John Degenkolb takes a third stage win at the Vuelta a Espana
by Shane Stokes
Repeating the victory he took in Logroño two years ago, John Degenkolb again sped to a sprint win in the Spanish city at the end of stage 12 of this year’s Vuelta.
The German rider was part of a small group who fought it out for the victory, with a crash inside the final two kilometres bringing down rivals such as Nacer Bouhanni (FDJ.fr), Michael Matthews (Orica-GreenEdge) and Andrea Guardini (Astana) and splitting the peloton. Once he came off the wheel of Giant-Shimano team-mate Ramon Sinkeldam, Degenkolb had little problem in taking his third victory of this year’s race.
Former world champion Tom Boonen (Omega Pharma-QuickStep) was glued to his wheel but was unable to make any progress from there, finishing second ahead of Astana’s Jacopo Guarnieri.
Earlier, Cannondale’s Matthias Krizek attacked and built a lead of over nine minutes, picking up the two intermediate sprints in the process. His move was never given enough rope to go all the way to the finish, though, and he was hauled back 12km from the end of the 166.4 kilometre Logroño circuit race.
Alberto Contador’s Tinkoff-Saxo team did most of the work from there until the final kilometre, then Lampre-Merida took over to try to grab a victory.
Contador remains in the red jersey of race leader, 20 seconds ahead of his closest rival Alejandro Valverde (Movistar). Rigoberto Uran (Omega Pharma-QuickStep) and Chris Froome (Sky) remain third and fourth overall, 1:08 and 1:20 back, while Joaquim Rodriguez (Katusha) and Samuel Sanchez (BMC Racing Team) stay fifth and sixth.
Today’s stage 13 is a lumpy 188.7 kilometre race from Belorado to Obregon Parque de Cabárceno.
Stage 12: Logroño > Logroño - Stage Result
Thursday 4th September 2014
| 1. |  |
DEGENKOLB John
Team Giant-Shimano
|
04:11:18 |
| 2. |  |
BOONEN Tom
Omega Pharma - Quick-Step
|
- |
| 3. |  |
GUARNIERI Jacopo
Astana Pro Team
|
- |
Degenkolb
Contador
Mas Bonet
Degenkolb
Movistar TeamClick here to read the full stage report at CyclingTips.
Ruben Zepunkte takes victory on stage 1 of the Tour of Alberta, Jonas Ahlstrand wins stage 2
Ruben Zepuntke (Bissell Development Team) yesterday claimed victory in the opening road stage of the Tour of Alberta, winning the bunch sprint into Lethbridge.
The opening stage featured six laps through Lethbridge with the riders facing wet and cold conditions for most of the day. Mathew Hayman (Orica-GreenEdge), Robin Carpenter (Hincapie Sportswear Development) and Nathan Van Hooydonck (Bissell Development) formed the day’s breakaway and got four minute clear.
Van Hooydonck was dropped on lap 3 while Hayman and Carpenter were caught on the final lap, setting it up for a bunch sprint. Tom Dumoulin (Giant-Shimano) maintained his overall lead after his win in the prologue ITT.
Stage 2 finished a short time ago as well, with Giant-Shimano’s Jonas Ahlstrand taking line honours ahead of Theo Bos (Belkin) and stage 1 winner Ruben Zepunkte. Earlier in the stage a seven-rider break formed but they were caught just before the finish.
The race continues tomorrow with a 157km stage from Wetaskiwin to CFB Edmonton via Fort Saskatchewan and concludes in Edmonton on Sunday.
DumoulinClick here to read more at CBC Sports.
Marianne Vos takes stage 3 at the Boels Rental Ladies Tour
Marianne Vos (Rabo-Liv) has added another victory to her long list of 2014 successes, winning stage 3 of the Boels Rental Ladies Tour in Leende in a bunch sprint.
The ever-aggressive Valentina Scandolara (Orica-AIS) put in a trademark solo attack with about 15km to go, but the Italian wasn’t able to stay clear, getting swamped by a hard-chasing Rabo-Liv train. With the catch made, Vos got herself in perfect position and rewarded her teammates’ hard work with a sprint victory. Belgian national champion Jolien d’Hoore (Lotto-Belisol) was second, while World Cup winner Lizzie Armitstead (Boels-Dolmans) rounded out the podium.
With three stages remaining in the race, Ellen van Dijk (Boels-Dolmans) still leads the general classification, on the same time as Lisa Brennauer (Specialized-Lululemon) and eight seconds ahead of Vos.
Stage 3: Heeze > Leende - Stage Result
Thursday 4th September 2014
| 1. |  |
VOS Marianne
Rabobank-Liv Woman Cycling Team
|
03:07:38 |
| 2. | |
D'HOORE Jolien
Lotto Belisol Ladies
|
- |
| 3. |  |
ARMITSTEAD Elizabeth
Boels - Dolmans Cycling Team
|
- |
Click here to read more at olimpiazzurra.com.
Tino Thomel claims stage 6 at the Tour of China I
Tino Thomel (Stuttgart) has won a chaotic bunch sprint on the penultimate stage of the Tour of China I, edging out Boris Shpilevsky (RTS Santic) and Pavel Gatskiy (Continental Team Astana).
Image: 7Cycling
There was little by way of breakaways on stage 6 with the bunch staying together for the most part as the race passed over two categorised climbs and three intermediate sprints. As the finish approached the sprinters’ teams started to rally, but a crash 500m from the finish disrupted many riders’ chances of a victory. In the end it was 26-year-old German Tino Thomel that emerged to take the stage win.
With one stage remaining, stage 3 winner Kamil Gradek (BDC Marcpol) still leads the GC, 35 seconds clear of Vitaliy Buts (Kolss) and another five seconds clear of teammate and stage 1 winner Pawel Bernas.
Stage 6: Chengdu Dayi > Chengdu Dayi - Stage Result
Thursday 4th September 2014
| 1. | |
THöMEL Tino
Team Stuttgart
|
02:56:49 |
| 2. |  |
SHPILEVSKY Boris
RTS-Santic Racing Team
|
- |
| 3. |  |
GATSKIY Pavel
Continental Team Astana
|
- |
Text adapted from a 7Cycling/Tour of China I press release.
Giorgia Bronzini doubles up on stage 4 of the Tour de l’Ardeche
Giorgia Bronzini (Wiggle Honda) took her second victory of the 2014 Tour de l’Ardèche on the hilly fourth stage, as she outsprinted the leading group of 14 riders. The former two-time road world champion once again beat Tiffany Cromwell (Australia) into second place, with Italian Champion Elena Cecchini (Estado de Mexico-Faren) third.
Image: Wiggle-Honda
“It was a really [hilly] stage, and after the first downhill … we were in front as a team,” Bronzini said. “On the second climb Emilia and me rode a tempo; there was a little breakaway in front of us of three riders, so we rode a tempo to the top of the climb and then Linda led into the downhill and we caught them.”
Bronzini’s teammate Linda Villumsen finished in the lead group to maintain her overall lead, while Alena Amialiusik (Astana-BePink), lost her second place overall after being dropped from the lead group. Tayler Wiles (Mixte Internationale) is now second on GC, with Australia’s Lizzie Williams third.
Three stages remain in the hilly French stage race, including today’s 124.1km fifth stage from St Sauveur de Montagut to Villeneuve de Berg.
Stage 4: Le Pouzin > Cruas - Stage Result
Thursday 4th September 2014
| 1. | |
BRONZINI Giorgia
Wiggle Honda Pro Cycling
|
03:28:02 |
| 2. |  |
CROMWELL Tiffany
Specialized-lululemon
|
- |
| 3. | |
CECCHINI Elena
Estado de México-Faren Kuota
|
- |
Text adapted from a Wiggle Honda press release.
Kerrison out-guns Avanti on stage 2 of the Lakes Oil Tour of Gippsland
Gold Coast’s Jesse Kerrison (Budget Forklifts) has clinched stage 2 of the Lakes Oil Tour of Gippsland in a sprint finish in Yinnar, outgunning Avanti Racing teammates Scott Law (Avanti) and Brenton Jones (Avanti).
Image: JXP Photography
The day began in Leongatha, with riders traversing 115 kilometres through the Strzelecki Ranges towards the small township of Yinnar. On the major descent following the first KOM, a group of seven riders rode clear: Alex Edmondson (SASI), Craig Evers (Phoenix Cycling Collective), Leongatha’s Stuart Smith (health.com.au/search2retain), Edward White (GPM Wilson), Daniel Molyneux (Subaru Albion), Nathan Booth (Phoenix Cycling Collective) and Chris Harper (SWC).
The group worked well and gained over a one minute advantage however the collective power of the peloton soon proved too much, scooping them up inside the final 15 kilometres.
Overnight Tour leader Law secured second place, and retains a narrow two second advantage to Kerrison in the GC while Jones sits third overall, just three seconds behind. The Tour continues today in Sale with a criterium followed by a road race concluding in the seaside town of Port Albert.
Click through for results from stage 2 of the 2014 Tour of Gippsland. Text adapted from a Cycling Australia press release.
Successful surgery for Quintana but no racing until 2015
by Shane Stokes
The possibility of Nairo Quintana riding the world road race championships or later races such as the Tour of Beijing or Il Lombardia has been ruled out after the Colombian underwent surgery in the Clínica San Miguel in Pamplona on Thursday.
The Movistar rider crashed out of the Vuelta a España on Tuesday after falling during the stage ten time trial. He was wearing the race leader’s red jersey at the time but lost his chance of winning the race when he clipped a roadside barrier on a fast descent, suffering a displaced fracture to his right shoulder blade.
“Nairo’s injury is a drill-hole fracture of the coracoid process,” the surgeon explained. “This kind of fracture is really rare; they affect various sportsmen but are just 1% of all fractures in sport, 10% out of the scapula ones. The coracoid process can be treated without any operation, but I decided to have him undergo surgery because, as shown on the scanner image, the fracture extends like the tail of a mouse to the scapula. We fixed it with two screws.”
Quintana is likely to return home on Friday if things go to plan and will focus on getting himself right for season 2015.
Click here to read the full story at CyclingTips.
Fabian Cancellara to skip Worlds ITT
Four-time world ITT champion Fabian Cancellara (Trek) will miss this year’s race, deciding instead to focus solely on the road race a few days later.
In addition to his four world ITT titles, Cancellara also has three bronze medals, including twice behind Tony Martin (Omega Pharma-QuickStep). Martin will go into the race later this month as the favourite, keen to win his fourth straight title.
Click here to read more via AP/Yahoo.
Bjorn Leukemans re-signs with Wanty-Groupe Gobert
Wanty-Groupe Gobert has re-signed Björn Leukemans through the end of the 2015 with the Belgian-based ProConti team looking to build a team around the Classics specialist.
“We are very happy to have reached a deal with Björn for next season”, said general manager Jean-François Bourlart. “We are ambitious again for the Classics next year. We will construct a solid team around him for the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix.”
“At my age you look at these things year per year,” said Leukemans. “The team know that I live for my job and gives me the liberty to do so. That is important to me and something that I need to have. I am the leader of the team in this period and that can be stressful at times. But thanks to my experience, I know how to handle it well. I am looking forward to showing myself and the team next season again.”
The team has also renewed contracts with Jérome Baugnies and Kévin Van Melsen through to the end of 2016.
Click here to read more at the Wanty-Groupe Gobert website.
Transfer season in the women’s peloton
There’s been plenty of news in recent weeks about the various moves being made by riders in the men’s peloton, with contracts ending and others being struck up. Of course, the same is happening in the women’s peloton as well, albeit with far less fanfare.
Here’s a good post at Podium Cafe showing the ins, outs and who’s retiring, based on confirmed reports so far. There’ll certainly be more announcements to come in future, and we expect that article to be updated as those announcements are made.
In the meantime be sure to check out the comments on that article — there are some interesting rumours and discussions that are worth taking a look at.
Free Dig Deep Coaching webinar next Thursday
Yesterday we published the second part in a collaboration with Dig Deep Coaching, in which we put your training, nutrition, racing and other cycling-related questions to the Dig Deep team, and they provide the answers. Next Thursday (September 11) we’re hosting a free webinar with Dig Deep in which the team will answer a whole bunch of questions.
The session runs from 6.30pm to 7.30pm AEST and you can register here. If you’d like to add a question to the mix, simply email it to [email protected] with the subject line “Dig Deep Coaching question”.
On-board camera footage of Quintana’s crash
Tinkoff-Saxo posted this video showing the crash that brought down Nairo Quintana (Movistar) and ended the Colombian’s Vuelta. You can’t really see Quintana come down but you can see the effect the media moto had in exacerbating the crash.
A motor in Ryder Hesjedal’s bike?
Chances are you’ve probably already seen the video below, purportedly showing that Ryder Hesjedal has a motor in his bike:
We wouldn’t normally touch internet conspiracies like this, but we thought it was worth mentioning simply because the UCI took it seriously enough to get involved. According to Garmin-Sharp sports director Bingen Fernandez UCI commissaires headed to the Garmin-Sharp bus before yesterday’s stage of the Vuelta to inspect the team’s bikes. Of course they found nothing.
To put this thing to bed, here’s a video showing why Hesjedal’s wheel continued to spin like it did after the crash:
The Rocacorba Recap
And finally this morning, here are a few things you might have missed at CyclingTips:
- Time is ticking: is Specialized-lululemon’s crowdfunding model sustainable?
- Essor USA Pace 32 wheelset review
- Your training questions answered with Dig Deep Coaching: part two
- Rocacorba Daily: Thursday September 4