All of your cycling news: February 22, 2010

In today’s cycling news, Contador scared of the cobbles, Steegmans still aching from Algrave fall, US Criterium Nats move and more…

• In an extended interview with Sportwereld, Alberto Contador spoke frankly about his prospects for the 2010 Tour de France, his Astana team and possible plans for next year.
• There was some controversy at the Volta al Algarve when the UCI declared the Specialized Shiv time trial bikes of Astana out of compliance with their technical guidelines. The ban on the bikes came just before the decisive final TT at the race. Astana had to have Specialized overnight a shipment of thier Transition TT bikes to the team. Saxo Bank uses the same model of bike and had to come up with an alternative as well.
• Gert Steegmans, who took a hard fall during the Tour of the Algarve, has been released from the hospital and is on the way home. He is still suffering from a headache and sensitivity to bright light, but initial tests showed that everything was okay. His participation in the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne is still in question.
• The 2010 USA Cycling Professional Criterium National Championship will be held in the northern Chicago suburb of Glencoe, Ill. on Saturday, August 14, the national governing body announced today. The event, which attracts many of the nation’s top professionals, has historically been held in Downers Grove, Ill. but will move to a new location for the first time in the event’s 24-year history.
• In what is likely a harbinger of things to come for the Tour de France, the UCI and the AFLD are at loggerheads over who will conduct the drug testing for Paris-Nice. The UCI had expressed an interest to be the sole testing agency, but the AFLD has appealed to WADA to be allowed to do testing as well. The UCI announced last month that it had reached an agreement to conduct tests at the 2010 Tour de France without the AFLD, but that accord may now be in jeopardy.
• March 7th’s GP of Utica will open the women’s professional cycling season in Italy. Teams expected to participate include: Team Valdarno (Italy), Gauss Rdz Ormu (Italia), Safi Pasta Zara (Lituania), Fenixs (Russia), Michela Fanini Record Rox (Italia), Top Girls Fassa Bortolo Ghezzi (Italy), Chirio Forno d’Asolo (Italy), Vaiano TEPs Solaristech (Italy), Team System Data (Italy), Bike Import.ch (Switzerland), Sc Vecchia Fontana (Italy), Team Garmin Polet (Slovenia), the Croatian national team, Team Heart Edilsavino Italian (Italy) and Gs Potentia 1945 (Italy).
• Patrick Sinkewitz is looking for a move up from the PSK-Whirlpool Team and hinted that there may be announcement in a couple of weeks. He’s still involved in a legal battle with his former sponsor Forstina, who is looking for 95000E in damages from the 2007 doping scandal.
• The De Rosa Stac Plastic team will be split in the coming days. From February 23 to 27, part of the team will be involved in the Tour of Sardinia, while the rest of the team with finish their engagement in the Classica Sarda before heading the Grand Prix Insubria and the Gran Premio di Lugano.
• Alessandro Petacchi has recovered from the gastroenteritis that kept him out of the Trophy Laigueglia, and will lead the Lampre-Farnese Vini team at the Tour of Sardinia.
• José Azevedo says Lance Armstrong will do just fine in this year’s Tour de France, but cautioned against calling it a two-horse race against Alberto Contador. He added that there are other riders who can win: the Schlecks, Sastre, Evans, Nibali and Basso and said that it was disrespectful to not talk about the other contendors.

Tags: 2010 tour de france, alberto contador, Alessandro Petacchi, ASO, astana, Brussels, criterium, cycling news, de rosa, Gert Steegmans, Lance, Lance Armstrong, National Championship, Paris-Nice, Patrick Sinkewitz, Saxo Bank, specialized, specialized shiv time trial bike, time trial, tour of the algarve, UCI, USA Cycling, WADA