What a season!

Ange 

August 24: Team RadioShack’s Levi Leipheimer claimed the victory in the first stage of the USA Pro Cycling Challenge (22-28 August). Leipheimer rode away from the opposition to take the 2.5 mi (4 K) uphill stage win on Mt. Crested Butte (CO).  The Tour of Utah winner bested Colombian Sergio Henao with 4 seconds.  Fränk Schleck was third, seven seconds behind. Prologue winner Patrick Gretsch lost one minute. Leipheimer takes the yellow jersey and leads now With 11 seconds to Chrstian Vande Velde.

“All of a sudden there were attacks,”  Leipheimer (37) explained.  “Andy Schleck went, Cadel Evans was up there and then my teammate Ivan Rovny did a fantastic  job. I can’t say enough about him. We brought Andy Schleck back with just one kilometer to go. Rovny continued to pull really hard and I know he wanted to stop but I kept telling him to ‘Go! Go! Go!’  At 500 meters to go Frank Schleck put in a little attack and I followed him.  I looked under my arm and I saw no one on my wheel.  I knew it was rather early to go but I went for it anyway and it worked out.   I’ve never won a stage like that with an explosive effort so in my old age I guess I’m learning some new tricks.  I grew up in Butte, Montana and it’s a mile high plus I’ve spent the last three weeks at altitude in Park City, Utah.  I feel like I’m acclimated and ready to race hard here in Colorado.”

For Levi Leipheimer and Team RadioShack the good results after the Tour de France are a nice compensation for the bad luck the team had in France.  “Things weren’t really going my way the first week of the Tour de France. I had some crashes and I just didn’t feel that good.  I started to think about racing in Utah and here at the USA Pro Cycling Challenge and coming here to beautiful Crested Butte.  The crowds are intense and we’re feeling the love. I have to say thank you.”

Stage 2 on Wednesday is 209.8km/130.3mi from Gunnison (CO) to Aspen (CO). The Queen stage of the USA Pro Cycling Challenge will include summiting two 12,000ft (almost 4000 meter) peaks in one day, including Cottonwood Pass and the grueling climb up Independence Pass.

“Having the yellow jersey makes it difficult for my teammates tomorrow but at the same time the Tour of Utah is fresh in their minds.  They have that confidence in their legs.  They know how to do it and we’re going to give it our best shot tomorrow but it will be hard. I expect the Colombians to be more aggressive and in general  I expect a much more aggressive stage than today.  Today everybody was a little bit afraid of the altitude.  It takes a day to figure out what to do and I think tomorrow they will have it figured out. I did the Leadville Trail 100 last year and I remember how painful it was to race at that altitude. We’re not made to race that high, our bodies hate us for it.  Everybody’s in for a lot of pain tomorrow.”

Result Stage 1: Salida – Mt. Crested Butte, 99.3 mi / 159.8 K
1 Levi Leipheimer (Team RadioShack) 4:29:22;  2 Sergio Luis Henao 00:04;  3 Fränk Schleck 00:07;  4 Cadel Evans;  5 Christian Vande Velde;  6 Tejay Van Garderen;  7 Janier Acevedo 00:10;  8 Robert Gesink;  9 Oscar Sevilla;  10 Tom Danielson

General Classification after Stage 1:
1 Levi Leipheimer (Team RadioShack) 4:37:47;  2 Christian Vande Velde 00:11;  3 Tejay Van Garderen 00:17;  4 Cadel Evans;  5 Robert Gesink 00:30;  6 Brent Bookwalter 00:34;  7 Rory Sutherland 00:35;  8 George Hincapie 00:37;  9 Tom Danielson;  10 Jeff Louder 00:41

Simon Gerrans, the first Australian cyclist to win a stage of each Grand Tour, will saddle up for his sixth appearance in the world’s biggest bike race after confirmation of his Tour 

de France selection for Team Sky overnight.

Since his stage 15 win in 2008 the Tour has delivered mixed emotions for the 31-year old Victorian, with a shock omission from the Cervelo Test Team in 2009 followed by a crash that resulted in a broken arm and an early exit in 2010.

A podium finish when third at the Amstel Gold race this European Spring and a strong effort in supportingDauphiné Libéré winner and Team Sky leader Bradley Wiggins last week combining to ensure Gerrans makes a return to the biggest stage in cycling.

The nine man Team Sky outfit will be led by Wiggins, an Olympic gold medallist on the track who finished fourth in the 2009 Tour to record the equal best ever finish by a British rider.

Team Sky  - 2011 Tour de France

Team Sky have also revealed that all kit, bikes, equipment and vehicles will change from blue to green for all 21 stages of the race to help raise awareness and support for Sky Rainforest Rescue, a three year partnership between Sky and WWF to help save a billion trees in the state of Acre, northwest Brazil.

“The Tour de France is Team Sky's major objective for the season so I am really happy to be selected in the nine-man team,” Gerrans said.

“I have raced with Wiggo twice this season firstly at Paris-Nice and again last week at the Dauphiné,” Gerrans said. “He placed third and first respectively on general classification so we know that he is more than capable of leading the team to a strong result at the Tour de France.

“Team Sky has put together an excellent group of guys that will play various roles to support Brad in the general classification and I expect to play a key support role especially in the medium mountain stages,” Gerrans added.

Success at the Tour includes a breakthrough stage win in 2008, crossing the line first in Stage 15 on a climb from Embrun to Prato Nevoso. This year though Gerrans will be focusing on achieving team success first and foremost.

“If the opportunity arises to look for a stage win then I will take it however this will be a secondary priority to the team’s main goal of the general classification,” he said.

Coinciding with his selection for his sixth Tour de France start, Gerrans has also announced that he has engaged the services of Jump Media & Marketing as his exclusive commercial management firm.

Jump Media & Marketing is a specialist sports marketing agency with an extensive portfolio of cycling events. Jump also assist in the management of world and Olympic pole vault champion Steve Hooker, and world gymnastics champion Lauren Mitchell in conjunction with talent agency The Sports Group.

Jump Media & Marketing Director David Culbert said he was looking forward to maximising opportunities for one of Australia’s most popular cyclists.

“Cycling in Australia is undergoing unprecedented growth, and Simon is at the forefront of the achievements of the current crop of Australian cycling stars.

“He is immensely popular, particularly amongst the growing army of corporate cycling enthusiasts, as evidenced by his recent appointment as a lead ambassador for the Hanover Connect East Ride for Home along Melbourne’s EastLink in November.

“We look forward to helping Simon achieve his goals off the bike,” Culbert said.

The 2011 Tour de France begins on Saturday 2 July.

-ENDS-

SG: Well thanks. I am currently in Holland, Belgium. I am racing here tomorrow. I have a few other Spring Classics planned before another training phase.

CT: Are you going to a training camp after the Spring Classics?

SG: Yeah, I will be spending most of May in Boulder, Colorado, training at altitude. It will be a vital step in the process of getting as ready as possible for Le Tour.

CT: Do you have some training partners to help you?

SG: I will train a bit with fellow Aussie Chris Legh, a good mate. There are always other Aussies in Boulder too, which makes it a fun place to live and train. Last year I trained in Colorado too and I was lucky enough to be able to spend some time with Lance Armstrong, Chris Horner and Levi Leipheimer.

CT: Did you learn much from them?

SG: Yeah for sure. They are three statesmen of the sport and I learned a lot.

CT: Let’s talk more about the training camp in Boulder. Do you train once or twice a day?

SG: Just once but they are long rides, anywhere from 3 ½ to 5 ½ hours per day I spend on the bike.

CT: Does the altitude take much time to get used to?

SG: Yeah I take it quite easy the first week. The intensity is low. After this initial week is over I train harder for a few weeks, that is when the main training is done.

CT: What sort of training will you be focusing on during the camp?

SG: Mainly just strength work with minimal amounts of higher intensity stuff. I tend to do 2-3 days of hard training followed by a day of easier riding for recovery.

CT: Talk us through a typical day on camp.

SG: Since I am only doing the one ride per day I don’t get up all that early or go to bed all that early either. I wake up at a reasonable hour, have some breakfast, then hit the roads around 9:30am. I ride for 3 ½ to 5 ½ hours. During the afternoon I might get a massage. On the easy recovery days I often go to the gym, but the gym workouts are quite light.

CT: What do the gym sessions consist of?

SG: Mainly just core work consisting of glutes, lower abdominal and stabilisation exercises. I don’t lift heavy weights, especially at this time of the year.

CT: What are your thoughts on Le Tour? You are no doubt expecting a start for Team Sky?

SG: The final team won’t be announced for quite some time. But I am confident that I will be on the team.

CT: What is your form like at the moment compared to previous years?

SG:   In training the past few months I have been doing a lot more longer threshold rides and longer climbs than previous years. I haven’t done much high intensity explosive work. I think that this could disadvantage me in the Spring Classics, but in terms of my preparations for the Tour de France, I think that I am without a doubt fitter and stronger than ever, and that this year will hopefully be my best tour to date.

CT: Do you ever sleep in an altitude tent?

SG: Yes, I sleep in an altitude tent on and off. I think they work well and are obviously the best substitution for when I can’t be physically at altitude.

CT: How is life on the road treating you?

SG: Not too bad. I am still really enjoying living out of suitcases and spending most of the year travelling.

CT: There seems to be some very talented young Australian’s on the rise, what are your views as the reasons behind this?

SG: Cycling in Australia is indeed looking strong. It is a credit to the system as a whole. From the grassroots levels to the state institutes. It is great to see.

CT: Thanks for your time, good luck for the remaining Spring Classics. Hope to see a big Tour.