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Triple Classic for Cavendish

With the kind of all-powering sprint finish that shows his superstar potential HTC-Highroad’s Mark Cavendish yesterday (Wednesday 6) took first place at the Scheldeprijs Classic. Despite having missed out for the last two years, this victory marks the Brit’s third win at the Belgium event – he took his first pro victory here in 2007, repeating his success in 2008 – and he now equals Piet Oellibrandt’s record number of wins for Scheldeprijs. It also sees Cavendish’s second win of the season after a similarly spectacular sprint finish at the Tour of Oman to beat out Denis Galimzyanov and Andrea Guardini in a time of 3:39:58. The Scheldeprijs Classic must have felt like déjà vu to Russian Galimzyanov (Katusha Team), with Cavendish yet again holding him off for second place.

 

A number of spectacular crashes have defined the race in recent years and Cavendish, to take nothing away from his success, was certainly helped out here this year with a wipe-out close to the finish that ended defending champion Tyler Farrar’s chances of success for Garmin-Cervélo.

 

With typically British reserve Cavendish summed up his victory with the understated: “I’m racing a lot this season and I’ve had some bad luck, so it’s good I can get the wins in too…My next race will be Paris-Roubaix and then I’ll build up for the Tour de France, with the Tour of Italy and the Tour de Suisse before then as well.”

 

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News

Air Maiden Returns

The mighty Air Maiden – the women’s only freeride event – returns this year on July 2 & 3. The brainchild of Lynne Armstrong, who was inspired to bring a weekend of adrenaline riding to these shores after competing in Crankworx, Canada in 2007, Air Maiden enjoys a growing reputation for delivering up a combination of expert coaching and thrilling competition. The idea behind Air Maiden is to encourage those who have participated in day one’s “Coaching Clinics”, to showcase their new-found skills in a series of challenging real-world descents whilst maintaining a fun and laidback atmosphere. According to the event organisers it is also a chance to “show the public the level of skill that exists in female mountain bikers across the country and to demonstrate that us Brits are up there with the best of them in terms of freeride skill.”

 

The schedule for the weekend breaks down to a Saturday coaching and practice regime running, approximately, 10.30 – 15.00 followed by an evening BBQ; whilst Sunday starts with further practice sessions followed by the main competition from 12.00 onwards.

 

Air Maiden takes place at the Glentress Freeride Park in the Tweed Valley and entry for the weekend is a downright bargain £50.00. Registration forms are available via the website: www.airmaiden.com

 

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News

Bike Week Needs You!

Bike WeekThings are already gearing up (forgive the expression) for this year’s Bike Week, which takes place at venues across Britain from June 18 to 26. As with last year the series of events – which aims to promote “everyday cycling for everyone” – is sponsored by Team Green Britain, the initiative founded by EDF Energy to help find ways to reduce carbon footprints. Cynics at the back please stop sniggering… Regardless, Bike Week will include a range of activities for cyclists of all ability including charity fundraisers, traffic-free rides, displays, demonstrations, training sessions and much more besides. But the main ticket for this year’s Bike Week will be the ambitious sounding “Britain’s Biggest Bike Fix” which aims to get, yes you guessed it, as many bikes back in to good running order as possible.

 

By their estimates 77% of us own bikes but only around 14% of us use them in any sort of regularity – often due to the fact that once-loved machines now languish ever-so-slightly-broken in cobwebbed garages. With this in mind Bike Week are seeking out volunteers, either professional mechanics or enthusiastic (and presumably competent) amateurs, to join their Dr Bikes service and lend a hand at local points across the country. Details of how to get involved as a fixer or fixee are available at: www.bikeweek.org.uk

 

Their useful guide to the Top Ten Maintenance Tips is also available here.

 

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Events

The Pendle Witches Vintage Velo – April 24

How’s this for something a little different? On Sunday April 24 you can take to the saddle on a vintage or classic bike (new-fangled modern contraptions also welcome though) for a jaunt around Lancashire. Two distances are available: “The Trial” (£12.50) a 53mile circular route featuring challenging climbs previously utilised in the Tour of Britain, and “The Cauldron” (£4.50) a 13mile novice route that still offers up two chewy climbs but has the added attraction of a two mile freewheel downhill.

 

Race HQ for both events is the Craven Heifer Pub, Rawtenstall (map details here). Proceeds go to both Cancer Research and local charity Stepping Stones.

 

Postal entries only, available via

www.pendlewitchesvintagevelo.co.uk

 

http://www.pendlewitchesvintagevelo.co.uk/
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News

Nuyens Flies at Flanders

Tour of Flander 2011 Nick Nuyens riding for Saxo Bank-SunGard, since Fabian Cancellara left the team for rivals Trek-Leopard, has won this year’s edition of the Tour of Flanders with a thrilling three way sprint finish that saw Sylvain Chavanel of Quick Step in second and the pre-race Flander’s favourite and defending champion Cancellara third. Nuyens’ home turf victory also made him the first man to twice win both the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix in the same season, making it a double blow for Cancellara who was chasing the same dream… Nuyens tackled the 256k course with its rolling hills and notorious cobblestoned sections in 6:01:20. Team RadioShack’s Sébastien Rosseler who won the Three Days De Panne event last Thursday (always something of a prelude to Flanders) was a regrettable DNF on the day.

 

For full results see: www.uciworldtour.com

 

http://www.uciworldtour.com/templates/BUILTIN-NOFRAMES/Template3/layout.asp?MenuId=MTYwMTY&LangId=1

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Denmark’s the Start for Giro 2012

Giro d'ItaliaAfter months of speculation the organisers of the Giro d’Italia have finally announced that the 2012 edition will begin in Denmark, marking its first ever visit to Scandinavia. The Giro will kick off on Saturday, May 5, in Herning (coincidently also the birthplace of Bjarne Riis who rides for Saxo Bank-SunGard) with the Individual Time Trial beginning and ending at the town’s Exhibition Centre. Stage two’s 200k loop will also call Herning home, before the action transfers to Horsens in east Jutland for stage three and then moves back to more familiar Italian home ground. The decision finally lays to rest the rumours that the 2012 Giro would begin in Washington DC – which would have made it the first Grand Tour to start outside of Europe – and marks the tenth occasion on which it has started outside of Italy. The 2010 edition started in Amsterdam.

 

In a joint statement the mayors of Herning and Horsens, Lars Krarup and Jan Tojborg respectively, comment: “We share a strong tradition for cycling and are experienced in handling large, international events and we look forward to the challenge and to giving the Italians a perfect start of the race in 2012.”

 

This year’s Giro d’Italia starts May 7 in Turin, finishing May 29 in Milan.

 

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News

RadioShack Battle the Elements

Yesterday saw a dramatic final day of racing at the Three Days De Panne in Belgium with poor weather spoiling many a rider’s chances. With the event considered a prelude to the Tour of Flanders, which takes places this Sunday, wind and rain at Thursday morning’s 3a stage forced the withdrawal of many competitors including Filippo Pozzato, Peter Sagan, Stijn Devolder and Alessandro Ballan (the latter two both previous Flanders winners.) In all 21 riders abandoned the penultimate stage.

 

The afternoon’s 3b stage – the 14.7k Time Trial – proved even more disastrous for Quick Step’s Niki Terpstra who wiped out and sustained a fractured collar bone, ending his hopes of success (indeed participation) at Flanders. The accident marks a continuation of the run of bad luck this season for Quick Step who have already lost 4 riders to injury.

 

But it was RadioShack’s Sébastien Rosseler who fought through the blustery TT conditions to convincingly win the final stage and bag an overall win in to the bargain. RadioShack also celebrated a third overall place with Michal Kwiatkowski taking just a +14 behind Rosseler’s winning time of 12:21:33, and the Netherland’s Lieuwe Westra (Vacansoleil-DCM) squeezed in between the two for second place on +6.

 

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News

Pot(hole) Luck

News reaches Cyclo that a simply jaw-dropping £10 billion may be required to fix the UK’s increasing pothole problem, with an annual shortfall somewhere in the region of a £895m on the highways maintenance budget. The disturbing figures come from the Annual Local Authority Road Maintenance (ALARM) survey produced by the Asphalt Industry Alliance (for there is such a thing) and are, naturally, of concern for any cyclist that regularly runs the gauntlet.

 

At current maintenance levels, the average frequency for a road to be resurfaced and fully repaired is once every 65 years in England and once every 81 years for Wales. Yes, you read that correctly.

 

As a potential crumb of some comfort the construction company Aggregate Industries has joined forces with the CTC – the National cyclists’ organisation, who launched their fillthathole website back in 2007 – to reward the most proactive councils. Two categories are up for grabs, one for the council with the highest percentage of potholes fixed, and a “People’s Choice” voted on by the public via the website. Olympic cyclist Victoria Pendleton has put her weight behind the awards too, commenting that: “I’m getting involved because anything that showcases pothole repairs and encourages councils to improve their roads has to be a good thing for both cyclists and motorists.” Pendleton also gets to meet the winning councils later this year. Lucky lady.