Bet on Cycling

The men head to the Tour of California; the women defend their Tour de l’Aude title
11-May-2010: With the Giro d’Italia in full swing, another group from the men’s team is looking forward to the Amgen Tour of California, while the women’s team will defend their title in the season highlight, the Tour de l’Aude.

Men’s Team
The 2010 Amgen Tour of California, America’s most successful and largest cycling race, will be the focus for eight of our riders beginning May 16. The eight-stage event will travel a course that works its way some 1300 km through California, from Nevada City to Thousand Oaks, just outside Los Angeles. The challenging tour will showcase some of the state’s most scenic and historic areas.

“We are going to the Tour of California with the intention of winning a stage. With Theo Bos (NED) we have a rider for the bunch sprints. But Dominique Rollin (CAN) could also be a factor, considering that he won a very tough and rainy stage two years ago. Heinrich Haussler (GER) will be back in the team after his injury. If his legs work well, I believe he could also do something there,” stated Jean-Paul van Poppel, Sports Director. “For the overall ranking, Philip Deignan (IRL), who finished in the top 10 at the Vuelta a España last year, will be our man.”

Women’s Team
The longest-running tour in women’s cycling, the Tour de l’Aude, is on the schedule from May 14 to 23. The 26th edition will cover 874.4 km on the roads of the French region of Aude, situated in southwestern France close to the Pyrenees. The race kicks off with a prologue in Gruissan, followed by nine stages, including a team time trial on the third day. The Tour de l’Aude champion will be crowned on May 23 in Carcassonne.

Title defender Claudia Häusler (GER) will be one of Cervélo TestTeam’s key riders in this race. The German talent dominated the Tour de l’Aude last year, supported by an amazing team performance. “This race is my first goal for this year,” said the likable rider from Bavaria who started the season late, due to her studies. “The victory last year was definitely a highlight in my career as a cyclist.”

“The Tour de l’Aude is always a challenging stage race. The team’s performance will play an important role in the overall victory. With Claudia Häusler, Emma Pooley (GBR), Sharon Laws (GBR) and Carla Ryan (AUS) we have four excellent climbers for this kind of tour. We also have in Regina Bruins (NED) and Lizzie Armitstead (GBR) two more great riders that will complete our team,” said Egon van Kessel, Sports Director.

14-05 – 23-05 Tour de l’Aude (FRA) 2.1
Riders Lizzie Armitstead (GBR)
Regina Bruins (NED)
Claudia Häusler (GER)
Sharon Laws (GBR)
Emma Pooley (GBR)
Carla Ryan (AUS)

Sports Director Egon van Kessel (NED)

Stages
14.05.10 Prologue Gruissan – Gruissan 3.9 km (TT)
15.05.10 Stage 1 Rieux Minervois – Rieux Minervois 117 km
16.05.10 Stage 2 Clermont l’Hérault – Clermont l’Hérault 34.5 km (TTT)
17.05.10 Stage 3 Lezignan Corbières – Lezignan Corbières 110 km
18.05.10 Stage 4 Osseja – Osseja 97 km
19.05.10 Stage 5 Amelie les Bains – Amelie les Bains 104.5 km
20.05.10 Stage 6 Castelnaudary – Castelnaudary 100 km
21.05.10 Stage 7 Limoux – Roquefeuil 105 km
22.05.10 Stage 8 Aunat – Limoux 112 km
23.05.10 Stage 9 Carcassonne – Carcassonne 90.5 km

16-05 – 23-05 Tour of California (USA) 2.HC
Riders Theo Bos (NED)
Joao Correia (POR)
Philip Deignan (IRL)
Heinrich Haussler (GER)
Jeremy Hunt (GBR)
Brett Lancaster (AUS)
Oscar Pujol (ESP)
Dominique Rollin (CAN)

Sports Director Jean Paul van Poppel (NED), Marcello Albasini (SUI)