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Landis joins Bahati Foundation
Floyd Landis will compete for the Bahati Foundation in 2010 after the team announced its recent signing of the 34-year-old and US National Cyclocross Team rider Josh Berry. Landis will serve two roles - as rider and ambassador for the Bahati Foundation, with the organisation aiming to 'support inner-city youth and garnering positive attention through his [Landis'] success on the bike'. The move comes after Landis had made moves to join Rock Racing in an attempt to return to European racing given ...Bole bites it in Paris-Nice
Lampre-Farnese Vini rider Grega Bole was forced to withdraw from Paris-Nice after crashing during the second stage to Limoges, won by William Bonnet (Bouygues Telecom). Despite falling quite heavily the Slovenian should have no lingering injuries from the accident. "No fracture or internal damage, but only a small pneumothorax that won't need to be drained," explained team doctor Matteo Beltemacchi. Bole had started the day in 12th place on general classification after finishing second ...Tirreno-Adriatico set to start in near-artic conditions
A rare snowfall that blanketed much of the Mediterranean coast this week means Tirreno-Adriatico may start in near-artic conditions in Tuscany on Wednesday. It's not expected to force the cancellation or shortening of any stages, however. Despite the cold weather, the 148km stage from Livorno to Rosignano Solvay could still see some teams go on the attack to try immediately gain time on their rivals. Androni Giocattoli team manager Gianni Savio predicted the opening stage would be like a Belgian ...Contador passes first test after Paris-Nice crash
The day after crashing towards the end of stage one at Paris-Nice, Alberto Contador wasn't exactly smiling in the morning but he indicated that he could continue racing. "You have to put things into perspective," said Astana's general manager Yvon Sanquer prior to stage two. "There was a small loss yesterday; sometimes in Paris-Nice 17 seconds can be significant but what happened is also no catastrophe. I'm not saying everything is fine but in Mende on Thursday there will be a possibility ...Travis Smith leads Canadian sprint team to worlds
For the past six years, Travis Smith has been the top-ranked Canadian sprinter. Winning two Commonwealth Games medals, seventeen national championships and traveling to countless international competitions – Smith has focused primarily on Sprint and Keirin events. This year, Smith’s focus for the World Championships in Copenhagen is leading the Canadian Team Sprint team. This change is due primarily to hiring of Richard Wooles as the Canadian Cycling National Track Coach. “When ...Wiggins looks to prove the critics wrong in Tour de France
Bradley Wiggins was perhaps disappointed not to win the time trial stage and secure overall victory at the Tour of Murcia but after a month of early-season racing he must be quietly satisfied with his early form and that he looks set to build on his fourth place in last year's Tour de France. This time last year Bradley Wiggins still thought he was only a track world champion and time trial specialist, who was happy to help to help his Garmin teammates target the Tour de France. Now, after his bitter ...Cavendish on the way back to form
Mark Cavendish is still trying to make up for the training he missed due to early-season dental problems, but will start Tirreno-Adriatico on Wednesday. The HTC-Columbia sprinter has made it clear he will ride Milan-Sanremo even if his form is not as good as it was in 2009 when he won the first Monument of the season on his very first attempt. Cavendish was in the dentist chair again on Tuesday morning before traveling to Livorno for the pre-race press conference. He has recently had a full ...Richmond Twilight postponed until 2011
Organizers of the Richmond Twilight Grand Prix have postponed their event for one year to allow more time to secure sponsorship funding. Organizers will reschedule the event to return to the National Racing Calendar (NRC) event in 2011. The event is formerly known as CapTech Classic, notorious for its challenging course situated in downtown Richmond, Virginia. The event was canceled four years ago but was scheduled to return this year as the Richmond Twilight Grand Prix on June 10 under the ownership ...Paris-Nice stage winner Bonnet padding his resume
Frenchman William Bonnet defied expectations in the Paris-Nice bunch sprint on stage two to Limoges, handing his Bouygues Telecom team its biggest victory since last year's Tour de France when it took home two stage wins. It was an important step in his 6th year as a professional, not the least of which is his team's uncertain future. For the relatively unknown sprinter from Vierzon, today was his first victory since the 2008 GP of Isbergues when he was declared winner over Wesley Sulzberger who ...Steegmans holds onto hope of Paris-Roubaix start
RadioShack's Gert Steegmans says he still hopes to compete at the 2010 Paris-Roubaix, despite an indication from doctors that his recovery from a broken collarbone suffered during the prologue of Paris-Nice could take up to eight weeks. "I hope all the way to ride Paris-Roubaix. That's my big goal for the year," said Steegmans at a press conference on Tuesday, according to Het Nieuwsblad . "If the pain is bearable, I hope to ride on the rollers tomorrow. Depending on the progress ...Petacchi to start Tirreno-Adriatico
Alessandro Petacchi (Lampre-Farnese Vini) will start Tirreno-Adriatico on Wednesday despite crashing heavily in training on Monday. The Italian sprinter had five stitches applied to a wound in his forehead and hurt his right ankle but is determined to start because he knows Tirreno-Adriatico is vital preparation for Milano-Sanremo, the biggest objective of his season. "I tried to ride my bike this morning. The pain in my ankle was still there and won't disappear quickly, just like pain where ...USA CRITS moves finale to Texas
The USA Crits series will expand to nine races for men and five races for women, with the finale moving from Las Vegas to Dallas, Texas. The series will maintain its traditional start at the 31st Athens Twilight Criterium in Georgia on April 24 with events for both men and women. It will then take a two month break before the next race on June 19, the Giro d'Grafton in Wisconsin, which is also part of the Tour of Americas Dairyland. The series will continue at the Hyde Park Blast in Cincinnati, ...Evans, Ballan and Hincapie join forces for Tirreno
BMC Racing Team has signalled that it will go on the attack at this week's Tirreno-Adriatico after it named a strong line-up for the seven-stage Italian race. The event will mark the first time the US squad's three marquee signings, Cadel Evans, Alessandro Ballan and George Hincapie, will have raced together under the BMC banner. While it will be Evans' first participation at Tirreno-Adriatico, both Ballan and Hincapie have recorded top-ten finishes in the race, including a third place result for ...Tour of Utah returns to the NRC in August
The Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah will return to the United States' National Racing Calendar (NRC) on August 17-22 in Salt Lake City, Utah. The six-day stage race promises to bring back 17 of the top professional men's teams in the nation to compete over the challenging and mountainous parcours . The Tour of Utah mourned the loss of its former executive director Terry McGinnis, who passed away after a two-year battle against colon cancer in October. Karen Weiss was promoted to fill that role and ...Martin satisfied with improvement in Paris-Nice
HTC-Columbia's Tony Martin lamented missing out a victory on stage one of Paris-Nice on Monday, but said an attack within the final kilometre of the race was a signal that his form is headed in the right direction. The 24-year-old had not performed as well in the race's prologue as he had hoped, finishing 41seconds behind winner Lars Boom (Rabobank), in 65th place. But in Monday's opening road stage, he was near the front of the peloton when the final split occurred. Caisse d'Epargne leading a charge ...Hoste gets suspended sentence for assault
Omega Pharma-Lotto rider Leif Hoste was handed a suspended sentence by a Bruges court on Tuesday, after he was found to have assaulted a cycling fan in Eernegem, Belgium in 2008. Belgian newspaper Het Nieuwsblad reported that Hoste, 32, received the sentence after he punched a man, Xavier Vansevenant, 48, outside a retirement party being held for former Silence-Lotto teammate Wim Vansevenant on October 5, 2008. The incident occurred after Xavier Vansevenant had been ejected from the party. Former-professional ...Armstrong on retirement, Contador and "the look"
During a wide-ranging and candid interview with Spanish daily El País , Lance Armstrong has spoken about his hopes for the Tour de France, riding into 2011 and, of course, Alberto Contador. There was nothing controversial in his comments about Spaniard. Indeed, the most interesting sections of the interview focused on questions the seven-time Tour winner is seldom asked, such as how he thinks he’s viewed in the peloton. Asked whether he feels he’s respected or feared in the peloton, ...Sinkewitz settles suit with former sponsor
Patrik Sinkewitz has agreed to settle a suit with a former private sponsor, which had sued him after his suspension for doping. The details of the settlement have not been made public. Förstina, a soft drink company based in central Germany, was a private sponsor of Sinkewitz and was running an advertising campaign featuring him when his positive test for testosterone was announced in July 2007. It sued him for more than 300,000 Euros in damages. In January, a court in Kassel, Germany, suggested ...Boonen motivated by new, strong rivals in the peloton
Quick Step's Tom Boonen says the entry into the peloton of new professional squads such as Team Sky has served to increase his motivation - and satisfaction – for winning. The Belgian's season will once again orbit around this year's cobbled Classics, but he has already secured a strong start with number of confidence-boosting victories over Classics rivals like Heinrich Haussler (Cervelo TestTeam) and Edvald Boasson Hagen (Sky). "[The new teams] only make it more interesting," Boonen ...Giant Factory Off-Road Racing Team presented in California
The Giant Factory Off-Road Racing Team presented its 2010 line-up at Camp Woodward West in Tehachapi, California, on Monday night. In keeping with its longstanding approach of starting to support young riders early in their careers and then sticking with them for years, a mix of the team's newer younger and established older riders was introduced to the media. Despite the tolls of the recession on the bike industry, Giant is backing a larger team in 2010 than it did in 2009. "We've had a tough ...Contador bruised in Paris-Nice tumble
Alberto Contador was one of several riders to fall victim to crashes on the wind-swept first stage of Paris-Nice today. The Spaniard tumbled to the ground along with Cervelo rider Heinrich Haussler near the 3km to go mark of the stage to Contres. "What worries me most is the blow to the leg," Contador said in a press release. "I have a pretty good bruise and it's still burning. I hope to continue the race tomorrow." The Astana leader went down as the peloton was chasing ...Petacchi injured in run-in with planter
Italian Alessandro Petacchi's participation in the upcoming sprinter's showdown at Tirreno-Adriatico may be in doubt after the Lampre-Farnese Vini rider injured his leg during training. Petacchi was out training with his teammate Lorenzo Bernucci when he struck a planter that was placed near the roadside and crashed. The 36-year-old sprinter received five stitches to his chin and also suffered a bruised right leg and a severely swollen right ankle. In trying to disengage his shoe from the pedal, ...Australian killed in crash during training
Tasmanian officials have identified the cyclist who was killed in a head-on collision with a bus on Saturday. William Alexander Robinson, 21, the winner of the prestigious Burnie Wheelrace in January, was killed when he crossed the center line on a steep descent in North-West Tasmania and collided with the front of a motor coach traveling in the opposite direction. Two other riders also hit the bus, but were treated at a local hospital and released. Robinson received medical attention but died at ...Boom shows his class in the crosswinds
Lars Boom continued to show his immense talent to the cycling world in Paris-Nice today, when he jumped across solo to the front split created by the Caisse d'Épargne riders with 15km to go into stage 1. The day after winning the prologue in Monfort-L'Amaury, the 2008 time trial world champion looked at ease in defence of his yellow jersey as he powered across the gap in the strong crosswinds on the way to Contres. "It might have looked easy but it did really hurt," Boom told Cyclingnews ...Vacansoleil and Skil-Shimano mark each other
Dutch teams Vacansoleil and Skil-Shimano have shown that hunting season is well and truly open as Pro Continental teams chase a wild card invitation to the Tour de France. It took little more than three kilometres in the opening road stage of Paris-Nice on Monday before a rider from Vacansoleil, Romain Feillu, attacked. The Frenchman, who was riding on roads close to Vendôme where he grew up, was quickly joined in the escape by Albert Timmer from Skil-Shimano. The two Dutch squads are candidates ...
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...formuula one
The fight to be fit - Force India's Balbir Singh on driver training
We may just be catching our first glimpses of the drivers at work, but like all topflight sportsmen, today's Formula One heroes never really step off the treadmill. The winter provides a perfect opportunity to improve fitness. So whilst the engineers are slogging it out perfecting their 2010 cars back at the factory, the drivers are busy ensuring they'll be fit enough to drive them. Most teams rely on in-house physiotherapists to help devise training, and at Force India that duty falls to Balbir Singh, one time guru to multiple world champion Michael Schumacher. We caught up with Singh exclusively to learn more about his unique approach to fitness…FIA press conference schedule - Bahrain
It's an all-drivers affair for the official media sessions at Sakhir, with Thursday's conference featuring no less than four world champions and Friday's boasting some of the sport's brightest up-and-coming talent. The line-up in full…Exclusive Q&A with McLaren's Jenson Button
Not many drivers have been able to defend their title. Jenson Button's bid to join that small but illustrious group starts this weekend in Bahrain. Just to add to the challenge, he will have to race against two drivers who've done it: Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso. And with the likes of Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel, Felipe Massa, Nico Rosberg and Mark Webber also chasing his crown, this season promises to be a mouth watering affair…Exclusive Karun Chandhok Q&A: It's thrilling but surreal
Coming the week before the 2010 season gets underway, the launch of the HRT team (formerly Campos) - and the announcement of second driver Karun Chandhok - was a very last-minute affair. Although he is yet to drive the car, and despite the mountain of work and obstacles still facing the team, it's a dream come true for 26 year-old Chandhok, who had almost lost faith in realising his Formula One ambitions...Q&A with Renault's Robert Kubica and Vitaly Petrov
Renault's line-up for 2010 features the experienced Pole Robert Kubica and Russian newcomer Vitaly Petrov. Ahead of this weekend's season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix, Kubica sums up winter testing and his hopes for the year ahead, while Petrov reveals his emotions concerning his imminent F1 debut…Exclusive Kobayashi Q&A: With luck, we can fight for podiums
BMW Sauber's Kamui Kobayashi may look like he's just stepped out of Tokyo's trend-setting Shibuya district, but he's also a determined racer, keen to make an excellent impression as he embarks on his first complete Formula One season. After muscling his way onto everyone's radar with two sparkling performances last year as a stand-in for an injured Timo Glock at Toyota, watching Kobayashi in Bahrain will be a treat indeed…The 2010 Season Preview - Part Three
Can the midfield teams really upset the order at the head of the grid? We consider their chances…The 2010 Season Preview - Part Two
Although there are several new teams joining the grid this year, few would bet against the old established outfits sharing the majority of this year's championship spoils amongst themselves. So do the big guns head to Bahrain with the power to stay ahead of the chasing pack? We consider their chances…The 2010 Season Preview - new beginnings in Bahrain
The return of Michael Schumacher; four world champions on the grid; at least three leading teams in which team mates will be fighting head-to-head for the title honours; and the prospect of drivers having to display genuine finesse in nursing their tyres now that refuelling has been banned. Is it any wonder that 2010 is being billed as a fantastic season for the FIA Formula One World Championship? The wait is almost over...Bahrain Grand Prix - team and driver preview quotes
After months of preparation and weeks of testing, it is almost time for the 12 teams and 24 drivers that make up the 2010 FIA Formula One World Championship to finally put their cards on the table and show just what they can do. For the teams it will be their first real chance to see if they can really challenge for the title, while for the drivers the joy of racing again will be just as potent. The Formula One fraternity look ahead to the season opener in Bahrain…Karun Chandhok to race for HRT
The newly-rebadged HRT team have confirmed that Karun Chandhok will race for them this season. Chandhok, who has previously tested for Red Bull, will be the second Indian driver in the history of the world championship. The announcement was made during an official presentation in the Spanish city of Murcia on Thursday. During the event the team also unveiled their car for the 2010 season…FIA publish revised 2010 entry list
The official entry list for the 2010 FIA Formula One World Championship was republished by the FIA on Wednesday evening. Following weeks of speculation the sport's governing body has confirmed the North Carolina-based US team will not compete, which means 12 teams will line up on the grid at next week's season-opener in Bahrain. A subsequent statement released by the FIA said: “The US team have indicated that they will not be in a position to participate in the 2010 championship...Exclusive Ross Brawn Q&A: We're targeting victory in Bahrain
Ross Brawn is renowned for his no-nonsense approach, so it's no surprise that the Mercedes GP team principal is keen to avoid speculation about the MGP W01's competitiveness ahead of this month's season-opener in Bahrain. However, with a big upgrade set to be introduced at the Sakhir race, Brawn is confident seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher and team mate Nico Rosberg will have cars that are capable of challenging at the front...Ferrari feeling positive for Bahrain
Ferrari are in a confident mood for the season ahead after the F10 passed its final winter test with flying colours. Drivers Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa both enjoyed top-three placings during last week's four-day session at Barcelona's Circuit de Catalunya and reliably completed over 400 laps of the Spanish track. “We're very happy with the work done,” Massa told Ferrari's official website. "We wanted a competitive car and I think we've achieved our goal. We've reached a good level of reliability, which is very important. I am very satisfied with the car - when we simulated the qualifying and when we drove with lots of fuel on board.”Q&A with Bridgestone's Hirohide Hamashima
Over the course of last week's test at Barcelona's Circuit de Catalunya, the 11 teams in action managed to complete extensive mileage at the Spanish circuit. With the squads using all four compounds of Bridgestone's dry tyre range, it proved an equally busy time for the tyre manufacturer's engineers. Director of Bridgestone Motorsport Tyre Development Hirohide Hamashima reviews the four-day session...
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