Bike World News

Coming to you live from the BMC Pro Team Camp…

In today’s cycling news, new Australian Pro Tour team in the works, Radio Shack announces pre-selection for Tour de France, Pro Tour may come to India and more…

• The GranFondo Colnago series started out as being U.S. focused, but now they are moving to new climes. The newest event to be announced is an event in Saint-Tropez.
• American athletes contested both the track and cyclo-cross World Cup finales over the weekend. On the track, Cody O’Reilly was the top American while Jonathan Page turned in the top finish at the cyclo-cross event. USA Cycling announced its 2010 regional development camps schedule and 20 Americans are preparing for the Cyclo-cross World Championships next weekend.
• Phillipe Gilbert received the 81st annual Sportsmanship Award from Belgium’s Prince Phillipe.
• Johnny Hoogerland plans to start his season with a performance in the GP Marseillaise.
• A company named Australian Road Cycling has announced plans to form a new Australia-based team with the goal of securing a Pro Tour license by 2011.
• Vacansoleil held their official presentation yesterday and said that they are hoping for a strong showing in 2010, culminating in an invite to the Tour de France. The Giro is in their sights as well. They hope to end the year ranked as least 17th in team standings as that may increase their chances of securing a Pro Tour license.
• Tour de France organizer Christian Prudhomme said that he would like to see WADA run the doping controls at the 2010 Tour. The time since the conclusion of the 2009 race has been beset by battles between the ASO (the organizers of the race), the UCI and France’s National Antidoping Laboratory. Each is accusing the other of partiality.
• The Radio Shack Cycling team has announced their pre-selection roster for the 2010 Tour de France. In the running for the race are Lance Armstrong, Janez Brajkovic, Chris Horner, Andreas Klöden, Levi Leipheimer, Jason McCartney, Dmitriy Muravyev, Sergio Paulinho and Haimar Zubeldia.
• Radio Shack’s participation in the Giro is still under question. Part of the team will be at the Tour of California, and they are not sure who they would commit to the race.
• The 2009 season was not poor for AG2R, but with only five wins posted for the entire season, manager Vincent Lavenu would like to see more success. “Our aim is of course to shine in the Tour de France, as we did in recent years. Then we planned from the beginning of the season, winning major competitions, such as Paris-Nice, Milan-San Remo, Liege-Bastogne-Liege and Paris-Roubaix, ” said Lavenu Tuesday at the team presentation.
• 14 teams have confirmed their participation in the 2010 Tour de Langkawi. The teams will include Professional Continental squad ISD-NERI of Italy as well as continental teams Drapac Porsche – AUSTRALIA, Tabriz Petrochemical Cycling Team – IRAN, Seoul Cycling Team – KOREA,Marco Polo Cycling Team – CHINA, Aisan Racing Team – JAPAN, Max Success Sport Cycling Team – CHINA, Le Tua cycling Team – MALAYSIA, Team Geumsan Ginseng Asia – KOREA, Azad University Cycling Team – IRAN, Giant Asia Racing Team – TAIWAN. Also on hand will be the national teams of Malaysia, Kazakhstan and South Africa.
• The Pro Tour may be coming to India. Organizers of the Mumbai Cyclothon (1.2) are aiming to take the race to Pro Tour status within five years. The next edition of the race will take place in February 21st. 21 February. HTC-Columbia and Saxo Bank are planning to race as well as Fly V. HTC and Saxo Bank had to apply for a special permit to participate since the race is Category 1.2.
• Tom Boonen turns thirty years old this season. He says that there are some psychological barriers involved with the milestone, but notes that many riders have seen their strongest successes in their thirties. “I do notice that it is always easier to train, to make sacrifices and to be involved with my sport. Before I had no idea it was and as it happened. Now I rely more on practice and experience.”
• WADA has updated their list of banned substances. Pseudoephedrine is back on the list, having been removed the past several years.
• BBox Bouyges Telecom manager Jean-Rene Bernaudeau said he was “confident” about the future of his team in 2010, but stressed that they must find a new sponsor to take over the mobile phone firm Bouygues Telecom.
• The Court of Arbitration for Sport has ruled on the appeal of Spanish cyclist Carlos Roman Golba, who challenged the legitimacy of the “Whereabouts” system used to aid in out of competition doping controls. This decision confirmed the first appraisal by the Civil Court No. 6 of Almeria in September 2007, which decided that the system does not violate privacy.
• The organizers of the 67th Tour de Pologne, which will take place from August 1st to the 7th, 2010, have dedicated the race’s 6th stage to the memory of the Auschwitz concentration camp. The stage, scheduled for Friday, August 6th, on the roads from Oswiecim to Bukowina Tatrzanska for a total of more than 240 km, will be very difficult, with the arrival on a climb. It promises to be the hardest stage in the 2010 edition, and most probably will decide the winner of the race.

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