Time trial sets up more excitement - Vuelta

The much anticipated time trial at the Vuelta didn't really pan out as expected.

I myself, expected to be blogging about how much time Rodriguez lost and how his chances for overall classification honors were dashed, but no so. Rodriguez has arguably raced the best time trial of his life to actually hold onto the red jersey, albeit by the narrowest of margins, one second over Contador.

The unexpected and perhaps underestimated ITT winner was Astana's Frederik Kessiakoff who rode a near perfect race against the clock to take the win for the day.

As for the general classification the 'big 4' are still all in contention setting up no doubt what will be an exciting few days to come.

Contador is poised in second place, with Froome, who probably under performed in the time trial in third, while Valverde also put in a stellar performance to stay in touch in fourth place.

	Joaquim Rodriguez	40:26:15
	Alberto Contador	0:00:01
	Christopher Froome	0:00:16
	Alejandro Valverde	0:00:59

A tale of four climbers - Vuelta Stage 8

Valverde, Rodriguez, Froome and Contador. They are the four riders who have stamped their authority on this year's vuelta and it is just a matter of time before one of them is crowned the champion. But which one?

Valverde taking Stage 8

Stage 8 saw the Vuelta again live up to it's expectations with an explosive finish to an all round exciting day.

Australia's Cameron Meyer was aggressive as part of the lead group proving himself as an up and coming GC contender. His never say die attitude saw him pound away at the pedals even when faced with the great climbers surging behind him. Even when caught he hung on only dropping back within the last kilometer after his legs had declared enough for the day.

In what was a fast and furious race it really was the last kilometer of racing that brought the goods, what all loyal cycling fans had been waiting for - riders on the attack.

Perhaps it is the Vuelta's shorter stages and time bonuses inciting more aggressive riding, or perhaps the return of Contador, the eagerness of Valverde and the unleashing of the 'Froomedog' from his master Wiggins, no doubt it is the combination of all of these factors, and as a cycling fan it is just magic.

Froome was first to attack as they rounded one of the tight bends of the final climb towards the finish but it was to no avail, he was easily reigned in before Contador turned on his legs in a beautiful change of speed and attacked in his familiar style.

He quickly distanced himself from the chasing three and with 150m to go, taking a quick glance over his shoulder, looking like he had the race all but won.

But fellow Spaniards Valverde and race leader Rodriguez would have none of that. Within the next 50m they began to round him up and it would seem out of nowhere they were in Contador's shadow,  fast approaching.

Contador tried in vein to hold them off but they would be too strong with Valverde again showing why he is one of the best at this scenario taking the win ahead of Rodriguez and a somewhat bewildered Contador.

Froome was left to skulk over the line 15 seconds behind in 4th place.

Rodriguez still holds onto a narrow lead in the general classification 33 seconds ahead of Froome and Contador closes the gap edging within 7 seconds of Froome. Valverde is in fourth place.

There is little doubt that one of these riders will be this year's winner. Many have laid bets on Chris Froome taking into account his brilliant time trialling ability. Valverde and Rodriguez will have to be concerned heading towards the Stage 11 time trial and Contador, a strong time trialist in his own right will no doubt need to be at his best on the day.

I still feel it will come down to the Contador vs Froome battle, but with explosive and exciting racing as we have seen so far I don't really mind who wins, I am simply relishing it as it all unfolds.

A sad day for cycling

Firstly I apologise for the quality of this post. I have decided to not edit as it is written from the heart. So if it doesn't flow or read coherently please bear that in mind x

Having just logged onto twitter for the day I was greeted with my cycling tweet stream full of Lance Armstrong and it didn't take long to find out why.

I am in shock, and actually close to tears.

This is a very sad day for cycling no matter which way you look at it or which side you believe.

If you are a Lance Armstrong supporter as I unashamedly am, it is sad for three reasons. Firstly that this amazingly talented rider who has done so much for the sport and the community in general has been stripped of his tour wins. No ones the Tour de France on their own.

Secondly, the truth has not come out. It has not been proven if Lance did in fact dope, it is still and forever will be one mans word against another.

Thirdly, the fact that Lance is giving up the fight must indeed plant some seed of doubt in the minds of his supporters and those on the fence. These claims he so vehemently denied lay uncontested and forever in question.

If you are a cycling supporter and against doping, which no doubt we all are, and even though you may feel vindicated that 'where there is smoke there is fire' you should now wipe that smirk off your face. This does nothing for the good of the sport. It only drags up all the rotten, soiled stain from yesteryear that has surrounded cycling for so long. When we thought the image and profile of cycling was on the improve we are again back at square one fighting for the ethics and existence of this great sport.

Every sport has it's cheats, everywhere in life there are cheats. Were there many clean cyclists in the 80's/90's, probably not, does it make it okay? Of course not. But do we now go after every cycling who ever won a race during that dark period? Well, if this case is setting a precedence we should.

Don't get me wrong, I believe all drug cheats in all sports should be dealt with once proven. But that is the thing, once proven. Not through hearsay or witch hunts.

I don't know if Lance doped or not, my heart doesn't want to believe it, my head does wonder sometimes, yet how can you really be proven guilty on negative samples? However, what I do know is that doped or not he is still one of the greatest athletes of our time and an amazing and inspirational ambassador for the fight against Cancer.

The benefits the USADA claim this case against Armstrong will bring is the proof and vindication that they are doing their job, cleaning up sport yet they are no hero's.

This story has no hero's.


You can read Lance Armstrong's full statement here

Thank you Contador - Vuelta 2012

Finally! Yes, finally it happened. Explosive racing, attacks, excitement, anticipation all thanks to the man pro-cycling has been missing - Alberto Contador.

Whether you are a fan or not, you certainly can't deny what took place on Stage 3 of the Vuelta e Espana.

After a couple of warm up stages the Vuelta took to the first mountain top finish for the race last night and it didn't disappoint.

The break away was caught at the foot of the final climb as the fireworks were about to start.

All the contenders were there; Valverde, Rodriguez, Van Den Broek, De Gendt, Gesink, Uran, Roach and of course Froome and Contador.

It wasn't long before the attacks came. Valverde was first to show his cards launching a minor attack which was easily reeled in and then Contador made his first move. His unmistakable prancing of pedals and lightening acceleration quickly had the others on their toes. It would initially appear that Froome was going to be a casualty however he gained his momentum and was never really in trouble.

There would be no less than five more attacks from Contador, each one displaying his sheer brilliance and excitement that tour racing has been missing in his absence.

Apart from dropping Van Den Broek and De Gendt, Contador's attacks were of no real consequence. But he certainly did make clear his intentions and show his challengers that he is the one to beat.

In a terribly close finish Valverde went on to steal the stage win from Rodriguez who thought he had it in the bag and will no doubt be kicking himself.

Froome too showed his strength by putting four seconds into Contador by taking third place time bonuses in front of the Spaniard.

Stage three was a mere taste to whet our appetites for what is to come over the next couple of weeks of racing, and with another tough hill top finish tonight we won't have to wait long for more!

What did you make of Contador's attacks? Was he just playing with them?

Vuelta Preview

Tonight, which is today on the other side of the globe the final grand tour for 2012 is beginning. The Tour of Spain, or Vuelta e Espana is probably the least popular of the grand tours yet is growing in respect and this year will be a fabulous spectacular.

Highlights to look forward to:

- Climbs, climbs and more climbs. This Vuelta will be one of the toughest to be conquered, with no less than 10 summit finishes and 36 categorized climbs this is definitely one for the uphill specialists.

- Contador v's Froome. Much has been made of this battle, here's my thoughts on it, and let's hope we are not disappointed.

- Alejandro Valverde, Joaquim Rodriguez, Igor Anton, Juan Jose Cobo, Thomas De Gendt and Robert Gesink will want to ensure it isn't just a two horse race.

- Shorter stages will ensure some explosive racing.

All of this is going to equate to a fascinating and intriguing three weeks of racing and all I can say is Bring It On!

What are you looking forward to at this year's Vuelta?

Froome V's Contador: Let the battle begin

This year's Tour de France was much talked about as one of the least exciting on record, however there are a few things to get excited about one of them being Christopher Froome.

Froome takes to the road this weekend for Team Sky in the upcoming Vuelta a espana (Tour of Spain) and this time he will be let loose as team leader. No longer will he be overshadowed by Brad Wiggins, no he will be free to bask in the limelight as he chases GC decoration.

But, wait there's more....

The return of Alberto Contador to grand tour racing.

Contador has warmed up his legs in this weeks Eneco Tour biding his time and preparing for his assault on his home tour. He is ready.

Both Contador and Froome have so much to prove and what a battle it is going to be.

Froome has a big season under his belt, whereas Contador, although he hasn't stopped training my well be underdone. Nothing compares to 'match fitness'.

Contador will be out to regrain his crown at the top of world cycling, tarnished or not, whilst Froome needs to prove what we all think he is capable of.  

However the events of the Vuelta play out there is no doubt this is a climbers race and these are two of the best in the business.

So let the battle begin!

Did you enjoy the track cycling? London 2012

Photo from http://london2012.olympics.com.au/ and courtesy of Phil Walter/Getty Images

The world has stopped. Or so it seems. It is Olympic time if you didn't realise. For those of you into all things sports it is a time of salivation, for those of you who aren't it can be a torturous two weeks.

For me I am not hugely into the Olympics, there are a few sports that I like to watch; the swimming, rowing, some of the athletics, and of course the cycling - road and track.

The road events were over pretty quickly being placed in the first few days of the Olympics and last night the track cycling wrapped up with Aussie Anna Meares taking a Gold medal in the Sprint and Annette Edmonson Bronze in the Omnium.

The Aussies have had a less than successful Olympics which the Australian media has had a field day with, and the track cycling has been no different. We have certainly been outclassed in a lot of the events with the Brit's thoroughly taking advantage of their home town crowd (and enormous budget, and talent pool yes,) to ride brilliantly.

I must admit although I love the track cycling, I haven't been able to stay awake to watch it in the early hours of the morning. Who's idea was it to have the Olympics in the Northern Hemisphere??? So I have been following the action on Twitter and the Australian Olympic site to catch up each morning.

I did make it up this morning to see Sally Pearson take Gold for Australia in the 100m women's hurdles. Did you see that? Now that was a close one. Well done Sally!

And it was great to wake up to the news that Anna Meares had taken the Gold in the Sprints on the velodrome against none other than Brit Victoria Pendleton. Vicky is amazing but our Anna, even more so. If you don't know the Anna Meares story you must read it now.

So well done to Anna, Annette, and all our other cyclists on the track - you have done us proud. You have competed at the Olympics and medal or no medal that is something that the majority of us will never, ever experience.

Did you enjoy the track cycling?

The Return of Contador

Alberto Contador officially begins his Vuelta preparations tonight in the Tour of Eneco across Belgium and the Netherlands. 

The Spaniard is returning from a two year ban for a positive result of Clenbuterol in his system at the 2010 Tour de France.A case which sparked much controversy and one of the longest doping case decisions in history in cycling.

Critics say he should have suffered the most severe reprimand for his actions, supporters believe in his innocence and the 'contaminated meat' defense.

I am all for clean cycling and the first to call for total bans for those found guilty of doping in not only this sport, but any sport. However, in this instance I believe in Contador's innocence. The minute traces that were found in his system to me indicate an alternative reason than doping and his defense is more than viable.

It would certainly have been a shame for the sport of cycling to lose a rider of the likes of Alberto Contador. He is exciting, focused and is there anyone who looks better on a bike - like he belongs there?

Contador's return is one of the biggest stories this month and for the build up to the upcoming Tour of Spain where he will again front up aiming for another Grand Tour win.

Whether you like him or not you certainly cannot deny Contador's ability and talent and the excitement that he will again bring to tour racing. His ban will have spurred him on and he will be more than determined to perform at his best.


Are you looking forward to Contador's return?

Wiggins, Sanchez & Cancellara. Olympic Time Trial Wrap.

As much as it pains me to say it, Wiggins is the best time trialist in the world right now. You know, I don't even know why it pains me to say it. I loved watching him ride the track but when he crossed over to road, for some reason he became unlikeable. Must be the sideburns.

But credit must be given where it is due and it is certainly due. Wiggins finished 42 seconds ahead of Tony Martin and 1.08 ahead of Bronze medalist and Sky team mate Christopher Froome. Wiggins was focused and no doubt spurred on by his home crowd. I don't think anyone could have stopped him.

Perhaps the podium may have been different had Fabian Cancellara not been injured due to his unfortunately crash in the road race. The thing I love about Fabian is his humility. He could have pulled out knowing he really wasn't in contention but he didn't. Instead he rode injured and he rode the best race he could - and he is content with that.

Here is part of what Cancellara had to say after the race (courtesy of Cycling News)

"I just took a step back, said I'm just an athlete. I gave so much for this, I have so much support from my family from the team, and the supporters all around the world. You don't have a chance to represent your country every day at the Olympics so I just said to myself that I had nothing to lose. I lost everything on Saturday when it was almost on a golden plate with the situation we had with the Swiss team, but that's how sport and life go. Even a seventh place is not that bad."

Brilliant.

The worst news of the day was for Luis Leon Sanchez who broke his chain as he launched off the start line. If you watch the vision he actually snaps it even before he crosses the start line at the top of the ramp. Now, the rules are the rules but surely this unfortunate event warranted a restart! I could feel his pain as he threw his hands in the air as he waited for the new bike. I would have picked up that bike and thrown it straight into the damn crowd! And it definitely wasn't Sanchez's day as not far down the road once he got going - he punctured! Bad, bad luck or sabotage?

And of course special mention must go to Australia's Michael Rogers. Mick, a three-time world champion time trialist, finished a credible sixth. Not a bad effort all Mick and we are undoubtedly proud.

What were your thoughts on the time trial?