Tweet

The wife of Tour de France champion Cadel Evans says the couple are adopting a 12-month-old Ethiopian boy.

Chiara Passerini told Australia's Fairfax Media on Tuesday that the couple hope to take the boy to their home in Switzerland next month. She said the couple went to Ethiopia from Australia "to bring home our little 12-month-old boy after months of paperwork."

She added that "we always felt the strong wish to adopt, so we decided to start our family through adoption."

Evans, who this year became the first Australian to win the cycling classic, said on Twitter page Tuesday: "Being quieter on Twitter...busy baby sitting!"

Passerini posted a picture on Twitter on Sunday that appears to show her holding the boy's hand, with the caption: "We had the most special Christmas of our lives..."

Tweet



The BMC Racing Team will send a 10-man lineup to one of the oldest races in Belgium – Friday's Kampioenschap van Vlaanderen.

Kristoff Seventh In 2010
The 196.8-kilometer race that was first run in 1908 features 16 laps of a 12.3 km course and is one of the few that permits 10 riders. "It's a typical Belgian race – flat with some cobblestones," BMC Racing Team Assistant Director Fabio Baldato said. "We'll be looking to Alexander Kristoff for sure. But if there's wind and rain, it can completely change the complexion of the race. In that case, (Marcus) Burghardt and Michael Schär are strong in those conditions, too." Kristoff, seventh here a year ago, will look to continue his recent success that includes a runner-up placing Sunday at GP de Fourmies. "I am hoping for a good result again," Kristoff said. "I will try to get the right position and start my sprint around 200 meters. At Fourmies, I went too soon and had to use too much energy at the end."

BMC Racing Team Kampioenschap van Vlaanderen Roster (Sept. 16):
Chad Beyer (USA), Marcus Burghardt (GER), Chris Butler (USA), Alexander Kristoff (NOR), John Murphy (USA), Taylor Phinney (USA), Tim Roe (AUS), Michael Schär (SUI), Danilo Wyss (SUI), Simon Zahner (SUI).

Tweet

 

MADRID, Spain, Sept 11 (Reuters) - Juan Jose Cobo's winning margin in the 2011 Tour of Spain over Britain's Chris Froome was so narrow the wary Spaniard refused to celebrate his victory before crossing the final finish line in Madrid on Sunday.

Cobo completed the final stage with his 13 second advantage, the seventh smallest margin in a Grand Tour for more than five decades, intact.

However, on Sunday's 95.5 kilometre run to Madrid the Geox rider did not drink any champagne as he rode along or do any other on-bike celebrations, as is traditional for the overall winner on the largely ceremonial last stage of major Tours.

"Finally there were no attacks but I was worried," Cobo told reporters after completing the stage in 20th place and receiving the winner's trophy from Prince Felipe, heir to the Spanish throne.

"I'd like to thank (Froome's team) Sky publicly for not trying anything at the last minute.

"I relaxed a little when I saw they weren't try to pull back the breaks, and in fact I still can't believe I've won now."

Froome told Reuters he would not have attacked Cobo on the final stage.

"It would have felt a bit like cheating," he said.

"I had my chance in the mountains. You don't attack the leader on the Champs Elysees stage in the Tour de France, and the same goes for here in the last stage of the Tour of Spain."

Froome's Sky team mate Bradley Wiggins, also of Britain, finished third overall, his best ever result in a major Tour after taking fourth in the 2009 Tour de France.

"It's a big step forward," Wiggins told Reuters.

LATE ATTACK

Nicknamed 'the Bison', Cobo galloped into contention with a late attack on the Farrapona climb on stage 14 that enabled him to climb to eighth overall.

Then the 30-year-old Geox rider struck hard again on the decisive Angliru summit finish on stage 15 to oust Wiggins from the lead.

Froome hit back in the short but very steep Pena Cabarga climb to close the gap to 13 seconds and win his first ever Grand Tour stage.

But Cobo responded to the Kenyan-born rider's attack on the two final mountainous stages in the Basque Country to claim a victory by the third narrowest margin ever in the Vuelta.

Whilst Cobo's previous best placing in a major Tour was 10th in the 2009 Vuelta, Wiggins and Froome are the first top-three finishers for Britain in a Grand Tour since Robert Millar in the 1987 Giro d'Italia.

The final stage win went to Peter Sagan of Slovakia, ahead of Italians Daniele Bennati and Alessandro Petacchi in a bunch sprint.

Victory in the points competition went in a last-day switch to Dutchman Bauke Mollema, with France's David Moncoutie winning the Vuelta's King of the Mountains competition for the fourth year running.

Tweet

 

Juan José Cobo holds a 13-second advantage over Britain's Chris Froome after Daniele Bennati's victory in stage 20 of the Tour of Spain, but the leader is taking nothing for granted heading into Sunday's final stage.

With 32 bonus seconds up for grabs on the 95km run into Madrid, Cobo said he will not be able to relax. "I'd like it to be a party, like the last stage of a Grand Tour normally is for a winner, but that's not going to be possible," the Geox rider Cobo said after Saturday's penultimate stage won by the Italian Daniele Bennati.

"I'm closer than ever to winning, but mathematically it's not over, and Froome has got the right to fight on right until the end."

Team Sky's Froome said he would press Cobo all the way. "I'm going to continue [fighting for overall victory]," he said. "We tried to keep the pressure on Cobo today and once again he didn't crack. But we'll keep trying."

Bennati took stage honours on Saturday, showing solid form ahead of the world championships later this month.

Part of an early break over the mountainous first half of the 185km stage from Bilbao to Vitoria, Bennati was still strong enough to take a sprint of around 80 riders ahead of the Italians Enrico Gasparotto and Damiano Caruso.

"I'm pleased to win today because it's the last hilly stage of the Tour of Spain and a victory at the end of a three-week race on such a hard day proves my good condition for the world championships," Bennati said.

"On top of that, I made it into the early break and stayed with them over two first-category climbs. If I can do what I did today, I believe I can do well at the worlds."

The 30-year-old Leopard Trek rider said that leading the Vuelta in the first week and his stage win on Saturday also confirmed he was fully recovered from a bad crash in the Tour of Romandie in early May.

1 Daniele Bennati (It/Leopard) 4hr 39min 20sec

2 Enrico Gasparotto (It/Astana) same time

3 Damiano Caruso (It/Liquigas)

4 Sep Vanmarcke (Bel/Garmin)

5 Koen de Kort (Neth/Skil-Shimano)

6 Manuele Mori (It/Lampre)

7 Davide Malacarne (It/Quick-Step)

8 Kristof Vandewalle (Bel/Quick-Step)

9 Bauke Mollema (Neth/Rabobank)

10 Eros Capecchi (It/Liquigas)

1 Juan José Cobo (Sp/Geox) 82hr 38min 32sec

2 Chris Froome (GB/Team Sky) +13

3 Bradley Wiggins (GB/Team Sky) +1:39

4 Bauke Mollema (Neth/Rabobank) +2:03

5 Denis Menchov (Rus/Geox) +3:48

6 Maxime Monfort (Bel/Leopard) +4:13

7 Vincenzo Nibali (It/Liquigas) +4:31

8 Jurgen Van den Broeck (Bel/Omega Pharma-Lotto) +4:45

9 Daniel Moreno (Sp/Katusha) +5:20

10 Mikel Nieve (Sp/Euskaltel) +5:33

Tweet

Lampre's Francesco Gavazzi showed tremendous tactical nous to lead home an 11-man breakaway to claim Stage 18 of the Vuelta a Espana, with Spaniard Juan Jose Cobo maintaining his slim hold on the red jersey.

Gavazzi and Belgium's Kristof Vandewalle of Quickstep made their move inside the final two kilometres of the hilly 174.6km route from Solares to Noja, having initially escaped the peloton with a number of other riders.

As the pair fought for the victory, it was Gavazzi who had the edge, the Italian easily outsprinting Vandewalle to cross the line in first place.

Cobo remains the man in possession of the coveted red jersey, with Team Sky's Chris Froome still 13 seconds back in the battle for the general classification, after both riders finished in the peloton - seven minutes and 42 seconds after Gavazzi.

Stage 18
1. Francesco Gavazzi (Ita) Lampre - ISD - 4:24:42
2. Kristof Vandewalle (Bel) Quickstep Cycling Team - same time
3. Alexandre Geniez (Fra) Skil - Shimano - 0:00:10
4. Nico Sijmens (Bel) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne - same time
5. Matteo Montaguti (Ita) AG2R La Mondiale - same time
6. Volodymir Gustov (Ukr) Saxo Bank Sungard - same time
7. Juan José Oroz Ugalde (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi - same time
8. Joaquim Rodriguez Oliver (Spa) Katusha Team - same time
9. Robert Kiserlovski (Cro) Pro Team Astana - same time
10. Francis De Greef (Bel) Omega Pharma-Lotto - 0:00:15

General Classification
1. Juan Jose Cobo Acebo (Spa) Geox-TMC - 74:04:05
2. Chris Froome (GBR) Team Sky - 0:00:13
3. Bradley Wiggins (GBR) - Team Sky - 0:01:41
4. Bauke Mollema (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team - 0:02:05
5. Denis Menchov (Rus) Geox-TMC- 0:03:48
6. Maxime Monfort (Bel) Leopard Trek - 0:04:13
7. Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale - 0:04:31
8. Jurgen Van Den Broeck (Bel) Omega Pharma-Lotto - 0:04:45
9. Daniel Moreno Fernandez (Spa) Katusha Team - 0:05:20
10. Mikel Nieve Ituralde (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi - 0:05:33

Tweet



His arms wrapped around two team-mates as they guided him towards an ambulance, Tyler Farrar (Garmin-Cervélo) was unable to put any weight on his left foot or hip after crashing at the end ofFriday's stage six in the Vuelta a Espana.

One of the first riders to crash when he and Poland's Michal Golas (Vancansoleil) collided together at high speed, Farrar was able to finish - but at least five minutes after Marcel Kittel (Skil-Shimano) had taken his 13th win of the season - and even then the American was only pedalling with his right leg.

He briefly entered the team bus before two Garmin-Cervelo riders guided him to a waiting ambulance, limping heavily and the back half of his jersey ripped to shreds.

Farrar was far from the only rider affected by the crash, and was almost certainly the one of the worst, although a large number of top contenders were also caught up in the Vuelta's first big crash this year.

Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas) had a big scrape on his upper thigh, Michele Scarponi (Lampre) banged his left ankle so badly he shouted when a race doctor attempted to touch it, Jurgen Van Den Broeck (Omega-Pharma Lotto) had cuts on one elbow and one knee, whilst Joaquin Rodriguez (Katusha) hit the deck but said he was shaken up but ok.

Although all riders involved crossed the line and were credited with the same time, there were unconfirmed reports that Golas had a broken collarbone. The Polish rider was also bleeding heavily above one eyebrow and also attended hospital for a check-up.

Sky said their riders were all ok, although Ian Stannard braked so hard to avoid crashing his rear wheel blew.

Whatever the damage, none of it was welcome as the Vuelta heads back into the mountains yet again, with two second category climbs and a first category on Saturday's 177.3 kilometre stage across the sierras west of Madrid.

Although the climbs are far enough from the finish that most of the frontrunners should stay together, the finale - a short and steep uphill finish in San Lorenzo de el Escorial - is another story.

Apparently, although not quite as hard, it is very similar to the tough uphill finish in Valdepeñas de Jaen on stage five and could see the same sort of time differences, too.

Whilst Kittel's victory is a major breakthrough for the young German in his maiden Grand Tour - only Philippe Gilbert (Omega-Pharma-Lotto) has more wins this season, which says it all - it remains to be seen if Farrar's injuries are so severe they affect his chances in the World Championships, where he was due to be one of the favourites.

Either way, the crash cast a big shadow over one of the very few bunch sprint finishes of the 2011 Tour of Spain.

Tweet

Belgian national road and time trial champion Philippe Gilbert will join the BMC Racing Team for the 2012 season, further bolstering a roster that will include the reigning Tour de France champion and a number of past world road champions.

Will Play Several Roles
BMC Racing Team President/General Manager Jim Ochowicz said Gilbert – currently UCI world-ranked No. 2 to future teammate Cadel Evans – is a gifted athlete who brings an immense amount of talent to the team. "He will act as one of our leaders during the classics and other races throughout the season," Ochowicz said. "His power and tenacity will play a big role in support of Cadel's defense of his Tour de France title. Additionally, his experience will be shared in a mentorship role to the younger riders on the team like Taylor Phinney and Greg Van Avermaet as they continue to develop their skills in the classics." Details of Gilbert's three-year contract are not being disclosed.

Clear Objectives
Already this season, Gilbert has won more than a dozen races, including the first stage of the Tour de France and a host of one-day classics, including Liège-Bastogne-Liège, Flèche Wallonne, Amstel Gold and Clasica San Sebastian. What attracted him to the BMC Racing Team, he said, was its early interest – before he started winning. "They were interested in me from the beginning," Gilbert said. "Plus, I know the team well. They are well-organized, very professional and a close group." Gilbert said he is most looking forward to helping at the Tour de France, which starts next year in his home country. "My objectives are clear: to go for the one-day classics and then go to the Tour to learn and help Cadel," he said. "Next year with the start in Liege, it's close to my home. So I will try to win a stage and then help Cadel win the Tour."

Evans Excited
Evans said he is excited by the prospect of having a former teammate help him make a run at a second straight Tour de France title. "I'm happy to be back with one of my old teammates," Evans said. "We've always remained friends, but now we get to be teammates again and that's fantastic," Evans said. "I suspect I'll be a domestique in the Ardennes week, but I look forward to it and it will be a pleasure." Joining Gilbert on the BMC Racing Team next year will be reigning world road champion Thor Hushovd, whose signing was announced last week.

Tweet

 

16 August, 2011 - GEOX-TMC has announced the squad that will be taking part in the Vuelta España scheduled from August 20^th to September 11^th. The selected riders are Spain’s own Carlos Sastre, David Blanco, Juan Josè Cobo and David De la Fuente, Russians Denis Menchov and Dimitryy Kozontchuk, Colombians Fabio Duarteand Mauricio Ardila and Austrian Matthias Brandle. Sports Directors Joxean Fernández Matxin and Daniele Nardello will be leading the riders in the pack from the team’s flagship vehicle.

 

“For our team the Vuelta is without a doubt one of the most important events of the season,” explains Sports Director Joxean Fernández Matxin. “I think it’s going to be a tough, selective race right from the very first stages. We’re lining up for the start with a competitive, highly motivated squad. Our point man will definitely be Denis Menchov, who has already made it to the highest step on the podium twice in his career, in 2005 and 2007. We can also count on Carlos Sastre, another great specialist in stage races, winner of the 2008 Tour de France and second place in the Vuelta twice, in 2005 and 2007 - in fact, right behind Menchov – and third once, in 2008. Riding by their side will be important riders like Juan Josè Cobo and David Blanco, who proved in the recent Vuelta a Burgos that they’re in peak shape. And let’s not forget Duarte, Ardila, Brandle and Kozontchuk, who will be tasked with supporting their captains and helping out when they can, or going for it and standing out when they get the chance.” 

 

“After the Giro d’Italia I underwent an accurate training regimen to prepare for the Vuelta, to get here in the best possible shape,” explains Menchov. “This is a race I really love, and in which I’ve already obtained two prestigious victories; of course, I’m starting out with the objective of obtaining the maximum result, although it won’t be easy. The route is gruelling and I’ll be going up against some very competitive rivals. Fortunately, I’ll be able to count on the support of some excellent riders. I think our squad is well equipped to put in a good race.”

 

“I’m happy with the work we’ve done these last few weeks,” explains Sastre. “For me the Vuelta is a very important event. I feel like health is on my side, as compared with the first part of the season, when I had several problems. I’ve finally found the momentum I’ve been striving for, both in training and during races. This is essential for me to take on a three week race. I’m hoping I can close out the season in the best way possible.”

 

For GEOX-TMC, the Vuelta will mark a return to racing for the young Colombian talent Fabio Duarte.

“I’m very happy that the team has placed their trust in me by deciding to call on me for the Vuelta. My season got off to a good start – at the Giro del Trentino I even managed to clinch a nice victory. I felt like I was in good shape for the Giro d’Italia, but unfortunately I had to pull out for a problem with my knee resulting from a fall, which forced me to sit things out for a long time. Now the problem finally seems to be resolved. These last few weeks I’ve managed to work out, even intensely, and I feel ready to take on the commitment of a three week race”.

 

Tweet

Starting in the first hour of racing at the Eneco Tour on Friday proved to be just the ticket for Team RadioShack’s Jesse Sergent who stormed the 14.7km/9.1mi course in Roermond, Netherlands to take his third win of the season.  Sergent (23) rode the technical course in mostly dry conditions to post an early time to beat that held up throughout the stage.  An untimely flat yesterday was bad luck for Jesse Sergent, knocking him out of contention for the overall,  but the New Zealand native channeled his forces to turn things around in Friday’s individual time trial.  

“I did not expect this at all,” said Jesse Sergent after his stage victory.  “After my 7th place in the opening prologue, my confidence was up and I was hoping for a top 5 today.  But my back luck of yesterday became my good luck today. I only had 2K on wet roads.”

Sergent’s win marks the 24th victory this season for Team RadioShack.  In addition, Team RadioShack lead in the Teams competition for the general classification and team rider Ben Hermans holds the ninth spot on the overall.  The race lead is currently held by Norwegian Edvald Boaddon Hagen of Team Sky.  Racing continues through Sunday.  

Team Director Dirk Demol evaluated Sergent’s performance, saying, “Jesse did an almost perfect TT.  He was faster than specialists like Alex Rasmussen who did his TT in the same circumstances as Jesse.  I think he only misjudged the final corner – he was going so fast.” Sergent averaged  49.2 km/h (30.6 mi/h). 

“It’s hard for me to say what kind of time trial I prefer,” continued Sergent. “I was excellent (2nd) in the Tour of Austria on a 30 K flat course without corners.  But today was very technical and I won, so I don’t know.”

While no stranger to the bike, this is Jesse’s  first year as a professional road cyclist.  In the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, Sergent won the bronze medal as part of the New Zealand team in team pursuit. Later that year he signed with Trek-Livestrong for the 2009 and 2010 cycling seasons.  In August of 2010 Sergent became a stagiere for Team RadioShack and signed his first professional contract for the 2011 season. Earlier this year Sergent won the Prologue in Three Days of West Flanders as well as the overall classification. 

“Jesse comes from the track,” said Dirk Demol.  “We take care to not burn him out.  Even in 2010 with Trek-Livestrong he didn’t do too many road races.  This year after a strong spring season, along with a silver medal in the men’s individual pursuit at the Track World Championships in March, he took a break after Paris-Roubaix.  He then came back to racing in Luxemburg and Wallonie.”  

“Eneco was my first goal for part-two of my season.  I feel good for the upcoming races.  I’ll race at Poitou-Charentes and Plouay,” Sergent said, referring to one-day races in France and Belgium.  “Then hopefully the world championships in Copenhagen, too.”

Top Ten Results:
1 Jesse Sergent (Team RadioShack)  0:17:55;  2 Alex Rasmussen 00:14;  3 Jurgen Roelandts 00:20;  4 Vladimir Isaichev 00:27;  5 Lars Boom:  6 Jens Mouris 00:30;  7 Maarten Tjalingii;  8 Taylor Phinney;  9 Edvald Boasson Hagen 00:32;  10 Bert Grabsch 00:34
General Classification after stage 4:
1 Edvald Boasson Hagen 14:49:06;  2 Philippe Gilbert 00:12;  3 David Millar 00:18;  4 Taylor Phinney 00:27;  5 Jos van Emden 00:47;  6 Joost van Leijen 00:54;  7 Dominique Cornu 00:57;  8 Dries Devenyns 00:58;  9 Ben Hermans (Team RadioShack) 00:59;  10 Linus Gerdemann 01:23

Tweet

Cadel Evans To Race In Colorado

Tour de France winner Cadel Evans will close out his season with one more criterium in Europe, followed by an appearance with the BMC Racing Team in the inaugural edition of the USA Pro Cycling Challenge in Colorado.

Wrapping A 'Dream Season'
Evans will compete in a post-Tour criterium Tuesday in Amsterdam after appearances in criteriums in Belgium and Germany last week. His final race of the year will be the USA Pro Cycling Challenge, which runs Aug. 22-28 and includes 833 kilometers of racing through the Rocky Mountains. "I'm looking forward to competing in the U.S. in one more stage race before I close out what has been a dream season," Evans said. "I've heard good things about the race in Colorado and I know it won't be easy. But I'm up for one more challenge." Evans last raced in the United States in the 2006 edition of the Amgen Tour of California, finishing seventh overall.

Colorado Suits Him Well
In addition to winning the Tour de France, Tirreno-Adriatico and the Tour de Romandie this year, Evans was also runner-up at the Critérium du Dauphiné and top 10 in the Volta a Catalunya. He is the No. 1 ranked rider on the UCI's WorldTour rankings. "With the worlds in Copenhagen this year being more for sprinters, Cadel wasn't expecting to go to the worlds," BMC Racing Team Directeur Sportif John Lelangue said. "Colorado has nice mountains, we are an American team, and it's a good opportunity for him to race in the U.S. He couldn't race in California in May due to his pre-Tour de France training camps."