Danny Pate made a surprise switch by going across to Garmin's rivals

Danny Pate made a surprise switch by going across to Garmin's rivals, HTC-Highroad,after five seasons with the team run by Jonathan Vaughters.The American said he has no regrets about his time with Garmin but that it was time for a change.

I had a lot of good experiences [with Garmin] and I've grown as a rider," Pate told Cyclingnews at the recent HTC-Highroad camp in Northern California. "I've gone through so many years there, I've also grown as a person over that time. All the experiences you pass through over that time shapes who you are. I don't ever regret being there, but I felt like I needed different scenery, different people around me."

After two years of racing the Giro d'Italia and Tour de France plus Paris-Nice leading up to them, and following his 2009 break-through result with third overall in the Critérium International, Pate's start to the 2010 season was vastly different. After beginning the year working for sprinter Tyler Farrar at the Tours of Qatar and Oman, Pate returned for a disappointing Critérium International before being plunged into the Classics: Paris-Roubaix, Amstel Gold and Flèche Wallonne.

"That was one of my reasons for changing; some of it was on my side, some of it was on the people working with me," Pate said, adding that not being put in the races he felt he was best suited for was unmotivating. "Some of the forethought of where I should be or what I was doing wasn't there, so I didn't end up at some of the races I thought I should have been at."

It wasn't just being left off all of the Grand Tour teams that led to the decision, he explained. "It was the whole thought process in general with my schedule and the way I was dealt with. I don't think a lot of it was personal. I think sometimes relationships change... people and organisations grow apart and it really just wasn't working for me anymore. I needed a change."

Different colours, similar roles

Pate may be going across to a rival team, but he doesn't expect there to be big differences between how the two teams race. "I think the two teams have similar strenghts, and that's why they have a bit of a rivalry going on. Garmin for the most part did a good job of utilising my strengths. They do a lot of the same things, so I thought it would be a good fit in that regard.

"I think I'll have more opportunities in this team, but some of it is not about being given opporunities, it's about making them for yourself and being focused enough to seize the opportunity when you get it. That all comes down to motivation and the people you have around you keeping you motivated and focused. I feel like I'm going in that direction by making the change."

For the upcoming season, Pate said his main objective is to get back on track in time trials. "I felt the past couple years I haven't been at the best I could do there, so that will be one of my main focuses.

"Also, doing everything the team asks me. Coming from a team that has a great sprinter to another team wth a great sprinter, you're going to be riding a lot of sprints. I can [do lead outs], it's something I learned to do when I was doing criteriums in the US. I won't be right in front of Mark, but hopefully a few guys out."

Pate may find himself banging elbows with his former teammates in the final kilometres of the Tour de France stages, if everything works out the way he'd like, but he said that won't be a problem.

"I think it will be fine. If I'd have left on different terms with those guys it'd be harder, but I'm still friends with Julian [Dean] and Tyler [Farrar]... when guys say they have a lot of respect for each other alot of times they're just saying it for professional reasons, but I mean it - they're still my friends.

"Sometimes things happen on the bike that aren't friendly because it's racing, but I think everyone - that's something about cycling at the highest level. Things happen in the race and that's where it ends. After the race is over, everyone realises that it's not personal. That's how racing is done sometimes, it's a little physical at times either on accident or on purpose. Most of the time after the race is over the animosity is over.

Other than making the Tour squad, Pate said he would like to focus on being competitive in 2.HC stage races like the Critérium International and Tour of California. "I'd love to focus on races like that and target the time trial. I've got a bit of a speciality in that, and if I hone it I can do much better."

The new Quiznos Pro Challenge might also become a target, he said. "I wasn't that interested in it before, but it starts in my home town, so now I kind of want to do it. But I also want to do the Vuelta [a España], and I don't think you can do both."

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The sheer number of cyclists in some Dutch cities is causing problems

Despitet the Dutch Cities has long been held up as a paragon of bicycle-friendliness,recent comments from the Dutch Cyclists’ Federation and Dutch Tourism Federation suggest that having a vibrant cycling scene and a well-used cycling infrastructure bring their own difficulties.

“Sometimes there are so many people at the traffic lights that there are jams; not everyone has time to cross the street in one go,” said Hugo van der Steenhoven, president of the Dutch Cyclists' Federation in a recent interview, adding: "We're victims of our own success."

More alarming were the words of Frand De Kok, of the Dutch Tourism Federation (ANWB), who said: "More people also means less safe cycle paths." However, analysing Dutch cycling stats and comparing them with UK figures suggests the picture is more complex than these comments suggest, especially if cycling casualty rates are compared to other transport modes.

According to figures from the Dutch Central Office of Statistics (the CBS), the number of cyclists killed in the Netherlands has remained pretty stable over the last few years (2004: 180 / 2005: 181 / 2006: 216 / 2007: 189 / 2008: 181 / 2009: 185). Department for Transport figures show that in the UK it has fallen steadily (2004: 134 / 2005: 148 / 2006: 146 / 2007: 136 / 2008: 115 / 2009: 104), although the wider group of cyclists killed and seriously injured has risen slightly.

Of course, these statistics don't tell the whole story, as cycling is much more prevalent in the Netherlands than in the UK. The Dutch cycled 14.9 billion kilometres in 2009 against the UK’s 5bn, from a population about a quarter the size, living in a country one sixth the size. With so many more cyclists on the road, more accidents are inevitable.

When the rate of accidents per kilometre is looked at, the Netherlands still has an enviable record. Research by the UK's national cyclists' organisation CTC for their 'Safety in Numbers' campaign suggests that countries with the highest levels of cycling per person – Denmark, Sweden and the Netherlands – have the lowest level of deaths per kilometre.

The Netherlands has around eight deaths per 100 million km cycled and the UK has around 25 per 100m km. The typical Dutch person cycles 800km per year while in the UK that figure is less than 100km.
While the number of cyclists killed has remained stable in the Netherlands and fallen in the UK, the number of car drivers killed has dropped steadily and substantially in both countries over the same period. The number of pedestrian fatalities has fallen dramatically in the UK but not in the Netherlands, although per head of population, the Dutch fare much better than the British.

SWOV (the Dutch national road safety research institute) have said that only 20 percent of cycling accidents involve motor vehicles. The other 80 percent involve only an individual or other cyclists. It's been estimated that around 50 cycling deaths a year (ie. between a third and a quarter) result from non-motor-vehicle collisions.

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Liquigas-Cannondale enjoy another day in northern Sardinia

The Liquigas-Cannondale team swapping their road bikes for two hours training on their time trial bikes,have  enjoy another day in the sun during their training camp in northern Sardinia on Monday.The ride circled the port of Olbia, where the team is staying until December 22.

The 29 riders have already done five days of training and the short spin near the coast doubled as a recovery day and a shakedown of the new Slice Cannondale bikes. SRAM replaces Campagnolo as drive train supplier in 2011, with FSA providing the bars and stems. The team will continue to use Mavic wheels and Speedplay pedals.

The riders were divided into three groups for the ride with team leader's Ivan Basso, Vincenzo Nibali and Peter Sagan in different groups.

New riders such as American's Ted King, Timmy Duggan, Australia's Cameron Wurf and talented Italian Eros Capecchi rode in their old team kit but will pull on the new Liquigas-Cannondale colours at the team's official presentation on January 10 in Milan.

After the morning rides, the days at the camp include work in the gym to improve core strength, meetings with sponsors, English lessons and progressive relaxation sessions with mind coach Marino Rosti.


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Matt Brammeier Riding with the legends

It didn't take me long to realise what a great group of guys we have here. They made me feel super welcome and I already feel like part of the team.I was feeling pretty nervous about getting out to California and meeting all the guys, even more so when I arrived at the hotel last week and walked into a room full of legends.

So, the first few days we were up in Morgan Hill at the Specialized base where we were fitted for our new Tarmac bikes, fitted for clothing and shoes, given a work shop on how to use our SRM systems properly, had some photos taken and did core tests, medical tests and a million and one other cool things. So the logistics and bikes were almost all sorted in just three days. I didn't quite realise how much work actually goes into running a team like this.

We didn't actually get much bike riding done there but I managed to find an hour or so each day where I was free to go for a light pedal.

Next stop was Thousand Oaks, just north of L.A., where our base will be for the next week or so.    This is where the serious bike riding will be done. We checked into our hotel last night and popped out for a little pedal around town. Everybody was feeling pretty jaded after our six hour coach journey so not much hard pedaling was done.

It felt pretty good to get out today and do my first real training ride in about a week. After a light breakfast and a morning core session we went out for a steady four hour ride. Bernie Eisel and Cav have been here since November so they know the roads pretty well. We headed to the coast along Malibu beach and then across some hills back towards the hotel. It's a pretty awesome place here for training, good roads, not much traffic, flat roads, short and long hills and of course the weather is perfect!

So after just a few days with the team I already know it’s going to be a perfect year and I can't wait to get racing!

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Jakob Fuglsang looking forward to ride for his new team in 2011

Jakob Fuglsang is looking forward to ride for his new team in 2011 after three successful seasons with Saxo Bank. The Dane recently attended the team’s inaugural training camp in Switzerland where staff and riders had the chance spend several days together.

Fuglsang told Cyclingnews that The Luxembourg Cycling Project will race under the Team Leopard name in 2011, with the brand on the centre of the team’s jersey.

Fuglsang had a sneak preview on the jersey kit at a recent training camp in Switzerland and was impressed with the design.

"I saw a picture of what it could look like. You can expect something cool and simple, a classic look. From what we saw it has the Leopard logo on it and it’s well done. Leopard is the name on the centre of the jersey. It’s called Team Leopard. That’s what it’s going to be to begin with, and that’s how it looks for the moment,” Fuglsang told Cyclingnews.

Leopard refers to the management company run by Bryan Nygaard, who has assembled the team. The team, which has signed both Schleck brothers and Fabian Cancellara, have been awarded a ProTeam license for four years and are ranked as the number one squad in the world.

Their recent training camp was the first opportunity for all of the riders to meet each other and despite the lion-share signing from Saxo Bank, Fuglsang believes the entire team gelled.

"It was new for all of us. The guys from Saxo, we know each other but we know most of the guys from other teams and it’s really good atmosphere with everyone together. The managers have really brought in some nice guys both in terms of riders and staff. They’ve worked really hard on making that happen and getting the mix right,” he told Cyclingnews.

"After just the first night it was like we’d been on the same team for years.”

Fuglsang rode for Bjarne Riis’s team for three years and experienced some of the most unique training camps in cycling, with survival camps often acting as a team bonding device.

"Bjarne’s old camps were different. It was cool with the survival elements but I can also say that if you’ve been a rider in his team for six years you can get pretty tired of survival camp. This was something different but we still had a time in the snow and some really good time to get to know each other.”

"We had some meetings, a bike and clothing fittings. We also had our first meetings with our team managers so there was a lot to do for next year. We had free time too so we could snowboard too. It was so well organised and everyone got the best out of it.”

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Pegasus Sports team begun to look for places in other teams

After the Australian team Pegasus Sports failed to secure a Professional Continental licence from the UCI.The least six riders from the  team have begun to look for places in other teams.

On Friday the UCI announced that 23 teams have secured a licence to compete in cycling’s second division in 2011 after a series of financial, ethical and administrative checks where carried out on each team’s application.

Teams that secured a Professional Continental licence included Colombia es Pasion - Cafe de Colombia, Team Spidertech Powered by C10 in Canada and the Verandas Willems - Accent team in Belgium.
The Pegasus Sports team has a much stronger rider roster than many of the other applicants but has still to name a title sponsor for the team and their application was deemed incomplete but the UCI Licence Commission after also being overlooked for a ProTeam licence.

The team has been granted an additional period until just next Wednesday (December 15) to submit all the required documentation but time appears to be running out for what should have been Australia’s first ever major professional team.

A source, who runs a US-based team and who received the resumes from the six riders told Cyclingnews: "It's is unfortunate that the Pegasus program is struggling and unfortunate that riders and staff members are now strandd and looking for last minute jobs."

Under UCI rules, riders can terminate their contracts if a team fails to secure a Professional Continental licence. That would allow the riders of the calibre of Robbie McEwen, Robert Hunter, Daryl Impey and Svein Tuft to look for other teams. However their chances and possible salaries would be limited because most teams have completed their rosters and spent their budgets for 2011.

Pegasus Sports team manager Chris White was expected to make an official announcement about the team’s sponsor at the world championships in Australia but that was delayed after the news of Alberto Contador’s positive anti-doping test first emerged.

It has been widely rumoured that the team lost a major US sponsor because of the Contador case but team manager Chris White denied this to Cyclingnews in late October. However the team held a training camp in Australia in November had secured invitations to several prestigious races in 2011, including the Tour of Oman, organised by ASO, who also organise the Tour de France.

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Lawyers Use Cocaine Defense in Alberto Contador Doping Case

Alberto Contador's lawyers are using tennis player Richard Gasquet's successful appeal against cocaine use as part of their own defense for a failed Tour de France doping test.

Earlier today Alberto Contador's lawyer Andy Ramos said a decision in cycling's biggest case could come "any day" as the Spanish cycling federation's disciplinary committee determines whether Contador merits a two-year ban after testing positive for clenbuterol.

The three-time Tour de France champion's defense is he ingested the muscle-building, weight-loss steroid inadvertently through contaminated meat.

Contador's lawyers are using several cases relating to other athletes to highlight that Contador did not voluntarily take the steroid. He will also lose his Tour title if he is found guilty.

French player Gasquet avoided a lengthy ban last year after proving he inadvertently ingested cocaine after kissing a woman at a nightclub.

"Not one of the scientists we have worked with has said it couldn't have been anything but contamination," Ramos commented in a telephone interview. "The levels are ridiculous - it couldn't be anything else."

Contador's lawyers are also using the case of Dimitrij Ovtcharov, who was cleared of doping by the German table tennis federation in October. The Ukrainian-born Ovtcharov successfully argued that tainted meat consumed in China was the reason for his positive test for clenbuterol.

Ovtcharov turned up an "extremely low" concentration of 75 picograms per milliliter in his sample compared to 50 picograms for Contador. A picogram is one trillionth of a gram.

The World Anti-Doping Agency and the International Tennis Federation attempt to ban Gasquet for two years was overturned after the Court for Arbitration for Sport accepted his claim that he inadvertently consumed cocaine by kissing the woman in a Miami club hours after withdrawing injured from a tournament last year.

Gasquet did not deny cocaine was in his system but proved it was not intentionally taken while showing no negligence on his own part. He served a 2½-month suspension.
Contador is at the Playitas in Fuerteventura, Canary Islands, training with his Saxo Bank-SunGard team, which is preparing for the 2011 season. Contador also won the Tour de France in 2007 and 2009.

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