Cycling Shorts – May 2, 2011

In today’s cycling news briefs, Sven Nys focusing on Olympic MTB slot, Ballan and Santambrogio benched, Giro teams and riders and more….

• Sven Nys will join the Landbroukredit team on the road this week at the Four Days of Dunkirk, but will spend most of his summer on his mountain bike in an attempt to qualify for the Olympics. ”I would be very disappointed if I can not (qualify). It’s my only goal this summer. I put so much pressure on myself, but I’m ready.”
• Leaders of the Spanish cycling team Andalucia-CajaGranada had the fright of their lives Sunday when their team car drove into a ravine. The accident happened during the 4th stage of the Tour of Asturias. Team manager Antonio Cabello was driving when the car plunged five meters down into a river at 40km/hr. The damage to the car was huge, but miraculously the three occupants were unharmed. The trio was, however, taken to a nearby hospital for examination.
• BMC Racing Team continues to bench Alessandro Ballan and Mauro Santambrogio while they are still under investigation with ongoing doping proceedings taking place in Italy.
• BMC Racing Team President/General Manager Jim Ochowicz said both riders have been cooperating fully with the investigation, and the team will respect their presumption of innocence and we expect them to continue their full support to the authorities. Ochowicz said the team will monitor the investigation and both riders will have to personally address any accusations on their own.
• Giro News:
  • The Farnese Vini team has chosen Italian national champ Giovanni Visconti as their leader for the Giro d’Italia, but will leave promising sprinter Andrea Guardini at home. Guardini was planning to ride the Giro, but is “too tired” for this year’s intense contest. Visconti will benefit from the experience of Andrea Noe, 42, who first participated in the Giro in 1994. Joining Noe and Visconti will be Francesco Failli (ITA), Elia Favilli (ITA), Oscar Gatto (ITA), Leonardo Giordani (ITA), Luca Mazzanti (ITA), Matteo Rabbottini (ITA) and Davide Ricci Bitti (ITA).
  • John Gadret will lead Ag2R, the only French team in the Giro, at the start this Saturday. Thirteenth overall last year, the 32 year old climber likes the hilly course for an opportunity to get a stage win. “I want to do better than last year, trying to lift the arms to win a stage,” he said. “Obviously, I’m not going to win the Tour of Italy. Contador will be the biggest customer, but there are lots of people: Scarponi, Nibali, Kreuziger … “
  • Rabobank will take a 100% Dutch team to the Giro. Former track rider Theo Bos will be the leader for the squad. The triple world champion in track racing hopes to do better than the 2010 Tour of Spain, his first Grand Tour, where he had to leave after a crash. Bos will be joined by Stef Clement (NED), Jos van Emden (NED), Rick Flens (HOL), Steven Kruijswijk (HOL), Tom Jelte Slagter (NED), Bram Tankink (NED), Pieter Weening (NED) and Dennis Van Winden (NED).
  • Team RadioShack’s Portuguese rider Tiago Machado will start as the leader of the squad in the Tour of Italy. As a climber and good time trial rider, Machado has the perfect skills to be a good stage race rider. With Robbie McEwen (with twelve Giro stage wins on his palmares), Robbie Hunter and Manuel Cardoso, the team also has the potential to perform well in the flat stages. “We believe in Machado,” explained Team Manager Johan Bruyneel.  “Tiago is still young, he has a lot to learn but he proved already in his first year with our team that he has everything in him to perform well in hard stage races. Last year he finished seven out-of-ten times in the overall top ten of a stage race.” The entire Team Radioshack lineup will be Fumiyuki Beppu, Manuel Cardoso, Philip Deignan, Robbie Hunter, Tiago Machado, Robbie McEwen, Yaroslav Popovych, Ivan Rovny & Bjørn Selander