Thursday, 16 September 2010

  

Reigning world champion Cadel Evans has announced he is shaping up perfectly for the 2010 UCI Road World Championships after securing third place at the GP Wallonie in Belgium overnight.’

 

In other news, Slovakia's Peter Velits has put on animpressive performance to take out the individual time trial at the Veulta a Espana and keep his world championships preparations on track.

 

Two-time Tour de France runner up Evans has ruled out a mass sprint on the uphill finish on Moorabool Street in Geelong and has identified Belgian Philippe Gilbert as the biggest threat to his title defense.

 

“There will be a small group racing for the line,” Evans told Lotto Cycling TV. “Gilbert is the man to beat.”

"I have been out for a while because of my broken arm after the Tour,” he said. “If you're injured, your motivation grows.  If you can cycle again, you are more eager.

“Obviously I would like to have a repeat of my performance last year.  But that's easier said than done.  I have a couple of weeks until then, but I am satisfied with my current condition.”

Writing on his website, Evans said he was disappointed with his third position at the GP Wollanie but was pleased with the progress he is making ahead of the World Championships.

“The race was not ridiculously fast but certainly never slow all day, good training for us guys getting ready for the Worlds,” Evans wrote.

“I was all set for the final, whilst trying to pass Martens (Rabobank) on the inside in the final 300m, I got closed in and had to brake. There is no coming back at that point, so 3rd place for me behind Martens and Ricco. A lost opportunity today, but that's racing.

“So far, this week has been just what I needed leading into the Worlds; good racing and reasonable weather. I ride 'Koolskamp' on Friday, if I can get through that unscathed, I will be happy.”

Velits’ victory on stage 17 at the Veulta, HTC-Columbia’s 100th win of the season, came as a surprise to most beating Denis Menchov (Rabobank) by 12 seconds and world time trial champion Fabian Cancellara (Saxo Bank) by 37 seconds and moving to third position overall.

The 25-year-old showed plenty of promise as a junior, winning the U23 world championship road race in 2007 ahead of Australia’s Wesley Sulzberger and is now set to become the first Slovakian to stand on a grand tour podium.

The 2010 UCI Road World Championships will be the biggest cycling event ever seen in Australia.  Heldfrom Wednesday 29 September to Sunday 3 October, it will include road races and individual time trials for elite men and women and under-23 men.

Brooke Miller’13th place marks solid opening to Team TIBCO’s European campaign.

 10 October 2010

Australian Lauren Reynolds has claimed second place in the final round of the UCI BMX Supercross World Cup series in Frejus in the south of France.

The 19-year-old West Australian finished just behind New Zealand's Sarah Walker with 2009 Junior World Champion Mariana Pajon of Colombia third. Queensland's Rachel Bracken, 19, was seventh in the final.

"Lauren got herself into good position from the start and had the speed to stay up with Walker," said Head Coach Wade Bootes adding the qualification round presented some challenges. "Qualifying was really windy for some of the riders and it screwed up both Lauren's and Rachel's time trial laps and caused all sorts of weird results."

Canberra's Caroline Buchanan had qualified second fastest but was knocked out in the semi-final round.

"In the third race of the motos someone crashed onto her back wheel and brought her down and she was a bit sore," said Head Coach Wade Bootes. "We had to strap her shoulder up for the semis but she struggled and didn't get though."

Despite missing out on the final her qualifying performance gave her enough points to finish second overall in the series with 512 points, 167 points behind French rider Laetitia le Corguillé.

In the men's final reigning Olympic and World Champion Maris Strombergs proved too strong for his rivals powering down the start hill in front of thousands of fans and dominating the race through to the finish. Second was Marc Willers from New Zealand and third American Connor Fields.

The victory also gave Strombergs the 2010 Supercross World Cup title. South Australia's Sam Willoughby, 19, went into the final round as the defending series champion and the only rider within striking distance of Strombergs but in order to win the 2010 series crown the two time junior world champion had to finish two places ahead of his rival. Instead he finished behind the Latvian in fourth place to finish the series ranked second overall.

Fellow South Australian Brian Kirkham, 24, also qualified for the final where he finished in seventh place.

"Definitely we're getting more of the outcomes we deserve and out of seven riders we had four in the final and one on the podium but we can do better," said Bootes. "Sam, Brian and Luke (Madill) rode really well but in the quarter final Luke and Sam crashed and Sam ran across the finish line to qualify but Luke didn't make it.

"It was a little comical but disappointing for Luke who had the speed to make the final," said Bootes. "Brian posted the second fastest lap of the day and was in good form but in the final he and Sam bumped each other a bit in the second corner which stopped Brian's run."

After the competition the riders attended the 2010 BMX Supercross Awards where Willoughby and Buchanan won the male and female People's Choice award as the most popular riders of the year.

In a close result Buchanan collected 30% of the votes to clinch the award while in the men's online poll Willoughby was a clear winner attracting 45% of the total votes.

Willoughby will now head to the Las Vegas to race the ABA series while the rest of the High Performance squad will race in Rotorua, New Zealand at the end of the month in the opening two rounds of the UCI Continental Ranking Series.

BMX world ranking points will accumulate up to May 2012 and determine the number of riders each nation qualifies for the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

April 1, 2010

Brisbane, Australia – The Fly V Australia Pro Cycling Team has been picked to win the 2010 National Racing Calendar team classification by VeloNews magazine.

Fly V Australia is ranked No. 1 of the 13 teams evaluated by the magazine’s editorial staff in the May issue (on newsstands now). The second-year, Australian continental squad was judged to be strongest in criteriums, climbing and stage racing.

Writes VeloNews: “A major win at a race like Battenkill or Philadelphia is well within Fly V Australia’s ability. All NRC stage races are prime targets, while a stage win at either the Amgen Tour of California or the Tour of Missouri would be icing on the cake.”

The story mentions the unique bond that holds the team together and has already led to 18 wins this season, including overall victories by Ben Day at the Redlands Bicycle Classic and San Dimas Stage Race. Last year, Fly V Australia won 94 races, including 44 in North America.

“‘Mateship’ isn’t a term most Americans are familiar with, but for Fly V Australia team boss Chris White, it’s the glue that holds his team together — so much so that the word is printed inside the collar of the team’s jerseys,” the article reads. “A former racer turned accountant, White built the team in 2007 with the ultimate goal of developing the first Australian ProTour team. It’s a slow but steady road to the top, and in 2010, as in 2009, that road goes through North America.”

Owned and operated by Pegasus Racing Pty Ltd., Fly V Australia is predominantly made up of Australia’s most talented cyclists and aims to be part of the PRO Tour and race in the Tour de France by 2012. White said the magazine’s ranking is pleasing in that it is from an independent source.”

“It’s one thing to receive accolades and encouragement before the job is done but ultimately the score board will tell the story.  We have set ourselves stretch goals as a team and its now up to us to deliver on those targets.” White said.

VeloNews magazine is the self-proclaimed “Journal of Competitive Cycling” and billed as North America's most trusted source for information about the individuals, events, and equipment that comprise the world of bicycle racing.

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Friday March 26, 2010

Redlands, Calif. – Ben Day said he put pressure on himself to successfully repeat his victory in the prologue of the 26th annual Redlands Bicycle Classic. But the Fly V Australia rider was quick to add he would not have had it any other way.

Day won Thursday’s uphill, 3.1-mile (5 km) Sun Time Trial race in 9 minutes and 16 seconds, two seconds faster than Carter Jones (Jelly Belly Cycling presented by Kenda). Jones’s teammate, Kiel Reynen, was  
third, another two seconds back.

Photo Courtesy of Fly V Australia

“I went in as the favorite and that adds a bit of pressure, but I kind of drew on that today,” Day said. “I didn’t win by much but I'm really, really happy to win.”

The victory was the 16th of the season for Fly V Australia, a second-year continental team that aims to achieve ProTour status and one day represent Australia in the Tour de France. At the San Dimas Stage Race last week, Day also won the prologue and successfully defended his lead through to the end of the three-day race.

“Last week, I was surprised that my legs were feeling so good,” Day said. “Today, I even had a little bit left in the tank at the end.”

But the 31-year-old native of Brisbane, Australia, said he didn’t realize he had won until he rode his De Rosa Formula time trial bike back to the start area – where his Fly V Australia teammates and staff members were waiting to congratulate him.

“The boys were there with their arms in the air to congratulate me,”  Day said. “The guys are all great.”

By virtue of his win on a course that gained 680-feet (207 meters) of elevation, Day also earned the red jersey as leader of the Best Climber competition.

Fly V Australia Director Sportif Henk Vogels said the team is confident it can defend the lead in the Stage 1 City of Beaumont Road Race. Friday’s 105.7-mile (170 km) race consists of one lap around a 35.7-mile loop, followed by four laps of a 17.5-mile circuit.

“We have a really strong team,” Vogels said. “We'll do it like we did last week. We'll put a few guys on the front and save a few guys on the back. As fast as Ben went up the hill today and last week, I don't think he'll have a problems at all tomorrow.”

— Fly V Australia —

March 30, 2010

Redlands, Calif. – The precarious sixth-tenths-of-a-second lead that Australian Ben Day took into the final day of the Redlands Bicycle Classic stood up for overall victory Sunday on a frenetic final stage.


Photo Courtesy of - Brian Hodes www.veloimages.com

The Fly V Australia rider’s victory will go into the books as the first National Racing Calendar stage race win for Day and the first for the second-year continental team that has ambitions to reach even higher levels in years to come. The win was also the squad’s 18th of  
the season and follows Day’s wire-to-wire overall title at last week’s San Dimas Stage Race.

Fly V Australia Director Sportif Henk Vogels said the victory could not have been achieved without the incredible “mateship” that exists among the Fly V Australia riders, management and staff. It was that unique Australian bond that kept confidence high throughout the four-
day race.

“What I saw out there was a bunch of mates bleeding for each other,” Vogels said. “It’s been like this from Day 1 on this team and it just seems to be getting stronger.”

Day said he never felt like his slim lead over Ben Jacques-Maynes (Bissell Pro Cycling) was in jeopardy – not when Ben’s brother, Andy, infiltrated a breakaway that gained three minutes at one point; not after he crashed in the feed zone on one of the 12 circuits of the 7.5-
mile Sunset Loop; and not when Rory Sutherland (United Healthcare presented by Maxxis) was set up by his team for the sprint finish to earn a potential race-winning 10-second time bonus.

“We out-witted them today,” Day said. “The boys laid it on the line for me. This is as much a win for them as it is for me.”

Ben Jacques-Maynes finished second and Will Routely led a 3-4-5 finish by Jelly Belly Cycling presented by Kenda. In the end, only four seconds separated the top sixth riders overall. Day became the first wire-to-wire winner of Redlands since Nathan O’Neill won a three-stage  
(time trial, criterium, road race) edition in 2006.

Another hero of the day for Fly V Australia was Canadian Charles Dionne, who finished runner-up to Alejandro Borrajo on the final stage.

“It’s amazing that he did that after doing so much work on the front,” Day said.

Fly V Australia placed a third rider, Jay Thomson, on the final podium as the winner of the best sprinter competition. The South African said he never intended to defend the jersey he earned after riding on the front of the peloton in Saturday’s Stage 2 criterium in defense of  
Day’s lead.

“The yellow jersey was always No. 1,” Thomson said. “And we never had any doubt we were going to win.”

In addition to the team’s performances in the Redlands Bicycle Classic, Fly V Australia’s Alessandro Bazzana won the LA Circuit Race and David Kemp finished runner-up to Rahsaan Bahati (Bahati Foundation Pro Cycling Team) in the non-stage criterium for Pro-I-II men Sunday  afternoon in Downtown Redlands.

– Fly V Australia –

Photo credits - Brian Hodes www.veloimages.com  

Wed April 7th, 2010

Brisbane, Australia – The Fly V Australia Pro Cycling Team will be part of this year’s star-studded field at the Amgen Tour of California.

The Australian continental squad is one of 16 teams that will compete in the eight-day, 800-mile (1,287 km) event from May 16-23.

Joining Fly V Australia in the field are 9 teams from the United States, 5 from Europe and 1 each from Canada and Australia. Three-time champion Levi Leipheimer is back to defend his title, helped by seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong.

Team Owner Chris White said the prestige and publicity that goes along with competing in the UCI category 2.HC race – the highest for a cycling event in the United States – makes it one of the team’s primary events on its 2010 race calendar. More than two million people turned out to watch the race last year.

“We are looking forward to going head-to-head with the best teams and riders in the world,” White said. “This is the biggest race of the year for our team and a great test for our riders.  Given the stature of the Amgen Tour of California the race will not only test the riders but will also provide us with an opportunity to further our journey towards the PRO Tour."

White went on to say, “With our strong view on North America and the stature of the Amgen Tour of California we believe that it is the door way for the Team to the Grand Tours of Europe.”

Fly V Australia has already experienced its share of early-season success, winning 18 races – including the Redlands Bicycle Classic and San Dimas Stage Race. Redlands winner Ben Day is the leader in the National Racing Calendar standings and joined Jonathan Cantwell, Bernie Sulzberger and Phil Zajicek on the team’s Tour of California roster last year. This year’s eight-man roster for the race will be announced in the coming weeks.

V australia, the Fly V Australia’s team’s primary sponsor, has an agreement with the team’s management company, Pegasus Racing Pty Ltd, to sponsor the team through 2011. V australia is the international airline of Virgin Blue, and was launched in February 2009 by Virgin Group Chairman and Virgin Blue major shareholder Sir Richard Branson. The airline operates nonstop, round-trip flights originating in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane to Los Angeles, Fiji, Thailand and South Africa.

V australia is also sponsor of the most difficult stage in the race’s five-year history. Stage 6 on Friday, May 21 traverses a 135-mile (217 km) course from Pasadena to Big Bear that includes more than 12,000 feet of climbing and a mountain top finish.

 

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March 28, 2010

Redlands, Calif. – Fly V Australia’s Ben Day narrowly avoided a pile-
up on Stage 2 on the way to maintaining his overall lead heading into  
the final day of the 26th annual Redlands Bicycle Classic.

Day, who has led the four-day National Racing Calendar event since  
winning Thursday’s prologue, remains sixth-tenths of a second ahead of  
Ben Jacques-Maynes (Bissell Pro Cycling) and one second ahead of Will  
Routley (Jelly Belly Cycling presented by Kenda) in third place.  
Overall, 11 riders are within 30 seconds of the lead with only the  
94.1-mile (151 km) Beaver Medical Group Sunset Loop Road Race remaining.

“It's going to be a pretty interesting day,” Day said. “Sunset Loop is  
such an iconic and difficult stage to race anyways and there’s a lot  
at play with the time bonuses. I expect there are going to be plenty  
of fireworks.”

The ninth-year Australian professional said the crash that took down  
more than 40 riders in the last half of Saturday’s 90-minute race  
through the streets of Downtown Redlands was a close call.

“Fortunately, I stayed out of trouble today,” Day said. “That was a  
fairly sketchy criterium toward the end. The last 20 or 30 minutes  
were quite intense. I was just trying to stay upright.”

Bernie Sulzberger was the only Fly V Australia rider to go down, but  
he suffered only minor scrapes to his leg and will start Sunday’s  
final stage.

As the 170-rider field wound its way around the nine-corner course  
Saturday, Fly V Australia did its best to maintain control. Only a  
handful of times did riders escape the grips of the peloton and the  
mid-race time bonus sprint was not contested by any riders who were a  
threat to Day’s overall lead.

“The boys did a great job on the front today,” Day said. “The guys are  
sacrificing their own chances to win. Now it's up to me to finish the  
race off for them.”

Hilton Clarke (Bahati Foundation Pro Cycling) won the stage in a field  
sprint while Fly V Australia’s Jonathan Cantwell finished seventh.  
Somewhat surprisingly, Fly V Australia’s Jay Thomson overtook Rob  
Britton (Bissell Pro Cycling) for the lead in the sprint competition  
simply by riding on the front in Day’s defense. The Republic of South  
Africa rider will wear the green jersey on the final stage.

“It’s not the jersey we’re going to defend,” Thomson said, “but it is  
nice to have.”

Fly V Australia Director Sportif Henk Vogels said the team will have  
to ride extra attentively since there are three opportunities for time  
bonuses on the final stage. Two are intermediate time bonus sprints  
with values of 3, 2 and 1 second while bonuses of 10, 6 and 4 seconds  
are up for grabs at the finish.

“The Sunset Loop is one of the hardest days on the American race  
calendar,” Vogels said. “The Fly V Australia boys have worked very  
hard the past couple of days, but I have no apprehensions that they  
won't be able to do it.”

Fly V australia's Ben Day leads Redlands heading into the final stage  
by a mere 6 tenths of a second, be sure to follow the final stage to  
see if he can make history and lead the race from start to finish.

— Fly V Australia —

March 23, 2010 - Media Release

San Dimas, California –Fly V Australia successfully defended Ben Day’s lead in the final stage of the 2010 San Dimas Stage Race. The win builds confidence around the Team’s approach to the 2010 season and future goals.

As an International Australian Team, Fly V Australia has a goal to be part of the UCI PRO Tour. Team management sees the US racing as a positive step towards attainment of the Team goals. “Team performances and the successes achieved individually such as Ben’s overall win will help drive the Team closer to our objectives.” Said team Managing Director Chris White. White went onto say, “When we assessed our 2009 performances we concluded that to demonstrate year on year improvement one area in which we needed to focus on was winning more Tours. This win by Ben certainly gets us
on the right pathway to achieving this objective.”

Ben Day paid respect to his team mates, “We showed over the last three days through our collective strength that we could close out the overall win against a red hot field stacked full of talent and depth. It was a pleasure riding with the boys; my only cause for concern was for Darren Rolfe who we lost through a crash midway through stage 2. He will make a speedy recovery and we wish him well.”

Racing continues in a few days with the Redlands Tour where Team Fly V australia will continue building for future objectives.



Photo: Brian Hodes www.veloimages.com

www.pegasusracing.com.au