Podium Cafe (Free subscription) | 11/21/2009
Next year Kim Kirchen will ride for the Russian Katusha squad having made the move from Columbia-HTC team of Mark Cavendish. Kirchen's best year in terms of results was undoubtedly 2008. He finally won the Fléche Wallonne classic having previously come 2nd in 2005, he also took stage wins at the Vuelta al País Vasco and the Tour de Suisse as well as wearing both the green and yellow jerseys...
Euro Peloton - Pro Cycling News (Free subscription) | 11/18/2009
Kim Kirchen left the best team of 2009, Columbia, to join the Russian Katuysha outfit for 2010. The climbing-oriented Kirchen will be one of Katuysha's strongest riders in 2010, but whether he'll focus on the grand ours or the classics has yet to be decided. Kirchen is a huge cycling talent, capable of dropping the world's best riders in the hilly classics and staying in contention against the best...
Podium Cafe (Free subscription) | 11/18/2009
Interesting team, that Katusha and an interesting pick-up on their part, picking Joaquin Rodriguez from Caisse d'Epargne. For CN today comes word on the race schedule for J-Rod next year and it's much like in previous years, with two exceptions: there's Tour de France for the first time and there's no Alejandro Valverde to support. Here's his early season (up to the Tour) schedule: warm-up: Volta a...
cyclingnews.com (Free subscription) | 11/02/2009
Fränk Schleck would very much like to have a 2010 season equally successful as 2009. “It was a wonderful year, in which I brought in a number of good wins,” the Saxo Bank rider said. In fact, he told the Luxembourg's Wort newspaper, he and younger brother Andy “have already agreed for 2010: He will win the Amstel Gold Race, then I will take Liège-Bastogne-Liège.”...
Podium Cafe (Free subscription) | 10/30/2009
I am instituting a new column, the Mea Culpa Friday Report, where I apologize for any major screwups during the past week of blogging. In the interest of time, however, this will not be a comprehensive audit of the week's posts and comments; just a cherry-picked piece of buffoonery that needs correcting worse than anything else. If you were hoping for more, I am truly, truly sorry. As far as you know....
cyclingnews.com (Free subscription) | 10/30/2009
Italian Enrico Gasparotto will join team Astana after a forgettable year with the Lampre team. He received assurance from Alexander Vinokourov and new team director Giuseppe Martinelli that he will have chances to race for himself throughout 2010. "I talked to Vinokourov. He will ride for Liège-Bastogne-Liège and Flèche Wallonne, but confirmed I will have chances in the other...
Podium Cafe (Free subscription) | 10/27/2009
One more poll, this also compiled from your suggestions . Incidentally, I won't poll Memorable Moments, our third nominations category. Since it's totally subjective, a poll adds nothing. Anyway... Poll What was the best race day of the year in 2009? World Championships RR (Evans Redemption) Giro di Lombardia (Gilbert's Rampage) Milano-Sanremo (Cav and Haussler emerge) Paris-Roubaix (Boonen and drama)...
Euro Peloton - Pro Cycling News (Free subscription) | 10/26/2009
The BMC cycling team is no longer a mid-level domestic squad. They have, over the past few months, morphed into a powerhouse team with an International roster capable of winning a variety of races in 2010. The biggest names to sign are undoubtedly the threesome of George Hincapie, Alessandro Ballan and Karsten Kroon. The three, each suited differently to one day races, should have a profound affect...
cyclingnews.com (Free subscription) | 10/26/2009
Andy Schleck of Team Saxo Bank will ride the Spring Classics in preparation for the Tour de France, and once again skip the Giro d'Italia. The Luxembourger will look to improve on his second place finish this year, saying “If I can finish second, then I think I can win.” His spring plan includes Liège-Bastogne-Liège, where he will look to defend his 2009 victory and the Amstel...
Podium Cafe (Free subscription) | 10/24/2009
I know I have often said there is no next Eddy Merckx. I have also said on more than one occasion that Edvald Boasson Hagen is, in fact, the next Eddy Merckx. Both of these statements can't be true. So which one is? Let's look for some data to help us decide. Eddy Merckx finished 12th in the 1964 Olympics, at age 19. Edvald finished 71st in the Beijing Olympics at age 21. But that doesn't really count,...
Podium Cafe (Free subscription) | 10/21/2009
[That would be Flemish (or at least Dutch) for "prosperity" or "success". Get used to my clumsy use of computer-translated Dutch as if it were also Flemish.] What makes a great season -- or a good one, for that matter -- to Belgian cycling? For newer cycling nations (e.g., the English speaking world, Scandinavia), you just have to make a dent in the Tour. For the Grand Tour countries...
The Guardian (Free subscription) | 10/16/2009
• Team RadioShack given approval to race in ProTour • Membership gives teams applying to the Tour an advantage Lance Armstrong's new team has been granted permission to seek entry into the Tour de France. The International Cycling Union said it has granted Team RadioShack a licence to compete in ProTour races for the 2010-13 seasons. The season-long series includes one-day classics such...
cyclingnews.com (Free subscription) | 10/14/2009
While some of the overall contenders for the 2010 Tour de France may look with fear upon the route's early stages in Belgium and Northern France, the Quick Step team and Classics specialist Tom Boonen will certainly be aiming for victory on familiar terrain. The route of stage one to Brussels may bypass the cobbled sectors made famous in the Ronde van Vlaanderen, stage two will pass over a portion...
cyclingnews.com (Free subscription) | 10/14/2009
The Giro d'Italia director Angelo Zomegnan praised the design of the 2010 Tour de France, giving it a score of 10 out of 10. The Tour organiser ASO presented the race route in Paris today, 10 days ahead of the Giro d'Italia route presentation. "I always give a vote of ten on the others' designs," Zomegnan told Cyclingnews . ASO presented a 3600-km course that starts in Rotterdam, Netherlands...
The Guardian (Free subscription) | 10/14/2009
• Route features range of tough natural challenges • Tour director: 'This is going to be a big fight' Alberto Contador will have to contend with treacherous cobblestones and blustery North Sea winds before reaching next year's Tour de France mountain stages. But the newly unveiled route for 2010 also gives the Spaniard, Tour champion in 2007 and 2009 and arguably the best climber in the...
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