Armstrong loses court case, ordered to pay ten million dollars to SCA Promotions
In the latest development in a long and bitterly-fought legal battle, Lance Armstrong has been ordered to pay ten million dollars to the SCA Promotions company by a Texas arbitration panel.
The company has confirmed to CyclingTips that the arbitrators’ written ruling has found that Armstrong engaged in “an unparalleled pageant of international perjury, fraud and conspiracy.”
Armstrong acknowledged during his hearing that he had been untruthful in the past but, according to the same arbitrators, he had expressed no remorse for his wrongful conduct.
“We are very pleased with this result,” said SCA’s president and founder, Bob Hamman. “It is hard to describe how much harm Lance Armstrong’s web of lies caused SCA but this is a good first start towards repairing that damage.”
Click here to read more at CyclingTips.
Criquielion fighting for life after suffering stroke
The 1984 world road race champion and past Classic specialist Claude Criquielion is battling for his life after suffering a severe stroke on Monday morning.
Stephen Roche (l) and Claude Criquielion (r) during the 1986 edition of the race. Criquielion went on to finish fourth.
Belgian dailies including L’Avenir and SudPresse have reported that the 58-year-old is in a ‘desperate state’ and has been hospitalised in Aalst. He is said to be in critical condition.
The Belgian rider competed as a professional between 1979 and 1991 and won the world road race championship at Barcelona in 1984.
He went close to victory in 1988 but was involved in a collision during the finishing sprint with the Canadian Steve Bauer, who diverged from his line and put Criquielion into the barriers.
The Italian Maurizio Fondriest, who had looked set for third, swooped to take the title.
Criquielion is a past winner of Flèche Wallonne, taking the Classic in 1985 and 1989, and also won the 1987 Tour of Flanders. He finished fifth overall in the 1986 Tour de France.
Click here to read more at the Times of India and here to see the story at Sporza.
Bradley Wiggins to attempt hour in London in June
Set to transfer across to the new Team Wiggins after riding Paris-Roubaix, Bradley Wiggins’ planned attempt at the world hour record will take place in June. The news was confirmed during Monday’s announcement about the Continental team, which Wiggins will move to after he steps back from his current Sky team.
Wiggins’ decision to move away from the WorldTour is prompted by his desire to chase other Olympic medals on the track in Rio.
He has decided that he needs to be able to focus totally on track racing at times and thus can’t satisfy the requirements of Sky’s regular programme.
Meanwhile Wiggins has spoken about the squad to L’Equipe, giving some of the thought behind the team.
“I had the idea for the team to focus on the Games and to leave the road. Initially, it was to facilitate the program on the track. Then I wished we could find some great future talent, just as Axel (Merckx) does in the United States.”
He said that the team is a serious option for British riders who otherwise might have to spend a year racing in the US prior to being able to sign up to Team Sky. He described the latter squad as one which has become “very, very elitist,” saying that it does not have time to develop young talent.
Wiggins also commented on the Astana team, which has been embroiled in doping controversies. “I love Nibali, I’m a big fan of him, but unfortunately for him, his Astana team is a disaster. Some people should not be in this sport, and we all know the names.”
He said that he understood Brian Cookson’s difficulties in removing the team from the WorldTour but said that it was important for difficult decisions to be carried out.
Contador declares he will retire after 2016 season; wants year that is ‘better than 2009’
Alberto Contador will ride a maximum of two more Tours de France before hanging up his wheels, with the two-time winner declaring today that 2016 will be his final season.
The Spaniard has passed up the possibility to try to join Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain as the winners of five Tours.
Contador made the announcement Monday at the presentation of the junior and under 23 Fundación Alberto Contador (Alberto Contador Foundation) at the Hotel Princess Eboli in his hometown of Pinto, Spain.
“Physically I have recovered well [from 2014] and I’m exited about the team, but the years pass,” he said, according to AS. “I will be in the peloton next year, but it will be the last one.”
Click here to read the full story on CyclingTips.
Tour de France mountains jersey winner Majka and Kreuziger named for Tour of Oman
Making his season debut after a very successful 2014, Rafal Majka has been named the leader of the Tinkoff-Saxo lineup for the Tour of Oman.
Majka won two stages plus the points classification in the Tour de France, and also took sixth overall in the Giro d’Italia plus two stages and the overall in the Tour de Pologne.
“I think we have a very strong team for Oman and it’s a privilege to have this kind of support from big riders like Bennati, Kreuziger and Breschel,” he said.
“My goal is right on top of Green Mountain. Of course, it’s my first race of the season, so it’s impossible to know exactly where I am, but I have a good feeling.”
Meanwhile as much as the inclusion of Majka and Sagan will attract attention, so too will the decision to have Roman Kreuziger as part of the team.
Click here to read the full story on CyclingTips.
Gerdemann: “My main objective is to beat the top riders at bigger races”
Former Tour de France stage winner and race leader Linus Gerdemann is part of the Pro Continental Cult Energy Pro Cycling squad this season but despite being part of a smaller setup than before, he has said that he has big ambitions for the year ahead.
“I don’t really have one actual target. I want to race hard throughout the season and do my best to stay strong and take as many victories as possible with the team,” the 32 year old German stated.
“My main objective of the season is to beat the top riders at bigger races when and if I get the chance to be there.”
Gerdemann returned to cycling last season after being left without a pro contract in 2013. He raced with the MTN Qhubeka setup but despite a two year deal having originally been announced by that squad, it told him he would have to look elsewhere for 2015.
He eventually inked a deal with Cult Energy and said that he is finding things to his liking thus far.
“The atmosphere in the team is great. It’s not the biggest team so we have a really familiar vibe, the introduction to all riders and staff members have been swift and easy,” he said.
“After a few races, I can see that everybody is really motivated and eager to get the season going. Most of the guys I’ve only know for a couple of months but I think we are already feeling like a unit.”
Zipp recalls first generation 88 front hub
Zipp has issued a complete recall of front wheels using its first generation Zipp 88 hubs, warning that there is a danger that the affected part could suffer a recurring ring failure that could potentially result in the ejection of all the wheel’s spokes.
The company has said that wheels affected by the issue should not be ridden anymore and be taken to local dealers to be exchanged.
It has asked people who believe they might be affected to check their front hub to see if the retaining ring and clinch nut look like the item pictured in the photo above.
This has a larger coloured ring with a “Z” marked on it plus a smaller, silver coloured clinch nut. It said that no other versions of the hubs have logos on the retaining rings, which are gray in the standard option and gray, red, blue, pink, or gold in the ZedTech versions.
The hubs in question were produced between October 2008 and May 2010.
Cycliq front light/camera kickstarter
From the makers of Fly6 based in Perth, Cycliq now brings you Fly12 for the front of your bike in 1080p:
The developers set themselves a target of raising $245,000 on crowdfunding website Kickstarter, but with 23 days to go nearly 474,831 has been donated by 1,327 backers.
Rear-facing Fly6 cameras have captured some memorable cycling accidents in the past year which you can see below:
Video: Top Ten Ways To Suffer Like A Pro
The ex-pros at GCN have spent years digging in when the peloton has been moving at warp speed, learning how to endure the tough moments every rider faces. Here are their tips to make things a little more bearable.
What You Missed
And finally this morning, here are a few things you might have missed at CyclingTips in the past few days:
- Putting the hour record in perspective: How does an amateur compare?
- Sarah Storey: Chasing place in history with UCI hour record
- Daily News Digest: Monday February 16