go faster and you've got to build it from the front."

Cycling: Australia-GB rivalry set to ignite London velodrome

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 15:08:21 GMT

Racing in their home velodrome and backed by a lively partisan crowd of 6000, Great Britain's expectations of Olympic track cycling glory this summer are understandably high. But home hopes of another gold frenzy, four years after dominating their rivals in Beijing, could be over-exaggerated.

With new rules meaning only one competitor per nation for each of the five Olympic events, there will be no repeat of Beijing when Britain boasted several riders in finals on their way to seven of the 10 gold medals.

Another, arguably more important factor however is the steady resurrection of traditional rivals like Australia, France and Germany. While Britain saw plenty of promise during a four-day World Cup and Olympic test event which ended here Sunday, Australia confirmed their place at track's top table with solid performances in key events.

Their men's pursuit team edged close to Britain's world record of 3min 53.314sec when they beat the hosts in the final in a time of 3:54.615. Australia's women also set a new world record time on their way to bronze, a time that was then beaten by Britain in the final.

Not counting the inaugural Olympic events of the omnium, in which they both have realistic medal hopes, the decades-old Australia v Britain rivalry looks set to light up the track. Having left Beijing with only Anna Meares' silver in the sprint to their name, Australia's high performance director Kevin Tabotta believes their comeback is complete.

"We're certainly in a better position than (going into) the last Olympics, I think that's pretty clear. We've working pretty hard over the last four years to give ourselves more options," he said Sunday.

"I don't think I'm being unrealistic in saying that we're in the hunt in most of the Olympic events."In five weeks, both teams will be tweaking tactics, performance and personnel at the April 4-8 world championships in Melbourne.

It is where Sir Chris Hoy could find out whether he, or sprint selection rival Jason Kenny, is given the nod for London by British team bosses and also where the Australian men's pursuit team could be bolstered in a bid to crank up the times towards the 3:50 that experts say will be needed to win gold.

"I think the challenge for the Olympics in August will be to go another two or three seconds faster if we want to win the Olympic gold medal," added Tabotta.

Olympic champions Britain finished three seconds off Australia's winning pace, but are confident the gap can be closed. "We will go to Melbourne to win, or at least to close the gap," said Ed Clancy. While promising to be "competitive" in the men's speed events, currently being dominated by Britain, France and Germany, Australia's biggest sprint hopes arguably stop at Meares.

Since her second place finish behind Victoria Pendleton in Beijing the Queenslander beat the five-time world champion to the world title last year, and also humbled the Englishwoman in a thrilling semi-final victory over three races Saturday.

In the final China's Guo Shuang, the bronze medallist in Beijing, beat a tiring Meares. However that was a mere blip for Meares' coach Gary West in a tournament where intensity levels went through the roof. "Against Pendleton, when she went to three rides, that racing was... probably the highest quality I've ever seen in women's sprint cycling," said West.

"She took it to a new level and I know that will hold Anna in really good stead going into London in August."In her last Olympics, Pendleton hopes to defend her title and win the inaugural two-woman team sprint that Meares and Kaarle McCulloch have dominated at the last three world championships.

McCulloch, however, says she is not ready to let that happen: "We'll be better at the worlds and we'll be better in London, you can bet your bottom dollar on it."

Cycling: Sir Chris Hoy back to his Beijing best

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 09:52:01 GMT

Sir Chris Hoy believes he is in his best form since his Beijing bounty of gold after a supreme showing at the Track World Cup at London’s Olympic Velodrome.

Hoy, who won three gold medals in the 2008 Games, completed a stunning performance from Great Britain in the Olympic test event with victory in the sprint to follow up his keirin triumph on day three and third place in the team sprint on Friday’s second day.

In all, Britain won eight medals from 10 Olympic events – four gold, one silver and two bronze – plus Joanna Rowsell’s gold in the non-Olympic individual pursuit.

On today’s final day, Hoy led the charge as the men’s team pursuit squad finished runners-up to arch-rivals Australia – who clocked the third fastest time in history – and Laura Trott claimed bronze in the multi-discipline omnium, but Victoria Pendleton had to settle for fifth in the keirin.

Once again, Hoy was the team talisman, leaving observers in no doubt that - although he is 36 on March 23 – he remains in peak condition. It was an ominous warning to his rivals ahead of August’s Olympic track competition.

The 35-year-old Scot said: “I was expecting some good performances, but this is the best I’ve been since Beijing. No question. “I did my best performance in the team sprint last lap since Beijing. I did a 9.93 (seconds, in sprint qualifying) today and the keirin last night I hit my fastest ever speed in that race (78.4kph).

“It’s not just the cold figures, it’s also how you approach the racing. I’ve been a bit more confident, taking the race by the scruff of the neck and I’ve really enjoyed it.”Hoy also believes the British team can take a lot of confidence from their display in front of a 6,000-capacity partisan crowd ahead of April's Track Cycling World Championships in Melbourne and the Olympics.

He said: “This is the best we’ve been as a team since Beijing. The fact we’ve been very good in a number of events on the Olympic track itself means you come back here and get that good vibe. “It’s like racing in Manchester. We’ve got so many positive experiences to draw upon. We’ll benefit from this.”

Hoy, himself, took belief from coming from behind to knock out two-time world champion Gregory Bauge of France with a 2-1 quarter-final win, before advancing 2-0 from the semi-finals at the expense of Robert Forstemann. Maximilian Levy, another German, was the opponent in the final and Hoy showed nerve to hold his line on the back straight and then showed his trademark acceleration to claim victory.

Hoy added: “I dug deep and I knew with the inside line I could take him.”Due to regulations, today’s field was tougher than it will be come August and Hoy was thrilled with his success.

He said: “The top guys are all here. To win this World Cup more than any World Cup this year, this is the one to do it. I’m really happy.”Only one rider or team per nation can take part in each event in the Games, leaving Jason Kenny, Olympic silver medallist and current world champion, vying with Hoy for the British place.

Despite appearing to take the initiative in that duel, Hoy maintains Kenny - exactly 12 years his junior – is still a formidable rival. He said: “It’s not over by a long shot. Jason’s not going to lie down and accept it. He’s not far away.”

Cycling: Geraint Thomas looks for more speed to see off Aussie challenge

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 15:03:52 GMT

GERAINT Thomas admits more speed is needed as Great Britain’s team pursuit squad rode through a wall of noise to book a gold medal ride at the UCI World Cup in London. World champions Australia will be the ones to beat after posting the quickest qualifying time, covering the 4km distance in 3:57.885, nearly six-tenths of a second faster than their arch-rivals.

Australia have dominated the team pursuit since Great Britain won Olympic gold in a world record, winning two of the last three world titles. And they’ve made no secret they were arriving in London to claim pre-Games bragging rights on their rival’s home turf, before they host next month’s World Championships in Melbourne.

Thomas admitted to being stunned by the noise generated by a sell-out and partisan 6,000 crowd at the Olympic Velodrome, but is determined to give them something to really cheer about in Sunday’s final.

“It was a great feeling to be out there with all that support, but we’re a bit disappointed with the time,” he admitted. “Even after we set the world record in the Olympics we always thought we could go quicker, so we are never really satisfied. “We made a flying start in the first kilometre, but we faded and that is something we need to work on.”

Thomas insists he has no regrets about returning to the track after making giant strides on the road since Beijing, with two top-three stage finishes at the Tour de France, a national road title and a points jersey at the Tour of Britain to his name.

With Thomas in the quartet there is no doubt Great Britain – who have mustered just a silver and bronze at world level since 2008 – are a stronger outfit. After striking gold in China, Thomas made no excuse for several days hard partying with team-mate Ed Clancy, although now they are the sensible heads in a team that includes Steve Burke and Pete Kennaugh.

“We are four years older now, but we’re just as determined,” he added. “Riding here will take some getting used to because the crowd are so loud it’s difficult to communicate, that is something we can take from this event and work on before the Olympics.”

Cycling: We need to learn lessons from doping scandals

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 15:37:56 GMT

CYCLING needs to learn lessons from the latest doping scandals surrounding Alberto Contador and Jan Ullrich. Contador was the more high profile case after he was banned for two years by the Court of Arbitration for Sport following his positive test for clenbuterol. I thought Contador was a nice guy and I really wanted to believe he was clean. But he got the punishment he deserves. It is sad for the sport to have such negative publicity, but it is great they have finally come to a decision.

It was crazy how it was all handled and the length of time it took to make a decision. Cycling must now learn the lessons from this and sort that stuff out so decisions are made a lot sooner. There needs to be greater unity between all the governing bodies involved. There are far more encouraging signs with the road races for 2012 beginning for my Team Sky mates. I am happy to be doing the track and this is what I want to do this year. But I would love to be out there as well and when you are watching the race it makes you realise what you are missing.

But I am not there for the right reasons and hopefully my decision will be justified come August 3. Mark Cavendish has made his debut with Team Sky in the Tour of Qatar and I have not been surprised by his start and that he is winning races straight away.

My fellow Welsh rider Luke Rowe also made his debut last week and he has done really well. Sky are one of the top three teams in the world so for him to be joining that line-up must be a bit daunting. But he is the type of lad who won’t be too fazed by it and seems to be enjoying it.

Olympic dress rehearsal: Aussie cyclists itching to take on Brits

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 15:24:27 GMT

LONDON: Jack Bobridge has heard the whispers about the all-conquering Australian men's pursuit team. That it is all well and good winning track cycling world titles in Copenhagen and Apeldoorn but it is the Olympics that count. And, when the Brits get their house in order before this year's London Games, the young Australian quartet could be in for a shock.

That is why Bobridge is so excited about the chance to take on a full-strength British team at this week's World Cup and Olympic test event in east London. "We believe we have not raced the full strength British team in the team pursuit but we know we are ready for that," he said.

"It is going to be the first time where everyone puts their A-team on the track. "It will be great for both sides to see where each other are and we can go from there."Russia and New Zealand are considered outside threats in the event but the focus has been on the Australian and British quartets.

Having ruled at the Beijing Olympics, the British track cycling team's recent boot camp received considerable coverage in the English press. Ed Clancy and Geraint Thomas, half of Britain's gold medal-winning and world record-setting team in Beijing, will lead the home nation this week at the eye-catching venue nicknamed the "Pringle". The Australian team handed the Olympic velodrome the thumbs up on Tuesday following their first chance to ride on the Siberian pine. The track was designed with consultation from British great Chris Hoy and other British cyclists. "It is a fantastic venue," Bobridge said.

"Every track has its unique parts about it but, so far, so good. All the boys like it."Qualifying for the men's team pursuit is on the opening night on Thursday night (Friday AM AEDT) with the final on Sunday night (Monday AM AEDT). The Australians take in a squad loaded with talent after capturing six of the 10 Olympic events at the 2011 world titles in Apeldoorn.

Anna Meares, who collected three world titles 11 months ago in the Netherlands, faces renewed pressure in the sprint from Britain's track queen Victoria Pendleton and Chinese speedster Guo Shuang.
Meanwhile, keirin world champion Shane Perkins has a fight on his hands against the British pair of Hoy and Jason Kenny and Dutchman Teun Mulder.

Australia's track sprint coach Gary West dismissed concerns the national team had peaked too early.
"You can be the hunter or the hunted," he said.
"But we have staked our claim in Apeldoorn.
"We are better than what we were then.
"We are increasing the tempo heading towards the Games."

Sarah Storey wins gold at Para-Cycling Track World Championships in Los Angeles

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 15:51:28 GMT

Storey, from Manchester, who could attempt to win five gold medals at the London Paralympic Games in the summer, made it look almost effortless and posted a new British record and personal best with a time of 37.371 seconds, leaving her head and shoulders above the rest of the field. “This is the event, alongside the road race, that I get a little nervous for,” said Storey. “You never know what’s going to happen when the world record holder (China’s Ju Fang Zhou) is in the event.”

Storey put her success down to training with the able-bodied team pursuit squad and to her preparations for the team sprint. “I’ve been working hard on getting more explosive, so it was good to get a PB as it shows I’m notching away towards the world record," explained the multiple Paralympic gold medallist, who will join the Telegraph Sport writing team during the Games.

“Today I was just trying to concentrate on getting out of the gate cleanly, getting the first half snappy and then using my strength in the second lap and a half to drive as fast as I could. It all came together for me and I’m really chuffed.”

The second British success came in the Women’s B/Vi 3km pursuit in which Britain fielded two tandem pairings – Lora Turnham, piloted by Fiona Duncan, silver medallists in the event in 2011, and Aileen McGlynn, piloted by Helen Scott. Both pairings made it through a tough qualification, posting a third and second fastest times respectively.

In the finals, Lora Turnham and Fiona Duncan faced New Zealand’s Phillipa Gray and Laura Thompson in a bronze ride off. The British pairing got off to a good start but lost advantage to the Kiwis after the first few laps and failed to get it back, finally placing fourth.

Aileen McGlynn and Helen Scott were up against Ireland’s Catherine Walsh and Francine Meehan in the finals. Here too, the British pairing started the race better than the opposition but lost their advantage in consecutive laps to place second behind the Irish.

“For a few second in that final I thought, we can have this, but I think we got it all out in the first ride” said pilot Helen Scott after the race. “We went off well trying to hold the same splits but we were a little slower each time.”

However, the silver medal marks a great improvement for the British tandem which qualified 8th in the 3km pursuit last year in Montichiari and both McGlynn, the stoker, and Scott, the pilot, believe they can close the gap on the Irish between now and the London Paralympics.

Police arrest husband of French cycling champion Jeannie Longo

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 13:08:39 GMT

The husband of the Olympic cyclist Jeannie Longo has been arrested over the alleged purchase of the banned performance enhancer erythropoietin, known as EPO, according to reports in France. A police official confirmed that Longo's apartment had been raided and Patrice Ciprelli, her husband and coach, arrested, but the 53-year-old cyclist herself had not been detained.

Longo has competed in seven Olympics and came 24th in the women's road race in Beijing four years ago, the event in which she won gold in 1996 and silver in 1992. The police official did not provide further details, and declined to be identified by name.

The sports newspaper L'Equipe reported that a dozen officers from a police agency that focuses on environmental and public health led a search of the couple's property as part of a judicial probe opened in September.