Team Sky's charge at Revolution 31

Team Sky's charge at Revolution 31 on Saturday lead by Olympic Keirin silver medallist Ross Edgar, Russell Downing and Pete Kennaugh. 

Team Sky currently lie second in the team standings on 16 points, two behind Maxgear and two ahead of Motorpoint. But with the British team's road cohort, including Geraint Thomas, away on an pre-season road training camp, the trio are left to confront a host of Continental stars and Downing is expecting a tough night at the office.

"I've been training pretty well on the turbo over the last few weeks," said Downing. "The track is a different ball game and the calibre of racing at Revolution is always top class. It will be a tough night of racing but I'll do my best to score some points for the team."

Endurance riders will be put to the test with a series of new races including a team elimination, team points race and an Australian pursuit.

Revolution organiser James Pope said: "We've put a twist on several of the races to test the endurance riders and make the racing even more exciting.

"The Australian Pursuit will see eight riders pursuit on the track at the same time. If a rider is caught they are eliminated and the winner is the first to cover the 3km distance."

Iljo Keisse, who last month had a doping ban overturned by the Belgian Court of Appeals, 2004 Olympic madison silver medallist Franco Marvulli, six-day specialist Leif Lampater and 2008 Olympic team pursuit silver medallist Jens Eric Madsen are included in a star-studded Australian pursuit line-up.

In the sprint racing, the Dutch trio of Teun Mulder, Roy van den Berg and Hugo Haak will take on a British attack which includes 2000 Olympic team sprint runner-up Craig MacLean, Dave Daniell, Keirin silver medallist at October's Commonwealth Games, and Edgar.

Edgar said: "Revolution will provide a good opportunity to break up the training with competition which is good for motivation and to give a tactical refresh.

"I'm currently in the middle of a gym training block which is going really well. My strength is good so I'll probably be pretty fast over the first 60m but after that - who knows.

"All competition is important. Everything is being scrutinised in the build up to 2012 so the racing will be full on at events like Revolution. Mulder will be on good form off the back of the first World Cup so it will be a good test."

Edgar will also be looking to use the next two Revolution events to fine tune his form as he fights for a spot in the British team sprint squad.

"I'm targeting the team sprint and hope to get a run out at the Manchester World Cup," he added.
"I'm also aiming for one of the Keirin spots. I'm pleased with my progress so if I can convert the gym work to speed on the track things will be looking good later in the season."

The sprinters will race a 200m time trial, Keirin and match sprint with a GB vs Holland team sprint set to close the evening.

Full rider lists and the race programme are available at www.cyclingrevolution.com and tickets can be purchased online or by calling 0843 208 1840. Tickets will also be available to purchase on the door.

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United Healthcare in the Professional Continental ranks in 2011

Mike Tamayo Pro Cycling’s general manager of  United Healthcare, gathered the team’s directeur sportifs, mechanics and soigneurs at a pre-season staff camp held from December 7-14 in Asheville, North Carolina. The main objective was to allow the staffers to organize themselves before they begin to transition the team to the Professional Continental ranks in 2011.

"I like bringing our staff together to have our own camp where we bond, get ourselves ready for the season, get motivated, go over how we are going to move around the season, what we are doing and our travel," Tamayo told Cyclingnews. "We also put together a staff handbook and go over our responsibilities and our dos and don’ts."

The United Healthcare staff includes Directeurs Vittorio Algeri and Eric Greene, Soigneurs Benny Ma, Bill Haelsen, Jeremy Fliss and Nicholas Cowan along with Mechanics Steve Sperling and Bernard Kocis.
"When you’re running a cycling team the staff is so instrumental in how well the team runs," he added. "It’s a theory of mine that some teams run around their best bike rider, the really good athletes and we all need them. But at the same time they need the staff as much as we need the riders. I’m big on building a franchise of staff."

High on the list of things to do was sorting the new clothing that arrived by the truckload to the team warehouse. Riders will be outfitted in Voler clothing with a fresh color palate of blue and white, a marked change from the previous season’s grayish tones.

"The most important thing about staff camp is to sort out the clothing and prep the equipment, basically get the guys their bikes and uniforms," Tamayo said. "We went with the blue this year because UnitedHealthcare is in the process of rebranding to blue. I think the clothing looks great and I think it will pop in the peloton."

Rory Sutherland played a factor in the clothing design. The Australian stage racer worked closely with the California-based clothing manufacturer for two seasons in an effort to improve the quality and fit of the brand.
"Every other race we went to last year he had a new pair of shorts, different chamois, material and seams," Tamayo said. "He has been working on the fit of the clothing, length of the sleeves, materials for thermal jackets and time trial skinsuits. He’s flown out to Voler where they spent time measuring him and designing the new clothing."

Setting up shop in Italy

UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling is in the process of setting up a service course in Lucca, Italy. Team staff will live at the base for four to six-week periods while the riders fly in and out depending on their individual events calendar.

"It’s a great place for riding," Tamayo said. "It’s important for me that our staff is happy while they are over there. Happy staff means good racing, the riders are happier and everyone is happier. They need to be in a place where they can go out and ride their bikes from time-to-time, eat good food and enjoy an espresso."
Tamayo noted that one of the biggest challenges he has faced so far is getting involved in the scrum of 23 Professional Continental teams that are fighting for invitations to the most prestigious races in Europe.

"Our challenge will be in the beginning of the season but once we start proving that we, as a team, deserve to be at the races then I think invitations will start flowing comfortably at that point," Tamayo said. "We have a good start to our season lined up that we are very proud of right now."

The squad will kick off its season at the UCI 2.1 Tour de San Luis held in the third week of January in Argentina. The team has received an array of international race confirmations from the UCI 2.1 Volta ao Algarve in Portugal, and the UCI 1.1 Ciclica de Almeria and 2.1 Vuelta Ciclista a la Region de Murcia, in Spain.

"It’s different from racing in the US where historically we did any race we wanted to and only needed to seek an invitation to races like the Tour of California," Tamayo said. "In Europe, for every race that we are doing we have to seek out that invitation. What is difficult for us is that a lot of it is based on relationships, and we don’t have past relationships because we are the new team on the block. We are definitely knocking on the doors and letting promoters know that we are in Europe now and we are ready to race our bikes hard."

Team training camp targets Amgen Tour of California recon

The team will unite at an official training camp held in early February in Thousand Oaks, California. Tamayo’s made no secret about the team’s big ambitions for this year’s Amgen Tour of California, so getting to know the individual stages will be high on the rider’s list of things to accomplish.

"Thousand Oaks was the final stage for the Tour of California last year and it ended up being a difficult stage of the tour," Tamayo said. "We’ve put so much emphasis in performing well there next year so not only is our camp based around preparing our guys for it but we are doing some course recon. If I can take 17 of my guys up Mt Baldy then that’s 17 of my guys that have seen Mt Baldy. Those kinds of things pay off."
Tamayo acknowledged the importance of having successful performances during the upcoming season as a Professional Continental team. His biggest goal is to raise the team’s level of standard and professionalism to align itself with cycling’s international stage.

"This year is crucial in every way," Tamayo said. "Not only do we need to prove to our sponsors that we can operate at this level but also in general to the cycling community. We want to raise the game across the board from athletes to management, all of it, and 2011 is just the first step in doing that."

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Lars Boom hopeful for the new pre-season training programme

Lars Boom  is hopeful that a new pre-season training programme that includes cyclo-cross will see him play a major role in the Northern European portion of the spring making Rabobank a major force throughout the 2011 Classics season. 

Rabobank were one of only a handful teams able to break Saxo Bank's stranglehold on the 2010 Classics season, with Oscar Freire's win at Milan-San Remo. The team signed Matti Breschel during the off-season to bolster its Classics roster and although the Dane's participation in the next spring’s Classics remains in doubt after recent knee surgery, Boom is confident the squad will have plenty of cards to play.

"I'm looking forward to working with him [Breschel]. He's a good rider and he's finished second at the worlds this year. We also have [Sebastian] Langeveld; he's a good rider also. We will have a strong team for the Classics," Boom told Cyclingnews on Saturday.

"Before the team presentation we did some team building activities for a number of days and there's a really good atmosphere. A lot of guys in the team are also really good friends with one another. I think that is important and the main reason we are going to be good next year."

Boom himself will again focus upon the cobbled Classics. Last season he finished fifth at E3 Prijs - Harelbeke and whilst the semi-classics will again be important goals, they remain stepping stones to his major objectives of the spring, the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix.

"I want to do well in that race [E3] and the weeks after of course -the big ones for me are Flanders and Roubaix," he said. "E3 and Het Nieuwsblad are also very important."

Cyclo-cross to be ready for the cobbles

In order to prepare for the Classics Boom has altered his pre-season and early season programme. The 24-year-old former cyclo-cross world champion has included a heavier-than-usual schedule of cyclo-cross races as preparation for the unique demands of the cobbled classics.

"Last year I only did two 'cross races and I'd spent the whole winter in Spain. This year my trainer and I think I'm going to be better if I do the winter in Holland with cyclo-cross and more intensive training aimed towards the Classics, than to do long-distance training on the road," he said.

Boom's victory at last week's Luxembourg Grand Prix cyclo-cross race is an indication that his condition is good, and he will continue his six-race 'cross programme at the Vlaamse Druivencross in Overijse, Belgum on Sunday. However he confirmed to Belgian media this week that he will not compete at the cyclo-cross world championships in Sankt Wendel, Germany in January.

"They [the Belgian media] want me to, but I'm not going to do the worlds. My goal is the road season and I'm doing cyclo-cross for the training and to prepare for the Classics," said Boom, who will end his cyclo-cross season with the defence of his Dutch championship in mid-January.

"I don't know whether I'm in good shape or not, I'm going to find out on Sunday because it's a reasonably big race. So it's difficult to say whether I'm in good form or not. I feel okay and I'm doing well so let's hope for the best."

In addition to his increased 'cross programme, Boom has also altered his early season programme. In 2011 he will head to the Tour of Qatar and the Tour of Oman for the first time, rather than last year's schedule of races in Portugal and Spain.

"We'll be going Qatar and Oman this year and I'll be doing both those races. Last year I was in Algarve, Almeria then Majorca, this year I'll head off to the Middle East and see what's going on there. I'm doing lots of intervals and motor-pacing now so I think it will be good for those races."

Following what he hopes will be a successful Classics campaign; Boom will head to the Tour of California. It will be the second time he tackles the American race and he has fond memories of last year's debut there.

"I think I'll be going again, I hope so also, I like it," he said. "For Rabobank it's an important race because the bank is big and growing in California. Last year Tom Leezer and I went out a week earlier than the team to do some clinics there for the bank. It was a lot of fun to meet people from the bank and meet locals.”

"It was also good for the race because I was over jet-lag by the time the race started. I'm planning and hoping to go a little bit earlier again this year, have some fun and train hard."


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2011 second-tier 5 series is based on the fagship frame

we were pleased to hear that the 2011 second-tier 5 series is based on the fagship frame. Compared to last year’s beefy, oversized tubeset, the new 5 series Madone has a classy, minimalist look, and Trek claim this diet has reduced frame weight by more than 150g.
While the top-of-the-range Madone is still built in the USA with Trek’s OCLV technology, production of the 5 series has moved to Asia and uses TCT – Trek Carbon Technology – a process that, according to Trek, has made the Madone 5.9 15 percent stiffer than 2010 frames.

Unfortunately, that extra stiffness has turned what was a sublimely cushioned ride into something more neutral. It feels much more of a racer’s tool – it’s great whipping it up to a sprint, but when climbing or riding along on the ?at the overriding feeling is of rigidity.

Our demo model came with a mixture of Shimano Dura-Ace and Ultegra – a Dura-Ace chainset and rear mech combined with Ultegra front mech, brakes and levers. The remainder of the bike is ?nished with in-house Bontrager kit, including Race Lite RX wheels, a carbon seatpost, and aluminium bar and stem.
The wheels are simple, solid and not too weighty, while the bar and stem combo keeps the front end sharp with no real ?ex to be felt except on the roughest surfaces. The new frame has fully internal routed cabling which gives the bike a much neater look, but will make maintenance something best left to your local bike shop.

Overall, the Trek 5.9 seems less of a sportive machine and more an out-and-out race weapon, more about ef?ciency and less about being a nice place to be. Ultimately, we’re a little disappointed by that.


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50 riders who are eager to join Christina's Watches Continental ranked team

The creation of the new Danish team was announced this week, and former pro Michael Blaudzun may soon be announced as the team's first sport director.Michael Rasmussen claims to have heard from about 50 riders who are eager to join him at the newly-formed Christina's Watches Continental ranked team.

"I have CVs of about 50 riders who would like to ride for the team,” Rasmussen told sporten.dk. “These are Spanish, Italian, German and French riders. Apart from some Danish, of course. There are some good riders there. It's names that have raced on the Pro Tour level or been on the podium in major races,” he added, without giving any names.

The new plans have re-ignited Rasmussen's motivation. “I'm so enthusiastic about the sport in all its facets, I can't escape it. Even though I was down for about a day after Bjarne Riis had extinguished the hope of getting to ride for Team Saxo Bank,” the Dane continued. “But it is just not in my nature to give up."

Rasmussen has started making plans for his new team, inviting the current staff of the team and eight U23 riders to live with him in the Lake Garda in Italy, to prepare for the first races of the season in February.

"The idea is that riders must stay with me in Italy for the first three months of the year. It's only an offer, it's not something that we will enforce, but it's an offer the riders have been given. I have apartments which will be rented out in summer, but right now it's a really good place to do winter training. We can easily house 12 people down there for a longer period,” he told spn.dk.

Blaudzun as DS?

37 year-old Michael Blaudzun is negotiating to become the team's sport director, he told the Herning Folkeblad. “We're talking. Now I just have to shut down Team Designa Kitchen and then find out what will happen going forward. I didn't think there are any alternatives.”

Blaudzun had been manager of the small Danish team this season but close it down due to a lack of sponsorship. Blaudzun rode professionally from 1995 to 2008 with Rabobank, Telekom and Team CSC. He and Rasmussen rode together at CSC in 2002.


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2011 cycling season approaches

Now that the 2011 cycling season approaches, the The RealCyclist.com Professional Cycling Team today announces that Spanish racing standout Francisco “Paco” Mancebo Pérez will captain the 13-rider U.S.-based UCI Continental squad that will compete in National Racing Calendar and UCI America Tour events.


A seasoned climber and stage-racing strongman, Mancebo, who completed his 2010 racing season with the Kastro Heraklion-Murcia pro cycling team in Europe, brings expertise and veteran leadership to the RealCyclist.com Pro Cycling Team. With five top-10 finishes in the Tour de France in the last decade which included the Best Young Rider accolade in 2000, Mancebo is eager to race a full season in the U.S.

“About the new team, RealCyclist.com, I’m very excited about this new project. I’m very attracted to the idea of racing in the USA, and couldn’t pass up the opportunity,” says Mancebo, 34. “I hope to have good results in 2011, especially in California and Utah, to repay the team for placing confidence in me. The team is a mix of youth and experience and will make up a solid group.”

A native of Madrid, Mancebo started his illustrious professional cycling career in 1998 with Spanish powerhouse Banesto. Earlier this year, Mancebo joined forces with US-based amateur team Canyon Bicycles to defend his 2009 Tour of Utah victory. He finished second overall in Utah this past August. In 2009, Mancebo won stage one of the Amgen Tour of California, was first overall at Vuelta a Asturias and second overall at the Cascade Classic.

“I’ll be relying heavily on the leadership and experience of Francisco Mancebo to turn RealCyclist.com Pro Cycling Team into a tight fighting unit,” says directeur sportif Gord Fraser. “We have numerous young riders that are dipping their toes into full time NRC and UCI level competition for the first time. I’m looking forward to help mold our talented riders into a cohesive team as quickly as possible.”

In addition to Mancebo, the RealCyclist.com Pro Cycling Team will receive a big boost of seasoned experience from Colombia native Cesar Grajales. A climbing specialist, Grajales, 37, is best remembered for ousting Lance Armstrong on Brasstown Bald Mountain in 2004 at the Tour de Georgia. In 2010, Grajales took second place at the San Dimas Road Race, third on stage one of Tour of the Gila and won the King of the Mountain classification at the TD Bank Philadelphia International Cycling Classic.

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The USA Cycling Cyclo-cross National Championships Final

Next week the USA Cycling Cyclo-cross National Championships with  over 1,400 cyclists are gearing up for the final national championship event of the season.

Expected to attract upward of 5,000 spectators, the event will return to Bend Oregon’s Old Mill District for the second consecutive year, December 8-12.

Thirty-six national titles will be on the line as ‘cross racers of all ages and abilities line up to battle each other, and mother nature, in a festival-like atmosphere that features BikeYoga classes, a warm-up area with LeMond Revolution trainers, and the Cross Culture: Art & Bike Festival, among other things.

Several changes are in store for the 2010 event:

— For the first time in the history of the USA Cycling Cyclo-cross National Championships – men’s and women’s singlespeed titles will be awarded.

— On race day, competitors will duke it out on a technical course along the Deschutes River in Bend’s Old Mill District. For 2010, the course has been lengthened to add some twists and turns, and to increase lap times.

– With the exception of the elite, U23, 17-18-year-old, and collegiate categories, riders will have the option to earn start spots basedon results in the individual time trial completed the day before their race. The call-ups will then be in this order: 1) top eight riders from the year before, 2) riders seeded in order of time trial results, and 3) all other riders in the category.

Championship racing gets started on Thursday with amateur competitions, and wraps up on Sunday afternoon with the elite men’s and women’s contests.

Defending champs in the elite races, Tim Johnson (Beverly, Mass./Cannondale) and Katie Compton (Colorado Springs, Colo./Planet Bike), will toe the line on Sunday in hopes of defending their titles.

Johnson will be up against riders like Jeremy Powers (East Hampton, Mass.), as well as 2008 champ and hometown favorite, Ryan Trebon (Bend, Ore./KONA). Trebon will be looking to take back the title after being upset by Johnson a year ago.

For Compton, who is fresh off a World Cup win in Belgium last week, a win in Bend would signify her seventh consecutive elite ‘cross national title. Joining her on course will be several other strong female contenders: Laura Van Gilder (Cresco, Pa.), Meredith Miller (Fort Collins, Colo./Team TIBCO), and Amy Dombroski (Boulder, Colo.). Almost certain to change the dynamic of the race will be a young Coryn Rivera (Tustin, Calif./Peanut Butter & Co TWENY 12), who is moving on from a successful junior career and joining the elite women’s field for the first time in Bend next week.

To see who all is registered, click on “View Registrants” on the event’s webpage, here.

If you are unable to join us in person, USA Cycling will be providing daily results, race recaps, and photos via email and online at www.usacycling.org.

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