War heroes on track for 2012 Paralympics

Two British war heroes are on course to battle for gold at the London 2012 Paralympic Games.

Jon-Allan Butterworth and Terry Byrne were injured in Iraq and Afghanistan respectively but both already have world records to their name as track cyclists.

Butterworth, a weapons technician, joined the RAF in 2002 before serving in Afghanistan and Iraq, where he lost his left arm in August 2007.

"We came under fire from a rocket attack on Basra Air Station. It was seven o'clock in the morning. I was on my way to work. The alarm sounded and I got down on the ground, but my left arm was hit by metal from the explosion," Butterworth, whose arm was amputated below the elbow at the battlefield hospital, told the Daily Telegraph.

"I went through rehab. I spent a year eating pies and then I really had to get fit and learn to ride properly. I was always intense, motivated by my job. But I left the RAF in 2009 because I was not able to go back to my old job.

"I missed the excitement but I now have the same commitment to para-cycling."

Butterworth's path to the boards came courtesy of a Paralympics GB talent ID day in Loughborough in 2007.

Byrne took up the sport through the Battle Back programme, a joint initiative between Paralympics GB and the Ministry of Defence.

He remains a corporal in the 2nd Battalion Parachute Regiment and joined the Army in 2003 before setting off an improvised explosive device while leading a night patrol in August 2008.

"It was pitch black, there were around 85 of us on the patrol," he said. "I was wearing night vision goggles when I trod on a pressure pad of an IED with my right boot.

"I must have stepped just outside the footprint of the man in front of me, as he had been in and out of the ditch.

"I tried to stand up but my right leg had been badly damaged. I collapsed and when I reached for my medical bandages with my right hand I realised my little finger was just sticking out and my hand was severely damaged."

Byrne's right leg was amputated below the knee, while metal pins were placed in his wrist. It was while recovering at Birmingham's Selly Oak hospital that he decided to take up cycling having watched the 2008 Paralympics in Beijing.

The pair are now on track to be among Great Britain's stars in London, with Byrne setting a world record in the team sprint with Jody Cundy and Rik Waddon earlier this year while Butterworth made the 200m flying sprint record his own last month.

"I have a great respect for the athletes," said Byrne. "We worked physically hard in the army and we are known as being fit in the Paras, but these guys are on another level.

"My family were upset with what happened to me, but I served my country once and I want to serve the country again and to make my parents and family proud."

He added: "People may not realise this, but serving in Afghanistan could be a stress-free existence.

"We'd go out on operations and have a firefight every day, come back, shower, eat, play volleyball or football, and then watch Extras on a DVD.

"That was life day after day. Life at home is much more complex. I have my racing times to worry about, I have a baby on the way. There are different stresses."

Today Byrne's mind will be focussed wholly on the hob in hand, with the pair competing in Great Britain colours for the first time at the Para-Cycling Europa Cup in Germany as they continue their quest for Paralympic glory in less than two years time.

The British Paralympic Association has held FastTrack Talent ID days since 2007 to identify the best athletes for 2012 and beyond. The next Talent ID day will be at Pond's Forge, Sheffield, on Nov 10. Sign up at www.paralympics.org.uk

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Hoy to lead Scotland against England

Sir Chris Hoy will lead a Scottish team sprint trio set to go head-to-head with an English star outfit at this weekend's opening Revolution Series event at the National Cycling Centre.

The four-time Olympic champion will line-up alongside Olympic Keirin silver medallist Ross Edgar and Chris Pritchard in Manchester.

Jason Kenny - Olympic gold medallist in the team sprint alongside Hoy in Beijing - recent Commonwealth Games Keirin silver medallist David Daniell and team sprint World Championship runner-up Matt Crampton will form the English team.

"I'm still buzzing after winning silver at the Commonwealth Games and I'm feeling really good going into the Revolution event," said Daniell.

"The England versus Scotland race is bound to be hotly contested with a line-up like that and it should be a great one for the crowd to watch. I just hope they'll be cheering for England."

In addition to representing their home countries in the team sprint, each rider will be racing for one of the eight teams competing at Revolution this season, including Team Sky, Rapha Condor Sharp, Motorpoint and Max Gear.

Tickets are still available for the opening event on October 23 via http://www.cyclingrevolution.com/

Talkback: Hoy to lead Scotland against England

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Autumn Epic ride report

The Autumn Epic was shaping up to be an epic of biblical proportions this year with torrential rain overnight and a forecast of more rain throughout the day. Riders faced heavy rain as they arrived at the event centre, forcing some to abandon before the first pedal had been turned, but conditions improved as the day went on and the event finished in sunshine.

As always the 155 km course provided a fair test of end-of-season fitness, offering a big day out on the quiet Welsh roads that have become a favourite among sportive riders. Rider support included roving marshals, well stocked food stops and a hot meal at the finish, with most of those who completed the course doing so with smiles on their faces.

Despite the early deluge, the rain had reduced to a slight drizzle by the time the riders tackled the relentless climb of Abby Cwm Hir at about 49 km; though with greasy roads the descent was no place for heroics. At Rhayader, just after the first food stop, some riders opted to take the short-cut reducing the overall distance to 128 km and taking 300m of climbing out of the 2200m total for the full course.

But with the weather improving at that point the majority chose to complete the tour of the Elan Valley taking in the largest single climb - rewarded with magnificent views of the reservoirs and surrounding hills - before experiencing the exhilarating descent down the Elan valley.

By the time the riders reached the infamous Glascwm the road surface was mainly dry (apart form the odd stretch still under a foot of water in a couple of flooded sections) but its false summit and undulating gradient was still a terrific challenge for all but the strongest riders who by then already had 114 km in their legs.

Next year's Autumn Epic takes place on Sunday October 2 while its sister event, the Devil Ride, is on Sunday 10 July. See www.cyclosportives.co.uk for more info.

Talkback: Autumn Epic ride report

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Wiggins: I can handle 2011 Tour

Bradley Wiggins insists he can handle the 2011 Tour de France after the gruelling route was revealed in Paris.

Next year's race celebrates 100 years in the Alps, climbing the Col du Galibier twice; once with a mountaintop finish, before the peloton takes in the 2,645m pass on the way to Alpe d'Huez the following day.

In all the 2011 Tour will feature four summit finishes and 23 category two, one or hors climbs along the 3,471km route.

Wiggins equalled the best ever British finish in the Tour with fourth in 2009 but faltered this year, having made the move from Garmin-Transitions to Team Sky, limping to 24th place.

And, despite no prologue and just one 41km individual time trial, the 30-year-old believes he is still capable of mixing it with the best climbers in the business.

"With the Tour you know you're going to have summit finishes, you know there's going to be a time trial, you know it's going to be three weeks long," Wiggins, three times an Olympic champion on the track, told Sky Sports News.

"With no prologue, there is a chance we could lose time on the first stage. However, there's also a great chance for us to win the time trial stage on the second day. The first week will be a hugely important week for the team.

"Last year was a learning experience for everyone involved. We put the best team together at the time and had the best preparation. Unfortunately in professional sport it doesn't always happen for one reason or another.

"But we go away from that and learn from our mistakes and rectify those problems, making it right for next year.

"We're looking forward to next year. We want to get on the podium and win it if we can. We'll set the bar high and aim to do it."

Tour director Christian Prudhomme added: "We wanted to provide a huge array of challenges for all kind of riders.

"We wanted a more balanced route, with three stages in the Pyrenees and three in the Alps during the final week. That way we will maintain the suspense until the very end."

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Team Liquigas Signs 7 Additional Riders and Completes 2011 Roster

Ted King, Da Dalto, Duggan, Marangoni, Nerz, Ponzi and Wurf added to Team Liquigas' roster for 2011.

Team Liquigas earlier today announced that it has added three Italians, two Americans, one Australian, and a German to the Team Liquigas-Cannondale roster for the 2011 season.

Mauro Da Dalto, Alan Marangoni, Simone Ponzi, Timothy "Timmy" Duggan, Ted King, Cameron Wurf and Domink Nerz will be joining Eros Capecchi, Damiano Caruso, Paola Longo Borghini, and Cristiano Salerno in the team's lime green and blue colors, thus completeing the 29 man roster.

"We found what we need," Team Liquigas Manager Roberto Amadio commented and added "The new arrivals guarantee a high level of reliability and will greatly contribute to the team. We're excited to work with the new riders and are thrilled to welcome back Da Dalto to the 2011 team."

Commenting on the latest signings Cannondale's General Manager Bob Burbank told Roadcycling.com "Cannondale is committed to pushing the envelope of road racing with the end goal of having the best riders race and test our products. The additional athletes joining the Liquigas Pro Cycling team for the 2011 season share Cannondale's commitment and passion to the global sport of cycling."

More info about the newly signed Liquigas riders:

Mauro Da Dalto, born in Conegliano (Treviso) on April 8th, 1981, wore the Liquigas lime green and blue jersey from his debut in 2006 through 2008. Da Dalto is a long distance rider and rode with Lampre-Farnese for the past two seasons.

Timothy "Timmy" Duggan was born on November 14th, 1982 in Boulder, Colorado (USA). Duggan became a professional in 2005 and is known as a gifted long distance rider, returning from a near career-ending injury and collecting two victories with his current team Garmin Transitions.

Ted King is a long distance rider born on January 31st, 1983 in Brentwood, New Hampshire (USA). King has been a professional rider since 2006. King will end his 2010 season with Cervelo TestTeam, where he has claimed six victories. Ted King has launched his own line of I Am Not Ted King merchandise and is donating part of the proceeds from merchandise sales to the Krempels Center which helps enable new life after brain injury.

Alan Marangoni, born in Lugo (Ravenna) on July 16th, 1984, became a professional bike rider in 2009 and competed with Colnago-Csf last season. He is a strong long distance rider with good time trialing abilities.

Dominik Nerz is a well-rounded rider born in Wangen (Germany) on August 25th, 1989. Nerz turned professional in 2008. While at Team Milram, Dominik was awarded the Most Combative Award at the Grand Prix Cycliste Quebec City.

Simone Ponzi, born in Manerbio (Brescia) on January 17th, 1987, is ending his second season as professional with Lampre-Farnese. He's a complete rider, and in 2007, he claimed the title of Italian Champion Under 23 Division.

Cameron Wurf was born in Hobart (Australia) on August 3rd, 1983. Wurf raced the 2010 season with Androni-Diquigiovanni and has claimed two career victories to date. He became a professional in 2007 and has strong potential as a long distance rider.

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2011 Amgen Tour of California Route Announced

Following weeks of speculation and anticipation, the host cities for the record-setting 2011 Amgen Tour of California professional cycling road race were announced this morning by race presenter AEG. Consistently considered cycling's most important and successful elite road cycling stage race held in the United States, the sixth annual event will cover more than 800 miles over the eight days of racing.

The 2011 Amgen Tour of California will travel to and through 15 Host Cities throughout the state over the course of eight days from May 15-22, 2011. Last year's date change from February to May allowed the stage race to visit locations that would not have been possible previously, including a visit to Big Bear Lake. Due to the incredible success, the race will remain in May.

The race will wind through miles of beautiful California terrain, beginning with the first-ever visit to Lake Tahoe, a well known cycling destination and home of "America's Most Beautiful Bike Ride." The eight-day race will travel through some of the state's most scenic landmarks, with the overall finish taking place in title-sponsor Amgen's hometown community of Thousand Oaks.

The 15 official stage start and finish communities that have been selected for the 2011 race include: South Lake Tahoe (new for 2011), North Lake Tahoe-Northstar at Tahoe Resort (new for 2011), North Lake Tahoe-Squaw Valley USA (new for 2011), Sacramento, Auburn (new for 2011), Modesto, Livermore (new for 2011), San Jose, Seaside, Paso Robles, Solvang, Claremont (new for 2011), Mt. Baldy (new for 2011), Santa Clarita and Thousand Oaks.

"In 2011 we plan to continue to showcase the beautiful features the state of California has to offer, while also continuing to raise the bar for what it means to be the largest, most important cycling race in America," president of AEG Sports Andrew Messick commented.

Highlights of the 2011 route include the race's first visit to Lake Tahoe, with the first day of racing featuring a more than a lap and a half around the lake. The riders also will summit famous Donner Pass on the way to Sacramento. On the way to San Jose, America's largest cycling event will venture into the Diablo Mountains for the first of two challenging mountain stages for the world-class cyclists. The riders will once again take the beautiful Pacific Coast Highway down the coast through Big Sur. Another exciting addition to the 2011 race is the final climb up to the Mt. Baldy ski area, whose steepness and switchbacks are legendary in the Southern California cycling community.

"The 2011 Amgen Tour of California route is going to result in an exciting and compelling race," Lance Armstrong of Team RadioShack commented after analyzing the 2011 Amgen Tour of California route and added "All of us at Team RadioShack are looking forward to it."

Beginning with the inaugural year in 2006, the Amgen Tour of California quickly became the most successful race in the United States with regards to economic benefits to the state, global recognition and the level of competition. The race also continues to set records in attendance for a single sporting event in the state of California, as well as any cycling event ever held on U.S. soil, with more than 2 million spectators in previous years.

"From the world-class riders and challenging competition, to the tremendous amount of support from the fans and Host Cities, the Amgen Tour of California has grown to become one of the most anticipated events within the international cycling community," Messick continued and added "Making the final selection of Host Cities for the race becomes an increasingly challenging task each year."

With the 2011 Amgen Tour of California once again taking place in May, the cyclists will have more time to train, and the competition promises to be even tougher. In previous years, the race has drawn some of the world's most renowned and respected riders, such as top Tour de France competitors, World Champions and Olympic medalists that include Lance Armstrong, Tom Boonen, Oscar Freire, Paolo Bettini, Fabian Cancellara, Carlos Sastre, Ivan Basso, George Hincapie, Mark Cavendish and Andy Schleck.

"I was in as good of shape the past three years [when I won the Amgen Tour of California] as I am now," Levi Leipheimer, Tour of California winner from 2007-2009, commented after the 2010 race and added "The difference this year is that you see a couple of riders on the same level. The competition has definitely risen."

"For our team, there's only one race more important to us than the Amgen Tour of California, and that's the Tour de France. This is a huge result for us. We can really walk away from the 2010 Amgen Tour of California with big smiles on our faces," Australian Michael Rogers of Team HTC-Columbia said after winning the 2010 race.

Returning as the title sponsor for the sixth consecutive year, Amgen will continue to leverage the race to raise awareness and support for people affected by cancer through its Breakaway from Cancer initiative.

The only American race listed on the international professional cycling calendar with a 2. HC ranking, the Amgen Tour of California has drawn the attention of both cycling enthusiasts and first-time spectators, solidifying its position as one of the most anticipated cycling events of the year.

The 2011 Amgen Tour of California will visit 15 Host Cities for official stage starts and finishes, while other cities along the route also will have the opportunity to witness the excitement of elite professional road cycling.

Stages for the 2011 Amgen Tour of California include:
Stage 1: Sunday, May 15 - South Lake Tahoe to North Lake Tahoe-Northstar at Tahoe Resort
Stage 2: Monday, May 16 - North Lake Tahoe-Squaw Valley to Sacramento
Stage 3: Tuesday, May 17 - Auburn to Modesto
Stage 4: Wednesday, May 18 - Livermore to San Jose
Stage 5: Thursday, May 19 - Seaside to Paso Robles
Stage 6: Friday, May 20 - Solvang Individual Time Trial
Stage 7: Saturday, May 21 - Claremont to Mt. Baldy
Stage 8: Sunday, May 22 - Santa Clarita to Thousand Oaks

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USADA Cases Add More Layers to Cycling's Troubles

Though there are no Tour de France winners on the list, the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency has sanctioned five cyclists for doping in the past two months -- an unusually high number for a single sport, and one that is expected to keep growing over the next several weeks.

The recent surge has resulted from a combination of factors, including information provided by Joe Papp, a former midlevel rider who has been a key USADA informant since admitting in 2006 he cheated. Papp, who says systematic doping goes on in cycling, was a USADA witness in the 2007 arbitration case that resulted in Floyd Landis having his Tour de France title stripped for drug use.

Landis has since admitted he doped and has accused Lance Armstrong and others of cheating, as well. The Landis allegations helped set in motion a federal investigation into cycling, with Armstrong clearly a person of interest to prosecutors. Though not directly linked, the USADA cases have been popping up regularly since the federal investigation began in earnest this summer.

The cases create yet more problems for a sport that has been in turmoil, with Tour de France winner Alberto Contador among the latest to be accused of doping. Contador has been provisionally suspended after a small amount of the banned drug clenbuterol was discovered in one of his urine samples. Also in the past month, four Spanish riders have been suspended for doping offenses.

USADA CEO Travis Tygart said he could not comment on specific cases, but that his agency is always looking to catch dopers, regardless of the sport.

"The win-at-all-cost culture is driving athletes and support personnel to do everything possible, including using these dangerous drugs to win," Tygart said. "We're going to aggressively pursue the truth to do the best we can to dismantle that culture where it exists."

Pat McQuaid, head of the International Cycling Union, declined comment for this story.

Steve Johnson, the CEO of USA Cycling, gave an emphatic "no," when asked if he felt his sport was under siege by doping authorities, saying cycling has taken the most aggressive approach to anti-doping in sports by using biological passports, among other methods, to catch cheaters.

"We are light years ahead of every other sport in the fight against doping," Johnson said. "We know some people are going to cheat, so when you are as aggressive as cycling has been, people are going to get caught and that's what we are seeing. We have to be willing to endure the process of cleaning up the sport. Cycling has shown that no one is immune, as big name riders have been suspended in the past."

Not everyone believes cycling is doing everything it can, however.

Earlier this month, Italy's anti-doping prosecutor Ettore Torri said cheating is so widespread that one possible solution might be to legalize doping.

"I'm not the only one saying it. Lately, all of the cyclists I've interrogated have said that everyone dopes," Torri said in an interview with The Associated Press.

The most recent USADA case involved former U.S. national pro cycling champion Kirk O'Bee, who last week received a lifetime suspension for a second doping offense.

O'Bee tested positive for EPO in 2009, but all his records since 2005 were stripped after authorities received computer records from his ex-girlfriend containing evidence O'Bee had bought performance-enhancing drugs over the Internet since at least 2005.

In September, cyclists Jonathan Chodroff and Duane Dickey each received USADA sanctions. Both had connections to Papp, who acknowledged the news on his Twitter account. "Saw that USADA gave Duane Dickey a life-ban. Sucks to be on any list, but especially the one that gets life bans," Papp wrote.

In February, Papp pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to sell human growth hormone and EPO over the Internet. Prosecutors said he earned more than $80,000 selling the drugs to 187 customers, including cyclists and other athletes.

USADA has long worked with federal authorities on doping cases, knowing evidence presented in federal cases can lead to sanctions that are under the anti-doping world's jurisdiction. Anti-doping authorities are also getting help from pharmaceutical companies, which signed a recent agreement to keep USADA and others informed about developing drugs that could have uses in doping.

USADA spokeswoman Erin Hannan said the organization is encourged by the development of "fully integrated mechanisms for ensuring effective anti-doping" measures.

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