Lance Armstrong - update

Transcription of telephone press conference with Lance Armstrong on Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Introduction made by Mark Higgins

Higgins: We’re headed over for a more elaborate CT-scan. It seems that after looking at the film here in the States it’s a little more serious than we had originally thought. It’s angulated and displaced a little more than a clean fracture so it’s not super-serious but we are going in for another scan.

The doctor is an Austin surgeon, Doug Elenz. He’s part of an Austin sports practice and will do the surgery for Lance on Wednesday [March 25, 2009]. It’s a mid-shaft clavicle fracture but a little more serious than we originally thought from the films that came over from Spain.

Question: Tell us about the next consultation and what the prospects are.

Lance Armstrong (LA): The first part wasn’t really a consultation. It was just when I went to the hospital and they took some film. The film wasn’t that clear and wasn’t that close up so we did more films here in his office and it showed the clavicle in quite a few more pieces than we originally thought. So now we’re going to CT it again.

Question: So there are multiple fractures as opposed to just one?

LA: I would say multiple pieces.

Question: What have you been told so far about how that might complicate surgery or recovery?

LA: We’re going to plate it at 7 AM tomorrow morning [Central Time Zone, USA]. He wants clearer images from the CT-scan so he really knows what he’s dealing with when he gets in there. There will definitely be a plate placed on the top of the clavicle so he can anatomically put all this stuff back together.

Question: Remove bone fragments too?

LA: I don’t know. I think they try to put the puzzle back together. Not sure about removing anything.

Question: Does this mean it will take longer to recover versus what you originally thought?

LA: The surgery is tomorrow morning. Once I get out of there I need 72-hours where I do absolutely nothing. And then he’ll check me again and then maybe 3-4 days later I can do some riding on an indoor trainer. Honestly if the surgery goes well and the plate fits nicely and all comes together, I don’t think it complicates things for the future anymore than the initial opinion.

Question: Does that mean four to six weeks or are you hearing a different time frame?

LA: That seems long. This is a very common cycling injury and you hear of guys able to race in two weeks and other guys that race two months later. So we’ll have to see how the recovery goes and make sure simple stuff doesn’t occur—we don’t want to get an infection or anything. Four to six weeks seems long to me but again, time will tell. Obviously the Giro is on people’s minds and that’s about five weeks away. In my opinion I think the Giro is still very doable.

Question: Is your training for the Tour still very doable?

LA: This is definitely a setback, there’s no doubt. It’s the biggest setback I’ve had in my cycling career so it’s a new experience for me. Fortunately I’ve done a lot of off-season work that I think will help me through this. I think my condition was really coming to a place where I was going to be able to ride at the front of the races and that’s good news/bad news. Bad news that I wasn’t able to show it in the races but the good news is that if you get injured with good form you can come back with decent form…you aren’t starting from rock bottom.

Question: You must be exhausted. What about your mindset and emotions and are you willing to ride the Giro at something other than a competitive level?

LA: I am exhausted, primarily from the stress of the crash but also the trip. I literally landed in Austin about an hour ago. It’s been a long couple of days so it’s hard to think about those things. But I can’t lie, these things have gone through my mind—how (will I) approach it? Will (I) even be able to approach it? Then again, we’ll know more in the next week. We’ll know a lot. Once we get the surgery done tomorrow, get out of there with those 72 hours of rest…the quicker I can get on the bike then we’ll know. Even if I went into the Giro underprepared and used it as preparation for other events I’d still be excited to go and do that.

Question: Did you know immediately that you’d broken it when you hit the ground?

LA: I’d never done this before. I knew it hurt like hell and whenever you have a big pain like that your mind tells you to feel it to make sure nothing is sticking out but at the same time you’re a little scared to feel it! So I took a quick brush with my hand over my collarbone and what I thought were cables from my radio in fact weren’t. So I realized then it was broken pretty good.

Question: Was there any moment of thought where you wondered if this comeback was cursed or questioning if you still wanted to do it?

LA: Lying in the ditch in that situation yesterday, yeah, yeah…but I think that’s normal. You’re lying there and asking ‘What the hell am I doing here?’ But I think perhaps that’s a normal reaction and I don’t feel that way today necessarily although I’m feeling a lot of pain and ready to get this behind me. It was a shock, definitely a shock and again I’ve raced bikes for a long, long time and never had anything like that.

Question: Were you pissed off?

LA: No, quite honestly, it’s part of racing and to go as long as I’ve gone without having something happening like this is basically a miracle. So when you’re sitting there (A) - in a helluva lot of pain and (B) - you sort of think it was bound to happen at some point. It’s not good timing but it certainly could be worse. And I look at it from a different perspective, just from the curve ball of my life and what my health has thrown me in the past. Lying in that ditch with a broken collarbone was a lot better than other health scares I’ve had.

Question: How did you choose this surgeon?

LA: It’s a pretty well-known practice here in town. Obviously we looked at places all around the country. Dr. Heiden in Salt Lake City is an old friend of mine. But I wanted to come home and do the surgery here. These guys have an outstanding reputation. I know people who have had work done there and quite frankly I don’t think it’s an overly-complicated procedure although it did just become a little more complicated in the last hour. I think it’s pretty straight forward.

Question: What will the doctors be doing tomorrow?

LA: Surgery at 7AM, which will take 2-3 hours depending on what he sees. Then I’ll be home tomorrow afternoon.

Question: Will you spend the recovery period in Austin?

LA: I’ll spend the 72 hours here, and my son has the pine wood derby in 10 days so I want to be here for that, so we’ll see after that.

DZ third in Castilla y Leon TT, Third overall!

David Zabriskie rode into third place in the general classification at Castilla y Leon, with a third place finish in the individual time trial. “I was a little rusty with no racing since the Tour of California and getting really sick,” Zabriskie said. “I felt good on the flats but not so good on the climb — I think that’s where I really lost time. Sitting in third is a good situation for us. I think we have three guys in top 10 so these are good things!”

Bruyneel: Armstrong could do Giro

Lance twittering his fans before taking off for Austin from the airport in Spain.

By Agence France Presse

Lance Armstrong will recover from a broken collarbone in time to bid for his eighth Tour de France crown in July, and may even compete in the Giro d'Italia in May, his team manager said
Tuesday.

"A broken collarbone in March does not change anything as regards the Tour de France," which starts on July 4, said Johan Bruyneel, the manager of Armstrong's Astana team.

"For the moment, we are sticking largely with the same schedule. He was going to be leaving for the U.S. after this race and then come back for the Giro, so for the moment nothing has changed," he told reporters before the start of the second stage of the Tour of Castilla y Leon in central Spain.

"Personally, I think it is still possible to take part in the Giro," which starts on May 9, but he is "still going to be less fit," said the Belgian.

Armstrong broke his collarbone when he fell along with several other riders about 20 kilometers (12 miles) from the finish line of the first stage of the Tour of Castilla y Leon on Monday.

His injury "changes the way we approach the season from now until the Tour de France," said Bruyneel. But "in terms of being there at start of the Tour, it changes nothing at all."

Armstrong meanwhile left Spain on Tuesday for his home in Texas.

Levi Leipheimer storms to the lead

American Levi Leipheimer took his Tour of California-winning form to Spain and demolished the competition in the stage two time trial in Palencia. The Astana rider completed the 28.2-kilometre test in 33:17 to take the overall lead ahead of his teammate and defending champion Alberto Contador. The Spaniard was second fastest with 33:35, while American David Zabriskie (Garmin-Slipstream) took third, four seconds slower.

The morning's leader, Joaquin Sobrino (Burgos Monumental - Castilla y Leon) was no match for the GC contenders and waved goodbye to the leader's jersey.

Results

1 Levi Leipheimer (USA) Astana 33.17
2 Alberto Contador (Spa) Astana 0.18
3 David Zabriskie (USA) Garmin-Slipstream 0.22
4 Denis Menchov (Spa) Rabobank 0.55


General classification after stage 2

1 Levi Leipheimer (USA) Astana 5.05.10
2 Alberto Contador (Spa) Astana 0.18
3 David Zabriskie (USA) Garmin-Slipstream 0.22
4 Denis Menchov (Spa) Rabobank 0.55

Faris Al Sultan Takes On The 6th Cape Epic

Now in its sixth year, the race will begin with a prologue on the slopes of Table Mountain in Capetown, South Africa, and will finish eight days and 685km later at the Lourensford Wine Estate in Somerset West.

1,200 athletes from 46 countries will participate in the African stage race, the only stage race categorized as hors categorie or "HC" by the UCI. Mountain bikers are coming all the way from nationsl like Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Japan, Israel, Mexico, Russia, Sweden and Venezuela to earn points and have an epic race experience. Throughout the week, the 600 two-person teams will climb 14,663 meters, the equivalent of two trips up Mount Everest.

Returning for the 2009 edition is a team time trial prologue of 16.5km on the slopes of the designated world heritage, site Table Mountain. Teams will depart at 30-second intervals and race against the clock to determine their start seeding for stage one, which begins in Gordon Bay the following day.

Fires raged across Table Mountain earlier this week and forced the cancellation of practice sessions on Thursday; however, practice sessions on Friday and the prologue itself on Saturday will continue as scheduled.

In 2006, the Cape Epic became the first ever team mountain bike stage race at which UCI points were awarded. The race's HC designation draws some of the sport's top racers, including World cross country champion Christoph Sauser, Olympic gold medallist Bart Brentjens, Olympic silver medallist Jose Hermida as well as the 2007 Cape Epic winners and runners up in 2008, Karl Platt and Stefan Sahm. The race will also see Under 23 UCI World Cup winner Burry Stander, Kevin Evans, and David George showcasing some of South Africa's best talents. Multiple-time World Champion and World Cup winner Alison Sydor is also expected to return.

The racers will team up to form duo men's, women's, mixed and masters teams.

The Cape Epic is a massive logistics project with organizers pitching over 1,400 tents per day and transporting 275 tons of equipment from stage town to stage town. Twenty-seven heavy-duty trucks and transporters and over 700 crew, volunteers and supplier representatives are involved in implementing the largest mountain bike stage race in the world.

Stage 1 - March 21: Capetown - Capetown, 19km
Stage 2 - March 22: Gordon's Bay - Villiersdorp, 112km
Stage 3 - March 23: Villiersdorp - Villiersdorp, 110km
Stage 4 - March 24: Villiersdorp - Greyton, 73km
Stage 5 - March 25: Greyton - Greyton , 114km
Stage 6 - March 26: Greyton - Oak Valley, 111km
Stage 7 - March 27: Oak Valley - Oak Valley, 86km
Stage 8 - March 28: Oak Valley - Lourensford, 60km

Comments From Lance Armstrong

Additional Comments from Lance Armstrong where a fracture of the middle third of the right collar bone was diagnosed:

- How did the crash happen?

“At the end of the race, people started to get a bit excited to win the race. Everybody wanted to be in the front and couple of guys crashed in front of me, crossed the wheels and I hit them over the top. It happens quick when it happens. It could have been worse, I suppose. I have road rash abrasions on right hip and arm but the big problem is the broken collarbone. I never had this before. It is pretty painful. Now we must have to see how it heals. I will go back to the US and there we will decide on surgery.”

- You must be very disappointed. Is the Giro participation in jeopardy?

“I am very disappointed. Very. Especially for the Giro. Now the biggest problem is the pain. It hurts. We will see. The guys in the hospital in Valladolid were great and very nice and helpful. But now I feel miserable. I need to relax a couple of days, fix the problem and make a plan. I hope I can tell you more about the Giro in a week.”

- You almost never crash.

“I was thinking the same thing in the hospital that this never happened in my 17 years of pro cycling. That’s cycling. It’s nobody’s fault. Crashes happen all the time. It is part of the job.”

Armstrong fractures collarbone

Lance Armstrong crashed and fractured his right collarbone today in the opening day of the Castilla y León stage race in Spain. The American of team Astana retired from the stage via an ambulance to a hospital in Valladolid.

Armstrong, 37, was in the main group near kilometre 160 of the 176.3-kilometres stage from Paredes De Nava to Baltanás. His group was going at a fast pace over narrow roads in pursuit of the four-man escape. He came down with a group of around 30 riders.

"Two riders crashed in front of me and I was not able to avoid them," Armstrong said to La Gazzetta dello Sport's Luigi Perna. "It the first time in my career I fractured my collarbone and I can tell you it hurts a lot."

Doctors verified that it is a clean fracture, meaning his recovery should be quick. Armstrong, who should face operation for his injury, has made contact with specialists in the United States. He should check out of the hospital this evening and is likely to travel back home to Texas.

Armstrong is preparing for the Giro d'Italia, May 9 to 31, and the Tour de France, July 4 to 26. He returned to the sport this year after a three-year retirement following his seventh Tour de France win.

"This is racing. Give me a few days to think about what I have to do. I am upset, it is a big problem ahead of the Giro d'Italia."

A broken collarbone typically needs four to six weeks for recovery, which would leave him in jeopardy for the Giro del Trentino, April 22 to 25. It would also compromise his form for the Giro d'Italia.

"I didn't see the crash," said Armstrong's former teammate Tom Danielson (Garmin-Slipstream). "It was after a climb and [Alejandro] Valverde's team attacked in the crosswind. I think the whole peloton freaked out and people were doing dumb moves to try not to get dropped. That's what I bet caused the crash."

Armstrong started his 2009 season with the Tour Down Under and Tour of California. He made his first racing return to Europe Saturday at the Milano-Sanremo, finishing 125th.

Castilla y León was the first race of the season together for Armstrong and Alberto Contador, winner of all three Grand Tours. The race was to be a time to sort out tactics prior to the Tour de France. The two last met in California for a team training camp, February 1 to 10.

Armstrong's career has been relatively injury-free. His most memorable incident came during the 2003 Tour de France stage to Luz-Ardiden when he hooked his handlebar on a fan's bag and crashed. That day he got back on his bike and won the stage and went on to win his fifth Tour.

Since his comeback, luck has not been on Armstrong's side. He crashed on the first stage of Tour of California, and then again the very next day he went down again when his personal photographer's motorcycle crashed on the second stage.

His most serious injury came in 2000, when he crashed while training in Nice, France. He fractured a vertebra in his neck. This healed in time for him to be able to take part in the Olympic Games in Sydney.

Contador At The Vuelta A Castilla Y Leon

Tomorrow Alberto Contador will begin his third contest of the season, the Vuelta a Castilla y León. He's especially looking forward to his first race back in Spain, his home country. Contador, who has won the last two editions of Castilla y León, sees this race as relaxed and particularly appealing. “It’s a region that, you might say, is very familiar to me,” said Contador.

Are you looking forward to racing in Spain again?

Yes, of course, especially at Castilla y León, which is a race I really like. I’ve ridden it several times and it’s gone very well.

What are your feelings on the eve of battle? Are you thinking about a third consecutive victory?

I’m motivated and ready to race, but I see this edition as very difficult, because everything depends on the 28-kilometer time trial, since the mountain finishes will be for arriving in the group. I’ll do a test on the day of the time trial and we’ll just see what happens then, but in principle this route is better for Leipheimer.

Are you familiar with the stages?

I’ve been finding out about the route, and it’s different from past years. The time trial is flat and longer than at other times, while the mountains are not as hard, with the big summits quite spread out. It’s a less-suitable route for me.

You’ll be together with Leipheimer and Armstrong for the first time. Is this a trial run for the Tour, or a coincidence?

It’s a coincidence, but it will help us see how things go in a race, although you can’t really consider it a test because it’s different here, and although we intend to win if we can, there’s not the same pressure. Whatever happens, it’ll be good to be sharing the team, plus the press will relax a little when they see us together.

At Paris-Nice and in Tirreno-Adriatico, the general classification slipped away. Will that influence tactics at Castilla y León?

If a situation occurs in this race like at Paris-Nice or Tirreno, I think that with the strength of this team it’ll be a little easier to hold on to the leadership. But this is no more than another race for preparation…If we win, that’s the best thing, but if we don’t, it’s nothing to worry about.

How do you feel at this point in the year—better than in 2008?

The truth is that I feel really well, very happy with how the season is going and about my results so far, in spite of not winning Paris-Nice, because you can’t always win. I’m very happy with my preparation and I feel rested, physically and mentally. My results leave me confident and calm about continuing prep for the Tour de France.

The roster for this race is spectacular. Who are the favorites?

There’s more than enough to talk about on this list of names: all of them are clearly favorites. Above all, the race is riding on the time trial, and the best of the specialists will be there, like Zabriskie, Vandevelde, Rubén Plaza, Menchov, Valverde, Gutiérrez, Armstrong, Leipheimer… There’s a ton of great riders who’re going, and they’ll make the fight for victory a tough one. The favorites in the time trial are also the favorites for the overall win.

Astana Cycling Team in Castilla y León: Lance Armstrong, Alberto Contador, Jesús Hernández, Levi Leipheimer, Benjamín Noval, José Luis Rubiera, Tomas Vaitkus, Haimar Zubeldia.

Directors: Sean Yates, Viatcheslav Ekimov.

Armstrong to take on Contador, Sastre in Spain

PALENCIA, Spain (AP)—Lance Armstrong will race against the past two Tour de France winners when the five-day Vuelta of Castilla and Leon begins Monday.

The seven-time Tour champion will line up against Spanish cyclists Carlos Sastre (2008) and Alberto Contador (2007) for the first time since his return this season after three and a half years in retirement.

The 37-year-old Armstrong finished 125th in the Milan-San Remo classic on Saturday, his first race in Europe since his comeback from retirement.

“(The race) will give me a real indication of where I am. I think we’re on schedule,” Armstrong said.

Also taking part in the race are Levi Leipheimer, Denis Menchov and Alejandro Valverde, who testified before the Italian Olympic Committee last month in connection with the Operation Puerto doping scandal.

Armstrong has declared that his goal is to win the Tour de France again in July, but it is unclear whether he will be the top rider for Astana with Contador on the team.

Contador, who has won the past two Castilla Leon races, was unable to defend his Tour title in 2008 because of Astana’s doping scandals the previous year. However, he did win the Giro d’Italia and Spanish Vuelta.

Before the Milan race, Armstrong played down comments he made last week suggesting Contador “still has a lot to learn.”

Armstrong said he planned to sit down with Contador to smooth things out.

The race kicks off with a mostly flat 104-mile ride between the towns of Paredes de Nava and Baltanas.

Crowie Tops Macca at Singapore 70.3

by Brad Culp

There's no need for reigning Kona champ Craig Alexander to fear the post-world championship hangover. Pitted against 2007 Kona champ Chris McCormack at this weekend's Aviva Ironman 70.3 Singapore, Crowie finished the race with a blistering 1:12:46 run--enough to top Macca by three minutes for the overall win.

Another Aussie, Pete Jacobs, dominated the first two legs of the race, and entered the second transition with a small gap on countryman Simon Thompson. Unfortunately for Jacobs and Thompson, their gap on Crowie and Macca disappeared within the first of two run laps, with Alexander leading the charge. Macca ran his way up to second, but never really contested Crowie for the win. Jacobs and Thompson finished third and fourth, respectively, completing the one-two-three-four sweep for Australia.

In the women's race, the pre-race focus was on last year's Hawaii runner-up Yvonne Van Vlerken of the Netherlands, but unfortunately for the Dutchwoman, a flat tire forced her to drop out of the race during the bike leg. It seems unlikely that Van Vlerken would've contested Brit Jodie Swallow for the overall win though, as the former short-course standout finished in 4:19:10--11 minutes ahead of runner-up Andrea Hewitt.

Van Vlerken wasn't the only top female with a little bad luck in the world's largest shipping port, as Aussie Rebekah Keat headed to the medical tent just a few minutes into the race after having a bad run-in with a pack of jellyfish. As Swallow streteched her lead throughout the flat-and-fast bike leg, Hewitt and the Czech Republic's Tereza Macel did their best not to fall too far behind.

With the result never really in doubt, Swallow crossed the line just behind the pro men, with Hewitt making her way to the finish 11 minutes later. Macel completed the podium, finishing just 17 seconds back of the Kiwi.

Singapore Ironman 70.3 Singapore

March 22, 2009

1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike, 13.1-mile run

Men

1. Craig Alexander (AUS) 3:47:23

2. Chris McCormack (AUS) 3:50:41

3. Simon Thompson (AUS) 3:54:27

4. Pete Jacobs (AUS) 3:56:17

5. Reinaldo Colucci (BRA) 3:58:24

Women

1. Jodie Swallow (GBR) 4:19:10

2. Andrea Hewitt (NZL) 4:30:24

3. Tereza Macel (CZE) 4:30:41

4. Lucie Zelenkova (CZE) 4:40:38

5. Kate Major (AUS) 4:44:29

Biking champ to lend star power to charity ride

By Jeffrey Sheban

Lance Armstrong will ride 100 miles to Athens as honorary chairman of the Pelotonia Tour.

One month after his much-anticipated Tour de France comeback in July, cycling legend Lance Armstrong will set the pace in the first Columbus-to-Athens charity ride for cancer research.

Armstrong, who captured the world's imagination by beating testicular cancer, then winning a record seven consecutive Tours, will ride in the Pelotonia Tour in late August and serve as honorary chairman.

"This means everything to us," said Tom Lennox, executive director of the event. "His involvement will attract more cyclists so we can raise more money."

The tour, named for peloton, or the main pack of riders in a cycling race, is a collaboration between NetJets Inc. and Ohio State University's Comprehensive Cancer Center, including the Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital.

Organizers hope to raise $40 million in the event's first five years for cancer research at OSU. NetJets is donating $12.5 million to sponsor the tour and cover expenses so all proceeds can go to research.

"I'm coming back to Columbus to support my friends at the James and NetJets," said Armstrong, who is in Italy this weekend for a race and responded to questions by e-mail.

"I am honored to be part of the inaugural Pelotonia Tour and inspired by the commitment NetJets is making."

Doug Ulman, president and chief executive officer of the Lance Armstrong Foundation in Austin, Texas, and a close friend of the athlete, said that with Armstrong's renewed focus on competitive racing, the Pelotonia Tour is among the few charity events he'll participate in this year.

"We see Ohio as a really important location for national issues and dialogue," said Ulman, adding that representatives of more than 30 countries have requested appearances by Armstrong since the cyclist emerged from retirement in January.

In Columbus, Armstrong will join an expected 2,250 other riders. They will choose routes of 50, 100 or 180 miles, starting Aug. 29 from the lawn of Chemical Abstracts Service near OSU. All are required to secure donations of $1,000, $1,500 or $2,000, depending on the route.

Armstrong, 37, will ride 100 miles to Athens but not make the return trip. As master of ceremonies, he'll offer opening remarks, start the other riders and then get on his bike.

"And he's agreed to raise the $1,500, just like the rest of us," Lennox said.

Against overwhelming odds, Armstrong survived testicular cancer that had spread to his brain and lungs, then became the only person to win cycling's most famous race, the Tour de France, seven times (from 1999 to 2005). He retired after the last win.

In retirement, he has focused his efforts on the Lance Armstrong Foundation, which supports people affected by cancer and pushes for cancer-research funding. The foundation has raised $300 million in the past 11 years.

He launched his racing comeback two months ago in Australia, with the goal of competing in the 2009 Tour de France, which begins July 4 in Monaco.

Ulman, himself a cancer survivor, said Armstrong will use the professional racing circuit as a forum for cancer awareness. He plans to compete in Italy, South Africa and Mexico, specifically because a cancer diagnosis carries a stigma in those countries.

"He still wants to win races, but to him, the results on the bike are not as important as the results of the global campaign," Ulman said.

Armstrong is no stranger to Columbus.

Last year, his foundation held its annual Livestrong cancer-awareness summit at Ohio State. The cyclist is friends with OSU President E. Gordon Gee and Dr. Michael Caligiuri, chief executive of the James -- both of whom will ride in the first Pelotonia.

"For Lance, cancer awareness has become the main mission," Caligiuri said. "The athletics becomes a means by which the mission is supported."

Armstrong emphasized that the Pelotonia Tour is a ride, not a race.

"This is a great ride no matter what your experience level, and I would encourage everyone to come out and support this," he said.

"If you don't have biking experience, come out and volunteer. There are plenty of ways to get involved."

For more information or to register to ride, volunteer or support a rider, visit www.pelotonia.org .

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.