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Race to the Sun

For the first time in 15 years there was no prologue to this years Paris-Nice (more often referred to as “Race to the Sun” now in its 69th edition) which begins today, instead it kicks off with a straight stage that will give the sprinters a fighting chance at the leader’s Jersey, taking in looping laps from and to Houdan over a distance of 154.5 km.

 

Over the next 7days the tour takes rides from the flatlands of central France to the challenging mountain terrain that rings its south-eastern coastline, with individual time-trials on day/stage 6 (March 11) over 27km on the Rognes to Aix-en-Provence section. This will be the first time since 1968 that the Paris-Nice has featured individual time-trials of such length.

 

22 teams are fielding competitors, including Team Radioshack, Leopard-Trek, Saxo Bank Sunguard and Britain’s Sky Pro Cycling with Australian Michael Rogers spearheading the attack. Rogers, who joined Team Sky following five seasons with HTC-Columbia, had a pretty miserable time of it in the Algarve following a sinus infection, but now reports that he is eager to test himself on across this tough 1,307km opening leg of the  European UCI World Tour.

 

All the latest news and live updates are available from: http://www.letour.fr

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Triple for Cavendish?

Speaking at the Giro d’Italia press conference in London, HTC-Highroad sprinter Mark Cavendish has confirmed that he intends to start all three Grand Tours (Giro, Tour de France and Vuelta a España) this season.

 

Having missed the 2010 Giro in favour of taking to the saddle at the Tour of Californian,

Cavendish returns to the event this year with hopes of repeating his 2009 opening stage success when he proudly became the first Briton to don the leader’s jersey. He made a successfully debut at the Vuelta last year and to date has made starts in seven Grand Tours with finishes in four of them. If Cavendish makes good on his intention to line up at Giro, Tour and Vuelta he stands a good chance of being the first rider to win stages at the trinity in a single year since Italian Alessandro Petacchi back in 2003.

 

Giro d’Italia: May 7 – 29

Tour de France: July 2 – 24
Vuelta a España: August 20 – September 11

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Ladies First

To all you female daredevils out there, have you ever fancied testing your nerves and turning your hand to Downhill racing? Well this could be your opportunity to put your fears behind you (or face your demons, whichever appeals most) with your chance to get involved with the UK’s first ever all-female competition of its kind, the thrilling Diva Descent which is scheduled to take place May 7 and 8 at the beautiful Kinnoull Hill, Perth, Scotland.

 

Hoping to capitalise on events such as Air Maiden (www.airmaiden.com) Diva Descent aims to encourage the ever-growing number of female participants by providing a thrilling two days of chewy downhills under authentic race conditions. The event, sponsored by Loeka suppliers of women’s only cycling and outdoor clothing, will have an entry fee of £40.00 and the full schedule will be available soon at www.divadescent.com

 

As the organisers say, “when girls feel comfortable to push themselves, big things can happen!” Cyclo couldn’t agree more…

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Take the TT Challenge

Ever fancied riding like the wind just like your favourite TT star? Then it’s (nearly) time to head down to the Royal Windsor Race Course for the British Leisure Show 2011 which runs March 11-13 where CTT (Cycling Time Trials, the national governing body in England and Wales for time trialling) have teamed up with specialist supplier Totally-Timetrial to offer you the chance to hop on one of their glorious Planet X Stealth Pro Carbon bikes. A £3 hire fee allows you the chance to take on the purpose-built 1.5mile closed circuit with recorded times that will see the fastest male and female riders of the weekend presented with a prize, and anyone taking up the challenge also receiving a CTT goody-bag and, for posterity, a certificate with their time for all to see.

 

Totally-Timetrial (a division of Totally Bikes Ltd) is based in London and launched in 2010 with the express purpose of supplying quality TT and Triathlon bikes for hire to UK riders. Chris Boulton, of Totally Timetrial, comments: “We saw this as an ideal opportunity to support the sport by assisting CTT at the event and to promote our own hire business. Hiring rather than buying a specialist time trial bike is proving to be of great interest, particularly to beginners.”

 

Cyclo can’t wait to have a go. See you at the start-line?

 

Check out Totally-Timetrial at  totally-timetrial.co.uk or for more information on the British Leisure Show see: britishleisureshow.com

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Tour of Britain set for Whitehall Finish

The Tour of Britain – our biggest professional cycle race and largest free-to-spectate sporting event – is set for another triumphant London finish this year, following the success of the 2008 and 2009 events that took in the same final day loop incorporating Victoria Embankment and finishing in Whitehall.

 

The 2010 finish was hosted by Newham Council when the Pope’s visit prevented the use of central London locations, but with his Holiness safely back in the Vatican, Mayor of London (and renowned caped cycling crusader) Boris Johnson was free to comment, “The Tour of Britain is a fantastic event and I am thrilled to be able to support it.  I would urge Londoners and visitors to turn out and cheer on the cyclists as they whizz past some of the capital’s iconic landmarks…”

 

With the World Championships in Copenhagen just a week after The Tour of Britain, the event can be considered something of a dress rehearsal with the world’s greatest sprinters going toe-to-toe, and if all that excitement weren’t enough there is also an opportunity for the great unwashed public (yes, you!) to take to the saddle and ride the course in advance in aid of The Prostate Cancer Charity Tour Ride London. Details will be available soon at www.tourride.co.uk

 

Tour of Britain takes place September 11-18

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Contador Returns?

Team Saxo Bank-SunGard’s Alberto Contador has announced that he will return to compete in the Giro d’Italia stage race in May. The Spaniard, often cited as the most talented stage and all-round racer of his generation, has described the race in an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport, as his, “first big goal of the season.”

 

There are, of course, several obstacles to overcome in the meantime. Although Contador was acquitted by The Spanish Cycling Federation (RFEC) on February 15 after he tested positive for the banned drug Clenbuterol following last year’s Tour de France, either the International Cycling Union (UCI) or the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) are still thought likely to appeal the RFEC decision. If they are successful in overturning the verdict Contador will face a ban of up to 2 years and, naturally, the stripping of his 2010 Tour de France title.

 

The Giro d’Italia begins May 7 in Turin with team time trials, finishing 21 days later in Milan with the individual time trials and includes seven mountain stages.

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Cycletta

Cycletta, a new initiative to encourage more women to take to the saddle, has been launched by Olympic Gold medallist Victoria Pendleton. The scheme, supported by Sky and British Cycling, kicks off with two mass participation events in 2011: Cycletta North, June 26 (Tatton Park, Cheshire) and Cycletta South, September 11 (Whipsnade, Bedfordshire) both serving up 40km traffic-free courses designed to appeal to both experienced riders and those looking to up their game and improve confidence. Individual event entry is £45 with a £10 discount for participation in both events (go on, you know you want to); registration includes hints and tips on training, preparation and event strategies with the emphasis firmly on cooperation and teamwork.

 

More info at: www.cycletta.co.uk

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Shack del Sol

Team RadioShack has finished with four riders in the top 10 to win the Teams Classification in the Vuelta a Andalucía (Ruta Ciclista del Sol), with team mate Markel Irizar the overall winner having maintained his 1 second advantage over Belgian’s Jurgen Van den Broeck in the final, fifth stage to Antequera; making this his third victory in seven years of pro riding.
 
Team Manager Johan Bruyneel sees the victory as vindication of his decision to race Irizar following criticism that his inclusion was based on the fact that the Basque rider is, like Team RadioShack’s legendary Lance Armstrong, a testicular cancer survivor. Bruyneel put the record straight with his understated comment, “We took Markel because he was a good rider!”