Bike World News

Even in the off-season, there’s always news. Jamis/Sutter Home fleshes out their 2010 roster, Team Type 1 goes Euro, Pat McQuaid takes a Caribbean vacation, Schleck aims at the Tour de France and more….

• Sebastian Haedo, Luis Amaran, and Alejandro Borrajo are the first members of the new Jamis/Sutter Home Men’s Cycling Team. The team had been known as Colavita/Sutter Home for the last several years.
• Lorenzo Bernucci committed with to the Lampre team and will serve as a lieutenant to Alessandro Pettachi.
• Team Type 1 is expanding their roster for 2010 with the addition of some European strength. Spanish Javier Mejias Leal, will join the U.S. based squad from Fuji-Servetto and Dutch sprinter Thomas Rabou comes from the Rabobank Continental team. Russian Alexey Shmidt and a talented young Dutch rider Martijn Verschoor also join.
• Selle Italia has signed on as a supporting sponsor for the Ceramica Flaminia team for 2010.
• UCI President Pat McQuaid was in Barbados this weekend where he attended the 9th Caribbean Elite Road Race Championships. In total, 130 cyclists from 19 countries took part in the time trials on Saturday October 24th and the road races the following day. The Championships were organized by the Barbados Cycling Union with the support of the Barbados Olympic Association and the Barbados Sports Council.
• Andy Schleck will ride the Tour of Flanders and other spring classics in 2010, and will use the cobblestones as preparation for the bumpy sections he’ll have to face in the 2010 Tour de France. He’s already decided to pass on the Giro in favor of preparing for the Tour de France.
• Contador received the Velo d’Or from France’s Velo Magazine yesterday for the third year in a row. In a telvised interview, he says that he has not made any firm decisions on his future yet, but allowed that some progress has been made in talks with Caisse d’Epargne. Caisse d’Epargne is also waiting for their Pro Tour license, but maybe Contador figures that he would be more comfortable with a Spanish team. If Alejandro Valverde’s ban in Italy gets taken worldwide, the team will definitely be looking for a leader.
• Terry McGinnis, the executive director of the Tour of Utah, passed away Saturday at the age of 46 after a long battle with cancer.

The 2010 Giro d’Italia:

• The 2010 Giro route starts in the Netherlands and will tackle 21 stages and some significant climbs (Zoncolan, Plan de Corones, Mortirolo and Gavia). Some say that the route favors Alberto Contador, who won the race under similar conditions in 2008. Reigning champion Denis Menchov likes the look of the parcours as well. Carlos Sastre was in favor of the course, but is reserving his decision until the Vuelta makes their course annoucement.
• Former World Champion Alessandro Ballan hopes to ride the Giro with his new BMC team, but they have yet to receive an invitation to the race. They will depend on a wildcard invitation to participate.
• On seeing the course, Lampre’s Damiano Cunego has given up hope for an overall win at the Giro in 2010, but will instead focus on individual stage wins.

Results:

• Chris Anker Sørensen (Saxo Bank) celebrated the last road race of the year his first win of the season. The 25-year-old Dane won the Japan Cup on Sunday (1.HC) as a soloist with 24 seconds lead on a three-man chase group. Second was the Spaniard Daniel Moreno (Caisse d’Epargne), third place went to the Italian Ivan Santaromita (Liquigas).
• Alejandro Valverde won Sunday’s criterium in the town of Alcobendas (near Madrid) over Alberto Contador. Jose Angel Gomez Marchante was third.

Related Posts:

• 2010 Tour de France Preview (3)
• 2010 Tour de France: Stage 13 Results (3)
• 2010 Tour de France: Stage 12 Results (2)
• Tour de France riders and teams – Version 0.1 (0)
• Road Racing News and Results – September 15, 2009 (0)