State of the Club

Hey Team,

We did a lot of great things this semester; I want to thank all of you for making it so successful. We’ve trained, raced, and partied harder than I’ve ever seen in my 3+ years of club experience. We’ve established solid relationships with great organizations and have managed in a positive reputation in our community. We’ve raised more funds than ever before allowing us to increase your benefit package and better represent our school at the local and national level. We’ve sent our first team ever to Cross Nationals and will send our largest team ever to Triathlon Nationals. It’s clear that we’ve successfully worked towards accomplishing our mission. Our future is very promising. We have a lot to look forward to. The Sun Devil 5k and Sun Devil Criterium are almost upon us and Tri Nationals will be just around the corner. So use the holiday break as an escape from school work, not an escape from training as we’ll need you again in the coming months. If you’re in town keep your eye on the calendar as we’ll be still be training, we’ll still be racing, and we’ll still be enjoying life as part of ASUCTC.

Thanks for an amazing term.
-Niko

Last month in Road Cycling

Hey, so I don't really know what happened. One week of pushing TWIRC off turned into two, and before I knew it an entire month had passed without any updates. I know most of you rely on my blog entries, and schedule your entire life around it. I'm sorry, I hope you remembered to eat and sleep.

But here it is, back in all of its glory -- except there isn't really a whole lot of interesting stuff to discuss. There are no road races happening in Arizona, and the only pro race that happened that was of any importance was the Japan Cup.

The Japan Cup, they should really call it the "Italians Racing Each Other in Japan Cup." Twelve times in the races 17 year history the race has been won by an Italian, and the last 4 editions have been an all Italian sweep. Even the podium this year was completely Italian. Damiano Cunego (Lampre) managed to hold onto his awesome season ending form that had garnered him the win in Lombardia the week before. In second was that guy who definitely spends considerable time eyebrow shaping, Giovanni Visconti (Quickstep). But that guy in third. It took me a little while to figure out who that guy was. Turns out his name is Ivan Basso, and I guess he's kind of a big deal. The picture from Wikipedia shows me that he was on Discovery Channel, which means he's probably famous because he knows Lance.

But seriously folks, the mighty Ivan Basso is back from his suspension with a new team and a stupid looking bike. It seems he's going to be just as mighty as ever. If you don't know what he was suspended for I recommend you look it up, because I don't like discussing it -- at least not on this blog (Ask me in person and I'll discuss it at length). Anyway, with absolutely no racing in his legs for two years Basso proceeded to blow the race apart on the final climb and created the selection that consisted of him, Visconti, and Cunego. Cunego beat out Visconti in a two up sprint for the win. What happened to Basso? He was just kind of hanging out -- Ivan doesn't sprint.

Pretty uninteresting stuff I know.

Even less interesting is some of the changes that have been happening over the course of the off-season. For example, the return of Floyd Landis. It probably won't be that interesting for the one-time winner of the 2006 Tour to be racing for the team formerly known as Healthnet.

Another completely uninteresting piece of new is that Rock Racing has hired Rudy Pevenage to be their new Director Sportif. Wait, actually this is extremely interesting. Who is Rudy Pevenage? He is the former director for T-Mobile and famously regarded as the mentor of Jan Ullrich. A few years ago some stuff happened, and the guy kind of dropped off the map. His return to racing is just one more step towards what will hopefully be the return of Jan Ullrich (my apologies for the crappy music in the video).

A lot of Cyclocross has been happening too, I guess that'll probably be a little bit more interesting.

Of note so far this year is that Sven Nys is encountering quite a bit more competition from two young riders: Lars Boom, and Niels Albert. Since the last time I've written, the elite 'cross racers have ridden two more world cups and three more superprestige races. With these two young racers blocking keeping Nys from winning in the biggest races. Unfortunately for Albert though, a serious crash and ruptured his spleen, knocking him out for the rest of the year. Since then, Nys has been spending more regular time on the top step of the podium.

Oh hey, check out how crappy the weather in Belgium has been lately.

Until next time,

Anthony

P.S. If anyone has any questions on anything road racing, or would just like me to look stuff up and write about it, feel free to leave a question in the comments section. It's going to be a little boring going through the 'cross results for the next month or two.

*all images courtesy of cyclingnews

This Week in Road Cycling: Oct 20 to Oct 26

After this week I might need to change the name of this weekly blog post from, "This Week in Road Cycling," to, "This Week in Cyclocross with the Occasional Road Race." We'll see though, that new name seems a little long and confusing.

Anyway...

Local Racing:

Races in October:
-AZ Cyclocross Race #4: Phoenix, AZ- Oct. 25; http://azcross.com/content/races/october_25th2c_2008.aspx

Races in November:
-AZ Cyclocross Race #5: Payson, AZ- Nov. 16; http://www.azcross.com/content/races/november_16th2c_2008.aspx
-AZ Cyclocross Race #6: Phoenix, AZ- Nov. 23; http://www.azcross.com/content/races/november_23rd2c_2008.aspx

Pro Racing:

Road:

Jayco Herald Sun Tour: CSC handed the leaders jersey around amongst themselves for the rest of the week, with Stuart O'Grady finishing off with the win.

Giro di Lombardia: Out in Italy on Saturday, the professional European road racing season came to an official end with the season ending classic the Giro di Lombardia. Also known as the, "Race of the Falling Leaves," Lombardia is a race that is full of history. A look at the hilly profile shows that the race is in the same vein of most classic races like Liege or Amstel Gold. One interesting part of the course is the climb to the Madonna del Ghisallo. The Madonna del Ghisallo is known as the patroness of cycling, and the chapel at the top of the hill is one of the most iconic places in road cycling.

Anyway, the race is the last chance of the year for the strongest riders to make their mark and clean up any unfinished business. The race was controlled by Lampre, the team of last years winner Damiano Cunego. Cunego hasn't really had a great year, with his main goal of the Tour being ruined with some crappy form, as well as a head first dive in stage 18. Needless to say, he was looking for a good ride in order to salvage his season.

Luckily for him the team's hard work payed off and Cunego was able to counterattack a solid move from Chris Horner (Astana), and soloed to the win. This was the third time Cunego has won Lombardia, and with that the season has ended.

No more road news for awhile -- sort of.

Cyclocross:

Kermiscross: 22 year old Niels Albert took an easy win over a strong field in this midweek 'cross race. American Jonathan Page was second.

Kleicross: One day before the first World Cup race of the year, and Sven Nys decided that the season wasn't going to be hard enough. Instead of completely dominating the race and striking fear into the hearts of his rivals, he decided to crash (video) and cut his face on his bike. I'm confident that this was all a strategy to more strongly intimidate his opponents for the coming year. Seriously, it has got to be pretty intimidating to line up at a race with a guy who has replaced one of his eyebrows with stitches.

Cyclo-Cross World Cup #1: I mentioned last week that the Superprestige series is one of two most important race series in the European Cyclocross calendar. Well, the World Cup is the other important series. These races always bring the best riders and result in the hardest racing. This week came down to a sprint finish between Niels Albert and Sven Nys. Nys took the win.

That's all, thanks for reading.

This Week in Road Cycling: Oct 13 to Oct 19

So the ASU cyclocross was yesterday, and I think it's safe to say it was a hit. I want to thank everyone for coming out and lending a hand. It wouldn't have gone so well without your support. Thanks!

Local Racing:

Week in Review:
-AZ 'Cross Race #3: I don't remember exactly what the results were, but we had a pretty solid group of ASU racers in the men's CAT 4 race (Niko, Wilson, Tim, and Keegan). Congratulations to Niko for completely dominating the men's 4 race and taking a solid win. Congratulations also go to Keegan for completing his first 'cross race. I'll update with more complete results after they have been posted.

Races in October:
-AZ Cyclocross Race #4: Phoenix, AZ- Oct. 25; http://azcross.com/content/races/october_25th2c_2008.aspx

Pro Racing:


Road: There has been a sizable rash of road racing, so I'll try to be thorough without being too long.

-Vuelta a Chicuahua Internacional: This race was pretty much dominated by people who speak Spanish. Seriously, every stage was won by someone from Spain, Mexico, Colombia or Ecuador. I guess that makes sense though, because 12 of the 17 teams in the race were from Spanish speaking countries. Anyway, the race was won by Francisco Mancebo, and on stage 6 someone was murdered by champagne.

-Giro dell'Emilia: This race kicked off the week for the hilly "Fall Classics" They're not really as popular as the Spring Classics, but the Italians like them. Danilo Di Luca (LPR Brakes) took the win with a strong attack on the final climb 2k from the finish.

-Paris Tours: Sort of an anomaly among the rest of the fall races, the pancake flat Paris Tours is known as the sprinter's classic. Being a sprinter's race, you'd expect last years winner Alessandro Petacchi to be atop the list of potential winners. Too bad he wasn't invited. Francaise des Jeux's Phillipe Gilbert ended up winning the "sprinter's classic" with a late escape 6k from the line.

-GP Beghelli: Petacchi's consolation prize.

-Jayco Herald Sun Tour: Two stages into the 7 day Australian stage race, and it has been the CSC-Saxo Bank show, with Matt Goss winning both stages so far.

Cyclocross:

- GP de la Region Wallonne: The weather in Belgium doesn't suck yet, but the 'cross season went into full swing this weekend. Sven Nys used the help of his teammate Rob Peeters to distance the field, and take the top two steps on the podium. American Jonothan Page DNF'd.

-Superprestige #1: The superprestige series is one of the two most important race series in European cyclocross (the other series being the world cup). Superprestige races usually field the best riders and the most competitive races. Sven Nys usually wins them anyway, this time in a 3-up sprint between him, Klaas Vantornout and Niels Albert.

-GP of Gloucester: Back in the US, the two strongest riders on the domestic circuit were spending the weekend beating up on each other. Unfortunately for Tim Johnson, Ryan Trebon was victorious on both days.

That's it for this week. Again, thanks for all your help on Sunday.

-Anthony


*All images courtesty of Cyclingnews.com

This Week in Road Cycling: Oct 6 to Oct 12

Welcome, I want to start by thanking everybody in advance for all of your help at our cyclocross race next Sunday. We couldn't do it without all of your help. Thanks!

If you have yet to sign up for one of the 3 shifts just email me at anthony.molieri@asu.edu, and let me know if you want to help with set-up (5am-8am), registration (8am-11am) or take down (11:30am-1pm).

Speaking of cyclocross...

Local Racing:

Week in Review:
-AZ Cyclocross Race #2: CAT 4; Nikolai Skievaski 2nd, Anthony Molieri 8th, Tim Racette 9th, Wilson Lee 11th
-Tour de Scottsdale: results are here; http://www.dcbadventures.com/recent/results/2008-10-05_overall.HTM

Races in October:
-AZ Cyclocross Race #3 (Presented by ASU!!!): Mesa, AZ- Oct. 12; http://azcross.com/content/races/october_12th2c_2008.aspx
-AZ Cyclocross Race #4: Cave Creek, AZ- Oct. 25; http://azcross.com/content/races/october_25th2c_2008.aspx

Pro Racing:

Circuit Franco Belge: There were no important bike races last week, so I'm just searching for races that were even slightly interesting. Franco Belge was a 4 day stage race in Belgium that was won by Spaniard Juan Antonio Flecha (Rabobank). Of interest, American Tyler Farrar (Garmin-Chipotle) spent a day in the leader's jersey before crashing and losing time.

Giro del Lazio: Alessandro Ballan debuted his new world champion's kit and bike. I'm not really sure why it has so much gold on it though.


Finally, Alberto Contador might have to contend with more than just Lance Armstrong on Astana next year. Turns out Kazakh Alexander Vinokourov has decided he wants to give it one more go. For those of you who don't know, Vino' tested positive in last years Tour for a homologous blood transfusion (He apparently used his father's blood). This caused the entire Astana team to be kicked out last year, and is also why the new Astana wasn't invited. Needless to say, the cycling community was pissed. Though, once Vino got back to Kazakhstan, things started to get a little ridiculous and he gave what is the funniest proclamation of innocence ever.

"I heard that I made a transfusion with my father's blood. That's absurd, I can tell you that with his blood, I would have tested positive for vodka."

Ha ha those crazy Kazakhs. Anyway, Vinokourov was only given a one year suspension by his federation (Vinokourov happens to by good buddies with the president of the federation, who is also the country's defense minister). It's even sillier, when you notice that Astana is a Kazakh sponsored team, built in 2006 solely for Vino, and owned by some of his personal friends. It's unlikely that he'll be back this year though because the UCI would probably do their best to keep him banned and make sure he serves the mandatory 2 years.

Personally, I see this as just one of the steps required for the return of Jan Ullrich. Although, he seems to be enjoying retirement.

I miss you Jan...

October Meeting Recap

Hey Team,
Thanks for coming out to the meeting on Wednesday! For those of you who missed out on the fun here's what went down:

• Jenn Granillo--Chipotle Marketing Consultant--brought Chipotle Burritos for attendees and taught us about their conscious strive to serve natural, high-quality products as an alternative to your typical fast food at the same price point...making Chipotle awesome. Be sure to make it out to their pre-opening party for their new Mill Ave location.
• There were tons of races and events in September. We took a look at some of the results, pictures, and highlights.
• Kits, shirts, bottles, hats, etc. will be up on the website by Monday (Oct. 6) for members to order! Deadline for bottles/caps/shirts will be Oct. 13th, and Kits on Oct. 20th. Tri-suit fit kits are on there way and should be here in a couple of days.
• ASUCTC is presenting the 3rd AZ Cyclcross Series Race of the season in Mesa on Oct. 12th. We'll need support race day. Look out for more information from Anthony as the date draws nearer.
• VP, Matt Kipper is captain of Bike Aid Station #4 at Ironman AZ in November. The club will be out there all day showing support for our racers and handing out water and Gatorade in our best Disco-Cowboy outfits. Make sure to sign up for your spot ASAP.
• Chief of Tribe Multisport, Kevin Weitzel, shared his story of how he went from being a professional road/track cyclist--competing in the 1988 Olympics--to owning the Valley's best multisport shop. He also went into the details of club member discounts at Tribe. Make sure to come out to Tribe on Tuesday for the weekly 5k run!

As always, check out the calendar for upcoming events and races. Major thanks to Kevin and Jenn for coming out to our meeting and supporting our club! Hope that covered everything, let me know if you have questions.

Thanks,

n i k o

This Week in Road Cycling: Sept 29 to Oct 5

Howdy kids, it's been a fun week in the world of road bikin'. This past week was the world championships! Follow along as we take a look at the weeks festivities.

But first.

Local Racing:

Week in Review:
-AZ Hill Climb Championships: Mt. Graham, AZ- Sept 28; I bet it was really hilly, but to my knowledge no ASUCTC members went.
-AZ Cyclocross Race #1: Payson, AZ- Sept 28; Results haven't been posted yet, so I'll update those at a later time. I was a little under the weather, so maybe Niko could write a supplement recapping the fun.

Races in October:
-AZ Cyclocross Race #2: Gilbert, AZ- Oct 4; http://azcross.com/content/races/october_4th2c_2008.aspx
-Tour De Scottsdale: Scottsdale, AZ- Oct. 5; http://www.dcbadventures.com/recent/eventDetails.php?id=46
-AZ Cyclocross Race #3: Mesa, AZ- Oct. 12; http://azcross.com/content/races/october_12th2c_2008.aspx
**This race is going to be run by the club, so look out for an email with more information in the coming weeks.
-AZ Cyclocross Race #4: Cave Creek, AZ- Oct. 25; http://azcross.com/content/races/october_25th2c_2008.aspx

*Cyclocross Practice: Thursday 5:30pm @ Kiwanis Park

Pro Racing:

World Championships:

Sept 23: U-23 Men's Time Trial: Adriano Malori of Italy took the win. Patrick Gretsch of Germany was second, and Cameron Meyer (Australia) was third.

Sept 24: Women's Time Trial: American Amber Neben took the win. Chrisitiane Soeder (Austria) took silver on the new P4, and Judith Arndt (Germany) got the bronze.

Sept 25: Fabian Cancellara (Switzerland) decided that he was too tired to race Worlds, so the race was pretty wide open. Bert Grabsch (Germany) ended up taking a solid win with a gap of 42 seconds to second place, Svein Tuft (Canada). By the way, Tuft ended up getting a flat in the last six kilometers and ended up riding in on his road bike. American Dave Zabriskie rounded out the podium.

Sept 26: U23 Men's Road Race: Young Colombian Fabio Duarte won the gold medal in a suicide attack in the final kilometer. Simone Ponzi (Italy) and John Degenkolb (Germany) rounded out the podium.

Sept 27: Women's Road Race: Nicole Cooke (Great Britain) out sprinted Marianne Vos (Netherlands) and Judith Arndt (Germany). An attack in the last 15 k made the race essentially between these three, with only two other riders finishing within a minute of the trio.

Sept 28: Men's Road Race: With the news that defending world champion Paolo Bettini would be retiring, the road race was expected to be a show a force by the Squadra Azzurra who were going to deliver the win to their retiring champion. That's wort of how it worked out. The race was an amazing show of force for the Italians, but it wasn't Bettini who won -- it was Ballan. On the last lap, a break that included three Italians managed to make it up the road. Missing from the break were the three pre-race favorites; Bettini, Valverde and Freire. These three spent so much time marking each other, that a break of six riders (Alessandro Ballan (Italy), Joaquin Rodriguez (Spain), Thomas Lövkvist (Sweden), Fabian Wegmann (Germany), Matti Breschel (Denmark) and Greg Van Avermaet (Belgium)) managed to sneak up the road. The presence of the Italians and Rodriguez meant that the two powerhouse teams (Italy and Spain) weren't going to take up the chase. That last lap became a lap of honor for Bettini, who spent time riding shaking hands and waving to fans. Meanwhile up the road, the three Italians took turns attacking the break. In the last 3k Ballan launched an insane attack and managed to stay away till the end. Damiano Cunego (Italy) and Matti Breschel (Denmark) rounded out the podium The main group rolled in 5 minutes down with Bettini and Erik Zabel (bff and fellow retiree) holding hands. I look forward to seeing Ballan attack on Muur the in the rainbow jersey next year.

Cyclocross:

Cross Vegas - Sept. 24: Lance Armstrong got 22nd. I'm not to sure anything else really matters. I guess further up on the course there was some sort of fight between two guys for the win. I think one was really tall, and another one was dressed in a Captain America outfit. I can't be sure but this picture seems to indicate that the tall guy, I think his name is Ryan Trebon won. Adam Craig got third, and still has a mustache.

Jonathon Page's Planet Bike Cup - Sept 27 & 28: In Belgium, the Belgians like to name bike races after their heroes. These heroes don't even need to necessarily be dead either. For example, the GP Sven Nys -- won 7 of 9 times by Sven Nys. I mention this, to give a little context to why there would be a race series in Wisconsin, named after a guy who isn't dead yet. Page is the top American cyclocrosser, and in true form he dominated his own race series winning both races.

And I'm spent,

Anthony

*All photos courtesy of Cyclingnews