Bet on Cycling

Posts Tagged ‘Alejandro valverde’

De la lumière artificielle à Séville, Alejandro Valverde se maintient en forme, les horaires de départ du contre-la-montre par équipes, le road-book de la 1ère étape.

(rsn) – In Abwesenheit von Alejandro Valverde (Caisse d`Epargne/Dopingsperre) und Alberto Contador (Astana/Saison vorzeitig beendet), der Gesamtsieger der beiden letzten Jahre, ....

Manolo Saiz – the controversial Spanish sports director who was among eight people arrested in the Operación Puerto doping scandal back in 2006 – hopes to be back in the international peloton with a new team by 2012.

Saiz hinted that he hopes to find Spanish sponsors to back a new team despite the Puerto charges still unresolved in a Spanish court.

“I hope to get things started in 2011 and begin to work on a new professional structure in 2012,” Saiz said in the Spanish newspaper El Diario Montañes. “I hope to make important progress next year and be leading this team in 2012.”

Saiz should find a very different peloton than the one he left in disgrace in 2006, when he was among eight people arrested for what turned out to be the biggest doping scandal in Spanish cycling history.

Those eight are still waiting on an appeal ruling four years later. Saiz lost his sponsor in Liberty Seguros, but picked up Astana to carry the team into the disastrous 2006 Tour de France when the team was not allowed to start.

Scores of riders were implicated in the Puerto scandal and its impact is still being felt four years later; Alejandro Valverde was recently handed down a two-year racing ban after authorities linked him to blood bags rounded up in police raids.

Saiz, now 50, said a lawyer told him to keep quiet following his arrest, but he now says it’s time to try to plot a comeback.

“I will say that the Guardia Civil treated me well, but the day that I was thrown in jail was very hard. They put me inside of a cell where they put (Basque terrorists). It’s not a normal cell, it’s one of the etarras. I looked around and thought, who has slept here? Have I killed someone?,” he described. “When I left, my lawyer told me, ‘Manolo, stay quiet, forget about press conferences, public statements. I am sure that I did what I had to do to find my way out of this process, but looking at it from the outside, I don’t think I should have stayed quiet so long.”

Even before the Puerto scandal, the passionate Saiz was often a lightning-rod for attention. In 1998, he angrily pulled his ONCE team out of the Tour as the race unraveled in the opening days of the Festina Affaire.

In 1989, the brash Saiz formed ONCE, which soon became one of the powerhouses on the circuit, winning the Vuelta a España with such riders as Alex Zuelle, Laurent Jalabert and Roberto Heras, but could never manage to win the Tour.

In 2006, Saiz was one of the central characters in the Puerto doping scandal when Spain’s Guardia Civil revealed an elaborate blood doping ring organized by Dr. Eufemiano Fuentes and several associates.

Because the scandal was blown open before the introduction a new federal law illegalizing doping practices, Saiz nor anyone else connected to Puerto have yet faced legal proceedings in Spain. A judge has thrown out charges no less than three times, but the case is currently awaiting a ruling on an appeal.

Saiz hopes he can turn the page, at least against possible legal charges in Spain, and form a new team.

“The situation is as bad as it can be,” he continued. “I know what I want to do, but I cannot, because they won’t end, or decide, or conclude the situation I am in. The added damage is having to wait, finding myself trapped in this labyrinth of delays until the courts can find a way to get out of this.”

When asked if had any regrets since Puerto, Saiz blasted what he called a lack of support from his fellow cohorts in the peloton.

“I regret having too much confidence in people. What I will never do again is defend all the teams and directors that I once defended. I will never do it again, and I will never again at the head of the (AIGCP),” he said. “They don’t deserve it. The world of cycling is a world of cowards.”

Saiz also had negative comments about his former pupil, Alberto Contador, who rode with Saiz until the Liberty Seguros team went down in flames in the wake of the Puerto scandal.

“It’s not good that Contador ends his season with 48 days of competition,” Saiz said. “I am going to say something that I hope doesn’t bother anyone: Contador has only learned the bad things from (Lance) Armstrong, not the good things. Armstrong did some good things that Alberto has not been able to capture and has only taken the bad things. It’s not good for him and not good for cycling.”

Ayer los junior del Andalucía CajaSur tuvieron dos citas, una en Moral de Calatrava en el 25ª Trofeo Feria y Fiestas, y la otra cita era en Fortuna, en el Campeonato Regional de Murcia. En ambas pruebas, los andaluces subieron al podium.

Fran Medina ganó la prueba manchega, y Joaquín Torres se clasificó en 3ª posición. Medina ganó las metas volantes y el Andalucía CajaSur fue el mejor equipo de los participantes.

En Fortuna, y con la presencia de Alejandro Valverde, Alexis Maza se clasificó en 3ª posición y Dani Jiménez en cuarta. Por equipos, el Andalucía CajaSur se clasifico en una meritoria 2ª posición.

Durante mañana y este domingo, tendrá lugar el Trofeo Diputación de Ciudad Real, en la localidad de Castellar de Santiago, la que será la próxima cita de los junior del equipo andaluz. A la prueba acudirán los siguientes corredores: Joaquín Torres, Fran Medina, Dani Jiménez, Alberto Molina, Andrés Estudillo, Esteban Martínez, Alexis Maza.

+FOTOS CLICK AQUÍ

(List of recent ProTour rider transfers)

Just as Euskaltel-Euskadi was fortifying its lineup for 2011, with recent signings of Samuel Sánchez, Igor Antón and Romain Sicard, the team announced that it will be losing one of its promising young talents.

Beñat Intxausti confirmed Wednesday he will not ride for the Basque team in 2011 because, according to a press statement, “because they haven’t reached an agreement for the renewal on satisfactory terms on both parties.”

Intxausti, 24, is touted for his grand tour potential and aggressive riding style. His third-place at the Vuelta al País Vasco behind Chris Horner and Alejandro Valverde on seemed to confirm his rising star status.

The Basque rider did not reveal where he will be riding next year, but said he wouldn’t discount returning to the team sometime in the future.

“For me, the podium of this year’s Tour of the Basque Country will be unforgettable and the next year I will come to win it,” he said in a release. “Right now I’m only thinking of doing as well as possible in the Vuelta and then following a path that benefits both me and the team. I really want to weigh my options carefully and make any decisions about my future calmly.”

Luís León Sánchez, one of the hottest riders in the Spanish peloton, says he’ll wait to see if Caisse d’Epargne can find a new sponsor before abandoning ship.

Sánchez, a winner at the Clásica San Sebastián last weekend, said he’s received offers from Rabobank and other teams, but hopes he can stay with Caisse d’Epargne.

“(Team manager Eusebio) Unzue has asked us to wait a little bit more. I have spoke with Rabobank and some other teams, but I want to wait to see what happens. I still have a contract with this team until Dec. 31, 2010,” Sánchez said. “Everyone is hoping that the talk of a new sponsor comes to fruition. This team has a rich tradition and it would be a shame to see it come to an end.”

The Spanish outfit, which dates back to the late 1980s with the Reynolds then Banesto titles, could fold at the end of this season.

The French bank says it’s ending its three-year sponsorship deal, but team management has yet to be able to find a new sponsor to keep the team afloat.

Rumors were flying at the Tour that a new Spanish sponsor was ready to step up, but that seems to have lost steam, especially with the announcement that Alberto Contador has penned a two-year deal with Saxo Bank.

Another story making the rounds was of an Italian sponsor ready to come on board with money to keep the currently-banned Alejandro Valverde under contract when he returns to racing in 2012.

Sánchez, 26, said he hopes to stay with Caisse d’Epargne, which he joined in 2007. If not, there seem to be plenty of teams ready to pick him up, including Rabobank and Quick Step.

Sánchez also said he believes he can still become a contender for the Tour de France. This year, he fell short of a winning a stage (he had won stages in the two previous editions of the Tour), but took optimism out of his 11th place overall, his best showing yet in the Tour.

“I continued to make progress this year in the Tour. The plan was for me to take aim at the overall at the Vuelta, but with what happened with Alejandro (Valverde), I had to go to the Tour with a different agenda,” he said. “I lacked a little bit of freshness. When there was a group of 10 or 15, I was able to stay with the best. When the attacks came late in the stage, that’s when I was missing a little to stay with the leaders. I think I did a good Tour and I think I can improve. Perhaps next year I can come to the Tour 100 percent and see how I can do in the GC.”

Whether or not that will be riding for Unzue remains to be seen.

Joaquin Rodriguez rose to the occasion to claim his maiden Tour de France success on one of the toughest stages in the second week of the race Friday.

The Katusha rider Rodriguez stands only 5 feet 5 inches tall and is known affectionately as “Purito,” the make of a stubby cigar sold in his native Spain.

But his small stature did not stop him from beating some big names to the line in the Mende aerodrome, which sits a kilometer after the prestigious climb of the steep 3.1km La Croix Neuve, now known as the “Jalabert” climb, for Laurent Jalabert.

Rodriguez attacked the main peloton containing all the favorites on the final ascent as they chased Astana’s Alexander Vinokourov, who was part of an earlier breakaway.

His attack prompted reigning champion Alberto Contador to counter, but Rodriguez stuck on his countryman’s wheel all the way to the finish, overtaking him just before the finish line.

“I might be small, but my list of victories isn’t too bad,” said Rodriguez, who was formerly known for his support work for former team leader Alejandro Valverde at Caisse d’Epargne.

Since moving to Katusha, Rodriguez has been given more of a leading role, resulting notably in his second-place finish behind BMC’s Cadel Evans at this year’s Fleche Wallonne.

The Catalonian’s win on the 12th stage was particularly special after hearing it finished after the steep climb where French great Jalabert won a famous stage in 1995.

“I came here to look at the stage before the Tour and liked the look of it, although I knew it would be pretty hard,” he added. “But when Contador came across to me I knew I could resist his attack.”

Rodriguez’s win moved him up one place to eighth overall, with a deficit of 4 minutes and 58 seconds deficit to race leader Andy Schleck (Saxo Bank).

On his maiden Tour de France, the 31-year-old has impressed.

“My aim before the Tour was to win a stage and finish as high up as possible in the general classification,” he said. “That’s one of my aims crossed off and I hope to keep fighting for a top finish.

“I’ve been a professional for 10 years now, so it was high time I rode the world’s biggest bike race.”

Former T-Mobile sports director Rudy Pevenage admitted his role Thursday in organizing trips for former Tour de France winner Jan Ullrich to an alleged doping doctor in Madrid.

Pevenage was Ullrich’s mentor for many years before the German champion retired in 2006 amid his implication in the Operación Puerto drugs scandal, which has since snared two of the biggest names in the peloton.

The central figure in that affair, which has led to doping bans for Italian ace Ivan Basso and Spaniard Alejandro Valverde, is Dr. Eufemiano Fuentes.

Fuentes was accused of running a laboratory that stored and enhanced the blood of dozens of athletes with the banned performance-enhancer EPO (erythropoietin).

Although suspected of being one of Fuentes’ many clients, Ullrich has always denied doping during his career, which effectively ended the day before the start of the 2006 Tour de France, when he and Basso were both thrown out of the race for their suspected involvement in the affair.

Having kept his silence for years, Pevenage has now admitted he helped organize Ullrich’s trips to Fuentes’ laboratory in Madrid.

But the Belgian also hit out at riders who, he claims, have spoken out against doping while having also been clients of Fuentes.

“I never bought or sold banned doping products, all I did was organize Jan’s trips to Madrid to go and see Fuentes”, Pevenage told L’Equipe newspaper on Thurday.

He said T-Mobile had been racing clean in the wake of the Festina doping affair of 1998, which almost brought a halt to the 1998 race, but changed tack after seeing how badly they were faring against rival teams.

“At T-Mobile we stopped everything (doping) after 1998, and I can affirm that our team was really racing clean after that,” he said. “But little by little we realized that we were beginning to trail behind some of our rivals, mostly the Spanish and Italians.

“What good is it going to do to keep on lying? But to put things in perspective, back then I wasn’t under the impression we were doing anything wrong.

“I knew a lot of Fuentes’ clients, among whom were good riders who actually started the Tour de France in 2006.

“And Fuentes wasn’t the only doctor at that time who was up to that kind of thing. I knew of other doctors who were doing the same.”

Pevenage said he was virtually snared by investigators in the Operación Puerto affair after he used his own telephone, and not an untraceable pre-paid card, to call Fuentes from the Giro d’Italia in 2006 after Ullrich won a stage.

“Unbeknown to me, the investigators had already tapped Fuentes’ phone. My number showed up, and that was it.”

Ullrich paid a fine of 250,000 euros in April 2008 in exchange for the dropping of sporting-fraud charges.

But it remains to be seen whether the German, who was last registered as a professional cyclist by the Swiss federation where he lives, could face more sanctions.

The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) lodged an appeal in March 2010 to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) against a decision by the Swiss Olympic Committee to drop all doping charges against Ullrich.

Click here for Complete Video Coverage of 2010 Tour

Former T-Mobile sports director Rudy Pevenage admitted his role Thursday in organizing trips for former Tour de France winner Jan Ullrich to an alleged doping doctor in Madrid.

Pevenage was Ullrich’s mentor for many years before the German champion retired in 2006 amid his implication in the Operación Puerto drugs scandal, which has since snared two of the biggest names in the peloton.

The central figure in that affair, which has led to doping bans for Italian ace Ivan Basso and Spaniard Alejandro Valverde, is Dr. Eufemiano Fuentes.

Fuentes was accused of running a laboratory that stored and enhanced the blood of dozens of athletes with the banned performance-enhancer EPO (erythropoietin).

Although suspected of being one of Fuentes’ many clients, Ullrich has always denied doping during his career, which effectively ended the day before the start of the 2006 Tour de France, when he and Basso were both thrown out of the race for their suspected involvement in the affair.

Having kept his silence for years, Pevenage has now admitted he helped organize Ullrich’s trips to Fuentes’ laboratory in Madrid.

But the Belgian also hit out at riders who, he claims, have spoken out against doping while having also been clients of Fuentes.

“I never bought or sold banned doping products, all I did was organize Jan’s trips to Madrid to go and see Fuentes”, Pevenage told L’Equipe newspaper on Thurday.

He said T-Mobile had been racing clean in the wake of the Festina doping affair of 1998, which almost brought a halt to the 1998 race, but changed tack after seeing how badly they were faring against rival teams.

“At T-Mobile we stopped everything (doping) after 1998, and I can affirm that our team was really racing clean after that,” he said. “But little by little we realized that we were beginning to trail behind some of our rivals, mostly the Spanish and Italians.

“What good is it going to do to keep on lying? But to put things in perspective, back then I wasn’t under the impression we were doing anything wrong.

“I knew a lot of Fuentes’ clients, among whom were good riders who actually started the Tour de France in 2006.

“And Fuentes wasn’t the only doctor at that time who was up to that kind of thing. I knew of other doctors who were doing the same.”

Pevenage said he was virtually snared by investigators in the Operación Puerto affair after he used his own telephone, and not an untraceable pre-paid card, to call Fuentes from the Giro d’Italia in 2006 after Ullrich won a stage.

“Unbeknown to me, the investigators had already tapped Fuentes’ phone. My number showed up, and that was it.”

Ullrich paid a fine of 250,000 euros in April 2008 in exchange for the dropping of sporting-fraud charges.

But it remains to be seen whether the German, who was last registered as a professional cyclist by the Swiss federation where he lives, could face more sanctions.

The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) lodged an appeal in March 2010 to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) against a decision by the Swiss Olympic Committee to drop all doping charges against Ullrich.

Click here for Complete Video Coverage of 2010 Tour

Demain dans le prologue du Tour de France, un contre-la-montre individuel de 8,9 kilomètres qui sera disputé dans les rues de la ville hollandaise de Rotterdam, Luis León Sánchez portera pour la première fois son maillot de champion d'Espagne du contre-la-monte récemment acquis.

En l'absence d'Alejandro Valverde, Luis León sera le leader de la formation Caisse d'Epargne, un rôle que le coureur espagnol est prêt à assumer.

"Le Tour de France ne ressemble à aucune autre course et être le leader de l'équipe dans une course de cette envergure est bien sûr porteur d'un peu plus de pression que dans n'importe quelle autre épreuve. Néanmoins notamment grâce au fait que je fais partie d'une équipe qui connaît bien le Tour, je sais que je serai très bien entouré et je me sens prêt », a expliqué Luis Leon Sánchez ce matin après avoir été reconnaître le parcours du prologue.

Un parcours qui s'adapte bien aux caractéristiques du coureur de Murcie: "Le grand favori s'appelle Fabian Cancellara mais je crois que je suis capable de bien faire moi aussi et je me battrai de bout en bout pour tenter de réaliser le meilleur temps possible. C'est un parcours très rapide avec beaucoup de virages. Il me convient bien et je suis super motivé.

Le coureur de la Caisse d'Epargne est intéressé par une victoire d'étape mais il n'écarte pas non plus la possibilité de bien se placer au général. "J'ai la chance de connaître ce que représente la joie de remporter une étape sur le Tour et j'aimerais bien sûr que cela se reproduise. Pour l'instant je ne vise aucune étape en particulier. Nous allons d'abord attendre de voir comment se déroulent les premières étapes. Dans un premier temps, le plus important sera d'éviter la chute lors des étapes du nord. Nous regarderons ensuite le livre de route afin d'étudier les étapes qui offrent les meilleures possibilités."

" J'ai de bonnes sensations et jamais encore je n'étais allé au Tour dans pareil état de forme. Entre le Tour de Suisse et les championnats d'Espagne, j'ai enfin récupéré de bonnes sensations. Il est évident que j'aimerais le 25 juillet prochain arriver à Paris dans le top dix, mon intention étant d'être le plus devant possible mais il faut être prudent et nous verrons comment se présente la course au fur et à mesure que passent les jours."

"Mon point faible a toujours été la haute montagne mais cette année j'ai beaucoup travaillé pour améliorer cet aspect. J'ai passé pas mal de temps en Sierra Nevada pour m'entraîner en altitude et je sens que je me suis déjà beaucoup amélioré. Au Tour de Suisse, sans être encore à un grand niveau, je me suis testé et j'ai constaté que je suis sur le bon chemin," a ajouté Luis León qui portera le dossard 161.