Category: News

Categories
News

BMC’s Cadel Evans Takes the Tirreno-Adriatico

The Tirreno-Adriatico has come to a dramatic close with the 9.3km San Benedetto del Tronto Individual Time-Trial stage bringing some 1074km of Italian stage racing to an end. The final ITT saw a win for Leopard Trek’s Fabian Cancellara in 10’33” with Lars Boom (Rabobank) second place with + 01’09” and Adriano Malori (Lampre-ISD) just 10 seconds adrift from that to take third on the stage.

 

But final general classification had a win for Australian Cadel Evans (for BMC) who finished with an 11second lead in the overall standings ahead of Dutch rider Robert Gesink (RAB), with a third place awarded to Italy’s Michele Scarponi (LAM). Evans, the 2009 world champion (also the Australian with the highest Tour de France finishes, coming second in 07 and 08) clocked an overall time of 27hrs 37’37” for his Tirreno-Adriatico victory.

 

For final and stage results see: http://www.uciprotour.com

?

Categories
News

Top Finish for Team GB Para-Cyclists

Para-CyclingThree days of staggeringly good competition drew to a close yesterday (Sunday March 13) at the Para-Cycling Track World Championships in Montichiari, Italy, with Great Britain ending top of the medal table with nine gold, eight silver and a bronze. Amongst the victors were service veterans Jon-Allen Butterworth and Terry Byrne both of whom were making their World Championship debuts having retrained through the “Battle Back” scheme for injured tri-service personnel. Butterworth set a new world record with a win in the 1km time-trial (C5 category) with a finish of 1’7.615”, whilst Byrne took silver in the C4 category 1km pursuit behind his team-mate Jody Cundy who set a new world-record with 1’05.144”

 

The final Team GB gold came in the Team Sprint (Darren Kenny, Tel Byrne, Jody Cundy) who, having set a new world record in the qualifiers, upped their game still further in the final to beat China. The stunning all-round results have not only boosted the confidence of the British team but also earned valuable qualify points towards the Paralympics for London 2012.

 

Full results list: www.uci.ch

 

Categories
News

Nice Won

After 8 electrifying days of competition and 1,307km of gruelling peddling the opening leg of the  European UCI World Tour has drawn to a close with the 69th edition of Paris-Nice now over. And what an event of (quite literal) ups and downs it has been: Day Two saw New Zealander Greg Henderson (Team Sky) sprint to victory across the 199km stage from Montfort l’Amaury to Amilly whilst Tony Martin of HTC-Highroad smashed through day 6’s 27km time-trial to lead with two stages remaining.

 

But the most dramatic racing was saved for today where the race really failed to live up to its more common name, “Race to the Sun”, as riders battled horrendous weather on the final 124km loop out and back from Nice which had riders testing themselves to the limits on climbs up the Côte de Duranus, the Col du Chateauneuf and Col de Calaïson, before the long final rain-soaked straight. French champion Thomas Voeckler of Europcar was first man home on the day (3h15’58”) but there was no denting Martin’s overall lead as he became only the third German ever to win Paris-Nice with a time of 34h03’37”. Radioshack’s Andreas Kloden took second (+00’36”) with a third place for Britain’s Bradley Wiggins (Team Sky, +00’41”).

 

Categories
News

Reading ready for Bike-hire?

Reading looks set to be the latest place in the UK to launch a bike-hire scheme similar to that set up with great fanfare in London last year, which in turn drew inspiration from the successful Vélib bike-hire initiative in Paris. If final approval is given the Conservative/Liberal Democrat council plan to install 1,000 bicycles in up to 150 docking sites located across the city, at Reading station, the university and at local business parks; hopefully generating somewhere in the region of 10,000 additional cycle-based journeys per day. Councillor Richard Willis, who oversees council transport and planning, said to date the response had been “very supportive”.

 

Reading already runs a small-scale hire scheme (operated by OYBike) which was launched in 2008, but the new initiative will see it become the largest operation of its kind outside of the capital.

 

The London scheme was initially met with typical British scepticism, but has proven an unqualified success with both the bikes and docking stations vying for iconic design status to match the London taxi or red bus. Close to 100,000 people have signed up to make use of the service with Mayor Boris Johnson commenting that the success has: “gladdened my heart”. Which is nice…

 

Consultation in Reading continues on March 14.

Categories
News

What? No Helmet?

CTC – the UK’s National Cyclists’ Organisation – has joined forces with Sustrans to launch a petition to fight against legislation in Northern Ireland that would make the wearing of cycling helmets compulsory. The bill, succinctly if rather boringly called the Cyclists Protective Headgear Bill, was voted in by the Northern Ireland Assembly in January 2011 (by a majority of just 2 votes) and, if approved by the Environment Committee, would see cyclist who fail to comply subject to a £50 fine.

 

Both the CTC and Sustrans are at pains to make clear that they are not “anti-helmet”, only that compulsory use leads, demonstrably, to a fall in cyclist numbers which in turn has proven to result in less safe cycling conditions for those who remain. They also claim that legislation is disproportionate to risk, is costly and difficult to police (better, it’s argued, to spend budgets on other areas of sustainable road safety) and can be discriminatory against those on lower incomes.

 

There is certainly evidence that mandatory headwear has a negative effect; in Australia both Melbourne and Sydney have seen numbers of their cycle hire schemes fall, whilst Mexico has recently revoked their helmet laws following a similar drop off in numbers.

 

For more information or register your support visit: www.ctc.org.uk

Categories
News

UK Para-Cycling Track Team Head for World Championships

Para-CyclingWe are now only days away from the Para-Cycling Track World Championships (March 11-13) and with this being only one of two track competitions with qualifying points for the 2012 London Paralympic Games, the UK team are heading out to Montichiari, Italy with the strongest possible side. “We expect to see some strong performances from our riders,” says Team Manager Gareth Sheppard, “Our goal is to bring back as many medals as possible to help us qualify a satisfactory number of athletes for track events at the London Games.”

 

The team of 16 includes seven Paralympic champions – Mark Bristow, Jody Cundy, Anthony Kappes, Darren Kenny, Aileen McGlynn, Barney Storey and Sarah Storey, along with double World Champion Neil Fachie. In to the mix also goes a further handful of 2012 hopefuls including ex-servicemen Tel Byrne and Jon-Allan Butterworth (both making World Championship debuts) who joined the GB Para-Cycling Team via the “Battle Back” programme – a tri-service initiative launched in 2008 to provide training and sporting opportunities for seriously injured personnel.

 

The three days of competition will see the world’s top riders battling it out in 3 and 4Km Pursuit, 500 and 1000m Time Trial, plus Sprint and Team Sprint – Cyclo wishes our UK team the very best of luck…

Categories
News

London-Paris Open for Bookings

ATD London to ParisAcross the Divide have bookings open for this year’s London to Paris charity bike ride (June 1 – 5); an event that sees participants challenge themselves across four days of cycling from London, through rolling Kent countryside and picturesque French villages, to the heart of Paris with an epic Finish beneath the Eiffel Tower.

 

The challenge, now its third year, covers around 300 miles (mostly on minor roads and lanes) with an itinerary that breaks down as:

Day 1, 100miles – Greenwich, via the London suburbs and southern counties to Dover (with a couple of chewy hills to get you in the mood)
Day 2, 70mies – Calais to the historic town of Arras.
Day 3, 76miles – Arras to Compiegne, the most scenic day of cycling.
Day 4, 63miles – Compiegne to Paris, complete with celebratory meal.
Day 5 – Eurostar to St Pancras (no sweat required…)

 

In our experience ATD manage to pull of the near impossible balancing act between laid-back, sheer fun and impeccable planning and, with the promise of ATD guides, logistics staff, event doctor, wholesome foods and quality overnight hotels the only thing you have to do is peddle. As the organisers put it: “Although this event will be hard going at times, the rewards will be great.” – This is one charity ride Cyclo really wants to take up this year…

 

For more information see: www.acrossthedivide.com

Categories
News

Two out of three for Contador

Alberto Contador has won the Vuelta de Murcia (Tour of Murcia) in only his second event since being cleared of doping allegations by the Spanish Cycling Federation. The Tour de France champion, riding for Saxo Bank-SunGard, looked strong from the start of the three-day event in Spain, ultimately setting a best overall time of 9hours, 27minutes and 18seconds win wins on both day/stage two and three.

 

By the end of the mountainous day two Contador already looked close to unstoppable combining a powerful attack on the final climb of the day – the Collado Bermejo – with a heart-stopping descent to the finish line with no holding back when it came to risk taking. Whilst day three’s 12.5km time trial stage gave Contador his second win of three days when he posted a time of 14.10 ahead of Jerome Coppel (+ 0.08) and Dennis Menchov (+ 0.12).

 

With Saxo Bank-SunGard winning two out of the three stages and taking overall victory, plus also topping both point and team classifications, Team sports director, Dan Frost, summed up everyone’s sentiments: “The victory is a relief for him and for the team. His presence alone has an outstanding effect on our younger riders…”