Chris Lieto Outduels Ben Collins for Nautica South Beach Elite Win

Riding across Miami’s causeways and running past South Beach’s art deco hotels, four-time Ironman champion Chris Lieto blazed past current Ironman world champion Chris McCormack and first-year pro Ben Collins on the bike to win the inaugural Nautica South Beach Triathlon Sunday. Lieto’s 1:16:15 finishing time for the half-mile swim, 18.3-mile bike and four-mile run earned him the Nautica title by 45 seconds over runner-up Collins.

“The course was beautiful,” said Lieto. “The bike went out through the bay and jumped from island to island, went over the causeway and took a loop downtown before coming back to South Beach. On the run, the people were out and partying. All in all, it was great to put myself in a race situation in such a great place early in the season.”

Collins, the 2007 age group overall ITU world champion, blasted out of the warm azure Atlantic waters in 10:48, 22 seconds ahead of McCormack and 27 seconds ahead of Lieto. Renowned cyclist Lieto made quick work of Macca, passing the Ironman Hawaii champion at Mile 2, then took down Collins by Mile 7 of the scenic bike over Miami’s gracefully curving white causeway, arriving at T2 a minute and a half ahead of the chasers.

On the run, Collins showed his decision to turn pro was no mistake setting fastest run against his two esteemed competitors with a race-best 21:21 for the four miles and a 1:17:00 finish. With plenty of time in hand after his sizzling bike, Lieto could well afford to hand back 25 seconds on the run and still hold on for the win. McCormack, still in early base training phase for his 2008 campaign, ran a 21:36 to come in third with an overall time of 1:18:57.

“Chris got a little revenge on me for October,” joked McCormack. “He and Ben Collins just carved me up today. This was a nice race to get the cobwebs off to begin my racing season. But as it was, there was nothing I could do when Chris blew by me on the bike.”

McCormack praised Nautica South Beach promoter Michael Epstein. “This event was really well received (it was sold out at 1,000 entries). Like his other races which benefit great charities, making St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital the beneficiary makes this race for a very good purpose. I think that's reason his races are so successful. I’ve felt my career to this point has always been selfish, all about myself. So now I like to support events I believe in. I’d like to become Macca the activist, supporting things for the sport and for other people, opposed to just winning races.”

In a less hotly contested race, 2002 ITU world champion Leanda Cave of Great Britain cruised to the elite women’s win in 1:27:17, 13 minutes ahead of elite women’s runner-up Michelle Garner of Miami.

Equally dominant was the former star of ABC’s The Bachelor, Navy Lt. Andy Baldwin who won the celebrity men’s division by half an hour in 1:35:03. Coming in third in the division was celebrity chef Rocco DiSpirito, who finished in 2:05:36, just six seconds behind celebrity runner-up Mark Joyella. DiSpirito was unabashedly upbeat about his finish. “I saw Andy had his new one piece race suit, and mine was a two-piece,” joked third-year triathlete DiSpirito. "And I didn’t shave my legs, so that must have been the difference.”

“Nautica put on a great race and it’s going to grow to Nautica Malibu proportions or even greater,” said Baldwin, a Navy physician with a strong age group triathlon record. Of the course, Baldwin said “The water was really beautiful and the run was very picturesque running two miles out and back in front of the Art Deco hotels.” As for his race, Baldwin said he was satisfied with his performance despite being unable to train to his usual standards. “I had been on assignment for two months in the Pacific, working from a barge diving to recover military personnel lost in combat," he sdaid. "But coming to South Beach and helping Nautica help raise money for the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital made it all worthwhile.”

But perhaps the most creditable performance of the day was turned in by the celebrity women’s team. Model and pro triathlete Katya Meyers turned in a 12:31 swim, just 72 seconds behind former world champion pro Leanda Cave. Multiple Olympic swimmer Dara Torres then showed she had some chops outside her field of expertise, finishing the bike in 48:52 - 22.3 mph - actually faster than Cave’s split. Then former tennis star Anna Kournikova, who throughout her career was the target of unmerciful media scorn because her celebrity beauty outmatched her tennis results, finished it off with a 28:59 time for the four-mile run. Kournikova’s 7:15-per mile pace put her just five minutes back of world champion Cave, 56 seconds slower than Baldwin, and faster than elite runner-up Michelle Garner.

The celebrity women’s relay also outpaced Baldwin – 1:32:25 to 1:35:03 – and finished just 8 minutes back of Cave.

Nautica South Beach Triathlon
Miami Beach, Florida
April 13, 2008
0.5mi S/18.2mi B/4mi R

Results

Elite male

1. Chris Lieto (Danville, CA) 1:16:15
2. Ben Collins (Lake Forest Park, WA) 1:17:00
3. Chris McCormack (AUS) 1:18:57
4. Marcus Ornellas (BRZ) 1:19:20
5. Miguel Tellez (Sunny Isles, FL) 1:25:58

Elite female

1. Leanda Cave (GBR) 1:27:17
2. Michelle Garner (Miami, FL) 1:40:09
3. Kassianna Rosso (Miami, FL) 1:41:14

Celebrity Male

1. Andy Baldwin (Honolulu, HI) 1:35:03
2. Mark Joyella 2:05:30
3. Rocco DiSpirito (New York, NY) 2:05:36

Celebrity Relay

Female

Swim - Katya Meyers 12:31.2
Bike – Anna Kournikova 48:52.8
Run – Dara Torres – 28:59.5
Total: 1:32:25

Male

Swim - Anthony Cistaro 13:38.2
Bike - Eric Etebari 1:15.8
Run – David Chokachi 38:43
Total: 1:54:44

Snowsill & Densham Go 1-2 In Ishigaki

Australian superstar Emma Snowsill added to her extensive medal count today with a win at the Ishigaki BG Triathlon World Cup. Snowsill led from start to finish claiming her eighth world cup title in a time of 2 hours 3 minutes and 11 seconds. In second place, 29 seconds behind, was fellow Aussie and Olympic hopeful Erin Densham. A further 1 minute 45 seconds back in third was young Hollie Avil of Great Britain in her world cup debut, nipping home crowd favourite Juri Ide of Japan in an exciting sprint finish. In fifth position was Canadian Kathy Trembley.

“I just wanted to get out there and get a second hit out,” said Snowsill after her win. “I felt like I had a bit more of a plateau, not so many ups and downs. I'm really happy, 2 for 2 what more can I ask for at this stage."

Right from the starter’s horn, Snowsill quickly moved to the lead of the 41 women field stringing out a long line of athletes. The only women able to keep up to her were the British swimming trio of Helen Tucker, Jodie Swallow and Kerry Lang. These four would lead the entire swim while the remaining women battled it out behind. Another Aussie Olympic hopeful Felicity Abram, was caught amongst the white water of the chasers and would withdraw from the race early in the bike portion due to stomach ailments.

This lead group of four would be joined by four more at the start of the 40-kilometre hilly bike leg. This small break away was quickly caught however by a Nicola Spirig-led chase group of ten. The Swiss powerhouse single-handedly reeled in the leaders by the end of the first lap, pulling eventual medalists Densham and Avil to within striking distance. This group would efficiently conquer the 14 hills on the course, increasing the lead to over two minutes between them and the chase group, containing pre race favourites, Debbie Tanner of New Zealand and Anja Dittmer of Germany, by the second transition.

In her usual style, Snowsill would struggle through second transition to fall almost ten seconds behind, but blasted to the front in the first 500 metres and would never look back with a blistering 33:23 final 10-kilometre run split to grab top spot and her 16th career podium. Densham dug deep to pull within 30 seconds of Snowsill, at the finish to persuade Australian Olympic selectors after a slow start to the season. Densham is one of four top Australian women fighting for two remaining Olympic spots. After battling over the final five kilometres 18-year old and reigning World Junior Champion Avil of managed to nip Japan’s Ide at the line for a bronze medal in her first world cup.

2008 Ishigaki BG Triathlon World Cup
Elite Women - Official Results
1.5km swim, 40km bike, 10km run
Gold – Emma Snowsill (AUS) 2:03:10
Silver – Erin Densham (AUS) 2:03:40 +:29
Bronze – Hollie Avil (GBR) 2:05:24 +2:14

Boonen wins Paris-Roubaix

Tom Boonen (Quick Step) out-kicked Fabian Cancellara (CSC) and Alessandro Ballan (Lampre) to win his second Paris-Roubaix on Sunday.

The three — the same men that made the podium in 2006 — made their break from an elite group with 35km to race. Boonen shot away, followed by Cancellara and Ballan, and they would never be retrieved.

It was not until 53km from the finish that the big favorites really began to fight it out, when an acceleration by Silence-Lotto's Johann Van Summeren prompted an eight-man lead group to form, leaving Juan Antonio Flecha, Fabio Baldato and FDJ's Frederic Guesdon trailing.

The Belgian's effort eventually pushed the CSC team of Cancellara and Boonen's Quick tep outfit into some late tactical racing, but it also indirectly led to his team leader Leif Hoste using precious energy and missing the crucial three-man break.

Quick Step's Stijn Devolder, who won the Tour of Flanders last week with a long breakaway effort, had first tested his teammate Boonen's rivals by peeling off the front on of the toughest cobblestone sectors at Mons-en-Peleve with around 46km to race.

Boonen looking relaxed at the start

He managed to ride for only a few hundred meters on his own before CSC's Stuart O'Grady, the defending champion, got up out the saddle and began to give chase - more in a bid to protect Cancellara's chances than his own.

The Australian soon had the Belgian on a tight leash after catching him before the ninth last sector, allowing Cancellara, Boonen, Hoste, Ballan and Dutchman Martijn Maaskant to catch them as they emerged from the eighth last sector.

Ballan then threw down the gauntlet with a quick burst which soon left him in front with only Boonen and Cancellara. Trapped behind with O'Grady and Devolder was Hoste, the Silence team's only remaining rider. Soon, Hoste's bid for an elusive victory on the race would come to a virtual end.

With 20km remaining the lead trio held a lead of 1:20 on the chasing foursome and after Cancellara put in a quick acceleration it was time for Boonen to push to the front as they rode through the yellow, Flemish flags covering all sight of the cobbles in the crucial Carrefour de l'Arbre sector.

Defending champion O’Grady and Devolder made repeated attempts to bridge, as did Hoste, but it wasn’t to be.

High Road’s George Hincapie was well placed until he punctured twice, the last flat coming just as the action up front heated up, and would never see the front group again. He crossed ninth at 5:15.

Paris-Roubaix
1. Tom Boonen (B), Quick Step, 259km in 5:58:42
2. Fabian Cancellara (Swi) CSC, same time
3. Alessandro Ballan (I), Lampre, s.t.
4. Martin Maaskant, (Nl), Slipstream-Chipotle, at 3:39
5. Stuart O'Grady (Aus), CSC, at 3:57
6. Leif Hoste (B), Silence Lotto, s.t.
7. Stijn Devolder (B), Quick Step, at 3:59
8. Johann Van Summeren (B), Silence-Lotto, at 4:35
9. George Hincapie (USA), High Road, at 5:12
10. Fabio Baldato (I), Lampre, at 5:12

Barack Obama a cycling fan?

While there are many different types races happening around the world, from cycling to auto, the race to become the next President of the United States is usually at the top of the news. But Friday, cycling and campaigning came together at the Indiana University Little 500, when Barack Obama made a surprise visit for a photo op and to shake hands with all of the racers in the women's race.

When asked which was more exciting, meeting Obama or winning the Little 500, Delta Gamma sprinter Jess Lander had trouble coming up with an answer. "I'm not going to lie... but winning the race is better!" she said, reluctantly. "But it's pretty damn close – it was great that he came and shook all our hands."

Obama was in Indiana to campaign for the upcoming primary. He also reportedly visited Nick's English Hut, an infamous pub next to campus, before heading out to the track.

Obama did not make any public comment, but did circle the entire quarter-mile track, with security entourage and photographer mob in tow, to shake the hands of every racer as they warmed-up on their trainers. This alone set the race start back 25 minutes. And as it is the only cycling race in the U.S. that is televised live nationally, this is quite a feat.

German Half Marathon Championships

2004/2006 Ironman World Champion Normann Stadler runs 1:09:45 at the German Championships Half Marathon.

Elite runners gathered yesterday in Calw for the German Half Marathon Championships. Martin Beckman dominated the race and won ahead of Florian Neuschwander and Lennart Sponar.

Normann Stadler: “I am pleased with my performance test and a solid 1:09:45 hrs good for 24th overall.

Contador time trials away from his greatest rivals

Spaniard Alberto Contador continued his dominating performance in the Vuelta al País Vasco and won the final stage, an individual time trial over 20 kilometres with start and finish in Orio. The 25 year-old Astana rider was 22 seconds faster than the Australian Cadel Evans, from Silence-Lotto, which secured the overall victory for the stage winner. Rabobank's Thomas Dekker was third, 27 seconds back . The top three was also the order in the final overall classification.

Euskaltel – Euskadi's Egoi Martínez held on to the mountains classification, while Iban Mayoz from Karpin Galicia secured himself the jersey in the meta volantes. While Astana had the stranglehold on the stages and the GC, it was the Dutch Rabobank team that won the teams prize.

Race winner Contador was ecstatic in the press conference. "The win of this Vuelta al País Vasco has a prestigious value for me. The victory has not been easy, neither for the profiles nor for the climatic conditions." He was surprised about the gap between him and Evans. "I beat him for 22 seconds? That is really surprising to me!" He dedicated the victory to his grandmother, who deceased some time ago, a fact that "affected me a lot," and also to his grandfather Avellardo. He admitted to struggle with a molar infection, a fact that "only Benjamín Noval knew. I did almost not sleep in those days, but I did not want to say it as the rivals could have heard about it and tried to attack me even more."

Rabobank's Grischa Niermann was happy about the win of this team: "The Vuelta al País Vasco is one of the hardest races, it is great that we have been able to win the teams classification. The race has not been that hard, like in the past years, but yesterday and today were really two hard stages and you can say that they were worthy of the Vuelta al País Vasco." The German commented about the Alto de Aia that "yesterday, some of us would not have been able to reach the summit without the help of the spectators, because the wheels raced due to the bad weather."

How it unfolded

The weather was kinder to the public and to the riders than the previous day. Along the coast of the Basque country, the sun was out and the temperatures were around 20 degrees Celsius – perfect conditions for this last day of the Vuelta al País Vasco. A lot of cycling fans had come to Orio to support their heroes.

The course started near the beach, before crossing the little village of Orio (Gipuzkoa), direction to the port, along the luxurious yachts. It then left the village and affronted the Alto de Aia, with a maximal gradient of 22 percent. After four kilometres of climbing, a turning point and a descent of five kilometres over very narrow and curvy streets awaited the riders. The peloton descended with a speed of 85 kilometres per hour. Back in Orio, they passed the port once again before ascending to the Alto de Txanka. From the summit, they only had to descend again and the finish line awaited them besides the sea.

The vibes were great, the majority of the public was assembled at the start and finish zone and in the rampant streets of the Alto de Aia, where groups of people animated the riders calling each of them by name. In front of the Astana bus, Contador fans began to intone chants to support their idol.

Six riders did not start; amongst them stage three winner David Herrero from Karpin Galicia who crashed yesterday. The first of the remaining 99 riders, Liquigas' Iván Santaromita, started at 14:45, the last one, Alberto Contador, at 17:15.

The race leader did not let any doubt about his class: After four kilometres, he led the stage with 21 seconds ahead of his biggest rival, Cadel Evans, and he defended this advance until reaching the finish line.

Astana did a great work for their leader during the entire Vuelta, and he knew to thank it to them winning the overall classification.

The most regular rider should have been David Herrero, who was three times third in the stages and who also won the one that finished in Viana. His team, Karpin Galicia, has showed a very great performance, with Ezequiel Mosquera finishing ninth in the overall classification, and as the only non-ProTour team, they left a good impression.

Contador must go it alone in Basque Tour finale

A cold, wet and miserable penultimate stage in the Vuelta al País Vasco on Friday saw overall leader Alberto Contador finish second from an elite group just behind Lampre's Damiano Cunego. However, the Astana rider enjoys only an eight second lead over nine strong men going into the final time trial, which is just 20 kilometres in length.

Contador was happy to finish the stage, even if he did take second place, as he managed to avoid crashes in the finale which took down points leader David Herrero (Karpin Galicia) and Riccardo Ricco (Saunier Duval), and which held up Cadel Evans (Silence Lotto). All riders affected by the crash were granted the same time.

Herrero was the worst affected by the wreck, and was sent for x-rays following the stage. Fortunately, he did not have any broken bones, but his start on Saturday is still in doubt. "We have to wait to see how the night passes, because currently unable to move his right leg," his team doctor said. "There is no fracture, but he has a very deep contusion on his hip," he continued, explaining that muscular injury may prevent the points leader from starting the final stage.

For Contador, what remains is a tough solo effort if he wishes to win the overall classification after having the luxury of a strong team over the past five stages. "Until now, my team did really a great job. Tomorrow it is I who will have to work," he said. "I am surely one of the favourites, but Cadel Evans and Thomas Dekker are not to be underestimated."

In addition to Evans and Dekker, Contador's slim lead extends over CSC's Frank Schleck as well as Paris-Nice champion Davide Rebellin (Gerolsteiner), all of whom are at the same time overall.

Contador In Yellow With Final TT Tomorrow

Italian Damiano Cunego took the victory on the fifth stage of the Vuelta al País Vascso from Vitoria to Orio. The 26-year-old Lampre rider prevailed in the sprint from a select group of favourites over GC leader Alberto Contador (Astana) and Rabobank rider Thomas Dekker. The 162 kilometer route was made more difficult by cold temperatures and heavy rain falls, resulting in several breakaways, most notably one with Basque Egoi Martínez from Euskaltel – Euskadi, who was able to win the general mountain classification one day before the finish of the race, and Gerolsteiner's Bernhard Kohl.

"I am very happy, this is my fifth Vuelta al País Vasco, but my first stage win," declared Cunego in the finish. "I am very content, it is something special. The stage was quite hard due to the cold and the rain, and I have to say thank you to my team-mates who did a great work. I feel very satisfied. Tomorrow is another day and a difficult time trial. For now, I will enjoy my victory, tomorrow we will see what will happen."

Contador was pleased with the day's effort, and looked ahead to the final stage time trial on Saturday. "Until now, my team did really a great job. Tomorrow it is I who will have to work. I am surely one of the favourites, but Cadel Evans and Thomas Dekker are not to be underestimated."

Martínez was happy about his mountain jersey win. "It is very great to win this classification," he exclaimed. He was happy to give the team a win of some sort. "We tried to win a stage and we almost reached it. We had been present every day, and we won the mountain classification. Tomorrow could still be a great day for Mikel [Astarloza]," declared Martínez.

Recovox Athlete - Vince Rosetta Checks In

Finally my 2008 triathlon season is here. The days of entering road
races to pass the winter months are finally over because the season is
here!

My first race got off to a pretty good start. I raced in the Spenco
Olympic triathlon this past Sunday and was very pleased with my result
for the first race of the season. I finished 1st in my age group and
5th overall with a time of 2:07:28. Like I said, for my first race of
the seaon I can't complain to much. I have a few things to work on
though for the rest of the season heading into Ironman Louisville.

Vince

Contador Comfortable in Basque Country

Team Astana’s Alberto Contador continued to see yellow as he retained the leader’s jersey for a 4th day at the 48th Vuelta al Pais Vasco in the Basque region of Spain on Thursday. With his boys in blue riding up front all day to control a potentially dangerous breakaway group, Contador sat at the top of the leader board once more as the race winds down with two more stages.

A group of five went away after 20km of racing and contained a danger man in Australian champion Matt Lloyd (Silence-Lotto) who sat only 1.07 down on GC, as well as yesterday’s escapee Morris Possoni (Team High Road). Team Astana allowed the gap to grow but made sure Lloyd was well within reach as the peloton neared the finish line. Riding as the virtual race leader on the stage, Lloyd looked confident and strong as the race wore on and he kept his breakaway moving at a decent pace throughout the day.

The sprinters’ teams showed little interest in working and left the time gap in control of Astana. With Chris Horner, Benjamin Noval, Maxim Iglinskiy and Chechu Rubiera all taking the helm in the final climbs, Contador kept a close eye on any movement in the forward group. At the top of the final climb Lloyd took off like a shot as the gap hovered at 47 seconds back to the peloton. Possoni gradually came across to join the Aussie rider and the duo powered on for the finish in Gasteiz. Team Astana remained calm and ramped up the speeds to maintain contact.

Finally willing to do some work, Lampre and Liquigas went forward but Team High Road sat on as much as possible to lend aid to their man Possoni up front. But the gap continued to fall as the finish line drew closer, and with 1km to go it was a slim 12 second advantage to the two leaders. Lloyd and Possoni battled as they tried to hold their lead but in the end it was Possoni’s own teammate Kim Kirchen who nipped him on the line. Presumably preventing the win from going to someone else, Kirchen might have inadvertently snatched the win from his deserving teammate who had just spent a full day off the front. Talk about the agony of defeat! Third place belonged to

Contador still holds a small gap of seconds in front of three seconds in front of Ezequiel Mosquera and eight seconds back to David Herrero, both of Karpin Galicia. With more climbs in Friday’s stage before the final time trial to cap things off on Saturday, Alberto and his amigos still have some work to do to defend all the way to the end. They rode a smart race today, never panicking about Lloyd up front and just slowly brought the gap down to something acceptable for the final two stages. Never looking for others to help them out, Team Astana set about getting the job done and keeping Contador in yellow. Job well done, guys.

General Classification after Stage 4

1 Alberto Contador Velasco (Spa) Astana 16.32.01
2 Ezequiel Mosquera Miguez (Spa) Karpin Galicia 0.03
3 David Herrero Llorente (Spa) Karpin Galicia 0.08
4 Damiano Cunego (Ita) Lampre
5 Kim Kirchen (Lux) Team High Road
6 Peter Velits (Svk) Team Milram
7 Cadel Evans (Aus) Silence - Lotto
8 Mikel Astarloza Chaurreau (Spa) Euskaltel – Euskadi
9 Patxi Javier Vila (Spa) Lampre
10 Maxime Monfort (Bel) Cofidis - Le Crédit par Téléphone

Smart Fuel: Eggplant

Ever had the debate about whether a tomato is a fruit or a vegetable? Well, perhaps next time you could back up your argument for tomatoes being a fruit by noting that the eggplant, which is widely perceived to be a vegetable, is actually a fruit, and a berry at that!

Counting tomato, sweet peppers and potatoes among its relatives, this member of the nightshade family was once feared in some European cultures. According to reports, early versions of the eggplant were so bitter that people believed that they must also have a bitter disposition, earning the poor eggplant (or aubergine as it is called in France and much of Europe) a reputation as a cause of insanity, leprosy and cancer.

But today the eggplant is less bitter and we know now that it’s actually pretty darn good for you! Specifically, eggplant is seen as an excellent source of fiber and a good source of potassium – which is important for keeping the body hydrated and also plays a role in regulating blood pressure. However, eggplants are perhaps best known for their high levels of chlorogenic acid, a potent antioxidant that is thought to offer protective benefits against cancer and an assortment of viruses.

A second important chemical compound, meanwhile, is nasunin, a potent antioxidant found in the skin of the eggplant that is thought to protect cell membranes from damage, with one animal study suggesting that its free radical fighting properties are particularly important for the health of brain tissue. In addition, nasunin also serves as an iron chelator to prevent iron accumulation in the body, which if unregulated, can spur free radical production. In regulating this accumulation, nasunin also protects blood cholesterol from peroxidation, prevents against cellular damage that can lead to cancer and heart disease, and reduces the accumulation of iron in the joints, which is thought to be a primary cause of rheumatoid arthritis.

But before you sign up for extra eggplant, you should know that this vegetable does have a dark side! Specifically, eggplants (and several other members of the nightshade family of plants) contain a substance called solanine that, if not destroyed in the intestine, could prove toxic. In fact, one horticulturist hypothesized that osteoarthritis sufferers might be unable to break down solanine in the gut and suggested that eliminating the substance from the diet might relieve arthritis symptoms. While researchers have never put this diet to the test, solanine-free diets are sometimes prescribed by physicians for arthritis sufferers.

When selecting an eggplant, opt for those that are firm and heavy for their size. Their skin – which can range in color from a deep dark purple to a near translucent white or even come covered in tiger-like stripes – should be smooth and shiny with no visible dents, discoloration or other visible flaws. To test for freshness, gently press your thumb on its skin: A ripe eggplant will spring back. To store, place uncut and unwashed in a plastic bag in the refrigerator’s crisper draw and plan to use within about five days.

48th Vuelta al Pais Vasco - Stage Three

Third time is the charm: after missing victory by a whisker in the first two stages, the Basque David Herrero (Spa - Karpin-Galicia) could finally hit the target as he prevailed in Wednesday's third and longest leg of the 48th Tour of the Basque Country, that took the bunch from Erandio to the Navarran town of Viana over 195 kilometres, with four climbs in the menu, three in the second half of the parcours. The stage came down to a massive sprint, and Alberto Contador (Spa - Astana) held on to his yellow jersey, with David Herrero and his teammate Ezequiel Mosquera as closest GC threats.

Looking Forward To Kona

Matthew Dale has an early preview of the women's race at the Ford Ironman World Championship.

When Faris Al-Sultan came up sick the night before last year's Ford Ironman World Championship and Normann Stadler lost his breakfast, lunch and dinner on the bike, fans were cheated out of the anticipated Chris McCormack-Stadler-Al-Sultan fireworks. Here's to hoping the threesome make it to the starting line next October fit and feisty.

Unfortunately for journalists, the women are not as catty toward one another as their loquacious male counterparts. What they lack in dirt, though, they make up for in substance.

On the 30th anniversary of the world’s most famous triathlon, the women’s field potentially could be its deepest ever. From Chrissie Wellington to Samantha McGlone to Kate Major to Michellie Jones to Natascha Badmann, the cast is loaded and talented. Nor would it be stunning if Joanna Lawn or Leanda Cave were fitted for the winner’s wreath.

“How many years has the women’s race looked like it was down to two or three people? Say Natascha and Michellie,” says Bob Babbitt, co-publisher of Competitor Magazine. “Not now.”

Any discussion of potential winners must begin with the defending champion, Wellington. The Brit seemingly materialized out of thin air last year to win at Kona. After racing (and winning) her first Ironman seven weeks before Hawaii, Wellington dominated last year’s depleted Kona field. Her 2:59:58 marathon was the second fastest ever at Hawaii, only 42 seconds behind Lori Bowen’s 1999 record.

As if to prove her performance was no fluke, Wellington not only added an Ironman Australia win last weekend, but shattered the course record by 9 minutes, 5 seconds. One difference for Wellington come October: she won’t sneak up on anyone.

“It’s going to come down to how she handles that pressure,” says Babbitt. “People can melt down. She’s training in the Philippines, training in Thailand. It’s not like there’s a thousand people clamoring for her time. Then she’ll be in that pressure cooker known as Kona. In terms of her talent, there’s no question about that.”

Another question for Wellington is how she’ll hold up. There are reports she may race as many as four Ironman events. There are also stories that her training far exceeds intense. Triathlete magazine publisher John Duke said that Wellington and Erika Csomor push each other so hard during track intervals that they had to be separated “so they wouldn’t kill each other,” Duke says. “That’s the scouting report.”

Triathlete editor-in-chief T.J. Murphy traveled to the Philippines for a story about Australian coach Brett Sutton and his athletes.

McGlone’s second-place finish at Kona came in her Ironman-distance debut. She doesn’t have an Ironman scheduled before Kona, loading up instead at the 70.3 distance.

“I think that’s great,” offers Babbitt. “She’s focusing on her speed. Dave Scott, Mark Allen, they focused on that one race. She can run a 2:55 (marathon).”

One reason Wellington set a record at Australia was because she was pushed by Major. Major, too, broke Rebekah Keat’s old course record, finishing in 9:09:12.After last October, Major now holds three third-place Kona finishes.

“I think Kate Major is the Rodney Dangerfield of the field,” says Duke. “She’s been the supposed heir to the throne for a long time. I know it’s got to the point where people, including myself, quit banking on her. They said it’s not a matter of if Kate wins, but when Kate wins. Her race in Australia, she was just a couple minutes behind the reigning Ford Ironman World champion. I think everyone’s talking about everyone but Kate. That’s gotta fire her up.”

Then come the grand dames, Jones and Badmann.

Jones, who’ll be 39 when she races at Hawaii, is coming off an injury-marred 2007 season. A foot injury curtailed her training for 4½ months early in the year. Three weeks before Hawaii, where she was the defending champion, Jones suffered a perforated eardrum. She eventually dropped about 90 miles into the bike, throwing up on the Queen K.

“Basically,” Jones told the San Diego Union-Tribune, “nothing about last year went the way I wanted.”

In her 2008 shakeout performance 11 days ago at the Ford Ironman 70.3 California, Jones struggled on the run, falling from first off the bike to finish fourth. It’ll be interesting to see how she fares Sunday at Ford Ironman Arizona.

“Michellie’s history has been that as soon as you start counting her out, she kicks some serious (butt),” says Babbitt.

Adds Duke, “She’s a champion and a lot of things can happen in Hawaii. I wouldn’t be shocked to see her win Hawaii again. The problem is, there’s too many (women) coming at her. It’s like shotgun shells. It’s not one or two bullets she’s got to dodge. It’s like a firing squad. It may come down to can she run under three hours.”

Jones’ two marathon splits at Hawaii: 3:18 and 3:13.

Badmann may be the wild card in the women’s field. She has undergone surgery to both her left and right shoulders after last October’s bike crash at Kona. She only recently began swimming and swimming was already her weakness. No one in their 40s has won at Hawaii. Badmann, the six-time champion, is 41.

“She’s the X factor,” Duke says. “We don’t know if she’ll recover. At 41, that’s hard. In all honesty, if she’s completely healthy, I don’t think a 41-year-old woman can run with these girls.”

No doubt, other women will be factors on the Big Island. Lawn owns fourth, seventh, fourth and fifth place finishes the past four years. Will Desiree Ficker - second in 2006, a non-factor last year - rejoin the mix?

If you’re looking for this year’s Chrissie Wellington, someone seemingly coming out of nowhere, keep an eye on Wellington’s frequent training partner, Csomor. Her 70.3 win 11 days ago at California included an impressive 1:20 half-marathon.

Bottom line, six months from now, the women’s race figures to be compelling.

“I think it’s going to be more of a race than the men’s race,” Duke contends. “I think that it’s the race.”

You can reach Matthew Dale at mdale@ironman.com

Astana And Contador Still In Yellow

Race leader Alberto Contador (Astana) saw his lead grow to five seconds over David Herrera (Karpin-Galicia) after Ezequiel Mosquera (Karpin-Galicia) fell out of second, but actually lost time to some of his top challengers.

Contador, who bolted out of the pack to win Monday’s opening stage, lost three seconds to such favorites as Cadel Evans (Silence-Lotto) and Damiano Cunego (Lampre) as the bunch split in the final sprint to the line.

Cunego slotted into third at five seconds back along with Kirchen and Evans. Mikel Astarloza (Euskaltel-Euskadi) is sixth at eight seconds off the pace.

“As we saw today, this is a highly unpredictable race and anything can happen, so you can never let your guard down,” Contador said. “Ideally, we’ll keep the jersey until the weekend when the race will be decided. Gaining the jersey Monday was a surprise, but we have the team to defend the lead. We’re not afraid to work, and you saw today the team was at the front all day, right where they needed to be.”

Tuesday’s bumpy five-climb course provided an excellent opportunity for attacks, and the aggression came quick and fast.

Michael Albasini (Liquigas) tried twice before making a move stick in the opening 10km. Following him were Joan Horrach (Caisse d’Epargne), Iñigo Landaluze (Euskaltel-Euskadi) and José Luís Arrieta (Ag2r-La Mondial).

Landaluze led the way over the Cat. 1 Alto de Ixua at 45km to make sure the mountain jersey stayed with the team; Egoi Martínez conserved the climber’s jersey with Landaluze second.

Astana put its men on the front to keep the break on a short leash, with Landaluze the best-placed at 1:59 back, and the leaders nursed a gap of about three minutes over the second climb at the Cat. 3 Alto de Gonztagarinaga at 66.5km.

Quick Step and Cofidis added fresh legs in the final hour of the chase, but rainfall slickened the roads and gave life to the breakaway’s efforts.

“We knew it would be complicated, especially when we heard Quick Step was collaborating. We were working pretty well together to try to make it to the line to have a shot at victory,” Landaluze said. “We want to win a stage here. We’ll keep trying.”

Fierce counter-attacks began once the move was neutralized with about 10km to go, including a surge by Luís León Sánchez (Caisse d’Epargne) that drew out Contador.

Matej Jurco (Milram) gave it a good shove with 3km to go, but it all came back together for a gradually climbing finishing straight in the last kilometer. Kirchen was well-placed by Barry’s perfect lead-out to take a huge win for the American team.

“We wanted to try to win a stage, so now that we’ve done that, we’ll see how the GC shakes out, but Kim has no pressure on him here,” said Piva. “The most important for Kim is that he’s ready for the classics.”

The 29-year-old Kirchen, a strong time trialist who can defend in the mountains, surprised many last year by finishing seventh overall in the Tour.

“He’ll focus more on the Tour this year than ever before,” Piva said. “We’ll see how far he can go. Right now, he wants to use this race to be at his strongest for the Ardennes. After that, he can regroup for the Tour. This win today is just what he needed.”

The 48th Vuelta al País Vasco continues Wednesday with its longest stage, a 195km romp starting in Erandio over four rated climbs, including a potential race-breaker with the Cat. 2 Alto de Aguilar de Codes just 10km from the finish in Viana.

Resveratrol Does It Again

Seriously, how can we not love this stuff? The potent little antioxidant has been hailed for years as anti-inflammatory, anti- atherogenic and even anti-cancer. And, as for the cancer part, the news just keeps getting better. Research out of the University of Rochester Medical Center shows that resveratrol is doubly effective in treating the exceptionally problematic pancreatic cancer.

Resveratrol can help destroy pancreatic cancer cells by reaching to the cell’s core energy source, or mitochondria, and crippling its function. The discovery is critical because, like the cell nucleus, the mitochondria contains its own DNA and has the ability to continuously supply the cell with energy when functioning properly. Stopping the energy flow theoretically stops the cancer. The new study also showed that when the pancreatic cancer cells were doubly assaulted — pre-treated with the antioxidant, resveratrol, and irradiated — the combination induced a type of cell death called apoptosis, an important goal of cancer therapy. In fact, the research suggests resveratrol not only reaches its intended target, injuring the nexus of malignant cells, but at the same time protects normal tissue from the harmful effects of radiation.

In the words of lead author, Paul Okunieff, “Resveratrol seems to have a therapeutic gain by making tumor cells more sensitive to radiation and making normal tissue less sensitive.” Resveratrol’s sabotage of the cell’s energy flow is also especially important for chemotherapy because it decreases the cell’s ability to simply “pump” out administered chemotherapy treatment.

The results themselves are fascinating and promising for those who face the difficulty of a pancreatic cancer diagnosis. But we also found ourselves talking about the broader context of this research: the power of a natural antioxidant as a complementary therapy with a conventional treatment.

Contador smokes competition in Basque Country

2007 Tour de France winner Alberto Contador (Astana) has won the hilly first stage of the Vuelta al País Vasco in Legazpi, which was littered with seven categorised mountains. Contador won with a slight gap of compatriot Ezequiel Mosquera (Karpin Galicia), while Mosquera's team-mate, David Herrero, led the peloton across the line, eight seconds behind Contador. Contador let his team work to get the break of the day back, while being alert at the end. He crested the top of the Alto de Deskarga, some six kilometres from the line, in second spot, then used his fast speed skills to escape the peloton.

Egoi Martínez (Euskaltel Euskadi) was most consistent over the category two and three climbs and secured himself the lead in the mountains classification. Iban Mayoz (Karpin Galicia) was the fastest over the metas volantes. Saunier Duval was the best team of the day, with four of its riders among the best 20.

"This is an important win for the team," commented Contador after the finish. "The team worked well. But I won't say that the Vuelta is already decided, everybody can have a bad day. And now, we will have a lot of work for the rest of the week, because the other ones will attack."

Mayoz praised his team-mates, saying that "The team did a great job. Mosquera has showed that he is able to be with Contador. I have won this classification; we were present in the breakaway intents. It really was a good day for us."

How it unfolded

During the night, it had snowed in Legazpi. But when the riders were presented to the public in Legazpi, the sun was out and the temperatures were agreeable, even if on the mountains around the little Basque village the snow was still visible.

The first stage from Legazpi to Legazpi over 137 kilometres was a hilly affair. The 152 riders were motivated to win this stage, and so the first attack was set after eight kilometres by the neo professional Dominik Roels (Milram), but he was not able to reach a big advantage before the peloton chased him down.

Egoi Martínez (Euskaltel Euskadi) was the next one to try his luck, and he was more successful. Three kilometres later, Iban Mayoz (Karpin Galicia) and Mickael Buffaz (Cofidis) joined the Basque rider. The first mountain of the day, the Alto de Liernia, was passed by Martínez in front of Mayoz and Buffaz. The gap was already three minutes and seven seconds when the three passed the Alto de Aztiria. Rubén Lobato (Saunier Duval) led the peloton over the Aztiria.

After 40 kilometres of this first stage, the gap was 3'54. But now in the peloton some teams started to work. Astana and Caisse d'Epargne reduced the gap during the next ten kilometres to about three minutes. When Silence-Lotto joined the other teams in their work, the advance of the four riders in front decreased to 2'41.

In the ascent to the Alto de Deskarga (2nd category), Mickael Buffaz was not able to follow the rhythm of his two breakaway partners. Martínez was once more the first to pass the summit of the Alto de Deskarga, ahead of Mayoz and Buffaz, who followed the two others 30 seconds later. The peloton passed 3'08 behind. It began to rain and this made the descent quite dangerous.

In Legazpi Mayoz won the metas volantes classification. Some kilometres later, Buffaz was chased down by the peloton, where now Paolo Bettini (Quick Step) and Igor Astarloa (Milram) tried to escape.

Martínez was able to also win the following two mountain classifications, the Alto de Liernia and the Alto de Gabiria. It did not stop raining, and current world champion Bettini came close to crashing on the descent of the Alto de Liernia.

Mayoz rolled over all three of the metas volantes in first in today's stage.

In the last ascent to the Alto de Deskarga, Mayoz and Martínez were chased down by the peloton. Mosquera was the first on the summit of this mountain of the second category, followed by Contador. The duo created a gap between themselves and the peloton, where Damiano Cunego (Lampre) and David de la Fuente (Saunier Duval) led the chase.

With 700 metres to go, Contador accelerated and Mosquera could not hang on. The Astana rider raised his hands, having delivered yet another win for Astana.

Tomorrow's stage 2 will lead the riders from Legazpi to Erandio, over 153 kilometres and five mountains, four of the third category and one category one climb. The weather preview is not too good, with prediction of rain.

Botero Rocks Redlands With Decisive Victory

Redlands, Calif. — Rock Racing used a simple strategy on the way to sealing Santiago Botero’s overall victory at the Redlands Bicycle Classic.

Like they have been for every road stage, Rock Racing rode at the front throughout Sunday’s 91-mile (138 km) Beaver Medical Group Sunset Road Race. The demonstration of flawless teamwork successfully protected the 54-second lead Botero had gained while soloing to victory on Stage 1 on Friday in Beaumont.

By reeling in a number of breakaways during 12 laps of the challenging 6.2-mile (10 km) Sunset Loop circuit, Rock Racing guaranteed the race would end in a field sprint and preserve Botero’s lead.

The result was Botero’s first-ever win in the United States and the first overall victory for Rock Racing at a stage race in the team’s one-year history. Botero also took home the red jersey of best climber in the four-day race.

“Our victory here is undeniably positive for cycling,” Rock Racing Team Owner Michael Ball said. “What we did this weekend and what we have tried to do as a brand and as a team is good for the sport and even better for the fans.”

Chris Baldwin (Toyota-United Pro Cycling Team) finished second overall and Burke Swindlehurst (Bissell Pro Cycling) was third, 1:06 behind Botero.

Botero said he never felt his lead was in jeopardy – even when Jeff Louder (BMC Pro Cycling Team) and Ben Jacques-Maynes (Bissell) were building more than a minute’s lead halfway through the race. Louder later joined with Peter Stetina (Slipstream-Chipotle) to keep the pressure on Rock. But gradually, the boys in venom-green-and-black brought it back.

“We have a very strong team,” Botero said. “They worked hard for me and for that I am very thankful. I knew we could pull back any breakaway that tried to get away.”

Rock Racing’s Tyler Hamilton, who fought off the effects of the flu on the final two stages, said the team didn’t come into the first event on the National Race Calendar thinking it was going to be an easy race.

“This was an incredibly strong group of talented teams that would have made an impression on any European field,” Hamilton said. “Hats off to them. I’m proud to be racing in America.”

After Hamilton, Oscar Sevilla and Victor Hugo Peña helped Rock Racing pull back a number of small breakaways on the Sunset Loop, the 30-strong field came onto the streets of Downtown Redlands together. Following five laps of Saturdays’ criterium course, Alejandro Borrajo (Colavita-Sutter Home) won the field sprint ahead of Tony Cruz (BMC) and Rory Sutherland (Health Net presented by Maxxis).

Not everything went according to form on the day, though. Rock Racing’s Fred Rodriguez saw his chances to go for the stage win end when he lost control on a downhill, off-camber right-hand turn where a stream of water trickled across the course and slickened the pavement.

“Unfortunately, it was a situation that could have been avoided,” Rodriguez said while looking over his nearly head-to-toe road rash on his right side. “They should have figured out a way to keep that water off the course in what was already a dangerous turn.”

Pena said the ability to control the race at pivotal moments reminded him of his days of riding for another powerful team, the U.S. Postal Service squad. That squad won the Tour de France and several other major races.

“We are a strong team and as the season goes on, we’ll be teaching some of our younger guys how to do the things that made that team so good,” he said. “We’ll be very good this year.”

Moffatt Takes New Plymouth Gold

Australian Emma Moffatt ran away with today’s New Plymouth BG Triathlon World Cup and in the process asserted herself as the front runner for a spot on the highly competitive Australian Olympic team. She finished with a time of 2 hours, 1 minute and 1 second to collect her second career world cup title. She won’t be racing in Ishigaki next weekend and knew this was her final chance to impress Aussie Olympic selectors.

“I had a bit of pressure on myself for today to make sure I performed since and it was the last opportunity to do this, so I had to see what I could do and I guess I did it,” said Moffatt.

Just six seconds behind for the silver was Swede Lisa Norden who is enjoying a spectacular start to 2008 after taking bronze last week in Mooloolaba. It’s not only a breakthrough for Norden but also for the Team BG Elite Athlete Development Programme. Moffatt’s teammate and fellow Aussie Olympic hopeful Felicity Abram took the bronze for her first career world cup podium finish.

A large group of women exited the water closely bunched together including Moffatt and home favorites Samantha Warriner and Andrea Hewitt who was keen so consolidate her Olympic selection with a strong showing at home. They rode in the lead pack in the 40-kilometer bike leg with a number of others including Norden and Brit Andrea Whitcombe. In the final lap, Nicky Samuels, who was named an alternate to the New Zealand Olympic team, broke away from the field and rode into T2 herself. As Samuels headed out onto the 10-kilometer run course, she held a 35-second lead over chase pack which included Moffatt, Warriner, Norden, Felicity Abram, Liz Blatchford and Hewitt.

But Samuels wasn’t able to hold the lead in the run and within the first three kilometers, she was reeled in by strong runners Moffatt, Abram and Norden. The three ran together for most of the run until Moffatt showed off her strong finishing kick, crossing the line to take her second career world cup title. The victory adds to an already impressive 2008 season in which she has collected wins at the Oceania championships and at the Gold Coast.


2008 New Plymouth BG Triathlon World Cup
Elite Women – Unofficial Results
1.5km swim, 40km bike, 10km run
Gold – Emma Moffatt (AUS) 2:01:01
Silver – Lisa Norden (SWE) 2:01:07
Bronze – Felicity Abram (AUS) 2:01:16

Botero Holds On To Yellow At Redlands

Murmurs of Rock Racing filled downtown Redlands today as Stage Two of the Redlands Bicycle Classic brought cyclists one race away from their glory, with Santiago Botero of Rock Racing leading in overall points. Botero held onto his overall lead, but BMC's Jeff Louder won today's stage race, just ahead of Luis Alberto Amaran with Colavita Sutter Home/Cooking Light. Third across the line was Ivan Dominguez, from Toyota United. For the majority of the 1.2 mile, seven turn downtown Redlands criterium race, sponsored by 1st Centennial Bank/KWB Wealth Managers, four cyclists created the breakaway. Inside three laps to go, the stakes were high and the action non-stop as the original four reduced to three. As the pace accelerated to a blistering speeds, and the peloton continued to hunt down its 18 second lead on the field, Curtis Gunn, from Successful Living, and Shawn Milne of Team Type One crashed on the final lap, leaving third position up for grabs. Dominguez saw the opportunity and sprinted ahead of the pack. Louder felt the speed of today's race and was able to clinch onto his lead, despite the activity behind him. "It was a bit of a cat and mouse game," said Louder. "The rest of the group was coming hard. I led through the last half of the race and was just trying to keep it up. It was a tricky race. I'm not really a sprinter, but this race favors a strong technical rider. I don't have fast legs, but if I get in the lead group, like today, it works."

Another Day, Another Title for Chrissie Wellington

Reigning World Champion Chrissie Wellington took the 2008 Panthers Ironman Australia triathlon title in a time of 9:03:55.

Her third Ironman in under a year, and also her third Ironman win. Wellington continues to prove to the world she is a force to be reckoned with.

She dedicated the win to her family, and all the supporters lining the streets throughout the day.

Botero Solos Into Redlands Lead

Rock Racing's Botero Solos To Victory And Into The Overall Lead.
April 4 2008.
Beaumont, Calif. — Rock Racing’s Santiago Botero made the most of his first-ever victory in the United States Friday at Stage 1 of the Redlands Bicycle Classic.

In winning the 85-mile (138 km) Beaumont Circuit Race, Botero moved into the overall lead, he won the sprinter and the climber jerseys and he scored his first victory since capturing the Vuelta a Colombia last August.

“I am still not on my best form because I have only been training the past five months and I have not yet raced this year,” Botero said. “I wanted to win today for (Rock Racing Team Owner) Michael Ball, who gave me a chance to continue my career.”

Ball, who was one of the first to congratulate Botero at the finish line, said the victory solidifies his vision of making cycling even more exciting by bringing world-class talent to the domestic scene.

“What we did here was what would have happened at the Tour of California,” Ball said. “We were shortchanged and the fans were shortchanged. But there are more great things from this team to come.

“If they allow us to race domestically, you’re going to see results like this time and time again. We have a tremendous amount of talent that has come onto this team to support the guys we had last year.”

Botero, the 2002 world time trial champion and King of the Mountains in the 2000 Tour de France, leads the race by 54 seconds over Chris Baldwin (Toyota-United Pro Cycling). Francois Parisien (Symmetrics Cycling) is third overall, one minute and seven seconds behind.

Botero powered away from a group of five breakaway companions who had been off the front since the second of five laps around a 17-mile (27 km) circuit featuring more than 700 feet of climbing each lap.

The six gained a maximum lead of more than five minutes with about 30 miles (48 km) to go. But the chasing efforts of the Health Net and the BMC Pro Cycling teams trimmed the lead down to 3:10 with only one lap remaining.

Knowing the gap was coming down, Rock Racing Team Director Mariano Friedrick told the 35-year-old three-time Tour de France stage winner to attack.

“Mariano told me this was my opportunity,” Botero said. “He knew I had to get away from Sebastian Haedo because he is a good sprinter and we needed the bonus seconds on the finish line for me to take the lead.”

Botero’s initial acceleration quickly gained him a 25-second advantage over the five that he eventually stretched out to 52 seconds by the finish line. Haedo (Colavita/Sutter Home) finished second and Burke Swindlehurst (Bissell Pro Cycling Team) was third. Rock Racing’s Freddie Rodriguez took the field sprint for seventh place, 1:46 behind Botero’s winning time of 3:18:15.

Rock Racing now faces the task of defending the overall lead heading into the final two stages of the race: Saturday’s 1st Centennial Bank/KWB Wealth Managers Criterium and the Beaver Medical Group Sunset Road Race. Ball said there will be no repeat of the San Dimas Stage Race last weekend when Rock Racing’s Oscar Sevilla lost the overall lead on the final day criterium by one second.

“We have a very strong team overall – be it sprinting, climbing or time trialing,” Friedick said. “But it’s certainly going to be a fight to stay in the front during tomorrow’s criterium. We’ll work just as hard to defend the jersey as we did to take it.”

Ball said the sight of Botero wearing the yellow, green and red classification jerseys – all at the same time on the podium – whetted his appetite for even more success in what is the first men’s event on the National Race Calendar.

“What I’d love to see is for us to get all of the jerseys,” Ball said. “Freddie takes the sprinter jersey, Sevilla takes the climber jersey and Santiago takes the overall. I’d love to see Santiago, Oscar and one of our other guys in first second and third overall on Sunday. That would make me very happy.”

— RRC—

Despite rocky road, Hamilton enjoys the ride

After the Rock Racing team captain was prohibited from racing at the Amgen Tour of California and his team was not invited to this month’s Tour de Georgia, it would be understandable for Hamilton to be discouraged following Rock’s devastating loss of the race lead by one second in the final stage criterium of the San Dimas Stage Race on Sunday.

Not the case, Hamilton said Wednesday evening as he rode in a team car towards the Redlands Classic.

“I had a blast at San Dimas,” Hamilton said. “It was just fun pedaling out. I had a great time, especially during the road race on Saturday. It was hard as hell, those teams made it hard on us, but more than anything I was just happy to be racing. It was nice being back in the action.”

Sevilla took the leader’s jersey on the opening uphill time trial, and Rock defended the lead on an aggressive stage 2 road race that saw Rock on point from the start and resulted in three of its riders — Peter Dawson, Rahsaan Bahati and Adam Switters — riding the front until exhaustion, finishing below the time cut (5 percent of Colavita Olive Oil-Sutter Home rider Alejandro Borrajo’s stage-winning time.)

click on title link to read on.....

2008 Redlands Bicycle Classic Prologue

The 2008 Redlands Classic kicked off with a five kilometer prologue at Panorama Point, where Rory Sutherland (Health Net-Maxxis) stormed to the top in a time of 9:51 to win ahead of the Toyota-United pair Ben Day and Dominique Rollin.

"I think it is difficult to train for something specific like the Sun Time Trial," said the race winner who used his familiarity with the course to gain the seconds he needed to the victory. "You have to find your game in all areas to do well in a race like Redlands."

"I know this area because I lived here for a few months last year," Sutherland continued. "I'd had been looking at the course for a few days and I felt good today. Its been a while since I've had the power in my legs and I knew it would come back after Tour of California. But really your head had to be right and you had to have a bit of luck and have things fall into place here today."

Sutherland proved strongest on the day against a strong field of domestic racers like Day, Rollin (Toyota-United) and Ben Jacques-Maynes (Bissell) as well as seasoned European racing veterans like Oscar Sevilla and Victor Hugo Pena (Rock Racing).

"I think if people look at last week in San Dimas they can see that there is a lot of talent in the field and it is also a packed field," said Sutherland regarding last week's tactical stage race held in San Dimas. "I wouldn't say I was the favourite by a long stretch."

Sutherland noted that the Redlands Classic is notorious for being an unpredictable event where things can change in the last moment of the last stage. In last year's event, Andrew Bajadali took the lead in the Sunset circuit race on the final day.

"I think we are going to have to play it day by day," said Sutherland regarding his Health Net squad's strategy to maintain the overall. "There is something different in the new course that changes things a lot."

"The Toyota-United boys behind me here are also two of my really good friends and it would be nice to stay on the podium with them. But we also have a great group of guys, maybe not the strongest team on paper. But hey, today there were people predicted to win who didn't, so we'll see how it goes. We saw last year that it is a difficult race to predict – it's day by day, hour by hour."

Contador's Castilla y Leon Stage 4 Victory

Stadler's Team Training Camp in Mallorca

Normann Stadler and four of his Dresdner Kleinwort team mates have just finished another training camp in Mallorca. Normann Stadler, Jan Raphael, Markus Fachbach, Maik Twelsiek and Marino Vanhoenacker used the sunny island of Mallorca to get ready for the 2008 season. The Dresdner Kleinwort Triathlon Team took its base in Playa del Muro.

Normann Stadler: “That was a tough piece of work. I enjoyed very much working out with the boys because it is motivating and it fires me up. Besides the hard work, it was a lot of fun.”.