Santambrogio tests positive again while serving doping ban

by Shane Stokes

Italian rider Mauro Santambrogio is facing a possible lifetime ban from the sport after failing a second test for a banned substance.

The 30-year-old was subjected to an out-of-competition doping control on October 22, resulting in an A sample finding for testosterone. The UCI announced that finding on Thursday and said that Santambrogio had the right to request and attend the analysis of the B sample.

In an interview with Cyclingnews, Santambrogio claimed he had been been prescribed testosterone to combat erectile and fertility problems.

“I’ve got nothing to hide. I was tested but I was under the effects of a treatment with Andriol. My testosterone levels were low and I had erection problems, plus I had fertility problems. That’s why I was prescribed Andriol,” Santambrogio told Cyclingnews.

Santambrogio was eligible to return to competition in November, but his testosterone positive days before that point have almost certainly brought to an end any comeback.

Click here to read more at CyclingTips and here at Cyclingnews.

MPCC states that six member teams face auto-suspensions if repeat doping cases occur

by Shane Stokes

Commenting in the wake of the combined five positive cases between the Astana WorldTour and Astana Continental teams, the MPCC anti-doping movement has said that six teams face self-suspension under its rules in the event of any more positive cases.

Astana_Vuelta14TTTrace

The MPCC regulations decree that squads who include riders who have had more than one positive test must voluntarily step back from competition for a period of time. Under its rules, two positives equal one week on the sidelines, three positives equal four weeks and four result in a five-week sanction.

According to the MPCC, the Astana Continental team will have to step back for five weeks if and when it returns to competition. It also said that the WorldTour team would have to suspend itself for four weeks if another rider violates anti-doping rules prior to August 1 2016.

According to the MPCC, Neri Sottoli, Rusvelo, Androni Giocattoli, Colombia and Lampre-Merida will each have to self-suspend in the case of another positive test within their camp.

Click here to read more at CyclingTips.

Uran decides on ambitious Giro/Tour dual programme for 2015

by Shane Stokes

Giro d’Italia runner-up Rigoberto Uran is set to target both the Tour de France and the Giro in 2015, with the Colombian deciding on a dual programme in conjunction with his Etixx-QuickStep team.

Uran has placed second in the past two editions of the Giro and likes the look of the 2015 event.

“I saw the parcours and I think I can do well,” he said. “It is suited to my skills. There is also a long time trial. Everyone knows I work a lot on the time trial discipline in order to improve my performance.

“I think that an approach similar to the one we had last year, such as reconnaissance and specific training, means I can do well again.”

Conscious of the demands of trying to recover from the Giro in time, Uran said that his main aims for the Tour will be to rediscover the race and also to hunt stage wins. That said, he stated that he hoped to do well in the final week and also to help his Etixx-QuickStep teammates where possible.

Click here to read more at CyclingTips.

Jack Bobridge on his hour record attempt

by Wade Wallace

Reigning individual pursuit world record-holder Jack Bobridge announced on Wednesday that he will be attempting the world hour record. Yesterday he announced further details about that attempt to better Matthias Brandle’s mark of 51.852km, which was set in October.

Bobridge’s attempt will come on January 31, 2015 at the DISC Velodrome in Melbourne — the final night of the Australian National Track Championships.

When asked how he’s going to prepare for the hour record over the next six weeks without a guaranteed entry into the Tour Down Under — Bobridge will be racing for the Continental Budget Forklifts squad in 2015 — he said:

“That’ll [ed. the Tour Down Under] be a big goal of mine. Obviously to make the UniSA team for Down Under which will be selected through the road nationals. The build up for the road nationals and a selection for Down Under will be a great way to go into the hour record.”

Click here to read more at CyclingTips.

RCS Sport reveals tough Tirreno-Adriatico for 2015

Tirreno-Adriatico organisers, RCS Sport, have revealed the course for next year’s race which will run from March 11 to March 17.

The seven-stage event will begin with a 22.7km TTT in Italy’s Versilia region before a 153km, largely flat stage 2 from Camaiore to Cascina. Stage 3 will take the peloton 203km from Cascina to Arezzo, with a short climb to the finish. The hilly fourth stage takes the riders from Arezzo to Castelraimondo with four categorised climbs along the 218km journey.

Stage 5 is the queen stage, taking the peloton from Esanatoglia and finishing atop the 1,675m Monte Terminillo with two further climbs along the way. Stage 6 is another day for the sprinters after 210km from Rieti to Porto Sant’Elpidio, and the final day of racing is a 10km ITT, ending in San Benedetto del Tronto.

Race organisers expect Vincenzo Nibali, Alberto Contador, Christopher Froome, Alejandro Valverde and Joaquim Rodriguez to all be on the startline come March 11.

Click through to the Tirreno-Adriatico website for more information.

Look 695 rip-offs for sale in Europe

French bike manufacturer Look has revealed that knock-off Look 695 frames have been discovered for sale in Asia and Europe.

According to Look:

“These Chinese origin copies only have a visual resemblance. They have no relation to LOOK whose originals are not made in Asia. These counterfeit products are illegal and potentially dangerous. They do not have the performance qualities of our bicycles.”

Look recommends that customers should only buy Look products “from distributors and retailers approved by Look”.

Click here to see the Look press release.

The psychology of being a world-class bike rider

As part of a BBC Radio 5 live special in the UK, entitled “Mind of a Cyclist”, 2012 Tour de France winner Bradley Wiggins has spoken of the traits and psychological tricks he’s found useful in becoming one of the world’s best cyclists.

Wiggins breaks it down into the following traits or tips:

  • Be ambitious - from an early age
  • Be ahead of the game
  • Distract yourself on the bike
  • Think rationally when it’s hurting
  • Learn how to bluff
  • Be calculating when the heat is on

Here’s an excerpt from the piece, in which Wiggins talks about his approach to descending:

“
When it comes to descending down a mountain during a stage race, I always ask myself if it is worth the risk. If it is not, I’ll lose 30 seconds and catch it up on the next mountain. I’m always thinking of the consequences of my actions.

Some riders don’t do that; they just live in the moment. People say I have no panache, but I’m very calculating in what I do. When we’re in the heat of the moment, I’m very business-like. There are two sides to me: the emotional character who loves sport and the one who is calculating.

Panache is great, but at the end of the day I probably wouldn’t be where I am today if I was like that.

Click here to read the full article.

When we lose weight, where does the fat go?

Here’s an interesting article at The BMJ about where fat goes when we lose weight. There’s a common misconception that it is converted to energy or heat, but according to the article, written by University of New South Wales researchers, such a mechanism “violates the law of conservation of mass”.

The researchers summarise the process of “fat-burning” as C55H104O6 + 78O2 => 55CO2 + 52H2O + energy

In other words: Fat (as tryglicerides) + oxygen is converted into carbon dioxide + water + energy.

The researchers go on to conclude that “the lungs are the primary excretory organ for weight loss. The water formed may be excreted in the urine, faeces, sweat, breath, tears, or other bodily fluids.”

Click here to read more at the BMJ and to see an interesting video that summarises the process.

A new kit for Drapac in 2015

We really like this ensemble, as modelled by 2007 Australian national champion Darren Lapthorne:

Wrong place, wrong time

This is genuinely terrifying.

Making The Ridge

You might remember this incredible effort from Danny Macaskill a couple months back. The team behind the production of that video has now released a handful of behind-the-scenes videos, showing how The Ridge’s most impressive stunts were put together.

Here’s one such video:

You can find the other videos here.

The Col Collective: Mont Ventoux (from Bedoin)

It’s one of the most feared climbs in world cycling and in this video, Mike Cotty from the Col Collective tells you what you need to know when tackling the “Giant of Provence” from Bedoin.

The Rocacorba Recap

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

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Today’s feature image was shot by Jered Gruber atop Mont Ventoux.