Barlata Tapas Bar - A Must Visit For Dinner

For anyone who lives in the Bay area a must place to eat and drink is Barlata Tapas Bar. It is owned by chef Daniel Olivella and his partner Team Astana rider Chechu Rubiera.

A few of my friends and I had the most incredible dinner there. A few of the items we tried and loved were...

Gambas ajillo Tiger shrimp/garlic/olive oil/adobo
Grilled steak Angus beef/chimuchurri sauce /french fries
Vegetarian paella Saffron rice/mixed vegetables/vegan stock
Lata de setas Mixed mushrooms a la plancha /parsley picada

For wine a must is the 05 Mas Donís Barrica, Montsant.

Daniel has to be one of the coolest people I have met since moving to the Bay area. So if you are in town make sure to stop by and grab some of the best Spanish food you will ever taste!

They are located at 4901 Telegraph Ave. Oakland, Ca 94609

Phone 510-450-0678

Click on the title link to learn more about them. 

Cavendish on his historic Milan-San Remo win

Mark Cavendish burst into tears after he beat Heinrich Haussler to win Milan-San Remo. He was also emotional when the British national anthem rang out over San Remo and later in the winner's press conference.

As ever Cavendish spoke from the heart. He understood what he has achieved by winning Milan-San Remo at the first attempt but also had some harsh words for some of his sprint rivals who predicted he would get dropped on the climbs.

“When you win sprints you prove you're a great sprinter but when you win a great one-day race you've proved you're a great rider. I wanted to prove I'm a great rider and that's what I did today,” he said putting everything about his win into perspective.

Cavendish beat Haussler by just a few millimetres but the rest of the sprinters were timed at two seconds behind him. Even in the sprint at Milan-San Remo, after 300km of racing, Cavendish blew them off his wheel.

As ever he got the sprint instinctively right and knew what he was doing in every split second.

“When Haussler went he took everybody by surprise. There was a small opening on the left but it was close to the barriers, so I waited for it to open up and then went after him.”

“It was touch and go if I got him but got in his slipstream and I got him on the line. It was a close call but I'm glad I did it.”

Cavendish made it clear what he thought about his rivals who predicted he would be dropped in the climbs.

“I knew they would say that and one rider, Tom Boonen, said that every time the road went up I was dropped but if you count the times I was dropped in Tirreno-Adriatico it was one time. I knew I had to play it easy in Tirreno because I had good form and a good team here and it worked out.”

Cavendish hesitated a second and then added with a sense of revenge: “Crossing the line first was the sweetest thing but the second sweetest thing was seeing Tom Boonen go past me backwards on the climbs.”

“I just won a monument. It's the first monument I've ever ridden. I take a lot of desire to win from the fact that a lot of people write me off. I've spoken to my girlfriend and she told the commentator on British Eurosport was adamant that Haussler got me at the line, because they couldn't believe I'd won it. That's how it is, a lot of people cannot believe that I can do what I can do. But when the right people put faith in me, it's so special. The guys put so much faith in me today. It worked.

Cavendish celebrated with Team Columbia sprint consultant Erik Zabel. The Germany won Milan-San Remo four times and passed on his inside knowledge to Cavendish in recent weeks.

“Without his help I wouldn't have won today,” Cavendish said.

“We did the reconnaissance twice and I knew exactly where I had to be at what time and knew exactly how hard I could go and when. It was the knowledge that he gave me that got me through the bike race today.”

“The team worked perfectly for me. They knew that I knew what I had to do. We had four or five guys who could have won but they sacrificed their chances so that I could win. You could see my and Erik's emotions at the finish. I knew it could work and it did. It's a really special day for us.”

“I said maybe I can't win, I never said it was impossible, everything is possible. I knew it would be hard but I knew that if I could play a little poker in the last weeks and play along about what other people thought about me, what they thought my weaknesses were. But when the people that mattered had the faith in me, that was myself and my teammates. Tommy Lovkvist, who's such a stronger attacker, took me on the second wheel in Cipressa. Then George Hincapie guided me to the Poggio, and then went full-gas and led me to fourth wheel with 400m, that was perfect!”

Mark Cavendish Wins San Remo

If there was any doubt about who is cycling’s most exciting sprinter, Mark Cavendish erased it Saturday with an explosive victory in the 100th Milan-San Remo.

Judges had to break out the zoom lens to determine Cavendish the winner in a photo-finish to a devastated Heinrich Haussler as Cervélo Test Team went two-three with Thor Hushovd rounding out the podium.

Haussler pounced out of the left side of the pack with 350 meters to go - he said to set up Hushovd - only to look back and see that Hushovd wasn’t on his wheel and with a surging Cavendish closing in fast.

“I saw Cavendish coming. If I sprinted for myself, I wouldn’t have gone so early. I was leading out for Thor. I wanted to get off with 100 meters, but I had to keep going,” Haussler said at the line. “I looked behind and I saw bloody Cavendish coming, really fast. My legs were just dying. It’s disappointing. Second place is the first loser. No, no, no, I cannot be satisfied. I know my form is good.”

San Remo rookie Cavendish defied the experts in the 298km classic and made it over the late, decisive climbs at Cipressa and Poggio to arrive for the group sprint of about 30 riders.

"It's the most beautiful day of my life. I didn't expect to win. I couldn't dream of anything better," said Cavendish, who won four stages in last year's Tour de France. "Hincapie helped me enormously, but the whole team stayed with me on the climbs. When Haussler broke away at top speed I was scared, but it makes the victory even sweeter."

Lance Armstrong (Astana) lost contact over the Cipressa as the peloton roared over the final decisive climbs and finished in the second group.

The race, the first major one-day classic of the season, saw a pack of 40 cyclists jostle for position through the winding streets of San Remo, with Haussler seemingly destined for victory after breaking away in the closing 400 metres, only for Cavendish to chase him down in dramatic fashion.

Haussler's Cervelo teammate Thor Hushovd of Norway took third place, with Australia's Alan Davis (Quick Step) fourth and Alessandro Petachi (LPR) fifth.

Tirreno-Adriatico winner Michele Scarponi of the Diquigiovanni team had stretched the field by leading the assault on the 5.6km climb up the Cipressa, the penultimate hill before the finish.

America's Lance Armstrong, making his comeback this year after a three-and-a-half year absence from the sport, fell off the pace as the peloton tackled the Cipressa and eventually finished well down the field.

The major sprinters assembled in a roughly 60-strong leading group approaching the Poggio, the race's final climb, with the Belgian Quick Step team leading the attack on the 3.5km ascent.

Scarponi's teammate Davide Rebellin made the first attempt to break away but was quickly reined in, with Katusha's Filippo Pozzato - the runner-up in 2008 - moving past him at the crest of the 6.2km descent to the finish line.

Pozzato, though, couldn't establish any kind of lead, being sucked back into the leading group with two kilometres to go.

Haussler sparked the chase for victory as the finishing line loomed into view, but Cavendish produced a tremendous burst of speed to pip him right on the line in a photo-finish.

1. Mark Cavendish (GB), Columbia-Highroad, 6hr 42min 31sec
2. Heinrich Haussler (Ger), Cervélo TestTeam
3. Thor Hushovd (Nor), Cervélo TestTeam, at 0:02
4. Allan Davis (Aus), Quick Step
5. Alessandro Petacchi (Ita), LPR Brakes
6. Daniele Bennati (Ita), Liquigas
7. Aitor Galdos (Spa), Euskaltel-Euskadi
8. Enrico Rossi (Ita), Ceramica Flaminia-Bossini Docce
9. Luca Paolini (Ita), Acqua e Sapone-Caffe Mokambo
10. Peter Velits (Svk), Milram, all same time

Ivan Basso - Back in the thick of the Italian action

Hello everyone,

I hope you enjoyed Paris-Nice and Tirreno-Adriatico. They were great races this year due to the level of competition. While the Spaniards were battling in France, the Italians were fighting hard in Italy.

My fifth place overall was a good test as I build for the Giro d'Italia. You know from reading my last diary entry that I was able to work very little due to me banging my knee in the Tour of California. When I got home I had four days of rest and the other days it was just an hour and a half to two and a half hours of training.

I think my condition is getting there, based upon Tirreno. I was able to battle everyday in a race that was full of great riders.

The time trial was a little less than I had hoped for, to be honest. That is because from the Tour de San Luis in Argentina until Tirreno I was not able ride a time trial. Unfortunately I had to pull out of Tour of California on the eve of the crono.

At home I did not use the time trial bike because I wanted to avoid over-forcing my knee. We decided to give priority to the road bike in those days, and maybe that showed in Sunday's time trial. From here on in I will be doing specific work with my time trial bike.

Giro d'Italia

I went to preview the Monte Petrano and Vesuvio stages right after Tirreno ended. I can tell you that Monte Petrano will be a tappone! [a long and hard stage - ed]. It is one I like a lot.

Thursday I went from Umbria to the Amalfi Coast to preview Vesuvio. The stage is demanding and the mountaintop arrival on the volcano will do some damage.

Those mountain stages will be a whole different matter than the Ligurian time trial. Before Tirreno I went and had another look at that stage. It is a time trial of around one and a half hours, which will be my longest time trial ever.

Lance Armstrong and Damiano Cunego are talking about using normal road bikes. I will use a mix: a bike that is somewhat between a road and time trial bike. It is very light and allows me a good position so that I can control the bike on the descents and pedal well on the climbs.

I do think there is too much focus on the descents. There are 10 kilometres in decent, which are dangerous and require attention, but the other 52 kilometres, a lot on false flats, will require a lot more attention.

It is true that I am better on the descents in recent years. It is not an advantage point for me, but I am able to defend myself. I am reaping the benefits of the base-work I did over the winter and I am very satisfied. Of course my teammate, Vincenzo Nibali, is the expert on the descents – you could say he is the new Paolo Savoldelli of descending.

Milano-Sanremo

Tomorrow is the big one, La Classicissima – Milano-Sanremo. I know that I don't have a chance to win, but it is an honour to race it because it is a prestigious event. I have good condition and I think that I can be great help for the team. My teammate, Daniele Bennati, has a good chance, which I see Cyclingnews agrees in its preview.

Sorry to end on a sour note, but you probably want to know about Gianni Da Ros, my ex-teammate. I had a chance to meet him at the first Liquigas training camp for a few hours, but that is it. Really I only know what was written in the newspapers and it something that is outside of the team's hands. I am at Liquigas to race and to win, I will leave these matters to the courts.

I will check in with you after Sanremo with another update. Until then...Ciao!
Ivan

Armstrong holds court in Milan

By Gregor Brown

Lance Armstrong is on the eve of his return to racing in Europe. The American from Texas arrived at Milan's Castello Sforzesco Friday to hold a press conference one day before the 298-kilometre Milano-Sanremo, three years and eight months since he ended his career at the 2005 Tour de France.

The team Astana rider, 37, started his comeback journey in the fall of 2008 with some local races, but he pinned on his race number for the first time at the Tour Down Under in January. In February, he continued his racing programme in the Tour of California, but the Milano-Sanremo is the first time he is racing in an event that is so much a part of cycling's history.

Armstrong retired from the sport immediately after his seventh Tour de France victory. In his post-cancer career he excelled in stage races, not one-day races, although he did race a few of them. His last one was the 2005 Ronde van Vlaanderen, and his last appearance at Milano-Sanremo was in 2002.

"My first Milano-Sanremo was in 1993, with Motorola," said Armstrong. "I remember it well, even if I was not a factor because I was there to work for Max Sciandri."

"I think it is my sixth or seventh time here [at Milano-Sanremo]. For me it represents a lot of the history and beauty in cycling. It has a certain mystique. Unfortunately, I could not do the Tour of Flanders because of scheduling, but I wanted to do more Classics."

"It is good for training as well. It is hard to go out and do 300 kilometres in training."

"For me it represents a lot of the history and beauty in cycling."

- Armstrong starts Milano-Sanremo for the eighth time.

What follows are some of the questions asked by members of the press attending the conference and Armstrong's replies.

What is your main ambition?

Lance Armstrong: I want to have a good and safe day. We know this race can be dangerous. If there are 30 or 40 guys in the end, I hope I am there with them. This race was never my strong suit, but I hope to be somewhat involved.

Did you test the new Le Mànie climb [94 kilometres before finish] this morning?

LA: I wanted to see it, to understand the run-in. I know how the finale of this race is dangerous and nervous.

I also wanted to ride the climb to see how difficult it is. The turn before it is narrow, so it will be fight to be in position. I also noted the wind: if it is the same as it was today, it won't be an easy start. It was a strong crosswind out there.

What do you remember of your race in 2002? [He finished 44th. - ed.]

LA: I don't remember it well, I am not young, and I forget a lot! If you look at Eddy Merckx's seven victories, he attacked in nearly the same place during all seven years. It has become, faster and more dangerous. It is beautiful, starting here, down to the coast and then winding down to Sanremo.

What will you do if you have a chance at victory?

LA: I am a racer, and if I had a chance to win, I would not pass it up. I don't know if I am there [in form] yet, there are guys who will be looking to attack in those key points where Merckx went. However, once a racer, always a racer.

It will be the first time in many years that you are in a race with Filippo Simeoni. If you have a chance to speak with him, what will you say?

LA: It is not an issue. I think it is an issue only for the press. I know these internal dramas are good for the sport, but I have no problem with him personally. It is time for all of us to move along. It is an old story, and I have no animosity toward him.

Who will win tomorrow?

LA: I don't know, but there is list of suspects including [Tom] Boonen, [Alessandro] Petacchi, [Thor] Hushovd, [Stuart] O'Grady...

Where are you in your training?

LA: I am progressing. Days like tomorrow can tell you many things. I will get some indicators then and also in Castilla y León next week. I think I am on schedule.

What are your emotions upon returning here in Europe?

LA: I have just spent 10 days in the south of France where I spent a lot of my career. I was able to reflect and think about whether the rides felt the same as before. I felt the same, and it is more fun and even better. In my head I feel like I am doing the right thing and having a good time.

The reaction [in Europe] has been nice. People are in their cars or scooters, and they stop for my autograph. The other day a man pulled up to me on a climb, asking me to sign an autograph while I was climbing!

How is your physical condition?

LA:In my first couple of races, my back was a problem. Since I went back to my old saddle, my back problem cleared up. My fountain of youth is my bike seat, I guess.

Of course, when I saw that photo in L'Equipe the other day, the amount of grey hair I saw surprised me.

Andreas Klöden, Levi Leipheimer and Alberto Contador have all won so far this season. Is it as important to win before the Tour since they are also doing it?

LA We all like that taste and that feeling; I would like to win something. In the past there have been years when I did not win.

I have to show some improvements at the time trial at Castilla y León. I don't need it, but I would like to get a little taste of victory. My local race in Austin does not count.

At the Tour would you be happy with just helping a teammate win?

LA:Some people think that the same rider who stepped off his bike in 2005 is the same as the one in 2009. I don't want to be unfair; it would be a shame if I did not help Alberto if he is doing better than I am. Having said that, I am going to work every day as hard as I can.

What has gone wrong in cycling, like in Germany, since you retired?

LA: I think that when people follow anything, a bike race, or a company, or a band, or a family member... When they feel like that investment has not been returned, they are upset. I think that is what is going on with German cycling. They are turned off; they say, "That's it". It is a shame; there have been a lot of good German cyclists and events.

It has to move on, the Germans need to forgive and forget.

Milan-San Remo Diary: George Hincapie

By James Startt

George Hincapie, the most well-known American cyclist not named Lance, is the veteran leader of the Columbia-Highroad pro team. The 35-year-old started his illustrious career winning the under-17 road race national championship in 1988. Hincapie rode shotgun with Armstrong during his seven titles at the Tour de France. He has also won everything from Spring Classics to stages in the Tour de France to US Pro titles and the overall title at the 2007 Tour of Missouri. Before the start of the 2009 Milan-San Remo, held this year on Mar. 21, Hincapie offered some perspective on his team, the new face of the pro cycling season, and the start of Spring Classics season.

It's funny. Back when I started racing, Milan-San Remo was really the "real" start of the season. Today that is not the case, as there are a lot of early season races, such as the Tour of California, that are both really hard and really important to our sponsors. Yet nevertheless, Milan-San Remo is a ProTour classic and almost 300 kilometers long, so it stands apart. Milan-San Remo is really a race unlike anything else.

The scenery alone is just amazing. Pulling out of Milan in the morning is so beautiful and then rolling all along the Italian Riveria for so much of the day is just amazing. But at the same time, it is really stressful. Once we hit the Italian Riviera there are still about 150 kilometers of racing left and we are going like 50 kilometers an hour the whole time!

Once we hit the hills we may slow down a bit, but the general feeling is that we are just going faster and faster as we approach the finish in San Remo.

Since last year they have added one more significant climb, the Manie, in the last 100 kilometers, and that really made the race harder and broke up the racing more.

But regardless, the race shifts into final gear on the Cipressa, which is one of the two final climbs, and from there it is all out to San Remo. Already 10 to 15 km before the Cipressa, we are just going full gas. Everybody is fighting for position, everybody wants to be in front or able to get to the front on the climb. It's crazy!

Then we hit the coast for a last little 10 kilometers before the final climb up the Poggio and by this point the race is strung out. Last year I remember there were about 10 of us at the front trying to keep the race strung out, but we got caught by a group of 80 just before the Poggio.

On a normal training ride the Cipressa is actually a little harder than the Poggio and really neither climb in training is that hard, but when you hit them after 170 to 190 miles of all-out racing, well, they get really hard.

Personally I love doing this race, but it is really hard and stressful. I've been the top ten here, but honestly my biggest goals are coming up in a couple of weeks with the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix. But getting this kind of race is crucial to getting my legs ready for those races.

That said, this year I have to say my legs feel better than usual at this point in the year, so if an opportunity presents itself I will definitely go for it.

For Team Colombia there are three protected riders, Mark Cavendish, Thomas Lovkvist and myself. Thomas and I can play our cards before the sprint but if Mark is there in the sprint, we will all work for him. Mark is making his debut in this race, but after the past season he had, there is no telling what he can do. Thomas, however, is also going really well. He made a great move on the Cipressa last year and two weeks ago won Eroica, which is like a little Paris-Roubaix.

In terms of our competition I think you really have to look at the sprinters this year, such as Daniele Bennati, Tom Boonen, Heinrich Haussler, Alessandro Petacchi and Thor Hushovd.

Personally I think it will come down to a sprint. There are so many of these sprinters who are really focused on this race and who are riding well right now. So I think that even if there are only 20 to 30 guys at the finish, a couple of them will be sprinters ... but we'll see.

Levi Leipheimer - Three in a Row

Ride along with three-time Tour of California winner and Team Astana rider, Levi Leipheimer on yet another stage-winning Time Trial performance.

Cavendish the Sanremo man for Columbia

Columbia-Highroad tackles Milano-Sanremo this weekend with high hopes for Mark Cavendish, the recent winner of the last stage of Tirreno-Adriatico. However, the squad has no intention of placing its top sprinter under any pressure to come up with a specific result.

"We're very aware that it will be Mark's first participation in Milano-Sanremo," said Sports Director Valerio Piva. "If he's there in the front group after the [final climb of the] Poggio, then of course the team will back him up 100 percent for the sprint. But if he's not up there, it's not the end of the world. This is his first Sanremo and his main objective is to get the experience of racing it.

"We've got guys like Thomas [Lövkvist], George Hincapie and Maxime [Monfort] taking part, too, all of whom are going well and who could make it into a break.

"Milano-Sanremo is always one of the most unpredictable races of the season," he said. "You have to be prepared for all sorts of outcomes as we saw last year – a bunch sprint is only one of them."

Mark Renshaw received some advice before the race. "Someone said to me that Sanremo is the easiest race to finish but the hardest one to win. I've ridden it three times and it's so long that the last two climbs, which aren't so difficult, become much more of a challenge. The wind direction has a major effect as well. If it's a tailwind then it's just 45 minutes longer than a normal race, but if it's a strong headwind it can last up to seven and a half hours."

There is an added twist in the finale. "The finish is more complicated than it used to be, we checked it out today [Wednesday] as part of a training ride. There's a couple of extra corners which make it more difficult. Then the new climb they brought in last year [Le Manie] makes a tough race even harder."

Renshaw is ready for the challenges, though. "I'm feeling good after Paris-Nice, I got second in one stage [two], and my condition is good. My main mission will be to go with Mark [Cavendish] and support him as best I can."

Win Ivan Basso's Japan Cup Bike

Ivan Basso’s Cannondale Super Six is currently being auctioned by Cannondale Japan, with proceeds to be donated to the Seal Emiko Fund.

The bike, custom-painted by Artech Design near Bologna, Italy, features a Japanese warrior theme and Japanese writing that denotes the occasion of Basso’s return to pro cycling in the 2008 Japan Cup. It was raced by Basso to a third-place finish in the race and is truly one of a kind.

Emiko Seal is a committee member of JACC, the Japan Adventure Cyclist Club. In 1989, she started a world tour by bicycle with her husband Steve. Together, they cycled 77 countries and over 11,000 kilometers. Just before completing the goal in 2001, she was diagnosed with cancer and was given just six months to live. With her usual determination, she fought the cancer into remission and recommenced the tour in 2004. Last year, the cancer returned and Emiko now fights for her life. She continues her lectures “Dream, hope and courage” and has written a book “Beyond Cancer, Aim Towards the Horizon”. “Cancer has touched my own family, too,” says Ivan Basso. “It’s something that has united many of us in cycling, and I’m proud that this bicycle is going to an excellent cause.”

The auction can be found from http://www.cyclestyle.net/ and lasts until March 20. Or just click on the title link.

Results happen naturally when motivation is pure

By: Brad Kearns

The title conveys the most important lesson I learned competing as a professional triathlete for nine years.

A pure motivation means you enjoy the experience of athletics (or your career, studies or any other passion) regardless of the end result. In contrast, what we see often in the modern world are motivations that are impure - a focus on superficial results (making money or winning in sports) or an otherwise negative approach such as disregarding health or good sportsmanship in pursuit of success.

In the past few decades as a kid and now a parent, I have seen many examples of impure motivations from parents, coaches and other leaders. While all parents want "what's best for our kids," this is interpreted by some to mean ensuring your kid excels in something so you can look good and be proud of them. Personal achievement is certainly important, but unless motivations are pure, the value is severely compromised.

Most red-blooded American parents would not mind if their kid was a superstar athlete or high school valedictorian. It's great to support, encourage and facilitate your kid's participation in sports, school, music, art or any other endeavors.

However, there is a line that must not be crossed or negative consequences will be suffered. The extremely successful athletes I have had the pleasure of associating with in my life have certain common qualities. Chief among them is a pure love for their activities and an excellent support team of coaches, parents and other positive role models.


The important thing is for your kid to explore and enjoy the experience of his or her life. If your kid is destined to be a superstar athlete, top level student, or award winning actor, don't worry - this path will run its course naturally with your support.

If something is not meant to be, the forcing, criticism, and additional pressure applied will all be bad news.

When I entered high school at age 14, I found myself too small for the football team, quickly cut from the basketball team and thereby relegated to the cross country team. While a naturally talented runner, I lacked passion for this difficult sport at that time in my life.

When we departed campus for our training runs, I would duck into the gas station bathroom a quarter mile from school, wait till everyone passed and then head home to jump on the trampoline or shoot baskets. I was not subject to ridicule or punishment from my parents nor pressured by a militant coach (not that they knew anyway!).

Instead, I was merely given the freedom to find my own way in a giant new high school.

Two years later, I won a city championship, set a school record and finished 12th in the National Junior Olympics 1500 meters Championships in Lincoln, Nebraska.

What happened was that a switch flicked on for me and I became an extremely competitive and driven distance runner. Only the individual can flip that switch.

Understanding this will hopefully help parents relax and enjoy the experience of your kid growing up. With a supportive, non-pressurized approach, maybe the switchboard can light up for more kids in more areas and everyone can realize the highest expression of their talents as kids and as parent or coach role models.

There are some shining examples of coaches and organizations with pure motivations here in Auburn.

The Auburn Youth Soccer Club is devoted to the promotion of fun, fair play and a de-emphasis on the negative elements of competition.

I've enjoyed reading character-revealing quotes from local high school football coaches in the Journal, lauding the great play of their teams regardless of the final score. Anyone who has seen the daily giant smile on Coach Fee's face (Placer Cross Country), running side by side with his kids, or on Coach Foley's face (Placer Track) as he tirelessly conducts summer community track meets can understand how the right messages are delivered to the kids under their tutelage.

Brad Kearns, a former No. 3 world-ranked professional triathlete, produces the Auburn International Triathlon and operates a healthy nutritional products Web site at www.bradventures.com.

Basso and Pozzato to Vesuvio

Basso and Pozzato will prepare for their helper role by scouting out two key stages of the Giro d'Italia, rather than the Poggio. The two captains for the three-week stage race (May 9-30) will ride the last 80 kilometres of stage 16 to Monte Petrano on Wednesday. On Thursday the duo will ride up the Mount Vesuvio, the final big climb of the 92nd Giro d'Italia.

Basso has already used Tirreno-Adriatico as preparation for the Giro. "I made a big leap forward with regards to the Giro. The goal was to bring Nibali to victory and in the stage to Camerino we came close. Vincenzo is one of the young ones with the most prospects and, with a bit more experience, could have gotten the victory."

Nibali attacked the four-man lead group, with Michele Scarponi (Serramenti PVC) and Stefano Garzelli (Acqua & Sapone-Caffè Mokambo) besides the two Liquigas riders, before the final climb to Camerino, but was caught with less than ten kilometres remaining.

Basso was happy to see his form improving. "I was working for the team and I think I have shown that I can return to the top. I wanted to rekindle the passion for the fans through brave riding." Basso was very pleased with his week at Tirreno-Adriatico. "And now, Sanremo!" he said.

Lance Who? Make Your Own Comeback

With these training tips, it's never too late

There's no way to stop the years from ticking by, but you can do what Armstrong is trying to do: embark on an athletic renaissance no matter what your age. "We're seeing endurance athletes stay competitive later in life," says Peter Park, Armstrong's personal trainer and the owner of Platinum Fitness, in Santa Barbara California. Case in point: 38-year-old Constantina Tomescu-Dita, the Romanian who won the women's marathon in Beijing.

Advancing age often brings increased family and work duties, which can limit training. You may need to get creative about your schedule, waking early to hit the gym or using Saturdays for one of your longer rides (Park suggests two per week). And you'll need patience. Going too hard too soon can actually inhibit your progress.


But athletes often feel fresher and more motivated after a break, Park says. And with improved training techniques and experience earned over years of cycling, the results often defy age-related assumptions. "These days, older athletes believe they can still win--and they do," Park says. Here's how to get back in the game after age 35.

Take two for recovery Twentysomethings bounce right back from intense workouts, but after 35, athletes need two days--occasionally three--to recover after going hard. That's because levels of testosterone and human growth hormone--which increase protein synthesis for new muscle cells--drop by as much as 50 percent. Compensate by doubling your recovery time, and monitor your strength once you resume workouts. If you feel weak during your next hard push, insufficient recovery may be the culprit.

Embrace resistance

Let nature take its course, and you'll lose about 5 percent of your muscle mass every decade. But athletes can maintain strength and power by adding resistance training to their routine Yoga, Pilates and weight lifting are all useful for Armstrong, Park's program keeps upper-body bulk to a minimum, but strengthens hips, glutes and legs with kettlebell exercises and. Park's favorites plyometrics: planks (holding your body in a modified push-up position) for core strength, Bulgarian split squats (with one foot resting on a bench behind you) for glutes and quads, and kettlebell swings (bending low with a weight held between your legs and thrusting it forward using the pelvis) for glutes and hips. Do two days of full-body resistance training per week on the days you ride hardest. "That way, you can use one rest session to recover from both workouts," Park says.

Think quality, not quantity

At 40, you can ride just as hard as when you were younger--you just can't do it as often. In fact, building intensity into your regimen is key to attaining high-end fitness, which athletes over 35 can lose unless they regularly redline it. Do one interval workout (hitting 80 to 95 percent of your max heart rate) per week.

Stretch for speed

Flexibility suffers as you age, and tightness in your hips, hamstrings, and lower back slows you down. Stay limber with stretching or yoga, which creates the flexibility required to get low in the saddle. Loose hamstrings let you raise your saddle height for more powerful pedal strokes. Park recommends goblet squats: Stand with your feet slightly wider than your hips, holding a dumbbell or medicine ball close to your chest, and squat to the floor, resting your elbows on your inner knees to urge them outward.

Watch your weight

Older athletes have slower metabolisms, which reduce calorie requirements. Weight gain compromises your VO2 max, which for sedentary people over 25 can decrease as much as 10 percent per decade, Park says. Keep your weight down and you can trim that decline to more like 3 percent.

Fuel recovery

Smart recovery eating is still critical to pursuing peak fitness. Park recommends consuming a 4-to-1 ratio of carbohydrates to protein after hard workouts: fruit, whole grains, lean meat and poultry. And don't delay. You derive the best recovery benefit when you refuel within 30 minutes of unclipping.

Opt for antioxidants

Because antioxidants combat the muscle-munching free radicals produced during tough workouts, they're good for all cyclists. But Park says older athletes in particular benefit from a diet rich in antioxidants, because they improve recovery. Eat at least five daily servings of colorful fruit and vegetables for the widest array of antioxidants, or take a supplement.

Tirreno-Adriatico: Cavendish wins final stage

Mark Cavendish won the final stage of the Tirreno-Adriatico Tuesday in San Benedetto del Tronto in a bunch sprint over Tyler Farrar (Garmin-Slipstream) and Baden Cooke (Vacansoleil).

The 169-kilometre stage was the Briton's fifth win of the season and bodes well for the Milano-Sanremo one-day classic in four days.

"The other day I thought it would be my day, but I was beaten on the line," said Cavendish. "I had a point to prove today. My team kept the break's gap small and then I had the perfect lead out."

Michele Scarponi (Diquigiovanni-Androni) held on to his gap over Stefano Garzelli (Acqua & Sapone-Caffè Mokambo) to win the race's overall classification. The Italian from Jesi took over the lead yesterday when he won the mountain stage to Camerino.

"I hoped I could pull this off at the start of the race," said Scarponi. "I did a great time trial and had a great stage win yesterday that put me in place for the overall win. I am finally past all the troubles; a lot of thanks to the team and everyone else."

Garzelli, second to Scarponi in yesterday's Camerino stage, finished 25 seconds back in the overall.

"It is a great result to get on the podium, even if leaves a little bit of a bitter taste in my mouth," he said.

For full results, report and photos, visit Cyclingnews.com.

STAGE 7 RESULTS
1 Mark Cavendish (GBr|Columbia-Highroad)
2 Tyler Farrar (USA|Garmin-Slipstream)
3 Baden Cooke (Aus|Vacansoleil)
4 Daniele Bennati (Ita|Liquigas)
5 Yauheni Hutarovich (Blr|Française des Jeux)

Final general classification

1 Michele Scarponi (Ita|Serramenti PVC Diquigiovanni-Androni Giocattoli
2 Stefano Garzelli (Ita|Acqua & Sapone-Caffè Mokambo)
3 Andreas Klöden (Ger|Astana)
4 Thomas Lövkvist (Swe|Columbia-Highroad)
5 Ivan Basso (Ita|Liquigas)

Armstrong: "Contador is too nervous"

Lance Armstrong took aim at the performance of his teammate Alberto Contador in an interview with French newspaper L'Equipe. "Contador has a lot to learn," Armstrong said. "He is the best in the world. The only negative thing, and I say this with great respect, is that he is too nervous. He is too strong to be so nervous. He has a good team manager and a strong team. Why get nervous?"

Armstrong's comments were in relation to Contador's performance in Paris-Nice last week where the Spaniard won two stages but lost the overall leader's jersey to Luis León Sánchez on stage seven.

The two last met in California for a team training camp, February 1 to 10, before Armstrong raced the Tour of California. They will race together for the first time at the Vuelta a Castilla y León, March 23 to 27.

Armstrong, who returned from retirement last fall, is building his form for the Giro d'Italia and the Tour de France. Though he won seven editions of the Tour de France, it will be his first time to race the Giro d'Italia.

Armstrong added that he wants to peak for the first day of the Tour de France. This year's race starts with a 15-kilometre time trial in Monaco, which Armstrong previewed last week.

"I want to be strong in the Giro but not at my peak. I want to be at 90%. The goal is to do a good Giro, finishing in the top 10 or top 5 or top 3, if everything goes well."

This Saturday Armstrong will line up for his first race in Europe since the 2005 Tour de France at Milano-Sanremo.

Landis dreaming of Tour ride

Floyd Landis is considering returning to the Tour de France four years after his 2006 stripped-victory and two-year ban from cycling.

"If I went back to the Tour de France the objective would be to win it again," Landis told Reuters. "I would like to win the race and go home and spend time with everybody that supported me and enjoy it rather than spending the next couple of years defending how I won it."

Landis said he will take the coming weeks to think about the next phase of his cycling career and whether he would race the 2010 Tour de France.

"If I want the Tour de France, I would focus on spending a year on training on it. It doesn't feel out of reach for me," he said.

This year he will be watching another American's return to France. Lance Armstrong will race the Tour de France for the first time in four years as part of his comeback.

"Anybody that knows him knows that if he's racing he's going to try and win something big, and he stated his goal is to win the Tour de France.

"I was as surprised as anybody that he wanted to put himself back out there. He's trying to get back to the top I think."

The two raced together at US Postal for three years, from 2002 to 2004.

Lance Armstrong: Natural Born Twitterer

by Narendra Rocherolle

When Lance Armstrong sat down with John Battelle at the Web 2.0 Summit last November, he had been twittering for about 10 days and was jokingly asking that “shoe guy” to send some followers his way. Now four months later, even Richard Rosenblatt, CEO of Demand Media and the guy who helped get Lance into Twitter, has been surprised by how much @lancearmstrong has taken to the platform: twittering and twitpic’n about training, races, travel, family, food, movies, and his mission to grow the fight against cancer.

For those of you interested in more than 140 characters, Lance took some time out to discuss his new habit.

Q: You started using Twitter back in November. You are now closing in on 300,000 followers and you tweet more times per day than most people brush their teeth. Can you point to a couple of factors that have resonated with you making Twitter part of your daily routine?

Lance Armstrong: Well, 140 characters fits my personality well. I’m not much for small talk so 140 gets me that. I see long drawn out emails and I delete them. It also brings a certain transparency to my life that others may have never seen or realized. Lastly, it works great for talking about the thing I care about the most (behind my family) and that’s fighting cancer. Twitter builds grassroots movements quicker than anything I’ve ever seen.

Q: Can you give an example of something that you were about to tweet but did NOT?

Lance Armstrong: I try to keep it positive. There are plenty of times I felt like crushing someone for what they say or did but I avoid it. There’s plenty of negativity on the web as is so they don’t need me adding to it. Try to be careful with pics of my kids/family for obvious security reasons. Other than that, it’s basically an open book. I also will not tweet anything that someone asks me to. It’s my page so therefore I dictate what goes there. They want to tweet it then tweet from their page. It has to be 100% authentic.

Q: One thing your critics can not argue with is your success as an extraordinary marketer and personal brand manager. This may sound silly but I’ve heard you described as a “natural” when it comes to Twitter. Can you talk about how you approach building “you” as a brand?
Lance Armstrong: Um, hell, I have no idea. Again, I think people are smart. They know when they see something real. I talk about what’s happening “now” and it’s always the real scoop. I’ve been around too long to BS people.

Q: The theft of your time trial bike recently created huge buzz in the twitterverse. Was there an awareness by you (and Trek) that the theft was an incredible marketing opportunity?

Lance Armstrong: They (Trek) were devastated. They thought I would be livid and while I was pretty seriously pissed, I told them to chill. The story was on the front page off cnn.com, espn, etc. Hell, it was on perez hilton. For a week or so it was the most talked about bike on planet earth. Bummer to get it ripped off but it was not bad for them. They make bikes as easily as you and I go for a walk. Still, you gotta be pretty dumb to steal a “one of a kind” bike.

Q: Have you had any issues or push-back from your Twitter usage (e.g. friends telling you to put the blackberry away! Or moments when you catch yourself thinking you should be twittering something when in fact you should just be experiencing it)?

Lance Armstrong: Nah, again it’s short and I type fast. Most tweets I send people don’t even notice.

Q: Your Twitter stream depicts a relentless schedule that sounds downright exhausting. Are you traveling/doing more this year than you have in past seasons leading up to the Tour de France?

Lance Armstrong: Most definitely. Again, a great thing about the service is that people (fans, journalists, my fellow competitors) realize my life is quite different than theirs. Between my kids, my foundation, travel, training, and racing, it’s a big life.

Tirreno-Adriatico 2009 Stage 6 Final Kilometers

Armstrong leads Astana at Milan-San Remo

Lance Armstrong will lead the Astana colors at Milan-San Remo on Saturday in his first race on European roads since he retired after winning the 2005 Tour de France.

Just like during Australia’s Tour Down in January and the Tour of California in February, Armstrong’s appearance is expected to pique interest for the centenary edition of the Italian classic.

It will be Armstrong’s first appearance at Milan-San Remo since 2002, when he finished 44th with the same time as winner Mario Cipollini.

After returning to racing following his fight with cancer in 1998, Armstrong lined up for the season’s longest race in 1999 and 2000, finishing 117th and 108th, respectively, before going on to winning the Tour later that season.

Armstrong will be the lone American on the international Astana team, which will include three Kazakhs, two Swiss, Lithuanian Tomas Vaitkus – back from an injury at Het Nieuwsblat — and Ukraine Yaroslav Popovych.

The seven-time Tour champ came to Europe last week and has been using his time to train along France’s Cote d’Azur and scout the time trial courses at both the Giro d’Italia and Tour, the major targets this season.

Armstrong is also scheduled to race next week at the Vuelta a Castilla y León in northern Spain, where he will line up alongside Levi Leipheimer and defending two-time champion Alberto Contador.

Astana for Milan-San Remo
Lance Armstrong (USA), Assan Bazayev, Maxim Iglinkskiy, Dmitriy Muravyev (Kaz), Yaroslav Popovych (Ukr), Gregory Rast and Michael Schor (Swi), Tomas Vaitkus (Lit).

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Alberto Contador Wins Over French Fans

By Jean-François Quénet

In one week of racing during Paris-Nice, Alberto Contador conquered the hearts of French cycling fans who had remained skeptical about him. He made the 2009 edition of Paris-Nice a fabulous race to watch until the end.

Contador tried to win the final stage to Nice even when he knew the leading trio's gap wasn't enough to dethrone Luis Leon Sanchez for the overall and as he realized he wasn't as fast and powerful on the flat Promenade des Anglais as his compatriot Toni Colom, a teammate last year who subsequently moved to the Russian Katusha team.

Contador was once linked to Operación Puerto before his name was later cleared. He also won the 2007 Tour de France as a member of Team Discovery Channel - not the most popular team in France after it had helped the then-retired Lance Armstrong to seven total Tour de France wins.

"It's well known that French people don't like the greatest winners," said Astana's directeur sportif Alain Gallopin, a Frenchman himself, after the last stage of Paris-Nice. He rated his protégé Contador as "the morale winner of Paris-Nice", considering his performances.

Contador himself wasn't bothered by finishing fourth place overall after the finish in Nice. He had held the leader's yellow jersey for a time during the race which it seemed quite likely he would win before he lost time after bonking on Saturday's stage seven.

"I'm very happy with this Paris-Nice," said the Spaniard Contador. "Before the last stage, I told my team I wanted to try something. I had nothing to lose. I prefer attacking than staying in the bunch like everybody. I come out of Paris-Nice with a good feeling. I've won the key stages. Everything is going well."

Contador's message was a serene reaction to the comments of his teammate Armstrong and manager Johan Bruyneel.

"Amazing talent but still a lot to learn," Amstrong had written of Contador on Twitter.

"What else is there to say than he didn't race intelligently? He only had to look after Sanchez," Astana's team manager had told L'Equipe.

Astana's directeur sportif Gallopin adopted a position the closest to that of Contador. "These are positive criticisms," he said. "It's true that Alberto is still a young rider with some weaknesses. Clearly the absence of Levi Leipheimer and Chris Horner cost us the victory.

"But what Alberto did this week is worth more than another win at Paris-Nice. He has showed what he's able to do. He's got panache. He likes what he does. He's naturally an attacker. He has won the heart of the people. He hadn't ridden in France in a year and a half, but now everybody knows he's a beautiful champion."

"We haven't won Paris-Nice, but in the car behind him, I've realized how much the fans cheer for him now. We have produced a great piece of cycling this week. Had we won Paris-Nice, we would have attracted more criticism."

Contador will return to France for the Dauphiné without his teammate Armstrong, who has chosen a different program that will put him in France for his first race this season at the Tour de France.