Stars of 2014: Simon Gerrans – Orica GreenEDGE

Simon Gerrans, a photo by www.instants-cyclistes.fr on Flickr.

The year has started with a bang for Simon Gerrans with victory in the Australian National Championship Elite men’s road race prior to winning the Santos Tour Down Under. Victory in the National Championships came after a lot of strong work from the Orica GreenEDGE team ensured Gerrans came to the finish in the lead group, from there he easily out-sprinted Cadel Evans and Richie Porte to the line. The Tour Down Under was more keenly contested and required Gerrans to draw on his all-round skill set and racing experience to edge home one second ahead of Evans. While not a sprinter per se, the key to the victory ultimately lay in Gerrans finishing speed enabling him to steal some time bonifications, whether at the finish or at the intermediate sprints. It let him pip Andre Greipel to win the opening stage, and finish 2nd the following day, one crucial place ahead of Evans again.

Gerrans, 33, has long been a puncheur of note, and should be considered one of the modern paragons of the style. Like all good puncheur’s he is a strong climber, able to stick with, or close to the purer climbers for an extended period, particularly on the shorter slopes. Also like all good puncheur’s he has a fast finish, capable of out-sprinting most of the riders who can survive those climbs and even taking on the top sprinters when the terrain has been tough enough to sap their legs and take the edge of their speed. It’s the ideal opportunists skill set and he has put it to good use over the years, racking up an impressive array of victories, mostly coming from a breakaway or select group of riders, perfect for many of cycling’s one-day classics. Gerrans career highlight is his Milan-San Remo victory in 2012, he has also won the GP Ouest France-Plouay and GP Cicliste de Montreal and has impressed in the Ardennes Classics, though two 3rd place finishes in the Amstel Gold Race are the closest he has come to winning there. Gerrans has won stages in all three Grand Tours, and last season added a second Tour de France stage victory to his palmares, after a mountainous stage on Corsica where he held off Peter Sagan in the sprint and took the Yellow Jersey.

So what lies ahead in 2014 for Gerrans? Many have suggested Milan-San Remo as an immediate objective, the new hillier finish should be even more suited to Gerrans and when he won it in 2012 he was coming of a similarly impressive start to the season. However with Gerrans aiming for the Ardennes Classics, having already hit form so early in the season, and the team having other strong riders suited to the race, I am not sure he will be the number one option for Orica at Milan-San Remo. Instead look for Gerrans to try and finally win in the Ardennes. A return to the Tour de France will certainly be on the cards but more intriguing is the possibility of Gerrans arriving at the World Championships in Ponferrada on this kind of form, the parcours certainly suits him. Whatever happens going forward Gerrans has already lit up the 2014 season and we can expect to see the Australian Champions jersey to the fore throughout the year.

2014 Rider Watch Update #2: Jens Voigt conquers Old Willunga Hill

Call me Ishmael. Some days ago I thought to watch a race, and whilst doing so witnessed a feat most exciting and enduring. Four cyclists saw I, approach a fearsome hill, an uncaring rock upon which a person’s dreams and desires may die. Unwaveringly Jens Voigt, Matteo Trentin and Mikhail Ignatiev threw themselves upon that merciless rock, intent on conquest; alas on that day poor Juan Jose Lobato had not the legs to match his spirit and fell victim to Old Willunga. Our intrepid trio made their way to the top, fighting the hill and sometimes each other on the way, until Voigt led them over the crest to great acclaim. There perhaps the tale should end, a tale of triumph, a victory for adventure, but human nature will not be bowed, nor a defeated rock remain defeated.

Once free of the cyclists Old Willunga stood proud and free, it’s unspoken challenge plain to all. Whilst all cyclists felt the need to test themselves against the slopes once again, for Jens Voigt, Old Willunga’s challenge was personal, and the desire to answer it all-consuming, so he responded the only way he could; he attacked. All that most maddens and torments; all that stirs up the lees; all truth with malice in it; all that cracks the sinews and cakes the brain; all the subtle demonisms of life and thought, all evil to crazy Voigt, were visibly personified, and made practically assailable in Old Willunga Hill. Even with the knowledge that he had not the strength to win this second ascent, he rode forward unwaveringly, eager to meet his fate. Towards Willunga Voigt rolled, the all-destroying but unconquering hill; one can imagine Voigt crying out “to the last I grapple with thee; from hell’s heart I stab at thee; for hate’s sake I spit my last breath at thee”.

However despite my trite borrowing from, and paraphrasing of Herman Melville’s classic, Jens Voigt is no Captain Ahab, and I am no Ishmael. Nor is Old Willunga a legendary whale, it is just a hill, and despite the exciting racing it brought us it doesn’t merit a comparison to Moby Dick. Melville’s tale was one of fatal obsession, an unhealthy quest for revenge that darkened its protagonist’s heart. None of which is directly applicable to what happened on stage five of the Santos Tour Down Under. Instead Voigt leading the race over the first ascent of Old Willunga Hill was greeted with joy from the crowds watching, the cult hero giving his fans something to celebrate on what promises to be his final race in Australia. The real flourish came with the final attack between the climbs, an attack that epitomised the career of Jens Voigt. Having used up his energy in the break, and knowing that escape would be impossible with the peloton speeding towards the decisive final climb, Voigt knew his attack would be futile but that didn’t matter. The attack wasn’t about winning the race, rather it was the continuation of his career long battle against his own body, against pain and physical limitations, the battle of mind over matter characterised in his trademark “Shut up legs!”, and you can hear a little more about that from Jens Voigt himself in the video below.

That personal battle does share some similarity with Ahab’s quest for vengeance and adds some legitimacy to the use of prose from Melville’s Moby-Dick. It takes an extraordinary level of willpower to master your body and resist the pain in that way; the desire to do so is not always a healthy trait or a normal one. To live your life that way over a prolonged period is to dance along a tightrope with obsession, to flirt with the disasters that can result from pushing too hard or far. Melville captured that idea when he wrote “For all men tragically great are made so through a certain morbidness. Be sure of this O young ambition, all mortal greatness is but disease”. Yet it’s that very desire to prove oneself, to overcome the pain and exhaustion, to fight on beyond any rational or reasonable point that makes Jens Voigt such an enduring figure. It is part of the fabric of many of the best cyclists, and best sports stars in general; part of what gives them the x-factor that allows them to succeed where other similarly gifted athletes cannot.

While Voigt may be a famous exponent of this brand of mental strength, he is certainly not the only member of the peloton, male or female, to possess it. Cycling is a sport of suffering and enduring, it is a sport of winning your own personal battles, battles which won’t always bring glory. That mindset can be found in the sprinters who scale the mountain well behind the leaders, overcoming their own climbing limitations, allowing them to remain in the race long enough to make it to the stages that do suit them. It can be found in the domestiques who use all their energy for their team leader, often long before the television coverage starts, the unsung heroes of the peloton. It can always be found in the unexpected Yellow Jersey wearer, who overachieves in the fight to hold onto that jersey as long as they can. Most of all it can be found in the breakaway experts, those riders who often launch themselves ahead of the peloton, always hoping that this will be the day when the break succeeds, the day they finally have the chance for some glory.

Jens Voigt didn’t have to do anything on stage five, having previously been in the break on stage three Voigt could have taken it easy knowing he had put on a bit of a show for the Australian fans. He would also lead the peloton for a while on the final stage, working for Trek’s sprint duo of Danny and Boy Van Poppel and giving the fans something else to cheer. However that desire to fight the battle against his own body won out, as it so often has. Barring a late change of heart, 2014 is set to be Voigt’s final season and they way he raced in Adelaide certainly had a valedictorian feel to it, as though he was determined to go out in style.

Related articles

2014 Rider Watch: Jens Voigt – Trek Factory Racing

Notes

As well as the line I quoted directly, I have paraphrased a few lines from Herman Melville’s Moby-Dick, not wanting to take any credit for something that isn’t mine I am typing the original quotes here

The book opens with “Call me Ishmael. Some years ago- never mind how long precisely- having little or no money in my purse, and nothing particular to interest me on shore, I thought I would sail about a little and see the watery part of the world.”

“All that most maddens and torments; all that stirs up the lees of things; all truth with malice in it; all that cracks the sinews and cakes the brain; all the subtle demonisms of life and thought; all evil, to crazy Ahab, were visibly personified, and made practically assailable in Moby Dick.”

“Towards thee I roll, thou all-destroying but unconquering whale; to the last I grapple with thee; from hell’s heart I stab at thee; for hate’s sake I spit my last breath at thee.”

King of the Sprints: update #1

This series will attempt to keep check on the top sprinters throughout the season and is really a continuation of an article about the three elite sprinters from last season, which can be found here https://procyclingkev.wordpress.com/2014/01/16/king-of-the-sprints-mark-cavendish-vs-andre-greipel-vs-marcel-kittel/

The first blood was drawn in the battle of the sprinters when Marcel Kittel (Giant-Shimano) beat Andre Greipel (Lotto Belisol) in the People’s Choice Classic, an unclassified criterium that is held prior to the start of the Tour Down Under. After some work on the front by Team Sky, Lotto Belisol hit the front a little early for this point of the season. I say a little early because the riders aren’t capable of sustaining the high effort on the front for as long a period of time as they will be able to in a few weeks, when the season is really hitting its stride. As it is Lotto Belisol seemed to run out of support riders too early so that when Jurgen Roelandts pulled over Greipel was launching his sprint from further than he’d like. Even so he hit the front hard putting a couple of bike lengths between himself and Kittel, and would normally be expected to win from there, but Kittel showed terrific acceleration to close the gap and take the win. It may not be a race that is important in the grand scheme of things but it offered confirmation of sorts of what had transpired in the Tour de France. There is a danger of reading too much into it, Greipel and his team made mistakes, and the season is just starting so no one is fully fit nor do they have enough racing in their legs, but even knowing all that Kittel still looked terrific. Australia’s great sprint hope Caleb Ewan, 19, managed an impressive 3rd and is certainly one to keep an eye out for later in the season when he joins Orica GreenEDGE.

The opening stage of the Tour Down Under also featured a sprint of sorts, though it was one with a tough run-in. Most of that difficulty came inside the final 15km when the peloton reached Menglers Hill, a 5.7km climb with a steep opening half followed by a more gradual uphill drag, tough enough to drop most of the sprinters. After the climb the peloton descended down towards the final kilometre, where there was another brief kick before an uphill drag to the finish line. Andre Greipel was surprised to find himself in contention but once again had to launch his sprint very early, Simon Gerrans was able to follow his wheel then beat him to the line. It was something of a shock to see Greipel lose like that, but opening up a sprint early and into a head wind is not a good combination and the slight incline definitely favoured a rider like Gerrans. Coming as it did, after a tough climb which had likely stretched Greipel to his limits, and with suggestions that he was over geared for the incline; well it’s not surprising that he didn’t have his usual speed. Greipel was certainly surprised to find himself in contention, he had actually been working for Adam Hansen on Menglers Hill, helping Hansen launch the attack that took the maximum KoM points, had Greipel been aiming for the stage win then he wouldn’t have wasted that energy.

While he can’t have been pleased to lose his first two outings in 2014, one feature of Greipel’s early season form has been his climbing, as he showed again on stages two and five. On the lumpy second stage Greipel was able to remain with the lead group and even rejoining it before a puncture forced him to lose contact on a late climb. That chase back onto the group was probably the difference between him trying to contest for the win and finishing 19th. On the fifth stage Greipel made it over Old Willunga Hill with the front group, surviving the fast paced ascent so that he could do a little work for Adam Hansen before the final climb. In my original article I mentioned that Greipel is the best climber of the elite sprinters and could transition to more of a classics rider, he has shown the ability to do well on the short steep hills in the Eneco Tour or in sections of the Ronde van Vlaanderen.

The fourth stage looked perfect for a bunch sprint, but the clever use of crosswinds robbed us of the anticipated showdown between Greipel and Kittel. It was a terrific move and the Lotto Belisol team definitely played their cards right, leaving behind Kittel along with the majority of the recognised sprinters in the race. As a result the run-in went smoothly, Lotto Belisol were able to wait until they were inside the final kilometre before opening up their lead out in earnest, allowing Jurge Roelandts to deliver Greipel almost to the line, ensuring victory in the process. So good was the lead out that Roelandts was able to claim 2nd place himself. Third went to Elia Viviani of Cannondale who showed terrific burst to recover from being badly positioned in the run in.

The sixth and final stage gave the sprinters one last chance but it failed to provide the showdown between Greipel and Kittel that everyone had been waiting for. Instead with Kittel and Giant-Shimano getting disorganised in the bunch behind, Lotto Belisol hit the front hard with a little over 1km to go. Marcel Sieberg lifted the pace and Jens Debusschere drove the peloton towards the line before letting Jurgen Roelandts provide Greipel with another terrific lead out. The Omega Pharma-Quick Step pairing of Mark Renshaw and Andy Fenn were well positioned behind Greipel and Renshaw tried to get a jump on him, but once Greipel opened up his sprint the contest was over. Michael Kolar, 21, the Tinkoff-Saxo sprinter finished 9th on the day, a solid result given this was his World Tour debut.

In the Tour de San Luis there were two bunch sprints, both were on uphill drags which changes the dynamic a little, though neither was a true uphill sprint. When the peloton arrived at the finish of stage three they were being led by Lampre-Merida, however once Mark Cavendish (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) opened up his lead out for Tom Boonen, those Lampre riders were left behind. Boonen hit the front hard and was looking good, but he couldn’t compete with the pace of Giacomo Nizzolo (Trek Factory Racing), who having manouvered around Cavendish, promptly accelerated to the line. Boonen sat up early, either hitting the wall or just knowing that Nizzolo had the win, and that let Francisco Ventoso (Movistar) pass him for second, and almost let Tyler Farrar (Garmin-Sharp) do the same.

On the final stage the Lampre-Merida team played a cannier game, letting the Cannondale team stretch out the peloton in an attempt to set up Peter Sagan, before launching their own sprint late. It was a more successful tactic as Sacha Modolo was able to claim his first win as a Lampre-Merida rider, with Sagan in second and Modolo’s team mate and lead out man Maximiliano Richeze rounding out the podium.

In summary: despite Marcel Kittel looking like he is the class sprinter in cycling right now, it was Andre Greipel and his Lotto Belisol team who have laid their marker down after this early flurry of racing. We can now look forward to the Tour of Dubai and a likely clash between Kittel and Cavendish in early February.

2014 the season so far: Race update #2

Santos Tour Down Under (World Tour)

The 3rd stage was all about Corkscrew Hill and Cadel Evans, as the former World Champion took charge of the race with a fierce attack on the hill, dropping all of his rivals and soloing away to win the stage and take the Ochre Jersey. A four man break went clear at the start of the stage but they weren’t given much leeway and the final two, Jens Voigt (Trek) and Andrei Grivko (Astana), were swept up by the peloton at the bottom of the climb. BMC then hit the front hard, driving the pace, shedding riders and providing the platform for Cadel Evans and Richie Porte to kick clear. That pair opened up a sizable gap but Porte was unable to stay on the wheel of Evans, who crested the climb alone and began the very fast descent to the finish. Porte was joined by Gerrans behind and they gave chase to no avail, being joined by eleven other riders on the flatter final sections and even missing out on the time bonification for the podium places as Nathan Haas (Garmin-Sharp) impressed finishing 2nd and Diego Ulissi (Lampre-Merida) took 3rd. As a result the race would appear to be between Evans, Gerrans (0:12) and Ulissi (0:15), and at this stage I found it hard to see a way back for either rider unless they could drop Evans on Old Willunga Hill.

However Orica GreenEDGE and Matt White weren’t so short sighted. Identifying the first intermediate sprint point on stage four as a possible target and shutting down the breakaway attempts en route, giving Gerrans the opportunity to take the three bonus seconds on offer and crucially bringing the deficit back under ten seconds. Although a five man break succeeded in escaping after that, the pace behind remained relatively high and picked up again in the cross winds as they approached the Myponga reservoir, splitting the peloton in two and dropping the majority of the sprinters, including Marcel Kittel (Giant-Shimano). None of the realistic GC contenders missed the move, though it did cost Kenny Elissonde (FDJ.fr) the lead in young rider’s classification. With Orica and Lotto Belisol driving the pace the break was swept up allowing Nathan Haas, Simon Gerrans and Diego Ulissi to take the time bonuses. Lotto Belisol led the peloton into the final kilometre, driving home at high pace to give Andre Greipel a straightforward sprint victory, while Gerrans and Orica finished the day satisfied to have taken back those five seconds on Cadel Evans, really setting up the next day’s showdown on Willunga Hill.

Stage five saw the peloton doing two long laps around McLaren Vale before finishing with a double ascent of Old Willunga Hill, a 3km climb at 7.4% and ramps over 10%, it is slightly gentler towards the top. After a brief flurry of action four strong riders went clear, they were Jens Voigt, Matteo Trentin (Omega Pharma-Quick Step), Mikhail Ignatyev (Katusha) and Juan Jose Lobato (Movistar). At first they were able to open up a significant gap but with relatively strong headwinds, tailwinds and crosswinds, depending upon which part of the lap the race was on, the peloton was often motoring along behind. All in all, the four leaders had to work hard to stay in front and it was significant that they did as they were able to sweep up all the bonus seconds on offer at the intermediate sprints, ensuring that the Ochre Jersey contest would come down to the finish atop Willunga. On the first ascent Lobato was dropped from the front group, while the peloton was led initially by Lotto Belisol, then by Garmin-Sharp who set a strong pace on the climb. Jens Voigt led the race over the climb, though more significant was Adam Hansen (Lotto) taking 5th which ensured he would win the King of the Mountains competition. Orica GreenEDGE took the lead as the peloton began the descent, setting a strong pace, driving the race down towards the second ascent while sweeping up the remaining breakaway riders. Jens Voigt had other ideas however and launched a final attack on the flat, though he would only stay away long enough to reach the base of the climb, where BMC assumed control. Evans team mates immediately set a high tempo, seeking to use the steep early section to dislodge Gerrans, it even worked at first as the small BMC unit broke free with only Porte, Ulissi and Wesley Sulzberger (Drapac) with them. Gerrans was able to bridge over before Porte and Evens launched attacks in a role reversal from the Corkscrew Hill, as this time it was Evans who was unable to follow the attack of Porte, no one could, allowing Porte to stay clear and take a fine victory. Inside the final kilometre Evans was caught by Gerrans and Ulissi, and they immediately went on the offensive with Ulissi finishing 2nd and Gerrans 3r. Evans was hurting, only managing to finish 6th on the day and losing the Ochre Jersey to Gerrans who takes a slender one second advantage into the final stage. I say a slender advantage but it is hard to see anyway that Evans could regain that second on the flat final stage.

Handily enough for Gerrans Evans couldn’t see a way to do that either, he just isn’t built to compete for the bonus seconds on a flat stage like this. Instead the race passed off without incident for the Jersey wearers, Simon Gerrans would win the Tour Down Under and the Points Jersey, making for a terrific Australia Day celebration for the Australian Champion. Adam Hansen won the King of the Mountains Jersey and Jack Haig (UniSA-Australia and Avanti Racing) took the Young Riders Classification, he will certainly have options if, as seems likely he chooses to go professional next year. The stage itself featured 18 laps of a 4.7km circuit, the break swept up the intermediate sprint points before being caught themselves. It ended in another one-sided sprint victory for Andre Greipel as the Lotto Belisol train was dominant, giving Greipel the perfect platform to improve his Santos Tour Down Under record to sixteen stage victories.

Tour de San Luis (2.1)

Stage three finished with a sprint on a slight uphill drag, Giacomo Nizzolo took a second successive victory for Trek Factory Racing with an impressive show of speed. Francisco Ventoso (Movistar) finished second while Tom Boonen (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) showed he is coming into form with his 3rd place finish.

The following day saw the race return to the mountains with the most significant climb of the race, the Alto el Amago. The peloton reached the foot of the climb together but had no answer to a blistering attack from Nairo Quintana (Movistar). Quintana won the stage and took back 4:15 on the race leader Phillip Gaimon, leaving Quintana a mere 0:04 behind, despite Gaimon doing well enough to finish 18th on the stage.

Stage five featured a 19.km individual time trial and an anticipated dual between Taylor Phinney (BMC) and Adriano Malori (Movistar), from which the Italian Malori emerged triumphant. Gaimon had hoped to use it to increase his lead over Quintana. However the Colombian finished 16th on the stage and 30 seconds ahead of Gaimon, taking the race lead for the first time with a 26 second lead over the American, it has been a valiant effort from Gaimon in his first race as a professional; however Quintana has simply been too good for him to hold off.

Stage six ended with the third and final summit finish of the race, the Mirador del Sol, the scene of the third win of the week for Trek Factory Racing and the second for Julian Arredondo. Arredondo burst away from Nairo Quintana and Sergio Godoy (San Luis Somos Todos) atop the climb, to seal victory. Gaimon finished 8th on the stage, 14 seconds down but defending his second place in the General Classification, and crediting the support of Tom Danielson with helping him remain so competitive in the race.

The final finish would be another sprint on an uphill drag, and just as they had done on stage three, Lampre-Merida came to the fore. They did so with more success this time though, leaving their charge late, as Maximiliano Richeze’s strong lead out gave Sacha Modolo the perfect platform to take victory, with Richeze finishing in 3rd place. The peloton had been brought to the finish by the Cannondale team who were trying to set up Peter Sagan for his first victory of the season, Sagan feel short and finished 2nd, but he had shown he was finding form with a solid time trial in stage five. Nairo Quintana won the overall race and the King of the Mountains classification, he was simply too strong on the climbs. There was also an early reward for Adam Yates (Orica GreenEDGE) who finished 11th overall and won the Young Riders classification, climbing well throughout.

2014 rider watch focus

TDU

Matt Goss: Strong work on the front for Simon Gerrans, leading him out for an intermediate sprint on stage four, helping to close the gap to Evans. This wasn’t a race where Goss would be able to chase his own ambitions but he was a strong support rider throughout.

Jens Voigt: A strong rider as always, in the break on stage three and repeated the feat in more impressive fashion on stage five, entertaining the crowds in the process.

Diego Ulissi: Remained firmly in the contest to win the Santos Tour Down Under, finishing 3rd on stage three and 2nd on stage five and ultimately finishing 3rd overall, five seconds behind Simon Gerrans. His star continues to rise.

Tour de San Luis

Taylor Phinney: fell just short on stage five, with the ITT being an early season target of his. Losing by two seconds to fellow time trial specialist Adriano Malori of Movistar, Phinney reckoned he got the gearing options wrong prior to the race which meant he couldn’t use his maximum power output on the fast downhill sections. However Malori is a fantastic time triallist in his own right, their next dual against the clock should take place in the opening stage of the Tour of Dubai, where Fabian Cancellara and Tony Martin will join them. Finishing 10th in the sprint on the final stage does show he has good early season form and he can build on that as the spring classics approach.

Jurgen Van den Broeck: Glad to be back racing, the Belgian was never going to win here (24th overall) but coming 13th in the ITT was a positive sign.

Moreno Moser: Evidently using the Tour de San Luis as training with his most notable performance being his 19th place finish in the ITT

2014 the season so far: Talking points #1

Injuries abound

We have only had two World Tour races and already a number of riders have went down with significant injuries. Even before the racing began Thomas Voeckler, Europcar, broke his collarbone again while out training, the same injury he picked up in the Amstel Gold Race last season, it robs the team of their top rider in Australia and also puts likely Voecklers form for the Classics in question. Italian climber Giovanni Visconti (Movistar) broke his leg during a pile up in the People’s Choice Classic, it will almost certainly force him out of Movistars Giro squad but he could be fit later in the season. Australian sprinter Chris Sutton (Team Sky) broke his wrist in the same incident, and while he impressively finished the race, in 4th place, he was forced out of the Tour Down Under. In the race itself Jose Joaquin Rojas (Movistar) broke a bone in his wrist, David Tanner (Belkin) broke his collar bone and several riders hit the dirt today, including Caleb Ewan (UniSA-Australia) who should be able to continue and Rafael Valls Ferri (Lampre-Merida) broke his arm and definitely won’t. You expect this sort of attrition in cycling but it seems unusually harsh to lose so many riders right from the start of the season.

Movistar unsure what to do with Nairo Quintana

It seemed clear a month ago, Quintana would ride the Giro, Alejandro Valverde would ride the Tour de France and both would probably ride the Vuelta. However as you can see here that narrative doesn’t appear to hold true anymore, if it ever did, instead it seems that Quintana is being pushed towards a return to the Tour de France to ensure the sponsor has their most exciting young rider contending for the biggest race of the year. That makes a great deal of sense, while the penultimate stage with it’s long ITT will be a serious handicap for Quintana, there are enough summit finishes for him to throw down the gauntlet to the other contenders. Even so the route for the Giro seems ideal for the Colombian, the flattish ITT is shorter, and there are steeper climbs where he can put serious time into the better time triallists. In short if Quintana rides the Giro he will have a great chance of winning it. If Movistar do switch Quintana to the Tour then they need to select a new leader for the Giro squad, do they choose Benat Intxausti and rearrange his race program accordingly, or do they take the chance on Eros Capecchi as an outright leader? As a fan I want to see Quintana back at the Tour de France, his presence would certainly make for a more exciting race, however I believed the original plan made even more sense and gave Movistar their best chance of winning a Grand Tour in 2014.

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2014 the season so far: Race update #1

Santos Tour Down Under (World Tour)

The first World Tour race of the season started with a bang as the recently crowned Australian National Champion, Simon Gerrans (Orica GreenEDGE) took the win and the race lead on home soil. The stage began in a predictable manner, with the two wild card teams getting a rider into a break, they were Will Clarke of Drapac Professional Cycling and Neil van der Ploeg of the Avanti Racing Team but here representing the UniSA-Australia team. Behind the break Team Sky controlled the pace for much of the day, as is their wont though there was no real reason for them to do so. The only flurries of activity came at the two intermediate sprint points where 3rd place and a one second time bonification were up for grabs, Simon Geschke (Giant-Shimano) took the first while Gerrans nabbed the second. The two leaders were caught before the race reached Menglers Hill and the peloton then hit the hill with speed, with Sky and then Garmin-Sharp setting a strong pace throughout, many riders were dropped as a result, including most of the sprinters. Towards the top a few riders tried to attack to take the KoM points, but they would go to Adam Hansen (Lotto Belisol) who had been brought to the front by Andre Greipel, Hansen then continued his attack on the descent down to the finish, but was brought back. Further attacks ensued but they were all back together when the race reached the ramp up to the finish line. Andre Greipel, who had surprisingly stayed in the front group, launched his sprint first but victory went to Gerrans who had taken Greipel’s wheel and beat him to the line. Gerrans wouldn’t normally be able to out sprint a rider like Greipel, but the tough run-in and a difficult uphill drag of a sprint gave him the chance, a chance that he took superbly.

Stage two followed a similar pattern as Will Clarke, Boy Van Poppel (Trek) and Campbell Flakemore (UniSA-Australia, though really from Avanti Racing) got themselves into the break. Clarke was seemingly chasing the KoM Jersey as he picked up maximum points and now sits level with Adam Hansen in the competition. The peloton were largely led by Orica GreenEDGE as they sought to protect the race leader Simon Gerrans, however they did receive some assistance from the Lotto Belisol team. The stage finished with two laps of a lumpy circuit around Stirling, and as the peloton swept up the break several riders tried to launch attacks, though none managed to stay clear for long. Numerous teams hit the front at pace in the run-in but it was Orica who were in charge in the final 500 metres with Daryl Impey leading out Simon Gerrans, that finishing stretch featured a couple of short but steep ramps to make it difficult for the sprinters. Gerrans was keeping an eye on Cadel Evans (BMC) to his right, and had another fast finisher to his left in Francesco Gavazzi (Astana), but he never saw the dangerous Diego Ulissi lurking behind him. Ulissi launched himself as soon as Impey pulled over, using the short ramp to get the most out of his explosive climbing skills and jumping clear of the others. It was a fine win for the Italian climber and the time bonification puts him 2nd in the GC and very much in contention.

Tour de San Luis (2.1)

The opening stage did not go at all to plan, the small teams, extreme heat and a stomach bug which has been making its way through the teams, all combined to create an opportunity for a break to succeed. Early in the race the Omega Pharma-Quick Step team found themselves with sole charge of controlling the peloton and trying to keep the five man break in check. It was tough for OPQS, but no others teams were willing to help bring Mark Cavendish to the finish since they lacked any confidence in their ability to beat him once there. When Alessandro Petacchi had to withdraw through illness, the OPQS team was reduced to five riders and simply stopped chasing, waiting until other teams came forward to assist with the chase, that took some time to happen and allowed the break to establish too much of an advantage. An unfortunate crash reduced the lead group to two, and Phillip Gaimon of Garmin-Sharp was able to break away from Emiliano Contreras in the run-in, winning his first race as a professional cyclist and taking a very healthy 4:35 advantage over the prerace favourites.

The second stage featured the first of three summit finishes in the race, the Mirador de Potrero de los Funes. This time the peloton refused to let the race slip from their grasp as Garmin-Sharp kept the breakaway under control to defend Gaimon’s lead. As a result the final members of the break were swept up before the climb, and the GC contenders could have their first skirmish, a skirmish which would be won by Julian Arredondo of Trek Factory Racing, who beat Peter Stetina (BMC) to the line to claim the first win for the new team. Nairo Quintana (Movistar) showed he was getting over his stomach problems by finishing 3rd, just ahead of John Darwin Atapuma (BMC). However none of them were able to make much of a dent into Phil Gaimon’s lead as he finished 15th, just 19 seconds down on Arredondo. I confess that I don’t know a huge amount about him, but I had seen that he had some good performances on stages full of climbing, such as coming 4th in the Monster of the Gila stage of the Tour of the Gila, so his advantage looks very healthy. One person who knows a lot more about Gaimon is Neal Rogers of Velonews and this is what he had to say about Gaimon yesterday.

http://velonews.competitor.com/2014/01/commentary/gaimons-win-the-culmination-of-unconventional-road-to-the-big-show_314180

The race has proven quite difficult to follow online, coverage mainly coming from some camera’s placed along the route, and tweets from teams who get information from the race. Follow @katushacycling and in Follow @Lotto_Belisol particular have proven to be very helpful with their tweeting of the latest news during the race.

2014 rider watch focus

While I have cover Ulissi’s success here, he isn’t the only member of my watch list in action in Australia. Both Matthew Goss (Orica) and Jens Voigt (Trek) have been stretching their legs as well, though that does appear to be the height of their personal ambitions thus far. Goss has been doing some work protecting Simon Gerrans and his Ochre Jersey, while Voigt’s most noticeable effort came in the People’s Choice Classic, prior to the race proper, where he closed down an early attack by an FDJ rider, shortly after frightening Richie Porte.

This means pain.. Jens getting another coffee before a crit start! #feeltherush #tdu http://t.co/5BDzZgqLyQ

— Richie Porte (@richie_porte) January 19, 2014

GCN have included Jens Voigt in their rider diaries for the Tour Down Under, you can see the first instalment below.

Meanwhile in Argentina Jurgen Van den Broeck (Lotto Belisol), Taylor Phinney (BMC) and Moreno Moser (Cannondale)are all getting their season underway and using the race to get some racing in their legs. Van den Broeck was 22nd on the first mountain top finish, a respectable performance for a rider who hasn’t raced in over six months, while Moser hasn’t shown anything so far. Phinney’s 14th place finish on the opening stage, the 7th finisher from the main peloton, shows he is here with some decent form, we will learn just how decent that form is during the ITT on Friday. It does make sense that Phinney will be a little ahead of the fitness curve as he has his mind on some early season targets, including the spring classics as you can see in this interview http://velonews.competitor.com/2014/01/news/after-an-illness-phinney-eyeing-tt-win-in-argentina_314207

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2014 Rider Watch Update #1: Diego Ulissi Triumphs in Stirling

It may only have been the second competitive race of the season, but Diego Ulissi (Lampre-Merida) was already up to speed. Taking a terrific victory on a lumpy run-in on stage two of the Tour Down Under, and setting himself up as a serious GC contender. Prior to the Tour Down Under Ulissi had downplayed his chances, it was so early in the season and he wasn’t sure how competitive he would be. However the first sign of his form came in the pre-race warm up event, the People’s Choice Classic, a Criterium race which certainly wouldn’t suit Ulissi’s skill set, yet he could be seen towards the front when the pace was increasing near the end of the race. Ulissi followed that by finishing 4th in the first stage of the Tour Down Under, losing out to the faster sprinters on an uphill drag. However the run-in to the finish in Stirling for the second stage was even tougher and there were several short ramps inside the final kilometre, making it possible for a punchy climber like Ulissi to steal away for the win. While Simon Gerrans was getting a good lead out from Daryl Impey, Ulissi had positioned himself perfectly, just tucked in behind Gerrans, Cadel Evans and Francesco Gavazzi. Ulissi then used one of the ramps as a springboard for his sprint, jumping clear of the others, once he hit the short ramp up to the line with a lead, he was never going to be caught. With a more significant climb to come tomorrow and an uphill finish on Saturday, Ulissi is very much in contention for the overall victory, but even if that doesn’t happen this has been an excellent start to his season.

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http://www.teamlampremerida.com/en/2013/12/trasferta-in-australia-per-il-debutto-stagionale/

2014 Rider Watch: Romain Bardet – AG2R La Mondiale

Tour de l’Ain, a photo by joménager on Flickr.

A gifted climber, Romain Bardet, 23, is part of the new wave of seriously talented French cyclists. As a junior and amateur he seemed best suited to being a puncheur, racking up good results in the hilly races, climbing pretty well but also showing enough speed to get into the mix in some of the bunch sprints. However as he has developed it has become increasingly clear that he can climb with the best and is at home in the high mountains; a terrific talent for sure. Bardet’s neo-pro season in 2012 went by without any huge results but a few strong performances, as well as plenty of races to ease him into the professional life. The first standout performance was in the Amstel Gold Race where Bardet finished 25th after managing to slip into a break of about ten riders. As the race sped up the break was slowly whittled down on the many hills, however Bardet managed to outlast all of his companions and was only caught by the peloton with around 7km to go. A few days later he was attacking again on a mountainous stage of the Tour of Turkey where the inclines were steep, finishing 4th on the stage and 4th overall in the race. In Il Lombardia Bardet made it into the break and was once again the last escapee to be caught, this time after a valiant effort to stay clear on the Ghisallo, the penultimate climb of the race.

In 2013 Romain Bardet took on a more prominent role for AG2R, and frequently helped animate races. He was aggressive in the Ardennes again, attacking on the slopes in La Fleche Wallonne prior to finishing 13th in Liege-Bastogne-Liege, with only five riders finishing ahead of the group Bardet was in. He was 4th overall in the Route du Sud, finishing in the lead group after crossing the tough Port de Bales. Later in the season Bardet won the Tour de L’Ain after attacking on the Col du Grand Colombier, another tough climb, then staying clear with Wout Poels to take the race lead. However the biggest performance of the year came in his debut at the Tour de France where Bardet finished 15th overall as the highest ranked French rider. That doesn’t tell the whole tale either, Bardet had been caught out in the winds on stage 13, losing roughly nine minutes on most of the riders around him on the GC, he had also been riding for the team leader JC Peraud, rather than protecting his own position. When Peraud crashed out on the stage 17 ITT, Bardet found himself sitting 20th overall, the team leader and needing to make up time in the three upcoming mountain stages. Bardet did just that, moving up in the GC after each stages, and finishing 11th on the climb to Semnoz, final summit finish. In fact Bardet did well on all four summit finishes, 14th on Ax 3 Domaines, 19th on Mont Ventoux and 16th on Aple d’Huez; impressive consistency from such a young rider.

Bardet has already been named a leader for the Tour de France this season, alongside Peraud and Betancur, and he should certainly return to the Ardennes. I expect another step forward from Bardet much like we saw in 2013 and this should translate to strong performances in some of the shorter stage races, possibly Paris-Nice or the Vuelta Ciclista al Pais Vasco as part of his build up for the Ardennes. Whatever his targets are he will certainly attack them with gusto and it should be fun to watch. If you want to follow Bardet on twitter click here Follow @romainbardet.

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2014 Team Preview – AG2R La Mondiale

AG2R La Mondiale have been going through something of a transformation over the past two seasons, trying to change their image within cycling. They had been regarded as lacking ambition, a team that was happy to put up a decent showing in the French races and to cobble together just enough World Tour points to avoid relegation from the top tier of cycling. It wasn’t always a fair criticism but there was an element of truth to it, and as a result the team saw the departure of several key riders and the recruitment and development of a new group of leaders. This year, if all goes to plan, they will go to the Tour de France with a stronger and more attack minded team than they have had in recent years, with a trio of genuine leaders, one of whom is a veteran while the others are exciting talents. The first of these leaders is thirty six year old Jean-Christophe Peraud, the former mountain biker came to the road late, only turning professional in 2010. He has proven himself to be a classic GC rider, a strong climber and very good time trialist, consistent but rarely posing a stage win threat. Peraud finished 9th overall in the 2011 Tour de France but crashes have robbed him of a chance to repeat that level of performance, last season he was sitting in 9th place when forced out of the race, robbing the team of its GC presence.The presence of that long ITT on the penultimate day will suit Peraud who should be able to claw back time on some of the other GC riders on that day, certainly another top ten finish seems possible.

Alongside and potentially eclipsing Peraud at the Tour de France should be Carlos Betancur, 24, an explosive Colombian climber who is entering his second season at AG2R. Betancur was sensational for a two month spell in 2013, finding form at the Vuelta Ciclista al Pais Vasco and keeping it until the end of the Giro d’Italia. Betancur finished 7th overall in the Vuelta Ciclista al Pais Vasco, having been 2nd on the 3rd stage after an epic slow motion sprint against Sergio Henao on a seriously steep finish. After that came the Ardennes and a 3rd place finish in La Fleche Wallonne, where he attacked too early, and a 4th place finish in Liege-Bastogne-Liege. Then the Giro where he finished 5th overall, won the White Jersey, recorded three 2nd place finishes and five top 4 finishes in total, a hugely impressive performance from the 23 year old. This season Betancur is aiming to return to the Ardennes in fine form and will then focus on the Tour de France, where he should excel, though the long ITT will be a concern. The third lead rider for the Tour de France should be Romain Bardet, 23. The gifted French climber finished 15th on his Tour de France debut in 2013 and will likely return as the team’s third option this year as part of his development into a true leader.

Last season AG2R added Italian Domenico Pozzovivo, 31, giving him a very belated debut as a World Tour rider and hoping that could improve the team’s results outside of France. Having previously recorded 8th and 9th overall finishes in the Giro, he will have been disappointed to finish 10th in 2013 while hampered by injuries, however he finished the season strong, with a 6th overall finish in the Vuelta and being much more involved in the racing. The diminutive Pozzovivo is one of the smallest riders in the peloton and very much a pure climber who is at his best when the climbs get steep. Despite his size he has proven to be able to hold his own against the clock, though his 3rd place finish in an ITT during the Vuelta was definitely better than normal from him. This year the first half of his season will again be aimed at success in the Giro, where he will hope to record his best ever finish. Veteran French rider Christophe Riblon, 33, has spent his entire career with AG2R. An attacking climber who has a proven ability to launch long range attacks in the mountains, winning two superb stages in the Tour de France that way; the first on Ax 3 Domaines in 2010, and the second on L’Alpe d’Huez last season. Riblon is at his best from a break, and has never shown the ability to remain competitive over a three week race, but he can be a contender for some of the shorter stage races. To support their leaders AG2R have a number of experienced climbing domestiques such as Maxime Bouet, Hubert Dupont, Matteo Montaguti, Mikael Cherel and Guillaume Bonnafond.

As well as the purer climbers listed above, AG2R always seem to have a number of strong all-rounders, riders who excel on the more rolling or hilly terrain, and make for excellent breakaway candidates as well as useful domestiques. The most notable of these riders is the veteran Italian Rinaldo Nocentini, 36, a good climber in his own right he finished 12th overall in the 2009 Tour de France. However Nocentini comes into his own on the shorter punchier climbs and can be competitive in the uphill sprints, making him an excellent one-day classic contender. In 2013 Nocentini was 3rd in Strade Bianche, 10th in La Fleche Wallonne, 13th in Liege-Bastogne-Liege, 2nd on uphill sprint stages in both the Vuelta a Burgos and Vuelta a Espana. Blel Kadri is a decent support climber but a more natural puncheur, as he showed when taking a fine solo win in Roma Maxima last season. Kadri started the Tour de France in fine form, escaping in breaks and managing to take the KoM jersey prior to the tour reaching the mountains proper. Powerful German time trialist Patrick Gretsch joins from Giant-Shimano, seeking a little more freedom to show his own skills outside of the ITTs and will be an asset to the leaders on the flatter stages. German Julian Kern, 24, enters his second professional season and will be hoping to start producing results, the former u23 European Champion is a promising puncheur. Other all rounders include Luxembourger Ben Gastauer, Canadian Hugo Houle, and promising French rider Axel Domont.

AG2R have a few fast men who are capable of picking up stage wins, but they lack a dominant sprinter. The diminutive veteran French sprinter Samuel Dumoulin, 33, took their only sprint victories in 2013. While Dumoulin struggles against the more powerful sprinters in the biggest bunch sprints, his size is a definite asset when climbing making him a strong opportunistic sprinter. Belarusian strongman sprinter Yauheni Hutarovich is a versatile and opportunistic sprinter capable of contesting the tougher sprint stages. Italian Davide Appollonio, 24, looked to be a highly promising young sprinter when he first made his name in the 2010 and 211 seasons, but the results and performances have cooled since then. AG2R also have the experienced Lloyd Mondory, young French sprinter Maxime Daniel and Lithuanian Gediminas Bagdonas as sprint or leadout out options.

A reinforced Classics unit.

Over the last few seasons AG2R have struggled to make a real impact in the Cobbled Classics, as a result the team have signed two strong riders who address that weakness. Experienced French classics specialist and strongman sprinter Sebastien Turgot, 29, joins from Europcar. In the past two seasons Turgot has finished 2nd (2012) and 10th (2013) in Paris-Roubaix, 8th in Ronde van Vaanderen (2013) and twice 10th in E3 Harelbeke. His 10th place finish in the most recent Hell of the North was impressive considering he suffered a puncture that forced him to lose contact with the lead group towards the end of the race. While Turgot will spend much of the season acting as a sprinter and working for the other sprinters, the team signed him for his Classics pedigree and that is where he will be expected to make an impact. Also joining from Europcar is Damien Gaudin, 27, a powerful rider and strong time trialist. Gaudin had an excellent Paris-Roubaix in 2013, finishing 5th after a race full of attacking riding as he wrestled his way clear of the peloton. Last season they added cyclo-cross rider Steve Chainel as a leader for the Classics, in 2012 Chainel had finished 8th in Gent-Wevelgem and 16th in Paris-Roubaix, then in 2013 for AG2R he was 17th in Paris Roubaix. Chainel will return to the cobbled races in 2014 alongside Turgot and Gaudin, as part of a stronger line-up for AG2R. The classics team will also include a number of the more physical sprinters, with Mondory, Hutarovich and Bagdonas all showing some degree of skill on the pave.

2014 outlook

AG2t La Mondiale are gearing up for success throughout the season with success in the Tour de France set to be the main objective given the strength of their lead riders. Expect to see them animate the racing throughout the spring, with Turgot and Gaudin on the pave, then Betancur, Nocentini and Bardet in the Ardennes. With the climbers at their disposal the team should also be competitive in many of the shorter stage races, Paris-Nice and the Criterium du Dauphine in particular.

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2014 Rider Watch: Rafal Majka – Tinkoff-Saxo

Rafal Majka, a photo by www.instants-cyclistes.fr on Flickr.

For Rafal Majka 2013 will always be the year when he announced his talent on the world stage, as the Polish climber made the most of his chance to lead the Saxo-Tinkoff team at the Giro. Majka had a relatively undistinguished neo-pro season in 2011, flashing potential towards the ends of the year and impressing the team when making his Grand Tour debut at the Vuelta. It was a solid season for a neo-pro and offered the promise of much more to come, but there were no standout results to suggest Majka was ready to star the following season. So it came as some surprise when Bjarne Riis announced that Majka would lead the team at the 2012 Giro, Majka was clearly a talented climber but it seemed to be a precipitous decision. Alas it wasn’t to be as an injury at the Volta Ciclista a Catalunya forced Majka off the bike for a couple of months and out of the Giro. Instead he rode the Vuelta again, as a strong domestique for the eventual winner Alberto Contador, while Majka had little opportunity for personal glory he still left a lasting impression through the quality of his climbing and his support work for Contador. This time it was less of a surprise when Riis said the Majka would get his delayed opportunity to lead at the Giro in 2013.

The season started late for Majka, as he wouldn’t race until the Volta Ciclista a Catalunya in late March and it’s likely he arrived in Napoli a little short of race fitness. However he was definitely up to speed by the time the race hit the high mountains, finishing 6th on the ascent of the Altopiano del Montasio and remained to the fore right through to his 7th overall finish. Majka had a back and forth battle for the White Jersey with Carlos Betancur, eventually losing out on the stage to Tre Cime de Lavaredo, the final summit finish where a combination of difficulty and the snow did just enough damage to cost him the White Jersey. Rafal Majka also excelled in his home race, the Tour de Pologne, where he took the lead on the second stage and held it for three days, eventually finishing 4th overall and winning the Points Jersey. Next up was a return to the Vuelta and a 19th overall finish despite working as a domestique for Nicolas Roche, doing particularly notable work on stages 15 and 19.Majka finished the season with two strong rides in hilly one-day races, finishing 2nd in Milan-Torino and 3rd in Il Lombardia.

This season’s plan looks eerily similar, with Majka again potentially starting his season as late as March and aiming squarely at a Giro/Vuelta combination. He will share leadership duties with Nicolas Roche in Italy and may find his hard work from last year’s Vuelta gets repaid by the Irishman if Majka is challenging for the lead. Already a terrific climber, the key to Majka’s progress as a GC rider will clearly be improving his time trialling, which needs some work. Watching Majka blossom as a Grand Tour rider will be fascinating, as will following his quest for a first professional win, he has been close but it just hasn’t happened yet.

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