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Barguil wins stage 16 of the Vuelta, Nibali’s lead cut

Frenchman Warren Barguil clinched his second stage win in four days as race leader Vincenzo Nibali’s advantage was substantially reduced in the Tour of Spain overnight.

Barguil somehow held on to win a photo finish with Colombian Rigoberto Uran as Poland’s Bartosz Huzarski took third on the 146.8km 16th stage from Graus to Sallent de Gallego.

Italian Nibali, meanwhile, struggled mightily on the climb to the finish as he was dropped by American Chris Horner with around 3km to go, losing 22 seconds on the RadioShack rider and seeing his overall lead trimmed to just 28 seconds with five stages remaining.

Movistar’s Alejandro Valverde remains in third place overall but he also gained time on Nibali and is now just 1:14 behind the Giro d’Italia winner.

“I wasn’t at my best, but it wasn’t too big of a scare,” said Nibali afterwards. “It was a very difficult finish, above all for the headwind and I thought I would be better in the final kilometres but as you saw I lacked the strength.

“After three very hard days it is normal to feel a bit tired, but at least we have a rest day tomorrow and I can recuperate.”

After two brutal stages through the Pyrenees over the weekend, the pack was split for the majority of the day with a large leading group of over 20 riders being held in check by the chasing peloton. The excitement didn’t truly start therefore until around 10km to go when, after a series of failed attempts, Barguil eventually pulled clear at the front and quickly opened up a 30-second gap.

However, unlike his break to victory on Friday, the 21-year-old didn’t have enough in the tank to maintain his lead all the way to the finish and was caught by Uran about a kilometre from home.

The Sky rider then seemed certain for a first stage victory in the Tour of Spain but Barguil somehow surged past him in the final sprint to the line to take the win.

“It has been a great tour for me. When I attacked I had very good legs but I saw Uran was coming and I thought it best to wait a little and go for the sprint,” said Barguil. “To beat such a great rider and win gives me great confidence.”

Further back Valverde, the 2009 winner, and Joaquim Rodriguez, who in July finished third in the Tour de France, were attempting to break away from Nibali on the final climb, but unlike in the previous two days the 2010 champion wasn’t able to stay with them as the Spanish duo both gained 28 seconds on the leader.

And Horner was also able to escape the clutches of Nibali in the final stages to put himself very much in contention to win his first Tour of Spain come Madrid on Sunday.

Nibali will at least have a day to recover, though, with Tuesday being a rest day before the 189km ride from Calahorra to Burgos on Wednesday.

Follow the link for results from stage 16 of the 2013 Vuelta a Espana. Text via AFP.

Tony Martin abandons the Vuelta to focus on the worlds

Reigning world ITT champion Tony Martin has abandoned the Vuelta a Espana on stage 15 to prepare for a defense of his title at the world championships later this month.

After seeing a number of riders, including podium threat Ivan Basso, withdraw due to hypothermia Martin decided to leave the race, not wanting to jeopardise his preparations for the worlds ITT.

“After the extremely cold temperatures yesterday [Saturday] and with rain again in the first hour today [Sunday], I have decided in consultation with my team to abandon the Vuelta,” Martin said on his website. “The stage on Saturday had a drop in temperature from about 30 degrees to around 4 degrees and it was one of the most unusual I have ever ridden.”

Martin came to the Vuelta primarily in preparation for his tilt at a third consecutive World ITT championship.

Click here to read more at CyclingNews.

Contador will stay with Team Saxo in 2014

Rumours had been circulating that Alberto Contador would leave Team Saxo to ride with Euskaltel-Euskadi in 2014, after the Basque team was saved by former F1 driver and friend of Contador’s Fernando Alonso.

But days Saxo director Bjarne Riis played down such rumours, he has come out and confirmed that he had spoken to Contador and that the Spaniard would be staying at Saxo next year.

“He’ll stay with us next year. He’s got a contract and he doesn’t want to leave,” he said.

Team Saxo itself is in financial difficulty after Oleg Tinkoff pulled his sponsorship of the team ahead of the 2014 season.

Click here to read more at VeloNation.

Cycling confirmed as core Olympic sport

At a meeting in Buenos Aires, members of the International Olympic Commitee (IOC) have voted to confirm cycling as one of 25 core sports in the Olympic program.

UCI president Pat McQuaid, who is a member of the IOC, has welcome the decision.

“Each and every national cycling federation around the world depends on cycling’s position as a ‘core sport’ in the Olympic and Paralympic Games in order to receive funding from their respective governments. Preserving cycling’s position as a core Olympic sport is therefore critical to the development of our sport worldwide,” said McQuaid.

McQuaid has also welcomed the announcement of Tokyo as host of the 2020 Olympics.

“Tokyo 2020 will be very good for cycling. Obviously, hosting the Games in Japan will be a great boost for the globalisation of cycling, in particular all across Asia. Japan has a strong history of cycling, in particular track cycling and the Keirin which originated in Japan and is one of the most spectacular Olympic Track disciplines.

Click here to read more at Cycling Central.

IOC awaiting return of Armstrong’s medal

The IOC is awaiting the return of disgraced American cyclist Lance Armstrong’s Olympic bronze medal from the 2000 Games in Sydney nine months after they asked for it back, the head of the IOC’s judicial commission, Thomas Bach, revealed on Monday.

The IOC had written to Armstrong — who was third in the time-trial event in Sydney — in January to ask him hand back the medal, but Bach admitted that while the cyclist had accepted the punishment he had yet to honour his promise to return the medal.

“We declared his result null and void and decided not to bump up anyone into the bronze medal position (Spaniard Abraham Olano finished fourth),” said Bach, who is the favourite to succeed outgoing IOC President Jacques Rogge in Tuesday’s election in Buenos Aires.

“This has not been challenged but we are sadly lacking the medal. We are working with the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) to get it back as we requested.”

Come on @lancearmstrong give back the bronze medal. It's completely worthless while it hangs around your neck!

— Michael Tomalaris (@miketomalaris) September 9, 2013

The IOC had had to wait to punish the American until world cycling’s governing body the International Cycling Union (UCI) sanctioned Armstrong, which it did on December 6 last year, and the following three weeks in which the Texan had recourse to appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

Armstrong was stripped of his seven Tour de France titles and banned from the sport for life in October, 2012, after the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) produced evidence of widespread doping by him and his former team-mates.

Text via AFP.

Obree makes the final of the World Speed Challenge in “The Beastie”

Graeme Obree’s dreams of breaking the human-powered land-speed record are still alive after making it through to the finals of the World Speed Challenge in the US.

RT @CSPhotoscom: @graemeobree #Beastie confirmed 46.8 mph - quick for the short course. http://t.co/LV0UTl6eFD

— Graeme Obree (@GraemeObree) September 9, 2013

Obree put in an impressive performance, hitting more than 88km/h on a short course at Battle Mountain in Nevada, in what was the first ride on “The Beastie” since he modified the home-built machine last month.

Obree has the rest of the week to try to beat the record of 133km/h set in 2009 by Canadian Sam Whittingham. The course is longer than that used for qualifying, giving Obree time and space to increase his speed well above 88km/h.

Click here to read more.

Cyclist hit by a car challenges police over fine

The video of Craig Cowled getting side-swiped by a car is horrible. You can hear his screams of agony after he hits the road, his femur shattered. The driver involved was fined for “following too closely” and no further action was taken.

But as Michael O’Reilly wrote in the Fairfax papers yesterday, Cowled has since approached the Queensland Police to show them the footage of the incident and to submit a statement. In the process he learned that a statement had been filled in on his behalf, written in first person, with inaccuracies throughout.

Click here to read the full, troubling story over at the Sydney Morning Herald.

Will Prime Minister Abbott be a champion for cycling?

Here’s another piece in the Fairfax papers by Michael O’Reilly about the Prime Minister Elect Tony Abbott and what impact he will have on cycling-related policy once he takes the helm.

O’Reilly suggests that conservative politicians are normally opposed to cycling, largely for political gain, but with Abbott soon to be in the top job, that could potentially change.

Click here to read the article at the Sydney Morning Herald.

”The Armstrong Lie” press conference

“The Armstrong Lie” is the name of a documentary film about, as you might have guessed, the Lance Armstrong Saga and it was recently screened at the Toronto International Film Festival. To coincide with that screening, a handful of people associated with the film took part in a panel discussion about the film.

That panel discussion starts 12 minutes into the video at this link.

The Rocacorba Recap

And finally this morning, here are a few things you might have missed:

Notso Swift

Of course Bertie is staying with Saxo he almost gets paid more than the entire Euskatel budget!

(E4.5m if you believe Oleg)
- Dave
  
  All but a nominally small amount of that is apparently a personal sponsorship from Specialized. If a team isn’t willing to swap bikes or Specialized doesn’t want to be associated with that team then any deal would be off.
velocite

You’re right, that video of Mr Cowled getting hit is horrible, but so is the police response. The video shows the culprit buzzing the cyclist some time before hitting him, indicating that he thinks this is an acceptable way to drive. And the police think an appropriate response is a demerit point! The message to drivers is hitting a cyclist is no big deal, and the message to cyclists is ‘be very afraid’.

And then of course there’s the apparent scandal of the fabricated witness statement - which very probably the police thought was just efficiently handling the matter.

This cas, involving dangerous driving and scandalous nonchalance on the part of the police, would make a good basis for a campaign. I would contribute dollars.
- Paolo
  
  The car driver should be charged with attempted murder, because that is what you do when you use a 2000kg heavy metal motorised machine to hit a human on a 8kg bicycle. And the police? Oh well, they obviously tolerate attempted murder in this case.
  - velocite
    
    I believe that murder involves intent, and I think it’s unlikely that the driver actually intended the cyclist to be injured. That to me is the worry. There are probably not enough psychopaths out there to worry about, it’s the ordinary people who just don’t get the situation. But these days if you cause a significant accident, one involving death or injury, I believe you are likely to be charged with cuplpable driving, not sure if that’s the legal description, and possibly get a jail term. Part of the problem is that killing or maiming a cyclist is not seen as significant - not in Queensland, anyway. There was the jury that found the truck driver who killed Mr Pollet not guilty, and now the Police treating this one as a minor traffic offence. Following too closely? Sounds like stand up comedy.
- Enough
  
  I’m with Paolo. I would happily see you edit your post so that “cyclist” is replaced with “person”.
- pauldr
  
  I don’t know about QLD laws, but in NSW, if you are at fault in an car accident or hit a pedestrian and someone is injured, you would be charged with something like “negligent/dangerous driving causing actual/grievous bodily harm”. You could lose your licence or go to jail. Following too close, means just that - following too close - no accident, no injury and apparently only demerit 1 point. Either the guy who hit the cyclist knows someone on the police force (i.e. corrupt) or they don’t think a cyclist is a person, and a car hitting a cyclist is not a traffic accident (may as well hit a dog). You are right the police response is horrible and I really hope that the cycling advocacy groups are following this case.
Arfy

Tony Abbott gearing up for a ride with his riding mates on the morning after the election was the best publicity cycling could get to “normalize” cycling in the public’s eye. He knew the cameras were going to be there, he knew the footage would be picked up on by newsrooms all over Australia. Sometimes actions speak louder than words, especially when your hands are tied by party politics. We all need to lobby our local federal members to put cycling safety on the agenda, but it really needs to be coordinated to make it effective. Is CyclingTips able to help coordinate a campaign?
- Dave
  
  The best contribution that blogs like Cycling Tips could make would be to encourage people to join in and add to the numbers supporting the well-established state associations like BikeSA that are already getting great results working with their state governments (the level where it matters most) instead of trying to start something new and running the risk of going off piste. The state associations all partner with the Amy Gillett Foundation which does a great job of getting the good publicity that translates into the support for governments working well with the relevant associations.
  
  If you were a member of your state association you would have received plenty of info about the Australian Vote4Cycling Partnership over the course of the election campaign. You would also receive regular updates about roadworks or detours affecting major cycle routes, plenty of information about upcoming events (and discounted entry for members) and discounts at supporting businesses.
  
  Probably the best thing that could be done on here is a permanent post with links to the state associations and the AGF.
  
  I don’t really know who the relevant groups in other states are, but the link that would need to be posted for people in SA is http://www.bikesa.asn.au
  - velocite
    
    In Vic I suppose the relevant Organization is Bicycle Victoria, or Bicycle Network as they style themselves these days. If they cooperate with Amy Gillett it’s news to me. Their focus seems to be pretty much entirely on lobbying for cycling infrastructure. The only mention on their web site of the ‘metre matters’ idea, which is a key goal for Amy Gillett, is a rather weak article explaining why it’s a bad idea. I can’t imagine that anyone who has ridden in France would think it was a bad idea - unless they thought it should be 1.5 metres.
    - Dave
      
      Hmm, seems you’re right. I just had a quick look on the AGF website and Bicycle Network Victoria is conspicuously absent from the long list of partners which includes BikeSA and Bicycle NSW. I just assumed they worked the same way in other states as they did here in SA.
      
      Is it just a case of too many big egos for one town, or the AGF objecting to what appears to be a very confrontational approach to things from BNV when they have been getting better results by working with other bodies instead of against them? Would this maybe work out better if the AGF was based in Adelaide alongside their strongest state partner rather than in Melbourne?
      - velocite
        
        I’m a member of BNV - mainly for the accident insurance that comes with my (family) membership, and because they’re pro cycling I’m pro them - but from my armchair distance it seems like a lot of self promotion goes with their cycling promotion. They promote their own rides, fair enough, but they maintain a somewhat deafening silence about other rides, like next Sunday’s Amy Gillett Gran Fondo. And like the Audax Alpine Classic - in opposition to which they promote the hell out of their 3 Peaks challenge which traverses the same route as the ACE250. It would be more consistent with their role as the senior lobby group in Vic if they threw their support behind other outfits as well, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. Recently they sent out an email which suggested to me that they’re aiming to extend into NSW.
        
        In this age of communications it shouldn’t make a lot of difference in which city the AGF is based, should it?
        
        Dave
        
        From what you’re saying it sounds like there might be too many cycling organisations in Victoria competing with each other instead of aiming for mutual cooperation. Maybe shifting the headquarters of the two major national cycling bodies (the AGF and Cycling Australia) elsewhere could help ease that tension in Victoria and enable better national cooperative work for both bodies. It’s worth noting that Cycling Australia is still seen suspiciously as being too Victoria-centric (7 of 16 NRS events plus the Road Nationals in VIC doesn’t help that) and obstructive to good work in other states, if CA didn’t have a Victorian problem the SA and QLD state governments wouldn’t cut CA out of the picture and deal with the UCI directly.
        
        You’re right, with modern communications technology it *shouldn’t* make a difference, but it does. The same issues affect Cricket Australia, the AFL and the NRL.

CYCLINGTIPS ON INSTAGRAM

PROUDLY SUPPORTING

Rocacorba Daily

Tuesday September 10, 2013

September 10, 2013

by CyclingTips | Photography by Cor Vos & Kristof Ramon

Barguil wins stage 16 of the Vuelta, Nibali’s lead cut

Tony Martin abandons the Vuelta to focus on the worlds

Contador will stay with Team Saxo in 2014

Cycling confirmed as core Olympic sport

IOC awaiting return of Armstrong’s medal

Obree makes the final of the World Speed Challenge in “The Beastie”

Cyclist hit by a car challenges police over fine

Will Prime Minister Abbott be a champion for cycling?

”The Armstrong Lie” press conference

The Rocacorba Recap

CYCLINGTIPS ON INSTAGRAM

PROUDLY SUPPORTING

Rocacorba Daily

Tuesday September 10, 2013

September 10, 2013

by CyclingTips | Photography by Cor Vos & Kristof Ramon

Barguil wins stage 16 of the Vuelta, Nibali’s lead cut

Tony Martin abandons the Vuelta to focus on the worlds

Contador will stay with Team Saxo in 2014

Cycling confirmed as core Olympic sport

IOC awaiting return of Armstrong’s medal

Obree makes the final of the World Speed Challenge in “The Beastie”

Cyclist hit by a car challenges police over fine

Will Prime Minister Abbott be a champion for cycling?

”The Armstrong Lie” press conference

The Rocacorba Recap

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