Friday & Saturday Roundup

Alright, my procrastination has come to an end...

Tour de Bretagne (Stages 2 & 3)

Riccardo Zoidl (Gourmetfein-Simplon) continued his breakout season on stage two of the Tour de Bretagne when he broke away with Rabobank Development's Nick van der Lijke from the leading breakaway and then proceeded to drop the Dutchman just before the line to take the stage victory and slide into the yellow jersey. Zoidl, the overall winner of the Circuit des Ardennes, has come on in the last two seasons and looks certain to gain a pro contract next year.

Zoidl and van der Lijke were apart of the day long breakaway including Petr Vakoc (Etixx-iHNed), Pierre-Luc Perichon (Bretagne-Séché), Julien Morrice (Vendée U) Yaan Botrel and Jacques Bouchevreau (Selection Bretagne). Windy conditions made it hard for the peloton to pull back the peloton and when Zoidl and van der Lijke attacked, they were gone for good and the peloton had to limit their losses. The group sprint was won by Marco Benfatto (Astana) over Luis Mas Bonet (Burgos BH) and Timothy Dupont (Ventilair-Steria).

Stage 2 highlights

Stage three saw a group of 4 powerful riders breaking away late and holding off the peloton with Timothy Dupont holding off Thüringer Energie's TT powerhouse Jasha Sütterlin and the Etixx-iHNed duo of stage 1 winner Louis Verhelst and Florian Senechal. Juan Villegas (4-72 Colombia) won the bunch sprint just 7 seconds behind with Marco Benfatto (Astana) and Eugenio Alafaci (Leopard-Trek) coming in behind him.

Stage 3 highlights

Skive Løbet & Himmerland Rundt (Denmark)

While the Himmerland Rundt has been around for a few years now, the organizers have added two races to make it more attractive to foreign teams. With the Skive-Løbet and Destination Thy joining the Himmerland Rundt, 33 teams showed up to the flat and windy Danish coast for racing.

Skive Løbet was won by Danish speedster Patrick Clausen (CULT Energy) over Remco Te Brake (Metec) and former World Tour rider Gorik Gardeyn (Doltcini-Flanders) from a 45-strong peloton. Wind decimated the race as echelons formed and a large group of nearly 60 was dropped from the leading back. On a sad note, this was the last race for Steve Schets (Doltcini-Flanders). After struggling to find motivation for this season, Schets fell and broke his elbow and immediately announced his retirement after the race. Schets was the winner of the inagural Handzame Classic in 2011.

Himmerland Rundt, the gem of the weekend, was won by Yoeri Havik (De Rijke-Shanks), winner of the ZLM Tour and 4th place the previous day at Skive. Riding near the west coast of Denmark, wind was once again the major factor of the day because by the time the final sprint was coming, the peloton was down to only 32 riders. Out of 187 starters, only 80 finished the race because after so many were dropped, it seems as if they were too tempted by passing the team cars on the finishing loops.

In the end, it was Havik taking the sprint convincingly over Norwegian Kristian Drynes (Øster Hus Ridler), Magnus Cort (CULT Energy) and Fridtjof Røinås (Plussbank). It is so nice to see an-all U23 podium in a race that is open to riders of all ages.

Elsewhere...

• Jeff Vermeulen (Metec) beat out breakaway partners Niko Eeckhout (AnPost-Chain Reaction), Grischa Janorschke (Nutrixxion-Abus) and Michael Vingerling (3M) in the final sprint for the win at the Zuid Oost Drenthe Classic I. Behind them, it was Wouter Wippert (3M) beating out Dylan Groenewegen (De Rijke-Shanks) in the bunch sprint. Groenewegen beat out Wippert for the win at the Ronde van Noord-Holland last weekend so this proves that the duel is not one sided between these two young Dutch sprinters. 
• Federico Zurlo (Zalf-Euromobil) was 1st across the line at the Memorial Carlo Valentini but was last on the results sheet. Zurlo, a 1st-year U23 with Zalf, got into a fight with an unnamed Trevigiani rider just a few kilometers before the finish. Luckily for Zalf (and Zurlo), teammate Paolo Simion had come in 2nd to Zurlo and was promoted to the top step. 

GP Liberazione: Belorussian Koshevoy escapes to incredible victory

It should have been easy to see as it has happened the last three years but once again a breakaway ruled the 68th GP Liberazione.

The 23-lap circuit race around Rome's famed Baths of Caracalla set off around mid-day and very early on, it was Damien Howson (Australia) who set out with Filippo Rudi (Palazzago) and Mattia Viganò (FGM) on just the 2nd lap of the race. Soon after, it was Howson who dropped his breakaway companions and stretched his advantage to 1'20" on the flat to rolling course. Behind a speeding Howson, many riders tried to attack out of the peloton but to no avail. Last year's junior World Champion Matej Mohoric (Slovenia) was one of these attackers but he then was caught up in a crash with a race motorbike along with other riders.

While riders still attempted to bridge to Howson, last year's bronze medalist from the World U23 TT, Australia was dealt a big blow when Caleb Ewan was caught up in a crash with 20 other riders on a descent and was forced to pull out of the race.

With Ewan out, Australia had to shift their plan and the race broke open with 18 kilometers left. With Howson's advantage dropping, a group of four attacked out of the peloton including Belorussian Ilya Koshevoy (Big Hunter), Adam Phelan (Australia), Matteo Cremoni (Vibert Italia-Amore e Vita) and Mirko Trosino (Mastromarco). With others chasing from behind, the chasing four reached Howson and with two laps to go, Koshevoy and Phelan attacked their group and the advantage grew as the organization in the peloton failed.

With Koshevoy and Phelan flying away, a counter attack with Alberto Bettiol (Mastromarco), Stefano Nardelli (Gavardo), Federico Zurlo (Zalf-Euromobil) and Mitchell Mulhern (Australia) got a gap on the stalled peloton. Coming into the final kilometer, Koshevoy put in a soft attack that slowly distanced Phelan; 10 meters, 20 meters then 40 meters. In the final straight, Phelan pulled back some of the advantage but in the end, it was the Belorussian Koshevoy posting up for the victory ahead of Phelan. Behind, the counter attack had broken up with Bettiol coming in first ahead of Nardelli while Abruzzian Guiseppe Fonzi attacked the peloton late and managed a 5th place just ahead of a sprinting Andrea Zordan in 6th.




1° Ilya Koshevoy (Big Hunter)
2° Adam Phelan (Australia) a 1"
3° Alberto Bettiol (Mastromarco) a 30"
4° Stefano Nardelli (Gavardo) a 35"
5° Giuseppe Fonzi (Vini Fantini) a 39"
6° Andrea Zordan (Zalf Euromobil Desirée Fior) 40"
7° Paolo Simion (Zalf Euromobil Desirée Fior)
8° Riccardo Stacchiotti (Vini Fantini)
9° Gianni Bellini (Mastromarco)
10° Niccolò Rocchi (Marchiol Emisfero)

• This was an impressive performance by Koshevoy, who up until not now had not had a big victory to his name. Koshevoy comes from a cycling background with both of his parents racing in their youth. He is also one of a few Belorussians that have come to the Italian amateur scene to try and strike it big. This win will go far in his search for a professional contract.
• Even with the loss of Caleb Ewan, Australia has to be credited with a great race. This is the 7th time in 9 years that an Australian has stepped on the podium in this race. Phelan and Howson continued strong seasons and both are headed towards pro contracts next season.
• Where the hell were Zalf, Trevigiani and Colpack? Arguably the three strongest Italian teams and most of them were anonymous today with Zalf being the only one to make a dent. Davide Villella (Colpack) and Michele Scartezzini (Trevigiani) both attempted to attack but they both went nowhere. Even with Andrea Zordan winning the group sprint for 6th, Zalf comes away with a sour taste in their mouth.
• Mastromarco probably put in the strongest performance by an Italian team. Mirko Trosino attacked with Koshevoy and Phelan but couldn't hold on while Bettiol did well to get the team on the final podium. Grade A job done by Gabriele Balducci's Tuscan team.

Verhelst sprints to first stage win at Tour de Bretagne

Photo: Fabrice Lambert / Sportbreizh.com

In the first stage of the seven stage tour, Louis Verhelst (Etixx-iHNed) sprinted to his 3rd win of the season ahead of Jan Sokol (Gourmetfein-Simplon) and Timothy Dupont (Ventilair-Steria). The bunch had to overcome a late attack from Norwegian Vegard Breen, who has 10 seconds headed into the final three kilometers. A speeding bunch was able to shut him down and Julian Alaphilippe lead out Verhelst  until 300 meters to go and Verhelst launched his sprint and according to him in a post-race interview, he knew from the moment he launched, he would win.

3rd UCI-victory in 1month at first stage #tourdebretagne. Thanks a lot again to an amazing #etixxihned leadout!
— Louis Verhelst (@LouisVerhelst) April 25, 2013

According to Verhelst, who graduated from the U23 ranks last year, he was in contact with multiple pro teams last year including Bretagne-Schuller (now Bretagne-Seche Environment) but they all turned him down. With three UCI wins so far this year, Verhelst has definitely shown he is ready for the next level.




Top 10:

1 Verhelst Louis Etixx-iHNed CT
2 Sokol Jan Team Gourmetfein-Simplon
3 Dupont Timothy Ventilair-Stéria
4 Villegas Juan 472-Colombia
5 Laborie Christophe Sojasun
6 Torres Muiño Pablo Burgos BH - Castilla y Leon
7 Alafaci Eugenio Leopard - Trek CT
8 Benfatto Marco Continental Team Astana
9 Zabel Rick Rabobank Development Team
10 Manzin Lorenzo UC Nantes Atlantique

Full Results

Daan Olivier signs with Argos-Shimano for next season

Rabobank Development's Daan Olivier signed his first professional contract with Argos-Shimano, a three-year deal that will see him be with the team from 2014-2016. Olivier cited the clean environment within the organization and that their coaching staff would be able to develop him further as a rider.

“It is a dream come true to become a professional cyclist,” said Olivier. “I signed with Team Argos-Shimano because it is the best team for a young rider who wants to develop himself, so I am really keen to join this project. I really admire the clean way they approach cycling and how they work with their riders, with intensive coaching and a complete team of experts. I want to develop in the future as a GC rider. I see myself as a typical climber, but I am going to work with the team on my time trialing to become a more complete rider.”

Press Release from Argos-Shimano 

Olivier had a impressive season last year but after coming off of a small crash, he suffered a big setback by coming back too fast and overtraining. This overtraining plagued him through the early season and hasn't allowed him to be in his best shape. Olivier finished the Circuit des Ardennes stage race is a reasonable 28th overall and then was quite active in Liege-Bastogne-Liege U23, where he was in some attacks and finished 22nd.

This could turn out to be a great move for Argos-Shimano. They have been stock piling young talent for years now but it would behoove them to sign some older mentors to help guide these riders. You can get some of the best talent in the world but it is always hard learning the ropes.

Zabel and Zepuntke out of Rabobank Development at season's end

With the Rabobank Continental team of 2012 morphing into the KNWU (Dutch Cycling Federation)-backed Rabobank Development team for 2013, it has been confirmed by cyclingonline.nl that German riders Rick Zabel and Ruben Zepuntke will have to find new teams for 2014.

According to KNWU Technical Director Thorwald Veneberg, it was "a logical choice". The former Rabobank rider went on to say that it makes no sense that a team backed by the KNWU would contribute to the development of German riders. From the outset, it seemed strange that Zabel and Zepuntke would be here for 2013 but after the quick departure of Rabobank as a sponsor, it would have been bad to push them out. In any case, the parting seems to be amicable.

@zabelrick I might know a team for you... #PROVEIT
— axelmerckx (@axelmerckx) April 23, 2013

Now the speculation will begin where two talented riders will end up for 2014. There could be a very plausible argument that Zabel could make the jump to the World Tour next season but in my opinion, another year in the U23 ranks would serve him well as he will only be 20 years old this year. Above, you can see Bontrager CT Axel Merckx tweeting Zabel after the news came out. Zepuntke will also have to look for greener pastures and after two solid seasons as a U23, he will be a hot commodity on the transfer market. While not as talked about as Zabel, Zepuntke has great time trialling skills along with a body suited to classics and flatter stage races.

Hmmm Zabel to OPQS? (Photo: @ZabelRick)

GP Liberazione: A Race for "The Comrades"

Proposed flag for Padania

Francesco Moser was one of the finest and more respected riders of his generation, especially for taking to the northern classics with some aplomb not seen by an Italian since Fiorenzo Magni. 3-time winner of Paris-Roubaix, "The Sheriff" has stayed in touch with cycling since his retirement and was integral in the formation of the CPA, the professional cyclists union. Come 2011, many people's opinion of Moser changed when he came out in support of the Giro di Padania's supposed political backing, which came from the Lega Nord, a far right wing party that has been seen as xenophobic, among other things. At times, Lega Nord has advocated the secession of Padania, which is a term for the Po Valley region of Italy which has been seen as the economic driver of the country due to high rates of industry but Lega Nord has changed this to include all of Northern Italy and states such as Tuscany, Marche and Umbria.

During the inagural Giro di Padania, which was marred by protest, Moser came out swinging against those who criticized any political leanings that the race itself had because, as he sees is, there were races such as the Gran Premio Liberazione and Giro della Regioni that were never criticized for having direct links to the Communist Party. Okay let's pause and take a trip back in time. In 1946, the first GP Liberazione was run to celebrate the fall of Mussolini's fascist regime and the end of Nazi occupation, which happened on April 25th, 1945. Every subsequent edition has been run on April 25th, which is a public holiday in Italy, and the race has been seen as a beacon for post-fascist Italy. Where Moser gets his communist idea is from the race inviting teams from the Eastern Bloc to come take part in this showcase of talent. At a time where tensions were still high, geo-politically speaking, the race was inviting Czechoslovak and Soviet riders to compete as early as the mid-sixties.

Moser recalls when he was racing the event in 1972 where he alleges that two Soviet riders broke rules in the breakaway with him and fellow Italian Enzo Rossi, which propelled Soviet Yuri Osincew to the win. Moser continued saying that the race officials, who according to him were communist sympathizers, didn't do anything about it because they wanted to see a communist winner. All of these claims are unsubstantiated and it seems that Moser has a bone to pick based upon his political ideology.

While Moser seems to be a sympathizer of Lega Nord and a breakaway Padania state, it should be noted that in 1975 it was Italian Communist Guido Fanti, the President of Emilia-Romagna, who first proposed a Padania state, but only those states in the Po River Valley and not all of northern Italy. But I digress...

The Baths of Carcalla (Italian-Architecture.info)

The GP Liberazione is run around the Baths of Caracalla in Rome, making it a circuit race. The Baths of Caracalla were the 2nd largest Roman public bath and date back to the 3rd century C.E. under the aforementioned Emperor Caracalla. To give you a sense of the size of the structure, 1,600 bathers could fit inside at one time and the structure covered a massive 25 hectares. The baths were sacked by the Ostrogoths during the 6th century Gothic War.

As you can see above, the course winds its way around the baths but honestly, this race's parcours is nothing special and the race is pretty short at just 138 kilometers. So what makes this race special if it is just a circuit race around the heart of Rome? Tradition. This race has been run every year since 1946 and the list of future champions that have competed here as amateurs would stretch from Rome to Sicily. As mentioned previously, this race featured Eastern Bloc riders before many other events. 1985 saw Gianni Bugno win while 1987 saw a young Dimitri Konyshev raise his arms in victory. In 2004, the race went to an all U23 format and this race became one of the gems of the Italian calendar. Look at some of the winners since then: Daniele Colli, Chris Sutton, Matt Goss, Sacha Modolo, Manuele Boaro, Matteo Trentin and Enrico Barbin. It should be said that just because there are no substantial climbs on this course, it doesn't mean that there will be a guaranteed field sprint because of the technical nature of the course. The last three winners of the race, Barbin, Trentin and Jan Tratnik, all won from breakaways so it is definitely possible with enough horsepower.

**STARTLIST**

This year will be no different in terms of the quality of the field. All of the big Italian teams will be lining up including the big three of Trevigiani Dynamon Bottoli, Zalf-Euromobil and Team Colpack along with national teams from Australia, Ukraine, Japan, Russia and Slovenia. BMC Development will also be present with Ignazio Moser, the son of Francesco Moser. Another interesting note is that the maximum amount of riders a team can have is only 5, which makes controlling the peloton next to impossible. 

There are multiple riders that must be watched. Zalf-Euromobil's Andrea Zordan already has 5 wins this year and will be keen to add another to his palmares. Last year's 3rd place Davide Villella (Team Colpack) has had a rough go of it lately with four 2nd place finishes in the last two weeks but he will be looking to breakthrough with a big win here. Trevigiani brings Michele Scartezzini, the winner of Trofeo Piva Banca and 4th place at this past weekend's Trofeo Edil C.

There is no defined start list as of now but if the Australian National team brings who I think they will bring, they will have a strong chance at victory. If either Caleb Ewan or Damien Howson show up for Thursday's event, that is a two-headed cobra that no one will want to tame. Marlen Zmorka, who should line up for either Palazzago or the Ukrainian National team was in fine form this last weekend at Vicenza-Bionde, with a impressive solo victory over a speeding pack. Other names to watch include Niccolò Bonifazio (Viris Maserati), Niccola Ruffoni, Davide Orrico (Colpack), Simone Andreetta and Paolo Simion (Zalf-Euromobil).

With a start list released, there are a few other riders that I should mention. The GS Mastromarco squad led by former pro Gabriele Balducci has strong men such as Alberto Bettiol (10th in Flanders Nations Cup) and a former GiroBio stage winner in Mirko Trosino. While Davide Martinelli might enjoy a bit of a hillier course, the former SKY stagiaire and his Food Italia team could throw a wrench in the spokes of the bigger favorites. There is also the Slovenian National Team which will come with studs Jan Polanc and Luka Pibernik. Polanc will no doubt trying to attack while Pibernik is probably one of the few that can stay close to Ewan in a sprint. Shouldn't count out last year's World Junior Champion Matej Mohoric either but he has shown that while strong, he is in a teething process this year.

The good thing about this race is that every year RAI Sport shows this race on TV. It is scheduled for broadcast at 18.00-19.00 on RAI 2 so it will be highlights but that is much better than no coverage at all. It perhaps might be the last time the race is seen as well. Giancarlo Brocci, the head of the GiroBio, mentioned in an interview with Cicloweb.it that the organizers of the GP Liberazione have already cancelled the 2014 edition. While this is mere speculation at this point, it would be a great tragedy to see this race disappear.

Weekend of Video (April 20-21st)

Busy weekend of lots of racing so my writing can be a bit of a snooze-fest after a while since there are only so many similes and metaphors one can use.

Arno Wallaard Memorial - Won by Coen Vermeltfoort (De Rijke-Shanks) (Skip to around 3:19:00)





Ronde van Noord-Holland - Won by Dylan Groenewegen (De Rijke-Shanks)




Memorial Gerry Gasparotto - Won by Simone Andreetta (Zalf-Euromobil)




**Davide Villella didn't even bother showing up for the podium ceremony.


Memorial Fumagalli - Won by Andrea Zordan over Davide Villella AGAIN




XXIII Trofeo Guerrita (6th round of Copa de España) - won by Ibai Salas (Caja Rural Amateur)