Prestigio: Dieci Colli Bolognesi dominated by ex pros

BOLOGNA - The second Prestigio event of the season was determined by four riders of whom Sergio Barbero and Alex Bazhenov - the winner of the GF Selle Italia last month - took the first two steps on the podium. Both were solid elite riders up until two years ago. Ersilio Fantini and Jamie Burrow were three and four, while Emmanuele Negrini grabbed fifth place over three minutes later. Timothy David Jones was ninth and in the same second group as Negrini. The women's race was won by Barbara Lancioni.

Also in Italy last weekend, the GF delle Alpi in Sondrio (Valtellina) was won by established climber Stefano Sala. He held a three-minute advantage over Corradini and Giacomazzi.

Michel Snel wins Shimano Fiets Challenge

VAALS (NL) - French-based Dutchman Michel Snel took top honours at the Shimano Fiets Challenge in Vaals yesterday, winning the 150 km cyclosportive with a 2'16" lead over Sjef Graafmans and Koen Beijens. The women's event was won by Esther Olthuis. The road event saw more than 1000 participants.

German Cycling Cup - For the last time Rund um den Turm?

FRANKFURT - German pro cycling is in a deep crisis and even the biggest German spring classic, Rund um den Henninger Turm, is feeling the effects of the many doping revelations of the past years. The main sponsor of the race, traditionally held on 1 May, is pulling out after the 2008 edition and organiser Bernd Moos-Aschenbach has not found a successor yet. So, we may see the professional peloton in Frankfurt for the final time tomorrow...

Contrary to the malaise in pro cycling, the cyclo scene is booming tremendously in Germany. The organisers in Göttingen again had a new attendance record last weekend, and also for the VeloTour over 4000 riders are expected to start tomorrow. It will be the third out of nine events of the German Cycling Cup.

The ECB Cyclosports Team will consist of Elin Amundsen, Morten Hansen, Guus van Domburg, Alan Richardson, Patrick Hess and myself. Elin will aim for victory in the 75 km flat event.

German Cycling Cup: Superb event in Göttingen

Göttingen - The second leg of the German Cycling Cup, the Tour d' Energie in Göttingen, once again delivered the goods. Splendid organisation, great course and, finally, sublime race weather as well!

The men's 85km race was won by youngster Tilo Breuer who nicked the already celebrating Jan Niclas Grosse on the line à la Freire in Milan-Sanremo 2004 or à la Cavendish in this year's Scheldeprijs. A group of about 30 riders stormed to the line after the series of climbs around Dransfeld had dropped some well-known riders of the Series.

The women's event was won by Manuela Haverkamp, who got rid of Frankfurt starlet Elin Amundsen on the Hoher Hagen climb. Elin did manage to stay ahead of Remi Brunner of Frankfurt/Bad Vilbel for second place. Annika Grüber did and won the 45km distance as she is still recovering from a knee injury.

Apart from Elin, two other ECB riders were at the start last Sunday. I myself came in with the leading group as 22nd, while Morten Hansen took 464th place out of 1300 participants on the 85km distance.

More info on other riders based in the Frankfurt area is coming up soon.

Attractive Deutschland Tour announced

At last the three stages of the Deutschland Tour for jedermann have been officially announced. It is a very attractive trio spread over two weekends. Starting with the Mountain Challenge in Fügen (Austria) on 30 August, and followed one day later by the Raceday around Hesselberg (Bayern) the tour will end with the Skoda time trial in Bremen on 6 September - one day before the event in Hamburg.

The Mountain Challenge in Zillertal contains 3100 Hm over 120 km. That's a lot of climbing!

More info on the website.

Prestigio - GF Selle Italia: Bazhenov wins solo

CERVIA (IT) - Russian ex pro Alexandr Bazhenov of the Team ParkPre Guru has won the first Prestigio event of the 2008 season in style, finishing 2'26"ahead of Michel Chocol and 4'22" ahead of Maurizio Frigo. Bazhenov was still riding in the Italian continental team Naturino in 2006 (...). he also rode for Domina Vacanze a few years ago. Emmanuele Negrini came 9th in Cervia, and Sergio Barbero - a former Mercatone Uno rider and domestique of Pantani - crossed the line in 10th place.

The women's race saw Barbara Lancioni beating Monica Bandini and Monia Gallucci.

The next Prestigio event is the Dieci Colli Bolognesi on 1 May.

Flanders: Museeuw and Bartoli riding the 260 km!

An interesting feature of tomorrow's cyclosportive version of the Tour of Flanders will be the presence of the two greatest classics stars of the nineties: Johan Museeuw and Michele Bartoli! Museeuw is a triple winner of Flanders, while Bartoli won the race in 1996. Both ex pros have kept themselves in shape since their retirements and they will both be riding the 260 km cyclotour tomorrow.

Bartoli is leading a team of Italian cyclotourists coming over for the weekend, while Museeuw is supposed to guide one of the finalists of the Miss Sports Belgium contest. The question is: will the old vibes return and how will these antagonists react when they see each other on the road, let alone the Koppenberg :-)!

The cyclotour will see a host of famous ex pros (Van Petegem, Vanderaerden, Mattan,...) and other Belgian celebrities on the course throughout the day.

Tour of Flanders: Five key points for the lay man

If you are new to the Ronde van Vlaanderen, you may be wondering what all these hills or hellingen are all about. There is indeed no event to compare the Tour of Flanders with. Paris-Roubaix has many more cobblestones but no hills worth mentioning. In Flanders, you have cobbles and climbs, and its the latter that will make your day in the saddle difficult. Below are five key points of the Tour, which you may wish to save on your hard disk for Saturday.

1) Molenberg

Fact sheet

The third climb for those who do the full distance, but the first for the majority of riders, who do the 140 km tour. The first time you come here, the Molenberg hits you totally unexpectedly. You take a sharp right off a main road and you are immediately on a narrow and steep path with cobblestones in mediocre condition. The climb is short - only 350m - but if you didn't shift to your 39x19 or smaller before the corner you are in for a surprise. In the professional race this is a standard spot for crashes.

2) Kerkgate - Mater

Fact sheet

Arguably the toughest stretch of cobblestones. 2400 metres long and false flat uphill. This one is to take in sheer power to keep a good momentum. Your hands will hurt at the end of the stretch, but the food & beverage stop in Oudenaarde is now close by.

3) Oude Kwaremont-Paterberg-Koppenberg

Fact sheet Oude Kwaremont
Fact sheet Paterberg
Fact sheet Koppenberg

These three classic climbs succeed each other very quickly, your time to recover is very limited indeed. And to make things better: these are three of the toughest cobbled climbs of all, with the Pater and the Koppenberg offering parts with a gradient of over 20%! The Koppenberg is making a re-entry in the Tour this year, following a thorough restoration of the cobblestones last winter. In the 2006 professional race, only about 20 riders managed to stay on the bike. Conquering the Koppenberg is a feat by itself. This is your real test for the day. If you get over the Koppenberg without blowing yourself up, you will tackle the following climbs with a comfortable feeling.

4) Taaienberg

Fact sheet

Always in the shadow of the Muur van Geraardsbergen and the previously mentioned climbs, the Taaienberg is nevertheless a hard nut to crack. It has a very short 15% bit in the middle that often disrupts your rhythm. The Taaienberg has become a favourite climb for Tom Boonen to launch an attack.

5) Kapelmuur

Fact sheet

This is the last really tough climb, 20 km from the finish. It is quite long with 1075 metres and an average of 9%, and it ends with a steep cobblestone stretch that leads to a chapel. This is the place were the favourites in the pro race drop their bombs. The Bosberg still follows this climb some four kilometres down the road, but if you've done the Muur you've had the worst behind you.

Tour of Flanders gets a very international flavour!

BRUGES - The cyclotour version of the Tour of Flanders will once again see between 14, 000 and 18, 000 riders in the saddle this Saturday, 5 April. The Ronde gets an increasingly international flavour as well. A little survey on the pre-registrations show 43 Americans, but also 12 Japanese, 4 Chinese, 5 Canadians, 8 Brazilians and even a few riders from Uganda, Korea and Algeria! 15% of the peloton will consist of riders from Holland.

The ECB Cyclosports team will also be present in Flanders again with five scheduled riders. Morten Hansen and Kris Van de Velde will attempt the full distance of 260 km, while Guus Van Domburg, Michael Schneider and Gideon Fourie aim at the 140 km distance which includes all the highlights.
The five will use Oudenaarde as their base for the weekend, with the hotel window offering a fine view of the Koppenberg :-)

The weather forecast is currently not so optimistic for good weather. It will most likely be chilly and windy, but whether or not there will be rain remains uncertain.

More info on the Ronde van Vlaanderen can be found on this website.

Support Agapedia and win a Red Bull racebike!

Rose Versand, sponsor of Team Agapedia-Münsterland, is organising a "Gewinnspiel" with a brand new Red Bull racebike as prize! All you need to do is order the catalogue of the shop to be eligible for the prize. You can download this PDF form to order the catalogue.

Not only do you get a chance to win a racebike, but you also help the Agapedia Foundation, because for every new customer coming from this prize contest, Rose Versand will transfer a noticeable sum to Agapedia. More information on this action will follow throughout the cycling season.

Guus conquers Mont Ventoux!

Dutch ECB rider Guus Van Domburg has added a significant name to his growing mountain record last week: Mont Ventoux, the nearly 2000m high giant of the Provence. Guus did the classic ascent starting from Bedouin, where it was still 23 degrees. On the top it was close to zero. Due to strong winds and icy roads, Guus could not go beyond post 1752, but there will certainly be a next time!
Guus is also preparing for his first Tour of Flanders on 5 April. His programme this season also includes the Amstel Gold Tour, Le Nove Colli, GP Schwarzwald and Dreiländergiro.

Köln cancelled, Morten does 160k in Ilbenstadt!

While the 100th anniversary edition of Rund um Köln got cancelled due to the heavy snowfall, ECB rider Morten Hansen managed to put in 160 km last Monday! Training heavily to get in shape for the Tour of Flanders after a five-week holiday, Morten did the 115km of the RTF in Ilbenstadt and added the kilometers cycling from home to Ilbenstadt and back. He only got into a snow shower during the final hour of his ride...

The next RTF around Frankfurt takes place this weekend in Rüsselsheim.

RTF Ilbenstadt on Easter Monday

After Niederdorfelden, RC Ilbenstadt is organising its "Frühlings RTF" on Easter Monday. Whether it will be spring remains to be seen, with the current weather forecast not exactly promising, but the RTF is worthwile and a good opportunity to put in the mileage needed for the upcoming events like the Tour of Flanders.

Website (Ausschreibung)

German Cycling Cup: Already 3000 registrations for Köln

The first race of the inaugural German Cycling Cup will be held on Easter Monday in Köln. The cyclo event will again preceed the traditional annual pro race, and offers two distances: 100km and 65km.

According to the website of the organisation, already 3000 people have signed up for the event. The course is predominantly flat but there are also a few climbs in there, the last one going up to the Schloss Bensberg partially on cobblestones. On the 100km course, there are 920 Hm to be conquered.

Last year's winner was Nico Wernicke from Team Strassacker, who beat a peloton of nearly 100 riders in a bunch sprint.

More info on Rund um Köln on the website.

Niederdorfelden kicks off Frankfurt RTF season

The Hessen RTF season gets underway in March and, in particular for Frankfurt cyclists on Sunday, 16 March with the traditional "Frühlings RTF" in Niederdorfelden (close to Bad Vilbel).

The longest distance is 115km and goes a.o. through the Wetterau. A good training opportunity for those racing in Cologne the week after!

More info on the organising club's website.

Gazzetta Challenge: La Tappone del Giro + Giro di Lombardia

The Gazzetta Challenge, organised by La Gazzetta dello Sport, enters its third year with only two events scheduled in 2008. Due to Easter, it proved to be impossible to guarantee adequate road security measures for the organisation of the Sanremo event on 23 March. Remaining are thus La Tappa della Leggenda, also known as Dolomiti Stars, and the Giro di Lombardia.

La Tappa takes place on 24 May with start in Arabba and finish in Marmolada (Passo Fedaia). It is a course for pure climbing goats and perhaps a great alternative for those not selected to do La Maratona this season. The percorso includes the climbs of the Passo Pordoi, San Pellegrino, Passo Giau, Passo Falzarego and finally the Passo Fedaia. 153 km in total and possibly tougher than La Maratona, also considering it takes place five weeks prior.

The season's closer in Lombardia takes place in and around Lake Como on Sunday, 19 October.

Link to the Gazzetta Challenge website

German Cycling Cup: Münsterlandgiro with new course

The 3rd edition of the German Cycling Cup's final race in Münster will again be held on a different course. Announced is a 140 km long race towards the west with fewer height metres (as if there were many before :-)) . For those with already tired legs, there will also be shorter distances of 110 and 70 km.

The Münsterlandgiro has quickly established itself as one of the leading events in Germany with over 3, 000 participants in 2007. The region itself, Münsterland, proclaims itself to be the cycling capital of Germany.

More info on the race's website.

German Cycling Cup officially announced!

The successor of the T-Mobile Cycling Tour is now officially announced. The German Cycling Cup will contain 9 events, of which the best 7 results will count for the final classification. An attractive offer, especially for the many people whose budgets and time limits were overstretched by the 19 races that made up the 2007 Tour!

All details can be found on the new German Cycling Cup website. The Series kicks off with Rund um Köln on Easter Monday and ends with the Münsterlandgiro on 3 October.

Tour of Flanders: KOPPENBERG back in the race!

Cyclists in Flanders and abroad were delighted yesterday upon the announcement that the legendary Koppenberg will return to the course of the Tour of Flanders this year! The cobbled "beast" of Melden (Oudenaarde) with its +20% stretches is an integral part of the Ronde's history and was omitted from the 2007 edition because of the worsening condition of the cobblestones, which showed large gaps between them. The town of Oudenaarde has invested in the resurfacing once again (they had just done it a few years ago to get the Koppenberg back in after a hiatus of over a decade) and all lights were put on green by the race organisers yesterday.

In 2006 a large part of the professional peloton had to get off the bike on the steepest bits of the climb. The Koppenberg substitutes the Kortekeer climb on the 2008 course.

The Ronde will be held on the 5-6 April weekend. The cyclotour version on Saturday, the ProTour race on Sunday. Six riders associated with the Frankfurt International Cycling Club will make the journey down there, and will in fact stay in "Koppenberg town", Oudenaarde.

Shimano Fiets Challenge on 3/4 May

The Shimano Fiets Challenge, the self-proclaimed biggest cyclo of the Benelux countries, will be held this season on 3 and 4 May. As usual, there will be road and MTB races as well as a cyclotour. The main event, the 150km road race, takes place on Sunday.

Like last year, the finish will be on "het Drielandenpunt" in Vaals (NL), the highest point in Holland at 322m (doesn't look impressive, but the climb is rather steep).

More info on the website