Uran Top 15 After Ideal Placement Helps to Avoid Crash

The Giro d'Italia bunch sprint of 173km Stage 10 turned into chaos with about 700 meters to go. A ride went down in a technical section approaching the launch of the sprint, and a large portion of the peloton crashed as a result. However, Omega Pharma - Quick-Step Cycling Team rider Rigoberto Uran was not one of them.

Uran placed 13th, and lost no time to Maglia Rosa wearer Cadel Evans (BMC Racing Team). OPQS escorted Uran to the front as they also helped chase down a two rider breakaway, and then they kept him always near the front in the final kilometers as tension rose in anticipation of the group arrival. His ideal placement in the peloton helped him to avoid being caught up in the crash.

Nacer Bouhanni (FDJ.fr) won the stage, with Giacomo Nizzolo (Trek Factory Racing) 2nd and Michael Matthews (Orica-GreenEDGE) 3rd. Evans was 9th, but the Colombian rider of OPQS was close behind.

Alessandro Petacchi was caught behind the crash. Though he stayed upright, he was unable to relaunch his sprint.

OPQS looks next to a Stage 11 medium mountain stage. The 249km course features two categorized climbs, but the second climb is followed by a descent to a somewhat flat finish. Stage 12 — the Barbaresco to Barolo ITT of 41.9km — could prove to be crucial to the GC on Thursday.

"Today it was relatively easy until the last kilometers," Uran said "I felt well the entire day. Then at about 20 kilometers from the finish, the fight to take the last climb in the best position possible started. The team did a great job another time and I took the climb really in the front. The speed was really high, even in the downhill. I managed to stay in the front surrounded by the OPQS guys. Then in the last few hundred meters, there was that crash. I don't know what happened, but suddenly I saw a few riders going down on the ground. The crash happened on the left side of the road and I was lucky that I was on the other side of the road and I passed. As I said already, every day something can happen here at the Giro. I'm happy that this stage is behind us."

"Tomorrow is not an easy stage," Sport Director Davide Bramati said. "In the first 100 kilometers we will cross the Appennini to go to the sea. Then we will stay along the sea along the Riviera Ligure, where the wind can be a factor. The stage is also long. It is more or less 250 kilometers. At about 30 kilometers to go there is a GPM of 2nd category. After all those kilometers, the climb can remain in the legs of a few riders."

Californian chase effort helps build Renshaw's Tour de France case

IN a little over a month Mark Renshaw will find out if he will be riding for Omega Pharma-QuickStep in this year’s Tour de France, but the Bathurst cyclist has certainly presented a good case to his team officials.

As the Tour of California came to its conclusion on Sunday, Renshaw played an important role in helping team-mate Mark Cavendish to take out the honours on the 135.2 kilometre Thousand Oaks stage.

That is exactly what QuickStep signed him up to do.

However, it was not a lead out job that Renshaw provided for the noted sprinter as he had done in when Cavendish took out the opening stage of the tour. Instead he worked to get his team-mate back in contact with the leading bunch after he was dropped on the day’s decisive climb.

It was something Cavendish made sure to mention after taking out the eighth stage over Giant-Shimano’s John Degenkolb and Cannondale’s Peter Sagan.

“I got dropped a bit, but I had Mark Renshaw and a few strong guys from other teams with me,” Cavendish said.

“The guys who were with me wanted to get back on. So, we went full gas on the descent and we almost got back. Then my team-mates Niki Terpstra and Carlos Verona, who were in the breakaway, came back. They chased for the team and we got back on.”

Back in 2011 when they were team-mates at HTC Highroad, Renshaw played a major role in Cavendish winning seven Grand Tour stages.

The next two years the men were rivals in the peloton, but for 2014 Renshaw was reunited with Cavendish who wanted the Bathurst talent to increase his chances of winning more stages.

Renshaw has certainly delivered thus far and in the process earned himself three podium finishes as well – a second in the Tour of Dubai, a team time trial victory at the Tirreno-Adriatico and third in the Tour of Turkey.

That sort of effort shows he is in good touch and given Renshaw missed last year’s Tour de France after breaking his collarbone in the Tour of Turkey, he would love take part in the 101st edition.

QuickStep officials will not name their team for this year’s Tour de France, which gets underway on July 7, until a week before the Grand Tour event starts. 

In the meantime Renshaw will keep stating his case.

Renshaw had battled some hot temperatures during this year’s Tour of California, day six especially tough as the mercury hit 47 degrees, but he survived to line up for the final stage.

Mercifully for the riders, they faced much cooler temperatures, but with the stage including three climbs it was not going to be an easy one for sprinters such as Renshaw.

Not surprisingly a breakaway formed and when Cavendish punctured at the bottom of the second climb, a sprint finish did not look part of the equation for QuickStep.

But Cavendish hauled himself over that climb then was joined by Renshaw. That pair, along with BMC duo Taylor Phinney and Thor Hushovd, got themselves back in contact with the peloton with about 10km to ride.

Renshaw continued to work for Cavendish before handing over the lead out job to his team-mates inside the final 5km.

Cavendish took out the win after two hours, 53 minutes and 50 seconds with Renshaw crossing the line 2:28 later after showing QuickStep officials his willingness to do a job for the team.

“The guys rode really incredible today. They really had some guts and I’m proud to again finish the job of a great team effort,” Cavendish said.

Mark Cavendish the only multiple stage winner at the Tour of California

Manx Missile secures opening and closing stages of the race

Mark Cavendish (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) started the Tour of California with a narrow victory over John Degenkolb (Giant-Shimano) and ended the race in the same manner. An early celebration almost opened the door for Degenkolb pip the Great British national champion on the line but Cavendish held on to become the only multiple stage winner of the 2014 edition of the race.

Despite suffering a flat during the race and unsure as to whether he was even going to pin on a race number, Cavendish fought his way back to the front of the bunch and finished off his team's good work on the 122km stage around Thousand Oaks.

"To be fair I wasn't anticipating a sprint today," Cavendish said after claiming his eighth win of 2014. "I wasn't going to start today, let alone finish. But then I just thought I'd start. I'd maybe get dropped the first time, maybe do another lap for training, and then that would be it. I had a small breakfast and we started. A few guys suffered the first lap, but the second lap I actually punctured on my own at the bottom of the climb. So I had my wheel changed by neutral service and rode the second climb alone.

"But, I had good power. I was passing a lot of guys. Then over the top I could see the group and I was chasing the group. Then I got back on, on the descent. I thought if I could do that, then I've got a shot of getting over on the last lap as well. So, I just thought I would try and hang in there on the last lap. I got dropped a bit, but I had Mark Renshaw and a few strong guys from other teams with me. The guys who were with me wanted to get back on.

Omega Pharma-Quick Step had placed both Niki Terpstra and Carlos Verona in the break but when they were reeled in, it was all about delivering Cavendish to the stage win.

"Matteo Trentin put me in perfect position for the last kilometer," Cavendish said. "Niki Terpstra also did a great job. I just wanted to follow Peter [Sagan]. Then Giant-Shimano came, so I got in there, squeezed in, and that's about when Peter launched. I knew with 200 meters to go, on that finish, I would be able to to have the speed after a week's racing. So I just went and I was a bit fortunate.

It was only after replays of stage one on a phone that Cavendish knew he had the win and it was almost another photo finish today with Degenkolb once again just coming up short.

"I celebrated early and John nearly beat me," Cavendish said. "But overall I'm super happy with the group and my condition. I'm in good shape and the guys rode really incredible today. They really had some guts and I'm proud to again finish the job of a great team effort."

Démare: I know how to beat Mark Cavendish

FDJ sprinter is aiming to win a stage on his Tour de France debut

After following up his recent overall victory at the Four Days of Dunkirk with another GC success, this time in his “home” Tour of Picardy, FDJ.fr sprinter Arnaud Démare is turning his sights towards his Tour de France debut.

The 22-year-old Frenchman says his goal in July will be a stage win and firmly believes he has the ability to pull this off. He has told L’Equipe that this will a difficult proposition, but added that he believes he knows how to beat Mark Cavendish.

Asked about his chances of beating the British sprinter, Démare said: “It was only the start of the season, but at the Tour of the Algarve I was already aware that there is a way to beat him…”

Démare’s victory in Picardy, where he won two of the three stages as well as the overall, gave him further reason for optimism with regard to the Tour. Marcel Kittel won the title last year, while Kittel’s team-mate John Degenkolb won it the year before. Both of the Germans went on to win multiple grand tour stages in the wake of their Picardy success, Kittel at the Tour and Degenkolb at the Vuelta.

“They took this path and that gives me a huge amount of ambition. I will go to the Tour with the objective of winning a stage even though I will perhaps end up being disappointed because there will be such huge competition,” said Démare. “You can’t win sprints every day, but if there is an opportunity I know that it is feasible.”

He explained his self-belief has been boosted by his growing capacity in the mountains. “They don’t particularly frighten me. I could see at Tirreno that I had progressed when compared to the [2012] Giro. I’m even starting to recuperate when I’m in the gruppetto in the mountains, which is also a good sign,” he said.

The French sprinter’s successes at the weekend put him level with his FDJ.fr team-mate Nacer Bouhanni on seven wins for the season, one behind Cavendish and Alejandro Valverde, who are currently the most prolific winners in the peloton. Reaching this mark on his home roads gave Démare particular pleasure.

“I really enjoyed riding in front of my fans in the sun. It was super,” he said. “I went through the villages where I used to win when I was a youngster. So many memories came back to me.”

Mountain bikes stolen in East Morton

Police are asking for information after two mountain bikes were stolen.

 The thieves broke into a garage at Stepping Stones in East Morton between April 5 and April 19 and took away the Specialized S Works bikes (one pictured above).

  Both of the two stolen bikes are black and made of aluminium and carbon fibre.

  “We would be interested to hear from anyone who saw anything suspicious in the area between the above dates, or anyone who might have been offered these mountain bikes at a reduced price.” said Detective Constable Paul Walker, of Bradford District CID.

  Anyone with information is asked to get in touch with Det Con Walker on 101 or Crime stoppers on 0800 555111.

Mongoose brand to debut in Halfords stores - sponsored post

Mongoose is the latest fabulous bike brand to cooperate with Halfords and capitalize on the United Kingdom’s leading retailer's unmatched consumer network.
Mongoose has been manufacturing high quality bikes since the company was built in a Southern Californian garage in 1974. Actually, this is a year of celebrating its 40th anniversary. Mongoose rapidly rounded into a reputation that is synonymous with the world of BMX and is also well honored among mountain bikers.
The overall 2014 Mongoose bikes collection will be available through the Halfords website, with a range that features mountain bikes and compound models as same as BMX’s and women's particular selections.
Along with the brand debuting at Halfords.com, the partnership will also see the introduction of a particular series of bikes that will go into 300 Halfords stores.
Mongoose’s Russell Merry said: “We are thrilled to partner with Halfords to provide their consumers with our 2014 line-up and an exclusive in-store range of Mongoose bikes and accessories. This new association underlines the growing popularity of our brand and provides exciting potential. Action sports participants and enthusiasts shopping at Halfords will be inspired to get out and ride.”
Halfords exclusive bikes
Mongoose has three mountain bikes that are destined for Halfords stores, ranging from £229.99 to £299.99.

The Mongoose Sector 29in hardtail mountain bike
The Sector is an alloy framed 29er hardtail that packs an adjustable fork with 100mm travel, 24-speed Shimanogearing and mechanical disc brakes. It’s set to be one of the most affordable ways for a rider to get their leg over a 29in wheeled mountain bike.
Resisting the shift to 650b wheels, the Mongoose Vanish hardtail arrives with 26in wheels and an 80mm suspension fork. A 21-speed Shimano drivetrain offers the range for various terrain while braking is taken care of by mechanical discs both on the front and rear wheels.

The Mongoose Vanish gets an 80mm suspension fork and mechanical disc brakes
Completing the exclusive mountain bike line-up is the Evict. Designed for junior riders, the Evict uses 24in wheels and gets a 50mm suspension fork. Like the other bikes in the range the Evict also stops using mechanical disc brakes. Mongoose has also included a quick-release front wheel and centre mount kickstand to keep the Evict from toppling when not being ridden.
Three Mongoose BMXs are also being offered exclusively via Halfords as part of the Scan range; these will start at £179.99 and will top out at £229.99.

Three new Mongoose BMX bikes are heading for Halfords stores
For those who are after two-wheeled thrills of a different kind, Mongoose is now also offering two stunt scooters that will start at £49.99.
Finally, Mongoose will also be selling two styles of skate helmet, each will be £19.99.
Mongoose products will be available in 300 Halfords superstores and online from 29 April.

Mark Cavendish takes Tour of California opening stage

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Mark Cavendish has more than 100 victories throughout the world, containing 25 stages in the Tour de France, but he had never a victory as the one he had on Sunday.
Cavendish was far ahead of John Degenkolb in an exciting sprint to win the first stage of the Tour of California in the hithermost finish in the nine-year history of the event.
“It’s the first time in my career I really didn’t know the result until it was confirmed to me,” he said.
Degenkolb pulled ahead of the most decorated stage winner in Tour de France history in the final stretch , before the British “Manx Missile” burnished his legacy again. The two raced shoulder-to-shoulder until Cavendish came up along the right side and threw the rim of his bicycle’s tire just ahead as he crossed the line in a photo finish.
No one celebrated until learning of the final results, which were confirmed by photos, though Degenkolb looked depressed waiting for the final word. After the results were announced, he congratulated Cavendish with a heartbreaking hug.
“I knew that I lost,” Degenkolb said. “Sometimes it’s really just 1 or 2 centimeters, but normally you feel it straight away.”
Cavendish finished the 120-mile stage in 4 hours, 44 minutes, 7 seconds for the Omega Pharma-Quick Step Cycling Team. Belkin Pro Cycling’s Moreno Hofland of the Netherlands was third. Slovak sprinter Peter Sagan, who has won event-record 10 stages, got buried in the pack and finished fifth.
The longest stage of the eight-day, 720-mile tour through California’s eclectic climates came down to a drama-filled finishing stretch— and even then it took another minute to know who had actually won.
As the bell rang for one lap to go around the tree-lined intown circuit, the two teams of the big sprinters pulled to the front. Cavendish appeared to wait too long to attack — and had to work harder after teammate Mark Renshaw recovered from a punctured tire — before finally getting free and churning his legs for one formidable closing burst.
Cavendish came up on the right of Degenkolb, the German riding for Team Giant-Shimano, and lowered his helmet to the line. Cavendish, who announced in April he would skip the Giro d’Italia — where he won five stages last year — for the Tour of California and Tour de Suisse after an illness, also won the Sacramento stage in 2010.
“This fits in perfectly for what I want to do this year,” he said. “I should be fresh enough.”
Carmen Small of the Specialized-lululemon team won the women’s circuit race. The Tour of California resumes with a time trial in Folsom on Monday.
The race has grown into North America’s most celebrated cycling event, heretofore has lived up to the billing .This year’s field contains a few world-class riders, including Cavendish and 2012 Tour de France winner Bradley Wiggins.
The winner last year—Tejay van Garderen , an American , is not participating in the race and focusing on cycling’s marquee race in July instead. But his BMC Racing Team still has aspirations of challenging Wiggins, who will no doubt be the man to beat on the mountains.
The entire winner figures to be picked out on those steep climbs, including the Stage 3 ascent up Mount Diablo on Tuesday — when a heat wave is expected to send temperatures soaring into the upper 90s — and the Stage 6 ride up Mountain High on Friday. The race ends May 18 over the same circuit in Thousand Oaks that concluded the 2010 edition.